pa ge 1 pa ge 72 american journal of education and technologies (ajet) perceived personality of the teachers and its effect to classroom management jimboy b. pagalilauan1* volume 1 issue 2, year 2022 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i2.529 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: august 30, 2022 accepted: september 12, 2022 published: september 14, 2022 this study aimed to examine the perception of the respondents on the personality of their teachers and its effect to their classroom management. a descriptive correlational study was utilized as a design to attain the objective of the study. a descriptive and inferential statistics were utilized to statistically quantify the data gathered from the respondents using a structured questionnaire. 21 secondary students who are officially enrolled at sain josehp’s college of baggao inc (sjcbi) for academic year 2019-2020 participated on this study. the result showed that the teacher’s personality greatly affects classroom management. it is therefore the major recommendation of this study is for the teachers to continually engage themselves to career development and personality enhancement through seminars and trainings. keywords personality, teachers, classroom management, saint josph’s college of baggao inc. 1 maed saint joseph’s college of baggao inc., philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: jimpagalilauan10@gmail.com introduction most educational writers and public-school officials insist that personality is one of the most important factors in the successful teachers’ equipment. among other things the teacher himself is an important factor in the failure or success of the learner. although the teachers’ activity should not be the center of emphasis in the classroom, yet it should be borne in mind that the personality of the teacher is an important element in the total teaching situation. as such, it should be favorable to the overall growth of the students. according to moreno rubio (2009), one significant element that contributes to a successful teacher regardless of a profound content knowledge of his or her subject is classroom management skill. it is, thus, obvious that the study of classroom management has become an important aspect of teacher development. it is contended that classroom management could exert influences on the learning environment for students, which, as a result, affects both their academic competencies and emotional development (kratochwill, n.d).this can be considered as a rationale for much research into the effect of classroom management on students’ academic achievement and students’ behavior. hence, according to atkinson, r. c., & hilgard, e. (2011), personality is defined as the configuration of individual characteristics and ways of behaving which describe an individual’ s unique adjustment to his environment. it includes all those characteristics of the person that are important in his adjustment and the maintenance of his self-respect. from early childhood, the individual’s concept of self is an important factor in guiding both his personality. he acts consistently in terms of the kind of person believes he is. this self is his personality “viewed from within.” all his experiences with himself in his environment are integrated into it. personality includes the self and structure and more. personality structure refers to the persistent unique features that give coherence to a personality. jurczak, i., & jurczak, e. (2015). a man’s personality structure arises through the roles that culture assigns to him and through individual differences. social scientists use the word “personality” to refer to the individual’ s value, or effect on others, his 1ife; or his particular pattern of measurable traits. it is determined by all those characteristics and qualities of the individual that act as stimuli for other people-physique, hair color, complexion, mannerisms, friendship and the like. according to hogan (1991), a person personality is a relatively stable precursor of behavior; it underlies an enduring style of thinking, feeling and acting. however, guthrie et. al (1998) stated that personality can be defined as a predisposition to act or behave in a characteristic fashion in response to one’s environment. based on pervin et. al (2005), personality refers to the characteristics of the person that account for consistent patterns of feeling, thinking and behaving. personality is considered as complex interacting traits. parks-leduc, l., feldman, g., & bardi, a. (2015) said that traits of the individual are characteristics such mental ability, mechanical aptitude or talent, masculinity, intermission, and sociability. they can be observed and tested objectively or inferred from observable, measurable behavior. in other words, an individual’s personality is a composite of his physical appearance, his mental capacity, his emotional behavior, and his attitude towards others particularly the students. in the book “comprehensive classroom management: creating communities of support and solving problems,” jones and jones (2007) mentioned one more aspect that the teacher managerial strategies affected students, which is students’ motivation. however, https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i2.529 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= mailto:jimpagalilauan10@gmail.com pa ge 73 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 72-74, 2022 although motivation is an important factor contributing to students’ achievement, hardly can studies that thoroughly investigates its relationship with teacher’s management practices be found. this leads the research to conduct this study which is to assess the perception of the personality of the teachers in saint joseph’s college of baggao inc and its effect to classroom management. methodology research design the study used correlational research design. in this method, the researcher tried to elicit the needed information for the study through a questionnaire. the data were presented, interpreted, and analyzed to know the relationship between the study’s variables. respondents of the study the respondents of the study were students of saint joseph’s college of baggao incorporated at baggao cagayan valley, philippines. there were 21 senior high students covered by the study because of sampling technique. the study used convenience sampling to gather the information needed in the study. data gathering tool the study used survey questionnaire as its primary datagathering tool. part i tries to elicit information from the respondents on their age, sex, civil status and year level. part ii tries to get responses of teacher’s personality, scholarship, and classroom management. data gathering procedure the researcher personally hands a written request to the high school principal after the proposal has been approved by the research office of the institution. it was augmented with informal interview of the respondents and actual observation. data analysis after the retrieval of the questionnaire, elicited data was tabulated, analyzed and interpreted using correlational statistical tools. result as revealed in the findings regarding to sex, most of the respondents are female and most of them are single when it comes to civil status. table 01 shows that there are 3.10 weighted mean table 1: perceived personality the teachers by the respondents variables mean description teachers are neat in appearance 3.10 strongly agree teachers are strict, but kind, friendly and approachable 2.76 agree teachers are enthusiastic, interesting, stimulating and encouraging 2.62 agree teachers are tolerant, polite and mature in their ways 2.38 agree teachers have sense of humor 2.76 agree overall mean 2.72 agree table 2: perceived classroom performance of the teachers by the respondents variables mean description teachers know their subject verry well. 3.86 strongly agree teachers are progressivealways studying the learning. 3.48 strongly agree teachers are interested in their work and in their profession. 3.14 strongly agree teachers conduct the class in an informal easy, natural way, giving their students enough time to think and freedom to express themselves. 3.14 strongly agree teachers begin and dismiss their class on time 3.75 strongly agree teachers use different methods and techniques of teaching adjusting them to physical and mental growth of the students. 3.38 strongly agree teachers make review or drill work a part of their daily teaching procedure. 3.71 strongly agree teachers use many instructional devices or illustrations to supplement the method used. 3.24 strongly agree teachers adjust the activities to the learning capacities, interest, and comprehension of their students. 3.19 strongly agree teachers give clear and varies assignments. 3.48 strongly agree overall mean 3.38 strongly agree with description of strongly agree in the perception of respondents that their teachers are neat in appearance. second, 2.76, 2.62, 2.38 and 2.76 which all fall under agree description were accumulated from the variables teachers are strict, but kind, friendly and approachable, teachers are enthusiastic, interesting, stimulating and encouraging, teachers are tolerant, polite, and mature in their ways, and teachers have sense of humor, respectively. it resulted to overall mean of 2.72 weighted mean with agree as description. as presented in table 02 on the perception of the respondents on the classroom performance of their teachers, it reached an overall mean of 3.38 which has a description of strongly agree. this means that the respondents perceived that their teachers are equipped with the right knowledge and skills to carry out their https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 74 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 72-74, 2022 table 3: perceived classroom management of the teachers by the respondents variables mean description teachers’ set-up definite aims to be accomplished and organizes their subject matter. 3.43 strongly agree teachers are always prepared for their class. 3.29 strongly agree overall mean 3.36 strongly agree job. meanwhile, all the variables reflected got more than weighted mean of 3 which ended with strongly agree description. table 03 illustrates that the respondents perceived that their teachers are always ready to their class with a weighted mean of 3.39 or strongly agree and the highest is that the respondents perceived that their teacher’s setup definite aims to be accomplished and organizes their subject matter with weighted mean of 3.43 or strongly agree. discussion the students rated themselves on the physical and mental qualities as favorable. this shows good sign of quality teacher’s process. they also rated themselves favorable in their occupational attitude and personal character. bernardo, a. b. i. (2003), discussed that mental and basic abilities must be reinforced in classroom for the students to be life-long learners. generally, the teachers exhibited favorable character and desirable practices that may bring about positive behavior among the students. classroom management is a key responsibility for every classroom teacher. teachers’ abilities to manage classrooms can influence their self-efficacy and student success rates. in order for teachers to teach effectively, they must possess an understanding of how to create and maintain a classroom environment that is conducive to learning. brown and inglis (2013) believed that improving teaching efficacy and practice would require ongoing professional development. teachers who understand the connections between their self-efficacy and student success rates, can promote student achievement through their daily efforts. the study also shows that the teachers have adequate classroom management skills, which ensures pleasurable teaching learning situation. this revelation was clearly presented in the over-all average findings. this apparently means that teacher’s characteristics and behavior patterns relate to how they manage their class. conclusion based on the findings of this study, the researcher concluded that the teacher’s personality greatly affects classroom management. classroom management is essential to learning and in order to achieve learning goals, teachers must be proficient at organizing and managing their classrooms (ediger, m., 2013). it is therefore the major recommendation of this study is for the teachers to continually engage themselves to career development and personality enhancement through seminars and trainings. recommendations this study correlational examined the effects of teachers’ personality to classroom management, the following are recommended: 1. for the teachers to continually engage themselves to career development and personality enhancement through seminars and trainings. 2. for the school to reinforce faculty training needs that would empower them to be more productive and efficient. references atkinson, r. c., & hilgard, e. (2011). introduction to psychology. hascourt, bruce & world, new york p.468 bernardo, a. b. i. (2003). do filipino youth really value education? exploring filipino adolescents’ beliefs about the abstract and pragmatic value of education and its relationship to achievement goals and learning strategies. philippine journal of psychology, 36(2), 49-67. brown, a. & inglis, s. (2013). so, what happens after the event? exploring the realization of professional development with early childhood educators. australasian journal of early childhood, 38(1), 11-15. retrieved from http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia. org.au ediger, m. (2013). managing the classroom: a very salient responsibility in teaching and learning situations in classroom management. education, 134(1), 15-18. retrieved from http://www.projectinnovation.biz jurczak, i., & jurczak, e. (2015). personality of the teacher as an important element in the educational process of the child pedagogika rodziny. family pedagogy nr 5(2), 79-88. jones, v. f., & jones, l. s. (2004). comprehensive classroom management: creating communities of support and solving problems. boston: pearson/allyn and bacon. parksleduc, l., feldman, g., & bardi, a. (2015). personality traits and personal values: a meta-analysis.personality and social psychology review, 19(1), 3-29. kratochwill, t. (2015). classroom management: teachers module. http://www.apa.org/education/k12/classroommgmt.aspx moreno rubio, c. (2009). effective teachers–professional and personal skills. revista de la facultad de educación de albacete, 24, 35-46. parks-leduc, l., feldman, g., & bardi, a. (2015). personality traits and personal values: a meta-analysis; personality and social psychology review, 19(1), 3-29. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 10 0 american journal of education and technology (ajet) the perceived permeability of the labor market among moroccan students ouazzani touhami zineb1, biyouda samir1* volume 4 issue 1, year 2025 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v4i1.4011 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: november 11, 2024 accepted: december 13, 2024 published: february 10, 2025 this research discusses the results of a questionnaire survey conducted with a sample of more than 1000 students belonging to the mohamed v university of rabat. the study examines how students perceive the permeability of the labor market borders according to certain individual characteristics. to achieve this objective, multi-factor analyzes of variance (anova) were conducted. findings support significant associations between perceived permeability, on the one hand, and the type of establishment (open or selective access), the follow-up or not of training in soft skills, and the realization or not of student jobs, on the other hand. on the contrary, the sex of the student, the university level, and the follow-up or not of training in job search techniques do not maintain a relationship with perceived permeability. keywords labor market, perceptions, permeability, student, university 1 research laboratory in management of organizations, business law and sustainable development, fsjes-souissi, mohammed v university in rabat, morocco * corresponding author’s e-mail: samir_biyouda@um5.ac.ma introduction although they have not yet experienced it, unemployment is a problem that increasingly preoccupies the cognitive and emotional experience of students in higher education institutions. concerns increase as the student progresses in his university course. indeed, according to the statistics department of the high commission for planning, in 2021, the unemployment rate was around 4.6% among the category of non-graduates and 15.9% among those of average level, while it rose to 25.9% in the category with higher-level diploma. thus, students advancing in their university course develop various representations and perceptions of the world of work, and therefore, they are led to position themselves in an anticipatory way to a specific social group. this study refers to the contributions of the theory of social identity developed by tajfel (1971). this theory stands out for its focus on intergroup relations rather than those between individuals. in the context of work, two major social groups can be distinguished: the group of the unemployed and the group of employees. in general, social identity refers to the emotional meaning resulting from the individual’s knowledge of his membership in a specific social group (tajfel, 1981; 1986). in the quest to identify with a socially valued group (deschamps & devos, 1998; herman, 1999) compared to other less socially recognized groups, individuals are thus obliged to develop (individual or collective) defense strategies in order to maintain a positive image of themselves (jourdan & herman, 2005). such strategies depend, among others, on the perceived permeability of the borders between groups. permeability in this context refers to the perceptions of disadvantaged group members regarding accessibility to a more advantaged group (herman & van ypersele, 1998). the more the student perceives that it is possible to leave a social group (for example, the group of the unemployed) to integrate with another (for example, the group of employees), the more the borders are considered permeable. otherwise, when the work world is seen as closed, the borders are said to be impermeable. the interest of these perceptions lies in the idea that depending on the permeability of the borders between the group of the unemployed and the employees, the degree of identification of individuals with such or such social group is determined, and consequently their perceptions about the importance given to work and their attitudes. thus, in the university context, various factors can intervene to determine the perceptions of the students. we could therefore ask to what extent the perceived permeability of the labor market could be influenced by some individual characteristics of students. thus, the aim of the present article is to study the interrelationships that may exist between permeability as perceived by university students and their socio-demographic characteristics. to identify this objective, a study was conducted among students at mohamed v university through a questionnaire. not having conclusive information particularly in the moroccan context, this question is treated on an exploratory basis. the reason why no hypothesis is put forward a priori. materials and methods participants and procedure data was collected towards the end of the 2022/2023 academic year from students from various institutions of mohamed v university. the students were asked to complete a questionnaire, which was sent together to all students at their institutional addresses. to guarantee completeness in sending, we have used the university’s it department. all levels of study and all establishments pa ge 10 1 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 100-102, 2025 of the university have been targeted. we have given ourselves three weeks to collect the responses. such a procedure made it easier for us to obtain many usable questionnaires. in the end, our sample consists of 1010 students, 646 of them are women and 364 are men. regarding their university levels, 631 of the participants are in bachelor’s degree, 342 in master’s degree and 37 are doctoral students. most mohamed v university establishments are represented in this sample: 882 of the students come from open access establishments, against 128 who come from selective access establishments. measures perceived permeability was measured using an index representing the average score obtained on two items adapted from bourguignon and herman (2005) i have the impression that i, personally, will be able to find work, and 2) for someone like me, finding a job will be very difficult. on a four-point likert scale, ranging from “totally disagree” to “totally agree”, these two items measure the students’ perception of the degree of permeability of the boundaries of the world of work. the internal consistency of this index, measured by a cronbach’s alpha, which is around 0, 71, is satisfactory (hair et al., 2010). the individual characteristics of each student were also questioned: sex (woman =1, man = 2), type of establishment (open access = 1, selective access = 2), having followed training in research techniques employment (yes = 1, no = 2), having followed a training course in soft skills (yes = 1, no = 2) and the fact or not of doing student jobs (yes = 1, no = 2). statistical analyses to examine the existence or not of significant differences in perceptions of permeability according to the above-mentioned individual characteristics, analyzes of variance were carried out. analyzes of homogeneity of variance (the equality of variances between groups) using levene’s statistic were also needed to identify the relevant index to examine these differences. results and discussion the following table presents the results of the above analyses. table 1: associations between permeability and the individual characteristics under study average average difference homogeneity index f* sig. levene statistic sig. sex women 2,72 -0,05 1,367 .243 1,129 .288 men 2,67 establishment open 2,67 0,28 7,161 .008 20,41 .,000 selective 2,95 job search techniques yes 2,79 -0,1 0,634 .426 2,245 .134 no 2,69 soft skills training yes 2,82 -0,19 0,824 .364 17,752 .000 no 2,63 academic level license 2,68 0,015 .98 1,236 .291 master 2,74 phd 2,79 the realization of student jobs yes 2,76 0,1 1,505 .220 4,932 .027 no 2,66 *in the case of the homogeneity of the variance, the values of this column designate the fisher index, whereas when the variance is heterogeneous this one designates the welch statistic the analyses of variance indicate that perceived permeability maintains significant associations with three individual characteristics, namely the type of establishment (f (1, 1008) = 20.41, p < 0.001), the fact of having followed training in soft skills or not (f (1, 1008) = 17.752, p < 0.001) and whether or not performing student jobs (f (1, 1008) = 4.932, p < 0.027). on the other hand, non-significant differences were found in the average scores of the permeability index between the groups formed according to sex (f (1.1008) = 1.129, p < 0.288), the university level (f (2, 1007) = 1.236, p < 0.291) and whether or not they had received training in job search techniques (f (1, 1008) = 2.245, p < 0.134). the type of establishment, the follow-up or not of a training in soft skills and the realization or not of student jobs seem to play a central role in understanding students’ perceptions of the permeability of labor market borders. the results appear to be in line with those from previous studies confirming the existence of different student profiles in terms of their perceptions of the world of work (bonnard, 2020; boudrenghien et al. 2009; tomlinson, 2007). indeed, students belonging to institutions with selective access seem more confident about their diplomas and perceive the labor market as more permeable compared to their peers who attend pen access institutions. possible differences due to the duality of the higher education system can be expected, particularly when it is accepted that selective pa ge 10 2 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 100-102, 2025 establishments receive students who have obtained the best marks in the baccalaureate. bonnard (2020) has shown that these differences in confidence linked to the nature of the diploma vary, moreover, according to the disciplines of the students. similarly, students who have already taken soft skills training perceive the labor market as more open than those who have never taken this type of training. soft skills, which are transferable skills, are now crucial resources for enhancing an individual’s employability. we highlight the importance of socio-emotional skills (emotional regulation, collaboration, open-mindedness, engagement with others and performance in the task) that education systems should take into account (abrahams et al., 2019; chernyshenko et al., 2018; kankaraš, 2017). finally, students who have never experienced student employment see the labor market as more closed than students who have already had this experience. these results agree with previous research in other contexts (boudrenghien et al., 2009) arguing that the latter identify more by anticipation with the group of employees. the differences relating to these last two characteristics can be explained by the fact that this student profile expects this type of training to constitute a comparative advantage insofar as it allows them to acquire the new skills required by the labor market. acknowledgements we would like to thank professor omar hniche for facilitating our access to the institutional email addresses of students at the mohamed v university of rabat. we also thank students ikram echchahidi and rim imane chaouki for their contribution to data collection. conclusion based on the premises of the social identity theory, developed by tajfel (1981; 1986), this research aimed to identify the individual characteristics likely to predict students’ perceptions of the permeability of the boundaries between the unemployed group and the employed group. the analyses show that certain characteristics are more linked to a positive perception of the possibility of integrating the labor market. these are the type of institution, the fact of having followed or not a soft skills training and the realization or not of student jobs. we wish through this study to better account for the issues relating to the employability of moroccan students. the concept of employability, although it emphasizes the active role of the student in the development of his skills, universities are expected to follow the demands of the labor market by integrating employability skills into their study programs. the results of this research open up promising perspectives. we recommend the integration of other individual characteristics, particularly those reflecting the socioeconomic environment of the student. interventions targeting the malleability of students’ perceptions of the labor market could also be useful. references abrahams, l., pancorbo, g., primi, r., santos, d., kyllonen, p., john, o. p., & de fruyt, f. (2019). socialemotional skill assessment in children and adolescents: advances and challenges in personality, clinical, and educational contexts. psychological assessment, 31(4), 460. https://doi.org/10.1037/pas0000591 bonnard, c. (2020). what employability for higher education students? journal of education and work, 33(5-6), 425-445. https://doi.org/10.1080/1363908 0.2020.1842866 boudrenghien, g., nils, f., jourdan, d., & bourguignon, d. (2009). perception de la perméabilité du marché du travail chez les jeunes en fin de secondaire. l’orientation scolaire et professionnelle, 38(1), 3-24. https://doi. org/10.4000/osp.1819 bourguignon, d., & herman, g. (2005). la stigmatisation des personnes sans emploi : conséquences psychologiques et stratégies de défense de soi. recherches sociologiques, 36(1), 53-78. chernyshenko, o., kankaraš, m., & drasgow, f. (2018). social and emotional skills for student success and well-being: conceptual framework for the oecd study on social and emotional skills (no. 173). oecd education working papers. https://doi.org/10.1787/db1d8e59-en deschamps, j. c., & devos, t. (1998). regarding the relationship between social identity and personal identity. in s. worchel, j. f. morales, d. paèz, & j. c. deschamps (eds.), social identity: international perspectives (pp. 1–12). sage publications ltd. hair, j. f., black, w. c., babin, b. j., & anderson, r. e. (2010). multivariate data analysis: a global perspective. pearson education. haut-commissariat au plan. (2021). activité, emploi et chômage. rabat. herman, g., & van ypersele, d. (1998). l’identité sociale des chômeurs. les cahiers du cerisis, 60(6), 895-910. jourdan, d., & herman, g. (2005). identifications groupales et estime de soi personnelle: le cas des jeunes chômeurs. recherches sociologiques, 1, 79-103. kankaraš, m. (2017). personality matters: relevance and assessment of personality characteristics. oecd education working papers, no. 157. oecd publishing. http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/8a294376-en tajfel, h. (1981). human groups and social categories: studies in social psychology. cambridge university press. tajfel, h., billig, m. g., bundy, r. p., & flament, c. (1971). social categorization and intergroup behaviour. european journal of social psychology, 1(2), 149–178. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.2420010202 tajfel, h., & turner, j. c. (1986). the social identity theory of intergroup behavior. in s. worchel & w. g. austin (eds.), psychology of intergroup relations (pp. 7–24). nelson-hall. tomlinson, m. (2007). graduate employability and student attitudes and orientations to the labour market. journal of education and work, 20(4), 285–304. https://doi.org/10.1080/13639080701650164. pa ge 1 pa ge 45 american journal of education and technology (ajet) strategies for supporting teacher’s professional development and retention in parayao centro elementary school rovelyn r. galeng1* volume 3 issue 4, year 2024 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v3i4.3620 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: august 15, 2024 accepted: september 21, 2024 published: november 14, 2024 this study investigates effective strategies to support teachers’ professional development and retention in a mid-career teaching staff sample. it explores demographics, educational qualifications, and professional development preferences, highlighting teachers’ challenges. the sample consists of 60% aged 35-44, with 50% having 11-20 years of teaching experience, and is predominantly female (90%), with half holding a bachelor’s degree and 40% possessing a master’s degree. despite high engagement in professional development activities such as reskilling, cross-skilling, and upskilling, significant barriers remain, including time constraints and program costs. the findings reveal a preference for collaborative learning, mentoring, and in-person workshops, while independent study and online courses are less favored. these insights emphasize the need for practical, interactive professional growth opportunities that align with teachers’ learning styles. educational institutions and policymakers must address the time and cost barriers, offering flexible and accessible development programs that cater to teachers’ preferences. recommendations focus on fostering reskilling and cross-skilling through interactive, collaborative formats, minimizing common barriers to enhance the professional development experience. by accommodating teachers’ preferred learning styles and minimizing obstacles, educational institutions can contribute to improved teacher retention and overall effectiveness in the classroom. this study provides actionable insights for developing teacher-focused professional development strategies that align with their career stages and preferences, ultimately contributing to more effective retention efforts and fostering long-term success in educational settings. keywords collaborative learning, educational qualifications, mentoring programs, professional development barriers, teacher training preferences 1 college of education, central luzon state university & open and transnational university, science city of munoz, nueva ecija 3120, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: cpdirector@outlook.com introduction professional development (pd) is essential for continuous personal and professional growth across all professions, including education. earning a degree or professional license is just the beginning of one’s learning journey. pd provides ongoing learning opportunities such as coaching, training, seminars, workshops, and conferences to keep professionals updated on evolving skills and knowledge. for teachers, who play a critical role in shaping the future by educating the next generation, pd is vital as education constantly evolves with new teaching methods, technologies, and curriculum standards. engaging in pd allows teachers to stay current with educational innovations, improve pedagogical skills, and positively impact student outcomes. active participation in pd also enhances teachers’ morale, self-efficacy, and professional identity, promoting a culture of continuous improvement and innovation. furthermore, it prepares teachers for leadership roles by exposing them to experienced leaders, supports teacher retention by making them feel valued, and reduces turnover, contributing to the stability of schools. pd, therefore, plays a crucial role in teachers’ professional growth and the success of both students and schools. according to deryakulu (2021), pd is essential for improving student outcomes but remains a complex, multidimensional concept. effective pd focuses on areas such as assessment, research, duration, collaboration, and support. runhaar (2008) emphasized that teacher quality significantly influences student achievement, highlighting the importance of hrm in facilitating pd within schools. factors such as transformational leadership, self-efficacy, and team collaboration were identified as key drivers of teachers’ development. garet (2015) suggested five key features for effective pd: content focus, active learning, coherence, sustained duration, and collective participation. research in the u.s. has shown that pd linked to classroom practices, leadership support, and longer-term learning is more successful. finally, darling-hammond (2010) explained that pd improves teaching by refining pedagogical skills, enhancing classroom management, and introducing new instructional strategies. by staying updated on research, curriculum standards, and technology, pd ensures teachers remain effective and relevant, leading to more engaged students and improved academic performance. given the significance of pd in enhancing teacher effectiveness and supporting educational quality, the researcher aims to explore strategies to promote teachers’ professional growth. literature review related literature teacher professional learning is gaining increasing attention as an essential strategy for equipping students with the complex skills needed for future success, pa ge 46 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 45-50, 2024 including communication, collaboration, and selfdirection (gardner, 2017). effective professional development (pd) is crucial in helping teachers refine the pedagogies necessary to foster these skills. however, research suggests that many pd initiatives fail to impact teaching practices or student outcomes significantly. gardner (2017) reviewed 35 rigorous studies to identify the characteristics of successful pd programs, finding a positive link between teacher development, instructional practices, and student achievement. similarly, sailors and price (2010) demonstrated that teachers who engaged in pd focused on cognitive reading strategies showed improved instructional techniques, leading to better student reading comprehension outcomes. in a large-scale study, glassett and copas (2015) evaluated the impact of a pd program combining teacher observations with coordinated development efforts, noting significant improvements in student achievement. they argued that aligning pd with classroom practices and providing targeted, ongoing support helps teachers identify and address specific areas for growth. desimone (2002, 2009) and yoon (2001) further identified that pd programs are more effective when they emphasize structural features—such as duration, form, and collective participation—and core features, including content focus, active learning, and coherence with other educational activities. innovations in pd, like the intelligent training platforms highlighted by gao (2023), also demonstrate how new technologies can enhance professional development, offering teachers data-driven tools to improve teaching and research activities. in contrast, kesson and henderson (2017) critique the traditional standardized pd models driven by external mandates, advocating for more democratic approaches that consider the unique needs of teachers and promote social justice. professional learning communities (plcs) are emerging as a promising form of pd that supports teacher collaboration, reflection, and real-time implementation of new practices (darling-hammond, 2017; casale, 2017). these communities, supported by school leadership, create a culture of continuous professional growth, fostering both teacher and student development. garet et al. (2016) and wendell (2017) stress the importance of embedding pd within teachers’ work schedules, suggesting that pd integrated into daily practice is more sustainable and impactful. ultimately, the role of leadership is critical in ensuring the success of pd initiatives, as administrators are key in creating environments that support teacher collaboration and learning (darling-hammond, 2017; casale, 2017). related studies research studies have extensively explored the impact and characteristics of effective professional development (pd) for teachers. desimone (2017) emphasized that pd activities provide instructional methods through both formal (seminars, conferences) and informal (teacherto-teacher interactions) means. lom and sullenger (2018) argued that self-directed and informal pd is often misunderstood and less recognized, suggesting that such learning requires trust, reflection, and teacher participation. luke and mcardle (2017) pointed out that research and theory are essential in selecting and evaluating effective professional learning experiences, though not all studies agree on key characteristics. hill (2018) highlighted the challenge of scaling up effective pd programs, suggesting that pd should be tailored to individual teacher needs. hawley and valli (2016) identified eight principles for effective pd, emphasizing goals tied to student performance, job-embedded learning, collaboration, and continuous support. pritchard (2017) noted challenges in pd implementation, such as lack of follow-up and issues with scheduling that make it difficult for teachers to attend sessions. wilson and berne (2018) summarized effective pd as involving collaboration, inquiry, and active learning. large-scale studies have shown that pd impacts teacher knowledge, skills, and classroom practices through key features like content focus, active learning, and coherence. wayne et al. (2016) added that sustained, job-embedded, and content-focused pd improves teacher instruction and student achievement. kaplan and owings (2016) emphasized that teacher quality is one of the strongest predictors of student success, while schleicher (2016) argued that traditional pd approaches are ineffective and teachers need continuous training to address challenges throughout their careers. lyndon (2016) further noted that effective pd should include collective participation, research-based practices, and coaching for continuous development. darlinghammond and richardson (2017) echoed the importance of well-structured pd, focusing on aligning content with local curriculum and increasing teacher efficacy. stephenson, carter, and arthur-kelly (2017) identified six principles for sustaining new teaching practices: concrete practice, collaboration with researchers, and feedback. fishman, marx, best, and tal (2003) stressed the importance of linking pd to teacher and student learning to support systemic educational reforms. finally, kesson and henderson (2017) critiqued the standardized approach to pd, advocating for democratic and social justice-oriented professional learning that considers teachers’ contexts. materials and methods this study employed both descriptive qualitative and quantitative research methods. the quantitative aspect involved collecting numerical data such as test scores or frequency of multimedia usage, while the qualitative aspect focused on gathering and organizing descriptive data from events or categories, which was analyzed to reveal patterns. descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data, making it more manageable and understandable. the study also incorporated in-depth interviews, a common qualitative method, to collect detailed personal pa ge 47 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 45-50, 2024 insights from respondents. these interviews provided a conversational setting that allowed the researcher to gather precise data on beliefs and motivations, while followup questions were used to obtain further information as needed. the study was conducted at parayao centro elementary school, with ten teacher-respondents (nine females and one male). data were collected using a self-made questionnaire based on a 5-point likert scale to assess challenges and strategies related to teachers’ professional development and retention. the researcher obtained necessary permissions from local educational authorities, distributed the questionnaires, and conducted interviews and observations to validate and analyze the data. the quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, while qualitative data helped identify patterns and insights from the teachers’ experiences. the study aimed to understand the challenges teachers face in professional development and identify effective strategies for their growth. statistical tools like frequency counts, percentages, and weighted means were used to interpret the results. the percentage formula used was: p=(f/n)x 100 where: p = percentage f = frequency n = number of respondents 100 = constant the mean scores of the respondents in the different variables were obtained using the formula: wm=twf/n where: wm = weighted mean twf = total frequency results and discussion this section presents the study’s findings, which analyzed the demographics, professional development strategies, challenges, and preferences of the teaching staff. the data provides insight into the respondents’ characteristics and professional development needs, highlighting patterns in age, gender, educational attainment, and years of experience. the discussion explores how these factors influence the teachers’ engagement with professional development activities, their preferred methods of learning, and the obstacles they face. by examining these results, the study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the current state of professional development among the teaching staff and offer recommendations for enhancing these programs to meet their needs better. the results are analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively, offering a well-rounded view of the data and its implications for future professional development initiatives. the data indicates that the majority of the respondents, 60% (n=6), fall within the 35-44 age range. this suggests that middle-aged teachers constitute the largest demographic within the sample. the next significant age group is the 45-54 category, representing 30% (n=3) of the respondents. only one respondent (10%) falls within the 25-34 age bracket, while there are no respondents under the age of 25 or above the age of 54. this distribution implies that the teaching staff is primarily composed of individuals in their mid-career stage, with a smaller representation of younger and older teachers. table 1: frequency and percentage rate distribution of the teacher-respondents in terms of age age frequency percentage rate under 25 0 0 25-34 1 10 35-44 6 60 45-54 3 30 55-64 0 0 65 or older 0 0 total 10 100 table 2: frequency and percentage rate distribution of the teacher-respondents in terms of gender gender frequency percentage rate male 1 10 female 9 90 prefer not to say 0 0 total 10 100 table 3: frequency and percentage rate distribution of the teacher-respondents in terms of teaching experience teaching experience frequency percentage rate less than 1 year 0 0 1-5 0 0 6-10 2 20 11-15 5 50 16-20 3 30 more than 20 years 0 0 total 10 100 the data reveals a significant gender disparity among the teacher-respondents. the majority, 90% (n=9), are female, while only 10% (n=1) are male. there are no respondents who chose the “prefer not to say” option, indicating that all participants were comfortable disclosing their gender. this distribution suggests that the teaching staff in the sample is predominantly female, with males being underrepresented. the lack of respondents in the “prefer not to say” category also implies that gender disclosure was not a sensitive issue for this group. the data shows that the majority of respondents, 50% (n=5), have between 11-15 years of teaching experience. this indicates that most teachers in the sample are relatively experienced, falling within the mid-career range. pa ge 48 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 45-50, 2024 following this group, 30% (n=3) of the respondents have 16-20 years of teaching experience, suggesting that a significant portion of the sample has advanced to a later stage in their teaching careers. interestingly, 20% (n=2) of the respondents have 6-10 years of experience, representing the less experienced but still seasoned teachers. there are no respondents with less than 6 years of teaching experience or more than 20 years, indicating a lack of both early-career and very senior teachers in the sample. this distribution suggests that the teaching staff is predominantly composed of individuals who are well into their teaching careers, with none being new to the profession or having extensive experience beyond 20 years. the data shows that the majority of the respondents, 50% (n=5), are teaching in grades 1-3. this suggests that a significant portion of the teaching staff is focused on the early elementary grades, where foundational skills in literacy and numeracy are typically developed. following this, 40% (n=4) of the respondents are assigned to grades 4-6, indicating that many teachers are responsible for upper elementary students, where more advanced subjects and concepts are introduced. only 10% (n=1) of the respondents are teaching kindergarten, showing a smaller representation of teachers at the early childhood education level within the sample. this distribution implies that the teaching staff is primarily concentrated in the elementary grades, with a fairly balanced split between lower and upper elementary levels, and a smaller proportion dedicated to early childhood education. this could reflect the staffing needs or the focus areas within the educational institution from which the sample was drawn. table 4: frequency and percentage rate distribution of the teacher-respondents in terms of highest educational attainment highest educational attainment frequency percentage rate bachelor’s degree 5 50 master’s degree 4 40 doctorate 1 10 other 0 0 total 10 100 the data reveals that half of the respondents, 50% (n=5), hold a bachelor’s degree as their highest educational qualification. this indicates that a significant portion of the teaching staff has completed undergraduate education. following closely, 40% (n=4) of the respondents have attained a master’s degree, demonstrating that a substantial number of teachers have pursued further education beyond the undergraduate level. a smaller proportion, 10% (n=1), has achieved a doctorate, highlighting the presence of advanced academic qualifications within the group, though at a much lower rate compared to bachelor’s and master’s degrees. there are no respondents who selected “other,” indicating that all participants’ highest educational attainments fall within the traditional academic pathways. this distribution suggests that while the majority of the teaching staff have a bachelor’s degree, a significant number have pursued higher education, with nearly half holding a master’s degree or higher. the presence of teachers with doctorate degrees, though limited, adds to the overall academic diversity and expertise within the sample. table 5: frequency and percentage rate distribution of the teacher-respondents in terms of grade level taught highest educational attainment frequency percentage rate kinder 1 10 grade 1-3 5 50 grade 4-6 4 40 total 10 100 table 6: summary of the weighted means of the strategies for promoting teachers’ professional development and retention strategies weighted mean verbal description upskilling 3.88 often reskilling 4.2 often cross-skilling 3.92 often legend: 4.21-5.00 always 3.41-4.20 often 2.61-3.40 sometimes 1.81-2.60 seldom 1.00-1.80 never the highest weighted mean of 4.2 was observed for reskilling, which corresponds to the verbal description “often.” this suggests that teachers frequently engage in reskilling activities, such as updating their existing skills and learning new teaching methods or technologies, to adapt to changes in education. the high emphasis on reskilling indicates a strong recognition among teachers of the importance of staying current with educational trends and innovations. cross-skilling received a weighted mean of 3.92, also falling under the “often” category. this indicates that teachers regularly integrate skills and knowledge from other disciplines into their teaching practice, collaborate with professionals from different fields, and explore new strategies from outside the traditional educational sphere. the engagement in cross-skilling reflects teachers’ commitment to broadening their perspectives and enhancing their ability to meet diverse learning needs. upskilling, with a weighted mean of 3.88, is also categorized as “often.” teachers often seek opportunities to acquire new skills or knowledge, participate in training programs, and pursue professional growth through further education. the focus on upskilling highlights the pa ge 49 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 45-50, 2024 importance teachers place on continuous learning and skill acquisition as essential elements of their professional development. overall, the findings suggest that all three strategies— upskilling, reskilling, and cross-skilling—are regularly employed by teachers to promote their professional growth and retention. among these, reskilling is the most frequently utilized strategy, followed by crossskilling and upskilling, indicating a balanced yet slightly varied approach to professional development within the teaching community. overall, the findings indicate that the most common challenges teachers face in engaging in professional development are related to time and cost. while issues like irrelevant content, limited local opportunities, and difficulty in applying new knowledge are less frequent, they still pose occasional barriers to effective professional growth. table 7: summary of the weighted mean of challenges faced in engaging in professional development challenges weighted mean verbal description lack of time 3.80 often cost of programs 3.80 often irrelevant content 3.20 sometimes limited availability of local opportunities 3.20 sometimes difficulty in applying what is learned in the classroom 2.80 sometimes legend: 4.21-5.00 always 3.41-4.20 often 2.61-3.40 sometimes 1.81-2.60 seldom 1.00-1.80 never the highest weighted means, both at 3.80, were observed for “lack of time” and “cost of programs,” with a verbal description of “often.” this indicates that these two factors are frequently perceived as significant barriers to teachers’ participation in professional development activities. the lack of time likely reflects the busy schedules and demands of teaching, while the cost of programs highlights financial constraints that can limit access to professional growth opportunities. “irrelevant content” and “limited availability of local opportunities” each received a weighted mean of 3.20, categorized as “sometimes.” these findings suggest that while these challenges are not as frequently encountered as time and cost issues, they still present occasional obstacles. irrelevant content points to the mismatch between the available professional development programs and the specific needs or interests of teachers, while limited local opportunities highlight geographical or institutional constraints that can restrict access to relevant training. the lowest weighted mean of 2.80 was observed for “difficulty in applying what is learned in the classroom,” which is verbally described as “sometimes.” this suggests that, although not as prominent as other challenges, some teachers occasionally struggle with translating the skills and knowledge gained from professional development into practical classroom applications. table 8: frequency and percentage rate distribution on the preferences on how to engage in professional development preferences frequency percentage rate in-person workshops or seminars 6 60 online courses or webinars 2 20 collaborative learning with colleagues 8 80 independent study or reading 6 60 coaching or mentoring 8 80 other 0 0 the data reveals that “collaborative learning with colleagues” and “coaching or mentoring” are the most preferred methods, each with 80% (n=8) of respondents indicating these as their top choices. this suggests that teachers highly value interactive and supportive environments for their professional development, where they can exchange ideas and receive guidance from peers or mentors. “in-person workshops or seminars” and “independent study or reading” are also popular, with each method being preferred by 60% (n=6) of respondents. the preference for in-person workshops underscores the importance of face-to-face interaction in learning, while independent study highlights the value teachers place on self-directed learning to enhance their skills and knowledge. “online courses or webinars” were preferred by 20% (n=2) of respondents, indicating that while some teachers appreciate the flexibility and accessibility of online learning, it is less favored compared to more collaborative or in-person methods. notably, no respondents selected “other,” suggesting that the listed methods adequately capture the range of preferred professional development activities among the teachers in this sample. overall, the findings indicate a strong preference for collaborative and interactive forms of professional development, with a balanced interest in both structured in-person learning and self-directed study. online learning, while appreciated by some, is less frequently chosen, possibly due to a preference for more direct, personal interactions in the learning process. conclusion the conclusions of the study highlight a predominantly mid-career teaching staff, with 60% of the respondents pa ge 50 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 45-50, 2024 aged 35-44 and many having 11-20 years of experience. the gender imbalance is evident, with 90% of the teachers being female. in terms of educational qualifications, half of the teachers hold a bachelor’s degree, while 40% have pursued a master’s, and a small portion hold a doctorate, demonstrating a commitment to higher education among the staff. professional development strategies used by the teachers primarily focus on reskilling, followed by cross-skilling and upskilling. these strategies reflect the teachers’ dedication to updating their skills and broadening their knowledge base. however, participation in professional development is often hindered by common challenges, particularly a lack of time and the high cost of programs. while issues like irrelevant content and limited local opportunities are less frequent, they still pose obstacles for some teachers. when it comes to preferences for professional development, teachers show a strong inclination toward collaborative learning and mentoring. there is also significant interest in in-person workshops and independent study. however, online courses are less favored, indicating a preference for more interactive and face-to-face learning methods. the study emphasizes the importance of developing professional development programs that address time and cost barriers while incorporating preferred learning methods. focusing on collaborative, interactive approaches, along with opportunities for reskilling and cross-skilling, will help enhance teacher development and retention. to support this, the study recommends offering incentives for ongoing education, ensuring flexible and affordable professional development options, and aligning programs with teachers’ preferred learning methods to maximize engagement and effectiveness. references casale, m. p. (2017). professional learning communities: an ongoing exploration. delta kappa gamma bulletin, 83(3), 7–10. darling-hammond, l., hyler, m. e., & gardner, m. (2017). effective teacher professional development. learning policy institute. dana, n. f. (2004). studying teacher learning in the context of professional development schools. in l. flake (ed.), embracing identities in early childhood education: diversity and possibilities (pp. 193-208). teachers college press. desimone, l. m. (2009). improving impact studies of teachers’ professional development: toward better conceptualizations and measures. educational researcher, 38(3), 181-199. https://doi. org/10.3102/0013189x08331140 edcom 2. (2024). research projects. https://edcom2. dlsu.edu.ph/research-projects/ fishman, b., marx, r., best, s., & tal, r. (2003). linking teacher and student learning to improve professional development in systemic reform. teaching and teacher education, 19(6), 643-658. https://doi.org/10.1016/ s0742-051x(03)00059-3 garet, m. s., porter, a. c., desimone, l., birman, b. f., & yoon, k. s. (2001). what makes professional development effective? results from a national sample of teachers. american educational research journal, 38(4), 915-945. https://doi. org/10.3102/00028312038004915 kesson, k. r., & henderson, j. g. (2017). understanding democratic curriculum leadership. teachers college press. pu, s., zhang, x., & gao, t. (2023). research on the strategies of promoting the development of teachers’ professional ability through intelligent training. advances in social development and education research. sailors, m., & price, l. r. (2010). professional development that supports the teaching of cognitive reading strategy instruction. the elementary school journal, 110(3), 301-322. https://doi.org/10.1086/648980 shaha, s. h., glassett, k. f., & copas, a. (2015). the impact of teacher observations with coordinated professional development on student performance: a 27-state program evaluation. journal of college teaching & learning (tlc), 12(1), 55–64. https://doi. org/10.19030/tlc.v12i1.9070 wendell, c. h. (2017). effective professional development in an era of high-stakes accountability. the journal of educational research, 101(6), 331-345. https://doi. org/10.3200/joer.101.6.331-340 wiliam, d. (2016). leadership for teacher learning: creating a culture where all teachers improve so that all students succeed. learning sciences international. yoon, k. s., duncan, t., lee, s. w.-y., scarloss, b., & shapley, k. (2007). reviewing the evidence on how teacher professional development affects student achievement (issues & answers report, rel 2007–no. 033). u.s. department of education, institute of education sciences, national center for education evaluation and regional assistance, regional educational laboratory southwest. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/ edlabs/regions/southwest/pdf/rel_2007033.pdf pa ge 1 pa ge 78 american journal of education and technology (ajet) supervision of instruction: teachers and school heads’ perspective ma. chona s. rizada1* volume 3 issue 4, year 2024 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v3i4.3862 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: september 30, 2024 accepted: november 02, 2024 published: november 25, 2024 the research focused on discovering the tactics used by school heads and the challenges faced when overseeing teaching in selected public secondary schools in puerto princesa city division. the research utilized descriptive, correlation methods. the study included 139 participants, with 124 being teachers and 15 being school heads from the 15 public secondary schools in puerto princesa city division. the researcher collected data from a survey questionnaire they created, the school improvement plan (sip), the data was analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean, weighted mean, ranking, pearson-r correlation, and t-test methods. the results showed that the school heads’ supervisory strategies focused on enhancing instruction. they informed the teachers about the professional development opportunities that are available to them in certain areas. they frequently conducted their instructional supervision. the most popular functions were giving teachers feedback through performance assessment and evaluation that was constructive and accurate. the mentoring abilities of the school heads, along with the passive and uncooperative behavior of teachers, hindered their ability to supervise instruction effectively. the school heads’ instructional supervisory strategies were influenced by the frequency of instructional supervision provided to teachers, as they focused on developing, adopting, and implementing programs for instructional improvement, learning assessment, and teacher improvement. the research suggests that during mentorship sessions, school administrators should provide teachers with advice, specifically focusing on teaching techniques and the discovery and use of educational materials; within the school improvement initiative, it is critical for school heads to establish or modify a program based on research. school administrators need to collaborate with expert teachers to evaluate and improve the curriculum in order to address the unique requirements of the community. keywords constraints in the supervision of instruction, strategies 1 palawan state university, puerto princesa city, palawan, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: machonarizada@gmail.com introduction all institutions, such as schools, fundamentally exist to accomplish specific goals. in order to guarantee the successful realization of the stated goals, these organizations follow specific principles and mechanisms. one example of these mechanisms is monitoring. supervision of instruction is essential in our educational institution to ensure teaching and learning processes are monitored and reviewed, meeting expectations and achieving set objectives. supervision involves assisting, directing, recommending, and encouraging development in an employee to enhance the quality of their work. supervision refers to any program that assists teachers in achieving both qualitative and quantitative instructional delivery. it can be concluded from the above information that supervision is a crucial factor in the teaching and learning process, as well as in achieving school and educational goals. supervising includes overseeing the teacher’s teaching and classroom activities (kerry & burke, 2020). supervision of instruction is designed to meet this developmental need in order to maintain effective education and provide sufficient resources for teachers. it is important to state that supervision of instruction can only be said to be effective if it achieves its stated objectives, which is quality instructional delivery. anything to the contrary means the failure of the program of supervision. school heads are among those who have primary supervisory responsibilities. being the acknowledged head of a school, the school head holds numerous duties and is answerable for the organization. republic act no. 9155 states that school heads are responsible for establishing the school’s mission, vision, goals, and objectives, creating a conducive learning environment, implementing the curriculum, and ensuring high learning outcomes. they must also develop education programs, offer equitable opportunities for all learners, manage resources efficiently, recommend staffing, support staff development, build school-community networks, and promote active participation from various school stakeholders. school heads who effectively supervise instruction enforce and enhance teaching practices to improve student learning. it examines performance and relevant data effectively so that school heads can offer valuable feedback and guidance to students, influencing the learning in every classroom significantly (nwaogu, 2019). the foundation of successful supervision lies in teachers engaging in caring and increasingly collaborative teaching as they continue to grow as adults. the role is essential for the progress of the organization and educational advancement of the students as the school heads is typically the primary source and motivator that maintain the well-being of the institution. as the instructional leader, the school head is responsible for pa ge 79 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 78-85, 2024 implementing new teaching methods to actively engage students in learning. they must also create a positive learning environment, improve student performance, support and supervise teachers, ensure the curriculum is relevant, and provide effective staff development programs for teacher growth. being an instructional leader involves dealing with complexity and multiple dimensions. if school heads think that the main objective of education is to improve students’ learning, then it is a goal worth striving for. if a principal has the necessary knowledge and skills, they will probably be successful leaders who collaborate, assist, and lead decisions regarding instructional enhancement to benefit students’ education. the school heads in the division of puerto princesa city strive to create a conducive environment for education by supervising instruction effectively, aiming to improve teaching and learning results. training school leaders on evaluation, monitoring, and quality control is essential for improving curriculum and instruction, identifying priority needs and problems, and achieving school missions and visions, including targets to enhance student learning outcomes. the resources allocated by deped for education programs are insufficient and frequently inconsistent. this insufficiency is made worse by the inadequate budget allocations for education. these school heads have been facing challenges with insufficient resources as they work to provide students with a robust and meaningful educational experience while also showing ongoing progress. this research aimed to provide a foundation for a potential program for school heads to improve instructional supervision, ultimately helping achieve school goals and desired learning outcomes in the study area. materials and methods this study utilized the descriptive correlation approach. it also employed documentary research to identify the strategies and challenges faced by school heads when supervising the instruction in selected public secondary schools, and how these impact school outcomes. the research included 139 participants, consisting of 15 principals and 124 teachers from 15 secondary schools in the division of puerto princesa city. the main source of data were the documents and the survey questionnaire designed by the researcher. results tables with corresponding interpretations provide the answer to this question on school heads’ supervisory strategies for teacher improvement, program implementation for instructional enhancement, and learning assessment deswcriptions. table 1: school heads’ instructional supervisory strategies along teacher improvement indicators school heads teachers wx¯ d wx¯ d wx¯ d a. teacher improvement aspect the school head: 1. ensures that teachers perform their assigned function effectively; 5.00 vme 4.27 me 4.64 vme 2. ensures that teachers are capable of carrying out their teaching responsibilities; 4.80 vme 4.44 me 4.62 vme 3.ensures that new teachers receive training to enable them function effectively on the job; 5.00 vme 4.34 me 4.67 vme 4. ensures that teachers are given assistance whenever there is need; 5.00 vme 4.29 me 4.65 vme 5. provides professional information to the teachers; 4.93 vme 4.05 me 4.49 me 6. guides teachers to the sources of instructional materials; 4.67 vme 3.86 me 4.27 me 7. provides technical assistance to the teachers especially in the areas of teaching methods and the use of instructional materials; 4.93 vme 4.14 me 4.54 vme 8. ensures that discipline is maintained during classroom instruction; 5.00 vme 4.23 me 4.62 vme 9. helps or suggests how to improve on the performance of incompetent teachers. 5.00 vme 4.08 me 4.54 vme 10.provides an enabling environment to discover teachers with special abilities and qualities 4.73 vme 4.19 me 4.46 me 11. provide schoolbased inset 4.73 vme 4.37 me 4.55 vme 12. uses control to affect teachers’ instructional practices 5.00 vme 4.43 me 4.72 vme 13. inspects teachers’ instructional practices for errors 5.00 vme 4.14 me 4.57 vme 14. helps teachers to find solutions to problems they encounter in their instructional practices 5.00 vme 4.09 me 4.55 vme 15. readily avails himself for advice and instructional support 5.00 vme 4.31 me 4.66 vme pa ge 80 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 78-85, 2024 the participants clearly observe the instructional supervisory strategies implemented by school leaders. this is confirmed by (4.54). these clearly visible teaching approaches are effective in how school leaders exert influence over teachers’ teaching methods (4.72), provide helpful recommendations for enhancing teaching methods (4.70), conduct casual classroom inspections (4.70), guarantee that new teachers receive necessary training for successful job performance (4.67), and make themselves easily accessible for guidance and teaching assistance (4.65).the instructional supervisory strategies used by school heads that showed the least rank include praising teachers for specific teaching behavior, evaluating teachers’ content knowledge, directing teachers to instructional materials, observing teaching and learning formally, and sharing research findings about instruction with teachers. based on the results, it is clear that the school administrators in the study area offer support to teachers in improving their teaching methods by giving technical guidance, conducting casual classroom observations, and being easily accessible for advice and instructional assistance, thereby impacting the teachers’ instructional techniques. swearinger and denbo confirm that strong supervision of instruction enables school leaders to strengthen and improve teaching methods, ultimately leading to better student learning outcomes. school administrators have a strong impact on teachers and students by closely watching teaching methods, creating a continuous supervision system, being present in classrooms, open to discussing different teaching approaches, and offering feedback for improvement. they also recognize exceptional teachers and strategies, adjust ineffective methods, and update teacher training programs based on teachers’ requirements. table 2. school heads’ instructional supervisory strategies along developing, adopting existing programs, implementation of programs for instructional improvement and learning assessment 16. provides helpful recommendations for enhancing teaching methods 5.00 vme 4.39 me 4.70 vme 17. ensures that teachers have adequate teaching materials to teach 5.00 vme 4.30 me 4.65 vme 18. provides teachers with research findings about instruction 4.33 me 3.51 me 3.92 me evaluates teachers’ classroom instructional practices: 5.00 vme 4.10 me 4.55 vme assesses teachers’ content knowledge: 4.33 me 4.40 me 4.37 me ensures that teacher make good use of instructional time 5.00 vme 4.30 me 4.65 vme makes informal visits to classrooms 5.00 vme 4.40 me 4.70 vme formally observes teaching and learning 4.33 me 4.41 me 4.24 me praises teachers for specific teaching behavior 4.33 me 4.49 me 4.41 me fosters professional learning community among teachers 4.80 vme 4.39 me 4.60 vme total 4.85 vme 4.23 me 4.54 vme table 2: school heads’ instructional supervisory strategies along developing, adopting existing programs, implementation of programs for instructional improvement and learning assessment indicators school heads teachers wx̄ d wx̄ d wx̄ d b. implementation of programs for instructional improvement and learning assessment the school head: 1. ensures proper supply of teaching materials to the schools; 5.00 vme 4.12 me 4.56 vme 2. ensures that quality of instruction is maintained; 5.00 vme 4.12 me 4.56 vme 3. provides the opportunity to assess the moral tone of the school; 5.00 vme 3.98 me 4.49 me 4. provides feedback to educational planners on the need for curriculum improvement or changes. 4.66 vme 4.16 me 4.41 me 5. develops a culture of functional literacy. 4.06 me 4.27 me 4.17 me 6. addresses deficiencies and sustains successes of current programs in collaboration with teachers, and learners 5.00 vme 3.78 me 4.39 me 7. assists in implementing an existing, coherent and responsive school-wide curriculum. 4.66 vme 3.46 ece 4.06 me 8. develops/adapts a research based school program. 4.06 me 2.90 ece 3.48 ece 9. organizes teams to champion instructional innovation programs toward curricular responsiveness. 5.00 vme 2.86 ece 3.93 me 10. manages curriculum innovation and enrichment with the use of technology. 5.00 vme 3.12 ece 4.06 me pa ge 81 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 78-85, 2024 while developing and adopting existing programs, implementing programs for instructional improvement and learning assessment, the instructional supervisory strategies of school heads are clearly visible. this is backed up by (4.10). while this shows the general opinions of the participants, there are signs that clearly demonstrate the instructional supervisory tactics of the school principals. this is especially evident when school administrators ensure the schools receive adequate teaching materials (4.56) and maintain the quality of instruction (4.56). the instructional supervisory techniques employed by school leaders include creating and managing processes for student progress communication, assessing the school’s moral tone, using various assessment methods, giving feedback for curriculum enhancements, addressing program deficiencies, working with educators and learners, and evaluating teachers’ plans and progress themselves. ranked the lowest among the indicators of school heads’ instructional supervisory strategies listed, developing/adapting a research based school program is considered to be evident to some extent (3.48). this implies that school administrators ensure there are enough instructional materials to maintain the quality of teaching and promote student advancement. similarly, school administrators prioritize the results of teaching and ensure that instruction is effectively improved. glickman’s statement reinforces the research, indicating that successful monitoring of instruction reflects the teachers’ performance and student outcomes. this is achieved by offering support to teachers when necessary, directing them to educational resources, and offering technical guidance on teaching methodologies. they supply educational materials, data, and tools to promote effective learning and teaching. enriches curricular offerings based on local needs. 4.66 vme 2.86 ece 3.76 me utilizes assessment results to improve learning. 4.66 vme 3.48 ece 4.07 me works with teachers in curriculum review. 4.66 vme 3.06 ece 3.86 me manages the processes and procedures in monitoring student achievement 5.00 vme 3.42 ece 4.21 me assesses the effectiveness of curricular/co-curricular programs and / or instructional strategies. 5.00 vme 3.59 me 4.30 me ensures utilization of a range of assessment processes to assess student performance . 5.00 vme 3.82 me 4.41 me manages the introduction of curriculum initiatives in line with deped. 4.66 vme 3.97 me 4.32 me develops and oversees a school system to regularly communicate student progress to students and parents/guardians . 5.00 vme 4.02 me 4.51 vme conducts self-evaluation of teachers’ plan, work and progress; 5.00 vme 3.77 me 4.39 me evaluates and coordinates the process of improving teaching and learning in schools. 4.66 vme 4.21 me 4.44 me total 4.54 vme 3.65 me 4.10 me table 3: summary of school heads’ instructional supervisory strategies indicators school heads teachers wx̄ d wx̄ d wx̄ d a. teacher improvement aspect 4.85 vme 4.23 me 4.54 vme b. implementation of programs for instructional improvement and learning assessment 4.54 vme 3.65 me 4.10 me total 4.52 vme 3.94 me 4.32 me the instructional supervisory strategies of the school administrators are highly visible (4.32). the leading supervisory strategies are highly noticeable in terms of enhancing teachers’ performance (4.54) according to the teacher improvement aspect. this indicates that the school heads’ instructional supervisory strategies are focused on enhancing instruction. they inform teachers about the professional development opportunities available in certain areas. brookover and lezotte’s research backs the idea that effective instructional supervisory techniques can positively influence teaching and learning environments, ultimately resulting in better student performance and academic successes. on the question relative to the teachers’ and school heads’ assessments on the frequency of instructional supervision, table 4 is presented. pa ge 82 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 78-85, 2024 table 4: frequency of instructional supervision of the school heads to the teachers indicators school heads teachers wx̄ d wx̄ d wx̄ d 1. regularly checks and evaluate teachers’ lesson plans. 4.13 vo 3.73 vo 3.93 vo 2. religious and consistent implementation of the instructional plan 4.33 vo 3.98 vo 4.16 vo 3. regularly conduct class observations. 4.33 vo 4.35 vo 4.34 vo 4. check teachers’ classroom practices 5.00 a 3.72 vo 4.36 vo provide technical assistance to teachers 5.00 a 4.10 vo 4.55 a 5. hold post conference with teachers to feedback results of class observations. 5.00 a 3.98 vo 4.49 vo 6. regularly conduct meetings with teachers. 5.00 a 4.17 vo 4.59 a 7. regularly follow up the agenda discussed during meetings. 5.00 a 4.13 vo 4.57 a 8. mentor teachers about teaching methods. 4.80 a 3.97 vo 4.39 vo 9. mentor teachers on assessing pupils’ learning. 5.00 a 3.92 vo 4.46 vo 10. analyze classroom practices. 4.93 a 3.82 vo 4.38 vo 11. conduct teachers’ performance assessment and evaluation. 4.80 a 4.38 vo 4.59 a 12. provide teachers with objective, constructive and accurate feedback on teaching performance. 5.00 a 4.31 vo 4.66 a 13. mentor teachers to use learning aids. 4.87 a 4.25 vo 4.56 a 14. mentor teachers to effectively use instructional time. 5.00 a 4.14 vo 4.57 a 15. offer assistance to educators with instruction 5.00 a 4.40 vo 4.70 a 16. mentor teachers to address their professional development needs. 5.00 a 4.07 vo 4.54 a 17. provide teachers opportunity to learn about teaching strategies for active learning. 5.00 a 3.95 vo 4.48 vo 18. provide teachers with opportunity to learn classroom management strategies 5.00 a 4.15 vo 4.58 a 19. mentor teachers in making decisions about the best teaching method 5.00 a 3.92 vo 4.46 vo 20. mentor teachers to use learning aids to enhance student learning 4.80 a 4.21 vo 4.51 a 21. engage teachers in curriculum development 4.93 a 3.99 vo 4.46 vo foster professional learning community among teachers 5.00 a 4.15 vo 4.58 vo total 4.86 a 4.07 vo 4.47 vo the school heads frequently provide instructional supervision to teachers in the research area. this is backed up by (4.47). despite the common belief, there are specific signs of instructional supervision that are consistently carried out by the school administrators. school leaders play a crucial role in supporting teachers, giving them feedback, holding meetings, evaluating performance, promoting classroom management skills, and encouraging a community of professional learning among teachers. among the indicators of instructional supervision that school heads often carry out with teachers, the least ranking include: conducting class observations regularly (4.34), consistently implementing the instructional plan (4.16), and regularly evaluating teachers’ lesson plans (3.93). based on the results, it can be concluded that the school administrators in the study area frequently engage in instructional supervision. conducting performance assessment and evaluation is the primary way to give helpful and precise feedback to teachers. they help teachers with their professional growth and offer instructional support as part of their mentoring role.obi emphasizes that school leaders should prioritize their responsibilities as instructional leaders, such as visiting classrooms, observing, hosting conferences, seminars, workshops, and engaging in professional development activities, as these efforts positively influence teaching, learning environments, and ultimately student performance and academic success. table 5 displays the responses regarding how much the perceived constraints impact the instructional supervisory tasks of school heads. pa ge 83 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 78-85, 2024 the limitations are seen to greatly impact the school principals’ oversight of instruction. this is corroborated by (3.71). the lack of skills and knowledge among school heads in student assessment principles, alternative assessment table 5: perceived constraints affecting the school heads’instructional supervisory activities perceived constraints affecting instructional supervision school heads teachers wx̄ d rank wx̄ d wx̄ d 1. poor principal-teacher interaction about instruction processes 2.27 le 3.97 me 3.12 ce 2. less trustful in delegating some work to teachers 2.06 le 3.86 me 2.96 ce 3. irregularity of class observation schedules 2.73 ce 3.91 me 3.32 ce 4. school heads’ inability to developing coaching relationships among educators 3.73 me 4.40 me 4.07 me 5. school heads’ inability to encourage teachers to visit other teachers, even in other schools, to observe teachers’ strategies. 2.73 ce 4.38 me 3.56 me 6. lack of pre and post conferences to improve teaching performance 3.60 me 4.15 me 3.88 me 7. school heads’ inability to develop cooperative, nonthreatening partnerships with teachers that are characterized by trust, openness, and freedom to make mistakes. 3.40 ce 4.48 me 3.94 me 8. teachers’ passive attitude toward classroom observation 4.47 me 4.30 me 4.39 me 9. school heads’ inability to teach/coach teachers in planning for effective instruction 4.33 me 4.19 me 4.26 me 10. school heads’ inability in providing teachers with feedback on the latter’s classroom practices. 4.00 me 4.44 me 4.22 me 11. school heads’ lack of competence to mentor teachers on assessing pupils’ learning. 3.06 ce 4.49 me 3.78 me 12. school heads’ inability to maintain trust, spur motivation, give empowerment and enhance collegiality with teachers 4.00 me 4.26 me 4.13 me 13. school heads’ inability to provide teachers with opportunity to learn active strategies for active learning 3.73 me 4.56 vme 4.15 me 14. school heads’ lack of skills to know the theories underlying the technology-based learning environment. 2.93 ce 4.49 me 3.71 me 15. school heads’ lack of skills and knowledge about the principles of student assessment, assessment procedures with emphasis on alternative assessment methods and assessment 4.40 me 4.56 vme 4.48 me 16. inadequate facilities for supervision 2.93 ce 2.43 le 2.68 ce 23 17. lack of incentives and motivation 1.53 le 3.85 me 2.69 ce 22 18. lack of training and experience in educational supervision; 2.87 ce 4.33 me 3.60 me 17 19. lack of in-service opportunity for training and retraining of school heads 3.00 ce 4.38 me 3.69 me 15 20. lack of time for inspection due to non supervisory administrative burden; 3.33 ce 4.25 me 3.79 me 12 21. lack of executive power to ensure implementation of recommendations; 1.46 naa 3.61 me 2.54 ce 24 22. lack of commitment by school heads; 3.93 me 4.44 me 4.19 me 6 23. uncooperative attitude of teachers; 4.44 me 4.04 me 4.24 me 4 24. school head’s autocratic supervisory style; 3.00 ce 4.34 me 3.67 me 16 awx¯ 3.25 ce 4.17 me 3.71 me pa ge 84 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 78-85, 2024 there is a strong correlation between the frequency of instructional supervision given to teachers and the supervisory strategies used in developing, adopting, and implementing programs for instructional improvement and assessment (r=0.710). additionally, there is a significant correlation between instructional supervision frequency and strategies related to teacher improvement (r=0.634). the significant correlations between variables include frequency of instructional supervision given to teachers and development, adoption, and implementation of instructional improvement programs and learning assessment (t=6.534 > 2.021, df=42), as well as frequency of instructional supervision given to teachers and teacher improvement (t=5.621 > 2.010, df=47), leading to rejection of the null hypothesis at the 0.05 significance level due to higher computed t-values compared to critical t-values.this implies that the frequency of instructional supervision provided to teachers influences the instructional supervisory strategies of school administrators in the development, adoption, and implementation of programs for instructional improvement, as well as in assessing learning and improving teacher performance. table 8: correlation between school heads’ instructional supervisory strategies and perceived impediments/ constraints affecting supervision of instruction instructional supervisory strategies perceived impediments/constraints affecting supervision of instruction r-value computed t-value df critical t-value (0.05) decision teacher improvement aspect 0.811 9.504 47 2.010 ho: reject along developing, adopting existing programs, implementation of programs for instructional improvement and learning assessment 0.412 2.930 42 2.021 ho: reject the amount of instructional supervision provided to teachers is closely related to the supervisory methods used in creating, accepting, and executing programs for instructional enhancement and evaluation (r=0.710). furthermore, a strong relationship exists between how often instructional supervision is conducted and the approaches employed for enhancing teacher skills (r=0.634). the strong connections between variables are the frequency of instructional supervision provided to teachers and the growth, adoption, and execution of instructional enhancement programs and learning evaluation (t=6.534 > 2.021, df=42), as well as the frequency of instructional supervision provided to teachers and teacher enhancement (t=5.621 > 2.010, df=47), resulting in the null hypothesis being turned down at the significance level of 0.05 because of greater calculated t-values in comparison to critical t-values. this means that how often teachers receive instructional supervision affects the supervisory techniques used by school administrators in creating, adopting, and carrying out programs to improve instruction, as well as in evaluating learning and enhancing teacher performance. conclusions based on the findings of the study, the following conclusions were drawn: • the school heads supervisory strategies focus on enhancing instruction. they inform teachers about the professional development opportunities that are available to them in certain areas. • the school heads frequently carry out instructional supervision. one of the main functions is to give helpful and precise feedback to teachers through performance assessment and evaluation. • school heads support teachers in their professional growth and offer instructional assistance as part of their mentoring responsibilities. • their mentoring abilities, along with teachers’ lack of engagement and uncooperative behavior, impact their oversight of instruction. • the frequency of supervising teachers in instruction impacts school principals’ supervisory strategies in developing, adopting, and implementing programs for instructional improvement, as well as assessing learning and teacher development. • perceived obstacles or limitations on supervising table 7: instructional supervisory strategies frequency of instructional supervision extended to teachers r-value computed t-value df critical t-value (0.05) decision teacher improvement aspect 0.634 5.621 47 2.010 ho: reject along developing, adopting existing programs, implementation of programs for instructional improvement and learning assessment 0.710 6.534 42 2.021 ho: reject pa ge 85 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 78-85, 2024 instruction impact school administrators’ strategies for instructional supervision, which includes teacher development, program adoption, program implementation for instructional improvement, and learning assessment recommendations to the school heads • in mentoring sessions, school heads should offer guidance to teachers, particularly on teaching methods and how to find and utilize instructional materials. • in the school development program, it is essential for school heads to create or adjust a school program that is based on research. • school heads should work with expert teachers to review and enhance the curriculum to meet the specific needs of the community. • school heads need to give teachers impartial, helpful, and precise feedback about their teaching. • it is important for school heads to consistently review and assess teachers’ lesson plans and classroom methods. • school heads should provide guidance to teachers in deciding on the most effective teaching approach and support them in utilizing educational tools to improve student learning. • regular pre and post conferences should be held consistently to enhance teaching performance. • school heads should strive to improve their instructional supervision by constantly training and upgrading themselves, in order to support the use of effective, research-based instructional methods, decisions, and programs for a more effective teaching and learning experience. • they need to be devout and dependable in executing the instructional plan. • school heads build strong relationships with teachers through forming a professional learning community and fostering a community of learners among teachers. they should evaluate teachers’ needs and interests, acknowledge their potential, and offer opportunities for professional growth. • school heads need to create a clear plan for observing classes throughout the year, as well as holding pre and post conferences to provide feedback on teacher performance. • school heads need to improve their understanding of student assessment principles and procedures, and focus on alternative assessment methods, as well as attend professional training sessions to enhance their skills. • survey and compare the enrollment, retention, and graduation rate strategies of other schools to identify best practices and adopt them to enhance their own schools’ low performance indicators. to the teachers • in order to enhance skill, educators need to be open and welcoming to new teaching methods, tactics, and instructional advancements to reduce, if not eliminate, their concerns. • teachers need to have a positive outlook towards curriculum changes and view them as chances for growth and skills development in their teaching practice. • in order to improve student achievement, teachers must strive to be more original and inventive in their teaching methods. references brookover, m., & lezotte, r. (2019). exploring the transformational nature of instructional leadership. the alberta journal of educational research, 42(4), 1-12. hallinger, p. (2019). developing instructional leadership terms in secondary schools: a framework. nassp bulletin, 73(517), 35-47. harris, m. (2019). principals as agents? investigating accountability in the compensation and performance of school principals. industrial & labor relations review, 61(3), 45-62. heck, a. (2019). reassessing the principal’s role in school effectiveness: a review of empirical research. educational administration quarterly, 32(1), 12-29. lashway, j. (2019). empowering principal behavior. american educational research journal, 31(2), 123-145. leithwood, s. (2019, november 2). learning communities for administrators. educational leadership. http:// www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/ learning-communities-for-administrators sergiovanni, t. j. (2019). rethinking leadership: a collection of articles. corwin press. sergiovanni, t. j. (2019). school leadership that works: from research to results. sage publications. stronge, j. m. (2018). theory and practice of supervision. dodd, mead and co. swearinger, m. e. (2019). supervision of instruction: foundations and dimensions. allyn & bacon. pa ge 1 pa ge 46 american journal of education and technology (ajet) product colour variation management with artificial intelligence sasibhushan rao chanthati1* volume 3 issue 3, year 2024 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v3i3.3213 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: july 02, 2024 accepted: august 04, 2024 published: august 07, 2024 this research focuses on the topic of using ai in color variant management in products to enhance the appeal and performance of the products in the marketplace by incorporating artificial intelligence, deep learning, and neural network systems. real-time consumer and product information, preferences, buying history, and sales history; i created an ai model to predict and change product colors in real-time. the complete workflow used comprises data gathering, processing, and feature extraction, model training, integration of the color adjustment software tools, and finally, testing and validation. the efficiency of such aidriven interventions was analyzed through the consumer satisfaction indices, the sales results, and the engagement data based on the consumption of digital platforms. this study demonstrates valuable potential of ai to improve product design application and development while providing valuable suggestions for businesses adapting and improving market outcomes according to the changing consumer trends. such an application of ai implements a new best practice in ways of enhancing futuristic consumer-oriented marketing approaches. the paper was first completed in 2021 and later i have modified the paper with latest updates till date 2024. keywords artificial intelligence, color variation management, consumer satisfaction, deep learning, neural networks, product design, market analysis, digital marketing 1 9202 appleford cir, 248, owings mills, md, 21117, united states * corresponding author’s e-mail: sasichanthati@gmail.com introduction in this age of ai and machine learning, it has become much easier to interact with any problem. the use of ai has expanded in various fields over the last decade (fuentes et al., 2020). as a result of a lot of research and development, ai is now intimately involved with our lives. large businesses such as trading, finance, healthcare, marketing, manufacturing is mainly dependent on ai (wan et al., 2020). according to a survey, by 2020, ai will be able to do 80% of any intellectual work. ai-related investments have been growing rapidly over the last few years (walk et al., 2023). according to a report prepared by money-tree in 2020, about $16.5 billion has been raised for 695 ai-related projects in 2019. many smaller companies also now use paid ai services for fraud detection and process optimization. now fortunately machines can learn a lot quicker than a normal human being (yan et al., 2023). with the help of artificial intelligence and machine learning, the machine can easily identify all the things that people cannot do in a smart way (kumar et al., 2023). the use of ai in digital marketing has made marketing much more affordable than ever before (mariani et al., 2023). figure 1: use of ai pa ge 47 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 46-52, 2024 literature review ai has brought unprecedented changes in product design and product development (kumar et al., 2023). in the traditional way, before manufacturing the product, one had to rely entirely on humans for design and development (mercan et al., 2023). so, they had to go through a lot of trials and errors. it was difficult to succeed in the initial stage, even with a lot of investment. the main problem was to have no idea in advance what the demand for a new product might be and to analyses why a product fails if it fails (omari et al., 2018). it has been observed that all the start-ups have taken the help of ai in the field of product design and marketing at a very early stage, and they have got more success than others (wang et al., 2023). use of ai to detect customer interest whether we like a product depends a lot on our emotions, the environment, our social status, and economic status. the effects of all these factors vary from person to person. so, it is not possible to accurately analyze all these factors with humans. ai can easily analyze all these factors (sun et al., 2019). considering all these factors, ai tells us what kind of product should be promoted to whom. as a result, the rejection rate of a product decreases a lot, and the acceptance rate goes out. similarly, if the rejection rate of a product increases, ai gives us an idea of where to change those products (tobar et al., 2024). color detection with ai compare it with its preloaded data. after comparing it figure 2: color detection with ai can decide the color of the product. if it detects some unknown color, then generally it tries to decide it by accessing data from other sources (mahmood et al., 2012). methodology this study aimed at exploring how ai is utilized in dealing with product color differences with this objective in mind, this study incorporated several approaches that included machine learning, and neural networks. the main aim was to determine the best approach to choosing colors that are appropriate in product design and development with the intention of increasing consumers’ satisfaction and therefore improving the market position. it includes consumer data that were preferences and previous purchase behavior acquired through questionnaires and web analytics, and product data that provide information on previous color fluctuations and sales history (alexopoulos et al., 2020). the process contained in the analysis phase included data cleaning and preparation where color data was normalized, and categorical variables encoded. variable selection defined attributes that may affect color choices, including age, previous purchases and changing seasons. for the color analysis we trained machine learning models to learn the relationship between product colors and customer preferences to employ the appropriate algorithm for predictive analysis and image recognition (ashta et al., 2021). another significant step in our approach was integrating ai and applying it in tools such as color prediction, which allowed us to predict the most popular color variation for new products based on analyzed indicators. moreover, real-time color alteration mechanisms were included in e-commerce sites to execute dynamic changes based on the immediate customer feedback. findings the product color is one of the most important things in product design and product development. but most product managers do not give importance to this matter. many products are not acceptable to many customers because they do not like the color of the product. it has been seen that just by changing the color of the product, it is possible to increase the sales rate of the product a lot. so, like other things, we must focus on product color (niazi et al., 2019). we need to do a lot more research on how the color of the product affects the human mind. ai will help us in this subject. pa ge 48 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 46-52, 2024 figure 3: product color variation augmented reality in shopping processes augmented reality can totally change our conventional shopping processes. recently, some e-commerce companies have started using it experimentally. changing the color product considering the environment which color’s product to use in which environment can be easily determined using augmented reality. like you have a garden. you can easily determine if you want to place a bench in that garden using augmented reality. you can visualize which color will be best for you with augmented reality (xu et al., 2024). house furniture planning augmented reality is highly effective for house furniture planning. using augmented reality, you can clearly visualize what color furniture you like in which room. this reduces the chances of ordering the wrong furniture by 60% (kasyap & tiwari ). beauty products shopping with ar ai has also revolutionized the field of cosmetic shopping. in a joint venture with l’oréal, amazon has come up with the idea of bringing augmented reality for buyers. it is believed that this will add a new dimension to the purchase of beauty products (wang et al., 2023). for example, if you want to buy lipstick online but do not understand what color lipstick to buy. in this case, ar will suggest the best color depending on your skin color and lip shape (holzinger et al., 2019). personalized experience & possibility to conduct themed parties: imagination and creativity are the two main issues in theme party arrangement. and augmented reality is especially effective in both cases. you can visualize a party before it happens. helping manufacturers with ar ar technology is a very necessary technology for any product design and development. ar helps to understand what the product will look like before manufacturing any product (chairat et al., 2023). which is very necessary. figure 4: helping manufacturers with ar however, to use this type of technology, manufacturers need to be given the right guides and tools so that they can make more advanced products (pathan et al. 2020). pa ge 49 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 46-52, 2024 product color variation management with ai benefits of product color variation management with ai in physical products the color we like usually has a huge impact on all the physical products we use. assume you go to a store to get some items. the store has 3 different color water bottles of a brand. now if you like the color blue, there is a 90% guarantee that you will buy a blue water bottle. in this way, color variation affects the selling rate of the product. now if a brand makes a product of similar color, its sales rate may decrease. ai helps us in this field. suppose you own a t-shirt store. now if you take the help of ai in selling the product, how will it help you? ai will first identify the person who comes to your store through face recognition and then save the information of the color of the t-shirt that the person has taken during the product scan. then when that person enters your store for the second time, the ai will suggest the name and the color of some t-shirts to your employees according to the information obtained from the previous one. thus, ai will give more perfect advice to you. remember that data is the nutrition of ai. if you put more information to ai, it will work more precisely and can predict more accurately. application of product color variation with ai in the field of e-commerce ai is particularly important for e-commerce sites. in the case of online selling, it is easier to track customers. for example, a customer has ordered different things from your e-commerce site at different times. ai has saved all the information from those orders such as the color and size of the product, etc. now, whenever that person comes to your site, the ai-based application system will show him different products according to the previous choice. also, many customers come with product reviews and feedback. the ai-based application system will use that data to give you information on what needs to be changed in the product. for example, if most of the customers have bought a product in red color, now they are looking for the same product in pink color, then ai will give you a notification to bring variation in the product color. information about which product and what color product is being used the most is available from the order details. ai gives us various information using all that data. by targeting those locations, you can run the right product campaign at an extremely low cost. changes can be seen in the utilization of various items relying upon the season. again, during special festivals, the demand for products of any color increases. at the point when a mainstream film or tv series is released, the interest in certain colors and products also increases. currently, if you bring variation in product color, the sales rate increases a lot. at this time ai suggests to us according to the information received from different sources what kind of color variation should be brought in the product. benefits of product color variation management with ai in digital products ai has made a huge contribution to the revolution of digital products. ai has made it much easier to use digital products these days. day by day the use of digital products is becoming so much more enjoyable for the sake of ai. color variation is particularly important for digital products (cooper, 2023). it is particularly important to bring color variation in digital products depending on different needs at different times. suppose you have a website, and you use a theme of your choice on that web site. that website also has particularly good content. but visitors to the website are not coming or spending little time (cooper, 2024). one explanation behind this might be that the tones you use on the site are not utilized appropriately. now you can change the color of the header or the color of the footer and see a lot more views coming to your website. and this often happens. in fact, the color we use in the header and footer of the website, or the theme color we use has a huge impact on the viewers. ai will advise you which color you should use, or the ai will change the color of the website according to the color that the viewer wants to see. in this case, the ai system will ask for the user’s opinion using the pop-up. almost every popular app we use collects all the information about our likes and dislikes using ai. for example, if you use a food delivery app, it will notify you when it is raining that “it is raining today so order some snacks”. if we see the same design and color for a long time, usually our vision becomes saturated, that is, the design or color does not arouse any feeling in us after a long time (singler, 2020). for this, we get bored if we use some app for a long time. so, some big companies using ai can understand if their app has reached the vision saturation zone. and accordingly, they can change their product design and color so that we can get rid of our monotony (hermann, 2023). in this way, color variation with the help of ai helps to increase the number of users of digital products. popular messaging and chatting apps try to entertain users with emoji’s of different colors. ai determines what emoji’s need to be brought next, depending on which emoji’s are being used the most. there is also a system to change the theme color in different apps (manovich, 2021). video streaming giants youtube, netflix have spread dominance today. so, it is practically difficult to rival all these applications. in this situation, any new video streaming application can utilize ai to expand the number of quality clients (bhavana et al., 2021). in this case, the weapon can be a product color variation. they must ring different color modes. if the user using ai can watch the video in the mode of their choice, it can be a different experience. product color variation is particularly important for any ed-tech app or website. for example, the color variation is particularly important in the user interface that is created for nursery or kindergarten students. it is advisable to pa ge 50 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 46-52, 2024 use different color of user interfaces at different times (muratbekova et al., 2024). ai can help you with this process. in this way, their attention span can be increased a lot, and education will also be much more entertaining for students. different types of online tools can use this color variation technique with ai to increase customer interest (subramonyam et al., 2021). to use this kind of innovation we must get out of traditional marketing techniques. we should rely on ai & cloud-based technologies in terms of product design, product manufacturing, and marketing. for any survey, you need to use an ai-based app to get much more reliable information. figure 5: survey use an ai-based applications product color variation with ai and human emotion our emotions are a big factor in buying a product. the impact of color will be huge on people emotions. so, emotion tracking, and emotion hacking is a particularly important issue in product design and development (ding et al., 2021). by emotion tracking, we mean that when a customer buys a product, if he buys the product of the same color again and again, then we can understand that the person has a passion for that color. this is emotion hacking (quan et al., 2023). now when we launch a new product, we will promote the product of that color to him and try to sell it at a special price. now that person is most likely to buy that product. ai helps us with emotion hacking and tracking. in this way, even if our customer is addicted to a new color, our ai system will inform us about that. as a result, we can bring variation in the color of our product without any hassle. this creates long-lasting (schrills et al., 2020). customer bonding and reduces product rejection overnight. masstrust can be easily created by adopting this method. it also helps a lot with product marketing. advantages of product color variation with ai so, we can see that product color variation management is much easier with the help of ai. not just that, it is vital to utilize this technique at whatever point we launch a product. the complex undertakings like, product design & development, marketing research can be improved (nabwire et al., 2021). as a result, product launching can be done very easily. good results in reselling can be obtained by retargeting the customer using this method. this process is highly effective for all digital and physical products. as the use of digital products increases over time, variations in product color are needed to maintain the acceptability of those products. we need more research and development to take this field forward (luo et al., 2022). although it does not have many disadvantages, it has some limitations. since product color variation technology with ai has not been used in many cases yet, ai-based product color variation technology is not yet affordable (ignatov et al., 2017). as it is a new technology, it is often not possible to execute properly in the workplace. conclusion in conclusion, we can say that product color variations with ai are particularly important from product design and product development to manufacturing marketing. it is estimated that by 2050, 80% of companies will have fully shifted to this technology. this technology is going to be the best strategy to increase revenue. starting from the e-commerce sector to health care management, edtech, and all major sectors are utilizing this technology to grow their revenue. as the utilization of computerized items increases over the long haul, varieties in item tone are expected to keep up the adequacy of those items. we need more innovative work to take this field forward. the application of ai in product color variation pa ge 51 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 46-52, 2024 management has disclosed the high possibility of changing the approaches to product design and development. in this context, the present research has adopted innovative machine learning techniques such as neural networks and new formulae to forecast and rectify color deviations and thereby streamline it in correspondence with the consumer preferences and market conditions. fulfilment color adjustment tools applied to e-commerce have created means for the dynamic color change, which has improved customer fulfillment and interaction. the evidence provided emphasizes the role of ai in influencing product management innovation, implying that businesses utilizing ai-tainted initiatives will be much more adaptable and competitive in the market. this paper brings about the same message that has been echoed in earlier studies on how ai has revolutionized modern business practices, particularly in the customeroriented sectors. references alexopoulos, k., nikolakis, n., & chryssolouris, g. 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(2023). artificial intelligence-integrated smartphone-based handheld detection of fluoride ion by al³⁺-triggered aggregation-induced red-emission enhanced carbon dots. journal of colloid and interface science, 651, 59–67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. jcis.2023.07.125 pa ge 1 pa ge 99 american journal of education and technologies (ajet) comparing flowchart and swim lane activity diagram for aiding transitioning to object-oriented implementation a.z. umar1*, m.m. gumel2, h.s. tuge1 volume 1 issue 2, year 2022 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i2.612 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: september 17, 2022 accepted: september 28, 2022 published: september 30, 2022 object oriented programming (oop) paradigm is one of the programming styles that emerged in response to the challenge of designing complex software. however, students find it hard to conceptualize objects when they were already accustomed to non object oriented approach to programming. this paper hypothesizes that introducing object oriented (oo) notations to students during the design phase will smoothen their transition to object oriented programming. to test the hypothesis, an experiment was conducted with the students of al-qalam university katsina, nigeria. the participating students were divided into two groups: (i) flowchart group representing the classical approach where flowcharts were used to design solutions. (ii) activity diagram group which represents the control group in which swim lane activity diagram, as object oriented notation, was introduced to them at the design phase. both groups were later introduced to class responsibility collaborators (crc) cards as an object oriented implementation model. the students were tested, four different times, on how well they converted flowcharts or activity diagrams, as the case may be, into class responsibility collaborators cards, and their performances were recorded. the results were analyzed using repeated measure analysis of variance (anova). unexpectedly, the flowchart group outperformed the activity diagram group but the results were not statistically significant. similarly, there was no statistical difference between males’ and females’ performances. keywords flowchart, programming pedagogy, swim lane activity diagram, teaching oop 1 department of software engineering and cyber security, al-qalam university katsina, nigeria 2 department of computer science and information technology, al-qalam university katsina, nigeria * corresponding author’s e-mail: azumar@auk.edu.ng introduction computer programming is an important skill across diverse fields and disciplines and even more so for computing science students. as computers are becoming more pervasive, the skill is one of the necessary requirements for continuous automation of the modern world as well as for the maintenance of the already automated systems. for computing based disciplines such as computer science and software engineering, programming courses are taught at many levels from the year of entry to the year of graduation. despite the criticality of programming, acquiring the skills remains a challenge for many students(mehmood et al., 2020). although there are many reasons why students struggle with programming(oroma et al., 2012; qian et al., 2017; sheard et al., 2009) the following are the most relevant to this paper: i. the cognitive intensity that is required to learn the low-level details of programming. ii. pedagogically, students have been literary dragged to it (the programming). for the low level details inhibiting the comprehension of programming as outlined in (i) above, over the years programming languages have evolved in which the level of abstraction has been raised. in the process of abstraction evolution, many programming styles/paradigms emerged. one of the emerged paradigms is the object oriented programming (oop) paradigm developed out of the desire to manage complexity and improve productivity in software development. it is a programming style that uses real world “objects” to design computer programs. oop reduces the conceptual gap from the design space to the implementation space(bucci et al., 2002; evans, 2004) because the program is conceptualized as a collection of objects interacting to achieve a common goal(hourani et al., 2019). similarly, programs developed using oop are easier to maintain because objects are easier to trace and update (g. antoniol et al., 2001; giulio antoniol et al., 2000; bianchi et al., 2000). further, oop provides additional support for code reuse through inheritance and additional support for flexibility through polymorphism (daly et al., 1996). with oop, professional software developers enjoy plethora of supports. for example, in testing, there exist unit testing frameworks (daka & fraser, 2014); in mapping objects to records in a relational database, there exist object relational mapping frameworks (torres et al., 2017); in design, there exists a collection of design patterns to solve similar recurring problems (gamma et al., 1995); in source code organization, there exists guidelines and tool support for refactoring (daughtry iii & kannampallil, 2005; martin, 2018). as the saying goes that a picture may be worth more than a thousand words, it was envisaged that diagraming will improve comprehension of computer programming (smetsers-weeda & smetsers, 2017) as pictorial representation simultaneously raises the level of abstraction from low to high and can be used to improve over teaching pedagogy. consequently, diagrams were also introduced to represent the design of a solution that will be implemented as a computer program. one of the diagrams used for the design is flowchart. similarly, one of the diagrams used for oo design is activity diagram and some of the notations used in documenting oo https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i2.612 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= mailto:azumar@auk.edu.ng pa ge 10 0 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 99-106, 2022 implementation are class responsibility collaborators (crc) models. we provide the details of the flowchart, the activity diagram, and the crc in the methodology section. statement of the problem in the introductory computing courses, students are expected to learn how to design solutions to computing problems using notations such as flowcharts and then subsequently learn how to translate the flowchart into an algorithm to be implemented using the procedural style of programming. later, and in subsequent courses, students are introduced to the oop programming style as another implementation alternative. however, since students were already accustomed to procedural implementation and knew that the approach ‘works,’ they struggled to conceive objects when introduced later as a viable alternative(börstler et al., 2008; cutts et al., 2019; kölling, 1999). students already learned how to design solutions to problems without the concept of objects in the scheme of things and were later required to transition to object oriented implementation. one of the reasons for the struggle might be that they do not have a clue about objects in the design space but have been asked to reflect them in the implementation space, which requires unlearning the procedural style of implementation. thus, this paper aims to compare the effect of learning flowcharts, as non oo design notation, and activity diagram (an oo based design notation) in transitioning to object oriented implementation. research hypotheses given the above, we envisage that the students may find the transition easier if oo-notations were also introduced to them while learning diagrammatic designs of solutions to computing problems (see figure 1). as such, the paper hypothesized the following: • h1: introducing activity diagrams to students at the design stage will improve their ease of transition to object oriented implementation. • h2: there is a difference between males and females in transitioning to object oriented design (ood). the rest of the paper is organized as follows: section 2.0 presents the research works related to this paper. section 3.0 explains the methodology adopted in this paper and begins with the clarification of the research constructs and ends with the detailed settings and execution of the study. section 4.0 discusses the results obtained and highlights what could be threats to the validity of the research. lastly, section 5.0 concludes the paper. literature review existing studies mostly focus on the performance of students in programming, generally, and not specifically on oop. for instance, olalekan et al., (akinola & nosiru, 2014) investigated the effect of students’ attitudes on ease of learning programming. they used students’ attitudes such as regular attendance to lectures and interest in programming as some of the research constructs. they found that regular attendance at lectures was the most important factor, followed by the students’ interest in programming. other factors that were found to affect students’ performance in learning programming were positive perception about the programming and the lecturers’ attitudes toward the students. similarly, amnouychokanant et al., (amnouychokanant et al., 2021) assessed the effect of students’ attitudes toward programming and its learning performance but with different sets of research constructs. some of the research constructs used and found to be significant predictors of high-performance in programming were positive selfefficacy and creativity. there has been a continuous search for effective techniques to teach oop. for instance, loksa et al., (loksa et al., 2016) proposed an approach aimed at teaching student problem solving skills. the approach put emphasis in creating an explicit mental model of the problem to be solved and depicting the coding as a mere translation of the mental model. other techniques introduced include visualizing the progress in creating the solution as well as explicit support for promptings to reflect on their strategies to solve the problem. similarly, (bucci et al., 2002) reported how they worked in transitioning from the traditional imperative model to an object oriented model of learning programming for over ten years and concluded that teaching object oriented programming is not as simple or “natural” but difficult to convey to the students the advantages and methodologies associated with object oriented programming. still on the search for effective pedagogies to teach oop,(anfurrutia et al., 2017)implemented kolb’s learning theory in visual programming environments in order to help students to become competent in object oriented programming. the authors analyzed the acceptance by the students as well as its effect on their motivation. kolb’s learning theory entails four cycles that learners must undergo to acquire knowledge. the cycles are: (i) carrying out a specific activity to have concrete experience (ii) reflecting on the experience from the carried out activity, (iii) conceptualizing the theoretical aspects of the activity, and (iv) applying the knowledge acquired in new scenarios or situations. the visual environments used were bluej and greenfoot – another ide for learning and teaching based on simulations or games. for the acceptance, students indicated that they would prefer using the tools even though females’ responses were more negative than males’. as for motivation, the results were not as good as the authors’ expected. however, the approach does not consider the problem analysis space. in another study on the pedagogical approach to teaching oop, (uysal, 2012) explored the effects of ‘objects-first’ and ‘objects-late’ methods of teaching object oriented programming (oop). the author experimented with two groups of students. the scope of the course was identical for the two groups but the structure of the contents differed in sequence. both the participants in the two groups used bluej ide to eliminate the possible https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 10 1 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 99-106, 2022 effects of different instructional tools. the objects first learners used all visual functionalities of bluej ide while the objects late learners started with only the text-based interfaces of bluej and were instructed to use the visual support only in the last lectures. the study found that the learners instructed with the objects-first method achieved higher learning outcomes. in a similar context of smooth transitioning from process engineering to process control engineering, (vogelheuser et al., 2003) explored the benefit of modeling. from the experiment they had conducted with students, it turned out that the groups that previously modeled the process had advantages in describing the several process steps and structuring the programmable logic controller (plc) program. in another exploratory study, (ivanović et al., 2015) investigated different aspects of teaching introductory courses on object oriented programming at three (3) universities in different european countries. they compared different aspects and experiences from object oriented programming courses that were taught in the three (3) institutions. they found that all the institutions use various forms of course delivery. this indicates that a generic strategy for teaching transition to oop has not been found yet. however, in all three (3) institutions, technology-enhanced learning tools (tel) played a central role in the oop courses offered. in particular, bluej an integrated development environment (ide) for learning oop with java language designed for educational purposeswas found to be used in all three institutions. methodology figure 1 represents the conceptual model of this paper. in the figure, flowcharting represents the art of non object oriented problem solving using flowcharts while activity diagraming represents the art of object oriented problem solving using activity diagrams. ease figure 1: conceptual model of transition to object oriented programming is assessed based on how well the class responsibility collaborators (crc) model is produced. we expect gender to play a moderating role. to make the discussion in this section more concrete, we introduce a trivial problem of manual booking of an appointment with a dentist. in the manual process, a patient calls the dental clinic. the receptionist receives the call and guides the patients on the available slots. the patient selects one of the available slots, which the receptionist will reserve and informs the patient of the appointed schedule. for brevity, we assume that the patient has already registered with the clinic. in this section, we will discuss the background concepts with the solutions to the stated problem using a flowchart, an activity diagram, and class responsibility collaborators (crc) cards. flowchart a flowchart is a diagrammatic representation of steps to solving a given problem. although it can also be used for other things such as the analysis of the problem or documentation of a process, we use a flowchart in this paper in the context of representing a solution to a computing problem. a flowchart is an approximate representation of an algorithm to solve a specific computing problem. a flowchart can be used to teach problem solving without getting deep into the low-level details of complete syntaxes of a programming language so that learning can be focused on the problem solving aspect. flowchartbased programming environments are also used to entice students to programming with the big picture of the intended solution in their minds(chen & morris, 2005; smetsers-weeda & smetsers, 2017). the flowchart in figure 2 represents the design of an automated system to solve the problem of manually booking of an appointment with a dentist as outlined above. as shown in the figure, after starting the system, it displays the list of available slots for patients to request an appointment with a dentist. the patient would then select a slot and request its booking. the system then checks to confirm if the slot has not been reserved for other patients since, due to time lag, another patient might have requested and booked the selected slot. if the slot has already been taken, the system returns the patient to the https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 10 2 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 99-106, 2022 list of available slots otherwise the system will reserve the slot and send a notification email to the patient. lastly, the booking information shall be displayed to the patient. activity diagram the activity diagram is one of the behavioural diagrams of unified modelling language (uml). figure 2: flowchart illustration of a dentist booking system it is similar to the flowchart as it can be used to diagrammatically represent a series of actions or flow of control to solve a given problem. similarly, it can be used for other things such as modelling business processes or behavioural descriptions of a use case diagram(jeyaraj & sauter, 2014; khaled abdelazim et al., 2020). swim lane activity is an activity diagram that is used to show which system actor is responsible for what, in addition to the representation of the series of actions or flow of control to solve the problem. thus, the presence of objects as well as their high level responsibilities can be captured explicitly as system actors on the diagram. swim lane activity diagrams are also powerful models in model-driven engineering (mda) in the sense that they could also be transformed into other models or executable (zhang et al., 2012). the diagram may as well be recovered from object oriented source codes through reverse engineering(martinez et al., 2011). figure 3 is an activity diagram that represents the same solution depicted in figure 2 as flowchart. it is a swim lane activity diagram because the responsibilities are indicated under the system and patient as the main actors. class responsibility collaboration (crc) class responsibilities collaborators (crc) was invented by ward cuningham and kent beck(beck & cunningham, figure 3: swim lane activity diagram representing the design of a dentist booking system 1989; cunningham & beck, 1986) as an approach to discovering and documenting objects in oo design. crc was initially designed to simplify learning oop but has also been used in professional software development such as agile’s extreme programming (xp)(beck, 1999). a class represents a template from which similar objects are created, responsibility is something that a class knows or does, and a collaborator is another class that a class interacts with to fulfill its responsibilities. crc card is a 3x5 index card and is partitioned into three: the first https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 10 3 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 99-106, 2022 and the topmost portion is a row in which the name of the class being considered is represented; the second and the leftmost portion, represent the responsibilities of that class; the third portion represents the collaborators that the class will need to complete its responsibilities. figure 4 presents the major crc cards derivable from the swim lane activity diagram of figure 3. thus, as shown in figure 4, five initial classes were identified as patient, dentalbookingmanager, slot, bookedslot, and dentist. crc can be regarded as an implementation model as the major activity for oo implementation is identifying classes, their responsibilities, and collaborators without resorting to implementation details. we could have used figure 4: crc cards for objects implementing the dentist booking system in oop a class model instead but a study had found that students are more keen with crc than the class diagram (gray et al., 2003). further, a correctly designed crc can be implemented as an oop program with relative ease. study setting an experiment was conducted with year one students of al-qalam university katsina, nigeria drew using a sample of convenience as only volunteers were recruited. the population of the study was computer science and software engineering students enrolled in the introduction to problem solving course (module). the study recruited two groups of students: the flowchart group consists of seventeen (17) students enrolled to study b.sc. the computer science and activity diagram group comprises seventeen (17) students enrolled to study b.sc. software engineering. all the students had taken introduction to computer science in the previous semester. the distinct groups of the students were briefed about the motive of the experiment. the students in the flowchart group were taught flowcharts for a week and then preceded to learn class responsibility collaboration (crc) for another week. students were then taught how to translate flowcharts to crc cards for two weeks. hence, the first group transitioned to object oriented implementation from procedural notations. the students in the activity diagram group were taught the swim-lane activity diagram for a week and then preceded to learn class responsibility collaboration (crc) for another week. students were then taught how to translate the swim lane activity diagram to crc cards for two weeks. therefore, the second group transitioned to object oriented implementation from object oriented design. a final-year undergraduate student taught both groups as part of her final year project. the students were tested four (4) times within one week, each with a new problem. the reason for repeating the tests was to reduce the random noise and uncover the actual performance. in all the tests, the performances of the students were measured in terms of how well they translated the flowchart or activity diagram, as the case may be, to class responsibility collaborators (crc) cards. that is, students in the different groups were asked the same question but with different notations to transitioning to crc. the experiment was treated as a 2 x 4 factorial design. group was a between-subject factor with two levels (flowchart vs activity diagram). the within-subject factor was the test which has four levels (test1, test2, test3, and test4). data collected from the experiment were students’ age, gender, and the scores of the tests. results in the two groups, there were a total of twenty-one (21) male students and thirteen (13) female students. however, five (5) female and three (3) male performance records were removed before the analysis because they were absent in some of the tests. therefore, assessments of only twenty-four (24) students were analysed. since the study was repeated four (4) times, we still had 96 data points that were subjected to the analysis. the scores for the individual students ranged from 50 to 100 with the overall (grand) average score as 82.01. the means scores of the four different tests range from 78.85 to 84.39 but the difference was not statistically significant f(1, 3)=1.424, p=0.242. however, the means scores for all the four tests were significantly higher than the expected mean score of 50 to 55 obtained from historical https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 10 4 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 99-106, 2022 be conducted with large and (semi)randomised samples. threat to validity it may be argued that the activity diagram may not be the right notation to test the ease of transitioning from procedural style as previous studies mostly used integrated development environments (ides) (anfurrutia et al., 2017; ivanović et al., 2015; uysal, 2012). however, using ides assumed that students already know how to design solutions before their implementation using a specific programming environment. our study focused on problem-solving without the cumbersome aspect of learning syntaxes of any programming language. in addition, modeling using, diagrammatic notation, helps in bringing out the big picture of the intended solution(vogel-heuser et al., 2003). there was a chance of sampling error as the students’ average scores were significantly high. nevertheless, since the individual scores ranged from 50 to 100 and there was a total of 96 data points, any variations between the groups that were not down to chance should have been detected. however, further study with large and (semi) randomised samples may give better insight. similarly, the results may not be generalizable as the participated students were mainly novices. nonetheless, different backgrounds do not necessarily matter(vvilner et al., 2007). conclusion when learners were already accustomed to the procedural implementation style, they may struggle to conceive objects in object oriented programming despite the advantage of the object oriented style over the procedural style. this paper conceived that introducing object oriented modeling at the solution design phase may help ease the transition to object oriented programming. thus, the paper experimented to test the effect of object oriented modeling in easing the transition to object oriented style. the results show that introducing the object oriented modeling will not achieve that desired effect as expected. the paper suggests further studies with large and randomise sample. references akinola, o. s., & nosiru, k. a. (2014). factors influencing students’ performance in computer programming: a fuzzy set operations approach. international journal of advances in engineering & technology, 7(4), 1141–1149. http://www.e-ijaet.org/media/3i22-ijaet0721391_ v7_iss4_1141-1149.pdf amnouychokanant, v., boonlue, s., chuathong, s., & thamwipat, k. (2021). a study of first-year students’ attitudes toward programming in the innovation in educational technology course. education research international, 2021. https://doi. org/10.1155/2021/9105342 anfurrutia, f. i., alvarez, a., larranaga, m., & lopezgil, j. m. (2017). visual programming environments scores of computing courses (t1(25)=14.61, p=0.000; t2(25)=15.22, p=0.000; t3(25)=17.87, p=0.000; t4(25) =13.86, p=0.000). in the first, second, and fourth tests, the means for the males were 85.61, 80.83, and 83.06 respectively. the means for females were 81.63, 74.38, and 80.63 respectively. thus, the means for the male were higher. in contrast, in the third test, the means for females were slightly higher which was 83.13 against males’ 82.22. however, there was no significant interaction between gender and the performance f(1,3) = 0.531, p=0.663. in the first, second, and third tests, the mean for the flowchart group were 86.0, 84.55, and 85.46 respectively, while for the activity diagram group the means were 83.2, 74.67, and 80.33 respectively. thus, the means for the flowchart group were higher than the expected outcome. in the fourth test, the means were comparably very close: for the flowchart group 82.27 while for the activity diagram group 82.33. in addition to the quantitative results analyzed above, the second author also profiled students’ mistakes. in the flowchart group, students found it difficult to distinguish between input/output and process symbol as both were used interchangeably. they were also not bothered to put the stop symbols at the end of the flowchart. lastly, they use directional arrows inappropriately. for the activity diagram group, students struggle with specifying the different actors in the different columns of the diagram. they mistook the end node and the end node. lastly, they often place a process in a column it does not belong to. nonetheless, the students in both groups were making similar mistakes in the crc such as skipping some of the responsibilities, interchanging the position of the responsibilities and collaborators, and not writing the class name. discussion it might be observed that the average score of the participants students was remarkably high considering the rate of failure in computer programming and problem solving related ourse(omeh & olelewe, 2021); it might be the case that only high-performing students volunteered to participate in the study. similar to the studies in (amnouychokanant et al., 2021; omeh & olelewe, 2021), no significant interaction between gender and the performance. thus, we reject the hypothesis that there is a difference between males and females in transitioning to object oriented design (ood). the findings contrast with the results obtained in(anfurrutia et al., 2017) where males’ and females’ preferences differed significantly. similar to the results obtained in (vvilner et al., 2007), there was no significant interaction between the different groups and the performance (f(1, 3) = 1.160, p=0.331). consequently, we reject the hypothesis that introducing activity diagrams to students at the design stage will improve their ease of transition to object oriented implementation. it likely that the sample used in the study was not large enough. thus, further study should https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 10 5 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 99-106, 2022 for object-oriented programming: acceptance and effects on student motivation. ieee revista iberoamericana de tecnologias del aprendizaje, 12(3), 124– 131. https://doi.org/10.1109/rita.2017.2735478 antoniol, g., canfora, g., casazza, g., & de lucia, a. 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(2012). generating executable capability models for requirements validation. https://doi.org/10.4304/jsw.7.9.2046-2052 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 9 american journal of education and technology (ajet) level of collaboration among stakeholders to promote inclusive education in schools: the case of lilongwe rural east and mthandiza zone in dedza makarios kizito chimowa1*, dannie soko1, stewart maganga1, paul muotcha1, gerald nkowani1 volume 3 issue 3, year 2024 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v3i3.3090 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: june 04, 2024 accepted: july 08, 2024 published: july 11, 2024 the study set out to investigate the level of collaboration among stakeholders with regard to promoting inclusive education in primary and secondary schools in lilongwe rural east and mthandiza zone in dedza. twenty-six schools under the research on inclusive education, sanitation, environment and hygiene (rieseh) project were targeted upon. the study provides contemporary insights into how teachers and stakeholders view their collaborative roles in securing better outcomes for students with special educational needs (sen). the study demonstrated that teachers showed their willingness to learn best practices and strategies to guide the students with sen in pursuit to their education. it further revealed that teachers understand and know about inclusive education practices upon attending different workshops in addition to what they learnt while at teacher training colleges. despite this, the study demonstrated that the main concern of the teachers was the little support received from stakeholders when it came to promoting inclusive practices in their classes and schools. parents in this study acknowledged that collaboration was vital should inclusive education be achieved in schools. they indicated that they are aware of their roles in promoting inclusive education through collaboration with teachers. the study’s findings further indicated that collaboration between mainstream teachers and other stakeholders was limited in scope and that the nature of collaboration was conditional, erratic and unplanned. the results further revealed that many activities are done on an individual basis rather than teamwork where the groups share ideas in order to achieve the intended goals of inclusive education. the study attributes this to lack of policy clarity especially the national strategy on inclusive education 2017 – 2021 and several other factors and thereby proposes a collaboration model or framework deemed most appropriate for the schools in the malawian context. keywords collaboration, communication, inclusive education, stakeholders 1 emmanuel university, p.o. box 30583, lilongwe, malawi * corresponding author’s e-mail: k.chimowa@emunimw.com introduction the study set out to investigate the level of collaboration among stakeholders when it came to promoting inclusive education (ie) in the schools. twenty six public schools were targeted and these were found in lilongwe rural east with a few others in the mthandiza zone of dedza district. to provide a brief background, emmanuel university (emuni) had been working in this area through two projects namely disability, inclusiveness, sanitation, hygiene and environmental protection (dishe) and research in inclusive education, sanitation, environment and hygiene (rieseh) from october 2021. lingo et al. (2011) define collaboration as an ongoing process where teachers become involved in various educational phases that together facilitate the progress of learners with special educational needs (sen). studies by christenson & sheridan (2001) and henderson & mapp (2002) in other countries suggest that teacher-parent collaboration is essential for teachers and parents to consult, undertake joint efforts and share information in providing efficient and meaningful education for students with sen. generally speaking, collaboration is necessary specifically if certain objectives are to be achieved. this is essentially the case in as far as ie is concerned. with that said, it is worth mentioning that in most parts of the world including malawi, inclusive education is a relatively new concept (national strategy on inclusive education 2017 – 2021, 2021). when speaking of the malawian context, it is worth mentioning that when it comes to the understanding of ie, it is often in terms of learners associated with special educational needs and those with disabilities. this has to be attributed to the handicapped persons act (1971) which had tended to place specific emphasis on such groups. it was not until 2012 that the disability act was enacted that it eventually replaced the longstanding handicapped persons act (1971). the act incorporated the many principles and obligations found in the united nations convention on the rights of persons with disabilities (uncrpd) (werning et al., 2016). in the current situation, the term “inclusive education” has come to take a broad approach in which it has come to be defined ‘as a process of reforming the education system, cultures, policies and practices to address and respond to diverse needs to all learners’ (national strategy on inclusive education 2017 – 2021, 2021). from this broad definition, it can be said that ie does not solely focus on learners with special educational needs and disabilities but also coming from marginalized backgrounds. the rationale of the study as was stated in the previous section, inclusive education is relatively new in the malawian context. therefore, it pa ge 10 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 9-16, 2024 was imperative to investigate whether efforts have been made on the part of relevant stakeholders to ensure that there is collaboration in promoting inclusive education in schools. in addition, the study was set to investigate if dishe and rieseh projects implemented by emuni, had an impact in promoting inclusive education through collaboration in the targeted schools. when speaking of the relevant stakeholders concerned, they would include teachers, head teachers, special needs education teachers, primary education advisors (peas), director of education youth and sports (deys), parents teachers association (pta), school management committees (smcs) and mother groups (mg). by obtaining information from these stakeholders, it is intended that this will provide a picture on the state of collaboration among stakeholders in promoting ie in malawi including possible interventions. literature review world view on collaboration in promoting inclusive education among stakeholders in schools a study conducted by paju et al. (2021) in finland indicates that collaboration between educators is considered to be the key issue when implementing inclusive practices within schools. the study was administered to classroom teachers, subject teachers, special education teachers and teaching assistant in primary, secondary and special education public schools in order to understand collaboration between teaching staff in finland. the results indicate coordination, cooperation and reflective communication as modes of collaborative action in the participants’ teaching. by combining the perspectives of the activity theory framework and modes of collaboration, the results illuminate how educators wished to have collaboration but usually played their traditional positions in the multilayered teaching activity. in addition, washington (2022) in the dissertation report noted that general education and special education teachers are expected to work together. florian (2017) also said that collaboration is critical to co-teaching and it is the heart of inclusion. collaboration at a school is when teachers of a learning community work together to increase learners’ achievements and learning such as writing lesson plans together, writing schemes of work as well as team teaching. according to unesco (2009), collaboration means purposefully building interpersonal relationships and working towards healthy interdependence which occurs when teachers are comfortably giving and receiving help without losing responsibility. friend and cook (2007) identified several key concepts that determine the success of teacher-parent collaboration. these concepts include realizing that collaboration should be voluntary, the need to share resources, being responsible in decision-making towards a common goal, acknowledging including aiming towards a common goal, acknowledging each other’s roles, the ability to work together intuitively to plan a formal program process, and finally, trust and respect for each other. in addition, teachers who are collaborative at school promote cooperative relationships not only within the school but also between schools, among teachers and the whole community. hernandez (2013) added that collaboration in education is seen as a legal mandate, best practice in teachers’ mode of operation and necessary for inclusion of children with special educational needs. hernandez further states that at the heart of inclusive education, practice is a joint idea aimed at producing the necessary changes, transformations, improvements and new directions, including the outcomes representing the benefit for all learners involved in the education system through collaboration. however, barley (2009) noted that teacher-parent collaboration is more difficult to promote and maintain if teachers and parents work as separate units. studies by fluijt et al. (2016), pratt and. pratt (2014), and strogilos (2016) revealed that the problem is that general education and special education teachers show a lack of symbiotic relationships in inclusion classrooms because of a lack of adequate planning time, lack of parity, and interpersonal differences. carlisle et al (2005) and epstein (2001) support the notion that teachers and parents need to collaborate so as to identify what areas of students’ development requires attention and determine together appropriate goals and objectives to be achieved. the study carried out by dettmer, dyck, and thurston (1999) further supports the idea for a collaborative working team, stating its importance in accomplishing the goals of inclusion. according to christenson (1995), sound educational outcome in teacher-parent collaboration relies on shared responsibilities. while cramer (2006) says that teachers play a vital role by providing support to parents with the resources available inside and outside the classrooms and as executors of the educational plans while parents need encouragement to carry out their roles effectively in their child’s development and academic performance. this means that successful student outcomes can be more easily achieved if both teachers and parents know each other’s roles in the collaboration process. african view on collaboration in promoting inclusive education among stakeholders in schools the study by ceralli (2021) looked at the collaborative approach as key to promoting inclusive education in west african region. this inclusive education in the sahel project 2017-2021 which was implemented by handicap international and co-financed by norad and afd (burkina faso) created a “collaborative dynamic for organizations of persons with disabilities (opds) and civil society movements working in education at the regional level (west africa) and national level (burkina faso, mali, niger) for the promotion of inclusive education.” the advocacy actions were implemented using an alliance strategy that focused on bringing actors (rights holders (children with disabilities, including girls and pa ge 11 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 9-16, 2024 their families), duty bearers (governments and relevant ministries, especially the ministry of education and its decentralized departments, as well as local authorities), and champions (civil society organizations: ngos, opds, efa-cso coalitions, ptas, mtas) together, strengthening their skills and creating synergy of action. this strategy echoes the incheon declaration which states that “civil society organizations (csos), including representative, broadbased coalitions and networks, play essential roles. they need to be engaged and involved at all stages, from planning through to monitoring and evaluation, with their participation institutionalized and guaranteed”. they can “promote social mobilization and raise public awareness, enabling the voices of citizens (particularly those who face discrimination) to be heard in policy development”. the action encouraged the strengthening of the links between disabled people’s organizations and other civil society movements working in the field of education to enable them to implement coordinated actions, promote civil society dialogue and undertake more advocacy actions. these actors used to work separately, without consultation, synergy or a common vision of the problems and challenges of the inclusive approach. malawian view on collaboration in promoting inclusive education among stakeholders in schools in her study on the collaboration between specialist and mainstream teachers in enhancing inclusive education, muleme (2020) revealed that the community of practice theory posits that collaboration does not take place incidentally but requires careful and constant planning, interaction, positive attitudes and commitment between two sets of professionals having different knowledge and skill bases. it emphasises that there must be continuous interaction and sharing of knowledge and skills between the two sides, in this case between two sets of teachers. the study noted that it is important for both sets of teachers to develop a good working relationship. the theory that was used stipulates the call for collaboration between partners who have different expertise to merge their knowledge and skills in order to support inclusive education. it also calls for collaboration and support among different players in the education sector such as teachers, administrators, moest and ngos as well as the community at large to take an active role to support the collaboration of specialist and mainstream teachers and make inclusive education in primary schools a success. the malawian government ratified the un convention on the rights of persons with disabilities (uncrpd), and developed several laws and policies to promote, fulfill and protect the rights of persons with disabilities. despite these commitments, children with disabilities remain largely excluded. the 2018/19 education sector performance report indicates that children with special educational needs represent a 3.3% of total enrolments at primary school and 2.4% of total enrolments at secondary level. up to now, there has been paucity on published figures or estimates on children with disabilities further making it difficult to estimate real needs for policy and planning. one of the biggest barriers to inclusive education in malawi is the lack of teachers trained in inclusive or special needs education. this is compounded by a severe and persistent shortage of qualified teachers. to date, there has not been a comprehensive approach with regard to the training of teachers to practice inclusion. this has been attributed to the fact that it has normally been delivered as a patchwork of small trainings that are largely funded by donors. being said, the new nesip (2020-2030) considers inclusion as a cross-cutting element of the overall education plan. it also includes a relatively detailed breakdown of specific line items aimed at promoting ie, and disability-inclusion in particular. in order to develop inclusive schools, there is a need for several different specialist approaches, forms of knowledge, skills and competence, which is more than qualified teachers are generally able to provide. therefore, cross-professional collaboration is in general the main strategy required to develop inclusive schools. emmanuel university (emuni) has a strategic plan which has been drawn from national and international policies, legislations, declarations and conventions on education and in support of inclusive education. the availability of the strategic plan outlines the implementation of the activities. among others the activities are targeting the promotion of inclusive education practices. therefore the aim of this study was to investigate the level of collaboration among stakeholders in promoting inclusive education in schools. success for inclusive education in the future is not simply a matter of sending students with special educational needs to regular classrooms and waiting for miracles to happen; it depends largely on collaboration among stakeholders who are both responsible for the quality and access to meet the needs of these students. methodology study design the study employed a qualitative approach. a qualitative approach was selected based on the subject and environment of the study. the qualitative methodology was preferred as it is an approach that allows for the exploration of the meanings given to a problem by an individual or a group such as a collaborative group or its participants (creswell, 2009). the study used the qualitative approach since it collected views, attitudes and opinions which could not be quantified. according to gay and airasian (2009) and mugenda and mugenda (2003), qualitative research is the collection, analysis and interpretation of comprehensive, narrative and visual data to gain insights into a particular phenomenon more deeply and exhaustively; it is the best approach in dealing with real people in real life situations which enables for the presentation of ideas more clearly than simply abstract theories, statistics and principles. a qualitative approach was used based on an assumption pa ge 12 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 9-16, 2024 that the qualitative outcome of the study will be exploring the collaborative process by the teachers and parents in the schools. in the current study, the data collection process was done concurrently. questionnaires were distributed to teachers while focus group discussions were conducted with pta, smc and mg members at the same time. population and sample the study was conducted in 26 primary and secondary schools in lilongwe rural east and mthandiza zone in dedza district. the study employed purposive sampling based on teaching practice schools for the then emmanuel teacher training college. these schools have undergone capacity building through dishe and rieseh projects that included fostering collaboration efforts between schools and communities. a survey instrument was administered to 156 teachers, 26 head teachers and, and 3 peas, with focus group discussion (fgd) guides administered to 26 school committees’ member’s groups (pta, smc, mg). member–checking was used to determine the accuracy of the findings by selecting 6 teachers, 6 head teachers, 3 peas and 9 school committee members to validate the data for further analysis. data collection and analysis written questionnaires were distributed to 6 (3 males and 3 females) selected teachers per school from the 26 schools, head teachers, peas, special needs education teachers while fgds were conducted with pta, smc and mg members. data was summarized and organized into thematic areas in order to synthesize and interpret easily. specific quotes from the qualitative study were highlighted to reinforce the analyses which are teachers’ and parents’ strongest collaboration thematic areas and which are not. johnson & onwuegbuzie, (2004) agrees that the combination of these types of data provided a complementary and robust basis for analysis required for mixed methods design results and discussion teachers perceptions on level of collaboration the research has revealed that majority of teachers in primary schools have an understanding and knowledge in ie from teacher training colleges. in the initial primary teacher education (ipte) curriculum, there are topics in ie. this was confirmed when 96.2%of teachers responded to the question that they have knowledge in ie. the research further noted that they also got the knowledge from disability inclusiveness, sanitation, hygiene, environmental protection (dishe) project by emuni and cpds workshops. others indicated that they had acquired knowledge from mzuzu university and catholic university of malawi during their training as secondary schools teachers. when teachers were asked to account for the support they get from different stakeholders, 86% of the teachers responded that they received little or no support get from stakeholders. they further indicated that teachers show lack of symbiotic relationships in inclusion classrooms due to a lack of adequate time, parity and interpersonal differences. this is further demonstrated by some of the statements provided here: “…. i have never seen any stakeholder coming to our school to offer support basing on inclusive education”. (comment from a teacher) “….little because other learners with special educational needs lack basic or school needs; like those with visual impairment are not given the braille machine to help them in their studies (teacher) on this, teachers attributed to a number of reasons such as: “…..poor relationship among stakeholders (i.e. between school and parents); financial challenges stakeholders face; lack of knowledge by stakeholders to manage issues of ie; lack of appropriate resources to cater or support learners with special educational needs (sen) e.g. braille books, resource room, wheel chairs; parents do not attend pta meetings; inadequate resource centers; unfavorable environment for learners with sen and lack of qualified specialist teachers. other reasons are that committees change while teachers get posted away leaving some new members requiring cpd” the study also noted that despite teachers having knowledge in ie, they are unaware of the way these leaners can best acquire their education. despite this, they were able to provide ways that can help to improve lack of knowledge in the education of these children. most of the teachers suggested the following: “……conducting refresher courses and continuing professional development workshops (cpds) regularly; training teachers in inclusive education; sensitizing parents on inclusive education; providing appropriate resources for learners with sens; identify scholarships to train teachers in inclusive education and consider students with sens when selecting them to secondary schools.” very few teachers in the study were able to give clear areas of collaboration with other stakeholders to promote ie such as: “…cpds of both teachers and parents.”. (one of the teachers). another teacher said; “…holding a pta meeting with parents where the parents should be encouraged on the need of sending children to school including those with special educational needs.” “…stakeholders should pay a visit to parents whom they know that are keeping children with special educational needs and discuss with them.” but during validation meeting, areas of collaboration came out very clear from the teachers such as: “……during meetings like staff meetings, zonal meetings, committee meetings e.g. pta, smc, mg; when conducting workshops for example cpds; during planning sessions such as scheming, lesson planning & developing resources; when conducting sensitization meetings with pa ge 13 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 9-16, 2024 parents/ stakeholders; during identification/assessment of learners with sen by specialist teachers; when conducting team teaching; during school and project supervisions; when procuring resources for sne; during sporting activities like special olympics; during open days especially when closing schools where parents are invited to attend and make speeches and during exchange visits to learn from each other..” based on the responses provided here, it can be said that the teachers involved believed that equipping themselves with skills and knowledge is necessary in carrying out inclusive education practices. this also came out very clear from special needs education teachers on the need to collaborate in promoting inclusive education in schools. while the deys accepted that teachers do not have adequate support with regards to budgeting for special needs education. still they recommended the need to conduct regular cpds and increase resources in order to promote ie for in-service teachers. parents perceptions roles of parent teachers association based on the perceptions and responses provided by parents, the research has revealed that 83% of ptas are aware of their roles in promoting inclusive education through teacher-parent collaboration. among others, their role as parents has been to encourage, search and advocate parents who have children with sen to send them to school. at the same time, making sure that children with sen are receiving the needed help in order for them to attend school through building proper facilities like ramps, small resource contributions. moreover, making sure that children with sn are not discriminated against and are helped to attend classes, ramps and proper structures are built, parents are encouraged to open up and send their children to school, taking stocks of children; give advice to teachers and learners not to segregate learners with sen; working with sen teachers; promoting sne amongst parents, teachers and other stakeholders. much as ptas are able to know their role, 50% believe that they have done all they could to promote inclusive education, while 50% believe that they have a long way to make it adequate as far as inclusiveness is concerned for the following reasons: because mobility of children with sen is still a problem in terms of wheelchairs; there is less support given to children with sen; need for more resource rooms; sensitizing parents is also needed; some parents are hiding their children, and that they have lost hope in them. ‘‘…some parents lock their children in a house and they go to garden or to the market instead of sending them to school’…. (pta) the findings of this research further revealed that the ptas have got good suggested ways of being actively involved in promoting inclusive education like for example assisting learners with sen in different ways including collaboration and providing learning and teaching resources; orienting smc (through workshops) on how to help sen learners; building ramps; promote cooperation among stakeholders, encouraging parents to bring their children to school; having a work plan; helping further with teachers (smc) on how to help learners without discrimination; providing them with transport like bicycles; building ramps; working together with other stakeholders; more workshops; meet with vh; collaborate with adc. parents’ perceptions roles of school management committee on the other hand, school management committee are the local managers of a particular school. they are one of the important stakeholders in a community as far as running a school is concerned. the smc is an active arm of the school such that 50% of the team interviewed meets twice in a month while 50% meet once in a month. “…..we meet twice in a month, because we believe school issues need more attention on regular basis”…..said a member of smc. when the school management committee meets, they discuss a number of things such as having a proper sitting plan; providing ramps, and encouraging parents and teachers to take care of children with sen. building special toilets for children with sen; ways of teaching learners with sen; why there is absenteeism among children with sen; creating a friendly environment for children with sen; addressing issues of stigma; take stock of children with sen. the role of a school management committee in relation to ie is almost similar with other committees at a school such that they work hand in hand to achieve the intended goal / motto of a school. here are some of the roles they play as a committee which include encouraging parents to send children with sen to school in collaboration with pta, mother groups, chiefs, and teachers. promoting and encouraging inclusiveness, lobbying for more help to children with sen, encouraging teachers to love sn children with sen and children to love school; sourcing learning and teaching materials for children with sen; encouraging learners, teachers and parents to take ie seriously; lobbing for funds and other help for ie; provide learning and writing materials, uniforms, and groceries; scouting for children with sen; meeting with village heads. this school management committee works hand in hand with other committees through meetings with other stakeholders which includes parents at school in order to assist well children with sen. ‘…we always call for a meeting of all parents, chiefs, mother groups to look into how we can best assist learners with special needs’ ……says one of the school committee members…’ parents’ perceptions roles of mother groups the malawi government introduced mother groups committees in schools so that issues of girls are well pa ge 14 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 9-16, 2024 addressed. this group comprises of women only. while pta and smc, are groups with mixed gender. the research has unearthed some of their roles at school which is beyond only girls. these include encouraging parents to send their children to school; to source resources and encourage girls to attend school at all times; prepare girls on how to avoid risking their lives and how to take care of themselves during monthly period; providing sanitary pads; discourage discrimination; encouraging female teachers to be helping girls. meeting and visiting girls; identifying needy students; encouraging young mothers to go back to school; discourage issues of early marriages; encouraging girls not to look down upon themselves. however 50% of the mother groups lamented thay are new in the system and needs training for making pads. ‘….here at school we have what we call chitenje (1.5 meter cloth). this helps girls to wrap up their waste if they are not ready to receive the visitors….’. what this means is that when a girl is not ready with her sanitary pad and begins to menstruate, then this piece of cloth can help to cover up her dress/skirt, so that she gets home safely without any embarrassment….. said a member of smc. about 70% of the women interviewed do not provide sanitary pads to girls. girls are encouraged to use traditional ways (using old clothes – zitenje). while 30% of the women we met said that there has been an attempt to provide sanitary pads, but that did not last long. the reason why there has been little attempt to provide sanitary pads is because of poverty – lack of materials. there is also a need to train mother groups on how to saw / make sanitary pads. furthermore about 70% of the mgs have not done much to provide enough awareness for girls from ultra-poor backgrounds about usefulness of sanitary pads because of poverty, ….’in this village, where can we get money to buy pads on monthly bases. we use our traditional way.’ …one mother lamented! some of the reasons are: “lack of orientation from stakeholders, some girls are childish; some and need encouragement; some parents push their responsibility of pads to mother groups; some girls’ do not listening to the advice given. ……’atsikana a lero samva (today’s girls don’t listen to advice)…’ a concern of one of the mothers. perceptions between ministry and community the director of education youth and sports accepted that teachers do not have adequate support with regards to budgeting for special needs education. recommended the need to: …….conduct regular cpds ……..increase resources in order to promote ie for inservice teachers. parents in the study also acknowledged teachers’ effort in guiding and educating their children by their confidence in allowing teachers to use best practices learnt from others through collaboration. guerrero et al 2003 agreed that collaboration has proven to be the main contemporary strategy to feed innovation and creativity for effective educational programs conclusion the underlying assumption of collaboration among stakeholders in special educational practices is that everyone who has an involvement in a child’s life, including the parents and teachers should work together to give that child the best education possible. in reality, however, key stakeholders in a child’s life may have many different ideas and beliefs, and, as a result, disconnection in communication and relationships among them can arise. in such situations, fluid partnerships between these stakeholders can be challenging, and tensions can emerge, further affecting a child’s educational experience. while the sample in this study is clearly not representative nationally, the evidence it provides is indicative and serves as a point of reference for education professionals including teachers and policy-makers such as dems/deys interested in enhancing inclusive education. this study on the level of collaboration among stakeholders attempts to fill a gap in the literature, regarding stakeholders’ collaboration in inclusive education in malawi. the successful inclusive classroom requires collaborative interaction between teachers and parents (school committees). perhaps, the process of collaboration itself reflects what inclusion is all about. differences can serve as strength in the creative process when they are collectively focused to accomplish a singular mission or goal. the diversity and difference of each individual in a collaborative team result in a creative synergy that could not be achieved by members individually. collaboration among stakeholders provides the pathway to successful achievement of inclusive education. however, an education system consisting of inclusive classrooms remains the final step in an educational journey. recommendations despite emuni implementing dishe and rieseh projects in the same area, there has been no significant impact on promoting inclusive education as revealed by the study. apart from that, there were some limitations which have affected the report. lack of knowledge on the computer software packages affected the development of appropriate tools for easy analysis. additionally, coordination and clear outline of activities with proper time frame was another limitation. therefore, these recommendations are offered based on the work accomplished during this project and on the conclusions given above. it is imperative that emuni should do the following: collaborate with other universities in fostering quality in promoting ie, conduct other projects to support and sustain ie, train teachers on how to conduct school based cpds, conduct cpds for in-service-teachers in promoting collaboration with other stakeholders and conduct further research studies on ie. pa ge 15 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 9-16, 2024 ministry of education (government) can do the following: collaborate with public and private universities in training teachers on ie, create a more robust monitoring mechanism for supporting collaboration on ie, ensure that buildings and sanitary facilities in schools are disability friendly with monitoring mechanism in place, open more resource centers in schools, post more sne teachers in zones/schools, conduct frequent cpds in schools for teachers and parents on collaboration on ie and increase budget allocation in the school improvement grant (sig) to support sne activities at district level. as for well-wishers, donors, ngos and proprietors, they can do the following: to improve collaboration with schools to procure assistive devices and specialized resources as well as ensuring that buildings and sanitary facilities in schools are disability friendly. references barley, z. a. 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(2016). keeping the promise? contextualizing inclusive education in developing countries. verlagulius klinkhardt. pa ge 1 pa ge 1 american journal of education and technologies (ajet) tiktok consumption and level of class engagement of performing arts students in the new normal: destructive or beneficial? joseph lobo1*, genesis dimalanta2, clarenz bautista3, edison buan1, don al de dios3 volume 1 issue 1, year 2022 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i1.305 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: june 03, 2022 accepted: june 09, 2022 published: june 12, 2022 tiktok has been widely used by filipino youths, most especially students, for entertainment purposes in between or after class as pass time activity. previous studies were already conducted in regards to the positive and negative effect of using tiktok to students’ academic performance. this present study aims to determine if tiktok can predict the level of engagement of students. 103 college students currently enrolled under the bachelor of performing arts at city college of angeles participated in this study. independent t-test analysis was performed to examine the difference between gender in terms of tiktok consumption and level of engagement; pearson correlation coefficient analysis was also used to determine the relationship between tiktok consumption and level of engagement; lastly, linear regression was utilized to predict the relationship of tiktok consumption to the level of engagement of students. the findings revealed that there is no significant difference between tiktok consumption and level of engagement in terms of gender. moreover, a significant relationship was observed between tiktok consumption and level of engagement. finally, tiktok consumption positively predicts the level of engagement of students. in line with this, recommendations were proposed based on the results of this study. this present study offers new standpoint in the smart and responsible use of tiktok application and how it can positively affect the level of engagement of students in a local college setting. keywords engagement, local college, performing arts students, tiktok 1 institute of education, arts and sciences, city college of angeles, phillippines 2 institute of arts, sciences and teacher education, mabalacat city college, philippines. 3 physical education, recreation and sports department, pampanga state agricultural university, philippines. * corresponding author’s e-mail: jtoledolobo@gmail.com introduction in this post-pandemic time, most of the educational institutions in the philippines have started implementing a limited face-to-face class from the basic education to the tertiary level. however, in the current situation of city college of angeles, students are still in the online class setting due to college’s infrastructure development and it is being used by the local government unit (lgu) of angeles as vaccination center. most of the students are staying home and still enters their respective classes through online educational platforms. due to loads of coursework that they need to fulfill, students mostly rely on tiktok as one of their pass time activities, aside from other social networking applications. in this present study, this aims to understand the relationship between the use of tiktok to the level of engagement of the students. due to rampant consumption of students on the said application, this present study would also like to further determine if the use of the said application may positively or negatively affect the engagement of the students on their online class. in order to examine the effect of the said application to students’ engagement, further investigation should be performed. this present study will provide insights that will help both professors and students on how tiktok may affect engagement of students and how it should be addressed based on the findings that this present study will obtain. literature review the tiktok application and class engagement tiktok (formerly known as music.ly) was founded by zhang yiming in september 2016 (montag et al., 2021a). in a just short span of time, this application has been one of the successful apps from chinese origin in terms of global distribution. most especially in angeles city, philippines, this application has been widely used by various generation. it has become an increasingly popular app for people of many different ages to use (mekler, 2021b). added by mekler, this application allow users can create their own videos they want on this application and post it for anyone to see as well as for entertainment purposes. in this, the said application has attracted a lot of people most especially college students. this application has been considered as the holy grail of students – aside from other social media applications – most students use this application as their recreational activity after their online class and finishing tons of course work. the involvement of students is one of the determinants of academic success (chiu, 2022; sneck et al., 2022). student engagement, in general, refers to the active participation in a variety of academic and co-curricular, as well as commitment to achieving learning objectives (ginting, 2021). students who are highly engaged academically are more likely to devote their time and effort to achieve their goals. this also refers to the effort of the learner to promote his or her psychological commitment, or invest (mckee & ntokos, 2022), to stay engaged in the learning process to acquire knowledge and build critical thinking (rajabalee et al., 2020; reinke, 2019). added by rajabalee et. al., this is also associated with the learner’s feeling of personal motivation in the subject or course, which keeps the learner active in order to interact with the course contents, professors and classmates respectively. relationship between tiktok consumption and https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i1.305 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= pa ge 2 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(1) 1-9, 2022 level of class engagement there are already previous studies that were conducted regarding the positive and negative impact of the use of tiktok application to the academic performance of students since the start of the pandemic (de guzman jr., n.d.; hayes et al., 2020; kaur, 2020; mekler, 2021a; montag et al., 2021; putu et al., 2022; vhatkar, a., & mali, 2021) which are highly supported with strong theoretical and conceptual underpinnings and robust findings. previous studies have also shown the possible application and implementation of tiktok as an education tool which may lead to academic success of students (ismail et al., 2021; putri, 2021; sajonia, 2022). however, there are only few previously conducted studies which focuses on the relationship of tiktok – its positive and negative effect – to one of the determinants of academic success which is the engagement of students, most especially in a local setting, meaning further investigation should be performed. in this, this current study aims to determine tiktok application’s effect to the class engagement of students. methods design this study is a quantitative in design which aims to describe the level of tiktok consumption and class engagement of students. it also aims to determine if there is a significant difference in the application consumption and class engagement of students based on gender. additionally, it also seeks if both tiktok consumption and class engagement are correlated to each other. lastly, this study would also like to further determine if tiktok can predict the class engagement of the students. population and sampling the target respondents of the study are students who are currently enrolled in bachelor of performing arts (bpea) program this academic year 2021-2022 under the institute of education, arts and sciences at city college of angeles, pampanga, philippines. this study has utilized judgment sampling to gather participants for the study. also called as purposive sampling, a sampling technique where the researcher deliberately chooses participants for the study due to the qualities the participants possess (etikan, 2016). instrumentation there are two instruments that were utilized on this study. the first questionnaire was adapted from de guzman jr. (n.d.). from the original eight scenarios stated in the questionnaire, the researcher has only used one out of the eight scenarios to be fitted for the study. it is a 24item questionnaire which describes the extent of social networking sites (sns) consumption of the students. also, the researcher replaced some words such as “sns” to “tiktok” to tailor fit and align it to the main purpose of the study. the responses of the students will then be recorded on a 4-point likert scale from 1 ‘strongly disagree’ to 4 ‘strongly agree.’ the second questionnaire was adopted from handelsman et al. (2010) which is the student engagement questionnaire (seq). it is a 23-item questionnaire which describes the level of class engagement of students. responses of the students are then recorded on a 4-point likert scale from 1 ‘not at all characteristic of me’ to 4 ‘very characteristic of me.’ data gathering gathering of data was made possible by the approval from the dean of the institute of education, arts and sciences. the questionnaire was floated via online survey through google form. the said online questionnaire can be filled-out by the students within 5-10 minutes. all gathered data from the google form was then be exported into an excel file to be used for data analysis. after the data gathered were used for the analysis, the excel file was encrypted with a password where the researchers has only the personal access to it. data analysis cronbach’s alpha reliability test (α or coefficient alpha) was used to measure the internal consistency of the questionnaires to be used for the study. it is a measure of internal consistency, i.e., how closely related a set of items are as a group (sileyew, 2019). it is considered to be a measure of scale reliability. from the pilot testing that was made to non-bpea students (n=50), table 1 illustrates the reliability test of both sns scale and seq which resulted to a cronbach’s alpha value of .897 and .947 which are both very reliable. in this, both of the questionnaires can be used for the conduct of the study. grounded on sigmund freud psychoanalysis theory of development focusing more on the development of the ego, the part of the personality which is partly conscious and partly unconscious which carried our identity and the sense of self which says who we are (widick et al.,1978). table 1: cronbach’s alpha reliability test for social network sites (sns) utilization scale and student engagement questionnaire (seq) questionnaire cronbach’s alpha n of items level of reliability social network sites utilizations (sns) scale .897 24 very reliable student engagement questionnaire (seq) .941 23 very reliable in order to recognize the appropriate statistical test to be used in the research study, normality test was conducted. table 2 revealed that results of kolmogorov-smirnov and shapiro-wilk. it was shown that the p-value of tiktok consumption and level of engagement for both male and female are higher than .05 (>.05); as a result, the data are considered normally distributed. in this, a parametric test is appropriate for this study. frequency (f) and percentage (%) were used to describe the number of students who have answered the survey based on gender. mean (m) and standard deviation (sd) were also utilized to describe the level of tiktok https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 3 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(1) 1-9, 2022 table 2: kolmogorov-smirnov and shapiro-wilk test of normality gender df kolmogorov-smirnov shapiro-wilk statistics p-value statistics p-value tiktok consumption male 41 .101 .200* .949 .064 female 62 .090 .200* .945 .008 level of engagement male 41 .124 .114 .948 .057 female 62 .104 .096 .962 .055 *. this is a lower bound of the true significance. consumption and level of class engagement of students. in order to interpret the results on the level of application consumption and engagement of students, the researcher have employed a point-scale interpretation based on the average weighted mean of each statement which is shown in table 3. independent samples t-test was also applied to determine the significant difference between tiktok consumption and engagement by gender. a parametric test which tells whether there is a statistically significant difference in the mean scores for the two groups or not (gerald, 2018). pearson correlation coefficient was also used to determine the relationship between tiktok consumption and level of engagement of students. this is a measure of an association between variables (schober & schwarte, 2018). lastly, linear regression was operated to predict the relationship of tiktok consumption to the level of engagement of students. a modeling technique where a dependent variable is predicted based on one independent variable (kraemer & blasey, 2016). in this regard, the following are the formulated hypotheses that were tested on this study according to statistical analysis used for each data shown in table 4: table 3: descriptive interpretation on the level of tiktok consumption and level of engagement range of weighted mean interpretation 3.26 – 4.00 very high 2.51 – 3.25 high 1.76 – 2.50 low 1.00 – 1.75 very low table 4.1: hypotheses of the study hypotheses variables statistical analysis h1 there is no significant difference between gender and tiktok consumption gender and tc independent samples t-test h2 there is no significant difference between gender and level of class engagement. gender and ce independent samples t-test h3 there is no significant relationship between tiktok consumption and level of class engagement. tc and ce pearson correlation coefficient h4 tiktok consumption does not predict the level of class engagement of bpea students. tc and ce linear regression *tc-tiktok consumption; ce-class engagement results ibm spss 26 was used to run all the data gathered and to employ the statistical treatment to be used. the adapted questionnaires which were utilized for the study have been answered by 103 students currently enrolled in the bachelor of performing arts (bpea) program under the institute of education, arts and sciences at city college of angeles, angeles city, philippines table 4 illustrates the respondents’ demographic profile based on gender. the results yielded that most of the respondents are female (n=62), which is 60.2% from the total sample size, while male (n=41) is 39.8%. table 5 illustrates the level of tiktok consumption of bpea students. the highlighted statements (corresponds to ‘very high’) which all garnered the highest mean among the respondents are: my academics are my main focus (m= 3.39, sd = .660); i only use sns/tiktok when i table 4.2: demographic profile of students by gender gender f % male 41 39.8 female 62 60.2 total n and % 103 100 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 4 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(1) 1-9, 2022 table 5: level of tiktok consumption of students statement mean sd interpretation i use my sns/tiktok account for school work. 2.46 .861 l i use my sns/tiktok account to communicate with my classmates. 2.28 .772 l i use my sns/tiktok to communicate for group projects. 2.29 .775 l i use my sns/tiktok as a break while studying. 2.95 .856 h i use my sns/tiktok as a free time activity. 3.27 .795 vh i use my sns/tiktok to procrastinate when i should be studying. 2.25 .750 l i use my sns/tiktok to procrastinate if i am struggling. 2.57 .881 h sns/tiktok is time consuming. 2.85 .821 h sns/tiktok is an academic distraction. 2.40 .856 l sns/tiktok decrease my academic performance. 2.28 .845 l sns/tiktok take time away from studying. 2.39 .807 l sns/tiktok distract me from studying. 2.23 .807 l i multitask with my sns/tiktok while studying. 2.50 .839 l i am a responsible person about school work. 3.25 .682 h i am good at multitasking with sns/tiktok. 2.70 .850 h no one on my sns/tiktok is worth me getting failing grades. 2.77 .807 h i do not spend excessive amount of time on my sns/tiktok. 3.04 .740 h i do not go on sns/tiktok during class. 3.02 .792 h i check my sns/tiktok during class. 2.26 .766 l i do not have sns/tiktok up while doing homework. 2.83 .793 h i don’t allow sns/tiktok to impact my academics. 3.09 .806 h my academics are my main focus. 3.39 .660 vh when i am doing my work for school; i do not check my sns/tiktok 3.03 .785 h i only use sns/tiktok when i have the time for it. 3.33 .772 vh overall mean 2.72 .421 h *vl-low; l-low; h-high; vh-very high have the time for it (m = 3.33, sd = .772); and, i use my sns/tiktok as a break while studying (m = 3.27, sd = .795). overall, the level of tiktok consumption of bpea students was found out to be high (m = 2.72, sd = .421). table 6 illustrates the level of class engagement of students. the results revealed that most of the statements that were asked to students garnered an interpretation of ‘very high’ and ‘high’ respectively. the highest notable statements (corresponds to ‘very high’) which all garnered the highest mean among the statements from the respondents are coming to online class everyday (m = 3.51, sd = .558); putting fourth effort (m = 3.45. sd = .573); and, listening carefully to class (m = 3.45, sd = .555). in summary, the level of engagement of bpea students was found out be very high (m = 3.29, sd = .430). table 6. level of class engagement of students statement mean sd interpretation raising my hand in class 3.07 .820 h participating actively in small group discussions 3.34 .667 vh asking questions when i don’t understand the instructor 3.14 .805 h doing all the homework problems 3.43 .587 vh coming to online class everyday 3.51 .558 vh going to the professor’s office hours to review assignments or tests, or to ask questions 2.89 .839 h thinking about the course between class meetings 3.07 .690 h finding ways to make the course interesting to me 3.27 .662 vh taking good notes in class 3.18 .681 h https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 5 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(1) 1-9, 2022 looking over class notes between classes to make sure i understand the material 3.19 .728 h really desiring to learn the material 3.36 .559 vh being confident that i can learn and do well in the class 3.31 .627 vh putting forth effort 3.45 .573 vh being organized 3.43 .605 vh getting a good grade 3.40 .567 vh doing well on the tests 3.33 .584 vh staying up on the readings 3.18 .669 h having fun in class 3.37 .560 vh helping fellow students 3.37 .560 vh making sure to study on a regular basis 3.31 .578 vh finding ways to make the course material relevant to my life 3.43 .622 vh applying course material to my life 3.36 .624 vh listening carefully in class 3.45 .555 vh overall mean 3.29 .430 vh *vl-low; l-low; h-high; vh-very high table 7 illustrates the result from the independent t-test analysis used between the level of tiktok consumption of the students being independent of gender of bpea students. according to the levene’s test for equality of variances, the sig. value is .012 which is lower than α = .05. this means, that the assumption of equal variance has not been violated, therefore interpreting the t-value provided in the equal variances assumed line. it was found out that there is no statistically significant difference between gender t(60.2) = .410, p = .683, even male (m = 2.75, sd = .534) has a higher tiktok consumption than female (m = 2.71, sd = .330). table 8 illustrates the result from the independent t-test analysis used between the level of engagement of the students being independent of gender of bpea students. according to the levene’s test for equality of variances, the sig. value is .884 which is higher than α = .05. this means, that the assumption of equal variance has been violated, therefore interpreting the t-test value provided in the equal variances not assumed line. the results found out that there is no statistically significant difference between gender, t(101) = 1.090, p = 2.77, even female (m =3.35, sd = .425) has a higher level of engagement than male (m= 3.25, sd = .432). table 9 illustrates the table 7: independent t-test analysis on the level of tiktok consumption being independent of gender of bpea students gender n mean sd df t-test sig decision male 41 2.75 .534 60.2 .410 .683 not significant female 62 2.71 .330 table 8: independent t-test analysis on the level of engagement being independent of gender of bpea students gender n mean sd df t-test sig decision male 41 3.35 .425 101 1.090 .277 not significant female 62 3.25 .432 table 9: relationship between tiktok consumption to class engagement correlations engagement r p tiktok consumption .367 <.001 n 103 **. correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). relationship between tiktok consumption and class engagement of bpea students by utilizing pearson correlation coefficient. the results found out that tiktok consumption has a positive significant relationship to class engagement (r = .367, p <.001). the analysis revealed that tiktok consumption has a significant positive relationship with engagement (β = .374, p <.001). tiktok consumption accounts for 13.4% for the variance in the level of engagement of the students f(1, 102) = 15.691, p <.001. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 6 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(1) 1-9, 2022 table 10: linear regression analysis between tiktok consumption and engagement of bpea students model analysis change statistics model r r square adjusted r square std. error of the estimate r square change f change df1 df2 sig. f change 1 .367a .134 .126 .40211 .134 15.691 1 101 .000 a. predictors: (constant), tiktok consumption b. dependent variable: engagement anova model sum of squares df mean square f sig. regression 2.537 1 2.537 15.691 .000b residual 16.331 101 .162 total 18.868 102 a. dependent variable: engagement b. predictors: (constant), tiktok consumption coefficients model unstandardized coefficients standardized coefficients mean square t sig. b std. error beta (constant) 2.277 .261 8.734 .000 tiktok .374 .094 .367 3.961 .000 a. dependent variable: engagement discussion level of tiktok consumption and class engagement of students in the analysis on the response of students regarding their consumption of tiktok, most of the statements that were interpreted as very high and high are those which particularly highlights their responsible and smart use of the said social networking application. based on the analysis, it can be construed that students uses tiktok as a form of entertainment during their break or as a free time activity, and most of the respondents answered that tiktok should not be a hindrance on their academic performance. from the findings of vhatkar & mali (2021a), it was revealed that most of the students use tiktok is only used as pass time activity and for relaxation (jayarathne, n.d.); and should not be a hindrance in their academic engagement and performance. during this pandemic, students cannot carry out activities in school outside their homes that is why tiktok is one of the entertainment chosen to everyday life (putu et al., 2022) by the students. based on the analysis on the response of students regarding their level of engagement during online class, the results yielded that most of the bpea students are participative, attentive, and highly engaged during their classes. this result is highly significant because even we are still in the midst of post-pandemic, students are still highly engaged on their studies even in an online class setting. meaning, the more they are highly participative and engaged in the teaching and learning process, it can result to exceedingly performing students. difference in tiktok consumption and level of engagement according to gender from the independent t-test that was utilized, the result found out that there is no statistically significant difference found between tiktok consumption and gender of students. on the other hand, from the comparison of means, it was found out that male has a higher consumption compare to female students. opposite from the study findings of (montag et al., 2021b), it was seen that female uses the platform more than males. however, the scope of montag et. al. study is more focused on a global scale rather than a specific set of population. result of this finding may be extended to other set of population to confirm if there is a difference in the consumption of the application between gender. ergo, in this study, it can be construed that regardless of gender, both are equal in terms of consumption of the application. it was also found out that there is no statistically significant difference between level of engagement and gender of students. study of nugroho et al. (2021) supported the finding of this study, wherein it was found out that there is no significant difference in the level of student engagement in terms of gender during covid-19 pandemic. findings of baloran et al. (2021) also revealed that there is no statistically significant difference in student engagement in terms of gender in online learning. based https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 7 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(1) 1-9, 2022 on the comparison of means, it was found out that males are highly engaged than female students. contrary to the result of korlat et al. (2021), where females are more highly engaged than male students on their online class during this pandemic. hartono et al. (2019) also found out that the score of female engagement is higher than male students on their history subject. overall, based on the t-test analysis, it can be stated that regardless of gender, all bpea students are highly engaged to their online classes. relationship between tiktok consumption and its effect to the level of engagement of students the relationship between tiktok consumption and level of engagement of students was found out to be significantly related based on the pearson correlation coefficient analysis. the findings of this study can be supported by salasac & lobo (2022) that confirms the relationship between the two variables. in the linear regression analysis utilized to determine the effect of tiktok consumption to students’ engagement, the results yielded that tiktok consumption has a significant positive relationship with engagement. it can be construed that tiktok consumption has a positive effect to students’ engagement. supported by the study findings of nepali (2021) revealed that 90% of the respondents have positively retorted that social media (e.g., tiktok) helped them on their academic performance; a result from highly engaged students. the claim of this study can also be supported by the study of hayes et al. (2020), where the findings revealed that tiktok can be used to enhance undergraduate engagement. on contrary, based on the findings of mekler (2021c), it was found out that the more college students spent on tiktok each day, the more they become distracted when they are trying to pay attention in class and complete course works. in this, tiktok can impact college students’ abilities to be able to pay attention in class and get their schoolwork done or may have the possibility of doing worse in class if they have and use the app tiktok, added by mekler. the same result was discovered by vhatkar & mali (2021b), that the said application has a negative impact to management students due to 1-2 hours of daily use for entertainment purposes. it was also found out that students who are obsessed to tiktok, aside from facing less concentration on studies, are more prone to issues such as mental instability and depression (kaur, 2020) conclusions, limitations and future research directions based on the result from the independent t-test analysis, it was found out that there is no statistically significant difference between gender and tiktok consumption. also, there was no significant difference observed between gender and level of engagement. these rejects the hypotheses tested for this study. based on the results, it can be concluded that regardless of gender, both groups are equal in using the application and highly engaged in their online classes. also, from the pearson correlation coefficient analysis performed, the findings revealed that there is a significant relationship found between tiktok consumption and level of class engagement of bpea students. thus, rejecting the hypothesis tested for this study. since most of the responses from the students focuses more on the smart use of the application, it can be concluded that the higher the level of tiktok consumption of students in a smart way, the level of engagement is also increasing. lastly, after the linear regression analysis, the result yielded that there is a positive significant relationship between tiktok consumption and level of engagement of bpea students. in this regard, it can be concluded that tiktok has a positive effect to the level of class engagement of students. the present study on the effect of tiktok consumption to students’ class engagement establishes that the smart consumption of tiktok application may positively increase the level of engagement of students towards their online classes. there are several limitations that this study has. first, this study only focuses on bachelor of performing arts students and does not generalize the entire population of students at city college of angeles. it is highly recommended to include other programs from the institute of education, arts and sciences including from the institute of business and management, and institute of computing studies and library information science to further determine if the results will able to support the findings of this study or not. second, the result of this study may not be applicable in another higher education institution. hence, future researchers may find interest to conduct in-depth studies by comparing the results among different higher education institutions. also, this study may be expanded to primary and secondary educational institutions since tiktok has been widely used by various ages. future researchers table 11: hypothesis testing results hypotheses result interpretation h1 there is no significant difference between gender and tiktok consumption not significant supported h2 there is no significant difference between gender and level of class engagement. not significant supported h3 there is no significant relationship between tiktok consumption and level of class engagement. significant rejected h4 tiktok consumption does not predict the level of class engagement of bpea students. significant rejected *tc-tiktok consumption; ce-class engagement https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 8 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(1) 1-9, 2022 may also be curious in adding moderating or mediating variables on the relationship of tiktok consumption and engagement to further determine the relationship between the two variables. recommendations based on the findings revealed in this study, the following are the recommendations: 1.based on the findings of this study, it was found that students are highly using tiktok application positively as a form of entertainment and recreation. even the results turned on a positive note and as a helpful tool, previous conducted studies also revealed its negative effect to students. in this, the institute shall work hand-in-hand with the college guidance and formation office (cgfo) in providing important information about the positive and negative effect (e.g., such as excessive consumption) of using tiktok application through seminars/webinars. 2.numerous studies were conducted about the possible use of tiktok application as an educational tool. in this, instructors and professors may also use this application as another tool to provide a better and more engaging classroom environment. it can be used to disseminate important information about a topic and to showcase students’ talents and understanding of the topic through short video clips. 3.since students were seen as highly engaged in their online classes. teachers should sustain this level by reserving more time for collaborative active learning. in this, students should have more time for collaborative active learning with their peers. students do not need to have everything explained to them upfront – in fact, students learn more when they are given the autonomy to make academic discoveries on their own. 4.students can become active and highly engaged in their own learning if they have structures for autonomy. in the traditional classroom setting, when students are working independently, the instructors’ role is to support the students by checking students’ work and provide coaching and feedback. in this current online class setting, teachers should gradually empower students to self-track their progress, coach their co-classmates, and turn to each other and their resources to seek for an answer to their questions. students quickly become adept at personalizing the learning to one another’s need. 5.students should understand what they are expected to learn and achieve. in connection to this, teachers should provide learning targets, by breaking them into different sections so that students may be able to understand what they are expected to perform by the end of the lesson. targets should be provided with success criteria so that students can self-assess and also track their own learning progress. this creates a structure where students can take ownership on their learning progress. 6.monitor students’ level of engagement and make adjustments if necessary. the most effective way to monitor engagement is to involve students in the process by having them use the learning targets and success criteria provided to them. these keep students to be focused and provide you a concrete way of measuring whether students are engaged in their learning. acknowledgements this study may not be possible without the support of the institute of education, arts and sciences (ieas) and the office of the vice president for research, extension and quality assurance (vpreqa) of city college of angeles (cca), the institute of arts, sciences and teacher education (iaste) of mabalacat city college (mcc) and the physical education, recreation and sports (pers) department of pampanga state agricultural university (psau). sincerest gratitude as well to all students who have participated in this study. references baloran, e. t., hernan, j. t., & taoy, j. s. (2021). course satisfaction and student engagement in online learning amid covid-19 pandemic: a structural equation model.turkish online journal of distance education, 22(4), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.17718/ tojde.1002721 gerald, b. (2018). a brief review of independent, dependent and one sample t-test. international journal of applied mathematics and theoretical physics, 4(2), 50. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijamtp.20180402.13 hartono, f. p., sumarno, n. u., & puji, r. p. n. (2019). the level of student engagement based on gender and grade on history subject of senior high school students in jember regency. international journal of scientific and technology research, 8(8), 21–26. hayes, c., stott, k., lamb, k. j., & hurst, g. a. (2020). “making every second count”: utilizing tiktok and systems thinking to facilitate scientific public engagement and contextualization of chemistry at home. journal of chemical education, 97(10), 3858– 3866. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.0c00511 jayarathne, d. n. (n.d.). the factors influencing for the tik tok application usage among youngsters during the epidemic period in sri lanka. retrieved may 29, 2022, from https:// www.academia.edu/66904721/the_factors_ influencing_for_the_tik_tok_application_usage_ among_youngsters_during_the_epidemic_period_ in_sri_lanka kaur, p. (2020). tik-tok : influence on youth in india. palarch’s journal of archaeology of egypt/egyptology, 17(6), 4194–4207. https://archives.palarch.nl/index. php/jae/article/download/1658/1658/3210 korlat, s., kollmayer, m., holzer, j., lüftenegger, m., pelikan, e. r., schober, b., & spiel, c. (2021). gender differences in digital learning during covid-19: competence beliefs, intrinsic value, learning engagement, and perceived teacher support. frontiers in psychology, 12(march 2020), 1–12. https:// doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.637776 kraemer, h. c., & blasey, c. (2016). linear regression analysis. in how many subjects?: statistical power analysis in research (pp. 73–85). sage publications, https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 9 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(1) 1-9, 2022 ltd. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781483398761.n6 mekler, a. (2021). the effects of tiktok use on college student learning. undergraduate review, 16, 19. https:// vc.bridgew.edu/undergrad_rev/vol16/iss1/19 montag, c., yang, h., & elhai, j. d. (2021). on the psychology of tiktok use: a first glimpse from empirical findings. frontiers in public health, 9(march), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.641673 nepali, s. 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(2021). an empirical analysis of use of tiktok by management students in pune city. journal of contemporary issues in business and government, 27(2).https://www.cibgp.com/article_10254_ fbc0872b1a3b5b895d07ccdcfa8731a6.pdf https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 53 american journal of education and technology (ajet) academic trust betrayed: unravelling the factors behind lecturers’ vulnerability to social engineering attacks samuel adu-gyimah1 , oliver kufour boansi1, george asante1*, prince clement addo1 volume 4 issue 3, year 2025 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v4i3.4773 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: april 07, 2025 accepted: may 03, 2025 published: august 28, 2025 social engineering (se) attacks are the most treacherous cyber-attacks, which are not rooted in the manipulation of code or exploitation of system vulnerabilities but target the human factor, which has historically been the weakest link in the security chain. the school settings that promote collaboration among students and lecturers alike, the openness of sharing information among students and lecturers and the trust built over time in this communities make them vulnerable to se attacks. this study then seeks to investigate how effective cybersecurity education and training intervention has in reducing the susceptibility of se attacks among the staff of higher education. 292 participants were exposed to four types of se attacks (pretexting, phishing, baiting and quid pro quo), before and after the intervention. the results of the study show high reduction in susceptibility to all four attacks with the largest reduction observed in quid pro quo attacks. the intervention shows effective among younger age groups and certain faculties. therefore, showing the need for tailored educational strategies on cybersecurity. the results also show the importance of comprehensive and targeted cybersecurity education in reducing se threats. the study then recommends that future study should explore the long-term effects of such interventions and their potential in diverse contexts. keywords cybersecurity, phishing, pretexting, susceptibility, social engineering attacks 1 department of information technology education, akenten appiah-menka university of skills training and entrepreneurial development, ghana * corresponding author’s e-mail: gasante@aamusted.edu.gh introduction this current era has seen digital transformation in every sector, including education, bringing with it an array of opportunities for innovation, growth and efficiency. these advancements also come with challenges, as the security of information systems has become a critical issue of concern. among the potential threats, one of the most treacherous is not rooted in the manipulation of code or exploiting the vulnerabilities of systems, but rather it targets the users (human) of a system, who happen to be the weakest link in the security chain (adu-gyimah et al, 2022). this threat is se attack. se attack is a cyberattack that employs manipulation techniques by attackers to trick their victims into divulging important information or performing actions that would compromise the integrity of a system (birthriya et al., 2024). se attacks include baiting (singh, 2025), phishing (schmitt & flechais, 2024), pretexting (femi-oyewole et al., 2024), quid pro quo (hussain & abbas, 2025), tailgating (cochran, 2024), etc. each design with some capabilities to psychological trigger to exploit the vulnerabilities of human. se attacks hinge on the trust victims place in their attackers, their quest to be helpful, their weakness to persuasion, their inclination towards fear, and so on. all these make humans easy targets for se attacks (gururaj et al., 2024). attacks on humans render even the most advanced security technological systems or advanced protocols ineffective if the human at the center is successfully compromised. a study conducted by riahi & islam (2024) has shown that users have diverse views and practices concerning information security, all of which can impact their susceptibility to social engineering attacks. (hadan et al., 2024) study provides qualitative data on users’ perceptions of security risks and their responses, underscoring the need for cybersecurity education and training interventions to be tailored to address users’ specific needs and contexts. therefore, this study contributes to the body of knowledge by implementing and evaluating an intervention on cybersecurity education in a higher education setting. the human weakness in se attacks has led to an increase in the frequency and intensity of se attacks on several sectors, of which the education sector has not been spared. the nature of this sector, such as the openness of information sharing, the collaborative nature of work, and the trust inherent within its communities, makes it vulnerable to se attacks. there is, therefore, a need to investigate this problem more thoroughly within the school setting and devise effective strategies to counter it. our reliance on modern technological advancements, coupled with the openness and trust within the school settings, makes the educational sector a prime target for se attacks (mudi, 2024). among the potential targets within the school settings, lecturers stand out as the most to be targeted due to these factors: first of all, they have access to sensitive information ranging from students’ academic data to valuable intellectual properties. also, the role they play demands a high level of collaboration and interaction among both pa ge 54 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 53-61, 2025 students and other staff, which can expose them to an increased risk of se tactics such as phishing, pretexting, quid pro quo, and baiting (creese et al., 2021). secondly, digital competence among lecturers may vary. a lack of cybersecurity awareness and training can make them vulnerable to se attacks (aslan et al., 2023). the constant pursuit of academic glories and the pressure to stay well-informed academically may divert their focus from understanding the evolving landscape of information security threats, therefore increasing their susceptibility to se attacks. studies into the effectiveness of interventions designed to reduce vulnerability to se attacks in school settings remain limited (jeong et al., 2019). therefore, this study seeks to address this research gap by investigating the effectiveness of a cybersecurity education and training intervention among university lecturers. the whole idea of the intervention is to improve awareness and prevention of four types of se attacks: quid pro quo, phishing, baiting, and pretexting. the key hypothesis of the study (h1) is that cybersecurity education and training will largely reduce vulnerability to se attacks among university lecturers. moreover, this study aims to explore the differential impact of the intervention across different demographic groups and faculties (h2). it is hypothesized that the decrease in vulnerability will be greater for certain types of attacks compared to others after the intervention (h3). furthermore, the study expects that the rate of change in vulnerability (from pre to post-intervention) will be greater for age groups who are younger as compared to older age groups, therefore suggesting that younger individuals are more responsive to cybersecurity education and training (h4). these hypotheses fall in line with a previous study suggesting the efficacy of cybersecurity education in reducing susceptibility to cyberattacks (shillair et al., n.d.). this study contributes to the growing body of evidence on the efficacy of cybersecurity education and training in reducing se attacks and extends it by examining the impact of such interventions in a school setting. the findings of the study have important implications for the design of cybersecurity education and training programs in universities and potentially other similar institutions. by establishing which demographic groups and faculties are most responsive to the intervention and which types of attacks are most effectively reduced, the intervention can be further tailored to maximize its effectiveness. literature review social engineering attacks social engineering attacks have become a critical concern in the field of cybersecurity (almutairi et al., 2022). these attacks rely on human interaction to manipulate individuals into breaking standard security practices, thus allowing unauthorized access to systems or data (aslan et al., 2023). se attacks comes in many forms, and a range of tactics from phishing to baiting, pretexting, quid pro quo, tailgating, dustbin diving, shoulder surfing, etc. (gururaj et al., 2024). this section reviews literature around the four types of se attacks used in the study. they are phishing, pretexting, quid pro quo, and baiting. the study simulates these attacks. recently much attention has been drawn to the distractive nature of se attacks and the tactics used in these attacks, just to create awareness. this attention is partly due to an understanding that while technological defenses are essential, they are insufficient in the face of attacks that primarily exploit human psychology (marble et al., 2015). this has led to a growing interest in the role of cybersecurity education and training as a crucial line of defense (aslan et al., 2023; mudi, 2024). phishing attack the most widely studied form of se attack is phishing attack (51 must-know phishing statistics for 2023, n.d.; burita et al., 2021). it is characterized by attempts to trick individuals into giving sensitive information, often through receiving deceptive emails that poses as from legitimate entities (kirda et al., n.d.). this attack has evolved into several sub-forms like ‘vishing’ (voice phishing) (jones et al., 2020), ‘smishing’ (sms phishing) (soykan & energies, 2020), and ‘spear phishing’ (targeted phishing) (al-hamar et al., n.d.; burns et al., 2019), each using unique tactics for deception. pretexting attack a pretexting attack involves creating a fictitious scenario (the pretext) to trick an individual into providing access to information. a pretexting attack relies on building trust with the victim. it uses complex se manipulation techniques (mouton, leenen, & security, 2016) quid pro quo attack quid pro quo attacks, that is, ‘something for something’ attacks, involve an attacker offering some kind of services or giving some forms of benefits in exchange for information or access to a system with fictitious intent. the attacker impersonates a technical support agent and then offers help in exchange for the victim’s login details or other sensitive information (hussain & abbas, 2025). baiting attack baiting attack looks similar to quid pro quo attacks, but involves the giving of something just to use as a ‘bait’ to lure the victim. these things could be an offer of free software downloads, a usb stick left in a public place, or any other interesting thing that could lure someone into falling for the trap (singh, 2025). this study aims to examine the effectiveness of cybersecurity education and training in reducing vulnerability to these different types of se attacks, thereby contributing to the growing body of research in this area. it is through this context that the study’s hypotheses have been formulated. pa ge 55 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 53-61, 2025 social engineering attack in the educational sector se attacks have become a major concern in higher educational institutions worldwide. schools are also attractive targets for cybercriminals due to the openness in their operations and of academic networks that are established among stakeholders, the type of data they hold, and the population they serve (young, technologically adept individuals who may not yet have developed a strong sense of cybersecurity awareness). some empirical evidence supports this claim. a study by the educause center for analysis and research (2021) reported that higher education institutions are among the top three sectors targeted by phishing attacks, making up 6% of all phishing campaigns worldwide (karthikeyan, n.d.; kendall, 2022). similarly, research by proofpoint (2019) highlighted that educational institutions are 4.5 times more likely to suffer from email fraud as compared to other sectors (alawida et al., 2022). also, lallie et al. (2025) in their study analyzed the susceptibility of universities to se attacks, finding that university employees, including lecturers, are often easy targets for these attacks due to their limited awareness of such threats. their study demonstrated the efficacy of using simulated se attacks as a training tool, aligning with the approach taken in our study. furthermore, mouton, venter, and rabe (2016) surveyed university students. they found that while students had a general understanding of se threats, they were deficient in knowledge about specific se attack tactics, therefore potentially vulnerable to such attacks. these, therefore, underpin the importance of the extensive cybersecurity education and training intervention implemented in our study. the gap in the literature even though a considerable number of studies have been done on se and cybersecurity education, some gaps persist in the existing literature. largely, the academic context has been under studied. though numerous studies have researched into the susceptibility of corporations and institutions to se attacks, few have focused specifically on the school settings, mostly on university lecturers (arachchilage & behavior, 2014). given the role of university lecturers in managing sensitive academic records, it is important to understand their vulnerability to se attacks and the effectiveness of interventions in reducing this susceptibility. also, there is no study investigating the relative effectiveness of cybersecurity education across diverse types of se attacks. while some studies have evaluated the impact of such interventions, very few have made comparisons across various se attack types like pretexting, phishing, baiting, and quid pro quo (pfleeger & caputo, 2012). this research aims to bridge this gap by assessing and comparing the effectiveness of the intervention across these four se attack types. additionally, there are insufficient studies that look into the role of demographic factors in se attack vulnerability and intervention effectiveness. this research seeks to address this gap by examining the intervention’s effectiveness across different age groups, genders, and faculty departments. by so doing, it will offer a more comprehensive understanding of who is most vulnerable to these se attacks and how interventions can be best custom-made to different demographic groups. materials and methods participants the participant sample for this study consists of lecturers from the akenten appiah-menka university of skills training and entrepreneurial development aamusted. an experimental research design was adopted using primary experimental data collection, where the participants were informed of the general nature and purpose of the research without going into specifics. this ethical deception was employed to prevent participants from altering their natural behaviour during the course of a study. all participants gave their consent to participate before the commencement of the simulations. based on the american psychological association (apa) guidelines (american psychological association guidelines 7th edition google search, n.d.), the informed consent procedure was designed to ensure that participants are given as much information as necessary to decide whether to participate. no actual sensitive data was collected. most of the data collected included dichotomous values (yes, no; victim, not victim; bait successful, bait fail; active, inactive). a total of 292 participants signed up for the initial experiment with a demographic distribution across age, gender, years of teaching experience, and area of specialization. baseline assessment: a pre-intervention social engineering attack simulation (phishing, pretexting, quid pro quo, and baiting) was conducted on the participant sample to establish a baseline of their vulnerability to these types of attacks. simulation design and execution to assess the effectiveness of our cybersecurity education and training intervention, we needed to accurately measure the participants’ susceptibility to social engineering attacks both before and after the intervention. drawing from the work of kruger and kearney (2006), who developed a model for assessing information security awareness, we designed a simulation exercise that emulated different types of social engineering attacks (kruger & kearney, 2006). this approach allowed us to not only measure the initial level of susceptibility but also to track any changes in susceptibility over time, thereby providing a clear indication of the intervention’s effectiveness. the study involved designing four social engineering attack simulations, each representing one of the following tactics: phishing, pretexting, quid pro quo, and baiting. phishing and pretexting remain one of the top se attack methods, and the reason they were selected. quid pro quo and baiting are less seen in se literature, which makes them less known, and so are those that can be easily used on unsuspecting victims (langlois, 2020). pa ge 56 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 53-61, 2025 each simulation was meticulously designed to replicate real-world social engineering scenarios, and they were executed in a controlled and ethical manner, ensuring the participants’ data security and privacy. phishing was geared towards exploiting trust and authority, pretexting by building credible but fake stories, and quid pro quo using the principle of reciprocity, while our baiting leverages curiosity and greed. this is done to diversify the simulation methods. phishing simulation the phishing simulation involved a simulated email appearing to come from a trusted source within the university, asking the lecturers to click on a link to enter their login credentials for a seemingly legitimate purpose. they were also instructed to click on a similar link for system updates. a self-developed website with a url very similar to the university’s legitimate examination portal was sent through a mirrored university email. pretexting simulation in the pretexting simulation, a researcher posing as a member of the university it unit contacted the lecturers via phone, stating that they needed to confirm their identity for a system update and asked for sensitive information including ip address, username, password, password recovery email, date of birth and providing emails to receive links for system updates among others. quid pro quo simulation the quid pro quo simulation involved offering a service, including free software, promising research funding in exchange for information, and access to academic resources for article downloading in exchange for login credentials or other sensitive information. the offer was made through an email appearing to be from a reputable external organization. baiting simulation the baiting simulation involved leaving a usb drive labelled with an enticing label “confidential”, “exam questions”, “un scholarship and funding”, “annual budget”, “presidential award 2025”, etc., in a place frequented by lecturers. the drive contained a harmless file that, when opened, sent a notification to the researchers, indicating that the bait had been taken. in all simulations, no actual sensitive information was collected or stored; the goal was merely to ascertain whether the lecturer would take the bait. after each simulation, debriefing sessions were held to explain the purpose of the simulation and educate participants about the social engineering tactic used. data collection data was collected based on whether the participants responded to the deceptive prompts in the simulations. in the case of the phishing, pretexting, and quid pro quo simulations, a response was counted if the participant entered any information into the deceptive form or provided (begin to provide) it over the phone. for the baiting simulation, data was collected when the file inside the usb drive was accessed. the participants were randomly assigned so each person can only participate in two of the simulations to deal with carry-over effects at the post-intervention stage. intervention and education after each simulation, participants were debriefed. the participants were taken through a day cybersecurity education and training program aimed at improving awareness and prevention of social engineering attacks this educational component was a critical part of the process, aimed not only to enhance the understanding of the participants but also to increase general awareness about social engineering threats within the university. in designing our cybersecurity education and training intervention, we drew inspiration from practical and engaging approaches employed in previous research. a notable example is the work of kumaraguru et al. (2007), who designed and evaluated a training email system aimed at protecting individuals from phishing attacks (kumaraguru et al., 2007). such practical, contextually relevant interventions have proven to be effective in enhancing individuals’ cybersecurity awareness and skills. in our case, we developed a series of tailored training modules that encompassed the most common types of social engineering attacks, including phishing, pretexting, quid pro quo, and baiting. dealing with carry-over effects the study employed several techniques to deal with carry-over effects. first, the participants were randomly exposed to only two out of the four se attack simulations at the pre-intervention stage. the participants are then exposed to all four simulations at the post-intervention stage to determine if they will be susceptible to all or some of the se attacks. next, the study allowed a 7-week washout period between the preand post-intervention simulations. during this period, participants are not exposed to any conditions of the experiment. the goal is to allow any effects from the previous condition to ‘wear off ’ before the next condition is introduced. finally, we introduced a counterbalance to be certain that any observed effects are due to the simulations themselves, rather than their order of presentation. post-intervention after the 7-week washout period, the post-intervention stage commenced. this stage aimed to assess the effectiveness of the cybersecurity education and training program in improving participants’ awareness and their ability to identify and prevent the four types of social engineering attacks. simulation re-run the same four se attack simulations (phishing, pa ge 57 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 53-61, 2025 pretexting, quid pro quo, and baiting) were run again with all participants. unlike the pre-intervention stage, each participant was exposed to all four simulations this time. the order of the simulations was counterbalanced to control for order effects. data collection as in the pre-intervention stage, the same response criteria were used. the data used were collected based on the participants’ responses to the deceptive prompts in the simulations. debriefing participants were debriefed following the postintervention simulations. the debriefing helped to reinforce the key takeaways from the cybersecurity education and training program, addressing any concerns, and also, providing more advice on the protection against se attacks. data analysis the data from both preand post-intervention stages were compared to assess the efficacy of the intervention. the rate of vulnerability to each type of se attack before and after the intervention was analyzed. moreover, the overall vulnerability rate to any form of the se attacks was evaluated to determine the general efficacy of the intervention across all the se attack types results and discussion the preand post-simulation results are presented in this section. in line with kruger and kearney’s (2006) model for assessing information security awareness, we conducted a comparative analysis of the pre-and postintervention susceptibility rates. this involves analyzing the vulnerability rate to each type of se attack before and after the intervention. the findings were compared to assess the overall efficacy of the intervention across all the four se attack types. the approach helped us to measure the change in information security awareness over time, then providing a vigorous assessment of the intervention’s impact. the results are organized by the type of se attack, with comparisons made between the pre-and post-intervention stages. descriptive statistics table 1 provides an overview of the proportion of participants who fell for each type of the se attacks at the pre-intervention and post-intervention stages. the participants are of a total of 292. table 1: proportion of participants falling for each attack type attack type pre-intervention (n=292) post-intervention (n=292) phishing 186 (63.70%) 92 (31.51%) pretexting 137 (46.92%) 44 (15.07%) quid pro quo 206 (70.55%) 87 (29.79%) baiting 97 (33.22%) 25 (8.56%) n=292 inferential statistics an analysis of the data reveals significant reductions in susceptibility to all types of social engineering attacks from the preto post-intervention stages. there was a significant decrease in susceptibility in all cases with a 32.19 percentage points reduction in phishing attacks from 63.70% to 31.51%. pretexting dropped from 46.92% to 15.07% (31.85 percentage points reduction). similarly, quid pro quo attacks and baiting showed a decrease in susceptibility with 40.76 and 24.66 percentage points decrease respectively. the largest decrease was observed in the case of quid pro quo attacks, which dropped from 70.55% pre-intervention to 29.79% postintervention. table 2 is the result of a paired-sample t-test performed to compare the susceptibility rates, at the pre-and postintervention stages. there has been a statistically significant decrease table 2: paired-sample t-test attack type t-value df p-value phishing 8.65 291 <0.001 pretexting 8.12 291 <0.001 quid pro quo 10.32 291 <0.001 baiting 7.49 291 <0.001 in the susceptibility rates from the preto postintervention stages as shown in the p-values which are all less than 0.001. the t-values indicate the change in the susceptibility rates between the pre and post-intervention stages. higher t-values are an indication of a larger rate of change between the two stages. the results indicate that quid pro quo attacks (t-value = 10.32) saw the highest difference, followed by phishing (t-value = 8.65), pretexting (t-value = 8.12), and baiting (t-value = 7.49). these results indicate that the intervention was highly pa ge 58 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 53-61, 2025 effective in reducing susceptibility to all four types of social engineering attacks among the participants. comparing the results in table 3 to cohen’s benchmarks (cohen, 1988), the effect sizes for all four types of attacks are within the medium to large range, suggesting that the cybersecurity education and training program had a considerable practical significance in reducing susceptibility to these social engineering attacks. we conducted anova to compare the effectiveness of the intervention across the four se attacks followed by a post-hoc comparisons test to investigate which pairs of means are significantly different. table 3: effect sizes for preand post-intervention comparisons attack type m1 sd1 m2 sd2 sdpooled=sqrt [(sd1^2+sd2^2)/2] cohen's d = (m2-m1) / sdpooled phishing 0.6370 0.52 0.3151 0.47 0.495 -0.65 pretexting 0.4692 0.50 0.1507 0.36 0.43 -0.74 quid pro quo 0.7055 0.48 0.2979 0.46 0.47 -0.87 baiting 0.3322 0.47 0.0856 0.28 0.375 -0.66 table 4: anova source of variation ss df ms f p-value f crit between groups 20.25 3 6.75 6.53 0.00032 2.60 within groups 123.50 48 2.57 total 143.75 51 the f-value of 6.53 is greater than the critical f-value of 2.60, and the p-value is less than 0.05. hence, we reject the null hypothesis that there’s no difference in the means and conclude that there’s a significant difference in the susceptibility rates among the different attack types at the 0.05 level of significance. the susceptibility rate to phishing and baiting is significantly different (p<0.05), as well as between quid pro quo and baiting, and pretexting and quid pro quo. the cybersecurity education and training intervention table 5: post-hoc pairwise comparisons attack type (i) attack type (j) mean difference (i-j) std. error sig. phishing pretexting 0.176 0.101 0.073 phishing quid pro quo -0.068 0.101 0.499 phishing baiting 0.304 0.101 0.001 pretexting quid pro quo -0.244 0.101 0.017 pretexting baiting 0.128 0.101 0.202 quid pro quo baiting 0.372 0.101 0.000 table 6: intervention efficacy by demographic group demographic group categories pre-intervention susceptibility (%) post-intervention susceptibility (%) change (%) gender male 65 28 -37 female 62 32 -30 age group below 35 68 30 -38 35-44 66 28 -38 45-54 62 34 -28 55 and above 60 36 -24 faculties technical education 67 31 -36 applied sciences and mathematics 65 24 -41 vocational education 63 33 -30 business education 64 32 -32 education and com. sciences 61 35 -26 n=292 pa ge 59 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 53-61, 2025 significantly reduced susceptibility to social engineering attacks across all demographic groups and faculties. males demonstrated a slightly larger decrease in susceptibility rates than females, with reductions of 37 and 30 percentage points, respectively. the intervention was most effective among younger age groups (“below 35” and “35-44”), with a decrease of 38 percentage points, while the “4554” and “55 and above” groups saw reductions of 28 and 24 percentage points, respectively. among faculties, the largest decrease was observed in the “applied sciences and mathematics” faculty (41 percentage point decrease), and the smallest in the “education and communication sciences” faculty (26 percentage point decrease). interpretation of results our findings indicate a significant decrease in susceptibility to social engineering attacks after the intervention, across all attack types. the t-tests demonstrated significant decreases in susceptibility rates for phishing, pretexting, quid pro quo, and baiting attacks. moreover, the effect size calculations showed large effects for all types of attacks, suggesting that the intervention had a considerable impact. the anova and posthoc tests further revealed significant differences between the preand post-intervention susceptibility rates, strengthening the evidence for the effectiveness of the intervention. lastly, the demographic group analysis showed that all groups experienced a decrease in susceptibility, although there were variations across different demographics and faculties. these findings align with previous research on the impact of cybersecurity awareness and training on reducing vulnerability to social engineering attacks (campbell, 2020; hadlington, 2017). discussion the findings from our study provide strong empirical support for all the proposed hypotheses, thus adding to the growing body of literature on the importance of cybersecurity education and training in mitigating se attacks. as predicted in hypothesis 1, our intervention significantly reduced susceptibility to all types of se attacks examined in this study: phishing, pretexting, quid pro quo, and baiting. this fall in line with previous studies that highlighted the efficacy of cybersecurity education in reducing susceptibility to cyberattacks (vishwanath, 2015; weimann, 2015). hypothesis 2 recommended variation in the efficacy of the intervention across different demographic groups and faculties. our results showed that the decrease in vulnerability is more noticeable among males, those under the age of 35 years, and those from the applied sciences and mathematics and technical education faculties. this then recommends the need for custommade cybersecurity education and training to the precise needs and characteristics of different demographic groups and faculties. corresponding to hypothesis 3, we found that the vulnerability reduction is greater for certain types of se attacks compared to others after the intervention. precisely, vulnerability to phishing and pretexting was decreased more than that to quid pro quo and baiting. this shows that while our intervention is effective across all the se attack types, its efficacy is more noticeable for phishing and pretexting. as hypothesized in hypothesis 5, the rate of change in vulnerability to se attacks was better for younger age groups compared to older ones. this suggests that younger individuals are more responsive to cybersecurity education and training, highlighting the importance of early intervention in this area. the substantial decrease in vulnerability to phishing attacks observed in our study aligns with findings from earlier research. as kumaraguru et al. (2007) demonstrated the effectiveness of an embedded training email system in protecting individuals from phishing attacks. our intervention, which included a comprehensive module on phishing, seems to have been similarly effective. this supports the assertion that practical and engaging training methods can substantially enhance individuals’ ability to recognize and counteract se attacks. our results highlight the need for extensive, tailormade, and early cybersecurity education and training interventions in higher education settings to ease the threats posed by se attacks. the observed variation in vulnerability across different demographic groups and faculties might be explained by the unique views and practices concerning information security that different users hold. aslan et al. (2023) suggested that user perspectives on information security can significantly impact their vulnerability to se attacks. for instance, users from the applied sciences and mathematics faculty were more aware of the risks and better equipped to respond successfully, leading to a more distinct reduction in vulnerability after the intervention. this emphasizes the importance of tailoring cybersecurity education interventions to the precise needs and contexts of different user groups. therefore, future research should extend this work by examining the long-term efficacy of such interventions and exploring their potential in other settings beyond higher education. conclusion in conclusion, our study provides strong evidence for the efficacy of a cybersecurity education and training intervention in reducing vulnerability to se attacks. however, the variations in efficacy across different demographic groups and faculties suggest the need for more custom-made interventions. one possible limitation of the study is the lack of consideration for the hawthorne effect despite the 7-week washout period. future research should consider implementing a longer monitoring period postintervention to assess whether behavioural changes are sustained once participants are no longer conscious of being observed. in case of a future work, we recommend conducting pa ge 60 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 53-61, 2025 similar studies in other settings to validate our findings and assess the generalizability of the intervention, following the calls by alseadoon et al. (2015) for more empirical research in diverse contexts. furthermore, more in-depth studies could be done to understand the underlying reasons for the differences in efficacy across different demographic groups and faculties. lastly, future interventions could incorporate feedback mechanisms or adapt based on an individual’s learning progress to further enhance their efficacy, as suggested by puhakainen and siponen (2010). references 51 must-know phishing statistics for 2023 | it governance. (n.d.). retrieved april 21, 2025, from https://www. itgovernance.co.uk/blog/51-must-know-phishingstatistics-for-2023 adu-gyimah, s., asante, g., & boansi, o. k. (2022). social engineering attacks: a clearer perspective. international journal of computer applications, 975, 8887. al-hamar, y., kolivand, h., tajdini, m., … t. s.-c. & e., & 2021, undefined. 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(2015). terrorism in cyberspace: the next generation. pa ge 1 pa ge 51 american journal of education and technology (ajet) improving students’ achievement and jurisprudential analysis skills: a proposed teaching model based on integrating webquests and the flipped classroom rashid abdul kareem1*, abdul malik alsarraa1, riyadh alhassan1 volume 3 issue 4, year 2024 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v3i4.3394 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: july 05, 2024 accepted: august 12, 2024 published: november 20, 2024 this research aimed to examine the effect of a proposed teaching model based on integrating web quests and the flipped classroom on students’ achievement and jurisprudential analysis skills among secondary school students and their attitudes towards it. the study employed a quasi-experimental design to compare achievement and jurisprudential analysis test scores between experimental and control groups. in addition, a qualitative approach was used to determine how students viewed the implementation of the experimental model. the research sample consisted of 89 students, divided into control and experimental groups based on their pre-test scores. as a result, the suggested teaching methodology had a statistically significant favourable influence on academic success in developing jurisprudential analytical abilities, with the experimental group outperforming the control group. moreover, the teaching methodology improved students’ attitudes. the integrated method improves academic achievement and student engagement in jurisprudence. moreover, future research can be enhanced by adopting effective teaching methods for jurisprudence and other sharia science courses, investigating the proposed teaching approach in diverse subjects to improve student performance, enriching the jurisprudence course with real-world examples, and incorporating jurisprudential analysis and debates to enhance students’ critical thinking and evaluation skills. keywords flipped classroom, islamic jurisprudence,teaching models, webquest 1 king saud university, p. o. box 2454, riyadh, 11451, saudi arabia * corresponding author’s e-mail: rkareem@ksu.edu.sa introduction the globe is going through accelerated development in all spheres of life (vasko et al., 2020). one of these expressions is the creation of technical tools and the ensuing amounts of information and renewable methods of knowledge, which have not only altered the modern way of life but also altered some of the methods of learning and teaching diverse cultures and the modern student (colombari & neirotti, 2022). recently, various learner-centred learning modalities have replaced teacher-centred instruction as the predominant education paradigm. teachers adopt the duties of knowledge providers and learning promoters who motivate students to construct knowledge actively (vossen et al., 2020). in recent years, the flipped classroom has become one of the most popular and new teaching methods. it replaces the hands-on teaching found in traditional courses, emphasising guiding students to apply knowledge and attain higher-level learning objectives. teachers have acknowledged the flipped classroom as a creative and successful teaching strategy. it replaces traditional instruction by substituting in-class instruction with at-home practice (al-samarraie et al., 2020). recent studies suggested that the utilisation of flipped classrooms in different subjects assists in improving students’ involvement, metacognition, mood, performance, knowledge, success, and other learning results(ahmed & indurkhya, 2020; al-samarraie et al., 2020; tsai et al., 2020). bergmann and sampson (2012) introduced the flexible classroom concept. they recorded class lectures and posted them online so students could view and review the material more easily. they found great success with this method, encouraging them to continue using it (i.e., showing instructional films online to students before lessons)(chen et al., 2019). the concept of the flipped classroom approach needs to be fully understood; it requires a broad explanation. however, most scholars agree on a few essential points about the flipped classroom. these scholars believe that the flipped classroom has pre-made items (like audio or video) that students can watch or listen to before coming to school. then, these materials are discussed with students (sopamena et al., 2023). the flipped classroom is opposed to the traditional classroom. traditional classroom requires much time to prepare the lesson plans, work on the lesson rules and regulations, formulate the student’s tasks and assignments, and give jobs to students to complete at home (fernándezmartín et al., 2020). in opposition, in a flipped classroom, the instructors prepare and record the lecture beforehand and provide students with a recording to see the course and prepare at home (wang & liu, 2023). it means that in a flipped classroom, the lesson is explained through video segments or any other appropriate educational means that the student observes or interacts with at home or outside of the school, and the lesson time is used to present enough activities to achieve the objectives of the lesson that the student watched at home (tsai et al., 2020). the distinction development of the flipped classroom necessitates incorporating more extensive strategies to improve its efficacy (gillette et al., 2018). with their constructivist foundation, webquests provide a framework consistent with the social constructivist theory, a crucial element absent from the original flipped pa ge 52 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 51-59, 2024 classroom model. zheng et al. (2020) believe that this blend is meant to make the most of the technologybased learning that students do outside of school so that they can use class time for engaging tasks and reviewing what they have learned (zheng et al., 2020). moreover, integrating webquests can address skill development, particularly in crucial areas such as jurisprudential analysis, thereby contributing to enhanced academic achievement by enhancing students’ analytical abilities and motivation to learn (mcdermott et al., 2021). this cognitive approach is based on piaget’s cognitive constructive theory. this theory means that knowledge constructivism can be designed for individual or collaborative settings, is suitable for all educational stages, and must provide actual tasks related to the courses or curriculum.” it is not a distinct educational endeavour (hanfstingl et al., 2019). since the webquest model is grounded in cognitive constructivist theory, the inventors of the flipped classroom strategy, bergman and sams, did not explicitly reference any learning theory during its development. this presents an opportunity to incorporate the social constructivist approach into the integrated teaching paradigm, as social constructivism emphasises the role of social interaction in the learning process, in contrast to cognitive constructivism’s emphasis on individual cognitive development. incorporating social constructivist principles, this research corresponds with a design strategy comparable to jaynes’ 2017 study, which utilised social constructivist theory to develop the flipped classroom model (jaynes, 2017). in saudi arabia, secondary schools need to strengthen jurisprudence teaching. many teaching approaches must engage students in current topics and encourage critical thinking (an le & hockey, 2022). this research examined a teaching paradigm combining the flipped classroom and webquest strategies with current technologies to improve secondary school jurisprudence students’ academic performance, develop their jurisprudential analysis skills, and examine their attitudes toward the model. this research gave sharia science supervisor’s current jurisprudence teaching methods and opened doors for technology integration research in education. this research addressed the educational community’s demand for teaching methods that satisfy changing academic needs and extend social constructivism-based teaching. research question this research is based on examining the following research question: how do secondary school jurisprudence students’ academic accomplishment and jurisprudential analytical abilities change when flipped classrooms and webquests are used, and what are their reactions toward this integrated teaching model? research hypothesis this research includes the following two hypotheses: 1) no significant differences (p-value < 0.05) between experimental and control group students’ postachievement exam results in the jurisprudence course. 2) no significant differences (p-value < 0.05) in average scores between experimental groups in the pre-and posttests for improving jurisprudential analytical skills in the course. literature review social constructivist theory social constructivism is a theoretical framework for learning that places emphasis on the active role of people in constructing knowledge and understanding. this process occurs through interactions and sharing experiences (singh et al., 2022). lev vygotsky established it and continues to impact the field of education. this theory contrasts the previously prevalent behaviourist paradigm, emphasising unidirectional learning and teacher-centred practices (servant-miklos & noordegraaf-eelens, 2021). the theoretical framework of social constructivism encompasses three primary orientations: cognitive constructivism this theory emphasises the mental construction of knowledge and the function of cognitive processes in learning. the theory suggests that learners engage in active knowledge construction rather than passive information acquisition from the surrounding environment (sari, 2019). social constructivism this theory emphasises the importance of social interaction and society in education. it contends that mental development is dependent on social context and interpersonal interaction. as a result of external interactions, learning is viewed as a collective process (lorenz et al., 2020). radical constructivism this theory is based on philosophy and connects philosophy and meaning to learning. it views learning as a dynamic process in which individuals adapt to approaches through their experiences (michaelian & sant’anna, 2021). social constructivist theory is distinguished from other learning theories by its central concepts and characteristics. at its foundation is the zone of proximal development (zpd), which identifies the phases between the independent performance of a learner and their potential with expert guidance (margolis, 2020). suhendi et al. (2021) mentioned that in contrast to cognitive constructivism, which concentrates on the individual construction of knowledge, social constructivism emphasises the importance of social interaction and society in a learner’s mental development. according to this theory, learning begins on the outside and moves inward (suhendi et al., 2021). it emphasises the internalisation of knowledge through observation, in pa ge 53 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 51-59, 2024 which students adopt behaviours by observing others and implementing them in similar situations. moreover, the theory places a significant value on cognitive processes, promoting learners’ comprehension of the mental mechanisms they employ in different learning situations, thereby cultivating reflection and self-awareness (almasi & zhu, 2020; egbewole et al., 2024). subsequently, it also emphasises the importance of language in thinking and learning, emphasising that language is intrinsic to these cognitive processes and essential to successful idea exchange and understanding in a social setting (middleton et al., 2019). webquests cognitive journeys, also known as webquests, were introduced by bernie dodge and tom march as a novel educational strategy in 1995. these journeys are planned research exercises meant to be used with the internet to teach through questioning, exploring, and learning (syzko et al., 2020). the main idea behind this approach is to help students learn how to do active study and discovery (syarif et al., 2020). tom march refined the concept by defining it as a structure for learning that encourages students to investigate and develop their insights by studying authentic learning assignments through webbased information sources (puthikanon, 2009). there are two primary categories of webquests: short-term and extended. short-term journeys consist of one to four sessions centred on information access, comprehension, and retrieval. long-distance journeys last a week to a month and delve into more complex concerns requiring superior cognitive abilities (thomopoulos et al., 2021). webquests, despite their benefits, such as fostering innovative thinking, improving information literacy, and encouraging collaborative work, require access to computers and abilities, posing potential limitations (fernandez lopez & antoli, 2020). instructors play a vital role in organising these excursions, from selecting topics to directing students’ activities and assessing their progress (stites et al., 2019). there are optional stages in constructing webquests, but a fundamental framework involves outlining the lesson, recognising information sources, clarifying tasks, defining processes, and establishing evaluation criteria. in addition, the teacher has to guarantee that topics are open-ended, debatable, and pertinent to students’ skill and knowledge development. the approach emphasises cooperative learning, critical reasoning, and knowledge application (khaleghi et al., 2021). flipped classroom strategy the flipped classroom strategy, which acquired popularity in the early 1990s, entails students accessing pre-recorded lessons at home, followed by in-class group activities. jonathan bergman and aaron sams were crucial in promoting this strategy by making teachings available to students who may have missed classes (tsai et al., 2020). the approach has many benefits, including more contact between teachers and students, more effortless adjustment to new technology, encouraging students to keep an eye on themselves, better communication between parents and schools, and the ability to accommodate different learning speeds (kimmelmann & lang, 2019; palmerola, 2024). it also enables students to take control of their learning, improves subject comprehension, and promotes the growth of personal qualities. despite the numerous advantages of the flipped classroom, such as improved teacher-student interaction and support for modern technology, several challenges must be addressed, such as the possibility of neglecting other aspects of the educational process (kimmelmann & lang, 2019). concerns about too much schoolwork, the need for students to access computers and the internet, teachers’ changed ideas about how possible it is, and the need for enough training for teachers are all problems. in addition, the strategy may increase educational costs and necessitate the practical application of various instruments (mingorance estrada et al., 2019). proposed teaching model the proposed teaching approach incorporates flipped learning, webquests, and social constructivist theory to meet students’ diverse educational and mental requirements. it changes the traditional roles of teachers and schools by stressing that schools are learning resources and teachers are educational facilitators. the model seeks to improve students’ learning outcomes while compensating for the rising cost of education(ahmed & indurkhya, 2020). the research emphasises specific criteria, such as content clarity, flexibility, realism, and adaptability to various educational contexts, to develop an effective teaching model. like other instructional design models, this model includes input, process, and output elements, feedback mechanisms, and the ability to adapt to diverse requirements. the model consists of three main axes: the first concentrates on the family environment, the second on the educational environment, and the third on evaluation, input, and modification of teaching practices. in the initial phase, students are assigned creative duties, divide the lesson into tasks, participate in introduction tasks, identify sources, and reflect on the lesson’s problem. this phase encourages students to think independently and identify problems. in the second stage, activity documents consolidate students’ knowledge and stimulate class discussion. the instructor facilitates group activities and guides students through the problem of the lesson. the instructor supervises the completion of activity pages, and the lesson culminates with a concluding discussion, analysis of divergent viewpoints, and evaluation. in the third stage, you will look at how well the lesson went and change how you teach. the instructor concludes the lecture by evaluating student performance, providing feedback, and modifying the model based on the evaluation outcomes. a website also maintains pa ge 54 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 51-59, 2024 a teacher’s page for communication with students. this instructional model provides a holistic approach that prioritises student participation, collaborative learning, and adaptability, fostering successful and meaningful educational experiences. matarials and methods research methodology the research investigation employed a mixed methodology. a mixed research design collects, analyses, and combines quantitative and qualitative data within a single study to learn about a research problem. it used mixed explanatory research (ryba et al., 2022). the quasi-experimental method was explicitly chosen for the quantitative analysis because, as al-assaf (1427 ah) states, selection, and assignment are not random, and external variables are not controlled as much as in experimental designs (alassaf, 1995). the research utilized a quasi-experimental design comprising a single posttest with two unequal experimental groups. furthermore, qualitative research examines how an individual feels, what that experience means to him, and how he transforms that experience into awareness at the individual or group level. this seeks to grasp the meaning of a phenomenon among persons. table 1: sample size m group division relative sample absolute sample percentage 1 experimental 21 45 45 50.57% 2 control group 22 44 44 49.43% total 89 89 100% table 2: average score of experimental and control group group no of students sma standard deviation value significance level experimental group 45 7.12 2.70 -0.1666 0.887 control group 44 7.06 2.73 research population in riyadh, 46,806 male secondary school students were enrolled in general education during the academic year 2019. this data was taken from the official statistical guide for public administration from the ministry of education. research sample size imam al-shawkani high school in riyadh was chosen to apply the mixed method approach of the research because it received the excellence award at the school level and the hamdan bin rashid award for excellence in educational performance in the field of school and distinguished school administration in 2014. the data collection was performed from may 2022 to december 2022. the school administration and instructors also supported the experiment by randomly selecting three classrooms. two classes from jurisprudence 1 were randomly chosen to experiment. all experimental group students were interviewed qualitatively for the research. the secondary stage was selected to offer the curriculum framework, allowing teachers to instruct students daily and get to know them better. table 1 lists the control and experimental groups’ student counts research variables the present research included two levels of the independent variable: the first level is the innovative teaching model that combines flipped classrooms and webquests, and the second level is the traditional method of instruction. the dependent variables included academic achievement, legal analysis skills, and the propensity to adopt the proposed teaching model. equivalence of group the equality of the subjects in jurisprudence 1 was checked by using the t-test for independent samples to compare the groups on the first and second tests that the teacher offered his students before the experiment. the results were as follows after taking out the students who didn’t show up for one of the tests: table 2 shows that the first group averages (7.12) degrees while the second group averages (7.06). although there is a difference in the standard between the two groups, the significance level of the test (t) is (0.887), which is greater than (0.05), meaning that there are no statistically significant differences in the scores of students in the two groups. statistical analysis approach various statistical processing techniques were employed to address the primary research questions, which centred on the impact of the teaching model on students’ academic achievement and jurisprudential analysis skills. first, it evaluated the simplicity or difficulty of the achievement exam and the test for developing skills in jurisprudential analysis. second, the discrimination coefficient was calculated to ascertain the ability of test items to differentiate between pupils with high and low performance. in addition, using the split-half method, the spearman-brown equation was utilised to estimate the reliability of the achievement test and the test for learning abilities in jurisprudential analysis. the t-test for independent samples was then used to compare the performance of groups on pre-tests and post-experiment assessments, confirming the research hypotheses involving academic achievement and legal analysis skills. pa ge 55 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 51-59, 2024 these statistical methods were essential for assessing the impact of the instructional model on the desired outcomes. ethical consideration the researcher protected the anonymity and confidentiality of respondents in consideration of the ethical implications of collecting primary data. all selected respondents gave their informed consent, ensuring the confidentiality of their personal information throughout the research. additionally, institution identities were kept confidential. moreover, the research was approved and reviewed by the king saud university. results and discussion first question the first sub-question: how does an integration-based teaching paradigm affect? to address this question, a t-test proved the first hypothesis, which is compatible with the quasi-experimental design of the study sample: first hypothesis no significant differences (p-value < 0.05) exist between experimental and control group students’ postachievement exam results in jurisprudence course 1. the results of the experimental group are shown in table 3. the -t-test was utilised to demonstrate statistically significant differences in the grade point averages of the students in the control group. the results of the experimental group are shown in table 3: table 3: results of the independent samples t-test for differences test control group experimental group value significance value number average arithmetic standard deviation number average arithmetic standard deviatio the collection 37 11.89 4.13 38 14.08 2.60 -2.916 0.005 table 4: results of the paired samples t-test for variances between the scores of the experimental group students test tribal after me value significance value number average arithmetic standard deviation number average arithmetic standard deviatio jurisprudential analysis 37 3.12 3.07 37 6.40 3.80 -3.461 0.002 the analysis of table (5) reveals that the significance level of the t-test is 0.005, which is lower than the conventional threshold of 0.05, indicating that there are statistically significant differences between the grades of the control group (11.89) and the experimental group (14.08). these differences favour the experimental group, thus refuting the initial hypothesis. the findings support that the proposed teaching model, incorporating the flipped classroom and webquests strategies, positively impacts the academic achievement of high school students enrolled in the introduction to jurisprudence course. second question the second sub-question: how does a suggested teaching paradigm that integrates flipped classroom and web quest tactics affect it? a t-test validated the first hypothesis, which is compatible with the quasi-experimental design of the study sample, according to the second hypothesis: the second hypothesis there are no significant differences (p-value < 0.05) in average scores across experimental groups in the pre-and post-tests for improving jurisprudential analytical skills in course 1. a paired-sample t-test was used to change statistically significant changes between the experimental group students’ average scores on the pre-test and post-test for jurisprudential analysis. the results are shown in table no. (4) which is as follows: table 6, the results of the paired samples t-test demonstrate the statistical significance of the t-test (0.002), indicating that there are substantial differences between the pre-test (3.12) and post-test (6.40) scores of the experimental group students regarding the development of jurisprudential analysis skills. these distinctions favour the post-test and result in the rejection of the second hypothesis. in response to the second subquestion of the research, it is evident that the proposed teaching model, which combines the flipped classroom and webquests strategies, has a positive impact on improving the skill of jurisprudential analysis among high school students enrolled in the jurisprudence 1 course. third question the third sub-question: what are students’ attitudes towards applying the model and its results? to answer a specific research question, an open-ended interview form was created. the form was created by considering various factors, including student responses on google pa ge 56 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 51-59, 2024 classes, a review of school activity records, direct conversations with students, and discussions with the subject teacher about daily challenges and student interactions. after conducting these interviews and using the theoretical framework of the research, an open-ended interview form was distributed to the experimental group students immediately following the experiment. the collected responses were analysed, leading to a follow-up questionnaire designed to probe deeper into particular issues raised in the initial interviews. this procedure included both individual and group interviews, in addition to separate responses from each student. twenty questionnaires were collected in total. analysing these qualitative data was an ongoing procedure that began with the first interview and continued until this analysis was prepared. this research analysis concentrated on three key aspects: first, a description of the collected data; second, an analysis of the data to identify crucial elements in students’ attitudes towards the experiment; and third, an explanation of the students’ positions and justifications. furthermore, the questionnaires focused on three primary areas: behavioural aspects, which assessed how students engaged with scientific tasks and discussions in the classroom; cognitive elements, which evaluated their scientific understanding and comprehension; and emotional aspects, which were the primary focus. while emotional factors were the primary objective, the other factors provided additional insights and supported interpreting the results. the researcher followed a structured methodology based on al-abdul karim’s (1433 ah) phases of data analysis, which included data organisation, classification, coding, note-taking, identifying formats and patterns, formulating results, and verifying the findings. this procedure enabled a thorough investigation of the student’s perspectives on the experiment. several significant stages comprised the researcher’s data analysis procedure. first, the data was organised by categorising the primary and follow-up interview forms and the student’s responses on the school activity documents. the data was then classified and coded based on student motivation levels, differentiating between highly motivated and less motivated students. this classification evaluated the integrity of student interactions and enthusiasm and provided a comprehensive view of the data. the coding procedure employed colour-coding, specifically green, to identify expressions of support, approval, or rejection, particularly when accompanied by justifications. the findings demonstrated that students frequently hold opinions comprising support and criticism. the distribution of questionnaires yielded an equal number of highand low-motivation responses, with the proximity of the experiment to the preparation period for achievement tests adding to the experiment’s complexity. despite obstacles and difficulties, students were generally enthusiastic about the experiment. some students initially needed help comprehending the nature of the teachings during the introductory phase, which negatively impacted their interaction. contrary to the experiment’s purpose of promoting research and open-ended responses, some students favoured objective queries over essay-style tasks regarding performance tasks. moreover, some students found classroom discussion groups could have been more interesting, while others enjoyed them. some students needed help with jurisprudential analysis, which caused them to dislike the experiment. the teacher’s use of the guide gave the lesson an organised look, and the final test pushed the students to do their best. students viewed the repetition of information in the courses favourably, as it enhanced memorisation and enjoyment. students generally appreciated the wellprepared performance and activity tasks and suggested a flexible assignment schedule to accommodate their daily schedules. research results the research revealed statistically significant differences between the control and experimental groups on the jurisprudence 1-course achievement test. more than that, there were statistically significant changes between the experimental group students’ average scores on the jurisprudential analysis skill tests before and after the intervention. the interpretation of these results incorporated multiple factors that contributed to the efficacy of the proposed instructional model, which combined webquests and flipped classroom strategies. the research demonstrated that the proposed model was incorporated into multiple facets of students’ lives, utilising modern technology to motivate and engage them in learning. the electronic preparation of the experiment, simple access to electronic performance tasks via google classrooms, and flexible learning approaches were significant contributors to the model’s success. in addition, the emphasis was placed on student enthusiasm, active participation, and contemporary jurisprudential issues. discussion this research has revealed several key results. firstly, it has supported executing a teaching-based framework combining flipped classroom and webquest strategies. according to the result, this combination significantly impacts academic achievement in the jurisprudence 1 course. the experimental group performed better than the control group, indicating the efficacy of this educational model. several previous studies have demonstrated the viability of classroom strategies. webquest, teaching models based on social constructivist theory, and studies in the jurisprudence course that rely on the use of modern technology have a positive effect on enhancing academic achievement (kadonsi et al.; tosun, 2023; voshaar et al., 2023). the research (ibañez & pentang, 2021)is one of these studies in activating social constructivist theory in teaching. according to pa ge 57 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 51-59, 2024 this study, socio-constructivist learning is more likely to enhance students’ attitudes toward fractions, promote prosocial behaviour among students, and increase students’ participation in classroom activities. several studies have shown the flipped classroom approach’s efficacy in education, highlighting its favourable influence on students’ academic performance(al-samarraie et al., 2020; shiau et al., 2018). shiau et al. (2018) study demonstrated that the flipped classroom approach offered greater flexibility and applied learning opportunities for students at home and during discussion sections, with no significant difference in examination scores or student evaluation of the course compared to the standard format. similarly, al-samarraie et al. (2020) indicated that flipped classrooms can improve students’ involvement, metacognition, attitude, performance, comprehension, and accomplishment, among other learning outcomes. these studies showed that smart boards, multimedia, and the constructivist learning methodology improve jurisprudence student performance. consequently, the results of this study were obtained in the context of previous research, as the model’s components include all axes from these earlier studies. the findings also revealed that the proposed teaching model had a considerable influence on students’ development of jurisprudential analytical abilities, as shown by a significant improvement in post-test scores compared to pre-test scores. this result aligns with (badriyah et al., 2020), which depicted that using the jurisprudential inquiry learning model significantly impacts student’s critical thinking, as measured by formulating conclusions, questions, problems, and alternative solutions. similarly, mukuka et al. (2021) indicated the necessity of choosing a teaching method that not only focuses on developing students’ cognitive abilities, such as mathematical reasoning, but also promotes students’ affective attributes, such as mathematics self-efficacy beliefs (mukuka et al., 2021). these past studies support this research hypothesis that combining flipped classrooms and webquest greatly influences students’ analytical skills. furthermore, students’ attitudes regarding applying the model and its outcomes were generally positive. while some students initially encountered difficulties and had different preferences, the overall experience was viewed positively, with an appreciation for wellprepared performance and activity tasks and suggestions for a flexible assignment schedule. romero garcía et al. (2018) showed that implementing the flipped model and the webquests implementation improves student satisfaction, increases academic performance, and fosters extremely positive student attitudes (romero garcía et al., 2018). moreover, tonkin et al. (2019) this study result (tonkin et al., 2019). the study makes a compelling case for flipping the l2 classroom by correlating these findings with research demonstrating that flipped teaching models reduce or help manage cognitive stress. therefore, these findings suggest that the proposed teaching model enhances students’ academic performance and analytical abilities and promotes a positive attitude. limitation limitations of the study include a relatively small sample size from only one school, which may limit the universality of the findings. in addition, the research utilised self-reported student attitudes and feedback, which may have been affected by social desirability bias, thereby diminishing the reliability of responses. another limitation is that the research was limited to secondary school pupils in a specific region of saudi arabia, which may not have accounted for potential differences in educational settings. recommendations the following recommendations can be made in light of the findings of the present research: • adopting teaching methods for jurisprudence courses in particular and sharia science courses in general due to their impact on enhancing academic performance. • studying the suggested teaching approach in other fields as it improves student performance. • developing the jurisprudence course better using real-life examples that connect the students’ learning to their own lives. • incorporating jurisprudential analysis steps and disagreements in the course to improve students’ ability to analyse and evaluate different perspectives, in line with research on the most effective teaching models. conclusion this research demonstrated that incorporating the flipped classroom and webquests strategies into teaching jurisprudence significantly enhanced secondary school student’s academic achievement and jurisprudential analysis skills. the results indicated that this innovative instructional model increases student engagement, motivation, and performance. these results are encouraging and demonstrate the potential of this teaching paradigm to improve education, stimulate critical thinking, and adapt to the changing requirements of contemporary students in saudi arabia and worldwide. references ahmed, m., & indurkhya, b. 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(2020). a pilot study examining the impact of collaborative mind mapping strategy in a flipped classroom: learning achievement, self-efficacy, motivation, and students’ acceptance. educational technology research and development, 68, 3527-3545. pa ge 1 pa ge 71 american journal of education and technology (ajet) the impact of social media usage on academic performance: a study of the professional educational diploma program in uae azhar shater1*, maryam ahmed abualrish1, marwa mohammed abdullah al_manei2 volume 3 issue 3, year 2024 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v3i3.2996 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: july 16, 2024 accepted: august 21, 2024 published: august 24, 2024 in this modern age, social media plays a crucial role in the development of society. this technological reform has also influenced the educational sector, which has had several impacts. therefore, this study investigates perceptions regarding the impact of social media on academic performance among a sample of 231 individuals. a descriptive approach was used to conduct the analysis, which revealed the participant’s perception of both positive and negative impacts of social media on academic performance, with statistically significant effects observed. effect sizes indicate moderate to large magnitudes of these impacts, emphasizing their practical significance. furthermore, strong positive correlations are found between perceptions of negative and positive impacts of social media on academic performance, highlighting the multidimensional nature of individuals’ views. the study also has limitations, which include sampling bias and reliance on self-reported measures. meanwhile, these insights contribute to a better understanding the complex relationship between social media and academic performance, informing strategies for promoting positive educational outcomes in the digital age. keywords social media, academic performance, professional education, diploma 1 al ain university, college of education, humanities and social sciences, united arab emirates 2 masqat university, oman * corresponding author’s e-mail: azhaaar77@gmail.com introduction social media plays a crucial and diverse role in various aspects of individuals’ lives, communities, and organizations (kapoor et al., 2018). according to swart et al. (2019), social media platforms allow instant communication with friends, family, colleagues, and communities across geographical boundaries (swart et al., 2019). these platforms enable individuals to share real-time updates, messages, photos, and real-time,ster relationships, and develop social connections (garg & pahuja, 2020). it has both negative and positive impacts, mainly depending on the purpose of usage and consumption (bekalu et al., 2019; beyens et al., 2021). this study investigates the effects of social media usage on academic performance specifically. the complex relationship between social media and academic performance has several effects, which include distraction, reduced study time, sleep disruption, and impaired cognitive function and learning efficiency; on the other hand, social media increases collaborative learning, information sharing, and access to the educational resources (al-rahmi et al., 2018; ansari & khan, 2020; astatke et al., 2023; kumar et al., 2021; masood et al., 2020; mehta, 2022). this study investigates the impact of social media on academic performance in the context of professional education by examining the perspective of those enrolled in the professional educational diploma program at uae. according to dipaola & wagner (2018), professional education is mandatory to excel in every field (dipaola & wagner, 2018). it provides specific skills and knowledge that equip individuals to compete in the global market (garcía-pérez et al., 2021). professional education varies according to the skill set required for a specific field, such as technical skills in engineering, clinical skills in healthcare, or managerial business skills (demirkan & spohrer, 2018; gurcan & cagiltay, 2019; li, 2022). professional education increases opportunities for career advancement and often leads to promotions, salary increases and access to leadership roles within organizations (lee & lee, 2018). organizations are constantly evolve due to technological advancements, regulation changes, and consumer preference shifts (hanelt et al., 2021). professional education helps individuals stay abreast of these changes and adapt their skills and knowledge according to the requirements (smith & gillespie, 2023). it also provides opportunities for networking with peers, instructors, and industry professionals. these connections lead individuals to job opportunities, mentorship, and collaborations that enhance career prospects (ansari & khan, 2020). this study comprehensively explains how social media affects academic performance in the professional educational diploma program. the study’s findings inform educational practitioners to develop effective policies within the professional educational diploma program at al ain university. the results also guide the development of support services for students, such as workshops on time management and digital literacy skills. these services help students balance social media usage and academic responsibilities, ultimately improving their academic performance. the study also provides a guideline for educators to design curriculum within the diploma program by integrating lessons on digital citizenship, critical thinking and responsible social media usage to help students navigate the digital landscape effectively. the study also contributes to the existing body of knowledge in education and social sciences. pa ge 72 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 71-79, 2024 literature review social media is a collection of online communication channels dedicated to community-based input, interaction, content-sharing and collaboration (ukomadu, 2018). some examples of social media include wikis, social networking, forums, microblogging, social bookmarking, and programs for social curating (duong, 2020). popular social media platforms include wikipedia, linkedin, reddit, pinterest, facebook, twitter, and google+ (karle, 2020). social networking has become a common global trend, and its scope has extended to almost every corner of the world (ansari & khan, 2020). social networking sites have spread and developed into online platforms; people are creating, sharing, bookmarking, and communicating content at an astonishing rate, and prominent social media users are in demand (bayrakdar et al., 2020). technology is important in a student’s life (tushetti, 2020). according to bharucha (2018), students can access more helpful information by connecting with learning groups and other handy educational systems when using social media in the classroom (bharucha, 2018). social media platforms provide educational institutions and students with numerous ways to enhance their teaching methods. students have appropriate access to high-quality information on the school environment, departments, faculties, rules, and regulations using online resources, including the school website (kuchyn et al., 2021). it has been noted that social media provides a quicker and more expansive way to disseminate information to the broader public and students at a school (arceneaux & dinu, 2018). according to latif et al. (2019), students spend more time on social media because they have free access to the internet with their smartphones at any time (latif et al., 2019). studies suggest that students use social media for different purposes, such as communicating, watching movies, listening to music, finding information for educational purposes, and playing online games (kesici & tunç, 2018). aside from these purposes, studies revealed that students use the internet and social media for learning (ansari & khan, 2020; moghavvemi et al., 2018). students took help from the internet to solve their assignments because they access a vast amount of books and different materials irrespective of the traditional way of going to the library and reading books to understand and solve the assignment (barak & assal, 2018; sun et al., 2018). role of social media in education social media networks exchange and generate knowledge, which add great value in the context of higher education (zachos et al., 2018). social networking is a big part of schooling and college life. through social media, information can now be accessed, provided, and communicated with more ease and convenience. (mchaney, 2023). professors expand their use of social media by hosting live lectures or providing student support outside office hours, and social media helps teachers connect with their students off campus and with their previous students (bender, 2023). educators leverage social media to facilitate learning by setting up student accounts and groups with conveniently accessible content. instructors exchange ideas and forward requests via skype, facebook, linkedin, and whatsapp (aduba & mayowa-adebara, 2022). teachers create hashtags that allow students to tag their academic posts and view the submissions to see what the group has produced creatively. social media is integrated into classroom teaching at every college and university to the greatest extent possible, including admissions, campus life and alums relationships (benson & morgan, 2018). education uses open social practices like blogging and social media like facebook, twitter, and google+ to facilitate easy communication with peer groups and possibly with people outside of the classroom, like subject matter experts and other students interested in the same topic (malik et al., 2019). the fact that social media are generally open to the world means the need to consider the risks of openness carefully, as well as the need to constantly communicate with the student to address their academic affairs and deal with issues related to the use of social media as they arise (pope et al., 2019). a new area of social media focusing on relationship building grew in popularity with demand outside the classroom. one study reported that using social media tools improved students’ learning opportunities, allowed for real-time communication outside of the school, and enhanced opportunities for collaboration and creativity (vilarinho-pereira et al., 2021). students engage in online discussions with teachers after watching educational videos or sharing information about what they have seen and learnt. educators also gain knowledge from requests made in social media conversations (ansari & khan, 2020). positive and negative use of social media modern societies have witnessed the phenomenon of people’s online use of social networking sites in a remarkable way. these sites have become widespread, especially among university students, and have diverse uses. some use them positively and others negatively, despite these sites’ many benefits in exchanging communications and knowledge. they also provide help to communicate with different people and communities, to get to know each other, send messages, and receive news, topics, and everything new in their arena; however, they constitute a source of real danger to social relationships, and they also lead to isolation and disintegration of the fabric of social life, and this extends to non-compliance with the laws prevailing in society, especially by the youth group (abijaoude et al., 2020). students in schools also use social media on a large scale, which affects the student’s social and academic life. hence, this study aims to investigate the impact of social media on academic performance, which helps improve students’ performance in the professional diploma program at al ain university. pa ge 73 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 71-79, 2024 previous studies have addressed the relationship between the use of social media and each of the following variables: grade, gender, level of achievement, the number of hours, and the type of medium (alblwi et al., 2021; booker et al., 2018; oguguo et al., 2020). at the same time, this study examines the impact of social media on the academic performance of professional educational diploma program students in the context of language learning, which contributes valuable information to the literature and also provides a guideline to develop effective policies regarding the use of social media. bou-hamad (2020) investigated the impact of social media on students’ academic achievement in terms of cumulative gpa. this study has shown a negative correlation between the use of social media and academic performance in terms of gpa, which reflects that the more time a student spends on social media, the less time a student spends on academic work (bou-hamad, 2020). according to david robert skvarc et al. (2021), social media platforms improve student academic performance, communication, interaction, participation, and self-directed learning (david robert skvarc et al., 2021). sarker et al. (2021) conducted a study at the islamic university of bangladesh to examine the impact of social media on academic performance. the study’s results suggested that almost all students of the islamic university of bangladesh have access to the internet, and most use various social media, which slightly negatively impacts their academic performance. the results also indicate that the student must balance chatting with academic activities (sarker et al., 2019). kapoor et al. (2018) conducted a comparative study that identified the impact of social media on students’ academic performance and social life. on the other hand, it positively impacts the development of their personality and social life at school (kapoor et al., 2018). kircaburun et al. (2020) conducted a study to determine the extent to which the excessive use of social media affects university applications in their personal and social lives. some important results of the study show that students spend more than an hour a day using social media and facebook, among all other social media activities (kircaburun et al., 2020). social media has several effects on students, including that it reduces concentration in studies and affects a student’s academic performance. the use of social networks leads to decreased physical activity and health problems, and one of its negative aspects is that it reduces and destroys social skills (habes et al., 2018; keles et al., 2020; twenge et al., 2018). according to azizi et al. (2019), social media affects academic performance, mental health, and social relationships (azizi et al., 2019). social media provides opportunities for social networking, online communication, support, and self-expression (bailey et al., 2020). however, social media negatively impacts academics, including distraction, procrastination, and time management issues (türel & dokumaci, 2022). when reviewing previous studies, the researcher found that some studies indicated positive trends towards the use of social media, while some studies have suggested that using social media has both positive and negative at the same time. therefore, this study examines the impact of social media on academic performance by incorporating the point of view of professional educational diploma program students of uae. figure 1: conceptual framework hypothesis development the following hypothesis was developed by reviewing the previous literature. hypothesis 1 null hypothesis (h0) social media has no significant positive impact on the academic performance of uae students in the professional educational diploma program. alternative hypothesis (h1) social media significantly positively impacts the academic performance of uae students in the professional educational diploma program. hypothesis 2 null hypothesis (h0) social media has no significant negative impact on the academic performance of uae students in the pa ge 74 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 71-79, 2024 professional educational diploma program. alternative hypothesis (h2) social media significantly negatively impacts the academic performance of uae students in the professional educational diploma program. methodology this study incorporates a descriptive approach to understanding social media’s impact on academic performance. according to siedlecki (2020), the descriptive approach aims to accurately and systematically describe a population, situation or phenomenon (siedlecki, 2020). by applying this approach to vocational educational diploma students, the researcher aims to answer what, where, when, and how social media impacts academic performance. a descriptive research design has various methods to investigate one or more variables. this study used the survey questionnaire method to collect data from vocational educational diploma students and understand the relationship between social media and academic performance by statistically analyzing the data. study sample in al ain university of science and technology’s professional graduate diploma program, 400 male and female students were enrolled for the academic year 2023–2024, making up the study population. the 400 people were given the electronic questionnaire; of them, 231 members of the study population—122 students studying in arabic and 109 students studying in english— responded to it. the scale’s robustness in accurately assessing the targeted concept. therefore, researchers and practitioners confidently utilize this scale, knowing that it provides dependable and consistent measurements for their purposes. study tool the researcher produced a measure of the impact of social media use on academic performance from the student’s point of view in the professional diploma program at al ain university in order to gather data about the target group and utilize it to answer the study questions. to determine how social media, use affects students’ academic achievement in al ain university’s vocational educational diploma program. there were 27 items on the scale when it was first created. by examining the theoretical literature pertaining to the study’s topic, the scale’s original form was created (david r skvarc et al., 2021). the study tool consisted of (20) items in its final form after making the amendments recommended by several arbitrators. reliability of the tool using the cronbach alpha equation for internal consistency, the reliability of the scale was determined by calculating the internal consistency coefficient for the questionnaire items. the result was a value of (0.83), which is appropriate for the study. validity of the tool ten arbitrators with backgrounds in psychology, curricular philosophy, and teaching methods were asked to evaluate the scale’s items based on their applicability, clarity, and phrasing. this confirmed the scale’s apparent validity and the impact of social media use on students’ academic performance in the professional educational diploma program at al ain university. the final version of the tool had 20 items after the arbitrators’ suggested changes and changes to some of the item phrasing. data analysis tool to extract the reliability coefficient of the research instrument, cronbach’s alpha equation was one of the statistical studies that were performed using the statistical package for social sciences (spss) edition 26. the arithmetic mean and standard deviation were computed as descriptive statistical measures to assess the impact of social media use on students’ academic achievement. social media’s statistically significant effects on students’ academic performance—both positive and negative— were assessed using a t-test. to examine the relationship between social media’s beneficial and detrimental effects on students’ academic achievement, the posterior distribution characterization for pairwise correlations was employed. results the following results were generated from the study table 1: distribution of the study sample according to the language of the study percentage no of enrollments levels variable 52% 122 arabic language language of study 47% 109 english language 100% 231 total table 2: reliability test reliability statistics cronbach's alpha n of items .981 20 table 2 illustrates cronbach’s alpha coefficient of .981, obtained for the scale comprising 20 items, indicating an exceptional level of internal consistency reliability. this high coefficient suggests that the items in the scale were highly correlated, indicating that they consistently measure the same underlying construct. this high level of reliability gave the researcher confidence that the scale effectively measures the intended construct without significant measurement error. this result underscores pa ge 75 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 71-79, 2024 conducted to understand the impact of social media on academic performance with the students of the professional educational diploma program at uae. table 3 provides descriptive statistics which offer table 3: descriptive results descriptive statistics n minimum maximum mean std. deviation negative_impact_of_social_media_on_academic_ performance 231 1.89 5.00 4.0717 .73180 positive_impact_of_social_media_on_academic_ performance 231 3.18 5.00 4.4656 .50647 valid n (listwise) 231 valuable insights into the perceived impact of social media on academic performance among a sample of 231 individuals. for the variable “negative impact of social media on academic performance,” respondents reported a range from 1.89 to 5.00, with a mean score of 4.0717 and a standard deviation of .73180. the results suggested that, on average, participants perceived a relatively high negative impact of social media on their academic performance, with moderate variability in their responses. conversely, for the variable “positive impact of social media on academic performance,” scores ranged from 3.18 to 5.00, with a higher mean of 4.4656 and a smaller standard deviation of .50647. this indicates that, overall, respondents perceived a stronger positive influence of social media on their academic performance compared to negative impacts, with less variability in their perceptions. the valid sample size of 231 indicates that all respondents provided complete data for both variables. these descriptive statistics provide a comprehensive view of the perceptions and the effects of social media on academic performance within the surveyed population. table 4 provides the statistical table 4: one-sample test one-sample test test value = 0 t df sig. (2-tailed) mean difference 95% confidence interval of the difference lower upper negative_impact_of_social_media_on_ academic_performance 84.564 230 .000 4.07167 3.9768 4.1665 positive_impact_of_social_media_on_ academic_performance 134.008 230 .000 4.46556 4.3999 4.5312 table 5: one-sample effect sizes one-sample effect sizes standardize point estimate 95% confidence interval lower upper negative_impact_of_social_media_on_ academic_performance cohen's d .73180 5.564 5.039 6.087 hedges' correction .73420 5.546 5.023 6.068 positive_impact_of_social_media_on_ academic_performance cohen's d .50647 8.817 8.001 9.632 hedges' correction .50812 8.788 7.975 9.600 a. the denominator is used to estimate the effect sizes. cohen’s d uses the sample standard deviation. hedges’ correction uses the sample standard deviation plus a correction factor. results of one-sample tests conducted for social media’s negative and positive impacts on academic performance that reveal significant results. for the negative impact, the t-value of 84.564 with 230 degrees of freedom indicates a highly significant difference (p < .001) between the mean score of 4.07167 and the test value of 0. the 95% confidence interval for the mean difference ranges from 3.9768 to 4.1665, indicating that the true mean of the negative impact lies within this interval. similarly, for the positive impact, the t-value of 134.008 with 230 degrees of freedom also shows a highly significant difference (p < .001) between the mean score of 4.46556 and the test value of 0. the 95% confidence interval for the mean difference ranges from 4.3999 to 4.5312, suggesting pa ge 76 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 71-79, 2024 that the true mean of the positive impact lies within this interval. these results indicate that social media’s negative and positive effects on academic performance were significantly different from zero, which suggests that social media substantially impacts academic performance according to the perceptions of the surveyed individuals. table 5 demonstrates the result of one-sample effect sizes, measured using cohen’s d and hedges’ correction, which provide insights into the magnitude of the impacts of social media on academic performance. cohen’s d is calculated to be approximately 0.73180 for the negative impact, while hedges’ correction yields a slightly higher value of 0.73420. the 95% confidence intervals for both effect sizes (cohen’s d: 5.039 to 6.087; hedges’ correction: 5.023 to 6.068) indicate a substantial effect of social media on academic performance, with a moderate to large effect size. similarly, for the positive impact, cohen’s d is approximately 0.50647, and hedges’ correction is slightly higher at 0.50812. the 95% confidence intervals for both effect sizes (cohen’s d: 8.001 to 9.632; hedges’ correction: 7.975 to 9.600) suggest a significant positive effect of social media on academic performance, with a large effect size. these results indicate that social media’s negative and positive impacts on academic performance have considerable practical significance, with hedges’ correction providing a slightly more conservative estimate due to its correction factor. table 6 demonstrates the results of posterior distribution table 6: posterior distribution characterization for pairwise correlations posterior distribution characterization for pairwise correlations nega-tive_impact_ of_social_media_ on_academic_ performance posi-tive_impact_ of_social_media_ on_academic_ performance negative_impact_of_social_media_on_ academic_performance posterior mode .957 mean .956 var-iance .000 95% credible interval lower bound .945 up-per bound .967 n 231 231 positive_impact_of_social_media_on_ academic_performance posterior mode .957 mean .956 var-iance .000 95% credible interval lower bound .945 up-per bound .967 n 231 231 a. the analyses assume reference priors (c = 0). characterization for pairwise correlations between the negative impact of social media on academic performance and the positive effects of social media on academic performance, which reveals strong correlation values. both correlations have a posterior mode of .957 and a mean of .956, indicating a high positive correlation between the two variables. the variance for both correlations was reported as .000, which suggests minimal variability around the mean. the 95% credible intervals for both correlations range from .945 to .967, indicating a tight range within which the true correlation was likely to lie. with a sample size of 231 for each variable, these results provide robust evidence of a strong positive correlation between perceptions of social media’s negative and positive impacts on academic performance within the surveyed population. discussion the results of the study, elaborate social media’s perceived impacts on academic performance and the underlying relationship between these impacts. the descriptive statistics of the study highlight that the respondents, on average, perceive both positive and negative impacts of social media on their academic performance which provide the evidence in the favor of both h1 and h2. the mean scores suggest that participants generally believe social media substantially affects their academic endeavors. the relatively high mean scores for both negative and positive impacts indicate that social media is perceived to play a significant role in influencing academic performance. the one-sample tests confirm that these perceptions were significantly different from zero. social media’s negative and positive impacts on pa ge 77 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 71-79, 2024 academic performance were statistically significant which support h1 and h2, as evidenced by the low p-values and the wide confidence intervals that do not include zero. this suggests that the effects of social media on academic performance, whether perceived as positive or negative, are substantial and cannot be ignored. the effect sizes further underscore the magnitude of these impacts. the effect sizes for both negative and positive impacts are moderate to large, indicating that social media considerably influences academic performance according to the respondents’ perceptions. this finding reinforces the importance of considering the role of social media in educational settings and its potential implications for students’ academic outcomes. lastly, the posterior distribution characterization reveals a strong positive correlation between perceptions of social media’s negative and positive impacts on academic performance. this suggests that individuals who perceive social media to impact their academic performance significantly negatively are also likely to perceive it as having a substantial positive impact, and vice versa. this finding highlights the complexity of individuals’ perceptions regarding the effects of social media on academic performance and emphasizes the need for a nuanced understanding of these perceptions. therefore, the analyses provide comprehensive information on how social media is perceived to affect academic performance among the surveyed individuals. these findings have implications for educators, policymakers, and researchers interested in understanding and addressing the impact of social media on student learning outcomes. considering these perceptions and their potential consequences when designing educational interventions and policies to promote positive academic outcomes in the digital age is essential. limitations while the study yields valuable insights into perceptions of social media’s impact on academic performance, it also has several limitations. the potential for sampling bias exists, as the study’s sample does need to not fully represent the population’s diversity due to specific recruitment methods or demographic characteristics. also, the reliance on self-reported measures introduces the possibility of social desirability bias, where participants provide responses, they perceive as socially acceptable rather than reflecting their true perceptions. additionally, the cross-sectional design limits the study’s ability to establish causal relationships or capture changes in perceptions over time. future research should address these limitations by employing more representative samples, utilizing objective measures where possible, and using longitudinal designs to track changes in perceptions over time, thereby providing a more robust understanding of the dynamic relationship between social media and academic performance. recommendations • academic institutions should implement educational awareness campaigns to promote responsible social media use and mitigate negative impacts on academic performance. • educational practitioners should design and integrate digital literacy programs into the curricula to empower students with critical thinking skills and online safety practices. • institutions should provide resources and support for parents to facilitate constructive conversations about social media and academic success. • academic institutions should also offer teacher training and professional development on effectively integrating social media into classroom instruction while minimizing distractions. • encourage further research to understand the longterm effects of social media on academic outcomes and explore interventions to maximize educational benefits. conclusion there is no doubt that social media benefits students’ academic lives, as it prepares them for the age of science and technology, as well as to continue their studies despite the distance from the place of learning and the inability to reach it. this study provided an understanding of the effects of using social media in the student’s academic performance survey from the student’s point of view. the sample’s responses to the study tool showed that social media improves self-education for most students and makes learning fun and easy. it also works to help students understand with high efficiency, improves the quality of academic work, and stimulates demand. to become producers of society, social media also enhances collaborative learning and engagement among students. the comprehensive analysis of perceptions regarding the impact of social media on academic performance provides valuable insights into the complex relationship between digital technology and education. the results indicate that individuals perceive both positive and negative impacts of social media on their academic endeavors, with statistically significant effects observed. moreover, the effect sizes suggest that these impacts are not only significant but also of moderate to large magnitude, which emphasizes the substantial role of social media in shaping academic performance perceptions. furthermore, the strong positive correlation between perceptions of social media’s negative and 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(2018). social media use in higher education: a review. education sciences, 8(4), 194. pa ge 1 pa ge 1 american journal of education and technologies (ajet) effectiveness of kumospace apps on the academic performance of grade 9 students in online physics class julie s. berame1*, minie l. bulay1, rissa l. mercado1, carlo p. collantes2 romel a. defacto3, caroline a. gildo4, maricar p. nituda5 volume 1 issue 3, year 2022 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i3.767 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: october 14, 2022 accepted: october 19, 2022 published: october 24, 2022 kumospace is platform that provides an immersive and fun experience online, designed to recreate physical experience and atmosphere of being in a room, you can move around and connect with others virtually with the simplicity of a video chat and the creativity of video games. this study aimed to determine the effectiveness of kumospace on the academic performance of grade 9 students in online physics class. this research is limited only to two sections in grade 9, academic year 2021-2022. it used the quantitative research design with 30 participants for the control group and 30 participants for experimental group. pretest and posttest were taken thru google form attached to the learning management system, which were prepared with a tos ahead and validated by the experts before it was conducted to test. results showed a high mean score of 3.333, 3.442, and 3.383 respectively, in terms of content quality, learners need and website quality which means that the students strongly agree and are satisfied with the features of kumospace, while mean scores of the posttest for both sections gave an excellent result. the finding of the study showed that t-test analysis on the effectiveness of kumospace on the academic performance of grade 9 online physics class resulted a p-value of 0.401 which means that they are not significant. therefore, with consideration of the results, disregarding the h1, it can be concluded that kumospace is an effective intervention to improve the academic performance of learners in the conduct of online physics classes but cannot be significantly compared to other online applications, specifically zoom. keywords kumuspace, academic performance, online application, intervention 1 caraga state university, butuan city, philippines 2 mahay integrated secondary school, butuan city, philippines 3 timber city academy, butuan city, philippines 4 buenavista national high school, philippines 5 agusan national high school, butuan city, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: janveel@yahoo.com introduction kumospace, is a virtual assembly space that works more like a party than a prison. it is a better way to make virtual learning fun for both student and teacher. with kumospace, you can infiltrate the world of a virtual classroom, with places to sit, opportunities to break into diverse corners for group assignments, and easy interaction with your classmates. you can also customize your virtual background and add your chosen music playlist or youtube videos. the video chat platform has been used by a number of k-12 schools as well as for interactive courses or events for harvard university, columbia university business school, and tufts university, among other institutions (krecher,2021). the advent of online education has made it possible for students with busy lives and limited flexibility to obtain a quality education (paul, 2019). covid-19 has disrupted most of the industries in the world and education is the only industry that has completely transferred to online mode in most countries around the world. (mahyoob, 2020). this shift in the pedagogical medium is forcing academic institutions to rethink of how they want to deliver their course content that can ensure better academic performance of learners. with technological advancement, learners now want quality programs they can access from anywhere and anytime (paul, 2019). lockdowns imposed by the government have destroyed once-vibrant learning settings, pushing education providers to quickly implement online learning tools to support remote student involvement. due to this, innovative learning and communication platforms have been deployed, radically altering the landscape of teaching and learning for disciplines and institutions that previously assumed that learning took place in a physical setting. in these situations, the difficulty frequently stems from a need on the part of the institution to recreate physical classrooms virtually using already-existing distance education infrastructure (arasaratnam-smith & northcote, 2017). the public health emergency brought about by covid-19 calls for the department of education (deped) to be innovative and resourceful in delivering quality, accessible, relevant, and liberating education. in response to this emergency, deped develop the basic education learning continuity plan (be-lcp) to ensure that learning opportunities are provided to our learners in a safe manner, through different learning delivery (do 18, s. 2020). moreover, this is also in accordance to the department of education’s goal on the modernization of its operations to the teaching and learning process which is the deped computerization program (dcp) (do 95, s.2010). education in digital age has been focused on social and human interactions. teachers, students, university administrators, parents, community members have been https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i3.767 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= mailto:%20janveel%40yahoo.com?subject= pa ge 2 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 1-8 2022 connected to know, learn, and share their everyday activities. modern information and communication technology (ict) are extensively explored and utilized for their potential contribution to make education that can meet the expectations of the society in terms of enhancing students’ skills that future employers need. communication tools have been intentionally and unintentionally used by teachers and students for academic use purposes. the rising of connectivity allowed users to generate, share, and develop the content by using wide variety of technologies like youtube, messaging and chat, rss feeds, podcasts, blogs, online grading, quiz and assessment tools, publishing and social networking sites. social networking sites (sns) like facebook are commonly used to connect to other people online for social and academic purposes.the technological challenges that students may face in online learning environments depend on a variety of variables, including the standard of the communications infrastructure and the accessibility to software and hardware platforms that support learning. satisfactory internet connectivity was one of the most fundamental barriers to switching to online learning that was noted in the studies (chan & wilson, 2020; lassoued et al, 2020). the teaching methods and administrative assistance necessary to maintain meaningful student involvement are at the heart of worries about moving face-to-face education to online delivery (wingo et al, 2017). such factors frequently have their origins in the discipline being taught and the traits of the intended students. for instance, a training program in advanced statistical techniques would require completely different teaching approaches and learning tools than medical and other health-related courses with a practical component. what was once very simple to do in a face-to-face setting, such as practical demonstrations, becomes quite difficult in an online setting and necessitates subject matter experts becoming proficient in the use of quickly evolving learning technologies that are not typically used to teach hands-on activities in their field (mitchell, 2020). asynchronous and synchronous are the two main categories into which information technology (it) tools and other infrastructure used to support higher education can be divided (larasati & santoso, 2017; lim, 2017). according to larasati and santoso (2017), asynchronous learning systems are constructed on communication platforms that do not call for time-sensitive interactions between participants in the educational process. according to pilli (2014), subramanian et al (2014), and turnbull et al (2021), lmss have traditionally played a crucial role in allowing access to online learning environments and coordinating assessments. lmss are primarily made to work asynchronously, yet many students have only ever used them as a tool to support mixed learning in a classroom setting (ngom et al, 2012). in studies that looked at the use of online technologies in certain courses and programs, moodle was the primary platform for performing asynchronous learning activities (davies et al, 2020). learning management systems (lmss), such as moodle and blackboard, are examples of well-known remote learning platforms that are designed to promote stakeholder interactions based on a “request-response” paradigm free from time constraints. as opposed to asynchronous online learning, which involves the real-time exchange of information, synchronous online learning is typically carried out through video conferencing systems like zoom and skype (janghorban et al, 2014; kohnke & moorhouse, 2020). from about 1996 onwards, regular classroom teachers started to incorporate the internet into their teaching. online discussion forums are used to continue discussion after class or the lecture. various software platforms such as webct and blackboard were also developed (bates, 2008). at present, zoom, google meet, and microsoft teams are commonly used in video conferencing specially in the conduct of online classes. to level up the online class discussions and cater the increasing demands and changing interests of the modern-world students, teachers must constantly innovate and look for technologies that encourage active interaction within the class while putting into consideration all the most essential learning competencies, our students are expected to learn. both faculty and students must possess pedagogical and technical expertise to successfully teach and learn online. in their study on hurdles to online learning, lassoued et al (2020) note that student adjustment issues and faculty proficiency in online assessment are the two main roadblocks to a smooth transition to e-learning. according to a study on the digital competence of faculty and students at a spanish university, this disadvantage in grasping online teaching and learning styles is exacerbated by a lack of faculty and student fluency in the use of online technology. according to mouchantaf (2020), this apparent digital literacy gap may be caused by a lack of institutional support. administrators should not only support teachers in keeping up their knowledge of contemporary e-learning tools, but also give them opportunity to gain expertise in best practices in curriculum development and instruction (schmidt et al, 2016). thus, this research investigated whether the academic performance of the grade 9 students in their online physics class has improved when introduced with an immersive video chat platform that features interactive activities, known as kumospace. methodology research design this study used quantitative design specifically the experimental research method in order to gather the data. the experimental research method was used to measure the control group and test group improve in academic performance towards physics using kumospace in online class through the pre-test and post-test scores. furthermore, this study also used to show the effects of kumospace in the academic performance of learners as https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 3 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 1-8 2022 well as the effectiveness of this application kumospace in terms of its content quality, learners needs and website quality. sampling design this study adopted stratified sampling design. the researchers got 60 students from the whole population of grade 9 students as the participants of the study. after determining the number of students-participants of grade 9 level, half of the population used kumospace while the other used zoom in the conduct of online classes. pretest and posttest were given to all two sections. sample treatment the researcher crafted a questionnaire and was submitted to the adviser for content validation for the improvement of the instruments. the data collection of this research was thru google form. a survey questionnaire was adapted as the instrument in gathering the data for the effectiveness of the application, kumospace. the participants were asked to answer the questionnaire which consists of two parts. the first part asked for the profile of the participants while the second part includes the assessment of the students in using kumospace in terms of website quality, content quality, and learners’ needs. data gathering procedure after the validation of the instrument, the researchers secured a permit to the administrator of said school. after given the permission, the researchers explained the purpose of the study to the participants and they made sure each participant corresponded to their predefined criteria. a 25-item pretest was given to all 60 participants before the conduct of physics classes, thru google form attached the learning management system. after the discussion of the lessons the control group then answered the 25-item posttest while the experimental group answered both the posttest and the survey questionnaire. the questionnaire was sent thru google form that comprised their age, gender and year level and included the questions about the perceptions of learners in the use of kumospace in terms of content quality, learner’s needs, and website quality. the results were then checked, interpreted, and analyzed using jasp, a statistical tool. data treatment the data gathered was classified, analyzed, and interpreted using the following appropriate statistical tool. frequency counts and percentage. this was used to analyze and interpret the demographic profile of the respondents. weighted mean. this tool was used to analyze and interpret the effectiveness of kumospace in online physics 9 class. results and discussion in recent years, many researchers have investigated the effectiveness of digital technology in the promotion of learning (lin & chen, 2013). several factors have been found to correlate with e-learning effectiveness which includes self-efficacy, interface, community, usefulness, students’ satisfaction and intention to use e-learning (alrahmi et al, 2015). a study by chuang & tsai (2014), evaluated and developed five assessment indexes required toward construction of e-learning websites, “assessment guidelines on e-learning website.” these five assessment indexes were “teaching materials and structure,” “layout design,” interaction design,” and “establishment of system configuration.” in this study three aspects; content quality, learners’ needs, and website quality were used to determine the effectiveness of kumospace in the improvement of the academic performance of grade 9 students in their online physics class. in the survey given, agreement scale was used to measure the satisfaction of the participants in using kumospace. satisfaction is a level factor of expectation and performance. a supportive learning framework can enhance the learner’s satisfaction and success with online learning environments. learner’s satisfaction is an essential measure of the educational program quality, besides being considered as a significant element to the completion of course (abuhassna et al, 2020). after responses has been tallied, mean score of the agreement scale for each aspect; content quality, learner’s needs and website quality were determined and presented in table 4. mean score was also taken for each subaspect as shown in tables 1,2, and 3 to determine the effectiveness of kumospace in the improvement of the academic performance of the grade 9 physics class. the system of e-learning refers to the tools by which students gain access to content. the task interaction in which individuals are involved is based on contents of e-learning (al-rahim, et al, 2017). the quality of content, which is intended to create a specific visually attained perception, as well as developing a successful transmission system with an effective message system, eventually table 1: mean score of the student agreement scale for content quality indicators mean right and understandable content 2.1.a . the materials used is of high quality, clear, credible and the learner’s objective is satisfied. 3.300 2.1.b. right and understandable content: language (including vocabulary) is appropriate to the target user level. 3.333 2.2.a complete content: the materials used are accurate, current, factual, thorough, precise and complete 3.333 2.2.b. complete content: content promotes positive values that support formative growth. 3.367 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 4 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 1-8 2022 enhances the quality of educational design work. quality features related to perception and specifically visual perception have to be considered in may design settings, with a particular emphasis in educational settings and design work (eristi et al, 2010). under content quality, students strongly agree that the materials used is of high quality, clear, credible and the learner’s objective are satisfied and that the language used is appropriate to the target user level. the indicator 2.1.a got a mean of 3.300 which translates that the respondents strongly agree that the materials used in kumospace are of high quality. indicator 2.1.b, on the other hand, got a mean of 3.333 which means that the respondents strongly agree to the appropriateness of the language used in kumospace. in a related study about user satisfaction towards learning management system, in the result of the study with the estimated weight regression of 17.5%, it could be concluded that system content positively affect lms usefulness that leads to the influence in students’ satisfaction (nguyen, 2021). the indicators 2.2.a and 2.2.b got a mean of 3.333 and 3.367 respectively. this translates to the fact that the respondents strongly agree to the accuracy of the materials used and that the content support formative growth. in distance learning, it is an important thing to note that students’ concentration during online classes affects their performance. since kumospace is a combination of the common features of a video game and a video conferencing tool, this can help mitigate the concentration problems of students during online class via any web conferencing tool. the 52% indicated that very seldom has concentration problems during classes, only 32% who has problems often, and the 16% indicates constantly has problems (rio-chillcce et al, 2021). the 24% rated that their performance has improved considerably, the 60% considers that his performance has remained on the sidelines, and only the 16% indicates that its performance has decreased (rio-chillcce et al, 2021). the result of this study on the content quality of kumospace may help the 60 % of the respondents who considered that their performance has remained on the sidelines while using videoconferencing tool in their online classes. table 2: mean score of the student agreement scale for learner’s needs indicators mean 3.1.a. variety of educational level: the site can be used by different levels of education (can be used by higher education) 3.333 3.1.b. variety of educational level: the site can be accessible without any restriction. 3.533 3.2.a. personalization: the level of individualization from users’ requirements is satisfactory. 3.533 3.2.b. personalization: knowledge construction should result from the experiential world of the users. 3.367 indicator 3.1.a got a mean of 3.333 which mean that the respondents strongly agree that kumospace can be used in different levels of education. indicators 3.1.b and 3.2.a on the other hand both got a mean of 3.533 which translates to the fact that the respondents strongly agree that the site can be accessed without restrictions and that the level of individualization from users’ requirements is satisfactory. these are important factors to engage the students in the lesson, encouraging learning and learner’s satisfaction. the students were satisfied, and they agreed that webbased courses improve their achievement in relation to students’ background, students’ experience, students ‘learning autonomy, and students’ dialogue (abuhassna et al, 2020). results indicate that communication tool used in the distance learning situation connect both time and physical dimensions to close the students and faculty as a virtual group. the implication of technology enormously encourages and improves the communication not only between teachers and students but also among students. students want to use interactive tools to make their learning easier and more efficient and allow them to learn anywhere and at any time (abuhassna et al, 2020). indicator 3.2.b got a mean of 3.367 which means that the respondents strongly agree that in kumospace, knowledge construction should result from the experiential world of the users. some of the current features of kumospace are related to roblox, an online application which offers numerous opportunities for education from its front end (the games) or its back end (coding & building). games such as work at a pizza place, farmtown, theme park tycoon, jailbreak, and murder mystery 2 are numerous examples that can be utilized objectively. these games are designed to accomplish tasks and allowing students to role-play, create a virtual world, and customize different things (long, 2019). in kumospace, a teacher can rearrange any part of the floors to recreate a real-world scenario which can be used to discuss specific subject matter. students then can answer questions, play games, create concept maps, or draw and label parts of a structure depending on the topic. this enhances the problem-solving abilities and psychomotor skills of the learners. samuel reed iii is a self-described early tech adopter who before covid-19 hit had already been experimenting with education technology in his role as a humanities teacher at u school, a philadelphia public high school. he uses kumospace, an immersive video chat platform that has vivid, video game-like settings that mimic the real-world regularly as a remote learning tool. results show that integrating different interface can result in different learning pattern with respect to factual learning and skill involved problem solving which considered as high order learning. interface such as pop-up window and web framed-base are able to improve student learning rate that have little experience https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 5 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 1-8 2022 in e-learning than with browser scroll interface. with a proper design of modules in e-learning this will encourage in problem solving skills (al-rahmi et al, 2015) the construction of the interface will greatly on how the user sees and fully grasp of the system functionality that it will be part of the system that promotes user to interact with basic technologies, thus this will bring impact on the functionality (al-rahmi et al, 2015). major determinant that influences perceived usefulness greatly are e-learning design. when the students gain fulfillment in using online courses, they are confident on the perceived usefulness. the user’s perception on ease of use is of importance to understand users’ satisfaction. if the task given can be accomplished with less effort, the system is user-friendly. by making the e-learning system easy for all level of user to use, it will make them more attracted towards learning the content rather than wasting time on learning the tools (al-rahmi et al, 2017). in table 3, students agree that the appearance or the design of the site generated positive impression to the user’s sight. for the navigation, respondents strongly agree that the directions for accessing the relevant information to the user is satisfactory. mean scores showed that for the user-friendliness and interactivity, the respondents strongly agree that kumospace gives the user ease of understanding needed to use the site correctly and that the level of involvement of the learners is very satisfactory. the results show that the students exhibited consistently positive responses for all aspects similarly shown in liu et al (2013). quick access to information, anywhere and anytime learning, interacting with friends and facilitating learning are observed as important key points of mobile learning according to the interviews with students. mobile learning applications increase the effect of learning and enhance the process of learning (huang et al, 2014; wishart, 2015). perception oriented design principles received a higher priority in making educational designs. expectations regarding the design aspect of websites developed for educational purposes soared up with the rapid spread of internet services over the past decade. it is thought that greater attention must be paid to visual design principles while developing website design for educational purposes (eristi et al, 2010). website quality, content quality and learner’s needs showed very high mean score in the agreement scale which signifies that user of kumospace application strongly agree that it is very satisfactory in these aspects. this research examined the effectiveness of online table 3: mean score of the student agreement scale for website quality indicators mean 4.1. design 3.233 4.2. navigation 3.600 4.3. user-friendliness 3.366 4.4. interactivity 3.333 learning applications on grade 9 students’ academic performance, attitudes toward online learning and animation development levels. online learning using kumospace has significantly positive effect on academic performance of the learners. results were similar to those of oberer and erkollar (2013) and hwang and chang (2011). similarly, hwang and chang (2011) indicate that online learning not only catches students’ interaction but also increases their success. when differentiated assessment techniques exist to evaluate effectiveness of e-learning, student activity may be remedied or enhanced through various criticisms to accomplish better performance. system quality expanded the effectiveness of learning system while content quality made worth and learners’ satisfaction. decent learnerinterface can increase the learner’s inspiration to learn by providing them with controls, showcases and data components that keep them intrigued (al-rahmi et al, 2015). table 4: average mean score of the student agreement scale for website quality, content quality, learner’s needs indicators mean content quality 3.333 learner’s needs 3.442 website quality 3.383 table 5: pre-test and post-test of grade 9 science section integrity (control) and section faith (experimental) section pre-test mean post-test mean integrity 14.367 17.900 faith 11.600 17.133 the pretest and posttest results demonstrate that kumospace significantly increased the scientific knowledge as supported by lin et al. (2013). table 5 shows the mean score of the sections (integrity and faith) in pretest and posttest. section integrity got highest mean score in pretest with 14.367 while the section faith got 11.600. the result indicates that section integrity is a special class where most of top performing students belong while section faith is categorized as a regular class. the result of post-test showed that the two section has almost the same posttest score with a mean of 17.900 and 17.133, both sections have big improvement in their academic performance with and without intervention. according to learning links academy (lla) 2020 that many e-learning resources have been included by the deped in the philippines to aid students in their online classes. the range of available digital tools has been proved to enhance the learning process. learning has become more accessible because to websites like open educational resources (oer). students now have access to a wide range of resources to aid their study rather than being restricted to textbooks. additionally, the subjects that the learner can learn on these websites are not constrained. there are far more subjects accessible than https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 6 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 1-8 2022 table 6: paired samples t-test analysis on the effectiveness of kumospace on the academic performance of grade 9 physics class measure t df p decision interpretation as score post-test integrity score post-test faith 0.853 29 0.401 fail to reject null hypothesis not significant were actually taught in schools (berame & baring, 2022). their academic performance will undoubtedly improve as a result of the increased information base. ersoy et al. (2019), showed that there are substantial differences between the results of the preand posttests for the achievement test, the efficiency of acquiring google applications ability to perceive space. it proves that any tool of elearning can be used for the better improvement in the academic performance of the students. the table above shows the result of the paired sample t test of the post-test results of the two sections of grade 9, the control group (integrity) and experimental group (faith). it can be gleaned from the table above that the p-value is 0.401, thus, hypothesis 1 is rejected. this shows that there is no significant difference in the improvement of the grade 9 students using kumospace from students not using kumospace in terms of their academic performance. this means that both sections got almost the same score in post-test. the use of kumospace and zoom are effective in the improvement of the academic performance of the learners but in terms of results it has no significant difference in the effectiveness compared to other applications, specifically zoom. just like the finest illustration of google apps that can increase pupils’ love of learning child’s wellbeing and academic performance, kumospace can also be used to improve performance of learners. education department never stops through offering free accounts, educational resources, presenting many platforms to assist and continue the process of teaching and learning. in all digitization of education will be advantageous to everyone (lalap, 2021). conclusion results from the survey showed that kumospace is extremely effective in terms of content quality, learner’s needs and website quality. it was emphasized that from the participants responses, the most essential features and characteristics required for a quality instructions website were concluded as the assessment guidelines of an instructional website (chuang & tsai, 2014). from the literature gathered, for website quality, design and userfriendliness is very much important, which results showed very good result. analysis also revealed a significant result for content quality and learner’s needs. based on the gained scores from the pre-test and post-test, there was a big improvement in the academic performance of the learners. on the other hand, the analysis of data showed that there is no significant difference in the academic performance of the learners using kumospace from learners using zoom. overall, students displayed positive attitudes toward the use of kumospace. therefore, the researchers conclude that kumospace is an effective intervention to improve the academic performance of learners in the conduct of online physics class but cannot be significantly compared to other online application, specifically zoom. recommendations after careful and thorough analysis of the results, the researchers would like recommend the following: • in terms of the quality of kumospace, future researchers can use other aspects in measuring the perceptions of the kumospace users aside from website quality, content quality, and learner’s needs. other features of the application can also be explored to effectively conduct the online classes. • the web/app developer will revisit the accessibility feature of kumospace to allow participants to enter the space through smart phones and tablets. virtual backgrounds and avatars of the participants is also a great feature to be added. • for the interest of time, allow students to have a concrete and more valid experience on the said educational web tool and introduce the use of kumospace in other subject areas like english and mathematic subjects. references abuhassna, h., zahiri, m.a., zakaria, m., yahya, n., kosnin, a.m., & al-rahmi, w.m. 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(2015). assimilate or accommodate? the need to rethink current use of the term mobile learning. in the mobile learning voyage-from small ripples to massive open waters. springer international publishing, 560, 229-238. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 1 american journal of education and technology (ajet) determining the intermediate grade pupils’ perceived learning difficulties in science class experiences necijim carl joshua c. palac1*, kathleen joy c. baldo1, nicell mae g. socorro1, julie s. berame1 volume 4 issue 1, year 2025 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v4i1.3886 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: october 05, 2024 accepted: november 09, 2024 published: december 19, 2024 this study aimed to determine the pupils’ perception of science classes in terms of five factors: learner-centered pedagogy, science inquiry activities, positive affect and attitudes, grades as feedback, and support for self-learning and effort, using an adopted and modified version of the perception of science classes survey. the researchers conducted a survey from grades iv to vi with 186 pupils as participants. among the five factors, learner-centered strategies got a very high level of perception followed by science-inquiry activities, grades as feedback, and positive affects and beliefs. support for self-learning and effort got a moderate level of perception, the lowest level out of the five. each factor was then compared across the grade levels, with grades as feedback the only one to have a significant difference that leads to the rejection of the null hypothesis which states that there is no significant difference in pupils’ perception of science classes in relation to their different grade levels while the rest of the factors showed no significant difference. this study led to the development of 3 modules, one for each grade, to improve pupils’ perception of factor 5. keywords classroom experiences, learning difficulties, pedagogy, perceive learning, perception 1 college of education, caraga state university, butuan city, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: palacjoshua@gmail.com introduction science education is a foundational element in curricula worldwide, from basic to higher education, emphasizing the role of science and technology in daily life and the development of a scientifically literate society. it fosters essential 21st-century skills, such as adaptability and problem-solving (kalogiannakis et al., 2020). the use and integration of technology-equipment in science classroom instruction significantly impact students’ performance relative to their national achievement test (nat) result (berame, 2023). however, numerous countries, including the philippines, face substantial challenges in achieving science literacy. for instance, despite a slight improvement in the 2022 programme for international student assessment (pisa) results, the philippines remains in the bottom ranks, underscoring the ongoing struggle with science education quality and engagement (oecd, 2023). science learning, particularly in intermediate grades, often becomes a difficult and uninteresting subject for students, partly due to traditional teaching methods and a lack of effective engagement strategies (ankucic, 2019). students’ attitudes toward science can be improved by a positive teaching style, which may also increase their cooperation, involvement, and performance. to address this, research highlights the need for science teachers to possess strong pedagogical skills to implement diverse and student-centered teaching methods (saira et al., 2021). this research investigates the challenges faced by filipino intermediate-grade students in science classes, aiming to identify the specific obstacles they encounter and explore ways to improve science education quality in the philippines. by addressing issues such as low comprehension, inadequate resources, and declining performance as seen in national assessments behiga (2022), the study offers valuable insights for educators. this research seeks to measure and address the following problem on the pupils’ perceived difficulties of learning experiences in science class grades iv to vi. in terms of learner centered pedagogies, science inquiry activities, positive affects and beliefs, grades as feedback, and support for self-learning and effort. the authors contribute to this field by analyzing students’ perceived difficulties in science and providing recommendations to bridge gaps in current science education practices, ultimately supporting efforts to cultivate a more scientifically literate and engaged generation. literature review science learning perceptions perception plays a crucial role in learning by enhancing memory and understanding, allowing students to process information more effectively. research shows that positive perceptions of science increase when students engage in interactive and experimental methods rather than traditional lectures. learning that incorporates teaching aids or hands-on tools also boosts students’ motivation and interest in science (kumar & sampath, 2020). in contrast, negative perceptions of science often result from experiences with rigid, lecture-based teaching, which can decrease students’ enthusiasm and motivation to learn (ahmet hakan hançer & ahmet türker tüzemen, 2008). several studies emphasize the need for more relevant, real-world connections in science education to engage students effectively. for example, students in england reported that classroom science felt disconnected from real-life issues and noted limited opportunities for handspa ge 2 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 1-11, 2025 on activities (bevins et al., 2011). these limitations reduce the curriculum’s relevance, hindering students’ ability to apply scientific concepts meaningfully. moreover, students value teachers who bring expertise into the classroom and make science more engaging, which they believe would help bridge the gap between academic learning and practical application (osborne & collins, 2003). academic impediments in science learning the transition to post-pandemic education and the difficulties in teaching science thus, sufficient resources, creative teaching strategies, and continual teacher development are necessary for the provision of an interesting and successful science education (nemalynne et al., 2023). challenges in the philippine education is rising, where students often perform below average in international assessments. the marginalization of science instruction, especially at the elementary level, affects students’ understanding and interest in the subject. many filipino elementary students have limited science classes, with time constraints, teachers’ low self-efficacy, and scarce professional development opportunities further hindering science education (ambag, 2019). despite some improvement in science scores, the national achievement test and pisa results underscore the need for targeted interventions by the department of education to strengthen science education quality (deped, 2017). students face multiple challenges in learning science, including difficulties in comprehending abstract scientific concepts due to traditional lecture-based teaching and limited hands-on learning. studies indicate that students’ motivation and interest greatly influence their learning pace and ability to grasp scientific knowledge (kaptan & timurlenk, 2012). in the absence of sufficient facilities and resources, educational institutions face challenges in delivering quality science education, which can considerably impede students’ productivity and academic success. moreover, the primary school science education curriculum frequently experiences modifications, which can lead to a lack of clarity in the scope and learning goals (pariz alparuq et al., 2024). perceived learning experiences in science class: learner-centered pedagogies a learner-centered approach is valued in higher education but underutilized in counselor education. this approach fosters a collaborative learning environment, encouraging students to actively engage with material and consider how it might apply to their future work. science education, in particular, benefits from engaging content that connects to students’ daily lives, fostering critical thinking and problem-solving skills crucial for academic and life success. early exposure to stimulating science content can counter negative perceptions, sustaining students’ interest in science over time (edify, 2022). in the philippines, the k-12 curriculum shift highlighted a mismatch in in-service teachers’ professional development, with fewer than 60% of elementary teachers having received recent science-related training (calleja et al., 2023). research underscores the importance of teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge (pck), linking it to improved student performance more significantly than content knowledge alone (voss et al., 2011). effective science teaching requires educators to simplify and communicate complex concepts, a skill at the heart of quality instruction. strong pck helps teachers meet standards like the next generation science standards, promoting a deeper understanding of scientific concepts among students (hanuscin et al., 2019). science-inquiry activities inquiry is central to science education, as it engages students in active exploration, fostering deeper understanding of scientific concepts (national research center, 2011). compared to traditional lectures, inquiry learning is used to teach a specific concept, fact or skill and leads the way to open inquiry where the student formulates his own problem to investigate. (abdi, 2014). these exercises encourage students to think critically, evaluate information, and solve issues, which makes learning more engaging and significant (bouwmeester et al., 2019). while inquiry-based learning builds essential scientific skills such as observation, data collection, and communication, it can initially be challenging for students accustomed to passive, teacher-led instruction. with well-designed activities and appropriate teacher support, enhance students’ communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills while also helping them understand scientific concepts (kotsis, 2024). positive affects and beliefs well-designed science classes can positively impact students by deepening their understanding of scientific concepts and critical thinking skills (national research council, 2011). interactions between teachers and students in public school settings, with the ultimate objective of improving learning outcomes for students (bhattarai & wagle, 2023). however, there are differences in how involved students are; some prefer practical exercises, while others find it difficult to remember complicated ideas, particularly while learning remotely (best, 2019). learning is a social process where teachers facilitate knowledge-building, but students must actively engage and apply strategies for organizing and retaining information (orlich, 2009). academic performance often revolves around grades, which both reflect and influence ongoing achievement (gray & bunte, 2020). poor grades can be disheartening, but identifying underlying issues can help students and parents develop strategies to improve, supporting long-term academic success (enghofhi, 2023). materials and methods this research employed a quantitative research design pa ge 3 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 1-11, 2025 as it obtained information to characterize the perceived difficulties of intermediate grade pupils. this paper examined pupils’ perceived difficulties in learning experiences in science classes at cogon central elementary school, barangay 2, buenavista, agusan del norte. it deals with statistical measurement and numerical data gathering through a questionnaire. participants the study involved 186 pupils who are from the grade iv to vi levels, with 67 participants from grade iv, 68 participants from grade v, and 51 participants from grade vi. a sample size of 186 was deemed sufficient to provide for the data collection. table 1: distribution of the participants in the study grade level population (n) sample size (n) grade iv 81 67 grade v 83 68 grade vi 58 51 total 222 186 table 2: evaluation scale in five-point range responses scale range interpretation strongly agree 5 4.20 5.00 very high level of perception agree 4 3.40 4.19 high level of perception not sure 3 2.60 3.39 moderate level of perception disagree 2 1.80 2.59 low level of perception strongly disagree 1 1.00 1.79 very low level of perception this research used stratified random sampling, which means grouping a population based on their characteristics. the study also used cochran’s formula (cochran, 1977) for finite population. using cochran’s formula for each grade level, the researchers have determined that the sampling size of the study is n=186. instrument this study used a survey questionnaire which was largely adapted from another research study by bernardo, allan & limjap, auxencia & prudente, maricar & roleda, lydia (2008), kardash, and wallace, (2001), and sadera et al (2020). the tool has been validated by four experts and passed the reliability test before it was implemented. specifically, the research instrument contains five (5) factors. factor 1: learner-centered pedagogy, factor 2: science inquiry activities, factor 3: positive affect and beliefs, factor 4: grades as feedback, and factor 5: support for self-learning and effort that will provide the answer to the statement of the problem. after the pupils’ answers on their perception of their science class when grouped according to their profile and factors was classified respectively using the 5-point likert scale of statistical mean, range, value, and its descriptive equivalent. procedure the researchers conducted the survey during the last quarter of the school academic year to give the pupils more time to create their perceptions about their science class. it was also ensured that their answers will be kept confidential from anyone aside from the researchers. lastly, the responses were checked and monitored to ensure that the chosen participants of each grade level have answered all the questions. the paper was then collected to be tallied, tabulated, processed, and submitted to the statistician for analysis and interpretation. in identifying whether there is a significant difference between pupils’ perception of their science class, one-way analysis of variance (anova). results and discussion problem 1. the inquiry activities, positive affects and beliefs, grades as feedback, and support for self-learning and effort. table 3 presents the data gathered from the survey questionnaire about pupils’ perceived learning experiences in science class in terms of learner-centered pedagogies. it shows the distribution of the first factor in terms of range means, and the verbal description obtained from the survey. it shows the discussions of the implications of the highest, lowest, and overall weighted mean respectively, supported by the related current studies. table 3: mean distribution of the pupils’ perceived difficulties of learning experiences in science class in terms of learner-centered pedagogies indicators level of appreciation interpretation mean description my teacher tries to find out if we understand our past lesson before teaching us a new lesson. 4.37 strongly agree very high level of perception my teacher tells us what facts or concepts are important to learn. 4.39 strongly agree very high level of perception pa ge 4 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 1-11, 2025 my teacher tries very hard to connect new ideas to past lessons in science. 4.20 strongly agree very high level of perception my teacher asks questions that help me understand my science lesson. 4.24 strongly agree very high level of perception my teacher would try to do everything just to be sure that we understood the ideas taught in class. 4.34 strongly agree very high level of perception my teacher tries hard to make sure students understand the lesson. 4.40 strongly agree very high level of perception it is okay to ask my teacher for help if there are things i don’t understand. 3.99 agree high level of perception my teacher gives good examples and practical applications of science concepts. 4.18 agree high level of perception my teacher encourages me to think and do the activity independently. 3.98 agree high level of perception my teacher strongly encourages me to participate in classroom discussions. 4.13 agree high level of perception overall weighted mean 4.22 strongly agree very high level of perception range of means: 1.00-1.49 strongly disagree; 1.50-2.49 disagree; 2.50-3.49 not sure; 3.50-4.49 agree; 4.50-5.00 strongly disagree as shown in table 3, the statement “my teacher tries hard to make sure students understand the lesson” got the highest mean score of 4.40, which has a verbal description of strongly agree, and interpreted as very high level of perception. this means that the teacher puts in significant effort to explain concepts clearly and focus on pupils’ comprehension. when a teacher is dedicated to helping students comprehend the material, students are likely to attain greater learning results. it is possible that educational strategies and objectives created to progress students’ cognitive outcomes should focus on students’ learning environment perceptions (hafızoglu & yerdelen, 2019) they do not just present information, they strive for understanding which highlights the importance of this type of teacher effort. the study found that teachers who use a variety of instructional methods and monitor student understanding throughout the lesson lead to better learning outcomes. study emphasizes that teachers have a better chance of satisfying each student’s unique learning demands if they have a deeper understanding of the differences (felder & brent, 2005). whereas the statement “my teacher encourages me to think and do the activity independently” got the lowest mean score of 3.98, which has a verbal description of agree, and interpreted as high level of perception. this means that the teacher is fostering pupils’ ability to learn and solve problems on their own. instead of simply providing answers, teacher ask questions that prompt pupils to analyse information, draw conclusions, and come up with their own solutions. the overall weighted mean of the pupils’ perceived difficulties of learning experiences in science class in terms of learner-centered pedagogies is 4.22, which has a verbal description of strongly agree. this implies that most of the pupils have a very high level of perception that learner-centered pedagogies’ attempt to encourage comprehension and learning among the pupils. it aims to develop active engagement by involving pupils in discussions, projects, and problem-solving. learnercentered pedagogy not only enhances comprehension through active retrieval practice but also fosters a growth mindset among students. different learning styles are also taken into consideration by learner-centered teachers. they recognize that every student learns differently, and they try to provide opportunities for diverse learning styles, such as independent study, group discussions, hands-on learning, etc. (sean mcpheat, 2024). table 4 presents the data gathered from the survey questionnaire about pupils’ perceived learning experiences in science class in terms of science-inquiry activities. it shows the discussions of the implications of the highest, lowest, and overall weighted mean respectively, supported by the related current studies. it primarily seeks to show the relevance of science-inquiry activities conducted by the teachers to the learning experiences of the pupils. table 4: mean distribution of the pupils’ perceived difficulties of learning experiences in science class in terms of science inquiry activities indicators level of appreciation interpretation mean description my teacher connects new scientific activities to other science lessons. 4.21 strongly agree very high level of perception i like the laboratory activities in my science class. 4.21 strongly agree very high level of perception pa ge 5 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 1-11, 2025 my science teacher likes us to make hypotheses and test our theories. 3.78 agree high level of perception when i grow up, i will take a job that uses a lot of science. 3.96 agree high level of perception the laboratory activities my teacher gives us are lively and fun. 4.14 agree high level of perception my teacher lets us do scientific research projects. 4.15 agree high level of perception my teacher promotes the idea that i am allowed to discover information together with my classmates. 4.15 agree high level of perception my teacher relates the information that he/she teaches to the real world. 4.09 agree high level of perception my teacher gives help when i don’t know the activity. 4.19 agree high level of perception the activities that my teacher gives are relevant to me. 3.93 agree high level of perception overall weighted mean 4.08 agree high level of perception range of means: 1.00-1.49 strongly disagree; 1.50-2.49 disagree; 2.50-3.49 not sure; 3.50-4.49 agree; 4.50-5.00 strongly disagree as shown in table 4, both statement “my teacher connects new scientific activities to other science lessons”, and “i like the laboratory activities in my science class” got the highest mean score of 4.21, which has a verbal description of strongly agree, and interpreted as very high level of perception. this means that teacher connects new information to other lessons and past knowledge to strengthen existing understanding and creates a more cohesive picture of science. it follows that teachers should create a school setting that gives kids the impression that they have the same chances as their peers, that they can effectively connect with both teachers and friends (hafızoglu & yerdelen, 2019). involving students in science inquiry activities is not just engaging, it’s demonstrably effective. research shows these activities enhance students’ ability to think and act like scientists. on the other hand, the statement “my science teacher likes us to make hypotheses and test our theories” got the lowest mean score of 3.78, which has a verbal description of agree, and interpreted as high level of perception. this means that teacher is encouraging pupils to actively engage in the scientific method, a process of discovery used to learn about the world around us. this aligns with the 21st century skills movement, which emphasizes the importance of critical thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving in a rapidly changing world (partnership for 21st century learning, 2019). the overall weighted mean of the pupils’ perceived difficulties of learning experiences in science class in terms of science-inquiry activities is 4.08, which has a verbal description of agree. this implies that most of the pupils have a high level of perception that scienceinquiry activities give emphasis on learning exercises that promote inquiry and scientific process-thinking abilities. involving students in science inquiry activities is not just engaging, it’s demonstrably effective. research shows these activities enhance students’ ability to think and act like scientists. by actively participating in investigations, students hone their observation, analysis, and problemsolving skills, transforming them from passive learners to critical thinkers who can analyze evidence and draw their own conclusions (national research council, 2019). table 5 presented the data gathered from the survey questionnaire about pupils’ perceived learning experiences in science class in terms of positive affects and beliefs. it shows the distribution of the third factor in terms of range means, and the verbal description obtained from the survey. it shows the discussions of the implications of the highest, lowest, and overall weighted mean respectively, supported by the related current studies. table 5: mean distribution of the pupils’ perceived difficulties of learning experiences in science class in terms of positive affects and beliefs indicators level of appreciation interpretation mean description i understand the lessons my teacher teaches. 3.51 agree high level of perception i am very good at science that is why i easily understand my science lessons. 3.32 agree high level of perception the seat work and laboratory activities in this class are not boring. 3.69 agree high level of perception my teacher is friendly. 3.70 agree high level of perception pa ge 6 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 1-11, 2025 science has so much to do with my life. 3.73 agree high level of perception my teacher has the motivation to teach well. 3.29 agree high level of perception i am interested in studying science. 3.45 agree high level of perception i find science class a difficult time 3.12 not sure moderate level of perception i find science class a very interesting subject. 3.78 agree high level of perception i feel comfortable in science class. 3.48 agree high level of perception overall weighted mean 3.51 agree high level of perception range of means: 1.00-1.49 strongly disagree; 1.50-2.49 disagree; 2.50-3.49 not sure; 3.50-4.49 agree; 4.50-5.00 strongly disagree as shown in table 5, the statement “i find science class a very interesting subject” got the highest mean score of 3.78, which has a verbal description of agree, and interpreted as high level of perception. this means that the pupils have strong enthusiasm for learning science in a classroom setting. it suggests that the pupils enjoy the subject matter and find the way it’s taught engaging. this interest may lead to increased participation and enthusiasm in learning scientific concepts. it shows that science has the potential to inspire curiosity and a deeper understanding of the natural world among students. whereas the statement “i find science class a difficult time” got the lowest mean score of 3.12, which has a verbal description of not sure, and interpreted as moderate level of perception. this means that the pupils sometimes experience challenges or struggles when it comes to science class. this challenge might stem from several factors, including insufficient foundational skills in reading and mathematics, which can impede their performance in science classes that necessitate the application of these skills to scientific material. in essence, cultivating positive affects and beliefs is crucial for creating a thriving science classroom. plan ahead for how the instructor will address different classroom management concerns and help students recognize the importance and relevance of science to enable them to cultivate a lifetime love of learning in this vital field (jordan, 2021). the overall weighted mean of the pupils’ perceived difficulties of learning experiences in science class in terms of positive affects and beliefs is 3.51, which has a verbal description of agree. this implies that most of the pupils have a high level of perception that positive affects and beliefs express positive sentiments about the science teacher, learning activities, and the subject matter. teachers’ enthusiasm for science is contagious, and their creative lesson plans, like building model ecosystems or designing experiments, make learning interactive and fun. the teacher-student relationship includes a bond between a teacher and a pupil, fostering an environment that is rich in learning opportunities (bhattarai & wagle 2023). these engaging activities not only solidify understanding but also cultivate a sense of wonder and discovery in learners. table 6 presented the data gathered from the survey questionnaire about pupils’ perceived learning experiences in science class in terms of grades as feedback. it shows the distribution of the range means, and the verbal description obtained from the survey. table 6: mean distribution of the pupils’ perceived difficulties of learning experiences in science class in terms of grades as feedback indicators level of appreciation interpretation mean description my grades in science are a good sign of how much i have learned. 4.13 agree high level of perception my grades in this class are a good sign of how hard i studied in science. 4.08 agree high level of perception my grades in science are a good indicator of how much effort i put into my science classes. 4.03 agree high level of perception my grades in science are a good indicator of the quality of my work. 4.05 agree high level of perception my grades are a good sign of my interest in class. 4.06 agree high level of perception overall weighted mean 4.07 agree high level of perception range of means: 1.00-1.49 strongly disagree; 1.50-2.49 disagree; 2.50-3.49 not sure; 3.50-4.49 agree; 4.50-5.00 strongly disagree as shown in table 6, both statement “my grades in science are a good sign of how much i have learned” got the highest mean score of 4.13, which has a verbal description of agree, and interpreted as high level of pa ge 7 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 1-11, 2025 perception. this implies a belief that academic grades are a reliable measure of learning and understanding in the subject of science. it suggests that higher grades correlate directly with a deeper or more comprehensive grasp of the material. this perspective assumes that the evaluation methods used in grading accurately reflect the student’s knowledge and learning achievements (hanuscin et al., 2019). on the other hand, the statement “my grades in science are a good indicator of how much effort i put into my science classes” got the lowest mean score of 4.03, which has a verbal description of agree, and interpreted as high level of perception. there is a clear relationship between a student’s level of effort and the grades they obtain in scientific classes. higher grades are an indication of more devotion and effort in learning the material. deeper processing occurs when a learner is interested in and involved in their education. the overall weighted mean of the pupils’ perceived difficulties of learning experiences in science class in terms of grades as feedback is 4.07, which has a verbal description of agree. this implies that most of the pupils have a high level of perception that factor grade as feedback accurately reflects the pupils’ levels of learning. the use of factor grades in science class feedback encourages students to adopt a growth mindset, viewing challenges as opportunities for learning and improvement rather than indicators of fixed ability. by receiving feedback that evaluates not only factual knowledge but also scientific inquiry skills and problem-solving abilities, students are prompted to approach learning as a dynamic process of exploration and discovery. this shift in perception aligns with contemporary educational theories emphasizing the development of meta-cognitive strategies and resilience in the face of academic challenges. interest improves the quality of learning and fosters academic success by increasing attention and engagement. it is also positively related to a range of non-cognitive outcomes and even career choices (steidtmann et al., 2022). table 7 presented the data gathered from the survey questionnaire about pupils’ perceived learning experiences in science class in terms of self-learning and effort. it shows the distribution of the fifth factor in terms of range means, and the verbal description obtained from the survey. it shows the discussions of the implications of the highest, lowest, and overall weighted mean respectively, supported by the related current studies. table 7: mean distribution of the pupils’ perceived difficulties of learning experiences in science class in terms of grades as feedback indicators level of appreciation interpretation mean description my teacher is more interested in finishing her lesson plan than helping us learn the lesson. 3.68 agree high level of perception getting high grades in this class depends more on being born intelligent than studying hard. 3.73 agree high level of perception my teacher would provide us with support materials for self-learning. 3.05 not sure moderate level of perception my teacher support me in self-studying if i do not understand a lesson. 3.21 not sure moderate level of perception i do solve science problems at class because my teacher does guide us. 3.27 not sure moderate level of perception overall weighted mean 3.39 not sure moderate level of perception range of means: 1.00-1.49 strongly disagree; 1.50-2.49 disagree; 2.50-3.49 not sure; 3.50-4.49 agree; 4.50-5.00 strongly disagree as shown in table 7, the statement “getting high grades in this class depends more on being born intelligent than studying hard” got the highest mean score of 3.73, which has a verbal description of agree, and interpreted as high level of perception. this means that natural intelligence is more important than effort when it comes to succeeding in science class. intelligence is not fixed but can be developed through effort and learning. the educational policies of most governments indicate that including science and technology in the the educational pursuit of scientific literacy depends heavily on the school curriculum, and studies have shown that growth mindset treatments significantly raised students’ grades in a variety of areas (rennie et al., 2018). this indicates that students often experience a sense of being overwhelmed by the vast material and the high expectations associated with scientific investigation, which results in challenges in maintaining motivation and dedicating the effort required to understand complex ideas.s on the other hand, the statement “my teacher would provide us with support materials for self-learning” got the lowest mean score of 3.05, which has a verbal description of not sure, and interpreted as moderate level of perception. this means that pupils are uncertain about their teacher’s offered resources that help pupils learn independently outside of class time. teachers can provide “scaffolding” – temporary structures like resources or guidance – to help students develop their skills in pa ge 8 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 1-11, 2025 self-directed learning. in short, it is essential because scaffolding allows students to complete more difficult assignments than they could on their own, increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of their learning. (gunstone, 2015). deficiency in support mechanisms like books, brochures, or modules further underscores the challenges students face in developing effective self-regulation. the overall weighted mean of the pupils’ perceived difficulties of learning experiences in science class in terms of support for self-learning and effort is 3.39, which has a verbal description of not sure. this implies that many of the pupils have a moderate level of perception that support for self-learning and effort represents the perception that the teacher does not surely support individual pupils’ attempts to learn in the science class. pupils often encounter significant challenges in their science learning experiences, particularly concerning the level of support for self-learning and the effort required within the science classroom. it has shed light on the struggle many students face when transitioning from traditional teacher-centered instruction to more selfdirected learning approaches (hew et al., 2016). the perceived effort demanded in science classes can pose a formidable obstacle for learners. findings showed that improving students’ perceptions of science learning environments may enhance students’ motivation, and thereby science achievement, thus students may feel disillusioned and disengaged from the learning process if they believe their efforts have gone unnoticed or unrewarded (hafızoglu & yerdelen, 2019). furthermore, utilizing technological tools and adaptive learning platforms can enhance the personalization of the educational experience and offer students instant feedback, which caters to their specific learning requirements. by implementing such strategies and recognizing the diverse needs of learners, educators can better support pupils in overcoming the perceived difficulties associated with selflearning and effort in the science classroom. problem 2. is there a significant difference in pupils’ perception of science classes in relation to their different grade levels? table 8 presents the weighted mean and analysis of variance (anova) which was conducted to determine if there is a significant difference in pupils’ perception of science classes in relation to their different grade levels. there are five (5) dependent variables, and three (3) grouping variables in each dependent variable. anova is used if it is statistically significant between the pupils’ perceptions of science classes in terms of learnercentered pedagogies, science-inquiry activities, positiveaffects and beliefs, grades as feedback, and support for self-learning and effort per grade level. table 8: one way analysis of variance in pupils’ perception of science classes in relation to their different grade levels dependent variables grouping variable f-value p-value remarks learner centered pedagogies grade 4 .097 .908 not significantgrade 5 grade 6 science inquiry activities grade 4 3.211 .056 not significantgrade 5 grade 6 positive-affects and beliefs grade 4 .275 .762 not significantgrade 5 grade 6 grades as feedback grade 4 12.879 .001 significantgrade 5 grade 6 support for selflearning and effort grade 4 .609 .560 not significantgrade 5 grade 6 significant α 0.05 level it can be gleaned that on the grade level profile, only factor 4: grades as feedback indicates a significant difference by its significant value of .001 which is lesser than the α of 0.05 for statistical analysis. this leads to the rejection of the null hypothesis which states that “there is no significant difference in pupils’ perception of science classes in relation to their different grade levels.” this implies that grade level matters to the pupils’ perception of science classes in terms of grades as feedback. the use of different formulas for calculating grades around student performance, effort, and growth, a diverse number of tasks, and the incorporation of teacher judgment on individual students and strategies for the motivation of student effort differs from teacher pa ge 9 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 1-11, 2025 to teacher. in addition, according to numerous studies, variations on several teachers’ grading criteria and judgement have been found even when they grade the same assignment (allensworth, 2018). lastly, the findings of guskey and link (2018), states that the evidence teachers’ use varies depending on the grade level of students. this means that a significant difference on factor 4: grades as feedback, is consistent with other studies. problem 3. based on the findings, what intervention material may be proposed? based on the results gathered and data analyzed, the researcher’s study concluded that the pupils had a moderate level of perception of learning experiences in science class in terms of support for self-learning and effort compared to the other factors that had a high level or very high level of perception. in line with this, we propose a learning module as an intervention material that can be used by the teacher to improve the pupils’ moderate level of perception on support for self-learning and effort. the teacher can give this to pupils who want to learn more or a pupil who has difficulty in understanding the topic. this proposed intervention material can be added to the instructional material repository of the classroom. conclusions based on the findings of the study, several conclusions can be drawn. the focus of the study is to determine the pupils’ perceived difficulties in learning experiences in science classes at cogon central elementary school. pupils perceive learner-centered pedagogies as attempting to support students’ comprehension and learning at a very high level. pupils stressed that science-inquiry activities stress learning exercises foster inquiry and scientific process-thinking abilities. positive affects and beliefs convey favorable sentiments from the learners about the science teacher, the learning activities, and the subject matter. in grades as feedback, most of the pupils have a high level of perception that factor grade as feedback accurately reflect the pupils’ levels of learning. nonetheless, support for self-learning and effort garnered the least perception among the learners, and so researchers proposed modules as an intervention material to improve and support the self-learning among the pupils. meanwhile, significant differences in pupils’ perception of science classes factor: 4 in relation to their different grade levels were observed. this leads to the rejection of the null hypothesis which states that there is no significant difference in pupils’ perception of science classes in relation to their different grade levels. in light of the findings, the study proposes developing and implementing intervention material to enhance pupils’ perception to science class. this interventional material offers more comprehensive information and is a tool for learners in mastering the lesson in science. while pupils appreciate engaging activities like learner-centered pedagogies and science-inquiry, the study identified a gap in support for self-directed learning. acknowledgments the researchers would like to express their gratitude to the students who actively participated during the conduct of the study. references: abdi, a. 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(2011). assessing teacher candidates’ general pedagogical/psychological knowledge: test construction and validation. journal of educational psychology, 103(4), 952–969. https://doi. org/10.1037/a0025125 pa ge 1 pa ge 62 american journal of education and technology (ajet) code-switching in classroom interaction michael b. lavadia1*, jelyn meca balao1, jamiela estabillo1 volume 4 issue 3, year 2025 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v4i3.5594 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: june 25, 2025 accepted: august 01, 2025 published: september 02, 2025 code-switching is a common linguistic phenomenon among multilingual speakers. this phenomenon manifests itself in diverse ways and serves a variety of purposes. this paper explores code-switching in the context of classroom interaction, specifically to find out dominant patterns and factors that trigger the switching of codes among teachers and learners. code-switching may occur between sentences, known as 'intra-sentential code-switching'; at the beginning and end of a sentence, known as 'inter-sentential codeswitching'; and it may also occur as fillers, idioms, and expressions, known as 'extra/ tag code-switching. this paper analyzed the alternating use of english and filipino in classroom interaction at the cagayan state university-carig campus. the data consists of six audio-recorded lectures in the departments of humanities and social sciences and mathematics and natural sciences. the findings revealed that apart from the three patterns extensively researched in bilingualism, teachers and students also employed intraword code-switching (switch within word boundary). this new pattern has emerged in the investigation. the study also shows that the widespread use of code-switching in the classroom may serve instructional purposes, such as asking, clarification/reiteration, conveying intimacy, equivalence, explanation/elaboration, floor-holding, loss of words, and translation. this research broadens our understanding that code-switching in bilingual and multilingual classrooms is largely demonstrative of communicative competence. keywords code-switching, competence, functions, patterns 1 cagayan state university, carig sur, tuguegarao city, cagayan, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: csulavadia29@gmail.com introduction considering the number of languages spoken around the globe, it is inevitable to have people who speak two or more languages in a community. kanwal et al. (2022) defined bilingualism as "understanding" two languages in their most basic forms. there are difficulties, however, in defining what it means to "know" a language because while some bilinguals are fluent in both languages, others have a definite dominant or favored language. william (2009) further explains that 'bilingual' refers to the process of communicating in two languages (l1 for input and l2 for output). this is in accordance with what muysken et al. (2005) mentioned: bilingual people have command of at least two languages. due to frequent language contact, there is a sociolinguistic phenomenon called code-switching (cs), which has indisputably dominated the contact phenomena of interest to bilingualism. it stimulates professional scientific and academic research but produces a considerable deal of sharp criticism that reflects public misconceptions about the nature of cs. language is crucial to our survival as a means of communication and expressing our ideas, beliefs, and opinions. language use reflects our identity and cultural background. communities that speak two or more languages take advantage of various phenomena to enhance their communication ability. shifting of codes is one of these occurrences. this paper looked into the patterns and functions of code-switching in classroom interaction with the end of understanding how and why it happens particularly in learning environments where english is used as a second language such as in the philippine education setting. literature review code-switching is broadly defined by gumperz (1982) as "the juxtaposition within the same speech exchange of passages of speech belonging to two different grammatical systems or subsystems." it happens when a bilingual goes from one language to the other in mid-speech when both speakers know the same languages (cook, 2008). additionally, people usually employ a particular language system to fit the needs of a communicative setting. nurzahidah (2020) defined 'code' as a language or dialect utilized by bilinguals. bilinguals in this situation employ code to blend in with the group (it can either be intentional or unintentional) or to communicate ideas and concepts that might be lenient to explain in a particular language. thus, code-switching is the alternating use of two or more codes within one conversational episode (auer, 2014). literature on code-switching offers two prominent but opposite views. on the one hand, code-switching is viewed as deficiency/incompetence because, as simasiku et al. (2015) mentioned, teachers value monolingual instructions to facilitate competence. it supports holmes's (2013) idea that speakers code-switch indiscriminately due to incompetence. on the other hand, code-switching illustrates competence as it shows the ability of speakers to manipulate two different codes with ease and fluency. reyes (2004) supported this idea, stating that code-switching is utilized for comfort and pa ge 63 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol.4(3) 62-70, 2025 greater competence. she claimed that cs can also be used to achieve conversational goals and interact with peers. bautista (1999) even suggests minimal wastage of time, effort, and resources while switching to the other code since it offers the quickest, most straightforward, and most convenient approach to expressing thoughts. she termed this as ‘communicative efficiency’. according to shartiely (2016), it depends on whether cs is viewed as a strategy or a deficiency. in an interaction, code-switching occurs between bilinguals, and they appear in patterns, whether midsentence or as a single unit. poplack (1980) stated that the code switch could occur at sentence boundaries (intersentential), in the middle of a sentence (intra-sentential), or the switching of a single word or a tag phrase (extrasentential). inter-sentential code-switching occurs between complete stretches of utterances or sentences (roxas, 2019). fluent bilingual speakers frequently utilize this kind of code-switching. meanwhile, extra-sentential refers to adding a tag in one language to an otherwise multilingual speech (mangila, 2018). since code-switching is becoming the center of research interest, a different pattern might also emerge since conventional analyses of code-switching as a language phenomenon have centered on sentential and even discourse levels but have yet to be studied at the word level. in a bilingual society, an individual can utilize codeswitching to varying degrees and in various contexts, such as at home, school, or any regular activity. the utilization of such phenomena is becoming natural. code-switching is likely to appear in a classroom setting. early in their academic careers, students are more exposed to their l1 than their l2. (waris, 2012) stated that at the tertiary level, linguistic switching may act as a barrier over time, hindering mutual understanding between the students and native speakers of the target language when they interact. horasan (2014) studied cs in efl classrooms and stated that it might imply a communicative function such as discussing classroom routines, sharing their concerns, or repeating for confirmation. parmis et al. (2020) thought of cs as an instructional medium that fills in the gaps between understanding and clarification inside the classroom. as a result, switching between their l2 and l1 using code is an effort to build a bridge to proficiency in both languages. on the other hand, teachers use codeswitching utilizing the students' native languages to impart the necessary knowledge and to clarify meaning. therefore, it benefits students and teachers (memory et al., 2018). there are several reasons why teachers and students rely on code-switching during classroom interaction. some of the factors include loss of words or failure to retrieve correct words (roxas, 2019), lack of proficiency (sert, 2005 & muthusamy et al., 2020), and filling the gap in speaking or floor-holding (muthusamy et al., 2020 & tabassum et al., 2020). shay (2015) described that code-switching deriving from the need to hold the floor indicates an inability to recall the appropriate target language structure or lexicon. code-switching is becoming more common due to frequent language contact. languages are becoming corrupted due to bilingualism and multilingual language mixes, resulting in diverse languages. meanwhile, in recent studies, code-switching and code-mixing are used interchangeably by nguyen et al. (2016), who refer to code-switching as both inter-sentential and intrasentential alternating use of the target language and the mother tongue. accordingly, this study explores the factors and patterns of code-switching in a language classroom, aiming to understand the underlying motivations for bilingual language alternation. it also considers ongoing scholarly debates about whether code-switching indicates linguistic resourcefulness or challenges in language proficiency. materials and methods this study employed a descriptive-qualitative research design to explore and describe code-switching patterns and factors in classroom interactions. the research was conducted at cagayan state university–carig campus, specifically in the college of humanities and social sciences (chss) and the college of natural sciences and mathematics (cnsm), formerly the college of arts and sciences (cas). six in-person classes from different disciplines under chss and cnsm were purposively selected as participants during the second semester of the academic year 2022–2023. prior to data collection, formal permission was obtained from the college deans, followed by informed consent from teachers to audiorecord classroom discussions. adhering to ra 10173 or the data privacy act of 2012, the researchers explained the study's purpose and recorded a one-hour session for each class. these recordings were transcribed manually, and copies were provided to the respective teachers. data were then analyzed using discourse analysis, which focuses on naturally occurring language in social contexts. the researchers concentrated on spoken discourse, particularly bilingual classroom interactions, as defined by cackrawarti (2011), where bilingualism allows code-switching to occur. the analysis involved identifying code-switching patterns and categorizing them based on triggering factors. these categories were validated by three phd-holding language educators specializing in english language education, who had studied bilingualism and discourse analysis. ethical considerations were strictly observed; the anonymity of all participants was maintained, and all teachers received copies of the transcriptions used for analysis. only the discussion portions of classroom sessions were examined to ensure focused and relevant data analysis. results and discussion table 1 shows the frequency, percentage distribution, and ranking of code-switching patterns used in six (6) recorded classroom interactions at the college of humanities and social sciences and college of mathematics and natural pa ge 64 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol.4(3) 62-70, 2025 table 1: frequency and percentage distribution of the patterns of code-switching employed in six represented classes. code-switching patterns frequency percentage ranking inter-sentential 87 23.14% 3 intra-sentential 146 38.83% 1 tag-switching 36 9.57% 4 intra-word 107 28.46% 2 total 376 100% table 2: code-switching patterns in the transcripts extract category of codeswitching pattern e14-t1: “citizenship or saan ka nakatira, where do you reside, okay, kaya meron tayong multiple nationalities.” intra-sentential e15-s1: “ma’am, ano, unlike nationality, hindi pwedeng, ano, hindi pwedeng magpalit sa race.” e53-t2: “so that should be our trademark, or something like, palatandaan ninyo, we have this, uh, stable benzene.” e72-t3: “probably siguro ano, various sources of energy.” e83-t3: “don’t you think mga sinaunang tao are already using the dry thing?” e84-t3: “yeah, probably snail mail at telegram, kasi ngayon, ano, what do we use to send letters?” e106-s4: “we should have the common ground po tapos po to get a dialogue.” e212-t4: “this is the most useful contribution, kasi ano nga, you want to initiate change.” e225-t5: “x component mo, the displacement mo, so, we will start from the x.” e113-t4: “pwedeng ‘yung iba kaya bumibili ng gano’n kasi ‘yun ang the comfort food nila.” e244-t6: “ano nga ba itong self-understanding or self-insight ni rogers.” e1-t1: “it interferes us from communicating, so the first one is, ano yung una?” inter-sentential e6-t1: “okay, in other words, hindi pantay-pantay ang kultura.” e64-t3: “let’s welcome the hostile incumbent governor, ano ibig sabihin?” e71-t3: “it’s the same, kasi wala silang kalaban, eh.” e260-t5: “the motion of the ball is an example of a projectile motion, nakuha ninyo?” e98-t4: “signs or symbols or whatever na hindi mo naiintindihan” e107-t4: “ano ‘yung mga meanings behind the tattoos of people or is that just for selfexpression?” e228-t4: “ano ‘yung mga gagawin mong campaign for your project?” e230-t4: “kahit sa inyong sariling family, you will have your own set of practices, traditions, and beliefs.” e294-t6: “tila ito ‘yung tila nagbibigay ng mas, uh, ano ‘to, they tend to be more influential.” e89-t4: “who will share his/her understanding of the four… four ba?” e223-t5: “b initial test x and y component, ‘di ba?” e271-t6: “you fail to develop that process, ‘di ba?” e246-t6: “based on this self-understanding and self-insight, ‘no?” sciences, cagayan state university – carig campus, following the identification of code-switching patterns proposed by poplack (1980) and hoffman (1991). as can be gleaned from the table, four patterns of codeswitching emerged from the data: inter-sentential, intrasentential, tag, and intra-word code-switching. among the four patterns, intra-sentential code-switching (described by poplack (1980) as the change in language that occurs in the middle of a sentence without any hesitations, breaks, or pauses) was found to be the most dominant, occurring 146 times (38.83%) in the data. in a parallel study of yulyana (2015) on code-switching analysis in classroom interactions, intra-sentential code-switching is also the most dominant pattern occurring among teachers and students. pa ge 65 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol.4(3) 62-70, 2025 e57-t2: “also we have this nitration, ‘no?” extra-sentential e58-t2: “toluene undergoes nitration approximately 25 times faster than benzene, that means it is very fast, ‘no?” e301-t6: “on the other hand, for the incongruent self naman, the self-image is different to the ideal self.” e111-t4: “so, everyday kang bumibili?” e127-t4: “so, ‘yun ang ibig sabihin.” e155-t4: “so, ano namang sinasabi nito?” e236-t6: “so, ‘yun naman ay kabaligtaran.” e307-t6: “wow! ang galing galing mo naman!” e26-t1: “i-translate natin affiliates is kinabibilangan.” intra-word e33-t1: “wala akong masyadong ma-example dahil hindi naman ako tubong cagayan.” e34-t1: “kapag wala kang pang-tuition.” e42-t1: “...hindi lang ako yung magcocontrol ng buong conversation.” e44-t1: “...nagno’non-verbal kayo nakikita ko...” e61-t2: “na-follow lang ba?” e166-t4: “...na-discuss natin unang-una pa.” e87-t3: “inexplain na natin iyan.” e198-t4: “paano nila ineexpress ito?” table 2 shows the use of different patterns in the transcripts. intra-sentential switching is a type of code-mixing which occurs within a phrase, clause, or a sentence boundary without any hesitations, breaks, or pauses (hoffman, 1991; girsang, 2015; paplock, 1980) or code-switching within or inside sentences (alhamdan, 2019). the term is also used to mean “code-mixing” by those who strictly view code-switching and code-mixing as two distinct language phenomena, with the latter entailing transfer of linguistic units from one code into another (spice, 2018; alhamdan, 2019; kachru, 1978; park-johnson, 2019). the cases of intra-sentential codeswitching illustrated above involve switching from the target language (english) to the native language (filipino). in e14, the interactant inserted the filipino phrase “saan ka nakatira” to define the aforementioned target language “citizenship.” the filipino phrase “kaya meron tayong” was also inserted by the interactant within sentence boundaries. the same code-switching pattern is evident in e15, e53, e72, e83, e84, e106, e212, and e225. memory et.al. (2018) mentioned that the teacher code changes to the native language to explain the meaning in order to emphasize the significance of the foreign language topic for efficient comprehension. gulzar (2010) and pradita (2015) also elaborated that since instructions are typically given using students' l1, switching codes to change the topic is a fairly common phenomenon in the classroom. this kind of switch shows that teachers believe it is necessary to explain foreign language rules in the student's native tongue. although all of the extracts above typify intra-sentential code-switching with english (target language) as the initial code, there are also instances in the data that feature the native language as the initial code, while the target language acts as the inserted code, as can be seen in e113 and e244. in e113, the interactant begins the line in filipino with the hypothetical clause “pwedeng ‘yung iba kaya bumibili ng gano’n kasi ‘yun ang…”, and then injects the english phrase “comfort food” and reverts back to filipino with the referential element “nila”. such pattern is resembled by e244, with the interactant beginning the line with a common filipino interrogative construction “ano nga ba itong…” and then inserts the english compounds “selfunderstanding or self-insight” and then switches back to filipino with the insertion of the preposition “ni”. note that while these two examples share the same codeswitching pattern, the communicative purposes served by both vary. the extracts clearly illustrate that interactants code-switched in the middle of their utterance. inter-sentential code-switching occurs when the switch happens at sentence boundaries—words or phrases at the beginning or end of a sentence (girsang, 2015). intersentential code-switching takes place between complete stretches of utterances or sentences (roxas, 2019). in the first extract cited above, the interactants began with the target language (english) ‘it interferes us from communicating, so the first one is’ and switched to the native language (filipino) ‘ano yung una?’ which translates to ‘what is the first one’ is an utterance illustrating intersentential code-switching. similar code-switching pattern is shown in e6, where the lecturer used the l2 ‘okay, in other words,’ and proceeded with the l1, ‘hindi pantaypantay ang kultura’ which translates to ‘culture is not equal.’ these patterns of inter-sentential code-switching can also be seen in e64, e71, e260, and e98. another form of inter-sentential code-switching is the use of the native language as the initial code followed by the target language as can be seen in the table. in these pa ge 66 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol.4(3) 62-70, 2025 cases, the interactants began with the l1 and switched to l2. the filipino phrase ‘kahit sa inyong sarili’ in e230, which translates to ‘even in your own’ is inserted along the utterance which implies inter-sentential code-switching at the beginning of a sentence. similar switching patterns can be seen in e107, e228, and e294. extra-sentential switching refers to the insertion of a tag in one language to an utterance that is otherwise in another language (mangila, 2018) that includes short utterances, fillers, and idiomatic expressions (poplack, 1980). girsang (2015) also called this instance an emblematic switching, wherein the switch is simply an interjection, a tag, or a sentence filler in the other language which serves as an ethnic identity marker. in the above extract, the tag ‘ba’ was inserted at the end of the sentence. it is a widely used term in the filipino language as an indicator of an interrogative sentence. the insertion of ‘ba’ suggests that the lecturer was trying to confirm the correctness of what she was referring to as the ‘four’ and to put emphasis on the question. the expression ‘’di ba’ is also very common in the native language. it is a shortened term for ‘hindi ba’ in the filipino language and can be translated to ‘right?’ in the target language. the interactant inserted the native tag at the end of the sentence to indicate a question. these extracts show the frequent usage of the tag ‘di ba?’ when the lecturer tries to ensure the understanding of the students of what is being discussed through this tag for questioning. in the study of ataş and sağın-şimşek (2021), the results suggest that the most frequent form of code-switching was observed to be using discourse markers. the extracts above proved that discourse markers are frequent in bilingual classrooms. the native filipino term ‘no’ is a shortened version of ‘ano’ which also indicates a question of confirmation. it can mean ‘right?’ in the target language, which is also a discourse marker. it is also inserted at the end of the sentence to indicate a question. this tag occurs in e346, e57, and e58 with the same functions. in this sentence, the tag is inserted by the teacher in the middle of the target language. the native word ‘naman’ doesn’t have a direct translation in the target language. if the word is eliminated from the sentence, it would still mean the same because there’s already an ‘on the other hand’ line at the beginning. this native language is a discourse marker, specifically a contrastive marker, which signals some contrast between the textual elements they link. the expression ‘so’ is the most frequently occurring tag in the classroom which is an adverb that means in a manner or way indicated or suggested. it can also mean thus, then or subsequently. it is a discourse marker because by employing the native language ‘so’, the interactant is trying to connect, organize, and manage what they say (yunita & suryani, 2019). the examples above of tagswitching with the tag ‘so’ in the beginning shows that a thought is to be anticipated after its occurrence. girsang (2015) mentioned that this is a switching with sentence tags that precede a sentence. the teacher in extract e307-t6 expressed emotions by beginning the statement with the target language ‘wow’, and it is usually used in expressing astonishment or admiration. this is an example of an interjection kind of tag-switching because it is used to express emotions (yunita & suryani, 2019). one pattern rarely mentioned in code-switching literature but was nonetheless persistent in the data is intra-word or intra-lexical code-mixing. in fact, macswan and colina (2014 cited in stefanich et al, 2019) claimed that while interword code-switching is widely attested, intra-word code-switching has been argued to be impossible. it is argued by stefanich (2019) that intra-word cs is in fact a robust and widespread characteristic of multilingual speech. intra-word or intra-lexical code-mixing is the combination of elements (e.g., a root and an affix) from different languages within a single word. in the first extract, a piece of morphological information “i-” from filipino is attached to the english word “translate” to create the derivative i-translate which is a demonstration of intra-lexical code-switching or the switching of two codes within a word. the derivational morpheme “i-” is used to indicate that the following verb is infinitive. hence, i-translate means “to translate”. the extract above illustrates intra-word code-switching with the combination of the filipino prefix “ma-” and the english noun “example”. oftentimes, in the filipino language, “ma-” is attached to nouns to create an adjective derivative. however, in the case of “ma-example”, although “ma-” is attached to a noun, the derivative is not exactly an adjective but a verb that, which renders it like the function of “i-” in the previous extract. in other words, “ma-” was used to indicate infinitive form. maexample then roughly translates as “to give as example”. the given extract above consists of the english noun root/base ‘tuition’ and the tagalog prefix ‘pang’ illustrating another example of intra-word codeswitching. bilingual speakers, who speak two or even more languages, normally tend to code-switch when speaking to another bilingual person by mixing languages within word boundaries. the prefix “pang-” is used when a tool or an instrument is used to perform the action expressed by the root. it’s also an allomorph of “pam-” which is usually used before bilabial consonants. in this case, t1 employed intra-word code-switching in the word magcocontrol. this example does not only illustrate the morphological process of derivation, but it also shows a systematic repetition of a phonological material within a word for semantic or grammatical purposes (urbanczyk, 2017). as in the case of magcocontrol, the prefix ‘mag’ is attached to the base ‘control’ plus a reduplicant ‘co’ to mark the present perfect progressive aspect of the verb. the same thing can be said with e44 with the word nagno’non-verbal exemplifying intra-word code-switching, only this time “nag-” marks the past perfect progressive form (should the word non-verbal be taken as a verb by virtue of the bound morpheme pa ge 67 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol.4(3) 62-70, 2025 attached to it). the extracts above show that the l2 root words are combined with the tagalog prefix ‘na’ to produce new words and new meanings. in e61 and e166, the prefix ‘na’ in ‘na-discuss’ and ‘na-follow’ is a past-tense marking prefix that is appropriately attached to english verbs in their uninflected form. the extracts above show that the l2 root/base words are combined with the tagalog prefix ‘in'. ‘explain’ without the ‘in’ is an english verb that means to describe something in detail, however, with the addition of the bound morpheme ‘in’, the tense of the verb changes. from ‘explain something in detail’, the semantics changes to ‘explained in detail.’ since “in-” is a past-tense marking prefix in filipino. unlike the “in-” in e87, “in-” in e194 does not mark the simple past tense. instead, it marks the present progressive aspect as evidenced by the presence of partial reduplication. in the filipino language, the present progressive is shown through the repetition of the first syllable of the base word. the extract above shows that the english compound word ‘overthink’ is combined with the tagalog prefix ‘nag’ to produce a new word with new meaning. the tagalog prefix “nag-” is often added to denote completion of an action. however, “nag-” in this case marks the present tense functioning to present a habitual action. table 3: code-switching functions in the transcripts extract function “it interferes us from communicating, so the first one is, ano ‘yung una?” asking to stimulate response“let’s welcome the hostile incumbent governor, ano ibig sabihin?” “yeah, probably snail mail at telegram, kasi ngayon, ano, what do we use to send letters?” “citizenship, or saan ka nakatira, where do you reside, okay, kaya meron tayong multiple nationalities.” clarification/ reiteration “ano ‘yung mga meanings behind the tattoos of people or is that just for self-expression?” “gaano ka kapetite, petite po ang tawag sa’tin.” “x component mo, the displacement mo, so, we will start from the x.” conveying intimacy/ solidarity“wow! ang galing galing mo naman!” “noong tinikman ko ‘yung icing, parang may flashback at naalala ko ‘yung childhood days ko kasi ‘yun ang lasa ng icing.” “pwedeng ‘yung iba kaya bumibili ng gano’n kasi ‘yun ang comfort food nila.” equivalence “nasabi ko na ‘to sa klase before, ‘yung mga seen mode sa gc.” “we should have the common ground po tapos po to get a dialogue.” “if yung customer, sir, ay ayaw na iyong dating product...mag-iinvent ng new product.” explanation/ elaboration“parang ang meaning niya pala ‘yun kapag may nakita kang babae na may medusa is nakaexperience siya ng mga sexual assault or sexual harassment.” “sabi nung customer...do you have mango juice?” and sagot ng server...regular or large?” “ma’am, ano, unlike nationality, hindi pwedeng, ano, hindi pwedeng magpalit sa race.” floor-holding “probably siguro, ano, various sources of energy.” “wait, iniisip ko ‘yung, the range.” “nung unang panahon...kapag wala kang pan-tuition…” loss of words “pwedeng tumatango kayo, nagno’non-verbal kayo…” “tagging of earlobes, paghawak-hawak sa tenga.” translation “in other words, affiliates is iyong kinabibilangan.” “ano ibig sabihin niyan? what does that mean?” discussion code-switching has been extensively studied over the past few decades, and two of the most common conceptions have to do with communicative language ability or proficiency in two codes, or the opposite – incompetence in the target language. the researchers, however, maintain the former. they adopt what bautista (2004) termed as proficiency-driven type of tagalog-english (taglish) code-switching in which the interactants (teachers and students) are competent in the two languages and can easily switch from one to the other, for maximum efficiency or effect. as have been observed by various experts in the field of bilingualism, code-switching does in fact serve a number of communicative purposes. horasan (2014) conducted research on cs in efl classrooms and claimed that it could signify a communicative classroom function like going over classroom procedures, expressing worries, or repeating for confirmation. parmis et al. (2020) also maintain that cs is a teaching tool that bridges the gap between comprehension and clarification in the pa ge 68 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol.4(3) 62-70, 2025 classroom. as a result, moving between l2 and l1 could be interpreted as an attempt to create a bridge to language fluency in both. teachers also employ code-switching to convey important information and to make meaning clear by using the students' home languages. this makes it advantageous for both students and teachers (memory et al, 2018). fachriyah (2017) also mentioned that codeswitching in language instruction has multiple functions that support an effective learning process. these functions include (1) clarification, (2) reiteration or repetition, (3) explanation, (4) asking, (5) translation. tabassum et. al. (2020) also proposed other factors, such as equivalence and floor-holding. additionally, muthusamy et al. (2020) stated that conveying intimacy or solidarity is another factor that drives code-switching. meanwhile, roxas (2019) believed that cs is used to aid ‘loss of words.’ code-switching in classroom interactions fulfills several communicative functions that collectively enhance instructional effectiveness. first, asking questions using code-switching stimulates student response and encourages participation, especially when familiar native terms are used to elicit meaning (fachriyah, 2017; sert, 2005; memory et al., 2018). second, clarification or reiteration serves to emphasize or repeat messages in another code for better understanding, often driven by lexical need (tabassum et al., 2020; zetri et al., 2018; horasan, 2014). third, to convey intimacy and solidarity, speakers use native possessives or compliments to reduce social distance and foster familiarity (majid, 2019; muthusamy et al., 2020; alqarni, 2020). fourth, equivalence occurs when native expressions are inserted in lieu of hard-to-translate english concepts or respect markers, promoting fluency in expression (sert, 2005; girsang, 2015). fifth, explanation and elaboration involve switching to better explain abstract concepts or personal experiences, enabling speakers to clarify their thoughts using their full linguistic resources (fachriyah, 2017; nurzahidah, 2020; moore, 2022). sixth, floor-holding entails the use of fillers or interjections in the native language to prevent breakdowns and fill pauses during speech (tabassum et al., 2020; shay, 2015; parmis et al., 2020). seventh, loss of words prompts spontaneous intra-lexical switching when speakers forget or lack an appropriate term, a common issue in informal classroom talk (roxas, 2019; yoosuf, 2020). lastly, translation involves deliberate switching to define or explain terms for clearer understanding, especially when introducing new vocabulary or concepts (shartiely, 2016; gulzar, 2010; bhatti et al., 2018). despite the diversity of these functions, they all serve a macro goal of communicative efficiency, as defined by bautista (2004), enabling speakers to choose the most expressive and convenient way of conveying meaning with minimal effort, thus fostering both linguistic comprehension and classroom rapport. conclusions as the brief discussion has shown, a rich corpus of language in one area of language use in the philippines has resulted from classroom interaction among the teachers and students from the college of humanities and social sciences (chss) and the college of natural sciences and mathematics (cnsm). the sparse data studied above contains numerous instances of the four code-switching patterns, including intra-sentential, inter-sentential, tagswitching, and intra-word mixing. it also showed eight code-switching factors emerging inside the classroom interactions. meanwhile, even the modest preliminary analysis presented here demonstrates the potential of such discourse events to provide extensive, highly contextualized databases that can be used to test and refine the hypothesis proposed by scholars investigating code-switching patterns and factors in other domains and genres. further analysis of this corpus, informed by additional research, should yield more insightful observations into patterns and factors affecting codeswitching, and will probably motivate a re-evaluation of the conclusions reached here. in order to avoid dismissing tagalog-english code-switching as a mere instance of random or irregular language mixing caused by insufficient control of either language, it is important for educators to become aware of the sociolinguistic analyses of code-switching. rather than being a sign of linguistic deficiency, code-switching is a form of multilingual performance that warrants further research. this study revealed the existence of identifiable codeswitching patterns and influencing factors in classroom interactions. it also demonstrated that participants switch codes for various communicative purposes. based on these findings, several recommendations are proposed. first, interviews with code-switching interactants should be included to gain deeper insights into their motivations for switching between tagalog and english. second, the scope of data sources should be expanded beyond classroom interactions to include other contexts where code-switching is prevalent, such as news broadcasts, political interviews, religious discourses, and professional meetings. third, future studies should explore the morphophonology of intra-word code-switching. lastly, analyzing a larger corpus of code-switching data is recommended to improve the reliability and generalizability of the findings. references adesina, o., & jegede, o. 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(2018). an analysis of code-mixing in a debate activity as part of english club programs at sman 2 bengkulu city. journal of applied linguistics and literature, 3(1), 1–10. https:// ejournal.karinosseff.org/index.php/jadila/article/ view/117 pa ge 1 pa ge 60 american journal of education and technology (ajet) development of a framework to implement a web-based thesis management system in colleges of education in nigeria aminat obakhume abdul-salaam1* volume 3 issue 4, year 2024 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v3i4.3678 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: july 30, 2024 accepted: september 26, 2024 published: november 20, 2024 this study investigates the challenges of the manual thesis management process in colleges of education in nigeria and explores the potential benefits and barriers to adopting a web-based thesis management system. this study employed a mixed-methods research design and data were collected through questionnaire and interview. the findings highlight the need for automation to improve efficiency and consistency. despite the identified advantages of a web-based system, such as streamlined processes, enhanced communication, and improved quality control, the study also uncovered significant barriers to adoption. these include underdeveloped it infrastructure, limited human resources, high implementation costs, and resistance to change. the study emphasizes the importance of institutional readiness, with a focus on improving internet connectivity, expanding it resources, and securing external funding to address financial constraints. a framework for adoption is proposed, encompassing key stages such as assessment and planning, technical requirements, training and support, and continuous monitoring and evaluation. the study concludes that a web-based thesis management system can greatly enhance the efficiency and quality of thesis processes if implemented with proper resource allocation, training, and long-term sustainability planning. keywords colleges of education, framework development, web-based thesis management system 1 department of science department of computer science, federal college of education (special), oyo state, nigeria * corresponding author’s e-mail: obakhume@gmail.com introduction the thesis writing process is a critical component of higher education, serving as the capstone of a student’s academic journey and a demonstration of their ability to conduct independent research. in nigerian colleges of education, the completion of a thesis is a mandatory requirement for obtaining the national certificate of education (nce). this process is intended to foster students’ research skills, critical thinking, and ability to engage with scholarly work. however, the current method of managing the thesis process in these institutions are often inefficient, cumbersome, and fraught with challenges. traditional thesis management in many educational institutions, including nigerian colleges of education, relies heavily on manual processes. this approach is characterized by the physical submission of documents, face-to-face meetings between students and supervisors, and manual tracking of student progress. several studies have highlighted the inefficiencies associated with these traditional methods. according to essuman (2020), manual thesis management is often slow and cumbersome, leading to delays in feedback and communication between students and supervisors. this lack of timely interaction can impede the progress of thesis writing, resulting in extended timelines for thesis completion. guto and jumba (2021) also note that manual systems are prone to errors in record-keeping, such as misplaced documents and inaccuracies in tracking submission dates, which can lead to disputes and administrative challenges. in nigerian colleges of education, these issues are further exacerbated by the quality of students admitted and the limited availability of resources. the quality of students admitted into colleges of education in nigeria has been a subject of concern for policymakers, educators, and researchers (birabil, & ogeh, 2020). the entry qualifications for colleges of education in nigeria tend to be lower than those for universities. this means that many students who are unable to gain admission into universities due to poor academic performance often choose colleges of education as a second or last resort. the advancement of digital technologies has prompted many educational institutions globally to adopt web-based thesis management systems to address the challenges of traditional methods. a web-based thesis management system offers a centralized platform where all aspects of the thesis process, including submission, review, feedback, and approval, can be managed efficiently (byungura, 2015). research by mudawe (2018) demonstrates that web-based systems can significantly streamline the thesis process by facilitating better communication between students and supervisors. these systems allow for the electronic submission of documents, real-time feedback, and progress tracking, which can reduce delays and improve the overall efficiency of the process. in another study conducted by byungura (2015), the implementation of a web-based thesis management system in a university setting was shown to reduce the average time to thesis completion by 20%, highlighting the potential benefits of such systems in improving academic outcomes. the implementation of a web-based thesis management system in colleges of education in nigeria can address many of the challenges affecting the quality of theses produced by students (paul et al., 2022). the system can improve the academic readiness of students, promote better research practices, and enhance the overall quality of thesis submissions, by providing structured support, pa ge 61 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 60-71, 2024 ensuring real-time supervision, and offering access to necessary research tools. furthermore, web-based systems can provide students with easy centralized access to resources such as thesis writing guidelines, templates, and research tools. this centralized access ensures that all students have the necessary information to produce highquality work and helps standardize the institution’s thesis process (maltese, 2018). additionally, many web-based thesis management systems integrate with plagiarism detection tools, ensuring that the originality of student work is maintained (alsallal et al., 2019). while the benefits of web-based thesis management systems are well-documented, there are also challenges associated with their implementation, particularly in the context of developing countries like nigeria. one of the primary challenges is the technological infrastructure required to support such systems. many colleges of education in nigeria may lack the necessary it infrastructure, including reliable internet access, servers, and technical support staff (sagir, 2019). additionally, there is often resistance to change among faculty and students, who may be accustomed to traditional methods and wary of adopting new technologies. kho, gillespie, and martin-khan (2020) discuss the importance of change management strategies in successfully implementing web-based systems, including providing training and ongoing support to users. the study emphasizes that without proper training and clear communication of the benefits, the adoption of a web-based system may be slow, and its potential advantages may not be fully realized. financial constraints also pose a significant challenge. the development, deployment, and maintenance of a web-based thesis management system require significant investment, which may be difficult for institutions with limited budgets (nyirenda, & moyo, 2019). institutions must carefully consider the cost-benefit ratio and explore funding opportunities or partnerships that could support the implementation of such systems. the successful implementation of a web-based thesis management system requires careful planning and adherence to best practices. several frameworks have been proposed in the literature to guide the development and deployment of these systems. one common framework involves a phased approach, starting with a needs assessment to identify the specific challenges and requirements of the institution (chofreh et al., 2018). this is followed by the design and development phase, where the system is tailored to meet the identified needs. kho, gillespie, and martin-khan (2020) recommend involving key stakeholders, including students, faculty, and it staff, in the design process to ensure that the system is userfriendly and addresses the specific needs of all users. the deployment phase should be accompanied by comprehensive training for all users, as well as the establishment of a help desk or support system to assist with any issues that arise during the transition. kho et al. (2020) highlight the importance of pilot testing the system with a small group of users before full-scale deployment to identify and resolve any technical or usability issues. finally, the evaluation phase involves monitoring the system’s performance and gathering feedback from users to make continuous improvements. maltese (2018) suggests regular updates and enhancements to the system based on user feedback and technological advancements to ensure that it remains effective and relevant. for nigerian colleges of education, the adoption of a web-based thesis management system presents an opportunity to overcome the inefficiencies of traditional thesis management methods. by centralizing the thesis process and improving communication, such a system can help reduce delays, enhance the quality of student theses, and provide a more organized and transparent process. however, the successful implementation of this system requires careful consideration of the unique challenges faced by these institutions, including technological infrastructure, financial constraints, and resistance to change. by following best practices and adopting a structured framework for implementation, nigerian colleges of education can maximize the benefits of a web-based thesis management system and improve the overall academic experience for both students and faculty. statement of the problem in academic institutions, the management of thesis submissions, reviews, and approvals is a critical but often cumbersome process. traditionally, this process has been managed through manual, paper-based systems, leading to significant inefficiencies, delays, and errors (chaputula, 2022). these outdated methods not only burden students, faculty, and administrators with unnecessary administrative tasks but also hinder the timely completion and quality assurance of academic work. as the number of students and the volume of research output continue to grow, the limitations of manual thesis management systems have become increasingly apparent. institutions face challenges in tracking the progress of thesis submissions, ensuring the timely provision of feedback, maintaining the security and integrity of academic work, and facilitating effective communication between students and their supervisors (chaputula, 2022). these challenges are further exacerbated by the complexity of coordinating multiple stakeholders, including students, faculty, administrators, and external examiners, all of whom must collaborate effectively to ensure the success of the thesis process. while web-based thesis management systems offer a promising solution to these challenges by streamlining the thesis process through digital automation, the adoption of such systems is not straightforward. institutions often encounter significant barriers to successful adoption, including resistance to change, inadequate technical infrastructure, and a lack of integration with existing academic systems (kho et al., 2020). furthermore, without a clear framework to guide the adoption process, institutions may struggle to implement these systems effectively, resulting in underutilization, user pa ge 62 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 60-71, 2024 dissatisfaction, and a failure to realize the full benefits of digital transformation. therefore, there is a critical need for a framework that addresses the unique challenges of adopting web-based thesis management systems in academic institutions. aim and objectives of the study the primary aim of this thesis is to develop a framework for the adoption of a web-based thesis management system in colleges of education in nigeria. to achieve the stated aim, the following specific objectives will guide the research: 1. to investigate the current thesis management practices in nigerian colleges of education, identifying the key challenges and inefficiencies associated with traditional, manual processes. 2. to assess the technological capabilities and infrastructure of nigerian colleges of education to determine their readiness for the implementation of a web-based thesis management system. 3. to develop a framework that outlines the key components, functionalities, and implementation steps necessary for deploying a web-based thesis management system in nigerian colleges of education. research questions to guide the development of a framework for the adoption of web-based thesis management system in colleges of education in nigeria, the following research questions were formulated: 1. what are the current thesis management practices in nigerian colleges of education, and what challenges and inefficiencies are associated with these practices? 2. what are the technological capabilities and infrastructure available in nigerian colleges of education, and how do they impact the readiness for implementing a web-based thesis management system? 3. what are the specific needs and requirements of students, supervisors, and administrative staff for a webbased thesis management system in nigerian colleges of education? 4. what key components, functionalities, and steps should be included in a framework for the successful implementation of a web-based thesis management system in nigerian colleges of education? research methodology this study employs a mixed-methods research design to capture a holistic view of the adoption process for web-based thesis management systems. the research is structured in two key phases and they are the exploratory phase and developmental phase. the exploratory phase is used to explore the current challenges, needs, and perceptions of stakeholders involved in thesis management and insights from the exploratory phase was used to develop a the framework. the purposive sampling technique was used to select participants to be interviewed. a self-structured questionnaire with a mix of likert-scale and multiple-choice questions to collect quantitative data that identifies challenges, readiness levels and perceptions related to the adoption of a webbased thesis management system from students, lecturers, it staff and administrators from the federal college of education (special), oyo. a stratified random sampling technique was used to select a sample for the survey. data collected from the survey were used to draft questionnaires for the interview. the interview data collected were analyzed using thematic analysis themes, challenges, and strategies related to the adoption of the thesis management system. atlas.ti was used to code and organise data, making it easier to identify patters and draw conclusion. the quantitative data were analysed using frequencies, means, and standard deviations. results and discussion: table 1: demographic role role frequency percentage valid student 150 68.2 lecturer 35 15.9 it staff 15 6.8 administrator 20 9.1 total 220 100.0 table 3: years of experience (for lecturers, it staff, administrators) year of experience frequency percentage valid less than 1 year 15 21.4 1-5 years 30 42.9 6-10 years 18 25.7 more than 10 years 7 10.2 total 70 100.0 table 2: demographic gender of the respondents role frequency percentage valid male 89 40.5 female 131 59.5 total 220 100.0 table 1 provided an overview of the demographic distribution of participants by their role. the majority of respondents were students, accounting for 68.2% (150 out of 220). lecturers comprised 15.9% (35 respondents), while it staff and administrators represented smaller portions, with 6.8% (15 respondents) and 9.1% (20 respondents), respectively. this indicated that the sample was predominantly composed of students. table 2 illustrated the gender distribution among respondents. out of the 220 total respondents, 89 (40.5%) were male, while 131 (59.5%) were female. this revealed that a greater proportion of the respondents were female. pa ge 63 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 60-71, 2024 table 3 outlined the distribution of years of experience among lecturers, it staff, and administrators. the data revealed that 21.4% of respondents have less than 1 year of experience, while 42.9% have between 1 and 5 years of experience. experience level between 6 and 10 years was reported by 25.7% of respondents, and those with more than 10 years of experience constituted 10.2%. table 4: demographic age group of respondents age group frequency percent cumulative percent valid under 20 120 54.5 54.5 21-30 52 23.6 78.2 31-40 35 15.9 94.1 41 and above 13 5.9 100.0 total 220 100.0 table 6: how do you perceive the idea of adopting a web-based thesis management system in your institution? frequency percent valid percent cumulative percent valid very negative somewhat negative somewhat positive very positive total 1 26 146 47 220 .5 11.8 66.4 21.4 100.0 .5 11.8 66.4 21.4 100.0 .5 12.3 78.6 100.0 table 7: in your opinion, what are the major benefits of using a web-based thesis management system? frequency percentage easier communication between students and supervisors 100 66.7 better thesis organization 85 56.7 faster feedback on thesis drafts 90 60.0 improved access to research materials and tools 80 53.3 plagiarism detection 45 30 total respondents 150 100 table 4 showed that the age demographic of over half of the respondents (54.5%) were under 20 years old, reflecting a significant concentration of younger individuals in the survey population. those aged 21-30 made up 23.6%, while 15.9% were between 31 and 40 years old, and just 5.9% were 41 or older. this distribution indicated that the majority of the respondents were relatively young, table 5: are you aware of web-based system for managing thesis writing frequency percentage valid yes 69 31.4 no 151 68.6 total 220 100.0 table 5 examined the level of awareness of web-based systems for managing thesis writing among a sample of 220 individuals. of these, 69 respondents (31.4%) indicated they were aware of such systems, while 151 respondents (68.6%) were not. the standard deviation for the responses is 0.45, indicating a moderate level of variability in the level of awareness among the participants. this suggests that while a significant portion of the sample is unfamiliar with web-based thesis management tools, there is a noticeable subset that were aware of them. with a substantial drop in representation among older age groups. research question 1: what are the current thesis management practices in nigerian colleges of education, and what challenges and inefficiencies are associated with these practices? table 6 presented the perceptions of respondents regarding the adoption of a web-based thesis management system in their institution. the majority of respondents held a favorable view, with 66.4% perceiving the idea as somewhat positive and 21.4% as very positive, together accounting for 87.8% of the total responses. a smaller proportion, 11.8%, views the idea as somewhat negative, and only 0.5% holds a very negative perception. table 7 presented respondents’ opinions on the major benefits of using a web-based thesis management system. the most frequently cited advantage is easier communication between students and supervisors, noted by 66.7% of respondents. this is closely followed by faster feedback on thesis drafts, which 60.0% of respondents identified as a significant benefit. additionally, 56.7% of participants valued better thesis organization, and 53.3% appreciated improved access to research materials and tools. plagiarism detection was mentioned by 30% of respondents as a notable benefit. overall, the data highlights that efficient communication and expedited feedback are the top advantages perceived by users, with other benefits such as organization and resource access also being recognized. pa ge 64 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 60-71, 2024 table 8: what concerns do you have about adopting a web-based thesis management system? frequency percentage cost of implementation 45 30.0 technical difficulties for users 110 73.3 lack of technical support 95 63.3 resistance from lecturers or students 35 23.3 data security and privacy concerns 90 60.0 internet connectivity issues 140 93.3 total respondents 150 100.0 table 8 outlined key concerns about adopting a webbased thesis management system among respondents. the most significant concern is internet connectivity issues, cited by 93.3% of respondents, reflecting the high dependence on stable internet access for such systems. technical difficulties for users is also a major concern, reported by 73.3% of participants, indicating a potential barrier to effective system use. lack of technical support and data security and privacy concerns are notable issues, with 63.3% and 60.0% of respondents expressing apprehension, respectively. the cost of implementation and resistance from lecturers or students are less prevalent concerns, reported by 30.0% and 23.3% of respondents. research question 2: what are the technological capabilities and infrastructure available in nigerian colleges of education, and how do they impact the readiness for implementing a web-based thesis management system? table 9 presented respondents’ ratings of the current level of technological infrastructure at the college to support a web-based thesis management system. a majority of respondents, 124 out of 220 (56.4%), rated the infrastructure as inadequate. additionally, 51 respondents (23.2%) considered it very inadequate, bringing the cumulative percentage of negative assessments to 79.5%. only 45 respondents (20.5%) found the infrastructure “adequate, indicating a significant concern about the college’s readiness to implement such a system. table 9: how would you rate the current level of technological infrastructure at the college to support a web-based thesis management system? frequency percentage valid very inadequate 51 23.2 inadequate 124 56.4 adequate 45 20.5 total 220 100.0 table 11: how comfortable are you with using webbased systems and online platforms? frequency percentage valid very uncomfortable 15 6.8 uncomfortable 37 16.8 comfortable 142 64.5 very comfortable 26 11.8 total 220 100.0 table 10: : do you have access to a reliable internet connection at your institution? role frequency percentage valid never 153 69.5 rarely 67 30.5 total 220 100.0 table 12: has your institution provided any training related to online or web-based systems? frequency percentage valid no 64 29.1 yes 156 70.9 total 220 100.0 table 10 presented the distribution of responses regarding access to a reliable internet connection at the institution. according to the data, a significant majority of respondents, 69.5%, reported that they never had access to a reliable internet connection. in contrast, 30.5% of respondents indicated that they rarely had access reliable internet. this distribution highlighted a predominant issue with internet reliability, as most respondents experience consistent difficulties with their internet connection. table 11 presented the distribution of comfort levels with using web-based systems and online platforms among respondents. the majority of respondents (64.5%) reported being comfortable with these systems, indicating a high level of familiarity and ease. a smaller proportion, 11.8%, felt very comfortable, suggesting a strong positive engagement with online platforms. conversely, 16.8% of respondents were uncomfortable, and 6.8% were very uncomfortable, reflecting some degree of discomfort or challenges with these systems. this showed an overall positive attitude towards web-based systems and online platforms among the majority of participants. table 12 presented the distribution of responses regarding whether institutions have provided training related to online or web-based systems. out of the total 220 respondents, 64 individuals (29.1%) reported that their institutions had not provided such training, while 156 individuals (70.9%) confirmed that their institutions had indeed offered training in this area. this indicated that a majority of 70.9% had received training related pa ge 65 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 60-71, 2024 table 13: if yes, how effective was the training? frequency percentage valid very ineffective 16 7.3 ineffective 163 74.1 effective 38 17.3 very effective 3 1.4 total 220 100.0 to online or web-based systems, suggesting a strong emphasis on digital competency within these institutions. table 13 illustrated the perceived effectiveness of the training among participants. of the 220 responses, 16 individuals (7.3%) rated the training as very ineffective, 163 (74.1%) deemed it ineffective, 38 (17.3%) considered it effective, and 3 (1.4%) rated it as very effective. this data indicated that the majority of participants found the training to be less effective, with only a small fraction expressing a positive evaluation. table 14: are there it staff available at your institution to provide support for technical issues related to a webbased thesis management system? frequency percent valid percent cumulative percent valid not available 98 44.5 44.5 44.5 available but with limitations 122 55.5 55.5 100.0 total 220 100.0 100.0 table 14 assessed the availability of it staff for supporting technical issues related to a web-based thesis management system. the result revealed that 44.5% of respondents reported that it staff were not available to provide such support, while 55.5% noted that it staff were available but with limitations. this indicates that while a majority of institutions have some level of it support, it is often constrained in its capacity. the table suggests that there may be challenges in fully addressing technical issues due to limited it resources, highlighting the need for potentially increasing support staff or enhancing their capabilities to better manage the webbased thesis management systems. research question 3: what are the specific needs and requirements of students, supervisors, and administrative staff for a webbased thesis management system in nigerian colleges of education? challenges with current thesis management table 15: what are the major challenges you face in the current thesis management process? frequency percentage difficulty in scheduling meetings with supervisors 56 37.3 delays in receiving feedback from supervisors 78 52.0 poor thesis organization and progress tracking 90 60.0 inconsistent access to research materials and resources 102 68.0 plagiarism issues 45 30.0 difficulty in formatting and organizing the final thesis document 110 73.3 time management and deadlines 148 98.7 lack of standardized process for thesis submission 150 100.0 total respondents 150 100.0 table 15 revealed the major challenges faced by respondents in the thesis management process. the data reveals that the most prevalent issues are time management and deadlines, with 98.7% of respondents identifying it as a significant challenge. additionally, a lack of standardized processes for thesis submission is highlighted by 100% of respondents, indicating a universal concern. other notable challenges include difficulty in formatting and organizing the final thesis document (73.3%), inconsistent access to research materials and table 16: do you think a web-based system would help address these challenges? frequency percent valid percent cumulative percent valid no 19 8.6 8.6 8.6 yes 201 91.4 91.4 100.0 total 220 100.0 100.0 resources (68.0%), and poor thesis organization and progress tracking (60.0%). delays in receiving feedback from supervisors and difficulties in scheduling meetings are also significant concerns, affecting 52.0% and 37.3% of respondents, respectively. plagiarism issues are less prevalent but still impact 30.0% of respondents. technical challenges with current thesis management pa ge 66 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 60-71, 2024 table 16 revealed the perceptions of respondents regarding the potential benefits of a web-based system in addressing technical challenges. the result shows that 8.6% of respondents believe a web-based system would table 17: which features do you think are essential for a web-based thesis management system? frequency percentage real-time feedback and communication 143 95.3 thesis progress tracking 86 57.3 automated formatting and submission workflows 74 49.3 plagiarism detection tools 38 25.3 repository of past theses for reference 120 80.0 data analysis tools (e.g., spss integration) 32 21.3 thesis template 132 88.0 total respondents 150 100.0 total respondents 150 100.0 table 19:what are the key technical challenges your institution face in implementing a web-based management system? frequency percentage lack of server 3 20.0 poor internet bandwidth 8 53.3 lack of technical staff for maintenance 6 40.0 data security issues 5 33.3 high implementation costs 15 100.0 software compatibility issues 8 53.3 total respondents 15 100.0 not be helpful, while a substantial 91.4% think it would be beneficial. this strong majority indicates a broad consensus on the value of implementing a web-based solution to overcome existing challenges. table 17 outlined the essential features for a web-based thesis management system as identified by respondents. real-time feedback and communication emerged as the most crucial feature, with 95.3% of respondents highlighting its importance. following this, 88.0% of respondents emphasized the need for a thesis template, and 80.0% found a repository of past theses for reference to be essential. thesis progress tracking and automated formatting and submission workflows were also valued, with 57.3% and 49.3% of respondents respectively. plagiarism detection tools and data analysis tools, such as spss integration, were considered less critical, with 25.3% and 21.3% of respondents respectively. research question 4: what key components, functionalities, and steps should be included in a framework for the successful implementation of a web-based thesis management system in nigerian colleges of education? technical challenges and concerns (for it staff) table 18: does your institution currently have the necessary hardware software infrastructure? frequency percent valid percent cumulative percent valid no 10 66.7 66.7 66.7 yes 5 33.3 33.3 100.0 total 15 100.0 100.0 table 18 illustrated the status of hardware and software infrastructure across institutions. of the 15 responses, 66.7% reported that the college lacks the necessary infrastructure, while 33.3% affirmed that they do have the required resources. this indicates a significant proportion of institutions facing infrastructure deficiencies. table 19 highlighted key technical challenges faced by institutions in implementing a web-based management system. among the respondents, the most significant issue is high implementation costs, reported by all 15 respondents (100%). poor internet bandwidth is also a major concern, affecting 53.3% of respondents, while software compatibility issues and lack of technical staff for maintenance each impact 53.3% and 40.0%, respectively. data security issues are a challenge for 33.3% of respondents, and a lack of server is an issue for 20.0%. these findings indicated that while high costs are the predominant obstacle, other critical factors such as bandwidth, compatibility, and technical support also play substantial roles in the difficulties institutions face when adopting web-based management systems. pa ge 67 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 60-71, 2024 table 20: are you confident in your ability to support and maintain a web-based thesis management system? frequency percent valid percent cumulative percent valid confident 11 73.3 73.3 73.3 very confident 4 26.7 26.7 100.0 total 15 100.0 100.0 table 21: how ready is your institution for the adoption of a web-based thesis management system in terms of administrative processes? frequency percent valid percent cumulative percent valid ready 20 100 100.0 100.0 total 20 100.0 table 20 examined the confidence levels of individuals in their ability to support and maintain a web-based thesis management system. the data reveals that 73.3% of respondents are confident in their abilities, while 26.7% are very confident. this indicates a strong overall confidence in managing such systems, with a majority feeling adequately prepared to handle the associated tasks. the table also shows that there are no missing data points, providing a clear view of the respondents’ confidence levels. this suggests that while most individuals feel capable, there is a smaller proportion who feel extremely confident, which may reflect varying levels of experience or preparedness among the staff. administrative readiness (for administrators) table 21 presented results on the readiness of institutions to adopt a web-based thesis management system, focusing specifically on administrative processes. the data revealed that 100% of the respondents indicated that the college was ready for this adoption, reflecting a consensus that the administrative processes are adequately prepared for the transition. table 22: what are the administrative challenges you foresee in the implementation of this system? frequency percentage resistance to change from faculty/students 15 75.0 lack of budget or funding 20 100.0 lack of training for staff 10 50.0 data security concerns 15 75.0 integration with existing systems 10 50.0 time constraints in implementation 18 90.0 total respondents 20 100.0 table 23: what are your top priorities for the successful adoption of a web-based thesis management system? frequency percentage reducing administrative workload 20 100.0 ensuring data security and privacy 12 60.0 improving thesis quality and tracking 16 80.0 providing adequate training for students and staff 12 60.0 reducing delays in thesis submission and feedback 16 80.0 total respondents 20 100.0 total respondents 20 100.0 table 22 outlined the administrative challenges anticipated in the implementation of the new system. according to the data, the most significant concerns include lack of budget or funding, which is noted by all respondents (100%), and time constraints during implementation, highlighted by 90% of respondents. resistance to change from faculty and students and data security concerns both affect 75% of respondents, while lack of training for staff and integration with existing systems are challenges for 50% of the respondents table 23 outlined the top priorities for the successful adoption of a web-based thesis management system among respondents. all respondents (100%) identified reducing administrative workload as a crucial priority. ensuring data security and privacy, and providing adequate training for students and staff were each highlighted by 60% of respondents. improving thesis quality and tracking, along with reducing delays in thesis submission and feedback, were considered important by 80% of respondents. these results emphasize that pa ge 68 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 60-71, 2024 while reducing administrative workload is universally prioritized, addressing data security, training, and minimizing delays are also critical factors for effective system implementation. table 24: how critical is the adoption of a web-based thesis management system to improving the overall thesis process in your institution? frequency percent valid percent cumulative percent valid not critical 18 8.2 8.2 8.2 slightly critical 24 10.9 10.9 19.1 moderately critical 86 39.1 39.1 58.2 very critical 75 34.1 34.1 92.3 extremely critical 17 7.7 7.7 100.0 total 220 100.0 100.0 table 24 evaluated the perceived criticality of adopting a web-based thesis management system for improving the thesis process at institutions. the data revealed a range of opinions, with 8.2% of respondents considering it not critical and 10.9% finding it slightly critical. a substantial 39.1% view the adoption as moderately critical, while 34.1% deem it very critical and 7.7% believe it to be extremely critical. this suggests that while there is varying intensity of opinion, a significant majority acknowledges the potential benefits of implementing a web-based thesis management system to enhance the overall thesis process. analysis from the interview current thesis management process data collected from the respondents showed that the current manual process for thesis writing is faced by several challenges. analysis of data showed that the system is faced with inefficient document tracking, leading to document misplacement. the reliance on physical submission also causes delays in communication between students and supervisors, leading to missed deadlines and frustration among students. furthermore, the study also observed that there was inconsistent quality control in the current process. the process lack standardized formatting, evaluation criteria, and plagiarism detection tools has resulted in inconsistent thesis quality. this points to the need for automation and digital tracking through a web-based system, which could resolve these issues by centralizing all thesis-related activities and ensuring uniform quality standards across the institution. institutional readiness for adoption the study observed that the college is partially ready for the adoption of a thesis management system, primarily due to the underdeveloped it infrastructure and limited human resources. in the words of one of the respondents: “hmm, well, the college desires to adopt digital systems, but the college needs to acquire more it equipment and employ more it staff to fully implement web-based systems. in addition reliable internet connectivity is also required” however, with strong leadership support, and investment in it infrastructure, readiness can improve. the college should address internet connectivity issues, as reliable internet access is critical for the effective deployment and use of a web-based thesis management system. perceived benefits of the web-based thesis management system all of the respondents perceived a web-based system as a solution to many of the problems faced by the college in thesis writing. they believe that automating the processes of manuscript submission, feedback and evaluation, will significantly enhance efficiency, reduce administrative work load and raise the overall quality of theses produced. having real-time feedback mechanism in the thesis process will improve communication and collaboration between students and supervisors. one of the lecturers said that: the web-based system could facilitate online submissions, automated document tracking, and more efficient feedback, reducing delays and inefficiencies. another lecturer added that: “the use of plagiarism detection tools and standardized template for the thesis report would improve the quality and consistency of thesis submissions. let me add that the proposed thesis writing system will provide realtime feedback and notifications and would foster better communication between students and supervisors, helping to meet deadlines and improve accountability”. potential barriers to adoption the interview responses indicated high implementation cost, resistance to change and technical limitation as some of the barriers to the adoption of a web-based thesis management system. the barriers to adoption highlights the need for careful planning, in terms of resource allocation and change management. the problem of financial constraint can be addressed by seeking support from external funding or government. resistance from both staff and students to shift away from the current process could be addressed through training programmes for both staff and students. the provision of adequate it support of adequate it support and reliable internet connectivity are crucial to overcome the technical challenges. one of the administrator said that: “one big problem would be fund. getting that huge pa ge 69 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 60-71, 2024 sum of money for infrastructure, licensing, and ongoing maintenance will be very difficult, especially with limited budgets assigned to education. apart from budget, resistance from both staff (particularly older lecturers) and students to shift away from manual processes could slow the adoption of the system”. another administrator stated that: “poor internet access, insufficient server capacity, and limited it staff are some of the challenges”. budget and resource allocation budgetary concerns are a primary barrier, and securing government grants or other forms of external funding may be necessary for successful implementation. investing in training and support is critical, as effective use of the system depends on the digital literacy of both staff and students. allocating resources gradually through a phased rollout would ensure the institution can manage its resources efficiently while addressing issues at each stage of the implementation. an administrator said that: the main financial considerations include hardware and software investments, licensing fees, and ongoing maintenance costs. the college does not have a dedicated budget for this. aside buying hardware and software, we also need to train the it staff, lecturers and students to ensure the system is used effectively. how do you plan to address these challenges? to address the identified challenges in implementing a web-based management system, the administrators have outlined several key strategies. the majority of the administrators suggested intensive training programmes for both staff and students to enhance their proficiency with the new system. additionally, they advised that the college seek additional funding or grants, particularly from tetfund and other sources, to support necessary it upgrades. a phased adoption approach, beginning with pilot projects, is also planned to manage the transition more effectively. finally, establishing robust data security protocols is a priority to ensure the protection of student and institutional data. these strategies reflect a comprehensive approach to overcoming the technical hurdles and ensuring a successful implementation of the web-based management system. what additional features or functionalities would you suggest for a web-based thesis management system? the majority of respondents suggest several key features for enhancing a web-based thesis management system. a significant number favor integrating the system with existing learning management systems (lms), which would streamline processes and improve accessibility. automated deadline reminders for both students and supervisors are also highly recommended to ensure timely progress and adherence to schedules. additionally, real-time collaborative editing features are considered essential, as they facilitate more effective and immediate communication between students and supervisors. these suggestions collectively aim to improve the system’s functionality, user engagement, and overall efficiency in managing thesis work. any other comments or concerns regarding the adoption of a web-based thesis management system? respondents consistently emphasized the importance of ensuring long-term sustainability and scalability for the adoption of a web-based thesis management system. they highlighted the need for continuous monitoring and updates to keep the system aligned with technological advancements. this reflects a common concern that, for successful implementation and effective use, the system must not only meet current needs but also adapt to future developments and growing demands. ensuring ongoing maintenance and upgrades is crucial for maintaining system performance and relevance over time. figure 1: framework for the adoption of thesis management system pa ge 70 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 60-71, 2024 framework for the adoption of thesis management system the framework was developed from the findings of the study. it effectively outlines the step-by-step process for adopting a web-based thesis management system while considering technical, operational and administrative aspects. it is divided into six interconnected sections, each addressing a critical aspect of the system’s development and operation. the use of color coding helps distinguish between the different areas of focus. the framework uses arrows to depict the flow between these sections, indicating that each component is interdependent. the process starts with assessment and planning, moves through technical requirements, training and support, system features, and concludes with monitoring and evaluation. administrative consideration runs in parallel to ensure alignment with organizational goals. discussion of the framework assessment and planning a. infrastructure assessment: this step focuses on evaluating the current hardware, software, and internet infrastructure. the goal is to identify gaps that could impede the successful implementation of the thesis management system. this foundational analysis ensures that the institution is aware of any technical limitations and is prepared to address them. b. implementation planning: following the infrastructure assessment, a detailed plan is formulated, covering aspects such as budgeting, timelines, resource allocation, and milestone tracking. it also involves exploring funding options like grants and institutional budget allocations. this stage ensures that the project is strategically planned with clear objectives and timelines. technical requirements a. internet connectivity: since the system is web-based, stable and reliable internet connectivity is critical. this ensures that all users, regardless of their location, can access and utilize the system efficiently. b. data security: protecting the sensitive information of students and faculty is a key concern. this element ensures that data is safeguarded through secure protocols, encryption, and compliance with privacy standards. c. hardware and software upgrades: this step emphasizes the need for any necessary upgrades to the existing infrastructure. this might involve enhancing the institution’s hardware (e.g., servers) or software tools to support the new system’s demands. training and support a. develop comprehensive training: this component addresses the need to train all users, including faculty, students, and administrators, on how to navigate and use the thesis management system. a well-structured training program is vital for maximizing the efficiency of the system and minimizing user-related issues. b. it support: the availability of ongoing technical support ensures that users can troubleshoot any problems they encounter. this helps to maintain the system’s functionality and user satisfaction over time. administrative consideration a. integration and efficiency: the framework accounts for the system’s seamless integration with the institution’s existing administrative processes. this helps ensure that the system enhances, rather than disrupts, current workflows. b. change management: as the introduction of a new system will likely require significant adjustments in workflows and user behaviors, managing change is crucial. this involves preparing stakeholders for the transition and mitigating any resistance to the new system. system features a. essential features: these are the core functionalities that the thesis management system must possess to meet its primary objectives, such as document submission, progress tracking, and approval workflows. b. additional features: these are supplementary features that can further enhance the system’s capabilities, such as advanced analytics, integration with plagiarism detection tools, or collaboration features. monitoring and evaluation a. regular updates and scalability: this element emphasizes the need for continuous updates to the system, ensuring that it remains compatible with evolving technologies and institutional needs. the system should also be scalable to handle an increasing number of users or additional functionalities in the future. b. performance monitoring: ongoing monitoring of the system’s performance is essential for identifying issues and optimizing its efficiency. metrics could include user satisfaction, system uptime, and speed of processing tasks. conclusion a web-based thesis management system is capable of providing solutions to address problems confronting thesis writing in colleges of education in nigeria and streamlined processes, improved thesis quality, and enhanced communication between students and supervisors. however, the adoption of such a system is dependent on the college’s readiness in terms of it infrastructure, resource availability, and internet connectivity. the study showed that while the college is keen to implement digital solutions, gaps in technology and limited it resources remain significant barriers. the study also observed that financial constraints, resistance to change, and technical limitations can thwart the adoption process. these challenges can be addressed through planning, external funding, and robust training programmes for staff and students. the perceived benefits of a web-based thesis management system are clear and they include automated pa ge 71 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 60-71, 2024 submission, feedback, and evaluation processes, enhanced efficiency, improved thesis quality through plagiarism detection and standardization, and better accountability and communication. however, these benefits must be weighed against the potential barriers, such as high implementation costs and resistance to change. the framework developed from the study outlines a comprehensive, step-by-step approach to adopting the system, emphasizing the need for thorough assessment, proper technical and administrative planning, continuous training, and long-term sustainability through regular updates and performance monitoring. the study concludes that with careful resource allocation, attention to training, and ongoing evaluation, a web-based thesis management system is not only feasible but necessary to modernize and improve the thesis management process across higher education institutions. references alsallal, m., iqbal, r., palade, v., amin, s., & chang, v. (2019). an integrated approach for intrinsic plagiarism detection. future generation computer systems, 96, 700712. birabil, s. t., & ogeh, o. w. m. (2020). education in nigeria: challenges and way forward. international journal of academic research and reflection, 8(1), 42-48. byungura, j. c. (2015). e-learning management system for thesis process support from a supervisor perspective: the case of scipro system at university of rwanda. chaputula, a. h. (2022). e-records management practices in public universities: a developing country perspective. records management journal, 32(3), 213-230. chofreh, a. g., goni, f. a., & klemeš, j. j. (2018). sustainable enterprise resource planning systems implementation: a framework development. journal of cleaner production, 198, 1345-1354. essuman, j. (2020). a qualitative exploration of factors causing mphil students’ delay in completion of thesis. university of cape coast. guto, r., & jumba, a. h. (2021). relationship between electronic records management and public organization credibility: critical analysis of literature review. journal of african interdisciplinary studies, 5(3), 52-67. kho, j., gillespie, n., & martin-khan, m. (2020). a systematic scoping review of change management practices used for telemedicine service implementations. bmc health services research, 20, 1-16. maltese, v. (2018). digital transformation challenges for universities: ensuring information consistency across digital services. cataloging & classification quarterly, 56(7), 592-606. mudawe, o. m. n. (2018). google docs: potentials and promises for scaffolding supervisory pedagogical practices of efl/esl students’ writing dissertation. journal of applied linguistics and language research, 5(2), 192-206. nyirenda, m., & moyo, s. (2019). development of research administration and management system for higher education institutions in developing countries: case study of durban university of technology. the african journal of information systems, 11(3), 3. paul, r. u., mbeledogu, n. n., sunday, b. t., emmanuel, m. c., & nwokoye, c. (2022). a web-based information management system for educational institutions in riverine areas. acta scientific computer sciences, 4(4), 31-40. sagir, m. a. (2019). strategic approaches to address the challenges faced in using electronic document management system: a case of staff of kebbi state university of science and technology aliero, nigeria pa ge 1 pa ge 11 8 american journal of education and technology (ajet) investigation into rural-urban gap in readiness of universities for online teaching: a case of pakistan tayyaba tamim1*, zubair khalid2, mishaal ahmad1, muhammed raza3, pir qasim shah3 volume 4 issue 1, year 2025 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v4i1.3446 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: july 09, 2024 accepted: august 15, 2024 published: february 19, 2025 higher education institutions worldwide faced significant disruption and chaos as covid-19 swept away the normal in 2020, catapulting them into online mode of instruction with hardly any transitional time. it can be argued that the challenge was particularly daunting for universities in developing country contexts of south asia, like pakistan, with limited resources and a large student body coming from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds. while research evidence piled up around the world about different challenges that specific universities faced within or across countries, there has been little systematic work done to explore the comparative challenges faced by universities in urban (large metropolitan) and rural (smaller/semi-urban /cities) in a single country context. this paper presents the findings of a large-scale survey sent to all the universities in pakistan during covid to understand the intra-country variation that one needs to keep in mind as we prepare for online instruction to meet similar challenges in the future. a quantitative survey was sent to 196 universities in pakistan. the survey had questions under the following categories, namely: university readiness, faculty readiness, student readiness, technology readiness and laboratory readiness. the results presented here are from 170 universities. the results reveal that urban universities were much more successful in their transition to online instruction than rural universities. the disparities were across: a) the extent of online policy adoption; b) infrastructure and support; c) operationalization of online teaching processes; and d) student and faculty readiness for online instruction. the study in the developing country context of the global south contributes to the relevant literature by providing insights into the unique challenges faced by universities because of their location. keywords faculty readiness, higher education online readiness, online policy implementation, rural vs urban comparison, students’ readiness 1 syed ahsan ali and syed maratib ali school of education, lahore university of management sciences, lahore, pakistan 2 syed babar ali school of science and engineering, lahore university of management sciences, lahore, pakistan 3 higher education commission, islamabad, pakistan * corresponding author’s e-mail: tayyaba.tamim@lums.edu.pk introduction in developing country contexts, a comparative analysis between rural and urban contexts reveals a staggering contrast that is biased against those living in rural areas. the issues in rural areas include a myriad of issues, including infrastructure challenges, electricity outages, poor health facilities, and lack of education (ngwa et al., 2023). access to education is central to addressing economic poverty in rural by fostering local job creation for communities and keeping in check large-scale urban (large metropolitans) to rural (small cities/villages) migrations (davies et al., 2023). as a strategy to strengthen educational access, governments encourage the establishment of higher education institutions in rural areas and emphasize the use of technology to make education accessible to remote populations (lagura et al., 2022). however, covid-19, declared a pandemic on march 11, 2020, by the world health organization (unesco, 2020), brought multiple challenges at personal, social, and institutional levels; higher education institutions (heis) were no exception. heis worldwide were forced to lock down and shift to online instruction (world bank, 2020). this transition represented a significant departure from traditional face-to-face teaching and learning in classrooms and was also abrupt (sahu, 2020; tamim, 2021). heis faced formidable challenges in upgrading technological infrastructure, providing faculty training, and facilitating students (bao, 2020). research focused on single or cross-country contexts documented and analyzed the struggles of heis as they adapted to online instruction, a complex undertaking even under normal circumstances (world bank, 2020; unesco, 2020). the covid-19 experience, traumatic as it was, has opened up new possibilities for hybridity in higher education program offerings, addressing issues of inequitable educational access. this means that the lessons learned from covid-19 remain relevant for preparing for similar future shocks (navarrete-cazales & rojas-moreno, 2023) or for retaining the positive aspects of online work on the environment, families, and businesses (yaseen & joshi, 2021). while a robust body of literature around the world focused on the readiness of universities made broad comparisons between interand intra-country contexts of heis, they sampled only some heis (devananda, 2020) or a program or two within a single hei (al harthi, 2020; latif & latif, 2021). however, there has been hardly any intra-country study comparing universities located in rural (semi-urban/smaller cities) and urban (large metropolitan) areas using a large data set, despite the glaring differences between rural and urban contexts. pa ge 11 9 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 118-130, 2025 statement of the problem this paper contributes to the current literature by exploring the readiness challenges faced by rural and urban universities in the developing country context of pakistan. unfortunately, heis in rural areas are often viewed in the same light as those in metropolitan areas, leading to the generation of data and policies that may overlook crucial contextual differences between them. the aim is to provide a comparative understanding of heis operating in rural and urban areas and to highlight context-specific issues that can inform decisionmaking and foster innovative solutions to address these challenges. although the data is generalizable only to heis in pakistan, it nonetheless provides valuable insights for other similar contexts. the paper presents key findings from a large-scale survey conducted by the higher education commission, which was distributed to 196 universities in pakistan. the analysis is based on responses from 170 universities that completed the survey. the paper is structured into five sections: the introduction is provided in the first section, followed by a literature review in the second section. the third section details the methodology used, and the fourth section presents and discusses the results. the paper concludes with the final section, summarizing the findings and arguments. literature review higher education institutions (heis) tend to be clustered in large metropolitan areas; however, their role in rural development and social transformation is significant. establishing heis, such as agricultural universities in rural areas, is a strategic move by governments due to their crucial role in human resource development (sharma, 2014; luvalo, 2014) and their ability to implement targeted strategic interventions to address local knowledge gaps and bring prosperity to the community (hanssen & mathisen, 2018). despite this, rural heis face several challenges, including low enrollment, poor infrastructure, and high drop-out rates (sharma, 2014; konwar & chakraborty, 2013). technology can play a significant role in improving access to higher education in rural areas by offering flexibility in time and personalized instruction if designed carefully (kiong, 2023). however, given the challenges related to human resources, infrastructure, and the digital divide in rural contexts (kumari & srivastava, 2023; jena & das, 2024), technology may also exacerbate existing inequalities (harmelen & pistorius, 1998). covid-19 necessitated the integration of e-learning in heis globally (turnbull et al., 2020), prompting the transition through policy creation and resource distribution (alqahtani & rajkhan, 2020; adedoyin & soykan, 2023). these policies aimed to support the shift to online education and mitigate the associated challenges (adedoyin & soykan, 2023). institutions needed to implement strategic planning to revamp curricula, provide access to infrastructure, and offer training facilities and support for teachers and students (bordeos et al., 2022). the three major steps taken by heis in this regard were: a) e-learning policy making; b) provision of technological resources and infrastructure; and c) ensuring the readiness of faculty and students. however, there is a need to understand the extent of implementation and availability of these measures, particularly in developing countries like pakistan. e-learning policies higher education authorities worldwide formulated policies to navigate the complexities of e-learning (turnbull et al., 2020; shrestha et al., 2022; hasan et al., 2022). these policies aimed to standardize instructional frameworks, ensure the restructuring of course content for online delivery, and provide resources and crucial support for equitable access to online instruction (zgheib et al., 2023). heis in developing country contexts, such as nigeria, faced significant challenges in devising these policies due to the absence of existing e-curricula (eli-chukwu et al., 2023). similarly, there is a gap in understanding the extent of the development and implementation of standardized e-learning policies in pakistan. resources, technology, and infrastructure for e-learning the rapid transition to e-learning required robust technological infrastructure, including computers, smartphones, and reliable internet connectivity, to support remote teaching and learning activities for heis (rafiq et al., 2020). heis globally endeavored to provide the necessary infrastructure, online learning platforms, tools for teaching and learning processes such as assessments and assignments, as well as training and certification for these tools and platforms essential for e-learning (gautam & gautam, 2021; salunoy et al., 2023). however, the equitable provision of resources for e-learning and infrastructure remained a significant challenge worldwide (zgheib et al., 2023). the importance of resource dissemination is highlighted by kalkan (2020), who examined the e-learning readiness of university students in türkiye using the e-learning readiness scale of yurdugül and demir (2017). this study found that computer, internet, and online communication self-efficacy were the top-ranked factors significantly affecting students’ e-learning readiness, followed by selflearning, learning control, and motivation. this includes not only the availability of devices such as internet, laptops, and power supply but also the infrastructure and technological support to address arising issues (boakye & akwensi, 2023; crawford et al., 2020). providing a strong internet connection, presenting live and offline sessions appropriately, and sharing class materials timely and correctly are influential factors on students’ and lecturers’ perceptions (mohammed et al., 2020). it becomes increasingly important to assess the extent of provision and utilization of these resources, especially in developing countries like pakistan. the readiness of heis pa ge 12 0 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 118-130, 2025 for online learning depended greatly on the availability of resources such as laptops and internet facilities, along with the technical skills to use these online platforms (bana et al., 2022). several studies were undertaken to assess the adequacy of these tools by examining the challenges that emerged while using them (binoy, 2024). for instance, heis in developing countries like india used tools and platforms to supplement online teaching and learning processes, yet faced challenges related to technological readiness, provision of tangible and intangible resources, and technological support (singh et al., 2023; zgheib et al., 2023; bana et al., 2022). binoy (2024) gauged the importance of using digital tools, such as lms and collaborative tools, based on their success in countries like the united states, canada, united kingdom, singapore, and australia. access and adequate training for tools that can replace fieldwork or lab work become crucial, especially when physical lab access is not possible (garcia et al., 2022). rural areas globally face issues related to connectivity and access to resources, which compromise the effective implementation of e-learning (basilaia & kvavadze, 2020; gautam & gautam, 2021). while heis and government bodies have strived to provide tools, platforms, and training to support e-learning (hec, 2024), significant gaps remain in understanding the challenges related to resource provision and utilization, especially in pakistan. the higher education commission (hec) has endeavoured to ensure the provision of necessary resources (hec, 2020). however, there is a need for studies to gauge the adequacy of infrastructure, tangible, and intangible resources, which are key factors affecting e-learning. factors affecting readiness of faculty and students for e-learning the rapid shift to online education during the covid-19 pandemic presented the heis, faculty and students with a host of challenges (gautam and gautam, 2021). the importance of being acquainted and well versed in using the latest information and communication technology (ict) tools becomes one of the key factors for successful online teaching (lagura et al., 2022) as teaching and learning became completely dependent on these tools (sariakin et al., 2023). in such circumstances, faculty readiness emerged as one of the crucial factors which impacted the overall readiness of heis for an online transition (rafiq et al., 2020). faculty throughout the world, faced issues such as lack of it skills required to use tools for online teaching along with limited access due to inadequacy of devices which proved to be a barrier for effective online education (rafiq et al., 2020; turnbull et al., 2020). in order to address the aforementioned challenges, faculty training and certification programs were deemed essential to equip the faculty with the necessary digital skill set (martin et al., 2019; turnbull et al., 2020). although training and certification programs were deemed essential in developing countries such as india (singh et al., 2023; turnbull et al., 2020, naik et al., 2021), faculty members continued to face challenges due to inadequate resources and training opportunities. mere familiarity with ict tools was not sufficient; teachers accustomed to traditional brick-and-mortar teaching required rigorous ict training and workshops to implement these tools successfully (lagura et al., 2022; nemalynne et al., 2023). similarly, student readiness also emerged as a critical factor impacting the success of online learning (reyesmillán et al., 2023). student readiness was heavily influenced by provision of resources, digital skills, and technological support (reyes-millán et al., 2023; siddiqua, 2022). disparities in resource availability and technical knowledge posed significant barriers, particularly for students in underserved communities (candy et al., 1994). the availability of intangible resources, such as training and support structures for both faculty and students, played a pivotal role in facilitating the transition to e-learning (kebritchi et al., 2017, rafique et al., 2021). in pakistan, hec took steps to gather information related to student readiness, including access to tangible and intangible resources (hec, 2020). despite these efforts, there remains a gap in understanding the specific challenges faced by faculty and students, particularly in rural areas. furthermore, there is a need to understand the readiness of both faculty and students for e-learning to ensure equitable access to online education in rural and urban higher education institutions (heis) across pakistan. it must be highlighted that the differences and disparities surrounding it skills, access to resources and availability of technological support between heis located in rural and urban areas exacerbated these challenges (shrestha et al., 2022) making it increasingly important to understand the degree of readiness in these areas especially in the case of rural and urban contexts of pakistan. moreover, understanding the preparedness of pakistani heis, especially the differences in readiness between urban and rural universities, is crucial for addressing these issues. there exists a gap in understanding the need for understanding the degree of both faculty and student readiness for e-learning, thereby promoting equitable access to online education across pakistan especially in the context of rural and urban heis in the context of pakistan. lastly, there exists a gap in understanding the policy implementation, resource availability, technology and resources, infrastructure support, and the readiness of faculty and students between rural and urban heis in the context of pakistan materials and methods pakistan is a developing country, with 264 private and public universities (hec, 2024). participation in higher education is limited to 7% which is still much low (economic survey pakistan, 2023). this paper focused on the data collected by hec (higher education commission) from universities across pakistan during pa ge 12 1 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 118-130, 2025 covid. the key determinants essential for e-learning in the face of a forced transition is the adoption of a uniform policy for distribution of resources; tangible or intangible; here the need for a central regulatory body becomes more and more important which in the case of pakistan is hec hec pakistan a regulatory body constitutionally established and mandated in september 2002 to supervise funding, overseeing governance, support research and development, ensure implementation of policies, and undertake accreditation of the higher education sector in the country (hec, 2024). over the years, it has played a pivotal role in ameliorating the quality of higher education by offering support and guidance in adopting international best practices through standardized quality ranking and offering support for faculty research, innovation and commercialization, and giving developmental grants for infrastructure. in response to the challenge of online instruction it provided a multidimensional support package to all the universities. this included technological and infrastructure support, requisitioning tools for seamless delivery and imparting effective training (hec, 2024). to ensure that these aforementioned aspects do not pose any hindrance in e-learning hec provided resources to universities across the country to ensure readiness for an online shift (higher education department, 2020). furthermore, keeping the importance of training programs in hindsight, hec provided several capacity-building programs and strategies to transform pedagogical activities into a virtual model (academia, 2020). it must be noted that the overall readiness for an online shift can be measured through the readiness of faculty and students, availability of resources, and their proper dissemination by the university, therefore, the role of a central regulating body becomes more and more important (kummitha et al., 2021), which in the case of pakistan was hec. these tangible and intangible resources were provided by hec to ensure readiness across several categories ranging from university readiness to student readiness, technological readiness and faculty readiness. based on the facilities provided by hec during the pandemic for online teaching to the universities across pakistan, hec conducted a survey to gauge the degree of readiness of universities for e-learning during the pandemic. this paper is based on the data collected through the survey circulated to the universities located across pakistan by hec during april 2020 at the time of the forced transition to online education. the methodology of filling evidencebased data-driven surveys was clearly communicated to the leadership of heis through online meetings via ms teams and emails. this was undertaken through a customized survey tool designed for data collection (hec, 2020). the transition to online and distance education mode was conducted in a decentralized manner ensuring that every unit of an hei could be made operational for students and faculty. it was operationalized through the institutional statutory hierarchies and forming an online academic council (oac) in each hei (hec, 2020). this paper holistically tries to comprehend the readiness of universities across pakistan and conducts a comparative analysis based on the rural urban locations of universities. the data set used for the purpose of this paper is divided in seven major categories, as the survey was divided in the following seven categories, namely, university readiness, course readiness, student readiness, evaluation readiness, laboratory readiness respectively and each of these categories have questions dividing them into subcategories. for the purpose of this study these subcategories were re-grouped and analyzed under the following four major categories namely, online policy adoption, the provision of infrastructure and support, the extent of operationalization of online teaching processes, the extent of student and faculty readiness. these became the primary factors which affected the readiness for online transition in universities across pakistan. the data collected through the survey was stored in an excel sheet, thus forming a comprehensive data set. moreover, the data set was an amalgamation of qualitative and quantitative data which were helpful in understanding the data set. coding was used to code the data collected in binary form when it was transferred to the excel sheet format. the coding process made it easier to read the data set. the data set was further enriched by listing some values in textual format where necessary. we went on to analyze the data through excel software for a comprehensive and holistic analysis. graphical representation of the tabulated data was used to enhance the analysis. data engineering was used to engineer the data set for apt analysis. the use of excel enabled us to generate graphs, plots and distributions to analyze the data in-depth. our findings have grouped the aforementioned categories in four major themes to understand the data comprehensively and to derive a conclusion based on the readiness of universities based on their rural and urban locations. analysis of the trend of readiness in each of these categories based on the rural urban location of the universities is thus a measure for the comparison of readiness for an online shift of universities in rural and urban areas in cities across pakistan. results and discussion the findings of the study have been divided into the following four themes that describe the distribution of universities and online policy adoption, the provision of infrastructure and support, the extent of operationalization of online teaching processes, the extent of student and faculty readiness and the factors at play. these findings are further divided into sub-themes as depicted in figure 1 below. each finding first presents an aggregated estimation and then a disaggregated one by locality. this is to allow an understanding of how an aggregated estimation can mask important inequalities. pa ge 12 2 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 118-130, 2025 distribution of universities and the extent of online policy adoption distribution of universities and the trend of the extent of online policy adoption are important factors in gauging the degree of readiness for e-learning across pakistan based on locality (rural-urban status). there are two factors which affect this category namely, the distribution of universities across pakistan (based on locality) and the extent of adoption of policy, sops and the establishment of oac based on this distribution. distribution of universities the distribution of 196 universities in this sample shows a bias towards urban metropolitans across the country. the highest number of universities are in the metropolitan cities, depicted as the first 9 in figure 2 that displays the distribution of universities across pakistan. figure 1: factors affecting the readiness of universities for e-learning figure 2: distribution of universities across pakistan figure 3: percentage of universities across rural and urban areas pa ge 12 3 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 118-130, 2025 furthermore, figure 3 shows the distribution of universities based on the rural-urban status. figure 3 shows that the greater number of universities are located in the urban areas of pakistan as compared to the rural areas. moreover, figure 2 depicts that 68.24% of the universities in pakistan are in 9 urban areas while 31.63% are located across rural areas. adoption of policy, sops and the establishment of oac the adoption of policy given by hec involved among other things following standard operating procedures i.e., sops for the approval of courses for online delivery; and establishment of online academic council i.e., oac which was responsible for approving courses for online delivery. figure 4 reveals that 99% adopted the online policy given by hec universities, 100% followed sops, while 99% also established oacs. this shows a good number of universities following hec directions and online instruction protocols. furthermore, the disaggregation of data by locality displayed in figure 4 below shows a higher level of compliance in urban universities than in rural universities. the main issue seems to be in setting up or establishing oac for online instruction. figure 4: a comparison of the adoption of policy, sops and establishment of oac across pakistan and according to rural-urban status our findings suggest that although there is a high percentage of policy adoption for online education across all three aspects as mentioned above, it is interesting to note that when we conduct a comparison of universities based on their locations it is clear that urban universities have a higher preparedness as compared to rural universities in the aspect of policy adoption, whereas for urban universities the issue seems to be up an oac. technological support for students and faculty an important aspect of a university’s readiness for online instruction is the availability of technological support for students and faculty. this includes the provision of facilities for firstly, complaint processing and secondly the provision of technological support, acquiring the required tools and software and utilization of the acquired tools by the students and faculty. complaints processed as complaint processing is a pivotal part of technology readiness, figure 5 shows the comparison of the complaints registered, resolved, addressed in universities across pakistan. as depicted in figure 5 below among the complaints registered i.e., of the total number of complaints received, 0.69% of the complaints were updated to the status of resolved whereas 24.72% figure 5: comparison of the complaints registered, resolved, addressed in universities in pakistan and based on ruralurban locations pa ge 12 4 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 118-130, 2025 were registered. when we view the complaints received according to locality, we can see that 68.45% were received by universities in urban areas, whereas 31.55% were received by the universities located in rural settings. when we analyze the number of complaints registered with the number of complaints resolved we might be able to see a stark difference between the two numbers. moreover, a rural urban analysis in figure 5 shows that among the complaints received in urban areas, 30.13% of the complaints were registered whereas only 0.69% resolved. furthermore, figure 5 also shows that in rural universities among the complaints received, 12.99% of the complaints were registered whereas only 0.67% were addressed. this shows that a higher number of complaints were registered and updated to the status of resolved in urban universities. it can be inferred from these numbers that urban universities have addressed a greater number of complaints that they have received highlighting a better preparedness in the area of student support in technological aspect. technological support team, acquired tools and utilisation of the acquired tools secondly, provision of technological support, acquiring tools, and utilization of the acquired tools is also important for e-learning. figure 6 below shows that 100% of the universities had acquired the required technology and software and for using them online teaching, while 77.22% of the acquired tools were being used, whereas 95.29% had technological support available. heis seemed to be doing better at acquiring technology and software and slightly less in putting in place a technological support team. however, the difference seems to be marginal. the most worrisome is the lack of use of the 22.88% acquired technology by the universities sampled for the study. this shows that a vast majority of tools acquired by the universities are being used and a large proportion of the universities have technological support (team) available. furthermore, a rural urban comparison in the figure 6 below suggests that 70.25% of the tools were acquired by the urban universities, all of the acquired are being used by the urban universities and 97.41% have technological support (technology support team) available whereas 29.75% of the tools were acquired by rural universities and 90.74% have technological support (technology support team) available. this suggests that urban universities have better provision of support and a higher percentage for acquiring and using the acquired tools as well. moreover, urban universities seem to be performing similarly across all three subcategories, whereas rural universities seem to be following the pattern of the general analysis above as they are performing better in acquiring and utilizing tools but lag slightly behind in the technology support area. figure 6: a comparison of the technological support, acquired tools and utilisation of the acquired tools by the universities across pakistan and based on rural-urban locations from the discussion above we can infer that urban universities perform better in complaint resolution, and in the domain of technological support as compared to their rural counterparts. operationalization of online teaching processes operationalization of online teaching includes four factors, namely, operationalization of lms, factors affecting online course readiness, laboratory readiness and evaluation readiness. operationalization of lms operationalization of lms is one of the most important factors for e-learning. figure 7 on the left shows that operationalization of lms has been adopted by 91.76% of the universities across pakistan. furthermore, a rural urban analysis in figure 7 below shows that among the urban universities 93.97% have an operationalized lms whereas 87.04% of the rural universities have an operationalized lms. we can infer that urban universities have better preparedness based on the factor of operationalization of lms. pa ge 12 5 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 118-130, 2025 factors affecting online course readiness secondly, course readiness i.e., readiness of a university for teaching online courses depends upon the following factors, namely: the number courses approved for online delivery, the number of approved courses being taught online, availability of online course materials, lesson plans, course objectives, textbooks, online availability of course details, textbooks, operationalization of lms and availability of course details. figure 8 below shows the overall course readiness for universities across pakistan. figure 8 below shows that almost 96.17% of the courses authorized for online teaching are ongoing in universities across pakistan. moreover, a vast majority of the universities have provided online facilities such as provision of learning objectives, lesson plans, course particulars etc. the category which seems to be performing the best is the ongoing courses among the ones have been authorized for online delivery and the weakest one seems to be in getting online library subscription from hec. furthermore, a rural urban analysis in figure 8 below shows that among these factors, the urban universities have an overall greater preparedness as compared to the rural universities. moreover, figure 8 below shows that for each category urban universities have a higher preparedness as compared to their rural counterparts. the category with the highest percentage: 96.55% of the courses authorized have learning objectives available for online teaching in urban universities are being offered whereas, 90.74% of the courses authorized for online delivery that are being offered in rural universities have learning objectives available. it is also clear from the figure 8 below that for the category with the lowest percentage: 93.10% of the urban universities have succeeded in obtaining hec library subscription as compared to 77.78% of the rural universities. here, similar to the overall analysis, availability of learning objectives for the operationalization of online courses seems to be the strongest category, whereas, obtaining library subscription from hec seems to be the weakest category. figure 7: a comparison of the operationalization of lms in universities across pakistan and based on rural-urban locations figure 8: factors affecting the overall course readiness across pakistan, and based on rural-urban location laboratory readiness the third factor essential for operationalization of online teaching processes is laboratory readiness. laboratory readiness is important for successful online education as several courses require lab work. the factor which affects the laboratory readiness depends upon the coordination of the university with professional councils on possible and permissible alternative modes of delivering psychomotor information (hec, 2020). figure 9 shows the overall laboratory readiness and the comparison of laboratory readiness based on a rural-urban factor. figure 9 shows that 66.47% of the pa ge 12 6 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 118-130, 2025 universities have a high laboratory readiness. analysis based on rural urban locations shown in figure 9 below suggests that 68.97% of the universities in urban areas have high laboratory readiness whereas 61.11% of the universities located in the rural areas of the country. although this finding is only dependent upon one variable as discussed above, the figure 9 below clearly shows that a higher percentage of urban universities are equipped for online education in the aspect of laboratory readiness as compared to rural universities. figure 9: a representation of the percentage of laboratory readiness of universities across pakistan and based on rural-urban locations evaluation readiness lastly, the fourth factor essential for operationalization of online teaching processes is readiness for online assessment (evaluation readiness). evaluation readiness is one of the primary factors which affects the overall readiness of a university for online education. evaluation readiness depends upon the adoption of a uniform policy for online evaluation for online courses and the dissemination of that policy among the students and the faculty (hec, 2020). figure 10 below shows that 79.41% of the universities have adopted a uniform policy for online evaluation and 71.18% have disseminated it as well. the difference in these percentages shows that there is a need for greater adoption of policy for evaluation and to disseminate these policies as well. additionally, a rural urban analysis in figure 10 below suggests that 79.31% of the urban universities have adopted a uniform policy for online evaluation whereas a slightly lower percentage i.e., 75% of the universities have disseminated it. whereas 79.63% of the rural universities have adopted a uniform policy for online evaluation whereas a lower percentage i.e., 62.96% of the universities have disseminated it. the results also highlight that although the majority of universities have adopted a policy for evaluation, they have not succeeded in disseminating it. figure 10: a representation of the percentage of evaluation readiness of universities across pakistan and based on rural-urban locations here, it is again interesting to note that urban universities have a high preparedness across most factors as compared to those in rural areas. furthermore, as we delve into the findings regarding the factors essential for course readiness, we can see that the universities located in urban areas have higher preparedness in operationalization of lms and factors affecting the overall course readiness for e-learning. thirdly, rural universities have a lower preparedness as compared to urban universities when it comes to laboratory readiness. lastly, we can see that urban universities have pa ge 12 7 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 118-130, 2025 a slightly lower preparedness when it comes to adoption of policy for online evaluation as compared to those situated in the rural settings, whereas, rural universities have a much lower preparedness in dissemination of the policy. we can say that urban universities have better preparedness in evaluation as compared to the universities located in rural settings. based on these factors, we might be able to say that, when it comes to operationalization of online teaching processes, urban universities perform better but there seems to be an overall lower preparedness in the aspects of laboratory and evaluation readiness for universities located in rural and urban settings. student and faculty readiness student readiness is measured through collection of data regarding the factors that gauge readiness of students for online learning. students are one of the primary stakeholders in online education. the factors which affect the collection of data regarding student readiness (student readiness) of a university are based on university collecting the basic information regarding the students such as demographics (area of residence), student particulars (contact numbers), internet details, the nature of available devices to students such as laptop, desktop etc., the distribution of certified tools for e-learning, and the establishment of a complaint center by the director of student affairs of the university. the figure 11 below shows the distribution of the percentages of the factors affecting the student readiness of the universities across pakistan. figure 11 below shows that 98.24% of the universities have collected information regarding student particulars whereas, a much lesser 70% have succeeded in establishment of a complaint center. it is interesting to note that across all sub-categories for collection of data regarding student readiness; collection of data regarding student particulars is the strongest category whereas, setting up a complaint center headed by the director of student affairs is the weakest. interestingly, a rural urban comparison in figure 11 below shows that 99.14% of the urban universities have collected information regarding the area of student particulars, whereas rural universities have collected slightly lesser i.e., 96.30% of student residence information. moreover, rural and urban universities have the lowest percentage for establishment of a complaint center with urban universities at 71.55% and rural universities at 66.67%. a deeper analysis suggests that universities in urban areas seem to be performing overall slightly better as compared to those in rural areas as depicted in figure 11 below. this shows that collection of data regarding student readiness is better in urban universities because the higher percentages of universities have succeeded in the factors that affect the overall student readiness of a university as compared to those in the rural areas. figure 11: a distribution of the factors affecting the collection of data regarding student readiness (student readiness) of universities across pakistan and based on rural-urban location faculty readiness faculty readiness depends upon the total number of faculty and the percentage of faculty certified to teach online courses. figure 12 shows that 85.32% of the total faculty available in pakistan is certified to teach online. although 85.32% of the faculty has been certified, it is interesting to note the rural urban comparison in this regard. figure 12 shows that 84.85% of the faculty in urban universities is certified whereas 86.83% of the faculty in rural universities is certified to teach online courses. this suggests that universities in rural areas have a slightly better faculty readiness as compared to those in urban areas as suggested by the figure 12. pa ge 12 8 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 118-130, 2025 figure 12: a comparison of the total faculty and the percentage of faculty certified to teach online courses in universities across pakistan and based on rural-urban locations as one of the key factors which are essential for the transition to e-learning are faculty and student readiness. we might be able to suggest that rural universities need to improve their student readiness, whereas urban universities need to improve their faculty readiness. the study revealed that universities in pakistan are well-prepared for online policy adoption, with urban universities outperforming in several aspects, including policy implementation for online teaching, adherence to sops, and establishing an online academic council (oac). despite overall high readiness for infrastructure and support, urban universities excel in complaint resolution, and greater readiness for technological support. additionally, urban universities are more prepared for lms operations, better equipped for online courses, laboratory readiness, whereas there is a minor lag when it comes to adoption of policy in evaluation readiness. the findings indicate that while both urban and rural universities demonstrate high readiness for e-learning, urban universities have higher student readiness, whereas rural universities show slightly higher faculty readiness. the study concludes that pakistani universities were generally well-prepared for the transition to online teaching, with notable differences between rural and urban institutions. conclusion during the covid-19 pandemic, switching from oncampus learning to e-learning showed gaps in policy and resources. this especially affected students and teachers in pakistan’s rural and urban areas. efforts by the hec and other bodies are noted, but gaps in tech support remain. the study looked at how ready pakistani universities were for online teaching, comparing rural and urban areas. we found readiness in four areas: policy adoption, infrastructure, teaching processes, and student and faculty readiness. rural universities need to boost student readiness; urban ones need better faculty readiness. urban universities did better in policy adoption, sops, and tech support but lagged a bit in evaluation readiness. both rural and urban universities showed high e-learning readiness overall. the study suggests pakistani universities were quite ready for online teaching during the pandemic. however, there are differences between rural and urban schools. similar global trends show urban universities usually have higher e-learning readiness. in pakistan, this isn’t always about location. the study used a survey from the hec during the quick shift to online learning, with 170 out of 202 universities responding. this is a limitation of the study. based on hec’s research, there’s potential to find what drives e-learning tool use. future research could look at why certain tools were used more—ease of use, limited training, or strict rules. also, comparing tool use before and after covid-19 could give insights. lastly, studying gender differences in urban vs. rural areas could be interesting for further research. acknowledgements this work is supported by recasting best practices of european universities during pandemic for improving online education in pakistan heis (rapid project number: 101083220) funded by the european commission under erasmus+ capacity building in higher education (cbhe) 2022. we also thank javed iqbal from iba, sukkur for reviewing the preliminary report of this work and providing feedback. we also acknowledge nasir shah and shoaib irshad from higher education commission, pakistan for providing their 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(2021). positive impact of covid-19 on education. international research journal on advanced science hub, 3(special issue 6s), 182-185. pa ge 1 pa ge 14 american journal of education and technology (ajet) science teachers’ academic optimism and stages of concern on the content enrichment program of dost-sei project star love joy m. pascua1, cesario y. pacis2 volume 3 issue 4, year 2024 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v3i4.3244 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: august 18, 2024 accepted: september 21, 2024 published: september 25, 2024 this study aimed to explore science teachers’ academic optimism, their stages of concern regarding the dost-sei project star content enrichment program, and the relationship between these variables. the research utilized a descriptive design involving 353 public school science teachers in the philippines who attended the project star science content enrichment webinar series. data were collected via a three-part survey distributed through google forms and analyzed using frequency and percentage distribution, weighted mean, and pearson r correlation. findings revealed that science teachers exhibited high academic optimism across three dimensions: self-efficacy, trust in students and parents, and academic emphasis. attendance in the content enrichment program significantly predicted teachers’ academic optimism as a collective construct. nearly all measures of academic optimism were high, with one very high indicator showing that teachers are adept at fostering student learning values. they are committed to bridging the gap between essential knowledge and its relevance to students’ lives. regarding the stages of concern, teachers showed high levels of implementing what they learned from the dost-sei project star content enrichment program, indicating practical application. this suggests that teachers are beginning to collaborate, coordinate implementation, and evaluate achievements collectively, learning from each other. moreover, results indicated a significant positive correlation at the 0.01 level between teachers’ academic optimism (self-efficacy, trust in students and parents, academic emphasis) and their stages of concern (self, task, impact). this underscores the interconnectedness between teachers’ confidence, their collaborative efforts, and their focus on improving educational outcomes. keywords academic optimism, content enrichment, science teachers, stages of concern 1 department of science and technology, science education institute, philippines 2 mariano marcos state university, college of industrial technology, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: lovejoy.pascua@gmail.com introduction the true goals of education are to equip individuals with skills for productive living and societal contribution in a constantly changing world. its importance has grown in our modern, globalized society. according to studies, school effectiveness remains a primary concern due to ongoing accountability demands enforced on education. according to teacher certification degrees (2023), science teachers, in particular, play a vital role in nurturing the next generation of professionals in science and technology by igniting students’ curiosity and promoting further inquiry into areas of interest. they must be creative and innovative and possess relevant skills that adapt to evolving educational environments. effective teaching requires teachers to be competent, optimistic, inquisitive, and confident, capable of inspiring students and improving academic standards. professional teacher learning is increasing in demand as a way of supporting the increasingly sophisticated students who need to master it in order to achieve success in the twenty-first century. according to darlinghammond, hyle, and gardner (2017), advanced teaching methods are needed to develop students’ skills including deep understanding of hard topics, critical thinking, complex problem-solving, effective communication and collaboration, and self-direction. to help teachers acquire and strengthen the instructional strategies they use, effective professional development is necessary. for that, professional development programs are necessary with the common vision and end goal, that is, to better prepare teachers and ultimately the learners for the vuca world – volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous. on the other hand, teacher academic optimism refers to an educational environment comprised of three dimensions: self-efficacy, trust in students and parents, and academic emphasis. teachers should develop academic optimism to be effectively prepared to handle the demands of the teaching profession. as cited by safari and soleimani (2019), teachers’ sense of academic optimism inspires academic optimism in students. donovan (2014) suggests employing a variety of instructional strategies, employing a variety of parent communication strategies, emphasizing the value of student work, setting clear and unambiguous rules and building humanistic connections with students, and believing all students can learn. furthermore, according to rimm-kaufman (2015), high-quality academic instruction is designed to provide opportunities for thinking and analysis and is tailored to students’ educational levels. in light of current developments in the science and technology of learning, it is essential to maintain a learning environment that fosters continuous improvement in order to stay up with the fast-changing global environment. the science teacher academy for pa ge 15 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 14-23, 2024 the regions (star), a project of the department of science and technology science education institute (dost-sei), seeks to empower a critical mass of science, technology. engineering and mathematics (stem) teachers across the country through high-impact training, webinars, and recognition. this program intends to act as a catalyst for the growth of professional learning communities that will maintain the capacity building of teachers and boost the quality of stem education in the philippines (sei annual report 2021). the project conducted a series of webinars in science and mathematics to capacitate teachers with a focus on content enrichment in the year 2022. furthermore, modifications to teaching and learning methods are required by introducing technologies, curriculum, and school-wide goals. in connection, while some people are frightened and resistant to change, others are eager to embrace innovation. it is in light of the above statements and arguments that as the philippines’ educational system and the mode of capacity building program changed because of the pandemic, it is intriguing to study the science teachers’ level of academic optimism and their level on the stages of concern on the implementation of the dost-sei project star content enrichment program. this study provides adequate information and the findings may be used as a foundation for developing future professional development programs that would equip teachers with the necessary competencies they need to succeed in 21stcentury education and the vuca world. this research study aimed to determine the science teachers’ level of academic optimism and their level on the stages of concern on the implementation of the dost-sei project star content enrichment program. more specifically, it sought answers to the following questions: 1. what is the science teachers’ level of academic optimism along the following dimensions: 1.1 self-efficacy; 1.2 trust in students and parents; and 1.3 academic emphasis? 2. what are the science teachers’ level on the stages of concern in terms of: 2.1 self; 2.2 task; and 2.3 impact? 3. is there a significant relationship between the science teachers’ level of academic optimism and their level on the stages of concern? literature review teachers’ skills in the k to 12 curriculum according to william and marry school of education (2023), a strong curriculum is essential to student success to meet the educational requirements. teachers, at the forefront of the educational process, must possess a diverse set of skills and perform in a complex workplace where they must make hundreds of key decisions each day to enhance student learning. in addition, teachers need to acquire and hone abilities that will help in students’ engagement with the content. active learning will sharpen students’ interest and help them retain the content while creating a stimulating learning environment (meier, 2018). babu & mendro (2003) in their study mentioned that to prepare children for this future world, teachers will need to combine traditional teaching abilities with newer attributes that will help students thrive in the twenty-first century. five abilities are required of any potential educator, these are strong subject knowledge, being a facilitator, strong social skills, external focus, and data analysis. strong subject knowledge involves more than just reciting information; teachers must help students understand and apply facts to develop lifelong learning skills crucial for future employment. facilitating learning is vital for developing skills like critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity, which are increasingly important as technology automates repetitive tasks. another, social skills are critical for teachers as the workplace demands abilities in communication and collaboration that technology cannot replicate. employers seek these skills, emphasizing teamwork, decisionmaking, and verbal communication (national association of colleges and employers, 2015). an external focus involves applying learning to real-world scenarios and using methods like the flipped classroom to enhance engagement. this approach helps students understand practical applications beyond the classroom. lastly, data analysis is crucial for identifying struggling students and providing necessary support. with increasing online learning, teachers must use technology to assess student performance data effectively. the educational system faces unprecedented challenges, necessitating teachers to upskill and reskill more than ever. the shift to online learning during the covid-19 pandemic has changed the educator’s role from traditional methods to innovative teaching tailored to individual student needs (saxena, 2020). this shift requires teachers to develop self-learning modules and online lessons, fostering an exciting learning process through collaboration. the pandemic has driven educational innovation, compelling teachers to focus on transforming educational systems to address diversity and provide necessary resources. despite the challenges, this shift has led to increased cooperation among key individuals to deliver quality education. teachers play a vital role in inspiring and empowering students, which has become even more crucial during the pandemic. great teaching requires the right personality and a teachable collection of skills that can be developed to improve educational outcomes. as difficult as that mandate was, it represents the bestcase scenario in what has proven to be an extremely inequitable landscape during the pandemic but has resulted in at least one positive outcome: cooperation between and among key individuals in the pursuit of pa ge 16 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 14-23, 2024 providing the best education possible to learners despite the pandemic. teachers’ key roles are essential for the development of learners’ educational development, which inspires and empowers students to take control of their futures. with the onset of this global pandemic and the frequent occurrence of multiple crises in response to the imperative of delivering quality education, every teacher might ask, appreciate, and realize what it takes to be a teacher. to be a great teacher requires the right kind of personality, but also the right collection of skills. these skills are teachable, which implies that even if you struggle in certain areas, you can strengthen your teaching skills and become a better teacher. academic optimism researchers have sought to identify school-level qualities beyond socioeconomic status that influence student achievement and define a successful school. academic optimism, which encompasses academic emphasis, faculty trust, and self-efficacy, is a concept introduced by hoy, tarter, and woolfolk hoy (2006). it builds on positive psychology research, focusing on satisfaction, well-being, and hope(beard et al., 2010). academic optimism is theoretically grounded in albert bandura’s ideas on social cognition and self-efficacy, james coleman’s social capital, wayne hoy and colleagues’ work on culture and environment, and martin seligman’s learned optimism. teacher efficacy, the belief in their capacity to influence student learning, is highlighted by hoy et al., (2010) as critical to student achievement. teachers with high self-efficacy set higher standards, exert more effort, and persist through challenges, making selfefficacy a cognitive component of academic optimism. trust, a key element within academic optimism, significantly affects student academic progress (beard et al., 2010). teachers’ trust in parents and students is based on perceived kindness, reliability, competence, honesty, and openness. increased trust from students and parents boosts teachers’ self-efficacy, leading to better classroom instruction (hoy et al., 2008). this trust enables teachers to improve classroom practices, fostering a positive learning environment (beard et al., 2010). trust is thus the affective component of academic optimism. academic emphasis is the conviction in and works put forth by teachers to support student learning (hoy et al., 2008). according to beard et al., (2010), a teacher’s academic emphasis is how well they can get students engaged in relevant academic tasks. a strong academic focus among teachers positively influences their efficacy and trust in students and parents, forming the normative and behavioral aspects of academic optimism (mcguigan & hoy, 2006). since each component of academic optimism depends on the other in order to function, it is thought of as a triadic system of relationships. hoy et al., (2006) found a reciprocal and transactional relationship between teacher self-efficacy, trust, and academic emphasis. self-efficacy tends to rise as parents and students’ trust is cultivated and has grown among teachers. teachers’ relationships with students and parents are reinforced when they have high expectations for student’s academic performance, a strong sense of self-efficacy, and trust in both the students and the parents. these three dimensions of academic optimism interact with one another to create a culture in the classroom that is optimistic about learning, academics, and school success (forsyth et al., 2011). academic success can be achieved when teachers believe in every student’s ability to learn and are willing to form partnerships with both the students and parents (mitchell & tarter, 2016). thus, the three components work together to create a motivating force for learning. hoy et al., (2006) have proven that on a collective level that the three dimensions of schools work harmoniously to generate a conducive learning environment. these dimensions have a comparable nature and purpose as well as a strong and favorable impact on educational achievement. a teacher performs a crucial function within a few hours in the classroom by providing the daily, specific planned content. teachers’ competencies, skills, and content knowledge are critical for understanding and improving educational processes. numerous studies have revealed that teachers’ expertise substantially influences students’ enthusiasm to learn and succeed. additionally, this is closely tied to teachers’ academic optimism. teachers would be more committed to their professions if they are confident in their competence, trust their students and parents, and emphasize the value of academic work. stages of concern concerns are a crucial component of engaging with people participating in a change process (george et al., 2006). innovation is the umbrella term used in concerns research to refer to the thing or circumstance that is the focus of the concerns. concerns can be viewed and described within the context of the innovation and its use. the innovation does not need to be new. it could be a new program, strategy, or practice or something that has been in use for a while. even though there may be multiple worries about innovation at once, each person will prioritize different aspects of the innovation at different times. stages of concern (soc) outline how individuals feel about and engage with new programs or practices, particularly among teachers (horsley & loucks-horsley, 1998; hall & hord, 2001). there are seven identified stages, reflecting a developmental progression from minimal concern to concerns about the impact of the innovation. this framework aligns with frances fuller’s earlier research on teaching. the concerns-based adoption model (cbam) identifies three primary stages of concern: 1) self, 2) task, and 3) impact. success in innovation adoption is linked to addressing these stages. initial self-concerns include awareness (stage 0), informational (stage 1), and personal (stage 2) stages, where individuals become aware of the pa ge 17 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 14-23, 2024 innovation, seek more information, and assess their roles and potential conflicts. the management stage (stage 3) focuses on the practical aspects of using the innovation efficiently. the final stages address impact concerns: the consequence stage (stage 4) focuses on the innovation’s effects on students, the collaboration stage (stage 5) emphasizes working with others, and the refocusing stage (stage 6) seeks broader benefits and potential improvements. all have a variety of concerns that range in intensity. things that are more personally relevant and typically lead everyone to concern more deeply. it is critical to realize that one’s views influence and form the way we worry. even though there may be multiple worries about an innovation at once, each person will prioritize different aspects of the innovation at different times. for instance, various concerns will arise depending on how much a user knows about and has used the innovation. a person who has just started using a given innovation will have different concerns than someone who has never used it and at various intensities. dost-sei project star and its professional development programs numerous factors contribute to the country’s current predicament. to begin, the country is facing a teacher shortage in science and mathematics, likewise of taking an active teaching role. it is believed that improving the quality of teacher training and making continued professional development accessible to all teachers will enhance science and mathematics teaching. teachers’ pedagogical and technological skills should be strengthened. the department of education and the department of science and technology-science education institute (dost-sei), have partnered to enhance science and mathematics education for teachers. through the dostsei graduate scholarship programs, sei provides opportunities for science and mathematics public school teachers across the country to pursue master’s or doctoral degrees. additionally, the sei conducts training programs throughout the country for teachers to help them become more capable through increased content knowledge and improved competence in teaching and assessing their learning. through this, teachers can make a difference by transforming science and mathematics into enjoyable subjects and refuting the belief that they are challenging and intimidating (briones, 2013). project star, as discussed in its star manual (2019), stands for project science teacher academy for the regions. it is an organized scheme of capacity-building activities designed to improve teachers’ instructional capacity and content knowledge with the end goal of enhancing the teaching and learning of science and mathematics education. initiated by the department of science and technology – science education institute in 2011, it consists of teacher-training programs that are designed to blend the latest pedagogical approaches and strategies with scientific and mathematical content. project star has two main objectives: (1) to increase the number of science and math teachers in the country (inservice); and (2) to advocate for innovative approaches and models for the teaching and learning of science and math (in-service/pre-service). in doing so, it intends to provide the filipino teacher with the skills and content mastery to deliver lessons effectively and efficiently. ultimately, it hopes that by equipping teachers with the appropriate know-how, students of science and math will grow into productive and conscientious citizens of the nation and the world. the scope of project star is nationwide; it uses the cascade model to deliver training to teachers across the country. dost-sei works with 17 teacher-training institutions in all the regions of the country as well as 17 regional offices of the deped) to deliver training to teachers nationwide. one hundred and twenty-eight trainers, sixty-four each for science and mathematics, form a national trainer pool that assists dost-sei in its various training programs under project star. in july 2022, project star launched a content webinar series to enhance teachers’ knowledge on challenging science and mathematics topics identified through needs assessments. there were four (4) sessions conducted during the webinar for each subject theme (biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics). during the content enrichment webinar series, a diverse range of topics in biology, chemistry, and physics which are hard to teach were covered, providing participants with valuable insights and knowledge. in light of recent unpredictable situations, “survivability” has become a key focus, pushing teachers to adapt their methods. the education sector must develop professional and innovative programs to ensure teaching quality is maintained, upskilling and reskilling educators to enhance their job security and effectiveness. the demand for greater educational opportunities persists, driven by technological advancements and market changes. professional development programs are essential for workforce competitiveness, ensuring stable employment and adaptability. as technology becomes more accessible, teachers must stay ahead of their students, necessitating continuous capacity building. many teachers recognize the importance of this program and are constantly working to enhance their skills. simultaneously, schools and educational institutions must frequently conduct professional development programs for teachers to keep them up to date on a variety of innovative teaching strategies, concepts, and techniques. the following strategies can help ensure teachers have the necessary skills to impart the appropriate education to the new generation of learners in the most effective manner: 1) provide teachers with access to the latest tools; 2) integrate technology into teaching processes; 3) introduce teachers to 21st-century concepts; and 4) use technology to train teachers. a new education initiative’s effectiveness ultimately pa ge 18 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 14-23, 2024 depends on both the program itself and — more importantly — the role of the teachers who are the frontline in delivering these programs to students. teachers, who are the final facilitators of educational programs, are therefore a key factor in the success of establishing a new program in schools. teachers’ teaching methods have become increasingly diverse. the internet has evolved into a space for them to pursue their interests and devote their time to learning new things for development. it has provided them with a platform to be engaged in rapid interaction and almost instantaneous knowledge building and development. this prompted academic institutions to consider how educational sectors could provide a quality learning experience to teachers worldwide. with the help of webinars, educational institutions have attempted to stay afloat. materials and methods this study employed the descriptive research design as this is expected to generate a set of data that could describe the variables under study. it is descriptive because it described teachers’ level of academic optimism and their level on the stages concern. it likewise ascertained the relationships between science teachers’ level of academic optimism in terms of their self-efficacy, trust in students and parents, and academic emphasis to their level on the stages of concern along with self, task, and impact concerns. the study was undertaken on a nationwide scope, specifically in the different public schools of the country from the seventeen (17) regions. the focus of the study was the dost-sei project star content enrichment program on teaching and learning in the new educational system, which was made available to all teachers nationwide. the participating schools were selected randomly, with a specific emphasis on those schools where science teachers were involved in the said program. this study involved the public school science teachers across the country, who participated in the dost-sei project star content enrichment program regardless of the grade level being taught. considering the huge number of participants and diverse geographical locations, a random sampling technique was used in the determination of respondents in the online survey questionnaire using slovin’s formula. from a total population of 4,279 science teachers, 353 were randomly selected as respondents. table 1 shows the distribution of the population and sample. the main tool for gathering the data was the academic optimism and stages of concern survey (aoscs). the survey questionnaire consists of three (3) parts. the first part contains teachers’ personal information, age, sex, designation or position, and region. the second part determines the teachers’ level of academic optimism and the third part determines the teachers’ level on the stages of concern. part i intends to gather information about the teachers’ personal information including age, sex, designation/ position, and region where they belong. part ii, on the other hand, intends to measure the level of academic optimism as a collective construct and at an individual level which is comprised of three dimensions or measures. the first measure is the teacher’s self-efficacy (items 1-23), the teacher’s trust in students and parents (items 24-26), and the teacher’s academic emphasis (items 27-29). the teachers were asked to rate their level of academic optimism using the five-point scale: very high (5), high (4), moderate (3), low (2), and very low (1). part iii of the questionnaire determines the level on the stages of concern of the respondents. this consists of 35 statements, each expressing a certain concern about the particular innovation. five questions in the survey cover each of the seven soc stages. the socq measures the level of the seven stages of concern that reflect three dimensions: self-concerns (awareness, information, and personal); task concerns (management); and impact concerns (consequence, collaboration, and refocusing). the socq is adopted from southwest educational development laboratory (sedl), 2006 used by natividad (2022) and ruiz (2022) in their respective studies. the purpose of this questionnaire is to determine who is using or considering utilizing various programs and what their concerns are at various stages of the adoption process. the instrument is in a format of a seven-point likert scale, which described their present concern on their involvement with the dost-sei project star content enrichment program with 1 as the lowest and 7 as the highest. the data gathered were treated using mean and pearson r correlation coefficient statistics. in all tests of significance, the level of significance was set at 0.05 level. results and discussion this section discusses the level of science teachers’ academic optimism as a collective construct and at an individual level which is comprised of three dimensions or measures namely: self-efficacy; trust in students and parents; and academic emphasis. the mean rating and descriptive interpretation of every indicator are shown in table 1. table 1: mean ratings of teachers on their level of academic optimism academic optimism mean rating descriptive interpretation self-efficacy 4.13 high trust in students and parents 4.03 high academic emphasis 4.24 high overall mean 4.13 high pa ge 19 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 14-23, 2024 table 1 reveals that the teachers have a high level of academic optimism, as indicated by the overall mean rating of 4.13. the result shows that attending a capacity building program that emphasizes content knowledge enrichment was a significant predictor of teachers’ academic optimism as a collective construct. the result substantiates the recent study conducted by alhendal, alshatti, and alnwaiem (2017) on teachers’ academic optimism and effective learning environment, which found that a professional development program influences teachers’ academic optimism. remarkably, all of the indicators of the teachers’ academic optimism are high. indicator no. 15 with the highest mean rating of 4.33 among all indicators, shows how successful teachers are in fostering students’ values of learning. teach middle east (2016), in its article, mentioned that one of the continuing challenges teachers face is engaging students in meaningful learning experiences. based on the result shows that teachers are passionate about bridging the gap between required content and what is meaningful and relevant to students’ lives. it enables students to not only determine the outcome but also see how the content relates to the world in which students live, as well as give them control of the learning process. as noted by beard et al. (2010), academic optimism is a collective construct that includes the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral dimensions of self-efficacy, trust in students and parents, and academic emphasis. teachers’ belief that students will be influenced by their efforts is known as self-efficacy, thus it is a cognitive anticipation. the teachers’ perception of the students and their parents’ goodness, dependability, competence, honesty, and openness is believed to be the basis of their confidence in both of them, according to earlier studies. in wagner and dipaola’s (2011) study, teacher trust in students and parents is an emotional dimension. academic emphasis pushes for specific behaviors in schools while focusing on learning. thus, academic optimism is seen as a triadic system of relationships, each of which is interdependent in some way. therefore, the results best corroborate with similar studies’ above-mentioned results. academic optimism, as a collective construct, works together cohesively to create a positive learning environment. in fact, the study conducted by bevel (2010) found that teachers are comparable in nature and function, as well as in their potent and positive effect on student success. teachers’ level of self-efficacy the results revealed in table 1 imply that the teachers have a high level of academic optimism in terms of their self-efficacy with an overall mean rating of 4.13. it shows that the teachers have a high level of confidence in their capacity to achieve the appropriate levels and desired outcomes of student engagement and learning, even with challenging or unmotivated students. tschannen-moran and hoy (2004) in their study mentioned that if teachers believe they are able to affect student learning, they set higher expectations, exert greater effort, and are more resilient when things are difficult. as a result, it should not come as a surprise that teacher efficacy — one among a handful of teacher traits that are consistently connected with students’ achievement, consistently and favorably relates to students’ achievement. higher scores correspond to higher levels of self-efficacy. however having the lowest mean of all indicators of selfefficacy — the teachers’ support for families in enabling their children to do well in school obtained a mean rating of 3.92. establishing a connection between schools and home is one of the biggest challenges among teachers as mentioned by delgado (2019), particularly true for families with low economic resources. it might be challenging for parents to feel at ease attending meetings or school activities when they cannot read or write or when their mother tongue is another language than the one that prevails in school. nevertheless, studies have shown a direct connection between parents’ involvement in their children’s education and students’ academic success. in addition, the earlier link between parents and their children’s educational process establishes a stronger basis for the student’s success. throughout the teaching and learning process, teachers employ a variety of assessment tools to assess their students’ progress. although exhibiting a high descriptive interpretation, indicator no. 1 using a variety of assessment strategies, obtained a mean rating of 3.96, the lowest among all self-efficacy indicators. it demonstrates the necessity of giving teachers assessment strategies for improved teaching and learning. teachers’ level of trust in students and parents this measures the confidence that teachers have in parents and students to be supportive of the school and students. as cited in the study of bevel (2010), a trusting relationship includes feelings of compassion, reliability, competency, honesty and openness. in general, effective teachers must have trust in their students’ readiness to learn and the capability to succeed. the overall mean score, as shown in table 1 for this indicator is 4.03. most of the teachers, who participated in this study are confident that parents and students are supportive of teachers and students. therefore, similar to teachers with high self-efficacy, according to tschannenmoran (2004), teachers who trust students and parents are more likely to establish high but achievable expectations from their students a factor that not only encourages but also facilitates achievement. trust is an essential component needed to cultivate and maximize for students to develop and benefit from positive relationships. when teachers foster a safe and trusting learning environment, students feel comfortable taking chances and learning from their mistakes, and parents start to think that teachers are motivated by the best interests of their children at heart. teachers who responded to this study may have a strong track record and experience in removing these pa ge 20 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 14-23, 2024 psychological and social obstacles to create environments where students of all academic abilities may give their all. by doing this, they foster a culture of trust among their students, which has been demonstrated to enhance interpersonal interactions, raise engagement, foster creativity and performance, and make them feel valued and included. students may create connections with everyone in the room by developing relationships that are built on trust and open communication in an emotionally supportive and psychologically secure learning environment. teachers’ level of academic emphasis as cited by nelson (2012) from the study of hoy, gage, and tarter (2006), academic emphasis refers to how much a school is motivated by the pursuit of academic excellence and an urge for academic achievement. academic emphasis carries out a demand or pushes for excellence in student accomplishment. additionally, beard et al., (2010) stated that teachers’ academic emphasis is determined by how well teachers can involve their students in relevant academic tasks. the overall mean rating for academic emphasis as shown in table 1 is 4.24 (high). the academic emphasis of the teachers, who took part in this study maintains a high commitment to upholding high academic standards and encouraging academic success for all students. moreover, this indicates that majority of the teachers go to great lengths in promoting a culture of academic excellence among their students and are confident in their ability to do so in their teaching practices. teachers’ level on the stages of concern in the implementation on the dost-sei content enrichment program this section of the study presents the results of the survey on the teachers’ level on the stages of concern as classified under cbam in the implementation of the dost-sei project star content enrichment program attended. the results of the study show that teachers are at a high level in implementing what they learned in the dost project star content enrichment program with an overall mean rating of 5.51 as shown in table 2. table 2: mean ratings of teachers’ level on the stages of concern on the implementation of dost-sei project star content enrichment program stages of concern mean rating descriptive interpretation self-concern stage 5.43 moderately high awareness (stage 0) 5.12 moderately high informational (stage 1) 5.53 high personal (stage 2) 5.65 high task concern stage 5.37 moderately high management (stage 3) 5.37 moderately high impact concern stage 5.63 high consequence (stage 4) 5.73 high collaboration (stage 5) 5.66 high refocusing (stage 6) 5.51 high overall mean 5.51 high this essentially implies that the teachers show an interest in collaborating and coordinating the implementation with others and in comparing their performance to others potentially learning from one another. the results also show that the teachers concentrate on how the innovation impacts the students in their direct circle of influence. considerations include the relevance of the innovation for students, evaluation of student outcomes, including performance and competencies, and modifications required to enhance student outcomes. teachers’ level on self-concern stage the teachers’ level of self-concern stage consists of three stages: awareness, informational, and personal. the self-concern stage emphasizes teachers recognizing their needs, seeking information, and taking personal responsibility for their professional growth and wellbeing. in this stage, the teachers scored moderately high with a mean rating of 5.43, as revealed in table 3. the teachers prioritize their personal concerns regarding the impact of innovation or change, demonstrating a moderate level of worry about their skills, abilities, and workload. recognizing the significance of self-concern, it becomes essential to enhance teachers’ competencies and capabilities, enabling them to understand how the change influences their roles and responsibilities effectively. as shown in table 3, this study found that the teachers are at a moderately high level of awareness stage with an overall mean of 5.12. this result implies that the teachers are moderately highly concerned with change, aware of the program, and interested in its implementation. however, factors such as teachers being novice, limited time to review and apply the innovation, have attended few sessions of cews greatly affect their implementation pa ge 21 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 14-23, 2024 of such innovation. in the informational stage, individuals show a general awareness of the innovation thus, sparks their first curiosity in learning more about the program and how it works. any interest in the innovation is focused on its impersonal, substantial features, such as its overall traits, outcomes, and requirements. the teachers are at high level in this stage with an overall mean of 5.53, as shown in table 3. it implies that the teachers, personally, are no longer self-conscious about innovation. therefore, there is no need to provide open access to precise and quality information as the recommended course of action. the personal stage is where teachers start to consider the direct impact of the innovation on their instruction capabilities. teachers scored high in this stage with a mean rating of 5.65. this indicates confidence in meeting the innovation’s expectations and their ability to fulfill these demands. teachers are concerned about the personal impact but are willing to collaborate with others to optimize the innovation’s effects. they recognize that their well-being and growth are linked to effectively implementing educational innovations. teachers’ level on task concern stage in this stage (management stage), the teachers’ concerns are primarily focused on the specific tasks and activities related to educational innovation or change. teachers become concerned with the actual application, thus they begin planning the implementation. the teachers’ level of task concern stage is crucial because it addresses the practical aspects of implementing innovation in the classroom. teachers’ concerns at this stage often revolve around how the innovation aligns with their existing teaching practices, the impact on student learning, and the need for additional support or training to effectively carry out the new tasks. at this stage, teachers demonstrate a moderate level of concern (mean rating of 5.37) regarding the integration of new tasks into their teaching responsibilities. they actively seek information and resources to understand and adapt to these changes, emphasizing the importance of managing time, developing skills, and balancing workloads for successful implementation. despite these challenges, teachers remain motivated to integrate innovations into their teaching practices. participating in webinars provides them with practical examples and personalized insights into how innovations can be applied in their own teaching contexts, benefiting both themselves and their students. teachers’ level on impact concern stage the teachers’ level of the impact concern stage consists of three stages namely: consequence; collaboration; and refocusing. it focuses on teachers’ concerns and attitudes related to the perceived impact and consequences of an educational innovation or change. in this stage, the teachers exhibit a significant level of engagement (high), with a mean rating of 5.63. this indicates that their attention shifts towards the broader implications of the innovation or change on the organization. the teachers become more attuned to evaluating the potential benefits, challenges, and consequences associated with the change to enhance overall effectiveness and ensure success. teachers are concerned about how the change will directly affect students or their immediate area of influence in stage 4, which is called the consequence stage. as shown in table 2, at stage 4, the teachers performed well with an overall mean rating of 5.73 (high), the highest mean rating among all stages of concern. they are highly aware of how the innovation relates to their students; the evaluation of student outcomes, including performance and competencies; and the changes needed to improve student outcomes. overall, the teachers at this stage are highly motivated to ensure that the innovation positively impacts their students. also, there is sharing of how this innovation can be effective, how it works, and/or has worked. collaboration stage is where teachers begin wanting to share ideas, strategies and consequences on how they implemented innovations in the classroom processes with others and want to see how they compare to others. table 3 reveals that the teachers are high on the collaboration stage with an overall mean of 5.66, which equates to collaboration. this result shows that teachers are highly interested in collaborating with others and sharing their experiences with the innovation. they want to develop working relationships with both colleagues and outside faculty and coordinate efforts to maximize the innovation’s effects. this is a positive outcome, as collaboration and sharing of ideas can lead to better implementation and outcomes. in the refocusing stage, teachers reflect and explore ideas to see what worked and what could be made better and how the innovation could be used in different ways. with an overall mean rating of 5.51 (high) at this stage, the teachers are highly focused on exploring ways to reap more universal benefits from the innovation. also, this indicates that they are actively reflecting on their use of the innovation and looking for ways to improve it or use it in different ways. the high ratings suggest that the teachers are open to revising their approach and adapting to the needs of their students. however, there is still a need to provide further resources on strategies and teachers must be allowed to share their struggles and successes with others. the study of alshammari (2000) stated that teachers who effectively accepted educational innovation are those who are at the four late stages of concern (management, consequence, cooperation, and refocusing), and which majority of teachers fall into this stage. however, teachers who express self-oriented concern (awareness, informational, and personal) are not using the innovation because they have not yet embraced it, and this is not true of any other teachers as shown. relationship between teachers’ level of academic optimism and level on their stages of concern the result of the correlation analysis between factors related pa ge 22 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 14-23, 2024 to teachers’ level of academic optimism namely: self-efficacy; trust in students and parents; and academic emphasis and to their level on the stages of concern according to cbam classification namely: self-concern; management concern; and impact concern are presented in table 4. the results reveal that the academic optimism of teachers is positively correlated to their stages of concern at the 0.01 level of significance. self-efficacy, the belief in one’s ability to succeed academically, shows positive correlations with three stages of concern: self-concern (r = .397**), management concern (r = .259**), and impact concern (r = .379**). this suggests that teachers with higher self-efficacy levels are more concerned about their performance, academic management, and the impact of their actions, indicating greater engagement in their teaching practice trust in students and parents, reflecting confidence in their abilities and support, also correlates positively with the three stages of concern: self-concern (r = .313**), management concern (r = .368**), and impact concern (r = .324**). this implies that higher levels of trust lead to increased concern among teachers regarding their own performance, academic management, and the impact of their efforts, fostering stronger teacher-student-parent relationships. academic emphasis, the importance placed on academic pursuits and achievements, correlates positively with selfconcern (r = .439**), management concern (r = .284**), and impact concern (r = .407**). this indicates that individuals prioritizing academic success are more likely to be concerned about their own performance, academic management, and the implications of their decisions, potentially enhancing engagement in student learning outcomes overall, the correlations indicate that these factors of academic optimism (self-efficacy, trust in students and parents, academic emphasis) are associated with higher levels of concern in the different stages. this suggests that individuals who possess these optimistic factors are more likely to actively engage with and be invested in their well-being, the management of their work, and the potential impact of their actions on their academic pursuits. these findings can have several implications in educational settings. educators and institutions could focus on fostering self-efficacy beliefs among students to enhance their engagement and concern about their academic performance. building trust and strong relationships with students and parents can contribute to students’ increased concerns about their academic progress, management, and impact. encouraging an academic environment that emphasizes the importance of learning and achievement may lead to higher levels of concern among students. conclusion participation in a professional development program that enriches content knowledge has led to high academic optimism among public school science teachers across the philippines. these teachers are passionate about bridging the gap between required content and what is meaningful to students, though they face challenges in connecting classroom learning with support from home. teachers are highly effective in applying what they’ve learned from the dost-sei project star content enrichment program, showing strong interest in collaboration and implementation. however, additional resources and opportunities to share experiences are needed for further growth. there is a positive correlation between teachers’ academic optimism in terms of self-efficacy, trust in students and parents, and academic emphasis and their stages of concern as outlined by the cbam framework (self, task, and impact stages). adult learning theory principles, such as self-directed learning and collaboration, help teachers engage deeply in professional development, leading to significant growth and improved teaching practices that positively impact student outcomes. cbam principles are instrumental in assessing teachers’ levels of concern during the implementation of knowledge gained from the project star content enrichment program. this analysis provides insights into teachers’ current stages of concern and specific needs, informing targeted interventions and support strategies for successful implementation. finally, the theory of academic optimism is vital for identifying factors that influence student achievement and for fostering a positive learning environment that promotes student success. references alhendal, d., alshatti, s. a., & alnwaiem, a. (2017). teacher academic optimism and effective teachinglearning environment at kuwaiti primary schools. educational science journal. alshammari, b. s. (2000). the developmental stages of table 3: summary of the correlation coefficient between teachers’ academic optimism along the three dimensions and their stages of concern academic optimism stages of concern self management impact self-efficacy .397** .259** .379** trust in students and parents .313** .368** .324** academic emphasis .439** .284** .407** *significant at the 0.01 level pa ge 23 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 14-23, 2024 concern of teachers toward the implementation of the information technology curriculum in kuwait. babu, s., & mendro, r. (2003). teacher accountability: hlm-based teacher effectiveness indices in the investigation of teacher effects on student achievement in a state assessment program. paper presented at the annual meeting of the american educational research association (aera), chicago, il, april. bandura, a. (1997). self-efficacy: the exercise of control. freeman and company. beard, k. s., hoy, w. k., & woolfolk hoy, a. (2010). academic optimism of individual teachers: confirming a new construct. teaching and teacher education, 26(5), 1136–1144. https://doi. org/10.1016/j.tate.2010.02.003 bevel, r. k. (2010). the effects of academic optimism on students’ academic achievement in alabama. darling-hammond, l., hyler, m. e., & gardner, m. (2017). effective teacher professional development. learning policy institute. delgado, p. (2019). the importance of parental involvement in teaching. observatory. https:// observatory.tec.mx/edu-news/the-importance-ofparental-involvement-in-teaching/ department of education. (2016). k to 12 curriculum guide science (grade 3 to grade 10). https://www.deped. gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/science-cg_ with-tagged-sci-equipment_revised.pdf department of education. (2020). guidelines on the use of the most essential learning competencies (melcs). https:// commons.deped.gov.ph/melcs-guidelines.pdf department of science and technology – science education institute. (2020). star manual. department of science and technology – science education institute. (2021). annual report. donovan, s. r. (2014). learning from academically optimistic teachers: supporting academic optimism. fahy, p., wu, h., & hoy, w. k. (2010). individual academic optimism of secondary teachers: a new concept and its measure. in w. k. hoy & m. dipaola (eds.), analyzing school contexts: influences of principals and teachers in the service of students (pp. 209–227). information age. forsyth, p. b., adams, c. m., & hoy, w. k. (2011). collective trust: why schools can’t improve without it. teachers college, columbia university. fuller, f. f. (1969). concerns of teachers: a developmental conceptualization. american educational research journal. https://journals.sagepub. com/doi/10.3102/00028312006002207 goddard, r. d., hoy, w. k., & woolfolk-hoy, a. (2000). collective teacher efficacy: its meaning, measure, and impact on student achievement. american educational research journal, 39(3), 479–508. higher education and southeast asia and beyond. (2020). how is covid-19 impacting higher education? head foundation org. https://headfoundation. org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/hesb-8covid19_2020.pdf hoy, w. k., tarter, c. j., & woolfolk hoy, a. (2006). academic optimism of schools: a force for student achievement. american educational research journal, 43(3), 425–446. johnson, d. (2020). upskilling and reskilling for the ‘new normal’ of education. edelements. https://www. edelements.com/blog/upskilling-and-reskilling-forthe-new-normal-of-education meier, k. (2018). role of teachers in the curriculum process. chron. https://work.chron.com/roleteachers-curriculum-process-5344.html mitchell, r. m., mendiola, b., schumacker, r., & lowery, x. (2016a). creating a school context of success: the role of enabling school structure and academic optimism in an urban elementary and middle school setting. journal of educational administration, 54(6), 626–646. https://doi.org/10.1108/jea-02-20150018 rimm-kaufman, s. e., & sandilos, l. (2014). improving students’ relationships with teachers to provide essential supports for learning. american psychological association. https://www.apa.org/education-career/ k12/relationships tschannen-moran, m., & hoy, a. w. (2004). a multidisciplinary analysis of the nature, meaning, and measurement of trust. review of educational research, 74(2), 211–247. teacher certification degrees. (2023). science teacher career guide. https://www.teachercertificationdegrees.com/ careers/science-teacher/ wagner, c. a., & dipaola, m. f. (2011). academic optimism of high school teachers: its relationship to organizational citizenship behaviors and student achievement. journal of school leadership, 21(6), 893–926. william and mary school of education. (2023). the importance of curriculum development in enhancing teaching and learning. william and mary. https:// counseling.education.wm.edu/blog/the-importanceof-curriculum-development-in-enhancing-teachingand-learning.org pa ge 1 pa ge 39 american journal of education and technology (ajet) navigating educational leadership: examining school heads’ professional standard practices and their impact on teacher satisfaction bernie o. montero1* volume 4 issue 2, year 2025 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v4i2.4344 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: january 01, 2025 accepted: february 04, 2025 published: april 18, 2025 this study investigated the professional standard practices of school heads as predictors of teachers’ satisfaction in public elementary schools in the division of agusan del sur. a mixedmethods approach was employed, involving 196 school heads and 356 teachers surveyed, alongside interviews with ten (10) purposively selected teachers. quantitative data were analyzed using statistical tools, while qualitative data underwent thematic analysis. findings revealed that school heads demonstrated a very high level of professional standard practices across five domains: leading strategically, managing school operations and resources, focusing on teaching and learning, developing self and others, and building connections. additionally, teachers reported high satisfaction levels concerning their working environment, workload distribution, teacher-student relationships, peer relationships, personal and professional growth, salary and promotion, well-being, and external support systems. a multiple linear regression analysis identified leading strategically, managing school operations and resources, and developing self and others as significant predictors of teachers’ overall satisfaction. moreover, qualitative data highlighted five core themes influencing teacher satisfaction: (1) working environment and organizational culture, (2) distribution of responsibilities and workload, (3) teacher-student relationship, (4) personal and professional growth, and (5) well-being and recognition. based on these findings, an intervention program was proposed to foster a positive work environment, enhance teacher-student relationships, promote professional growth, ensure justifiable workload distribution, and provide access to mental well-being resources. the study concludes that strong leadership practices contribute significantly to teacher satisfaction, which in turn enhances school performance. it recommends that the department of education integrate these insights into policy and planning, school heads refine leadership strategies, and future researchers explore broader contexts to further understand teacher satisfaction determinants. keywords educational management, professional standards, school environment, school leadership, teacher satisfaction, work-life balance 1 afga central elementary school, sibagat district, division of agusan del sur, deped, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: bernie.montero@deped.gov.ph introduction in educational administration and leadership, extensive research has explored teachers’ job satisfaction and the effectiveness of school principals in exercising leadership. this study area has gained significant attention over the years, emphasizing the balance between school principals’ administrative and instructional-transformational roles. while instructional-transformational leadership models receive strong support, international literature suggests that many principals prioritize administrative responsibilities over instructional leadership. notably, a positive correlation exists between principals’ instructional and distributed leadership styles and key teacher outcomes such as job satisfaction and self-efficacy (duyar et al., 2013; liu & printy, 2017; liu & werblow, 2019). however, the findings of darling-hammond et al. (2022) present a critical perspective. high-quality principal preparation and professional development programs significantly contribute to positive principal, teacher, and student outcomes. these outcomes range from principals’ preparedness and engagement in effective practices to higher teacher retention and improved student performance. while investing in instructional leadership is beneficial, principals may not witness substantial growth unless they simultaneously enhance their organizational management skills. this highlights the multifaceted nature of the principal’s role, necessitating a balanced approach that integrates instructional leadership with effective organizational management. republic act 9155, also known as the governance of basic education act of 2001, mandates that every public elementary and high school or a cluster thereof must have a school head. this school head serves as both an instructional leader and an administrative manager. they are responsible for establishing a team with teachers and learning facilitators to deliver quality educational programs, projects, and services. additionally, a core of non-teaching staff manages the school’s administrative, fiscal, and auxiliary services, ensuring that the institution functions efficiently. school heads play a crucial role in creating an enabling and supportive environment for effective teaching and learning. their leadership and management influence the department of education’s (deped) mission to develop quality teachers and holistic learners equipped with 21stcentury skills. deped order no. 42, s. 2017, aligns with this vision, emphasizing the importance of leadership in fostering national development. furthermore, pa ge 40 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 39-50, 2025 the organization for economic co-operation and development (oecd, 2018) asserts that an education system’s quality depends on the quality of its teachers. however, teacher effectiveness is contingent upon effective leadership, policies, and a conducive work environment. the evolving education landscape, influenced by the k to 12 basic education program, asean integration, and globalization, necessitates a reassessment of deped order no. 32, s. 2010. this order pertains to the national adoption and implementation of the national competency-based standards for school heads (ncbssh). a review of these competency standards is crucial to ensure their relevance to current educational demands. in response, the philippine professional standards for school heads (ppssh) provides a continuum of professional practice to support school heads in career progression amid national and international educational reforms (do no. 24, s. 2020). deped adopted the professional program for school heads (ppssh), which defines school leadership quality through five key domains: leading strategically, managing school operations and learning, focusing on teaching and learning, developing self and others, and building connections. these domains establish clear measures for professional learning, competent practice, and effective leadership. by outlining what school heads should know, do, and value, the ppssh ensures that leadership practices are aligned with learner-centeredness, lifelong learning, and inclusivity. additionally, the performance of school heads in agusan del sur indicates a pressing need for further development. according to division memorandum no. 139, s. 2023, results from the 2023 learning and development needs assessment (ldna) revealed that 427 school heads rated themselves as having moderate needs across all five ppsh domains. additionally, only 9 out of 43 school heads (20%) passed the national qualifying examination for school heads (nqesh) in 2022. these findings emphasize the necessity for continuous training and capacity-building initiatives to enhance school heads’ competencies in instructional supervision and organizational management. the researcher aimed to conduct a comprehensive study on teacher satisfaction and the professional practices of public-school heads in agusan del sur. this study examined the relationship between teachers’ job satisfaction and the leadership practices of school heads. by doing so, it sought to provide valuable insights into how school leadership influenced teacher performance and, ultimately, student learning outcomes. the findings contributed to the ongoing discourse on instructional leadership, organizational management, and the continuous professional development of school heads in the philippines. research questions this study examined the professional standard practices of school heads and their impact on teachers’ satisfaction. it focused on understanding how these practices influence the work environment and teacher well-being. specifically, the study addressed key issues related to leadership effectiveness, job satisfaction, and teacher retention. 1. what is the level of professional standard practices among school principals in terms of leading strategically, managing school operations and resources, focusing on teaching and learning, developing self and others, and building connections? 2. what is the level of job satisfaction among elementary teachers in the division of agusan del sur in terms of: (1) school factors, including working environment, distribution of responsibilities and workload, teacherstudent relationship, relationship with peers, personal growth and professional development, salary, promotion, consideration of personal needs, monitoring and evaluation, and well-being and recognition; (2) home factors, including family support, work-life balance, home environment, personal responsibilities, and financial stability; and (3) community factors, including stakeholders’ support, school-community relations, access to resources, safety and well-being, sense of belonging, and distance from home to school? 3. which among the school heads’ professional practices, singly or in combination, predicts teachers’ satisfaction? 4. as perceived by teachers, what elements in their personal and professional life induce their satisfaction or dissatisfaction? materials and methods this section presents the research method used in the study, including the research design, participants, locale, instruments, data gathering procedure, ethical considerations, and statistical treatment/data analysis. research design the study employed a sequential explanatory strategy (creswell, 2003), consisting of three main phases: quantitative data collection and analysis, qualitative data collection and analysis, and result interpretation. the quantitative phase measured the level of professional standard practices among principals in terms of leading strategically, managing school operations and resources, focusing on teaching and learning, developing self and others, and building connections. more so, it also assessed teachers’ satisfaction based on school factors (working environment, workload distribution, teacher-student relationship, peer relationships, professional development, salary, promotion, personal needs, monitoring, well-being, and recognition), home factors (family support, work-life balance, home environment, personal responsibilities, and financial stability), and community factors (stakeholder support, school-community relations, resource access, safety, belongingness, and home-to-school distance). the qualitative phase provided deeper insights into these aspects, and the triangulation of results enhanced the study’s validity, offering a comprehensive understanding of the research problem. pa ge 41 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 39-50, 2025 research respondents the study targeted 3,257 elementary teachers and 386 school principals from the division of agusan del sur. to determine the appropriate sample size, the researcher employed slovin’s formula and used a stratified random sampling scheme to ensure fair representation across municipalities and districts. stratification was based on geographical location and school classification, allowing for a proportional distribution of participants. the final sample included 356 elementary teachers and 196 school principals, ensuring adequate representation of each subgroup. a detailed breakdown of the population and sample size across different municipalities and districts is provided, reflecting the structured approach used to achieve a representative and unbiased selection of respondents. research instruments the researcher developed a questionnaire to assess school heads’ professional standard practices and teachers’ satisfaction. the instrument was submitted to a language expert for content validation, modifications, and feedback. it comprised five components aligned with the department of education’s standards for school principals. the teacher’s satisfaction questionnaire was also used to measure teachers’ satisfaction. two types of questionnaires were employed: a rating scale to capture quantitative data, where respondents rated principals using a balanced scale, and open-ended questions to explore qualitative insights. the survey instrument focused on the professional practices of school principals and teachers’ satisfaction in agusan del sur. the questionnaire included specific verbal descriptions for both scales: one for professional standard practices and one for job satisfaction, with a 5-point scale ranging from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree.” to ensure validity, the draft questionnaire was reviewed by the thesis adviser, panel members, and revised based on their suggestions. a dry run was conducted with 10 respondents to check clarity, followed by a reliability test with 20 teacherrespondents and 10 school heads. cronbach’s alpha was used to confirm the reliability of the instrument, ensuring consistent responses. data gathering procedure before the study was conducted, the researcher formally sought permission from the school division superintendent to inform district supervisors about the research. the permission request outlined the process for establishing the validity and reliability of the research instruments and described the procedures for administering the survey and interview instruments. this step ensured the cooperation of all parties and maintained transparency throughout the research process. once approval was granted, the researcher worked with the school division superintendent and district supervisors to administer the questionnaires during district meetings and staff gatherings, ensuring maximum participation. the researcher personally distributed the questionnaires, explained their contents, and provided clear instructions, allowing participants to ask clarifying questions to ensure their responses accurately reflected their experiences. the researcher also gathered qualitative data through faceto-face interviews with a selected group of participants. these interviews allowed the researcher to gain deeper insights into the factors influencing teacher satisfaction and school heads’ professional practices. open-ended questions encouraged participants to elaborate on their personal and professional experiences, and the flexible, conversational format enabled the researcher to probe further into participants’ insights. these interviews complemented the survey data by providing rich, contextual information that would not have been captured through the structured questionnaires. this mixed-method approach ensured that both quantitative and qualitative data contributed to a comprehensive understanding of the study’s focus. statistical treatment/data analysis the responses to each item were tallied and assigned an equivalent qualitative description according to the predetermined scale. the collected data was then analyzed and interpreted using several statistical tools. first, weighted mean analysis was utilized to determine the level of professional standard practices and teacher satisfaction within the division of agusan del sur. this provided an overall measure of the respondents’ perceptions across the different variables. the multiple regression analysis was employed to identify which professional standard practices, either individually or in combination, had a significant effect on teachers’ satisfaction levels. this analysis helped pinpoint the specific practices that most influenced teacher satisfaction. lastly, thematic analysis was used to examine the qualitative data, revealing patterns and deeper insights into teachers’ experiences. this method provided a more nuanced and vital understanding of the reasons behind teachers’ satisfaction or dissatisfaction, complementing the quantitative findings and informing the development of a targeted intervention program to address the challenges educators face. ethical considerations this study was conducted voluntarily among public elementary school teachers and principals in the division of agusan del sur. after receiving approval from the superintendent and district supervisor, the researcher distributed the questionnaire to each respondent, ensuring full cooperation by assuring them of the confidentiality of their responses. before the participants began answering the survey, the researcher provided clear instructions on how to respond and explained the purpose of the study, along with the implications of their participation. to maintain confidentiality, respondents were informed that writing their names and schools was optional, and there was no monetary compensation for their participation. pa ge 42 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 39-50, 2025 results and discussion level of school heads’ professional standard practices across domains table 1 provides a comprehensive view of the professional standard practices of school heads in the division of agusan del sur. the overall mean score of 4.65 indicates that respondents generally “strongly agree” with the practices exhibited by school heads. this suggests that school heads in this division are highly effective in executing their professional responsibilities, as they score well across all areas of leadership and management. the highest mean score, 4.71, was observed in the parameter “developing self and others,” which signifies that school heads place significant emphasis on self-improvement and the development of their teachers. on the other hand, this is closely followed by “managing school operations and resources” with a mean score of 4.66, reflecting a strong capacity in managing the school’s resources and daily operations efficiently. “leading strategically” and “focusing on teaching and learning” both have high mean scores of 4.65 and 4.62, indicating effective leadership in strategic planning and a strong focus on improving teaching and learning. the “building connections” parameter also received a mean score of 4.62, which emphasizes the school heads’ ability to maintain relationships and foster collaboration with external stakeholders. across all areas, the mean scores range from 4.62 to 4.71, reinforcing that school heads in agusan del sur perform very well across these essential domains of leadership. additionally, these results suggest that the professional practices of school heads are well-aligned with the standards expected in the education sector. effective leadership is crucial for improving school performance and ensuring a conducive learning environment. according to recent studies (kidd & jarvis, 2022; watson, 2023), strong leadership in areas such as managing resources, focusing on teaching, and developing staff directly contributes to higher teacher satisfaction and better student outcomes. the high mean scores in “developing self and others” and “managing school operations” align with findings from research by gibbs and miller (2021), who highlighted the importance of leadership in fostering and cultivating continuous professional development and efficient school management. moreover, these practices are in line with the department of education’s (2023) policy on educational leadership, which stresses the importance of effective school management to enhance the overall quality of education. these practices are crucial, as they promote collaboration between stakeholders and improve the overall educational experience (epstein et al., 2018). esogon and gumban (2024) found that transformational leadership among school heads positively impacts teacher morale and commitment, leading to improved school effectiveness. additionally, anog et al. (2023) and saro et al. (2022) highlighted that a positive working environment, fostered by effective leadership, enhances teacher job satisfaction, retention, and teaching competencies. these studies emphasize the critical role of school heads’ professional practices in shaping educational outcomes. table 1: school heads’ professional standard practices parameters mean scores standard deviation verbal description verbal interpretation leading strategically 4.65 0.79 strongly agree very high managing school operations and resources 4.66 0.72 strongly agree very high focusing on teaching and learning 4.62 0.80 strongly agree very high developing self and others 4.71 0.59 strongly agree very high building connections 4.62 0.71 strongly agree very high overall 4.65 0.72 strongly agree very high legend. verbal description: 4.51 – 5.00 (strongly agree) 3.51 – 4.50 (agree) 2.51 – 3.50 (neither agree nor disagree) 1.51 – 2.50 (disagree) 1.00 – 1.50 (strongly disagree) verbal interpretation: 4.20 – 5.00 (very high) 3.40 – 4.19 (high) 2.60 – 3.39 (moderate) 1.80 – 2.59 (low) 1.00 – 1.79 (very low) styles positively influence teachers’ performance. thus, these findings not only confirm the effectiveness of school heads in agusan del sur but also provide a basis for further improvements and interventions aimed at fostering the continuous professional growth of school leaders. level of teachers’ satisfaction across domains table 2 presents the overall mean score of 3.95 (sd = 0.82) indicates that teachers in the study generally agree with the factors influencing their satisfaction, leading to a high verbal interpretation. among the parameters, “sense of belonging” (m = 4.21, sd = 0.68) and “relationship with peers” (m = 4.26, sd = 0.71) received the highest mean scores, both interpreted as very high. these findings suggest that collegiality and inclusivity within the the study by abu nasra and arar (2020) found that teachers’ in-role performance improves when they perceive their principals’ leadership style as more transformational and less transactional. more so, sarwar et al. (2022) reported that principals’ democratic leadership pa ge 43 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 39-50, 2025 school environment significantly contribute to teachers’ overall satisfaction, reinforcing the idea that a supportive professional community enhances motivation and job commitment. in contrast of the result, “salary” (m = 3.33, sd = 1.09) received the lowest rating, interpreted as moderate, highlighting financial concerns as a critical area that requires attention. on the other hand, “distance of home to school” (m = 3.51, sd = 1.23) also scored relatively lower compared to other factors, indicating that travel-related stress may impact teachers’ job satisfaction. the findings suggest that while professional relationships and institutional support positively affect teacher satisfaction, economic and logistical factors remain challenging aspects. the implications of these findings align with existing studies on teacher retention and workplace motivation. a conducive work environment, peer collaboration, and professional development opportunities have been shown to enhance job satisfaction and instructional performance (calderwood & mitropoulis, 2019; ghavifekr & pillai, 2020). moreover, local studies have emphasized that filipino educators place a high value on interpersonal relationships in their workplace, as these relationships contribute to reduced occupational stress and improved teaching efficiency (dela cruz et al., 2021). the significant impact of salary concerns also echoes global trends, where financial incentives and job stability are major determinants of teacher retention (han & yin, 2022). these findings suggest that while social and institutional support mechanisms are strong, addressing economic constraints and logistical challenges could further improve teacher satisfaction levels. teachers’ satisfaction is strongly linked to school leadership, particularly in terms of professional support, recognition, and leadership practices. several studies indicate that school heads who provide effective mentoring, fair workload distribution, and structured career development opportunities contribute to higher job satisfaction among teachers (lopez & molina, 2023). furthermore, research by kim and lee (2023) highlights that when school administrators foster a culture of inclusivity and professional recognition, teachers are more likely to experience job fulfillment and demonstrate improved classroom performance. these findings imply that leadership strategies emphasizing teacher well-being, equitable resource allocation, and transparent promotion pathways can significantly enhance teacher motivation and retention rates. additionally, recent research suggests that school heads’ management approaches influence teachers’ emotional and psychological well-being, which in turn affects their professional effectiveness. a study by santos and ramirez (2023) found that teachers who feel valued and supported by their school heads demonstrate greater commitment and resilience in their profession. on the other hand, martinez and cruz (2024) emphasize that workplace recognition and well-structured professional development programs contribute to reduced burnout and improved instructional outcomes. the study’s results reaffirm these perspectives, highlighting the essential role of effective leadership in fostering a positive school culture and sustaining teacher engagement. table 2: teachers’ satisfaction parameters mean scores standard deviation verbal description verbal interpretation school factors working environment 4.13 0.88 agree high distribution of responsibilities and workload 4.12 0.80 agree high teacher – student relationship 4.16 0.78 agree high relationship with peers 4.26 0.71 agree very high personal growth and professional development 4.18 0.79 agree high salary 3.33 1.09 neither agree nor disagree moderate promotion 3.85 0.86 agree high consideration of personal needs 3.89 0.76 agree high monitoring and evaluation 4.19 0.71 agree high well – being and recognition 4.03 0.70 agree high home factors family support 4.19 0.78 agree high work – life balance 4.07 0.71 agree high home environment 3.77 0.88 agree high personal responsibilities 3.94 0.74 agree high financial stability 3.55 0.99 agree high pa ge 44 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 39-50, 2025 accordingly, teachers’ satisfaction is significantly shaped by school heads’ leadership practices, particularly in cultivating a work environment that promotes growth, engagement, and well-being. a study by ramirez and santos (2023) and naguit (2024) revealed that school leaders who actively involve teachers in decisionmaking processes and provide consistent professional guidance contribute to higher levels of satisfaction and job performance. del rosario and martinez (2022) emphasized that a leadership approach focused on open communication and support systems enhances teachers’ sense of belonging and motivation. furthermore, the study by kim and lee (2021) found that school heads who implement structured mentorship programs and recognize teachers’ contributions positively influence educators’ career commitment and instructional effectiveness. these findings further validate the results of this study, emphasizing the role of strong leadership in ensuring teachers’ professional fulfillment and overall schools’ success. predictors of teachers’ satisfaction based on school heads’ professional practices the results of the multiple linear regression (mlr) analysis are presented in table 3. this analysis was conducted to identify combinations of predictors for teachers’ satisfaction. moreover, among the five dimensions of school heads’ professional standards, only three factors emerged as significant predictors. “leading strategically” (ls) showed the highest t-stat value of 5.715 and a p-value of <0.001, which statistically supports that it is a significant predictor of teachers’ satisfaction. the “developing self and others” (dso) was found to be another significant predictor, with a t-stat value of 4.446 and a p-value of <0.001. furthermore, “managing school operations and resources” (msor) also emerged as a significant predictor, with a t-stat value of 4.331 and a p-value of <0.001. the coefficients for these three predictors were all positive, with values of 0.351 for ls, 0.276 for dso, and 0.269 for msor, suggesting that higher levels of these factors are associated with higher levels of teachers’ satisfaction. on the other hand, the mlr results revealed that “focusing on teaching and learning” (ftl) and “building connections” (bc) were not significant predictors of teacher satisfaction, as reflected in their respective p-values of 0.221 and 0.650. community factors stakeholders’ support 4.09 0.72 agree high school – community relations 4.06 0.70 agree high access to resources 3.78 0.89 agree high safety and well – being 3.65 0.92 agree high sense of belonging 4.21 0.68 agree very high distance of home to school 3.51 1.23 agree high overall 3.95 0.82 agree high legend. verbal description: 4.51 – 5.00 (strongly agree) 3.51 – 4.50 (agree) 2.51 – 3.50 (neither agree nor disagree) 1.51 – 2.50 (disagree) 1.00 – 1.50 (strongly disagree) verbal interpretation: 4.20 – 5.00 (very high) 3.40 – 4.19 (high) 2.60 – 3.39 (moderate) 1.80 – 2.59 (low) 1.00 – 1.79 (very low) table 3: predictors of teachers’ satisfaction using multiple linear regression predictors estimate t-stat p-value remarks leading strategically 0.351 5.715 < .001 significant managing school operations and resources 0.269 4.331 < .001 significant focusing on teaching and learning -0.057 -1.229 0.221 not significant developing self and others 0.276 4.446 < .001 significant building connections -0.025 -0.454 0.650 not significant strategic leadership plays a pivotal role in predicting teacher satisfaction by establishing a clear and cohesive vision for the educational environment. when school leaders communicate a well-defined mission and set achievable goals, teachers gain a sense of direction and purpose in their work (veloso et al., 2017). prasertcharoensuk and tang (2017) also noted that strategic leadership helps educators align their teaching practices with the broader objectives of the school, fostering a shared commitment to student success. when teachers understand how their roles contribute to the overall vision, they feel more invested and engaged, which boosts their job satisfaction. anastasiou and garametsi (2021) pointed out that strategic leadership emphasizes collaboration and open pa ge 45 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 39-50, 2025 communication, which are essential for cultivating a positive school culture. effective leaders involve teachers in decision-making processes, seeking their input on policies, curricula, and initiatives. this collaborative approach not only empowers teachers but also promotes a sense of belonging and ownership in the school community. when educators feel valued and recognized for their contributions, they are more likely to experience higher job satisfaction, as they see their voices reflected in the school’s direction and initiatives (zaman et al., 2019). the study by uddin et al. (2019) emphasized that it plays a significant role in predicting teacher satisfaction. effective operational management ensures that teachers have the necessary tools, materials, and support to perform their jobs efficiently. when schools are wellorganized and properly resourced, teachers can focus on their core responsibilities teaching and fostering student learning rather than dealing with logistical challenges (mohammad, 2023). access to appropriate technology, teaching materials, and professional development opportunities enhances teachers’ ability to provide highquality instruction, which ultimately increases their job satisfaction. additionally, zaman et al. (2019) found that effective management of school operations contributes to a positive school culture, characterized by collaboration and shared responsibility. when leaders prioritize communication and involve teachers in operational decisions, it fosters a sense of community and teamwork. teachers who feel they have a voice in the management processes are more likely to feel valued and respected, contributing to their overall satisfaction (oyekunle, 2024). nevertheless, the “developing self and others” also emerged as a significant predictor of teacher satisfaction, as evidenced by the statistical results. this finding aligns with mohammad’s (2023) argument that principals’ skills in developing both themselves and others are key to creating a culture of growth and professional development within schools. when principals prioritize staff development, it signals to teachers that their professional growth is valued and supported (kraft & gilmour, 2016). thus, school principals help teachers enhance their skills, stay updated with best practices, and feel more competent in their roles. teachers who see their capabilities grow through mentorship, training, and collaborative opportunities experience greater job satisfaction, as they feel more effective and fulfilled in their teaching (honig, 2012). emerging elements in personal and professional life inducing teacher satisfaction table 4 presents the thematic analysis results on the personal and professional life elements that contribute to teacher satisfaction. the analysis identifies five key themes derived from the teachers’ responses. these themes highlight the factors that influence their job satisfaction or dissatisfaction, providing valuable insights into their experiences. the following discussion elaborates on the variables related to teacher satisfaction. table 4: thematic analysis of teachers’ personal and professional life elements theme sub-theme summary responses theme 1: working environment and organizational culture sub-theme 1.1: physical environment and facilities the physical space, availability of technology, and overall atmosphere play a significant role in teachers’ daily work and professional development. t1: “a conducive learning environment greatly impacts both teaching and learning. adequate space for teacher discussions and collaboration enhances our ability to deliver quality education.” t2: “the available technology and manageable teaching load significantly influence my teaching effectiveness and professional development. a well-equipped environment is crucial for both teachers and learners.” sub-theme 1.2: organizational relationships and support relationships between school heads, teachers, and peers are crucial in fostering a supportive and non-toxic work environment, enhancing job satisfaction and growth. t2: "the trust and support i receive from our school head have a positive impact on my morale. this school serves as a training ground where i feel supported and appreciated." t3: “the welcoming and non-toxic atmosphere in this school makes me excited to work here. i’m grateful for the positive environment where everyone collaborates harmoniously.” t4: “the collaborative spirit among teachers is strong. when we have activities, everyone pitches in, making the workload manageable and the work environment supportive.” pa ge 46 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 39-50, 2025 theme 2: distribution of responsibilities and workload sub-theme 2.1: equitable task distribution tasks and responsibilities are distributed fairly, often based on teachers’ strengths, contributing to a collaborative work environment. t2: “i would rate the distribution of tasks in our school as 9 out of 10. the collaboration is excellent, and the work is evenly distributed, making challenging tasks, like organizing graduation, much easier.” t5: “tasks are assigned based on teachers’ strengths, which ensures that each teacher is positioned to succeed. this thoughtful distribution of responsibilities contributes to an efficient and effective work environment.” sub-theme 2.2: collaboration and teamwork strong teamwork and collaboration among teachers are central to managing workload effectively and fostering a sense of community within the school. t2: “collaborative efforts among teachers lighten the load during significant events. everyone’s knowledge and skills contribute to a smooth workflow, making the tasks feel less burdensome.” t5: “the way our tasks are distributed allows us to capitalize on our strengths, which enhances collaboration and ensures that everyone is contributing effectively to our collective goals.” theme 3: teacher-student relationship sub-theme 3.1: quality of interactions teachers maintain positive and understanding relationships with students, adapting to their needs and providing a supportive learning environment. t6: “over my five years here, i’ve built strong, understanding relationships with my students. i adapt to their needs, which helps create a supportive and engaging classroom environment.” t8: “students feel comfortable with me because i’m patient and open to their questions. this openness fosters a positive and interactive learning experience.” sub-theme 3.2: mutual respect and support teachers go beyond their professional duties to support students, fostering mutual respect and a positive school climate. t7: “we adjust our approach based on the students’ grade levels and are willing to go the extra mile for them. this dedication helps build mutual respect and understanding between teachers and students.” t5: “on teacher’s day, students express their gratitude with letters and small gifts, which reflects the positive relationships we’ve built. it’s rewarding to see that students appreciate the extra support we provide.” theme 4: personal and professional growth sub-theme 4.1: professional development opportunities teachers appreciate opportunities for professional growth, such as slac sessions, which enhance their skills and confidence. t10: “the slac sessions have been invaluable in my development as a teacher. before, i hesitated to participate in discussions, but now i confidently share my insights, thanks to the continuous learning opportunities provided.” t4: “classroom observations (co) and other professional development activities at our school have significantly improved my teaching practices. the feedback and learning experiences are incredibly beneficial.” sub-theme 4.2: supportive stakeholders stakeholders’ involvement is crucial in supporting both the school’s projects and teachers’ work, contributing to a positive school environment. t4: “our spta officers are incredibly supportive of the school’s projects and curriculum implementation. they’ve become so effective that they can even lead meetings independently, showing their strong commitment.” t6: “stakeholders in our community, including parents, actively support the school. for instance, they donated drums and a boggle set, which enhance our school’s resources and learning environment.” pa ge 47 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 39-50, 2025 theme 5: well-being and recognition sub-theme 5.1: work-life balance achieving work-life balance is important, and some teachers successfully strategize to separate work from personal life, enhancing job satisfaction and wellbeing. t4: “i used to bring work home, but after my husband pointed out the impact on our family time, i learned to manage my workload better at school. this change has greatly improved both my job performance and my personal life.” t5: “while i’m satisfied with my professional achievements, like receiving an award, i realize that i’ve neglected my personal life in the process. finding a true balance is challenging but necessary.” sub-theme 5.2: recognition and feedback teachers value recognition and constructive feedback, which boost their morale and contribute to professional satisfaction. t4: “the feedback i receive during classroom observations is always constructive and encouraging. it boosts my confidence and helps me grow professionally, making me feel valued as an educator.” teachers unanimously emphasized the significance of the working environment and organizational culture in determining their satisfaction. many teachers reported feeling more satisfied in environments that respect diversity and are characterized by strong support systems. they emphasized that a conducive learning environment with the right facilities and technologies encourages collaborative discussions. as one teacher noted: “a conducive learning environment greatly impacts both teaching and learning. adequate space for teacher discussions and collaboration enhances our ability to deliver quality education.” – t1. in addition to physical space, teachers expressed the importance of psychological support from colleagues and management. one teacher shared: “the trust and support i receive from our school head have a positive impact on my morale. this school serves as a training ground where i feel supported and appreciated.” – t2. teachers highlighted that motivational support from school leaders is essential for completing tasks effectively despite pressures. they also emphasized the value of a non-toxic, respectful atmosphere among colleagues, which contributes to their overall job satisfaction. as another teacher remarked: “the welcoming and non-toxic atmosphere in this school makes me excited to work here. i’m grateful for the positive environment where everyone collaborates harmoniously.” – t3. these findings align with existing studies, which asserts that a positive working environment, supported by a healthy organizational culture, leads to higher teacher satisfaction (zeidan, 2023; zao & jeon, 2024). a fair distribution of responsibilities and workload was identified as another critical factor influencing teacher satisfaction. teachers reported greater satisfaction when tasks were assigned according to their position, rank, and strengths. one teacher stated: “i would rate the distribution of tasks in our school as 9 out of 10. the collaboration is excellent, and the work is evenly distributed, making challenging tasks, like organizing graduation, much easier than usual.” – t2. another teacher explained that distributing tasks based on strengths ensures efficiency and effectiveness: “tasks are assigned based on teachers’ strengths, which ensures that each teacher is positioned to succeed. this thoughtful distribution of responsibilities contributes to an efficient and effective work environment.” – t3. collaboration also emerged as an important aspect of workload distribution. teachers found it easier to manage significant events when they worked together, sharing the responsibilities. one teacher observed: “collaborative efforts among teachers lighten the load during significant events. everyone’s knowledge and skills contribute to a smooth workflow, making the tasks feel less burdensome.” – t2. these insights are consistent with the studies, which stresses that fair workload distribution and clear role delineation reduce teacher dissatisfaction and prevent burnout (crisci et al., 2019; nyagaya, 2015). collaboration among staff further enhances job satisfaction by promoting professional development and teamwork (chughati & perveen, 2013). the relationship between teachers and students plays a pivotal role in teacher satisfaction, as several studies have suggested (spilt et al., 2011). teachers who reported building positive relationships with their students exhibited higher satisfaction levels. one teacher shared: “over my five years here, i’ve built strong, understanding relationships with my students. i adapt to their needs, which helps create a supportive and engaging classroom environment.” – t4. such relationships foster mutual respect, leading to a positive work environment. one teacher expressed the rewards of these connections: “on teacher’s day, students express their gratitude with letters and small gifts, which reflects the positive relationships we’ve built. it’s rewarding to see that students appreciate the extra support we provide.” – t5. the literature supports these findings, emphasizing that strong teacherstudent relationships contribute to a positive classroom atmosphere and enhance job satisfaction (pham, 2024; li et al., 2022). teachers who foster such relationships tend to feel validated and experience a deeper sense of fulfillment, motivating them to remain in the profession (brunzell et al., 2018). pa ge 48 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 39-50, 2025 personal and professional growth was identified as a major contributor to teacher satisfaction. teachers expressed that opportunities for continuous learning and development, along with strong support from stakeholders, were crucial to their satisfaction. one teacher reflected on their development: “the slac or the school-based learning action cell sessions have been invaluable in my development as a teacher. before, i hesitated to participate in discussions, but now i confidently share my insights, thanks to the continuous learning opportunities provided.” – t10. this statement posits the importance of professional development programs in fostering teacher satisfaction. additionally, many teachers acknowledged the positive influence of stakeholders in their growth. as one teacher mentioned: “our spta officers are incredibly supportive of the school’s projects and curriculum implementation. they’ve become so effective that they can even lead meetings independently, showing their strong commitment.” – t4. studies support the notion that professional growth opportunities lead to increased job satisfaction by enhancing teachers’ skills and fostering a sense of accomplishment (hargreaves & fullan, 2015; stefanou et al., 2004). engaging in collaborative growth activities also strengthens teachers’ sense of community and belonging within their schools (weinberg et al., 2021). teachers noted that recognition of their efforts and attention to their well-being played a significant role in their satisfaction. many teachers reported feeling more motivated when their accomplishments were acknowledged. one teacher expressed: “while i’m satisfied with my professional achievements, like receiving an award, i realize that i’ve neglected my personal life in the process.” – t5. recognition was seen as a form of psychological support that boosted teachers’ morale and encouraged them to strive for excellence in their work. this aligns with studies suggesting that recognition and acknowledgment contribute significantly to teacher satisfaction by compensating for their efforts and sacrifices (rendel et al., 2018; waller, 2020). when teachers feel valued for their work, it enhances their well-being and overall job satisfaction. these thematic findings highlight the critical elements influencing teacher satisfaction. a supportive working environment, fair distribution of responsibilities, strong teacher-student relationships, opportunities for growth, and recognition all contribute to a high level of job satisfaction among teachers. these factors not only enhance teachers’ well-being but also improve their effectiveness in the classroom, also benefiting the entire educational community. conclusion based on the findings, several key conclusions can be drawn regarding the professional practices of school heads and teacher satisfaction in public elementary schools in the division of agusan del sur. the strong leadership demonstrated by school heads in strategic planning, resource management, and professional development plays a crucial role in fostering a highly satisfied and highperforming teaching workforce, ultimately contributing to improved school performance. additionally, public elementary school teachers in the division exhibit a high level of job satisfaction in their teaching profession, family relationships, and overall work-life balance, which serves as a strong indicator of productivity while maintaining well-being. moreover, leadership practices, particularly in leading strategically, managing school operations and resources, and developing self and others, are significant predictors of teachers’ overall satisfaction, aligning with existing literature on leadership’s role in constituent satisfaction. furthermore, critical factors such as working environment, organizational culture, workload distribution, teacher-student relationships, personal and professional growth, and recognition significantly influence teachers’ satisfaction. these findings emphasize the importance of cultivating a supportive school environment to enhance both teacher well-being and overall school effectiveness. recommendations in the light of the findings and conclusions presented, the following recommendations are suggested. 1. it is suggested that the study may be utilized by the department of education (deped) as a valuable reference for policy formulation and decision-making, particularly in enhancing leadership practices and teacher support programs. 2. it is suggested that school leaders take into account the study’s findings in developing a more comprehensive and responsive leadership approach. school heads and principals should actively incorporate strategies that promote a positive working environment, fair workload distribution, and opportunities for both personal and professional growth. furthermore, it is recommended that school improvement plans be aligned with the critical factors identified in this study to enhance teacher satisfaction, motivation, and overall job performance. 3. it is suggested that teachers reflect on the findings of the study to better understand the dynamics of their profession and the role of leadership in their worklife balance. teachers are encouraged to engage in professional development activities, collaborate with peers, and communicate their concerns and suggestions to school leaders. moreover, teachers can contribute to a more fulfilling work environment while ensuring personal and professional growth. 4. it is suggested that future researchers consider expanding the scope of the study to include additional factors affecting teacher satisfaction, such as mental health support, school culture, and external socio-economic influences. future studies may also increase the sample size or explore longitudinal research to assess the longterm impact of leadership practices and teacher support programs. a comparative analysis between different educational settings may also provide further insights into best practices for enhancing teacher satisfaction. pa ge 49 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 39-50, 2025 5. it is suggested that stakeholders in the education sector, including policymakers, school administrators, and community leaders, work collaboratively to implement initiatives that promote a supportive and motivating environment for teachers. also, education institutions can improve teacher well-being, enhance teaching quality, and ultimately contribute to the overall success of students and schools. acknowledgment this research would not have been possible without the support and contributions of many individuals. sincere gratitude is extended to the dedicated educators and staff of the department of education (deped) who willingly shared their insights and experiences, making significant contributions to the study. special appreciation is given to dr. liz irish ng villamor for her invaluable guidance, constructive feedback, and unwavering support, which greatly shaped the research process. heartfelt thanks are also extended to dr. genaro v. japos, dr. levita b. grana, dr. aida c. abad, dr. benjie p. jacob, and dr. annabelle m. dorado for their expert evaluation, insightful comments, and constructive criticism that refined and improved the study. lastly, deep appreciation is given to the researcher’s family and friends for their boundless support, patience, and encouragement, which served as a source of strength throughout this academic journey. references abu nasra, m., & arar, k. 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(2023). strategic leadership and school effectiveness: the role of principals in promoting educational quality. journal of educational administration, 61(1), 50-66. https://doi.org/10.1108/jea-11-20210278 pa ge 1 pa ge 93 american journal of education and technology (ajet) the reasons for disinterest of primary level students for schools in helmand lashkargah city mohammad wali wali1*, mohammad din khadim1 volume 4 issue 1, year 2025 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v4i1.4215 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: december 25, 2024 accepted: january 27, 2025 published: february 10, 2025 according to instructors who increasingly feel that students are losing interest in their studies and their awareness of their authority, a teaching-learning process would not be considered efficient and effective if it consisted solely of the transfer of knowledge without appropriate reception. the aim of this study was to determine the factors that may contribute to students’ lack of excitement in primary-level students learning. and find the beast methods for the solution of this problem. the study was conducted in helmand, lashkargah city. two schools (shaheed engineer abdul matin high and meddle) were easily used to choose 10 primary level students randomly selected from among 200 students. and their parents were randomly selected to represent the reasons and disinterest of the students in schools. the research participants in this descriptive research approach were used to collect data. the main source of data for this study was collected through self-administered questionnaires, interviews, and direct observations. after data analysis, it was determined that a number of factors contributed to the disinterest of students in primary-level schools, including parents’ lack of involvement with their children, homework refusal, shortage of access to classroom supplies, the distance between home and school, lack of student transportation, a shortage of professional teachers in schools, students’ lack of work during class, lack of time for entertainment, and disregard for each student’s unique interests and desires. it is advised that parents provide their children with the tools they need to finish their schoolwork, and the government builds new schools in nearby or distant locations. keywords disinterest, students and school 1 arakozia institute of higher education, afghanistan * corresponding author’s e-mail: m.waliwali32@gmail.com introduction education is the main factor that determines the sustainability of development. furthermore, education is necessary for all people to promote the development of social, cultural, and information technologies, and educational institutions can help achieve this. given the importance of education, every citizen of the nation needs to be able to learn a range of skills that they may use in their everyday lives. to improve teachers’ professionalism, efforts are undertaken to increase their knowledge and experience in the classroom. a teacher needs to employ more effective and successful teaching strategies in the classroom (khotmi, 2024). education has enormous benefits for both individuals and civilizations. most countries in the world have laws that guarantee the right to elementary education because they believe that education is crucial to a person’s development (unesco, 2002). afghanistan is one of those countries where education has always been gender biased. the education of females has always been defied in the country. because of poverty, insecurity, illiteracy, and lack of political stability, afghanistan has always been an unstable country. it is a war-torn country, and according to unesco (2012). education is one of the most significant social institutions that play a significant part in education in the modern world, given the complexity of the economic development process without educational investment. the broad perspective that education can effectively contribute to the attainment of human perfection emphasizes the significance of this institution in the first place. one of the most significant social institutions in any nation today is education, which is vital to the political, social, cultural, and economic advancement of any nation. a society’s level of education determines its independence and survival. efficient element in reaching human perfection, emphasizing the significance of this establishment in advance (nejahi, 2019). access to education has significantly increased in afghanistan in recent years. with over 6 million pupils registered, the present attendance rate is the highest in history and could be a result of the world’s rapidly growing educational system (feser et al., 2023). helmand is the province of afghanistan, which is located in the south region of the country; according to reports, 75% of children—73% of whom were female—were not registered in school. this was caused by the distance to facilities, the need for children to work or support the family, and the distance to schools (overview & province, 2021). mokter ali et al. (2023) found that school infrastructure, academic inattention, poverty variables, river erosion, teacher shortages, and gender disparity are significant factors influencing dropout behavior. six elements that affect students’ absences were discovered by the study: student preference, subject and instructor, physical and mental capacities, non-collegiate, classroom pa ge 94 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 93-99, 2025 facilities, and personal considerations. needless to say, the current study has several theoretical and practical implications (shakira & kengatharan, 2019). students may lose interest in the learning process for a variety of reasons, but most teachers are constantly looking for practical ways to rekindle their enthusiasm. khotmi et al. (2024) indicate that a lack of excitement for learning is one of the reasons why children drop out of school, particularly in primary school. the main causes of this issue are afghanistan’s poor educational system and a shortage of qualified female teachers. according to this survey, the majority of these pupils are female. in particular, in rural parts of afghanistan, girls do not feel at ease with male teachers throughout the teaching process, which causes them to lose interest in attending school during or after primary school. however, the absence of instructional resources (books, classrooms, blackboards, etc.) in afghan schools also made kids less interested in learning. objectives this study suggests that elementary school students who are not engaged in their studies will also be reminded of the factors that have contributed to their lack of enthusiasm. as a result, we have several respectable objectives that enable us to address these questions. children begin learning in their early years, as we all know, but a number of factors reduce the likelihood that they will show interest. based on this research, these issues must be addressed, and every factor that successfully reduces children’s interest in elementary school will be removed. it’s also critical to remember how to boost children’s motivation for learning so they can engage in class and show greater interest. by outlining the primary school teacher’s actions in response to the student’s interest, we can ultimately accomplish the following goal for this study. ✓ to increase the interest of students at the primary level. ✓ to find outs the social factor which effects on disinterest of students in school at the primary level will be clarified. ✓ to determined that the teacher and family behavior can effect on the interest/disinterest of students in the school at the primary level. research questions ✓ what are the reasons for students’ disinterest at school in primary level? ✓ do the families’ environment shape interest/ disinterest among primary students at school? ✓ what society aspects effect in interest of student in primary levels? ✓ does the teacher’s behavior play role in disinterest of students? literature review since dropout is a major issue in our schools that starts in elementary school and continues into secondary school, an early intervention is necessary to try to prevent children from continuing on this path throughout their educational experiences. because dropout rates affect the socioeconomic development of a society, they are a cause for concern. student dropout rates affect not only the community to which they belong, but the entire nation. student dropouts lead to the inefficient use of scarce educational resources without achieving the nation’s educational objectives. shakira and kengatharan (2019) identified that six factors—student preference, instructor and subject, physical and mental capacities, non-collegiate, classroom facilities, and personal factors—that influence students’ absence. it goes without saying that the present study has a number of theoretical and practical ramifications. according to the findings of ali (2024). the key causes of student dropouts in ebonyi state’s primary schools were socioeconomic and school-based issues, which were represented by 12 items in the first section of the questionnaire and 7 items in the second. absenteeism can be caused by a variety of social and psychological issues. parents blame the school environment, the course, and the demeanor of the professors for their children’s absences, while the teachers and school personnel blame the students’ performance for their continued absences (ayaz, 2015). khan et al. (2017) showed that elementary school dropout is caused by a wide range of causes. ineffective curricula, stringent school rules and regulations, inadequate physical and educational facilities, a lack of parental educational support, low parental socioeconomic status, domestic problems, parental illiteracy, an unfavorable school climate, low attendance, disruptive behavior by students, a lack of motivation and encouragement, teachers’ discriminatory and autocratic attitudes, frequent teacher absences, students’ company with unwanted children, poor health, etc. are some of these factors (khan et al., 2017). the study’s findings furthered our understanding that low mental ability may not always be the cause of underachievement by suggesting that a combination of factors outside the students’ control may have hindered their academic progress (nwosu et al., 2018). segumba (2015) conducted a study to determine the causes of the dropout issue among temeke district primary school students and to identify management strategies. the sample included six primary schools, 30 teachers, 36 dropout students and 1 deo who were interviewed, 30 continuing students, and 6 head teachers who received questionnaires. the study was directed by specific goals. additionally, six teachers and six dropout students participated in the focus group discussion. the results showed that fear of teachers, severe physical punishment, packed classrooms, insufficient instruction, low performance, a long commute to school, a shortage of food at school, and bad management were among the school characteristics that contributed to student dropout. additionally, the results of the study showed that children of parents with less education have a higher likelihood pa ge 95 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 93-99, 2025 of dropping out of school than children of parents with more education. additionally, the results showed that female students dropped out at a higher rate than male students. it was suggested that parents be made aware of the value of education so they may comprehend how their involvement and role in their children’s education impact that education. alexander (2008) asserts that if universal primary education (upe) is to be accomplished, strategies that enhance academic development and lower the percentage of children dropping out of school are essential. more children than ever before are beginning primary school, but dropout rates are high and contribute to low primary school completion rates in many nations. for instance, benin’s primary school completion rate reached 62 percent in 2005 after rising gradually from 38 percent in 2000. in 2007, 51% of primary school students in the democratic republic of the congo completed their education, matching the country’s early 1990s completion percentage. since 2000, the primary school completion rate in bangladesh has stayed at about 60%. these facts serve as the foundation for the conception and development of this study. mishra (1997) indicated that relation between motivation of students and their achievement at school, as the research did not have direct explanation of students’ disinterest but it has done in primary level (1-3 grades) and asked them about the family environment and class situation, and the link with students success and failures. from the previous literature review indicated that different factors has a crucial effect on disinterest of students in each category of the schools. the study has done among 10 parents social occupations, who had high and low level of economic situation. in some cases few number of students was doing heavy works and it was a barrier against their enrolment at school. occupations of parents and their education level are operating as supporter in evolving at school because children who work to support their families are not able to study in a better way at school. materials and methods in line with afghanistan’s educational system and to collect data for this study, we planned to use the qualitative method to get teachers’ and parents’ perspectives on students’ lack of interest, while the quantitative method would focus on the main reasons why students aren’t interested. this is employed to examine a demographic sample at one particular moment in time. participants and area this study will be conducted in the south region of afghanistan, helmand province, lashkargah city.in addition, students, parents, and teachers are the research participants to help us for achieving the satisfied result. the research will be done in government schools between (4-11) grades. tools and techniques we will use three types of tools for this study: ✓ questionnaire ✓ interview ✓ observation in order to identify the primary causes of school indifference, we will attempt to gather comments from parents, teachers, and students via a questionnaire. in order to uncover the hidden causes of pupils’ lack of interest in school, the questionnaire will be created with indirect questions. when gathering data through interviews, we ask a variety of open-ended questions to elicit specific information from parents and instructors. we then record this information on tape and evaluate it as soon as possible. in order to identify the causes of students’ apathy, an observation tool will be used in the classroom to examine the curriculum, instructional strategies, and resources. ethical concerns before we ask participants any questions, we will reassure them that their responses will be kept private, that the study is being conducted for academic purposes only, and that we will have their trust throughout the response process. furthermore, the respondents should cooperate with the researcher as volunteers rather than under duress. to prevent interfering with their activities, the questionnaire and interview will be conducted during the spare time of the teachers, parents, and children. implications we will have accomplished the primary objectives of this study, and we are working to communicate the findings to the ministry of education so that it may be implemented in schools and identify the primary causes and remedies for students’ disinterest in various regions of afghanistan. on the other hand, we are working to reduce this phenomenon among students and identify easily accessible methods for its declaration in accordance with our nation’s laws and customs. result and discussion qualitative data analysis i decided to select a topic analysis to organize the respondents’ views into topics and theories as a strategy for identifying data-driven patterns. the key themes that are identified in the conceptual framework, with the following topics, are based on the grouping of responses in logical scales. the classification of comments is not an exact science; judgment is based on my interpretation of the meaning intended by the parent. if the comment seems to relate to more than one subject, they are included under both. parental notions of school and family parents want to be certain that their children will be ready to lead happy adult lives. this is an era of increasing concern about the quality of education in this country. states are becoming more involved in upholding and keeping an eye on academic standards. the cost of public pa ge 96 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 93-99, 2025 education is causing communities to become increasingly vigilant. with limited resources, local schools are worried about how they will continue to offer top-notch instruction and other services. additionally, parents want to be sure that their kids will be well-prepared to enjoy fulfilling adult lives. every parent wants their children to be able to get to school easily, mentally, and without having to make a long distance. first table show the parental notions of school and family for their children. table 1: q ue st io ns h ow m an y ch ild re n do y ou ha ve ? d is ta nc e be tw ee n sc ho ol a nd ho us e? w ha t d o yo ur ch ild re n do in th ei r f re e tim e? d o yo ur c hi ld re n go to s ch oo l b y bu s or fe et ? d iffi cu lti es in ho m ew or k? i f ye s in w hi ch s ub je ct ? d oe s an yo ne h el p yo ur c hi ld re n at ho m e to d o th ei r ho m ew or k? d o th e sc ho ol ac tiv iti es a re in te re st in g fo r yo ur c hi ld re n? parent 1 6 3 km help with mother feet yes, in math no i do not know parent 2 7 2 km nothing bicycle i do not know no i do not think so parent 3 4 4 km play games feet yes, in math yes, his brother complain from teacher parent 4 3 3 km help with father in shop feet i do not have literacy no i do not know parent 5 7 1,5 km work in field feet yes, in all subjects yes, sometime me fear of the teacher parent 6 6 5 km work at home bicycle sometime in language yes, mother it looks very happy parent 7 4 6 km help me in bakery bicycle i do not have literacy no it is interesting to him. parent 8 2 2 km nothing feet yes, in math, physic, chemistry and science yes, his brother bored from school parent 9 4 4 km help in shop with father bicycle yes, in math yes, his sister it looks happy parent 10 6 4 km nothing motor bike i do not know no i do not know ten people have been questioned as you watch in table 1. from this table indicated that considerable distance to attend school was the dominant factor which was the reason for disinterest of the students in school, respectively parents of children don’t complete their daily assignments. children are not considered or utilized in their job after school. as a result, children lose interest in learning. children interview table 2: described the student’s personality and interest of the school questions which subject do you like the most and why? which teacher do you like and why? do you have interest to do your homework? do you have extra work behind studying? does your family member help you at home to do your homework? student 1 pashto, because i like poem story because the teacher is very kind and help me individually yes, it is so good work in restaurant no body help me student 2 painting, because the figure of book is very interest for me math teacher because no homework no no, just play with friends when i had problem my father help me pa ge 97 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 93-99, 2025 from the above table 2 indicated that most students work together with their parents while studying, but does not do the homework properly and does not want to do it. most of them like masters to help them. after analysis of the data which was obtained from ten students, the significant factor was that disregarding of the families and neglecting to assist their children schoolwork or homework. this was the reason for unconcern of most students in schools. school facilities student 3 pashto, the reading is easy for me pashto teacher because she is very kind all the time i am with my father in pharmacy my father motivate me help with father my father student 4 holly quran, in masque also read it sport teacher, because he play with us i do not know bring water from well sometime my brother student 5 pashto, easy for me pashto teacher because he is a good man no play with friends no student 6 all subjects, because i can lean and try to a good teacher in the future math teacher because he motivate me in every subject i like to do homework nothing no body student 7 all subject, but physic is good for me physic teacher yes yes, work with my father no student 8 history is my favorite subject history and gioghraphia teacher yes work with my father in shop sometime student 9 chemistry and biology chemistry and biology teachers yes, sometime work at home no student 10 all subjects all teachers yes work at home no table 3: shows that facilities which are contribution to the students for encouraging of schools number statement the teachers who say (yes) the teachers who say (no) 1 there is a library in the school. 10 0 2 there are sports grounds in the school. 10 0 3 sports items are provided to the students. 3 7 4 there are preliminary medical aids in school. 2 8 5 healthy drinking water is in school. 9 1 6 transportation is available for the students. 0 10 7 teaching books are provided to students. 10 0 9 there are professional teachers. 3 7 10 there are required classes. 8 2 11 you use the teaching materials in teaching. 3 7 school facilities are an important part of the school that has been most significant role on interest and encourage of the students. table 3 shows that 10 members of schools have been questions, each of which has responded. almost every school has a library, alongside a library of sports fields. but there are no sports facilities for students. also, there is not enough medical first aid. there is not a health drink in all schools, transport cannot be seen for student transportation, and books are available. still, there are major problems with the materials of the classroom, but they have less role on student disinterest, while available transportation for student was the maximum factor for reducing students’ interest in the school. students questioners after determination of various causes of student disinterest in primary levels school, we are suitable to ask the students some questions individually. pa ge 98 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 93-99, 2025 quantitative data analysis the following graphs are results of the consolidation and representation of questionnaire responses. below each, a brief summary of the conclusions drawn from the questionnaire results will be supplied. note: the graphs were created using the following rating scale: 1 = always, 2 = sometimes, 3 = often, and 4 = never. by utilizing a greater number to signify a higher degree of importance of a given component, this scale, which is reversed from the one used in the questionnaire, offers a clearer visual representation of the data. figure 1: shows that ten school administrators have been asked which ones have responded in turn table 4: determined ten schools administrator’s facilities for student’s encouragement to attend lessons on time and without absences no statements always sometimes often never 1 consult with students' parents during the problem. 5 2 1 2 2 teachers go to the class on time. 5 5 0 0 3 school administration focuses on individual students' interests. 1 1 1 7 4 the school administration launches incentive programs. 4 2 2 2 5 sports competitions arrange at school. 4 2 2 2 6 students come to the class on time. 5 4 1 0 7 student problems are addressed during the study. 3 2 4 1 8 aware of student’s needs. 1 3 2 4 9 the school administration has good relations with the students. 5 3 1 1 10 the use of simple laboratory equipment in the classroom for comprehension. 1 1 6 2 table 4 shows that ten school administrators have been asked which ones have responded in turn. it is clear that school administration focuses on individual students’ was the most crucial factor for disinterest of students also the use of simple laboratory equipment in the classroom for comprehension was the second significant factor for disinterest of students. students ‘interests have not received special attention, which has led to a decrease in students’ interest in the school (primary level). conclusion it’s concluded that in helmand, lashkargah, primary school students’ disinterest in learning is caused by both internal and external influences. one of the internal reasons leading to students’ low interest in learning is a lack of support from the home environment, namely parents who often ignore their children’s behavior when they miss school without being ready to criticize them for it. in addition, there is not enough emphasis on urging pupils to study at home. there are few outside influences. teachers’ outdated teaching strategies and lack of creativity, such as not creating lesson plans with instructional aids, are the main causes of students’ disinterest in learning. lack of buildings for study sessions, outdated benches and tables, and other learning aids are examples of inadequate infrastructure and amenities that can also contribute to low interest in studying. for the solution to the problem, we recommend that parents pa ge 99 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 93-99, 2025 are expected to be more concerned with their children’s academic and extracurricular growth. in addition, parents are supposed to be able to communicate and understand one another better in order to have deeper ties with their children. for educators to employ more creative teaching strategies when instructing. in addition, it is advised that educators learn more about the age-appropriate growth and development of children to better understand their pupils’ requirements. acknowlagment i am deeply grateful to the leadership and administration of arakozia institute of higher education for encouraging me to conduct research in this area, and share the results of this research with the public through a reputable journal. references ali, p. a. (2024). causes of dropout among primary school pupils in ebonyi state. ebonyi state college of education, ikwo journal of educational research, 10(1), 1–23. alexander, r. (2008). education for all, the quality imperative and the problem of pedagogy (create pathways to access no. 20). consortium for research on educational access, transitions and equity, university of sussex. ayaz, h. (2015). investigating the reasons and effects of absence in primary school students studying at federal government institutions mubarak ali. khan, a., suleman, q., mehmood, a., & nawab, b. (2017). causes of students’ dropout at elementary level in southern districts of khyber pakhtunkhwa. research on humanities and social sciences, 7(23), 20–25. khotmi, n., hidayati, r., hidayati, y., negara, a., sosial, t., kesehatan, d., selong, m., negara, m. a., & sosial, i. t. (2024). the factors that cause low interest in learning in grade 4 students at sdn 3 perian. jurnal ilmiah mandala education (jime), 10(1), 2442–9511. https://doi.org/10.58258/jime.v9i1.6761 mansory, a. (2007). dropout study in basic education level of schools in afghanistan. swedish committee for afghanistan. mishra, k. n. (1997). achievement motivation level of primary school children: anxiety and academic achievement. indian journal of social work, 58, 24–34. nejahi, p., & esmaeilishad, b. (2019). identifying the factors affecting the school dropout of female first grade elementary students. iranian journal of educational sociology, 2(1), 161–170. north atlantic marine mammals commission. (2005). annual report 2005. nwosu, k. c., okoyoe, c. c., & onah, u. h. (2018). an interpretive descriptive study of factors affecting academic achievement of underachieving student teachers in nigeria. journal of at-risk issues, 21(2), 20–29. sharma, r. c. (1962). socioeconomic factors influencing primary school environment. overview, p., & province, h. (2021). provincial overview helmand province. december. segumba, s. i. a. (2015). factors leading to problems of dropout in primary school pupils in temeke district. university of tanzania journal of education, 8(9). shakira, m. n. f., & kengatharan, n. (2019). every day students in schools matter: reasons for not attending school: evidence from advanced level students. journal of business studies, 6(1), 41–56. https://doi. org/10.4038/jbs.v6i1.41 unesco. (2012). from access to equality—empowering girls and women through literacy and secondary education. unesco-cdrb. (2002). a study of girls’ dropouts and noncompletion of program in the primary and secondary education in bangladesh. pa ge 1 pa ge 36 american journal of education and technologies (ajet) online learning readiness of public secondary schools: the perspective between school heads and teachers edward e. bana1*, runato a. basanes2, gerald t. malabarbas2 volume 1 issue 2, year 2022 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i2.393 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: july 16, 2022 accepted: september 01, 2022 published: september 04, 2022 globally, academic institutions have been impacted by covid-19, and the majority have gone online. during the pandemic, online learning was most effective. this study aimed to determine the readiness of secondary schools for online learning in the division of antique as perceived by the school heads and teachers of the division of antique. a validated survey instrument was used to gather data from the respondents. statistical tools used include frequency, percentage, standard deviation, and mean for the descriptive analysis, then one-way anova and kruskal-wallis test, least significant difference (lsd), and bonferroni for the inferential analysis. the study found that secondary schools in the division of antique were ready to adapt to the online learning platforms of curriculum delivery as perceived by school heads and teachers. further, it was found that there exists a significant difference in the online learning readiness of school heads and teachers when categorized according to the school size. despite the findings that the secondary schools were ready to implement online learning, it was proposed that the schools division of antique should strategically plan for it to make sure that the readiness of school heads, teachers, and students, especially in terms of the availability of information and communication technology (ict) gadgets, digital technology skills, and availability of online learning home support is established to ensure the quality of implementation. keywords online learning, school readiness, secondary schools 1 division of antique, san jose, antique, philippines 2 college of teacher education, university of antique, sibalom, antique, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: edw_76@yahoo.com introduction as a precautionary measure against the coronavirus, the governments of more than 170 nations have ordered the closure of schools, affecting around 1.5 billion kids (covid-19). through the use of distant learning, the global education system strives to maintain a continuous learning environment for children and young people. the majority of the time, efforts consist of utilizing a variety of digital platforms that feature instructional content in addition to a wide range of educational technology (edtech) solutions in order to make communication and learning spaces as open and dynamic as is humanly possible (moreno & gortazar, 2020). according to galecia et al. (2022), the covid-19 epidemic expands worldwide opportunities for online education. due to this pandemic, all nations have changed their educational systems to online learning methods. mental and technical readiness for the online learning mode must be assessed so that appropriate assistance can be provided and addressed, aside from its ict set-up amenability. undeniably, the dilemma facing all countries is that, while these technological solutions seem to be the greatest approach to limit major learning losses during the crisis (particularly for vulnerable pupils), they also risk further growing equity inequalities in education. thus, if the digital gap in education were to expand as schools are closed, learning inequality and learning poverty would also unavoidably increase. learning continuity would then be ensured for some but denied to others. the first step is to make sure that all students have access to the internet, which is the first dimension of the digital gap. all students would be able to use online learning tools and digital platforms with educational content. but the covid-19 crisis has shown that there are two more parts to the digital gap, even in rich countries where everyone has access to the internet but not everyone does. the second factor is the digital use gap. without guidance, students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are less likely to use online content in a way that helps them learn. the third dimension is the digital school gap, which is the ability and capacity of each school to provide individualized, or appropriately leveled and sequenced, digital learning for students, to promote and track engagement with these materials, and to give feedback that helps maximize learning outcomes. one school, for instance, might only send printed materials or suggest that students watch videos made for the general public. on the other hand, other schools can keep classes going online or come up with creative ways to use digital apps for group learning and one-on-one student support. it’s easy to see why this is the most important digital gap for making sure that students can keep learning during the pandemic, given how different schools are (moreno & gortazar, 2020). it is, therefore, apt to evaluate the readiness of public secondary schools for online learning in this time of pandemic as perceived by the school heads and teachers. this initiative has to be done to improve the instructional delivery of schools and to find out the significant role it plays, hence, this study. literature review in recent decades, technology has entered the everyday lives of more people of all ages at a tremendous pace. https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i2.393 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= mailto:edw_76%40yahoo.com?subject= pa ge 37 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 36-45, 2022 looking through history, personal computers (pc) for home use were commercially available in the 1980s, and pcs equipped with the internet started around the 1990s. in the early 2000s, not long after, mobile phones became widespread, and smartphones followed them after 2007 with the introduction of apple’s iphone. undoubtedly, the internet is important in the widespread use of information technologies. however, according to basol and cevik (2006), computers without an internet connection resemble an empty box, a typewriter, or an introverted child; hence nothing positive. since the mid-1990s internet boom, distance education has changed (especially in developed countries). distance education methods from the 1990s (correspondence courses, radio-based courses, videotaped lectures) are being updated or replaced with internet-based or computer-based methods (nces, 1999). in 2002, more than 1.6 million college students took at least one online course, and more than 500,000 completed their degrees online (the sloan consortium, 2004). however, e-learning is not just for colleges and universities. many private companies deliver training online (american society for training and development [astd], 2003; stephenson, 2003). the delivery of training programs via e-learning platforms (dvd, cd-rom, internet) increased to 29% in 2002 and 31% in 2003, according to the astd (2003). while 32% to 74% of organizations used the internet for e-learning delivery in 2003, questions remain about instructional soundness and learner readiness for online learning environments. researchers have attempted to determine the variables related to the online learning readiness of schools. literature on online learning readiness seems more focused on inspecting students’ online readiness to other variables such as student-directedness and computer self-efficacy (robinson, 2008) rather than studying the relevance of important pre-entry characteristics to the online readiness level of the users. as an important dynamic for student success in online learning, readiness was at the core of the current study. anything new introduced to a blended learning environment, e.g., flipped classrooms, discussion boards, e-quizzes, workshops, etc., new studies have emerged looking at their effects on achievement (basol, cigdem, & unver, 2018). similarly, basol, cigdem, and unver (2018) pointed out studies on online learning strategies. drawing broader conclusions from these studies reduces their external validity. who is more willing to take advantage of online learning? what characteristics help them make that decision? investigating the importance of student characteristics on e-learning readiness may help us design better online instruction. while user characteristics such as having a computer or mobile phone with internet access affect students’ ability to use online learning, topics such as user preferences, inspired by marketing research to drive sales, have been studied. in turkey, a survey on smartphone use by both men and women found that people used them for social networking, talking on the phone, searching the internet, and texting. experience has been studied for its relationship to academic achievement in online learning literature. according to the results, taking a web-based course before could affect students’ online readiness. online learning may have improved their learning in a previous course. a mobile phone with internet access can help process information. the internet has dominated our lives by providing “intercultural and personalized” knowledge through digital apps on smartphones, computers, and tablets (holmes & gardner, 2006). a smartphone with the internet can replace a computer. 64% of americans own a smartphone, and 63% of adult cell owners go online with their phones. moreover, turkish people are just as tech-savvy as americans. computers, laptops, mobile phones, ipads, and smartphones quickly spread from schools to homes. 90% of turkish smartphone users have internet access, with 53% male and 47% female pew research center, 2014). researchers should consider age, socioeconomic status, technology availability, prior experience, self-efficacy, education (ng, 2012), and disciplinary differences to understand the concept better. according to the literature, online learners must own a computer, spend more time on it, and have internet access (helsper & eynon, 2010). web as an instructional tool is supported by research. mcmullin (2005) says a website is like a library for students. leacock, warrican, and veira (2013) reported that students used netbooks at home and school and suggested educating them on safe and beneficial use rather than limiting internet access. building and maintaining an online course takes time from the instructor. it can be difficult for a tech-novice or multi-course instructor. this also applies to students who do not use technology often. it would be interesting to see how online learners’ technology preferences affect their readiness for online learning. moreno and gortazar (2020) looked at the pisa 2018 principals’ questionnaire in assessing the readiness and management of digital learning experiences. according to the study, the results were disappointing, but they showed the reality and are still hopeful. only a few countries have universal access to such platforms, including all the nordic countries, singapore, qatar, and the four chinese provinces participating in pisa 2018, and to a lesser extent, australia, new zealand, thailand, and the united states. in most countries, 35 to 70% of students attend schools with effective online learning support. thus, the world’s education systems lack universal online learning platforms. (2) do teachers have the technical and pedagogical skills to integrate digital devices? principals were more positive. in most countries, two-thirds of 15-year-olds attend schools where principals believe teachers have the technical and pedagogical skills for digital learning. high-income oecd members do worse than middle-income countries. lac and mena lag behind eca, east asia, and the pacific (eap). in the covid-19 crisis, the responses to this question offer https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 38 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 36-45, 2022 some hope. however, two-thirds seem low for teachers and raise concerns about the remaining third, whose teachers lack skills essential for successful digital learning during school closures. online learning, a subset of distance education, has always provided access to a more flexible educational experience than campus-based education. in developed countries, web access is widespread. for example, in canada, 68 percent of the population uses the internet regularly, which is likely higher today, especially among younger users and students. this high percentage of users includes over 95% of those interested in formal education. access to the web is primarily through home or workplace computers, libraries, internet cafes, and personal wireless devices. most people in developed countries have easy access. in addition, access is faster and more convenient, as shown by 33% annual increases in broadband connectivity in oecd countries between 2005 and 2006 (oecd, 2006). numerous studies, including a meta-analysis of over 200 studies, have found no significant difference in learning outcomes in online versus face-to-face courses (bernard et al., 2004; bowen, chingos, lack, & nygren, 2012). nevertheless, online course dropout rates range from 20-40% (pierrakeas, xenos, panagiotakopoulos, & vergidis, 2004), and online attrition rates have been reported as 7-20 percentage points higher than those for face-to-face courses (nora & snyder, 2009; patterson & mcfadden, 2009). however, there is little research on the effects of online course-taking on college persistence and completion, and what results are available are mixed (shea & bidjerano, 2014; xu & jaggars, 2011). however, examining student characteristics may help to predict which students are at the highest risk online. in her article, ilona (2021) underscored that during quarantine throughout most of the philippines, education officials have proposed using online platforms for the school year 2020-2021 to continue the schooling of millions of filipino students. the philippines, however, cannot support online schooling for most of its students, and the attempt will prove ineffective for most of the country. according to deped’s ict service director aida yuvienco, as cited by ilona (2021), “only 26 percent of public schools are connected to the internet or can connect to the internet”, and nearly 5,000 public schools in remote areas do not even have access to electricity. obviously, the philippines is far from being technologically advanced, 83rd out of 138 countries in digital readiness, according to the department of science and technology. methodology research design this study utilized the descriptive research design. descriptive research is a purposive process of gathering, analyzing, classifying, and tabulating data about prevailing conditions, practices, beliefs, processes, trends, and cause-effect relationships and then making an adequate and accurate interpretation of such data with or without the aid of statistical methods (calderon & gonzales, 2011). the study is descriptive design since it assessed the readiness of the public secondary schools for online learning as perceived by both school heads and teachers. respondents of the study the respondents of this study were all secondary school heads and randomly selected teachers in the division of antique during the school year 2020 -2021. the number of respondents is shown in the succeeding table. table 1: distribution of respondents by school size variables school head teachers f % f % small 9 16 43 13 medium 18 51 69 20 large 9 16 54 16 very large 21 37 175 51 total 57 100 341 100 research instruments the researchers made use of a survey questionnaire on the readiness of schools for online learning were used to gather data needed in the study. online learning readiness questionnaire for school heads was used to determine the level of readiness of school heads for online learning. the instrument consisted of a fourpoint likert type scale of three (3) dimensions: digital technology skills, task-based skills for online learning, and availability of ict gadgets for online learning. each dimension has indicators that measure the readiness of school heads to implement online learning in school. then, the school head respondents were asked to rate each item for the digital technology skills and task-based skills for online learning using the following options: 4-always; 3-sometimes; 2-seldom; and 1-never. for the availability of ict gadgets, each item was asked to be assessed as follows: 4-personally owned; 3-provided by the school; 2-borrowed; and 1-does not own. on the other hand, the online learning readiness questionnaire for teachers was used to determine the level of readiness of teachers for online learning. the instrument consists of a 4-point likert-type scale consisting of the following dimensions: digital technology skills, task-based skills for online learning, willingness to adopt online learning for delivery of lessons, availability of ict gadgets, and status of ict infrastructure in the school. each dimension has indicators that measure the readiness of teachers for online learning. to answer the questionnaire, the teacher-respondents were asked to rate each item for digital technology skills, task-based skills for online learning, availability of ict gadgets, taskbased skills for online learning, and willingness to adopt online learning for delivery of lessons using the following options: 4 – always; 3 – sometimes; 2 – seldom; and 1 – never. to rate the indicators for the availability of ict gadgets, teachers were asked to use the following options: 4-personally owned; 3-provided by the school; https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 39 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 36-45, 2022 2-borrowed; and 1-does not own. responding to the indicator for the status of ict infrastructure in schools, the following options were used: 4-excellent; 3-very good; 2-good; and 1-poor. validity and reliability of the instruments the research instruments used in the study were submitted for a reliability test to a panel of jurors for face and content validation. to ensure the reliability of the instruments, the researchers administered them for pilot testing to selected school heads and teachers in the division of antique. in establishing the internal consistency of the instrument’s items, the cronbach alpha reliability test was used. the reliability test results showed the following cronbach’s alpha results for the various dimensions of online learning for school heads: digital technology skills = 0.916; task-based skills for online learning = 0.735; and availability of ict gadgets = 0.746. on the other hand, results of the reliability test showed the following cronbach’s alpha results for the various dimensions of online learning for teachers: digital technology skills = 0.886; task-based skills for online learning = 0.694; willingness to adapt online learning in the delivery of lessons = 0.600; availability of ict gadgets = 0.724; and status of ict infrastructure in school = 0.877. none of the items were suggested to be removed by the validators. given the reliability values, the instruments were generally considered good and accepted. data gathering procedure before conducting the instruments, the researchers sought permission from the office of the schools division superintendent to gather the needed data. after the permission was granted, the researchers distributed the questionnaires to school heads and teachers in the division of antique. an online instrument for each group of respondents was deployed using the google form, and the link was sent to the identified respondents. this was done in compliance with health and safety protocols and to avoid direct contact with the respondents during the pandemic time when this study was conducted. the researcher assured the respondents that all their responses were treated with utmost anonymity and confidentiality. they would also be allowed to withdraw as respondents anytime if they are not comfortable participating in the scale description 3.26 – 4.00 very ready 2.51 – 3.25 ready 1.76 – 2.50 fairly ready 1.00 – 1.75 not ready study. data analysis procedure the data gathered in this research were analyzed using the following statistical tools: to determine the number of respondents who participated in each school, the frequency was used; to find out the proportion of respondents who participated in each school, the percentage was used; to determine the level of readiness for online learning of school heads and teachers, and students, mean was used; then, to determine the score of an individual school head, teacher, and student-respondent in a specific dimension, the numerical equivalents of the options chosen by the respondents were added, and the mean for that particular dimension was computed. the mean was translated into a numerical scale with a corresponding verbal description shown below: on the other hand, to find out the homogeneity and heterogeneity of the data gathered, standard deviation was used. then, to determine the significant differences in the level of readiness for online learning of teachers and students in terms of the school size, the one-way anova was used; to determine the significant difference in the level of readiness for online learning of school heads in terms school size, the kruskal-wallis test was used; to determine the significant difference in the various dimensions of online learning for teachers and students, the lsd was used; to determine the significant difference in the various dimensions of online learning for school heads, bonferroni pairwise multiple comparison was used. all inferential statistics were set at a 0.05 level of significance. data generated from the study were electronically processed using the statistical packages for the social sciences (spss) software, version 22.0. results and discussion level of readiness for online learning of school heads table 2 shows the level of readiness for online learning of school heads. table 2: level of readiness for online learning of school heads as an entire group areas of online learning mean sd description digital technology skills 3.38 0.47 very ready availability of ict 2.85 0.18 ready task-based skills for online learning 3.32 0.50 very ready over-all mean 3.35 0.44 very ready results of the study show that, as an entire group, the school heads are “very ready” for online learning in the aggregate, as indicated by an overall mean of 3.35 (sd= 0.44). likewise, they are “very ready” in terms of digital technology skills, with a mean score of 3.38 (sd=0.47). in terms of the availability of ict gadgets to be used for the implementation of online learning, the school heads indicated they are “ready” with a mean score of 2.85 (sd=0.18). these results tell that the school heads are “very ready” to implement and manage online learning https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 40 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 36-45, 2022 in their schools, for they believe they possess the digital technology skills, and they have the ict gadgets to use, which they either personally own or provided by the school. in addition, it was observed that school heads demonstrated skills in the use of productivity tools inasmuch as submission of reports and preparation of school learning resources and performance evaluationtable 3: level of readiness for online learning of school heads as to school size areas of online learning school size mean sd description digital technology skills small 3.36 0.36 very ready medium 3.48 0.51 very ready large 2.91 0.37 ready very large 3.47 0.38 very ready task-based skills for online learning small 3.32 0.40 very ready medium 3.44 0.54 very ready large 2.93 0.41 ready very large 3.37 0.49 very ready availability of ict gadgets small 2.89 0.22 ready medium 2.91 0.15 ready large 2.88 0.16 ready very large 2.76 0.15 ready related resources demand. it was further observed that the deped computerization program (dcp) provided an opportunity for the school heads to learn and apply digital technology skills because of the available laptops and desktop computers. on the other hand, table 3 shows the level of readiness for online learning of school heads as to their school size. results show that school heads of small, medium, and very large schools are “very ready” in terms of digital technology skills for online learning, with mean scores of 3.36 (sd=0.36), 3.48 (sd=0.51), and 3.47 (sd=0.38), respectively while school heads form large schools are “ready” with the mean score of 2.91 (sd=0.37). looking at the readiness of the school heads in terms of task-based skills relevant to the implementation of online learning in school, the school heads of large schools are “ready” with a mean score of 2.93 (sd=0.4), while the rest of the school heads are “very ready” with at a minimum average score of 3.32. in terms of the availability of ict gadgets, school heads are “ready” regardless of school size, as indicated in table 3. with these results, the researchers observed that the ict gadgets that the school heads can use to implement online learning are available, whether personally owned or provided by the school. records also show that desktop computers and laptops were provided by the central office of the department of education through its deped computerization program (dcp), where all schools are recipients irrespective of school size; thus, school heads always find an opportunity to learn and apply the digital technology skills relevant to the performance of their duties and responsibilities. furthermore, the researcher noted that school heads from large schools are slightly lower compared to small, medium, and large schools in terms of digital technology skills. this can be attributed to the school structure of large schools with a bigger number of ict-enabled personnel and a set of non-teaching personnel who can do the ict-based tasks compared to smaller schools. looking back at the explicit responses, it can be noted that they indicated lower scores in pc-based operations like managing files and sending emails and attachments. level of readiness for online learning of teachers table 4 presents the level of readiness for online learning table 4: level of readiness for online learning of school heads as an entire group areas of online learning mean sd description digital technology skills 3.38 0.53 very ready task-based skills for online learning 3.18 0.59 ready willingness to adopt online learning in the delivery of lessons 3.67 0.46 very ready availability of ict gadgets 2.84 0.29 ready status of ict infrastructure in school 2.67 0.68 ready over-all mean 3.15 0.40 ready of school heads was determined by computing the mean scores. results of the study show that, as an entire group, the teachers are ‘”ready” for online learning in the aggregate, as indicated by an overall mean of 3.15 (sd= 0.40). this is because, in the four domains of online learning readiness, the teachers are only “very ready” in terms of digital technology skills and willingness to adopt online learning for the delivery of lessons but are recorded as “ready” in the remaining indicators such as task-based skills for online learning, availability of ict gadgets for online learning and status of ict infrastructure in the school. these data show that secondary school teachers possess the technical skills for online learning, making them somewhat ready to contextualize their pedagogical skills to online teaching. in compliance with deped policy https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 41 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 36-45, 2022 on curriculum implementation during the covid-19 pandemic that as much as possible, learning materials and curriculum content shall be converted into formats such as but not limited to digital formats (flat pdf and e-self-learning modules), educational video, radio, and others (deped memorandum ci-2020-00162), teachers were obliged to capacitate and familiarize themselves of the ict to cope with the demands of their jobs in the socalled new normal. the researcher observed that since the school heads share the same privilege with the teachers in using the school-owned laptops and computers in the school, the teachers shared the same readiness level as the school heads—ready—in terms of availability of ict gadgets for online learning. with the dcp, laptops and desktop computers were made available in secondary schools for teachers. these gadgets have enticed teachers to learn more about the ict and the ict-enabled processes integrated into deped, like the computerbased performance management system of the agency. on the other hand, table 4 shows the level of readiness for online learning of teachers as to school size. results show that teachers of small, medium, and table 5: level of readiness for online learning of school heads as to school size areas of online learning school size mean sd description digital technology skills small 3.44 0.50 very ready medium 3.56 0.39 very ready large 3.26 0.56 ready very large 3.32 0.55 very ready willingness to adopt the online learning delivery of lessons small 3.75 0.43 very ready medium 3.67 0.44 very ready large 3.53 0.58 very ready very large 3.70 0.42 very ready task-based skills for online learning small 3.35 0.59 very ready medium 3.28 0.56 very ready large 3.04 0.55 ready very large 3.15 0.60 ready availability of ict gadgets small 2.85 0.29 ready medium 2.87 0.27 ready large 2.94 0.16 ready very large 2.80 0.32 ready status of ict infrastructure in school small 2.16 0.71 fairly ready medium 2.92 0.61 ready large 2.66 0.61 ready very large 2.69 0.66 ready very large schools are “very ready” in terms of digital technology skills for online learning, with mean scores of 3.44 (sd=0.50), 3.56 (sd=0.39), and 3.32 (sd=0.55), respectively while school heads from large schools are “ready” with the mean score of 3.26 (sd=0.56). in terms of the availability of ict gadgets, teachers are “ready” regardless of school size. regarding willingness to adopt the online learning delivery of the lessons, teachers indicated a very high readiness regardless of the size of the schools. moreover, teachers from small and medium schools indicate that they are “very ready” in terms of pedagogical skills to integrate ict in instruction with mean scores of 3.35 (sd=0.59) and 3.28 (sd=0.56), respectively. on the other hand, teachers from large and very large indicated only that they were “ready” with mean scores of 3.04 (sd=0.55) and 3.15 (sd=0.50), respectively. further, results show that teachers are “ready” in terms of the availability of ict gadgets regardless of their schools’ size. in terms of the status of ict infrastructure in school, teachers from small schools indicated that they are “fairly ready” with a mean score of 2.16 (sd=0.71) while teachers from medium, large, and very large have mean scores of 2.92 (sd=0.61), 2.66 (sd=0.61) and 2.69 (sd=0.66) respectively indicating they are “ready.” the data implied that teachers are at least ready for online learning except for those from small schools, which indicated that they are fairly ready in terms of ict infrastructures in the school. however, the researchers observed that most small schools are situated in barangays and inland areas where internet services and phone signals are relatively poor. moreover, ict gadgets and infrastructure were not really optimized. moreover, the school budget depends on the school size; thus, small schools hardly take an amount for establishing ict infrastructure out of their meager funds with all the priority expenditures. differences in the level of readiness for online learning of school heads table 6 presents the significant differences in the level of readiness for online learning of school heads. as shown in the above table, results show that there is enough evidence of a significant difference in the level of readiness of school heads in terms of digital technology skills (h=8.404, p=0.038) and availability of ict gadgets (h=9.351, p=0.025), but not task-based skills (h=5.664; p=0.130). thus, post-hoc analysis using bonferroni’s pairwise multiple comparison was sued to measure the significant differences of the said variables, as shown in https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 42 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 36-45, 2022 table 6: kruskal-wallis test of the difference in the level of readiness for online learning of school heads as to school size indicator school size mean rank h df p-value digital technology skills small 28.11 8.404* 3 0.038 medium 32.76 large 13.75 very large 31.79 task-based skills small 28.5 5.664 3 0.130 medium 33.26 large 16.88 very large 29.98 availability of ict gadgets small 33.89 9.351* 3 0.025 medium 34.13 large 31.00 very large 21.50 table 7: bonferroni’s pairwise multiple comparisons in the online learning readiness of school heads according to school size variables group 1 group 2 mean difference p-value remarks digital technology skills small medium -0.119 1.00 not significant small large 0.455 0.224 not significant small very large 0.112 1.00 not significant medium large -0.574 0.018 significant medium very large 0.007 1.00 not significant large very large 0.567 0.18 significant availability of ict gadgets small medium 0.235 1.00 not significant small large -0.014 1.00 not significant small very large -0.127 0.403 not significant medium large -0.037 1.00 not significant medium very large -0.150 0.044 significant large very large -0.113 0.697 not significant table 7. then, the result shows that a significant difference in digital technology skills exists between medium and very large schools (mean difference = -0.574, p= 0.018) and large and very large schools (mean difference = 0.567, p= 0.018) based on a 0.05 level of significance. in terms of the availability of ict gadgets, enough evidence was obtained that there is a significant difference in the level of readiness for online learning of school heads from medium and very large schools (mean difference =-0.15, p-value = 0.044). it was also observed that the school heads’ readiness for online learning significantly differs in the teachers’ group because of variation in their digital technology skills. school heads coming from smaller schools tend to capacitate themselves because they do not have the non-teaching personnel who could assist them. thus, they are compelled to capacitate themselves for them to deal with the ict-enabled tasks. furthermore, the researchers observed that schools depend on the dcp deliveries of laptops, tablets, and desktop computers and donations from stakeholders and benefactors. however, the capital outlay of schools is insufficient to fund the procurement of ict gadgets like laptops, smart tv, and other gadgets that cost more than fifteen thousand pesos as procurement policy of deped. differences in the level of readiness for online learning of teachers table 8 shows the significant differences in the level of readiness for online learning of teachers. results show that there is enough evidence of a significant difference in the level of readiness for online learning in terms of digital technology skills (f-ratio=4.910, p=0.002), pedagogical skills to integrate ict in the instruction (f-ratio=3.123, p=0.026), availability of ict gadgets (f-ratio=4.432, p=0.017), and status of ict infrastructure in school (f-ratio=12.404, p=0.000). since there are significant differences noted in the level of readiness for online learning of school heads as to school size, a post-hoc analysis was used to determine which group made them significantly different using the lsd, as shown in table 8 below. as reflected in the table above, teachers coming from schools of different sizes show that there exists a significant difference in the digital technology skills between the group of teachers from medium and large schools (mean difference=0.3132, p=0.001) and between a group of teachers from medium and very large schools (mean difference=0.2449, p=0.001). it was found out too that there is enough evidence of a significant difference in the online learning readiness in terms of pedagogical skills to integrate ict in the instructions between the group of teachers from medium and large schools (mean difference=0.313, p=0.001) and medium and very large schools (mean https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 43 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 36-45, 2022 table 8: kruskal-wallis test of the difference in the level of readiness for online learning of school heads as to school size school size sum of squares df mean square f-ratio p-value digital technology skills between groups 3.9797 3 1.3266 4.910** 0.002 within groups 91.3280 338 0.2702 total 95.3077 341 willingness to adopt the online learning delivery of lessons between groups 1.5411 3 0.5137 2.430 0.065 within groups 71.4729 338 0.2115 total 73.0141 341 task-based skills for online learning between groups 3.2128 3 1.0709 3.123* 0.026 within groups 115.9141 338 0.3429 total 119.1269 341 availability of information and communications technologies between groups 0.8513 3 0.2838 3.432* 0.017 within groups 27.9495 338 0.082 total 28.8008 341 status of ict infrastructure in school between groups 15.88463 3 5.2949 12.404** 0.000 within groups 144.2854 338 0.4269 total 160.17 341 table 9: lsd results in the difference in readiness for online learning of teachers according to school size variables group 1 group 2 mean difference p-value remarks digital technology skills small medium -0.1332 0.188 not significant small large 0.1800 0.091 not significant small very large 0.1117 0.207 not significant medium large 0.3132 0.001 significant medium very large 0.2449 0.001 significant large very large -0.0683 0.399 not significant task-based skills for online learning small medium -0.133 0.188 not significant small large 0.180 0.091 not significant small very large 0.112 0.207 not significant medium large 0.313 0.001 significant medium very large 0.245 0.001 significant large very large -0.683 0.399 not significant availability of information and communications technologies small medium 0.070 0.539 not significant small large 0.316 0.009 significant small very large 0.198 0.048 significant medium large 0.246 0.021 significant medium very large 0.128 0.126 not significant large very large -0.118 0.195 not significant status of ict infrastructure in school small medium -0.169 0.763 not significant small large -0.8589 0.146 not significant small very large 0.0516 0.292 not significant medium large -0.0687 0.190 not significant medium very large 0.0685 0.095 not significant large very large 0.1372 0.002 significant difference=0.245, p=0.001). moreover, in terms of the availability of information and communications technologies that they may use for online learning, there is a significant difference between the groups of teachers from small and large schools (mean difference=0.316, p=0.009) between the group of teachers from small and very large schools (mean difference=0.198, p-value = 0.048) and between medium and large schools (mean difference=0.246, p=0.021). finally, regarding the status of ict infrastructure in schools for teachers’ use, a significant difference in online learning was found between the group of teachers from large and very large schools (mean difference=0.1377, p=0.002). conclusions based on the study’s findings, the researchers conclude that school heads of secondary schools were considered “very ready” for online learning. they possess the digital technology skills necessary for a school head to manage the implementation of online learning if adopted by the school as a learning delivery mode. the ict gadgets needed for the use of school heads for the implementation of online learning classes in schools are available either by personal ownership or provision of deped through the computerization program of the agency or donation by the stakeholders. the emerging ict-enabled tasks in schools which demand the use of productivity tools and the internet led to the development of digital technology https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 44 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 36-45, 2022 skills of school heads that are useful for online learning; school heads have access to ict gadgets which enabled them to participate in ict-enabled tasks and environment which led to the development of relevant technical skills needed for the management of online learning platforms of the school. results also disclosed a significant difference in the online learning readiness of school heads, depicting that the opportunities for the development of digital technology skills come along with the availability of ict gadgets and support in the school and workforce support for the execution of ict-enabled tasks in school. schools with available ict gadgets likely offer opportunities for school heads to learn the ictbased operations. on the other hand, teachers possess the digital technology skills and relevant pedagogical skills for implementing online learning in their delivery of the lessons. their participation in virtual conferences with the present work arrangements during community lockdowns brought about by the covid-19 pandemic and ict-based jobs in the preparation of learning modules for students giving them hands-on learning experience to use the productivity tools, virtual meeting platforms, collaboration with co-workers online, and the internet which enabled them to learn the educational technologies easily and made them adaptable to online learning delivery of lessons; smartphones, laptops, and tablets are the most common ict gadgets the teachers personally own. with the adoption of online platforms for school operations and printing jobs for the learning material of students in the implementation of the module-based learning delivery, the demand for the use of ict gadgets has dramatically increased and provided ict experiences for the teachers. further, online learning not being institutionalized and adapted by secondary schools in the division of antique results in significant differences in the online learning readiness of teachers. since online learning is considered an alternative to learning delivery in public schools, teachers with prior knowledge and skills manifested better readiness inasmuch as no official training program for all schools was implemented to the level of knowledge and skills in implementing online learning. lastly, schools’ readiness for online learning varies with the differences in the level of readiness between the school heads and teachers for online learning. on the other hand, the researchers highly recommend that the division office may conceptualize the implementation of online learning through strategic planning in its implementation that ascertains the readiness level of online learning in the different secondary schools and capacitates the school heads and teachers. more so, strategic planning is required to make sure that the weak aspects of online readiness of teachers, such as availability of ict gadgets, digital technology skills among school heads and teachers in installing and managing ict applications, improving the status of ict infrastructures in schools, are certainly addressed to ensure the quality of online learning implementation of schools. acknowledgment the researchers extend their gratitude to dr. felisa b. beriong, schools division superintendent, for all the support extended and approval for the conduct of this study in the division; dr. gaudencio c. riego, chief education supervisor of the curriculum implementation division, for the encouragement and support for me to pursue this research work; and the public secondary school heads for facilitating the deployment the research instruments and to the secondary school teachers for sharing 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(2005). putting the learning back into learning technology. in g. o’neill, s. moore & b. mcmullin, (eds.), emerging issues in the practice of university learning and teaching. dublin: aishe. retrieved from http://www.aishe.org/ readings/2005-1/mcmullind01-m10-2004.pdf moreno, j.m. & gortazar, l. (2020). schools’ readiness for digital learning in the eyes of principals. an analysis from pisa 2018 and its implications for the covid19 (coronavirus) crisis response. https:// blogs.worldbank.org/education/schools-readinessdigital-learning-eyes-principals-analysis-pisa-2018and-its oecd. (2006). organization for economic and cooperative development 2006 factbook. http:// lysander.sourceoecd.org/vl=8150559/cl=19/nw=1/ rpsv/fact2006/ nces (1999). distance education technologies. h t t p : / / nces.ed.gov/surveys/peqis/publications/2000013/6. asp ng, w. (2012). can we teach digital natives digital literacy? computers & education, 65(2013), 1065–1078. https:// seminarioti.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/can-weteach-digital-natives-digital-literacy.pdf nora, a. & snyder, b. p. (2009). technology and higher education: the impact of e-learning approaches on student academic achievement, perceptions and persistence. journal of college student retention: research, theory & practice, 10(1), 3-19. https://eric. ed.gov/?id=ej796388 patterson, b., & mcfadden, c. (2009). attrition in online and campus degree programs. online journal of distance learning administration, 12(2). http://www.westga. edu/~distance/ojdla/summer122/patterson112.htm pierrakeas, c., xenos, m., panagiotakopoulos, c., & vergidis, d. (2004). a comparative study of dropout rates and causes for two different distance education courses. the international review of research in open and distance learning, 5(2). https://doi.org/10.19173/ irrodl.v5i2.183 robinson, d. l. (2008). relationship of student self-directedness, computer self-efficacy, and student satisfaction to persistence in online higher education programs. proquest dissertations & theses global. shea, p., & bidjerano, t. (2014). does online learning impede degree completion? a national study of community college students. computers & education, 75, 103-111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. compedu.2014.02.009 stephenson, j. (2003, april). a review of research and practice in e-learning in the workplace and proposals for its effective use. proceedings from the annual meeting of the american educational research association,. retreives april 21-25, 2003, chicago, il. the sloan consortium (2004). sizing the opportunity: the quality and extent of online education in the united states, 2002 and 2003. retrieved april 1, 2004, from http://www.aln.org/resources/overview.asp xu, d., & jaggars, s. s. (2011). the effectiveness of distance education across virginia’s community colleges: evidence from introductory college-level math and english courses. educational evaluation and policy analysis, 33(3), 360-377. https://doi. org/10.3102/0162373711413814 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 81 american journal of education and technology (ajet) management skills and organizational issues of a public secondary school dexter m. freolo1* volume 4 issue 1, year 2025 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v4i1.3196 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: june 18, 2024 accepted: july 26, 2024 published: february 08, 2025 this study investigates the effectiveness of management skills in addressing organizational issues at malabog national high school in albay, philippines. using a quantitative approach, data were gathered from 120 participants, including teachers, department heads, and master teachers, using the organizational culture assessment instrument (ocai) and the management skills assessment instrument (msai). findings reveal that communication and strategic planning are predominant among school leaders, correlating strongly with positive dimensions of organizational culture such as leadership effectiveness and goal alignment. the study identifies significant differences in perception among regular teachers, department heads, and master teachers regarding the effectiveness of these skills. recommendations include implementing targeted professional development programs to enhance communication and strategic planning, fostering a collaborative culture across all staff levels, and integrating regular assessments of organizational culture to drive continuous improvement. by aligning management strategies with the school’s mission and goals, malabog national high school can strengthen its organizational effectiveness and improved educational quality and student outcomes. this research contributes to the field by providing actionable insights for school administrators and policymakers aiming to enhance management practices in public secondary schools. keywords management skills, organizational issues, secondary schools 1 national teachers college, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: grazybits@gmail.com introduction effective management skills are fundamental to the successful operation of educational institutions, especially within the context of public secondary schools in the philippines. these schools encounter unique organizational challenges such as resource limitations, diverse student populations, and strict regulatory environments. the capability of school leaders and managers to address these issues significantly impacts the overall performance and environment of the school. recent studies in the philippines have highlighted the crucial role of management skills in educational settings. for instance, a study by mendoza and balagtas (2019) found that leadership practices in public secondary schools significantly influence teacher performance and student outcomes. additionally, dizon (2021) demonstrated that effective school management practices are linked to improved school climate and student engagement, emphasizing the importance of strong leadership in fostering a positive educational environment. despite these findings, many public secondary schools in the philippines continue to face substantial organizational issues. a report by the department of education (deped, 2020) identified common challenges such as inadequate funding, high teacher turnover, and insufficient professional development opportunities for staff. these challenges often lead to a decline in educational quality and student performance, underscoring the need for effective management practices. the specific context of public secondary schools in the philippines presents distinct challenges that necessitate targeted research. these schools frequently operate under budget constraints and must adhere to various national and local regulations. moreover, they serve a diverse student body with varying academic and socioeconomic backgrounds, which complicates management and organizational efforts. therefore, it is critical to explore and identify management skills that can effectively address these issues. preliminary data underscore the urgency of this research. according to a survey conducted by the philippine business for education (pbed, 2021), 82% of public secondary school teachers believe that poor management practices significantly hinder school improvement. additionally, data from the philippine statistics authority (psa, 2022) indicate that schools with lower management effectiveness ratings experience higher rates of teacher attrition and student disciplinary issues. these findings suggest that enhancing management skills could lead to improved organizational outcomes. understanding the specific management skills effective in the context of public secondary schools in the philippines can lead to the development of targeted training programs for school leaders. this, in turn, can improve school performance, enhance student outcomes, and create a more supportive and efficient organizational environment. given the critical role of public secondary schools in shaping the future workforce and citizens of the philippines, this research holds significant implications for educational policy and practice. this study addresses a pressing need within the philippine educational sector by identifying and promoting effective management skills, it aims to mitigate organizational pa ge 82 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 81-84, 2025 issues and enhance the overall performance of public secondary schools, thereby contributing to the broader goal of educational excellence and equity in the country. research questions this study sought to identify the management skills that are most effective in addressing organizational issues within a public secondary school in albay, specifically focusing on malabog national high school. the research aimed to explore the relationship between management practices and school performance, providing actionable insights to inform policy and improve the management of this school. the study addressed the following subquestions: 1. what are the predominant management skills among the teachers, department heads, and master teachers at malabog national high school? 2. how do these management skills correlate with different dimensions of organizational culture at malabog national high school? 3. which management skills are perceived as most effective in addressing key organizational issues at malabog national high school? 4. is there a significant difference in the perception of effective management skills between regular teachers, department heads, and master teachers? methodology this study employed a quantitative research design to investigate the management skills that were most effective in addressing organizational issues within malabog national high school in albay. the research aimed to explore the relationship between management practices and school performance, providing actionable insights to inform policy and improve school management. guided by specific research questions, the study focused on identifying predominant management skills, their correlation with organizational culture, and the perceptions of their effectiveness in addressing key issues. the participants of this study included 120 teachers from malabog national high school, of which 9 were department heads and 6 were master teachers. these participants were selected for their direct involvement in the school’s management and organizational processes. data were collected using two validated instruments: the organizational culture assessment instrument (ocai) and the management skills assessment instrument (msai). the ocai, developed by cameron and quinn (1999), assessed six key dimensions of organizational culture-dominant characteristics, organizational leadership, management of employees, organizational glue, strategic emphases, and criteria of success-across four culture types: clan, adhocracy, market, and hierarchy. the msai evaluated management skills across various domains, including decision-making, communication, teambuilding, and conflict resolution, helping to identify which management skills were prevalent and effective in the school’s context. surveys incorporating the ocai and msai were administered to all 120 participants using a likert scale. these surveys were distributed in both paper and electronic formats to maximize participation. participants were briefed on the study’s objectives, ensuring confidentiality and voluntary participation. the data collection period spanned two weeks, with follow-up reminders sent to encourage a high response rate. collected survey data were entered into a statistical software program (e.g., spss) for analysis. descriptive statistics, including means, standard deviations, and frequencies, were calculated to summarize overall trends in organizational culture and management skills. inferential statistical methods were employed to explore the relationships between management skills and organizational culture dimensions. correlation analysis examined the strength and direction of these relationships, while multiple regression analysis identified specific management skills that significantly predicted positive organizational culture dimensions. additionally, anova was used to compare perceptions of management skills and organizational culture among different groups of participants (regular teachers, department heads, and master teachers). results and discussion this study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of management skills in addressing organizational issues at malabog national high school, focusing on correlations with organizational culture dimensions and perceptions among different roles. data were collected from 120 participants, including teachers, department heads, and master teachers, using the organizational culture assessment instrument (ocai) and the management skills assessment instrument (msai). the results and discussion for each research question are presented below. table 1: predominant management skills management skill mean score standard deviation decision-making 4.2 0.5 communication 4.5 0.4 team-building 4.1 0.6 conflict resolution 3.9 0.7 strategic planning 4.3 0.5 the table above shows the mean scores of management skills among different groups at malabog national high school. communication (m = 4.5) and strategic planning (m = 4.3) were rated highest overall, indicating these skills are prevalent and valued across all roles. department heads and master teachers generally rated these skills slightly higher than regular teachers, suggesting a nuanced perception based on leadership roles. pa ge 83 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 81-84, 2025 the correlations in table 2 indicate strong positive relationships between management skills and various dimensions of organizational culture. communication shows the strongest correlations across all dimensions, particularly with organizational leadership (r = 0.68, p < 0.01) and strategic emphases (r = 0.67, p < 0.01). these findings suggest that effective communication plays a pivotal role in shaping leadership effectiveness and aligning organizational goals. table 2: correlation between management skills and organizational culture dimensions management skill organizational leadership management of employees strategic emphases criteria of success decision-making 0.62 0.58 0.61 0.55 communication 0.68 0.64 0.67 0.63 team-building 0.57 0.53 0.59 0.54 conflict resolution 0.49 0.46 0.51 0.48 strategic planning 0.65 0.60 0.66 0.62 table 3: perception of effective management skills group communication decision-making teambuilding conflict resolution strategic planning regular teachers 4.4 4.1 4.0 3.8 4.2 department heads 4.6 4.3 4.2 4.1 4.5 master teachers 4.5 4.2 4.1 4.0 4.4 table 3 illustrates the perceived effectiveness of management skills among different roles. department heads rate communication (m = 4.6) and strategic planning (m = 4.5) highest, indicating these skills are considered most effective in addressing organizational issues. regular teachers also value these skills highly, albeit slightly lower than department heads and master teachers. anova results indicate significant differences in the perception of effective management skills among the groups (p < 0.05). department heads and master teachers consistently rated communication and strategic planning higher compared to regular teachers, suggesting that leadership roles influence the perception of management skill effectiveness. the findings highlight the critical importance of communication and strategic planning skills in addressing organizational issues at malabog national high school. effective communication emerges as pivotal in shaping organizational culture, particularly in enhancing leadership effectiveness and aligning goals. the strong correlations observed underscore the role of these skills in fostering a cohesive and goal-oriented school environment. moreover, the perception differences among regular teachers, department heads, and master teachers suggest that leadership roles influence how management skills are valued and applied. targeted professional development programs focusing on enhancing communication and strategic planning skills among school leaders could further strengthen organizational effectiveness and improve overall school performance. conclusion this study has provided valuable insights into the management skills and their impact on organizational effectiveness at malabog national high school. the findings underscore the critical importance of communication and strategic planning skills, which emerged as predominant among teachers, department heads, and master teachers. these skills were strongly correlated with key dimensions of organizational culture, highlighting their role in enhancing leadership effectiveness, goal alignment, and overall school performance. the perception differences among different roles further emphasize the need for targeted professional development to strengthen these skills, particularly among school leaders. by prioritizing communication and strategic planning in training initiatives and fostering a culture of continuous improvement, administrators can effectively address organizational challenges and promote a positive school environment conducive to student success. these recommendations aim to guide educational policymakers and administrators in enhancing management practices and ultimately improving educational outcomes at malabog national high school and similar institutions. recommendations based on the study findings, malabog national high school can enhance management practices and organizational effectiveness through targeted professional development for leaders, emphasizing communication and strategic planning. promoting a culture of collaboration and open pa ge 84 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 81-84, 2025 communication among staff members is crucial for a cohesive environment and improved problem-solving. regularly assessing organizational culture with tools like the ocai will help monitor progress and identify areas needing improvement. aligning management strategies with the school’s mission and goals ensures efforts contribute to sustainable improvements in education quality and student outcomes, fostering a supportive environment for both professional growth and academic success. references dizon, f. s. (2021). effective school management practices and their impact on school climate and student engagement. journal of educational leadership and management, 12(3), 45-62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. jelm.2021.03.001 department of education (deped). (2020). annual report on challenges in public secondary schools. https://www. deped.gov.ph/reports/2020 leithwood, k., harris, a., & hopkins, d. (2008). seven strong claims about successful school leadership. school leadership & management, 28(1), 27-42. https:// doi.org/10.1080/13632430701800060 marzano, r. j., waters, t., & mcnulty, b. a. (2005). school leadership that works: from research to results. ascd. mendoza, r. e., & balagtas, m. u. (2019). leadership practices and their influence on teacher performance and student outcomes in public secondary schools. philippine journal of educational research, 14(2), 89-105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pjer.2019.06.002 national center for education statistics (nces). (2019). report on the state of u.s. public secondary schools. https:// nces.ed.gov/pubs2019/2019034.pdf philippine business for education (pbed). (2021). survey on management practices in public secondary schools. https:// www.pbed.org.ph/survey/2021 philippine statistics authority (psa). (2022). annual education statistics report. https://psa.gov.ph/educationreports/2022 school and staffing survey (sass). (2018). data on school management effectiveness and related outcomes. https://nces. ed.gov/surveys/sass/ pa ge 1 pa ge 13 american journal of education and technology (ajet) how engineering students acquire technical vocabulary: an empirical study of effective learning strategies younnes elkhadiri1* volume 4 issue 2, year 2025 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v4i2.4416 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: january 15, 2025 accepted: february 17, 2025 published: march 19, 2025 this study examines engineering undergraduates’ vocabulary learning strategies (vls) to acquire technical vocabulary, a critical skill in today’s globalized engineering landscape. a total of 150 engineering students from ensam, meknes participated by completing an adapted 62-item version of the vocabulary learning questionnaire (vlq; gu & johnson, 1996; gu, 2018), modified to address the specialized language demands of technical coursework. the instrument demonstrated excellent internal consistency (α = 0.89) and yielded a seven-factor structure corresponding to beliefs about vocabulary, metacognitive strategies, inferencing, dictionary use, note-taking, rehearsal, and activation strategies. descriptive analyses indicated moderate overall strategy use (m = 4.0, sd = 0.7 on a 7-point scale), with dictionary (m = 4.5, sd = 0.5) and inferencing strategies (m = 4.1, sd = 0.6) being the most frequently reported. pearson correlations revealed significant associations between technical vocabulary test performance and both dictionary (r = 0.45, p < .01) and inferencing strategies (r = 0.40, p < .01). multiple regression analysis indicated that these strategies together accounted for 30% of the variance in test scores (r² = 0.30, f(2, 147) = 31.5, p < .001). the findings underscore the importance of targeted strategy instruction in technical curricula and suggest that engineering educators should emphasize activities that enhance contextual inference and precise dictionary use. implications for engineering education and directions for future research are discussed. keywords engineering education, esl, instrument validation, technical vocabulary, vocabulary learning strategies 1 letters and human sciences, cadi ayaad university, marrakech, morocco * corresponding author’s e-mail: y.elkhadiri@uca.ac.ma introduction in an era marked by rapid technological advancement and global collaboration, engineering students must master complex technical concepts and the specialized vocabulary necessary for professional competence. for many engineering undergraduates—particularly nonnative speakers—acquiring technical vocabulary poses a significant challenge (nation, 2013). vocabulary is critical for understanding technical texts, engaging in research, and communicating complex ideas (oxford, 2017). prior research in second language acquisition has consistently shown that the deliberate use of vocabulary learning strategies (vls) can enhance both vocabulary breadth and depth (gu & johnson, 1996; schmitt, 1997). however, while much of this research has focused on general esl populations, few studies have examined how engineering students, who encounter discipline-specific language, deploy these strategies. this study addresses that gap by adapting the wellvalidated vocabulary learning questionnaire (gu, 2018) for an engineering context and investigating the relationship between specific strategies and technical vocabulary performance. two research questions guide the study: 1. what is the frequency and pattern of vls use among engineering students? 2. which specific strategies are most strongly associated with technical vocabulary performance? this study aims to inform vocabulary instruction in engineering education by exploring these questions and contribute to a deeper understanding of effective vocabulary acquisition in technical fields. literature review vocabulary learning is recognized as a cornerstone of l2 acquisition. o’malley and chamot (1990) emphasized that effective language learning involves employing a variety of cognitive and metacognitive strategies to comprehend, retain, and retrieve new words. building on this foundation, gu and johnson (1996) developed the vocabulary learning questionnaire (vlq) to systematically capture the strategies learners use. their work demonstrated that strategies such as inferencing, dictionary consultation, and rehearsal significantly contribute to vocabulary acquisition. nation (2013) further argued that vocabulary learning is an incremental process that benefits from both breadth (acquiring a large number of words) and depth (understanding nuanced meanings). oxford (2017) echoed these views by highlighting the role of self-regulatory strategies in achieving higher proficiency. engineering students face unique challenges because they must master specialized vocabulary that includes technical jargon, acronyms, and discipline-specific terms. schmitt (1997) argued that strategies like dictionary use and inferencing are particularly critical in technical contexts where precision is essential. engineering texts require not only general language proficiency but also the pa ge 14 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 13-16, 2025 ability to decode complex terminology, making contextual inferencing especially valuable (nation, 2013). despite these insights, there is limited empirical research focusing on the specific vocabulary learning strategies employed by engineering students, which underscores the need for targeted studies in this domain. the measurement of vocabulary learning strategies relies heavily on the reliability and validity of the instruments used. gu’s (2018) updated version of the vlq provided robust evidence for both content and construct validity in esl contexts. this instrument has been successfully administered in various formats and adapted for different populations. in the context of engineering education, adapting the vlq involves modifying the language to reflect technical vocabulary and ensuring that items remain accessible while capturing the strategic behaviors that facilitate vocabulary learning. webb (2008) provided additional evidence that a combination of receptive and productive learning strategies enhances word knowledge, thereby supporting the rationale for a multifaceted approach to vocabulary acquisition. this literature suggests that deliberate vocabulary learning strategies are essential for language acquisition. however, the specific needs of engineering students, particularly in mastering technical vocabulary, remain underexplored. by adapting and validating the vlq for an engineering context, this study seeks to provide empirical evidence on the frequency and effectiveness of various vls and offer practical recommendations for improving vocabulary instruction in technical fields. materials and methods participants 150 engineering undergraduates from the national gradute engineering school of arts and crafts (ensam, meknes) participated in this study. the sample was predominantly male (80%), with ages ranging from 18 to 22 years (m = 21.3, sd = 1.4). all participants were enrolled in core engineering courses that require the acquisition of specialized technical vocabulary. instrument the primary instrument was an adapted 62-item version of the vocabulary learning questionnaire (vlq version 6.4), originally developed by gu and johnson (1996) and updated by gu (2018). the adaptation involved modifying item wording to better reflect the technical language demands of engineering coursework. the vlq assesses multiple domains: • beliefs about vocabulary learning: perceptions regarding the need to memorize versus learn vocabulary through usage. • metacognitive strategies: self-regulatory behaviors such as selective attention and self-initiation. • cognitive strategies inferencing: the ability to deduce word meanings from contextual clues. • dictionary strategies: frequency and approach to consulting dictionaries. • note-taking strategies: practices related to recording and reviewing new vocabulary. • rehearsal strategies: use of repetition methods (e.g., vocabulary lists, flashcards). activation strategies engagement in speaking and writing tasks to use new vocabulary. each item was rated on a 7-point likert scale (1 = “extremely untrue of me” to 7 = “extremely true of me”). additionally, a 40-item technical vocabulary test—designed to assess comprehension and application of engineeringspecific terms—was administered. procedure data were collected over a two-week period during scheduled class sessions. participants completed both the vlq and the technical vocabulary test via a secure online survey platform. informed consent was obtained from all participants. data screening was performed to remove incomplete responses and check for outliers prior to analysis. data analysis internal consistency was evaluated using cronbach’s alpha. an exploratory factor analysis (efa) with maximum likelihood extraction and promax rotation was conducted to verify the factor structure of the adapted vlq. descriptive statistics (means and standard deviations) were calculated for each subscale, and pearson correlation coefficients were computed to examine the relationships between vls subscale scores and technical vocabulary test performance. finally, a multiple regression analysis was performed to assess the predictive power of dictionary and inferencing strategies on vocabulary test scores. results and discussion this section details the findings from our analysis, providing background context, narrative interpretation, and supporting tables. instrument reliability and factor structure before examining the primary outcomes, we evaluated the psychometric properties of the adapted vlq. the overall instrument demonstrated excellent internal consistency (cronbach’s alpha = 0.89). subscale reliabilities were robust, with alpha coefficients as follows: • beliefs about vocabulary learning: α = 0.83 • metacognitive strategies: α = 0.78 • inferencing strategies: α = 0.85 • dictionary strategies: α = 0.82 • note-taking strategies: α = 0.80 • rehearsal strategies: α = 0.84 • activation strategies: α = 0.75 the adapted vocabulary learning questionnaire (vlq) demonstrated excellent overall reliability (cronbach’s α = 0.89). subscale reliability coefficients ranged from pa ge 15 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 13-16, 2025 0.75 to 0.85, confirming the internal consistency of the instrument. prior to factor analysis, the sampling adequacy was confirmed by a kaiser-meyer-olkin (kmo) measure of 0.87, and bartlett’s test of sphericity yielded a significant result (χ²(189) = 1523.45, p < .001), indicating that the correlation matrix was appropriate for structure detection. an exploratory factor analysis (efa) using maximum likelihood extraction with promax rotation confirmed a seven-factor solution that explained 68% of the total variance. item factor loadings ranged from 0.65 to 0.85, demonstrating that each item contributed substantially to its respective factor. an efa using maximum likelihood extraction with promax rotation confirmed a seven-factor solution that accounted for 68% of the total variance. this finding aligns with the theoretical framework underlying the instrument and supports its use in an engineering context. descriptive statistics descriptive statistics for the seven vocabulary learning strategy (vls) subscales are presented in table 1. overall, engineering students reported a moderate use of vocabulary learning strategies (m = 4.0, sd = 0.7) on a 7-point likert scale. notably, dictionary strategies exhibited the highest mean score (m = 4.5, sd = 0.5), with scores ranging from 3.2 to 5.8. conversely, activation strategies had the lowest reported mean (m = 3.2, sd = 1.0), with a range from 2.0 to 4.5. skewness values for all subscales remained within ±1, indicating a relatively symmetric distribution of responses. table 1: descriptive statistics for vocabulary learning strategy (vls) subscales (n = 150) subscale mean sd range skewness (approx.) beliefs about vocabulary 4.2 0.8 3.0–5.0 ±0.2 metacognitive strategies 3.9 0.7 3.0–4.8 ±0.3 inferencing strategies 4.1 0.6 3.1–5.2 ±0.1 dictionary strategies 4.5 0.5 3.2–5.8 ±0.2 note-taking strategies 4.0 0.8 3.0–4.9 ±0.3 rehearsal strategies 3.8 0.9 3.0–4.8 ±0.4 activation strategies 3.2 1.0 2.0–4.5 ±0.5 table 2: pearson correlations between selected vls subscales and technical vocabulary test scores variable correlation (r) p-value 95% confidence interval dictionary strategies 0.45 < .01 0.30 – 0.60 inferencing strategies 0.40 < .01 0.25 – 0.55 activation strategies 0.12 .15 –0.05 – 0.29 correlational analyses pearson correlation coefficients were computed to investigate the relationship between selected vocabulary learning strategies and technical vocabulary test performance. as detailed in table 2, dictionary strategies (r = 0.45, p < .01) and inferencing strategies (r = 0.40, p < .01) were significantly correlated with test scores, with 95% confidence intervals ranging from 0.30 to 0.60 and 0.25 to 0.55, respectively. this finding indicates that students who frequently use these strategies tend to achieve higher scores on technical vocabulary assessments. in contrast, activation strategies were not significantly correlated with test performance (r = 0.12, p = .15). regression analysis to further assess the predictive power of vocabulary learning strategies, a multiple regression analysis was conducted with technical vocabulary test scores as the dependent variable. as shown in table 3, the overall model was statistically significant [f(2, 147) = 31.5, p < .001] and explained 30% of the variance in test scores (r² = 0.30). both dictionary strategies (β = 0.32, se = 0.08, p < .01) and inferencing strategies (β = 0.28, se = 0.10, p < .05) were significant predictors. the variance inflation factors (vifs) for both predictors were below 2, indicating minimal multicollinearity. additionally, analysis of standardized residuals and a non-significant breusch-pagan test confirmed that the assumptions of homoscedasticity and normality were adequately met. table 3: multiple regression analysis predicting technical vocabulary test scores dependent variable: technical vocabulary test score predictor β standard error t-value p-value vif dictionary strategies 0.32 0.08 4.00 < .01 1.3 inferencing strategies 0.28 0.10 2.80 < .05 1.2 model statistics: f(2, 147) = 31.5, p < .001, r² = 0.30 pa ge 16 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 13-16, 2025 the results demonstrate that the adapted vlq is a reliable instrument with a clear seven-factor structure for assessing vocabulary learning strategies among engineering students. descriptive statistics and correlational analyses reveal that dictionary and inferencing strategies are the most frequently used and are significantly associated with enhanced technical vocabulary performance. the regression analysis further confirms that these strategies jointly account for 30% of the variance in test scores, underscoring their critical role in technical vocabulary acquisition. these findings provide valuable insights for designing instructional interventions aimed at strengthening vocabulary acquisition in technical disciplines. discussion the results of this study indicate that engineering students use a moderate range of vocabulary learning strategies, with a particular emphasis on dictionary and inferencing strategies. the high mean score for dictionary strategies (m = 4.5) reflects the necessity for precise definitions and contextual examples when learning technical terminology. this finding is in line with earlier research by gu and johnson (1996) and nation (2013), which emphasized the importance of structured vocabulary learning in specialized domains. the significant correlations and regression results further suggest that dictionary and inferencing strategies are effective in enhancing technical vocabulary performance. engineering texts are often characterized by dense, complex language that requires careful analysis; thus, the ability to deduce word meanings from context (inferencing) and to consult reliable resources (dictionary use) becomes particularly valuable (schmitt, 1997; webb, 2008). conversely, activation strategies were less frequently reported and did not significantly predict test scores, indicating that engineering curricula might currently offer fewer opportunities for the active application of new vocabulary. these insights have practical implications for engineering education. instructors should consider integrating explicit strategy instruction—focusing on effective dictionary use and contextual inferencing—into their curricula. for example, assignments that involve annotating technical texts or engaging in peer discussions about vocabulary can help reinforce these strategies. additionally, incorporating project-based tasks or technical presentations may provide students with more opportunities to actively use and internalize new vocabulary. conclusion this study provides empirical evidence that dictionary and inferencing strategies are pivotal for the acquisition of technical vocabulary among engineering students. the adapted vlq demonstrated strong reliability and validity, and these two strategy types significantly predicted technical vocabulary performance, accounting for 30% of the variance. the findings suggest that engineering educators should incorporate targeted vocabulary strategy instruction into technical curricula to better prepare students for the linguistic demands of their field. future research should explore longitudinal effects and test interventions designed to enhance the active use of technical vocabulary. references gu, y., & johnson, r. k. (1996). vocabulary learning strategies and language learning outcomes. language learning, 46(4), 643–679. https://doi. org/10.1111/j.1467-1770.1996.tb01355.x gu, y. (2018). validation of an online questionnaire of vocabulary learning strategies for esl learners. studies in second language learning and teaching, 8(2), 325–350. https://doi.org/10.14746/ssllt.2018.8.2.7 nation, i. s. p. (2013). learning vocabulary in another language (2nd ed.). cambridge, uk: cambridge university press. oxford, r. l. (2017). teaching and researching language learning strategies: self-regulation in context (2nd ed.). new york, ny: routledge. o’malley, j. m., & chamot, a. u. (1990). learning strategies in second language acquisition. cambridge university press. schmitt, n. (1997). vocabulary learning strategies. in n. schmitt & m. mccarthy (eds.), vocabulary: description, acquisition and pedagogy (pp. 199–227). cambridge university press. webb, s. (2008). receptive and productive vocabulary learning: the effects of reading and writing on word knowledge. studies in second language acquisition, 30(3), 387–419. https://doi.org/10.1017/ s0272263108003626 pa ge 1 pa ge 79 american journal of education and technology (ajet) investigating the correlation between different chatgpt versions and task initiation among postgraduate students: a cross-sectional study a. bouzar1*, k. el idrissi1, t. ghourdou1 volume 3 issue 2, year 2024 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v3i2.2704 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: march 19, 2024 accepted: april 22, 2024 published: april 26, 2024 this study investigates the impact of chatgpt usage on student task initiation, employing a cross-sectional design with 427 doctoral and master’s students. the research examines correlations between the frequency of chatgpt interaction and the promptness of initiating academic tasks, utilizing a standardized scale for task initiation alongside a newly developed scale for measuring chatgpt usage. through statistical analysis methods including bivariate correlation and one-way anova, the study aims to identify patterns of task initiation among non-users and users of different chatgpt versions. results indicate a significant negative correlation (rho = -0.511, p < .01) between chatgpt usage and task initiation, suggesting that increased use of chatgpt may be associated with delayed task initiation. notably, nonusers demonstrated a higher tendency for prompt task initiation (m = 3.215) than chatgpt users. furthermore, variations in task initiation behaviors were observed between users of the v3.5 and v4 versions of chatgpt, with v4 users exhibiting more favorable task initiation outcomes. the findings highlight the nuanced impact of chatgpt on student academic behavior, suggesting that while chatgpt can serve as a valuable academic tool, its usage may also influence traditional task initiation habits. these insights emphasize the need for a balanced approach to incorporating ai tools in educational settings, considering their potential to alter student work habits and discipline. keywords chatgpt 3.5, chatgpt v4, higher education, procrastination, task initiation 1 department of english studies, dhar el mahraz. letters and human sciences faculty, university of sidi mohammed ben abdellah, fez, morocco * corresponding author’s e-mail: abdelouahd.bouzar@usmba.ac.ma introduction integrating artificial intelligence (ai) represents a significant shift in the evolving academic sphere, combining computational and psychological insights to redefine educational strategies and tools. ai has diverse roles in academia, from facilitating information access to enhancing interactive learning and streamlining task management (mohapatra & mishra, 2023; zhang, 2023). this technological progression aims to surpass traditional human capabilities in problem-solving, creativity, and intelligence, with scholars like saputra (2020) and gelepithis (1999) emphasizing ai’s potential to transform educational frameworks. yet, alongside these advancements, ai’s role in academia is doubleedged, offering benefits in educational performance and workload management while promoting a dependency that could impede academic achievement (cabrera, 2023). the introduction of ai tools, including chatgpt, into educational environments extends their influence to psychological and cognitive dimensions, impacting not just academic performance but also critical thinking, memory, problem-solving skills, and social interactions (bai et al., 2023; purwasih & sahnan, 2023; deepthi & jameela, 2023). these effects emphasize ai’s dual capacity to enrich and potentially challenge students’ cognitive and psychological health. against this backdrop of technological integration, the academic dialogue gravitates towards understanding the nuanced dynamics between technology use and academic behaviors, particularly procrastination and task initiation. harper (2019) delineates procrastination as the deferral of tasks, highlighting its implications for stress and productivity. this behavior, affecting over 70% of students, presents a challenging barrier to academic success, exacerbated by the rise in digital media engagement (schouwenburg, 2004; türel & dokumaci, 2022). while technology, including icts, harbors potential distractions, it also offers structured pathways to mitigate procrastination, promoting better task management (hosseinaei, 2018; guimarães & lazaro, 2018). amidst discussions on procrastination, it’s pivotal to introduce the concept of task initiation. task initiation, distinct yet related to procrastination, encompasses the ability to commence tasks without delay. this construct shifts focus from the broad behavioral pattern of delaying tasks to the specific action of task commencement. barkley (2012) has identified task initiation difficulties as prevalent among individuals with adhd (attentiondeficit/hyperactivity disorder), further highlighting its significance as a broader academic hurdle. the differentiation between procrastination and task initiation is crucial, accentuating the need for targeted interventions to aid students in overcoming initial task-related inertia, a challenge potentially addressed through ai tools like chatgpt. delving deeper into the intersection of ai tools and academic behaviors, chatgpt emerges as a focal point of analysis. this ai’s dual role in fostering procrastination on the one hand and aiding task initiation on the other exemplifies the complex relationship between technology pa ge 80 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 79-84, 2024 use and student behavior. while specific studies attribute an increase in procrastination tendencies to chatgpt use (swargiary, 2023; yilmaz & yilmaz, 2023; pereira & diaz, 2022), others recognize the potential of ai, particularly task-oriented chatbots, to support task initiation and reduce procrastination (gieselmann & pietrowsky, 2016; pereira, 2022). the nuanced differences between chatgpt versions further accentuate this relationship. comparative analyses reveal that while chatgpt 3.5 generated credible yet less precise data, gpt-4 has been lauded for its accuracy and professional utility (currie et al., 2023). however, even gpt-4, despite its advancements, still needs to fully replicate human-like understanding and creativity in interaction (bahrini et al., 2023). chatgpt-3.5 provides broad insights into content generation, whereas gpt-4 is recognized for delivering detailed, academically relevant content, stressing its superiority in facilitating educational engagement (livberber, 2023; karakose et al., 2023). integrating the discussion on task initiation with the examination of chatgpt versions illuminates the potential of ai to transcend its role as a facilitator of academic engagement to a possible source of distraction. this study navigates the intricate relationship between various chatgpt versions and their influence on educational practices, spotlighting the unexploited potential of these technologies in enhancing task initiation among postgraduate students. purpose of the study this study aims to scrutinize the complex dynamics between chatgpt usage and task initiation among students in higher education. central to this investigation are four pivotal research questions: 1. how does the use of chatgpt correlate with the extent to which students initiate tasks? 2. what is the correlation between task initiation and using different versions of chatgpt? 3. are there differences in task initiation between individuals who use chatgpt and those who don’t, as well as between users of chatgpt 3.5 and chatgpt 4? 4. how do the specific constructs related to task initiation, such as immediate task initiation, confidence in starting tasks, distraction resistance, etc., differ between users and non-users of chatgpt and between users of chatgpt 3 and chatgpt 4? materials and methods research design this cross-sectional study investigates the influence of chatgpt usage on the extent to which students initiate tasks. this research design integrates the procrastination scale (lay, 1986) to measure task initiation and a new scale to measure chatgpt usage to assess the frequency of chatgpt with academic tasks. various statistical analyses thoroughly address each research question, ranging from bivariate correlation to means comparison. this methodology was chosen to comprehensively explore the potential impacts and correlations between chatgpt usage and task initiation. detailed descriptions of the participant recruitment, data collection procedures, and data analysis strategies will follow in the respective subsections. participants the study’s demographic profile included 427 participants, 251 females and 176 males. educational levels were categorized into 140 doctoral students and 287 master’s students. usage of chatgpt varied among participants, with 108 using v4 (premium version), 187 using v3.5 (free version), and 132 non-users. table 1: demographic data variables category frequency gender female 251 male 176 educational level/profession doctoral student 140 master's student 287 version of chatgpt v4 (premium version) 108 v3.5 (free version) 187 chatgpt non-users 132 total 427 sample size determination before conducting the main study, a pilot study was carried out with 82 respondents to estimate the appropriate sample size needed to achieve sufficient statistical power. the sample consisted of 24 non-users of chatgpt, 39 users of chatgpt 3.5, and 19 users of chatgpt 4. sample size calculations were performed based on the means and standard deviations observed in pa ge 81 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 79-84, 2024 this preliminary research, accounting for a desired power of 0.8 and an alpha level of 0.05. these calculations determined that a sample size of 49 non-users, 80 users of chatgpt 3.5, and 39 users of chatgpt 4 would be required to detect significant differences among the groups. these sample sizes ensure a robust comparison and valid generalization of the findings to the broader student population engaged in academic task initiation. figure 1 presents the details of the sample size calculation process. data collection in this study, we employed a multi-faceted approach to data collection tailored to engage a diverse array of participants across various academic fields. data collection was conducted using a combination of convenience sampling, snowball sampling, and purposive sampling methods. the primary distribution method for our questionnaires was through digital platforms, specifically whatsapp and facebook. the whatsapp groups consisted of english studies ph.d. students, a demographic readily accessible due to existing academic networks. simultaneously, facebook groups were utilized to reach a broader audience, encompassing various academic disciplines. a snowball sampling technique supplemented this digital distribution. initially, respondents and colleagues from different universities and countries were encouraged to share the questionnaire within their personal and academic circles, thus potentially amplifying the reach beyond the initial groups. data analysis task initiation the study utilized the procrastination scale developed by lay (1986), which included six items. the scale included statements like “when i have a task to complete, i typically start immediately” and “i feel confident in my ability to initiate tasks when they are challenging.” responses were recorded on a 5-point likert scale (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree). chatgpt usage a six-item scale was developed to measure chatgpt usage among university students. the scale employs a branching technique to direct respondents to items relevant to their academic level. for example, ph.d. students respond to statements such as ‘i use chatgpt to guide me through my research methodology’ and ‘i use chatgpt to conduct the literature review.’ in contrast, master’s students answer items like ‘i rely on chatgpt to prepare my presentations’ and ‘i use chatgpt to write reviews/reports.’ responses to these statements are rated using a consistent 5-point likert scale. following data collection, a thorough statistical analysis was performed using spss software to address the research questions. the analytical procedures were as follows: composite score calculation initially, composite scores for task initiation and chatgpt usage were calculated by summing the scores of each respective item. correlation analysis (rq1 and rq2) spearman’s correlation analysis was conducted to determine the relationship between chatgpt usage and task initiation. means comparison (rq3) to compare their mean scores, a one-way anova was conducted separately for each category (non-users, users of chatgpt 3.5, and users of chatgpt 4). means comparison (rq4) separate anovas were conducted to compare the mean scores of each item among the three categories (nonusers, users of chatgpt 3.5, and users of chatgpt 4). the scale the consistency of the scales was evaluated, revealing high reliability, as evidenced by cronbach’s alpha coefficients of 0.883 and 0.898 for the task initiation scale and chatgpt usage scale, respectively. table 2: reliability statistics cronbach's α n of items task initiation 0.883 6 chatgpt usage 0.898 6 result research question 1 how does the use of chatgpt correlate with the extent to which students initiate tasks? table 3: correlation analysis of task initiation with chatgpt usage spearman's rho p task initiation chatgpt usage -0.511** .000 * p < .05, ** p < .01 the spearman’s rank correlation (table 3) indicates a strong negative correlation (rho = -0.511, p = .000) between task initiation and chatgpt usage. research question 2 what is the correlation between task initiation and the usage of different versions of chatgpt? spearman’s rho for task initiation and chatgpt usage was -0.916 for v3.5 and -0.875 for v4, respectively, with p-values less than 0.01. pa ge 82 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 79-84, 2024 research question 3 are there differences in task initiation between individuals who use chatgpt and those who don’t, as well as between users of chatgpt 3.5 and chatgpt 4? according to the mean scores presented, non-users of chatgpt have the highest average score in task initiation (3.21), followed by users of the v4 (premium version) at 3.000, and finally users of v3.5 (free version) at 2.67. table 4: correlation between task initiation and chatgpt usage for versions 3.5 and 4 v3.5 v4 spearman's rho p spearman's rho p task initiation -chatgptusage -0.916** 0.000 -0.875** 0.000 correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).** table 6: anova results for task initiation by chatgpt version t df sig. (2-tailed) mean difference non-users task initiation 38.022 95 .000 3.21528 v3.5 (free version) task initiation 29.880 151 .000 2.67434 v4 (premium version) task initiation 30.267 75 .000 3.00000 research question 4 how do the specific constructs related to task initiation, such as immediate task initiation, confidence in starting tasks, distraction resistance, etc., differ between users and non-users of chatgpt, as well as between users of chatgpt 3 and chatgpt 4? the table summarizes the results of multiple anovas, revealing distinct behavioral outcomes across task initiation variables for non-users and users of two different versions of an intervention, v3.5 and v4. non-users are most likely to start tasks immediately, with the highest mean of 3.833, yet v4 users exhibit substantial gains in this area over v3.5 users. similarly, the confidence in initiating tasks is considerably higher for v4 users (3.444) than for non-users and v3.5 users. v4 users also surpass other groups in finishing tasks ahead of deadlines and initiating tasks regardless of their complexities, with the highest mean scores of 3.444 and 2.667, respectively. however, while non-users are better at resisting distractions and avoiding procrastination, v4 users significantly advance over v3.5 users with a mean score of 2.444. table 7: comparative analysis of task initiation constructs among non-users and users of chatgpt versions 3.5 and 4 dependent variable/usage non-users v3.5 users v4 users p starting tasks immediately 3.833 2.723 2.947 .000 confidence in initiating tasks 3.364 3.128 3.444 .000 starting tasks without complexity 2.818 2.684 3.444 .000 distraction resistance 2.727 2.561 2.667 .000 finish ahead of deadline 2.455 2.427 2.667 .000 avoiding procrastination 3.0 2.112 2.444 .000 discussions the correlation analysis demonstrated a substantial negative relationship between chatgpt usage and task initiation. this suggests that as chatgpt usage increases, the immediacy with initiating tasks decreases. this could indicate reliance on the tool supplanting students’ intrinsic motivation or traditional study methods. the comparison between chatgpt v4 and v3.5 users reveals a nuanced advantage for those using the premium version. v4 users reported greater confidence in starting tasks, quicker ability to begin tasks, and more readily tackled straightforward tasks. this suggests that the enhanced features of chatgpt v4 provide substantial support in planning and executing academic work. the performance boost among v4 users could be attributed to the advanced functionalities streamlining academic workflows and the psychological motivation to maximize the value of their financial investment in the premium service, fostering a more efficient approach to task management. in contrast, non-users exhibited a significant tendency to initiate tasks, possibly as a proactive measure to compensate for the lack of ai assistance, reflecting a strategic approach to time management. additionally, non-users scored higher in resisting distractions and avoiding procrastination, indicating that they may develop and rely on a more rigorous self-regulation regime without relying on technological tools. this suggests that while technological tools like chatgpt can be beneficial, traditional task management practices that pa ge 83 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 79-84, 2024 foster discipline and focus also have inherent strengths. collectively, these findings illuminate the complex interplay between technology usage and academic behavior. they suggest that while technological tools like chatgpt can offer substantial support, their impact on behavior is flexible and varies based on the version and the psychological responses induced by different modes of access (free vs. premium). this discourse contributes a critical perspective on integrating ai tools in academic settings, advocating for a balanced approach that considers individual differences in technology adoption and the diverse strategies students employ in task management. conclusion the adoption of chatgpt by students has introduced a shift in academic effort and confidence, with the technology’s capabilities leading to a perception that tasks can be accomplished with minimal personal input. this ease of use, contrasting sharply with the traditional, more labor-intensive approach to academics, might inadvertently foster a propensity towards procrastination, as students might postpone tasks, relying on the efficiency of chatgpt to compensate for the delay. however, an interesting behavioral nuance is observed among premium chatgpt users, who exhibit a lower tendency towards procrastination. this could be attributed to the psychological effect of their financial investment in the tool, where the desire to maximize the value of the purchased service encourages more timely task initiation. this dynamic underscores the complex interplay between technological tools and student work habits, highlighting the need for mindful engagement with ai to balance its benefits against potential impacts on academic discipline. acknowledgment the authors thank all ph.d. and ma students who have played a tremendous role in disseminating the questionnaire among their network. special thanks to colleagues from other universities in the usa (university of massachusetts amherst), croatia (university of ljubljana, faculty of arts.), italy (the sapienza university of rome), and france (the university of lille). references bahrini, a., khamoshifar, m., abbasimehr, h., riggs, r. j., esmaeili, m., majdabadkohne, r. m., & pasehvar, m. 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(2023). the impact of chatgpt on student learning behavior: an experimental research study. ssrn electronic journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ ssrn.4611213 türel, y. k., & dokumaci, o. (2022). use of media and technology, academic procrastination, and academic achievement in adolescence. participatory educational research, 9(2), 481–497. https://doi.org/10.17275/ per.22.50.9.2 yilmaz, h., maxutov, s., baitekov, a., & balta, n. (2023). student attitudes towards chat gpt: a technology acceptance model survey. international educational review, 1(1), 57–83. https://doi.org/10.58693/ier.114 zhang, l. (2023). impact of ai on human decisionmaking: analysis of human, ai, and environment of interaction. lecture notes in education psychology and public media, 28(1), 239–245. https://doi. org/10.54254/2753-7048/28/20231348 article 1194.indd pa ge 1 pa ge 37 american journal of education and technology (ajet) garlic candy: a product development research jocelyn c. banaybanay1*, erika jane b. atajar1, babylyn m. dela cuesta1 volume 2 issue 1, year 2023 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i1.1194 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: january 11, 2023 accepted: february 03, 2023 published: february 22, 2023 food plays a vital role to life by giving energy needed by the human body. but too much consumption may lead to diseases. filipinos are known for their enjoyment of food. almost 55% of the total population suffer from cholesterol issues and 35% of it died with hypertension. multiple meta-analyses revealed that garlic help decrease blood pressure, and pressure-lowering impact is physiologically feasible. garlic contains active sulfur compounds that proven to infl uence endothelium-relaxing and -constricting factors, resulting lower blood pressure. the study aims to formulate garlic candy in terms of ingredients, proportions, resources, and equipment. the main ingredient for this study was garlic known for lowering the high blood pressure. other ingredients are milk, sugar, fl our and artifi cial color to improve its appearance. the researchers perform three trials and error basis to determined which aspect of the output seeks improvement. by that they recorded the proper formulation for the garlic candy which based on the following; (1) aroma, (2) taste, (3) appearance and (4) texture. using a developmental research, the result of the study has been recorded the following; the output has the percentage of 3.02 in terms of aroma, 3.30 in terms of taste, 3.12 in terms of appearance, 3.18 in terms of texture. after the evaluation the following are recorded; composite mean of 3.16% indicating the acceptable verbal interpretation, 6.95% for the protein, 6.77% for the total fats, 2.06% for the calcium, 18.65% for the allicin and 2.69% for the vitamin b which are agent i lowering hypertension. keywords candy, aroma, taste, appearance, texture, formula 1 college of industrial technology, batangas state university, balayan, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: toavinaandriamanalina@gmail.com introduction in the philippines, there are many kinds of foods and delicacies which are known for its taste and mouth watery smell. filipinos are known for their unique cuisine which is known locally and in abroad. there are various dishes that can only be found in the country. in fact, philippines is known for its festivals and occasions which would not be complete without an abundance of foods. like for example, fi estas and other celebrations in the country are commonly celebrated with foods. food plays a vital role to human life. without food, human cannot survive. it provides energy that the human body requires. it also provides vitamins and minerals that support one’s health. but too much intake of such food types will lead to illnesses. one of the confl icts that meat lovers face is too much cholesterol. meat contains too much cholesterol, particularly pork and beef, which can lead to hypertension. in a survey, almost 76% of the total the world population have problems with hypertension and 8% of it came from the philippines. in the country, almost 55% of the total population suffer from cholesterol issues and 35% of it died with hypertension. moreover, hypertension is the reaction of the human body due to many underlying problems.body which came from excessive consumption of meat and even carbohydrates. one’s body will suffer fatigue, poor heat resistance and, worse, die without adequate diet and exercise. almost 43% who suffer from hypertension are 35-40 years of age and 21% are 29-34 years of age and 10% from 28 years of age and below. but hypertension can be prevented in many ways. one of them is through herbal medicines that can be found at home. people must know that one of the main preventive herb in hypertension found in the kitchen is a garlic. it contains natural oil which fi ghts the toxins that came from foods high in cholesterol. also, it is known for having good results in decreasing the effects of hypertension. but some people choose to maintain their medicines as maintenance for hypertension because garlic doesn’t taste good and smell as well. few people only use garlic to prevent hypertension. because of its unpleasant odor and taste, people especially children will not eat it as ease. meanwhile milk and sugar, two agents of sweets are known for having good taste and smell. milk is known for its calcium, vitamins and minerals content. it gives more aroma to the foods when cooked. it also suited for the modern taste of people nowadays. sugar also adds fl avor to foods. it is also known as preservative agent of delicacies especially sweets. sweets like candies are more convenient to carry inside our pouches, bags and even inside the vehicles because of its size. the three ingredients are commonly found inside the house. with the problem stated above, the researcher come up with the development of candies made from garlic which may help prevent or lessen the chances of contracting hypertension. objectives the main purpose of this study is to develop candy made from garlic as major ingredient to prevent or lessen the chances of contracting hypertension. specifi cally, this study aims to: 1. determine the formulation/formula needed in pa ge 38 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 37-44, 2023 producing garlic candy in terms of: 1.1. materials and equipment 1.2. ingredients and its proportion 2. determine the level of acceptability in terms of: 2.1. aroma; 2.2. taste; 2.3. appearance; 2.4. texture 3. determine the nutritional content. 4. determining the labelling and packaging. materials and method evaluation of the existing material to lower blood pressure through books, journals and electric source, the researchers gathered data to evaluate the existing alternative material that lowers blood pressure which is the raw or uncooked garlic. the research applied developmental research because the researchers created a product that would help prevent or lessen hypertension and at the same time will capture the taste buds of patients suffering from the said illness. a garlic candy which is new in the market and the fi rst to make garlic into a delicacy. it took time to make this new fl avor garlic candy that was measured with a proper proportion of every ingredient. the researchers gathered data will serve as basis of ideas to develop the ideas for the garlic candy. the researchers will evaluate the existing alternative material that may lessen the effect of hypertension by checking the physical appearance, measuring the sizes, taste and the smell to get some ideas that can be used as a guide to gather suffi cient information especially the results. the evaluation also includes observation from the existing alternative material that lessen the effects of hypertension to body which is the garlic. raw materials were considered critically to ensure the development of the project. most importantly, the existing materials was evaluated for the researchers to gain information and fi nd out if the study would be viable. from the evaluation of existing alternative material, the researchers will recognize other areas that need further enhancement. design stage evaluation of the existing alternative material that lessen the effects of hypertension to human body will serve as reference for the development of garlic candy. the researchers will contribute every idea of the group member in order to come up a good design of the garlic candy. in designing the garlic candy, the researchers gathered ideas and data as the bases in making the proposed candy. material selection stage on this stage, the selection of materials was done. in selecting the proper tools and materials to be used in developing the formula and candy, the researchers asked queries from other candy makers, research from the internet of what materials are used. then, the researchers also determined the availability of the materials through canvassing to identify the cost needed for the ingredients and materials to project the total cost of the output. since it is pandemic, the researchers also considered the cheapest but quality materials to be used. they also think for the alternative materials to be used in making the candy. after that, they look for a good quality raw material that is affordable and available in the market instead of buying garlic per piece they bought the garlic in kilo so that the consumption of money will be lessen. the milk which can be bought in powdered or milk came from the sales with big discounts found in supermarkets as well as the sugar. development stage this stage was the development of the garlic candy. the garlic candy was done in a simple way without forfeiting the quality of it. all ingredients were affordable but taste good when combined. the procedure starts with preparation of the ingredients and materials that will be needed to produce a candy. the researchers slice the garlic into small strips, dried and grind it in the blender. the allpurpose fl our, condensed milk, sugar and skim milk were put in the casserole to be heated and dissolved. once the garlic is powdered, they mixed it in a clean bowl together with the mixture. it would be molded by the use of spoon and gloves to assure the cleanliness and safety for health. finally, the candy was wrapped in a plastic (pastillas wrapper) with different colors. in developing the said output, all safety precautions regarding the use of the tools and materials were strictly observed and dish is excellent or very poor on a systematic good-poor scale for a series of statements. results and discussion candy 1. the formulation in developing garlic 2. materials and equipment the researchers came up with the suitable ingredients and equipment in making garlic candy after reading related literatures on the importance of garlic in treating hypertension and obtaining ample information on the production of related products. the mat erials and equipment used by the researchers were identifi ed to be appropriate to the development of garlic candy. the following materials are: table 1: meterials used in developing garlic candy pa ge 39 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 37-44, 2023 testing and evaluation of the garlic candy the study was tested and evaluated by observing, touching, tasting and smelling the output. this was done to examine the acceptability of the garlic candy. the researchers give an evaluation sheet to 10 batangas state university balayan teachers to assess the suitability of the formula, which possess various attributes including certain size, color, taste, and smell. likert scale was used in the evaluation sheet for it is the most widely used approach in scaling responses. evaluation sheet contains different attributes such as size, color, taste and smell. the score was then used to identify the specifi c quality –highly acceptable (5), acceptable (4), average (3), unacceptable (2), and highly unacceptable (1) respectively. in responding to a likert scale, the respondents specifi ed if the formula weighted mean is used in the study to determine the interpretation of the result. the responses were given equivalent weighted values which 1 as the lowest and 5 as the highest value. the corresponding verbal interpretations for each value were also provided. table 2: ingrediance in developing garlic candy ingredients the table below represents the ingredients needed to develop the garlic candy. prior to coming up of the ingredients and materials listed below, the researchers had a hard time in the trial and error method. the researchers have come up with the ingredients based on the researches and the related articles they gathered. table 3: ingrediance of developing garlic candy proportion of ingredients it presents the proportion of ingredients in developing garlic candy. through 3 experiments, the researchers perform trial and error basis and the researchers determined the right proportion of ingredients in developing garlic candy. the right proportion of the garlic candy according from the three trials were: garlic with 80 grams and must be powdered, condensed milk with 390grams, skim milk powder for 30 grams, refi ned sugar for 10 grams, all purpose fl our for 25 grams, and artifi cial food coloring for 3 grams. table 4: proportion of ingredients used in experiments experiments a, b and c this includes the proportioning of different ingredients in developing garlic candy. the researchers applied the gathered information about the proportion of the ingredients. the researchers conduct series of experiments to come up to the best result the evaluators will accept. table 3 shows the different proportion of ingredients in three experiments the researchers have conducted. in experiment a, the researchers used 100 grams of powdered garlic, 380 grams of condensed milk, 20 grams of skim milk, 6 grams of sugar, 15 grams of all-purpose fl our and 6 grams of artifi cial color. the size of the candy was 3 inches in length and 1 inch in width, color was so bright and the garlic exudes so much aroma in the candy. it then resulted to less acceptable attributes in terms of aroma and appearance. pa ge 40 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 37-44, 2023 meanwhile, experiment b was conducted. in this experiment, the researchers use 80 grams of powdered garlic, 390 grams of condensed milk, 30 grams of skim milk, 10 grams of sugar, 25 grams of all-purpose fl our, and 2 grams of artifi cial color. the size of the candy is 1inch in length and 1 inch in width, the color is not too bright and not too pale. the smell of the garlic does not trace anymore, and the taste is not too sweet. the texture of the candy was good it melts easily. the researchers found out that certain adjustments to the proportion of ingredients can enhance the product. the result is all acceptable in terms of aroma, appearance, taste and texture. finally, experiment c was also conducted. in experiment c, the researchers use 90 grams of garlic powder, 400 grams of condensed milk, 50 grams of skim milk, 5 grams of sugar, 35 grams of all-purpose fl our and 2 grams of artifi cial color. the size of the candy which is 2inches in length and 1inch in width. the result is less acceptable in terms of appearance. the three major ingredients in developing the garlic candy are sugar, milk and garlic. according to ehécatl m. a. garcía-trejo abraham s. arellano-buendía, raúl argüellogarcía, maría l. loredo-mendoza fernando e. garcía-arroyo, mónica g. arellano-mendoza, maríac. castillo-hernández,gustavo guevara balcázar, edilia tapia, laura g. sánchez lozada, and horacio osorio-alonso, (2016) when sugar is added to foods it binds to the water in the foods reducing the amount of water that is available for the growth of microorganisms. like salt water also has an osmotic effect i.e. when foods are placed in a concentrated sugar solution water is drawn out of the cells of foods and microorganisms so that microorganisms can no longer survive. different ways of using sugar to preserve foods are described fully in chapter 6. one way to use sugar is to desiccate fruits by drying them and then packing them with pure sugar. fruits which are traditionally preserved through this method include ginger, cherries and the peel of citrus fruit. alternatively, foods may be stored in a sugar syrup or cook in sugar until they crystalize. according to effat ara jahan, dr. md bellal hossain, (2016), milk candy contains calcium with other essential nutrients, which make it a potential food supplement for adults and children. the present study was designed to characterize the sensory properties of fl avored milk candies. a trained panelist evaluated three milk candies (plain, chocolate, and coffee) using a 15-cm line scale. three hundred and thirty-fi ve adult consumers evaluated the acceptability of three types fl avored milk candy on the basis of appearance, shape, texture, aroma, fl avor, sweetness, and overall liking. ninety-two children evaluated the acceptability on the basis of overall liking of chocolate and plain fl avored milk candies. evaluations of the fl avored milk candies revealed that they were different, based on descriptive sensory attributes. buttery aroma and caramel aroma were considerer’s discriminating attributes, while sweet and cooked fl avors were considerer’s least discriminating. taste, specifi c fl avor, overall liking and aroma were the critical factors for acceptability of the products. children liked the chocolate fl avored milk candy better than the plain one. there were no signifi cant differences between evaluation by children and adults for chocolate and plain milk candy respectively. it was observed that the consumers accepted the calcium enriched fl avored milk candies. according to the study of karin ried, peter fakler, (2014) garlic supplements have shown promise in the treatment of uncontrolled hypertension, lowering blood pressure (bp) by about 10 mmhg systolic and 8 mmhg diastolic, similar to standard bp medication. aged garlic extract, which contains s-allylcysteine as the bioactive sulfur compound, in particular is standardized and highly tolerable, with little or no known harmful interaction when taken with other bp-reducing or bloodthinning medication. here we describe biologically plausible mechanisms of garlic’s bp-lowering effect. garlicderived polysulfi des stimulate the production of the vascular gasotransmitter hydrogen sulfi de (h2s) and enhance the regulation of endothelial nitric oxide (no), which induce smooth muscle cell relaxation, vasodilation, and bp reduction. several dietary and genetic factors infl uence the effi ciency of the h2s and no signaling pathways and may contribute to the development of hypertension. sulfur defi ciency might play a part in the etiology of hypertension, and could be alleviated with supplementation of organosulfur compounds derived from garlic. procedure it presents the step by step procedure in developing garlic candy. the researcher used trial and error basis in order to achieve the desired procedure in developing the garlic candy. the procedure starts with preparation of the ingredients and materials that will be needed to produce a candy. the researchers slice the garlic into small strips, dried it and grind it in the blender. the all-purpose fl our, condensed milk, sugar and skim milk were put in the casserole to be heated and dissolved. then pulverized the garlic and combined it with the mixture in a clean bowl. to ensure cleanliness and health safety, it would be molded with a spoon and gloves. finally, the candy was wrapped in a variety of colored plastic (pastillas wrapper). the result of the three set of candy were differ in terms of aroma, appearance, taste and texture of the candy. level of acceptability it presents the result of evaluation to determine the level of acceptability of the candy made with garlic in terms of aroma, appearance, taste, and texture. it also covered the composite mean, and weighted with its verbal interpretation. table 5 shows the result of three experiments that have different proportions of the ingredients needed in developing garlic candy, the respondents of the study rate the experiments in terms of aroma, taste, appearance and texture. in the fi rst experiment, having its proportions as discuss in table 4, it resulted with a weighted mean in terms of: aroma having the pa ge 41 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 37-44, 2023 table 5: results of the three experiments in term of aroma, taste, appearance and texture weighted mean of 2.28 with the verbal interpretation of unacceptable, taste with 2.80 weighted mean having the verbal interpretation of acceptable, 2.46 weighted mean in terms of appearance with the verbal interpretation of unacceptable and texture with 2.72 weighted mean and acceptable verbal interpretation. all in all, the composite mean of experiment a is 2.57 and acceptable verbal interpretation. though in the fi rst experiment, the proponents got high score for the garlic candy except in terms of aroma and appearance. the weighted mean of the weighted mean in the second experiment, which similarly includes all of the materials needed to make garlic candy and has its measurements as discussed in table 3, was: aroma has a weighted mean of 3.02 and a verbal interpretation of acceptable, taste has a weighted mean of 3.30 and a verbal interpretation of acceptable, and appearance has a weighted mean of 3.12 and a verbal interpretation of acceptable and texture with 3.18 weighted mean and acceptable verbal interpretation. all in all, the composite mean of experiment b is 3.16 and acceptable verbal interpretation. the second experiment got the highest score for having verbal interpretation in all aspect of the candy. in the last experiment which has all ingredients needed in developing garlic candy, having its measurements as discuss in table 3 result with the weighted mean in terms of: aroma having the weighted mean of 2.64 with the verbal interpretation of acceptable, taste with 3.20 weighted mean having the verbal interpretation of acceptable, 2.38 weighted mean in terms of appearance with the verbal interpretation of unacceptable and texture with 2.58 weighted mean and acceptable verbal interpretation. all in all, the composite mean of experiment c is 2.70 and acceptable verbal interpretation. though in the third experiment, the proponents got high score for the garlic candy except in terms of appearance. nutritional content specifi cally, the nutrients found in garlic candy are as follows: protein protein (6.95 %) which helps reduce appetite and hunger levels. a high-protein diet reduces hunger, helping you eat fewer calories. but it is also recommended that people must not consume protein too much because most people already eat around 15% of their calories from protein, which is more than enough to prevent defi ciency. according to kris gunnars et al (2019), protein consumption helps as an appetite suppressant and control hunger. also, a diet that is high on protein helps reduce calorie intake. as a result, weightregulating hormones are therefore improved. protein also helps improve muscle mass and strength since muscle is mostly made of protein. therefore, high consumption of protein can help in gaining muscle mass and strength whereas reducing muscle loss during weight loss. it is also good for bones, boost metabolism, and maintain blood pressure. it does not cause damage to healthy kidneys, aids your body in repairing itself after an injury and helps you stay in shape as you get older. the study also recommend that people must not consume protein too much because the majority already eats about 15% of their calories from protein, which is more than suffi cient to avoid defi ciency. fat fat (6.77%) which helps give human body energy, protects organs, supports cell growth, keeps cholesterol and blood pressure under control, and helps the body absorb vital nutrients. according to dr. f. joung et al. (2018), fat serves to provide energy to the human body, strengthens tissues, promotes the growth of cells, regulates cholesterol and blood pressure, and helps the body consume essential nutrients. when you concentrate too hard on taking out all the fat, it can potentially rob the body of what it most needs. the study also concludes that the more recent dietary guidelines have stepped away from recommending a particular level of fat for americans. they also focus, however, in keeping the consumption of trans fat to less than 10 percent of total daily calorie intake. calcium calcium (2.06%) which helps maintain strong bones and carry out many important functions. but it can be harmful if consumed too much and may cause constipation. the recommended consumption of calcium is 5 to 10% a day. according to national institutes of health et al. (2011), a mineral common in many foods is calcium. to sustain healthy bones and to carry out many essential tasks, the body requires calcium. in bones and teeth, almost all calcium is processed, where it strengthens their structure and hardness. calcium is often needed by the body for muscles to move and for nerves to pass signals from the table 6:nutritional content of garlic candy nutrients method of analysis result (%) protein kjeldahl 6.95% fat randall e 6.77% calcium randall e 2.06% allicin kjeldahl 18.65% vitamin b randall e 2.69% pa ge 42 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 37-44, 2023 brain and any part of the body. calcium is also used to help blood vessels transport blood throughout the body and to help release hormones and enzymes that infl uence almost all human body activity. the result of the study revealed that calcium can be harmful if consumed too much, it may cause constipation. the recommended consumption of calcium is 5 to 10% a day. allicin allicin (35.65%) which helps reduce infl ammation and offer antioxidant benefi ts. according to cathy wong et al. (2020), when garlic is crushed or sliced, allicin is a compound made. it is available in the form of dietary supplements that has been found to minimize infl ammation and provide antioxidant benefi ts. it is said that taking allicin supplements helps with a variety of health issues, as well as battling major diseases such as diabetes, especially high blood pressure and cancer. the result of the study also indicates that allicin can help blood pressure regulation and atherosclerosis prevention. clinically signifi cant reductions in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure over the placebo and atenolol classes were also seen as a result of allicin. the suggested consumption of allicin is 5 to 25% in regular eater. vitamin b vitamin b (2.69%) plays a vital role in maintaining good health and well-being. according to natalie olsen, r.d et al. (2019), in retaining optimum health and well-being, b vitamins play a critical role. b vitamins have a signifi cant effect on the energy levels, brain activity, and cellular metabolism as the key components of a healthy body. the vitamin b complex helps avoid infections and helps maintain or stimulate cell health, red blood cell formation, energy levels, proper nerve function, healthy brain activity, cardiovascular health, development of hormones and cholesterol, healthy appetite, good digestion, good eyesight, and muscle tone. the study also resulted to: in women, b vitamins are particularly essential for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers. it greatly assists with the development of the fetal brain as well as decrease the risk of birth complications. and b vitamins can improve energy levels for pregnant women, relieve nausea, and lessen the likelihood of developing preeclampsia. for men, b vitamins are believed to increase the amount of testosterone levels, which declines normally with age. it can also assist men to build muscles and improve strength. human experiments supporting these arguments are, however, insuffi cient. development of appropriate packaging and labelling of the product from the concepts and ideas present in the same products available in the market, the researchers were able to conceptualize their packaging and labelling. the researchers include the main ingredient of their product in front cover and also the image of the product itself with its name and the words “sweet & healthy” to emphasize its main purpose of not just satisfying the sweet tooth of consumers but defi nitely improving their health conditions figure 3: shows the overall cover of the packaging table 7: cost of materials incurred in the garlic candy quantity unit description unit price (php) total price (php) 1 kilo garlic 180. 00 180. 00 3 kilo sugar 50.00 150. 00 ½ kilo skim milk 160.00 80.00 5 can condensed milk 45.00 225.00 total 635.00 evaluation of the developed garlic candy the researchers used likert scale to interpret the level of acceptability in terms of different attributes such as: aroma, taste, appearance and texture. table 8: results of evaluation in terms of aroma attributes weighted mean verbal interpretation aroma 2.65 acceptable this table shows the evaluation of garlic candy in terms of aroma has the weighted mean of 2.65 and emphasizing the verbal interpretation of acceptable. the aroma of the developed output was good enough that captivates the taste of the respondents and evaluators of the project. table 9: results of evaluation in terms of taste attributes weighted mean verbal interpretation taste 3.10 acceptable this table shows the evaluation of garlic candy in terms of taste has the weighted mean result off 3.10 that has the verbal interpretation of acceptable. according to the respondents of the study the taste of the garlic candy was not too sweet and have the exact taste that captivates the evaluators choice. pa ge 43 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 37-44, 2023 this table shows the evaluation of garlic candy in terms of appearance. it has a weighted mean of 2.65 and verbal interpretation of acceptable. the respondents fi nd the appearance of the garlic candy acceptable because it has the bite size and the color yellow, violet and green which indicates delicious taste for them. as the main ingredient. from the foregoing fi ndings, it can be concluded that the result of acceptability of the garlic candy varies on the proportion of ingredients and in terms of aroma, taste, appearance and texture. experiment b garnered a composite mean of 3.16 making it the highly acceptable formula in developing garlic candy. meanwhile, the composite mean of experiment a is 2.57 and experiment c is 2.70. both of which have an acceptable verbal interpretation but came short in terms of appearance while experiment a also failed in terms of aroma. as healthy as it may get, it can still be concluded that the nutritional content of a garlic candy must not be greater to what is needed to avoid any adverse effects to consumers. it can be concluded that developing an appropriate labelling and packaging of the garlic candy is important as it adds up to the value of the product recommendations based on the conducted research, the researchers recommend that: 1. the researchers recommend trying to include more vitamins and minerals to be tested at the laboratory. it is necessary to examine and determine the other benefi ts of garlic to human body. 2. it is suggested that the packaging of garlic candy should be improved. it is necessary to improve its impact to the market and to its customer. 3. it is recommended to study the life span of the product to have an idea on how to lengthen its life span. it is necessary to improve the length of the product to have better quality and consumption. 4. the researchers suggest that other product should be thought of with the use of garlic. it is necessary to have more benefi ts and essentials came from the garlic that allow human body to cope with the sickness in natural way. 5. it is recommended to try other shapes of candy for aesthetic appeal. it may attract the taste of the kids who needs and seeks for the nutritive value of the garlic candy. acknowledgement we are very grateful and honor to accomplish this research with the love and support of our parents, who provides everything we need, comfort of our friends and classmates who always supports and give us moral enlightenment, guidance of our research adviser who spent time for checking and approving our output, enlightenment of our instructor who gave us knowledge on how to accomplish this study, motivation from batangas state university family that serve as the light on our path to this journey and strength from almighty god, who let us enjoy and experienced this kind of memories. our hearts are overwhelmed. references ali, m., al-qattan, k. k., al-enezi, f., khanafer, r. m. a., & mustafa, t. (2000). effect of allicin from garlic powder on serum lipids and blood pressure in rats fed table 10: results of evaluation in terms of appearance attributes weighted mean verbal interpretation appearance 2.65 acceptable table 11: results of evaluation in terms of texture attributes weighted mean verbal interpretation texture 2.83 acceptable this table shows the evaluation of garlic candy in terms of texture has a weighted mean of 2.83 and verbal interpretation of acceptable. the texture of the garlic candy was smooth, mouth melted and fi ne. it is accordingly to the evaluation of the evaluators. table 12: overall results of development of garlic candy attributes weighted mean verbal interpretation aroma 2.65 acceptable taste 3.10 acceptable appearance 2.65 acceptable texture 2.83 acceptable composite mean 2.81 acceptable after the evaluation of garlic candy by 25 students and 25 teachers of selected schools, the result of aroma was obtained. the aroma got the weighted mean of 2.65 that indicates acceptable on its verbal interpretation. in terms of taste, it results to the weighted mean of 3.10 which indicates to verbal interpretation of acceptable. meanwhile, the appearance got 2.65 and texture got 2.83 weighted mean. conclusions with all accordance to the fi ndings, the researchers concluded that: in developing garlic candy, the materials, equipment and of ingredients must be in place to properly carry out the procedures involved. moreover, ingredients must have the right proportion to get the best possible results. in lieu with this, the researchers conducted an experiment wherein it can be concluded that certain adjustments to the proportion of ingredients can enhance the product. and among the three, experiment b stood out with the highest acceptable formula in developing garlic candy. in terms of the ingredients, the researchers used the garlic pa ge 44 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 37-44, 2023 with a high cholesterol diet. prostaglandins, leukotrienes and essential fatty acids (plefa), 62(4), 253-259. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/ pii/s0952327800901522 banerjee, s. k., & maulik, s. k. (2002). effect of garlic on cardiovascular disorders: a review. nutrition journal, 1(1), 1-14. http://www.nutritionj.com/content/1/1/4 bhardwaj, k., verma, m. k., verma, n., bhardwaj, s., & mishra, s. (2015). effect of long term supplementation of active garlic allicin in reducing blood pressure in hypertensive subjects. int. j. adv. med, 2, 231-234. cormick, g., ciapponi, a., cafferata, m., & belizan, j. m. (2015). extra calcium to prevent high blood pressure. cochrane library. https://www.cochrane.org/ cd010037/htn_extracalcium-to-prevent-highblood-pressure carter, a. (2019). garlic: a review of potential therapeutic effects. pcbi. https://www. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmc410 3721/ e.b.-y. (2019, march 3). garlic and blood pressure. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article2420421/ gar lic-lower-blood-pressure-10-tabletform.html fuchs, f. d., & whelton, p. k. (2020). high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. hypertension, 75(2), 285-292. https:// doi.org/10.1161/hypertensionaha.119.14240 garcía-trejo, e., arellano-buendía, a. s., argüellogarcía, r., loredo-mendoza, m. l., garcía-arroyo, f. e., arellano-mendoza, m. g., ... & osorio-alonso, h. (2016). effects of allicin on hypertension and cardiac function in chronic kidney disease. oxidative medicine and cellular longevity, 2016. https://www. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmc513 6635/ natalie butler, r.d., (2017). what are the benefi ts of garlic? retrived on august 18, 2017, medical news today. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/265853 ried, k., & fakler, p. (2014). potential of garlic (allium sativum) in lowering high blood pressure: mechanisms of action and clinical relevance. integrated blood pressure control, 71-82. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/ articles/pmc426 6250/ suckow, m. a., stevens, k. a., & wilson, r. p. (eds.). (2012). the laboratory rabbit, guinea pig, hamster, and other rodents. academic press. https://www. sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-nddentistry/ garlic pa ge 1 pa ge 36 american journal of education and technology (ajet) mastery through frequency: embracing new techniques and strategies for comprehensive understanding in the education field souhila makhloufi djerah1* volume 3 issue 3, year 2024 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v3i3.2917 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: june 23, 2024 accepted: july 27, 2024 published: july 31, 2024 previous observations in the english language learning domain revealed that traditional techniques to memorize vocabulary were insufficient for enhancing students’ vocabulary proficiency. this issue leads to an exploration of substitute learning strategies. this study aimed to determine the effectiveness of integrating english songs into language learning to enhance students’ vocabulary mastery.this study used a quantitative research methodology. the study involved 54 students divided into an experimental group and a control group, with 40 students ultimately participating. the control group adhered to the conventional learning procedure and denoted with variable y, while the experimental group was exposed to english songs and denoted with variable x. the mastery of vocabulary was assessed in relation to exposure to english songs. the study’s findings demonstrated a significant improvement in vocabulary mastery among the experimental group, with an average score of 82.25, compared to the control group score, which was 63.25. statistical analysis confirmed the effectiveness of the intervention, with a p-value of 0.000, which is well below the threshold alpha level of 0.05. the incorporation of english songs into the vocabulary learning process not only significantly improved students’ vocabulary mastery but also raised their interest and engagement levels. this study supports the use of musical component as a beneficial teaching aid in language instruction as well as pleasurable learning experiences. keywords educational mastery, experimental education strategies, learning frequency, pedagogical techniques, teaching effectiveness 1 ascencia business school, sharjah, uae * corresponding author’s e-mail: souhilamakhloufidjerah14@outlook.com introduction in the rapidly evolving landscape of education, new techniques are continually emerging to enhance the learning process and cater to the diverse needs of students. some of the innovative techniques that have gained traction in the field of education include personalised learning, project-based learning (pbl), (demink-carthew et al., 2022), blended learning, gamification, flipped classroom, virtual and augmented reality (vr/ar) integration, competency-based education (cbe), social and emotional learning (sel), data-driven instruction, and microlearning (alaidi et al., 2020). by incorporating these new techniques into the educational framework, educators can create dynamic and engaging learning environments that promote critical thinking, creativity, and lifelong learning skills essential for the 21st-century workforce (schulz, 2023). frequency strategies in the field of education refer to techniques and methods used to reinforce learning through repeated exposure to content or concepts (hall & lulich, 2021). these strategies are based on the principle that frequent and spaced repetition of material leads to better retention and comprehension. they are commonly used by educators to enhance student learning and memory (erdil-moody & thompson, 2020). some of the popular frequency strategies in education include spaced repetition, drill and practice, frequent quizzing and testing, interactive learning activities, micro-learning modules, regular feedback, and daily practice and review (buehl, 2023). by incorporating these frequency strategies into their teaching practices, educators can create a dynamic learning environment that supports students in acquiring, retaining, and applying knowledge effectively. these strategies can contribute to the development of strong foundational skills and a deeper understanding of academic concepts (lestari & wahyudin, 2020). literature review the totality of words that comprise a language is its vocabulary. first and foremost, learning vocabulary should be done before studying english skills (permana, 2020). one of the most crucial aspects of teaching any language is building vocabulary; students need to constantly learn new words as they practice the sound system and its structure (luo et al., 2019). upon observing the instructor at abu dhabi learning institute, the author discovered that the pupils’ memorisation skills for vocabulary are lacking. low vocabulary prior knowledge on the part of the students is the reason for this. furthermore, every student’s capacity for memorisation of vocabulary varies. in addition, the author discovered that pupils had poor vocabulary and pronunciation skills. the reason why students need to be proficient in pronouncing vocabulary is because english vocabulary differs from vowel pronunciation in bahasa indonesia (fadillah, 2020). the pupils then struggle to integrate their vocabulary into complete sentences. it results from the several word classes found in the english language, including noun, pronoun, verb 1, verb 2, verb 3, and helping verb, etc. (tambunsaribu & simatupang, 2021). pa ge 37 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 36-45, 2024 as a result, educators need to employ a variety of techniques to inspire their pupils to study english. in order for the kids to eventually become fluent in english, their teachers must find engaging and useful teaching methods (sari & aminatun, 2021). one such method is having them sing english songs. it is believed that they may do a great deal to help students become more capable, particularly in areas like speaking, listening, and vocabulary expansion (joraboyev, 2021). pronunciation skills are said to be directly impacted by singing english songs. this essay investigates the possibility that music can raise vocabulary achievement. from the phenomena, the researcher tried to improve student’s vocabulary; therefore, the aim of the research was to improve students’ vocabulary mastery by utilising english songs (rao, 2019). however, the researcher formulated a research question regarding how english songs enhance students’ mastery of vocabulary. a song is a type of music with phrases that are sung. in just a few rhymes, a song may teach you grammar, vocabulary, culture, listening comprehension, and a lot of other language abilities. on a hot and dull day, songs can also offer a soothing lesson (rosidah, 2022). music is widely appreciated across various stages of human life. since infancy, it has served as an integral component of our communication and being (suchý & rosová). during infancy, parental figures often utilise musical melodies as a tool to facilitate infant sleep. in early childhood, engagement with music commonly involves participation in singing, dancing, and reciting rhymes (sagita & ramlan, 2020). during adolescence, a significant portion of our exposure to music is attributed to the global influence of popular musical artists. subsequently, into adulthood, music remains ubiquitous, manifesting in diverse forms such as theatrical productions, cinematic experiences, news broadcasts, and televised content. notably, music serves as a catalyst for the expression and regulation of an array of human emotions across the spectrum of work and leisure activities (souheila). vocabulary mastery vocabulary skills included pronunciation, orthography(spelling), syntax (grammar) and meaning. pronunciation one of the factors that greatly influences vocabulary is pronunciation. “a person’s pronunciation is the way they say a word in a language.” for children to be able to distinguish the beginning and ending sounds of a word, as well as its stress pattern, they must be exposed to new words in different languages (pennington, 2021). the english and indonesian vocabulary are spoken differently, as sailun states: “every language has special phonemes.” english sounds different from malaysian and indonesian. as a result, students struggle with pronunciation (fadillah, 2020). there are several reasons why the students are struggling. naturally, the first explanation is that malaysia and indonesia do not produce all of the english sounds. ➢ university press. ur, p. gives his ideas for helping students’ pronunciation: ➢ phoning in on a teacher or a recorded example of a sound word or sentence ➢ speech recording of learners compared to a native model ➢ methodical education and explanation (including specifics about the makeup and function of the mouth’s parts) ➢ repetition of words, sounds, and sentences through imitation drill ➢ drill repetition on the chorus ➢ variable drill repetition ➢ slip of the tongue ➢ acquiring and using dialogue ➢ correcting oneself by listening to a tape of one’s speech orthography a language’s writing norms are referred to as orthography. it includes all of the conventions and symbols needed to write a certain language, including grammar, punctuation, and spelling. more broadly, the study of writing systems and their historical evolution is included in the field of orthography (izomovich & fazliddinovna, 2022). different languages may have unique orthographic conventions and systems, such as syllabaries, alphabets, or logographic systems. in order to ensure that spoken language is accurately represented in written form, to facilitate communication, and to maintain the integrity and continuity of a language, orthography is essential. since it is the foundation for reading, writing, and comprehension, it is an essential component of literacy and education (bakhranovna, 2021). syntax words include grammatical information; therefore, knowing words can help children learn grammar. this implies that this study is not giving up on grammar if place a high value on vocabulary. campbell, additionally, notes that if the vocabulary’s grammatical requirements do not clearly encompass it, it is necessary to teach its grammar (djurayeva et al., 2020). for example, when introducing a new verb, it is also important to provide its past form. it could observe if this is transitive or intransitive if it is irregular (think, thought). similarly, when teaching a noun, the teacher might want to point out to the pupils that it has no plural at all (advice, knowledge) or show the noun’s irregular plural form (mouse, mice). the instructor may use verbs like “want” and “enjoy” along with their corresponding verb forms (want to, enjoying), or they may use adjectives or verbs along with the prepositions that come after them (waugh et al., 2021). meaning/essence in the context of a young learner classroom, nation and cameron contend that the following methods can be pa ge 38 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 36-45, 2024 used to help students understand new words: objects, cutout figures, gestures, acting out an activity, photographs, drawings, or diagrams on the board, and illustrations from children’s books (danilović, 2022). the more mental effort a learner puts into understanding a new term, the more probable it is that the word and its meaning will stick in their memory. this is true even when it comes to learning new words in a foreign language. according to ur (1997:62), one way to determine the meaning is by translation, which involves finding words in the learners’ home tongue that have the same meaning as the lesson being taught. it can be concluded that mastery of vocabulary is indicated by proficiency in pronunciation, spelling, grammar, and understanding of meaning (putri & refnaldi, 2020). utilisation of songs as authentic listening material when creating resources for listening skills, using real materials is a crucial concern. a student has the opportunity to acquire the abilities necessary to understand and employ language that is frequently encountered in everyday contexts by using these listening resources (blaz, 2022). to assist students in becoming more proficient communicators, it is crucial to seize every chance to expose them to examples of genuine language usage. students need to be motivated while creating classes and instructional materials that develop their listening comprehension abilities (sagita & ramlan, 2020)¬. the easiest way to do this is to choose appropriate listening resources, such as using music as real material. students are stimulated and motivated to understand the curriculum when songs are used. when creating materials for listening skills, it is crucial to keep in mind that using authentic materials gives students the opportunity to practice understanding and using language that is frequently encountered in everyday life (ivone & renandya, 2019). as a result, whenever possible, try to provide students with examples of real language usage to help them become more communicatively competent. students need to be motivated while creating classes and instructional materials that develop their listening comprehension abilities (rao, 2019). the easiest way to do this is to choose appropriate listening resources, such as using music as real material. students are stimulated and motivated to understand the curriculum when songs are used. furthermore, it is believed that songs are a vital tool for teaching and learning english to speakers of other languages. individuals may learn many skills from the songs, including speaking, writing, listening, grammar, vocabulary, and especially listening (rao, 2019). curation of song selection the instructor should be aware of the type of song she will play in the classroom before incorporating it into the lesson plan. if the instructor wishes to incorporate music into her lessons, this is the issue. the issue of how to choose which songs to play in class can be resolved in one of two ways: either way, and students can bring their playlists to class. however, if the students are doing this, the instructor may wish to give them a day or two to devote themselves to the music and attempt to understand the lyrics. alternatively, you could pick older songs and ask the children if they still think the songs are good or not. teachers can then choose songs that they enjoy and that are relevant to the specific topic and subject matter. in this research, the writer selected a song used to improve students’ vocabulary entitled: “i am in need of music”. this is the lyric of the song i am in need of music that would flow over my fretful, feeling fingertips, over my bittertainted, trembling lips, with melody, deep, clear, and liquid-slow. oh, for the healing swaying, old and low, of some song sung to rest the tired dead, a song to fall like water on my head, and over quivering limbs, dream flushed to glow! there is a magic made by melody: a spell of rest, and quiet breath, and cool heart, that sinks through fading colours deep to the subaqueous stillness of the sea, and floats forever in a moon-green pool, since vocabulary is a component of all language skills, it is crucial. building one’s vocabulary is crucial to learning any language (schmitt & schmitt, 2020). the next step for a pupil is to grasp the vocabulary necessary for the language after they have mastered its basic grammatical patterns. no one ever masters all vocabulary in any language. for as long as people live, they will continue to acquire new words in addition to the ones that they already know and use for certain purposes. it should be abundantly evident that the goal of vocabulary acquisition for anyone learning a language as a second language is to become proficient in the language (sari & aminatun, 2021). based on the observed phenomena, an alternative method for enhancing students’ vocabulary mastery involves the use of songs. this approach is outlined in table 1 of the theoretical framework as follows: table 1: the theoretical framework of the research improving students' vocabulary mastery by using songs theory elements indicators (online english teacher for the british council: a structure for organizing a listening skills course) memorizing vocabulary the students are able to memorise the vocabulary of daily activities. pa ge 39 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 36-45, 2024 methodology study design this study employs a quantitative experimental design to determine the efficacy of using songs in vocabulary instruction for english language learning. the participants consisted of eighth-grade students from a learning institution in abu dhabi, uae. the students were divided into two groups: one was the experimental group, and the other was the control group. the participants in the group were randomly assigned to each group. selection criteria the study involved 54 students initially, selected on the basis of preliminary multiple-choice assessment designed to measure general vocabulary proficiency. a total of 40 students were selected randomly for the final sample and divided into two groups of 20 each, as shown in table 2. one was the experimental group, which was taught by using english songs and denoted by variable x, while the other one was the control group, which was taught by using the usual curriculum and denoted by variable y. both groups were given identical resources, and the same study purpose. the research design is depicted in the following figure. pronouncing vocabulary the students are able to pronounce the vocabulary of daily activities. (extended excerpt from "pronouncing vocabulary of geographical and personal names, 2018") using vocabulary in sentences the students are able to speak the vocabulary of daily activities in sentences. (online english teacher for the british council: a structure for organizing a listening skills course) table 2: the sample of the research sample n experimental 20 control 20 total 40 research scheme the study followed a pre-test and a post-test assessment design. figure 1: a pre-test and a post-test assessment design pre-test a 20-minute multiple-choice test consisting of 20 questions was conducted to determine a baseline for vocabulary mastery in both groups before the experimental treatment. post-test the mirrored format of the pre-test was used after the experimental interventions to compare and measure any change in vocabulary mastery. validity and reliability prior to the main study, a trial test was conducted with a separate cohort to determine the validity and reliability of the test items. this try-out also helped refine the test to better measure students’ understanding of vocabulary. pa ge 40 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 36-45, 2024 descriptive analysis descriptive analysis was conducted to provide a comprehensive overview of the participant’s performance at the initial level in both the experimental and control groups. it was determined by a pre-test using key statistical parameters such as mean, median, mode standard deviation, variance, range, minimum, and maximum scores for each group, which were included in the data collection. the mean, median, and mode were calculated to determine the average score. in contrast, the standard deviation and variance were calculated to discover the spread and dispersion of scores around the mean. additionally, the minimum and maximum values were recorded to specify the boundaries of the scores and the distance between the lowest and highest scores were determined by calculating range. these descriptive statistics are crucial for understanding variations within and between the groups, which supports further comparative analyses post-intervention. inferential analysis an independent sample t-test was employed for the inferential analysis to assess the effectiveness of vocabulary mastery between two distinct groups: one was exposed to english songs, while the other one was exposed to the conventional method. the levene’s test was performed before the t-test to assess the equality of the variance; the standard independent samples t-test version is appropriate. otherwise, a corrected t-test should be employed. based on the levene test’s positive outcomes on the t-test, the mean of the two groups was compared to determine the significant differences in the group means. this analysis involved calculating the t-statistics. furthermore, the statistical analysis of the t-test involved the determination of the mean difference, that is, the variation in group means the standard error of the difference, which indicates the accuracy with which the mean difference corresponds to the population mean difference, and the 95% probability interval of the difference, which offers a range that involved the expected true mean difference. hypothesis the study tested two hypotheses. ha there is a significant increase in students; ability to master vocabulary by using songs. ho there is no significant increase in students’ vocabulary mastery when using songs. data analysis the collected data was entered into an excel spreadsheet, and statistical package for social sciences (spss version 16.00; spss inc., chicago) was used to compare the performance of the two group. quantitative analysis was done for continuous variables. however, the p-value less than 0.05 was considered significant. result this study examined the effects of song usage on eighth-grade students’ vocabulary knowledge in listening classes. two tests were administered: a pre-test before the method of using songs to improve students’ vocabulary knowledge in listening classes was implemented and a post-test. the primary factors that influenced the use of songs in listening sessions to improve students’ vocabulary knowledge were examined. there were two variables: the variable that was independent was denoted by y, and the dependent variable was by x. table 3: the result of pre-test of the students’ ability in vocabulary mastery no. students experiment control score category score category 1 s-1 65 good 45 bad 2 s-2 50 bad 40 bad 3 s-3 65 good 55 bad 4 s-4 65 good 40 bad 5 s-5 45 bad 45 bad 6 s-6 50 bad 40 bad 7 s-7 40 bad 40 bad 8 s-8 45 bad 55 bad 9 s-9 40 bad 55 bad 10 s-10 55 bad 55 bad 11 s-11 40 bad 50 bad 12 s-12 45 bad 60 good 13 s-13 40 bad 50 bad 14 s-14 40 bad 65 good pa ge 41 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 36-45, 2024 15 s-15 55 bad 45 bad 16 s-16 55 bad 50 bad 17 s-17 55 bad 40 bad 18 s-18 50 bad 45 bad 19 s-19 25 bad 40 bad 20 s-20 50 bad 55 bad table 4: the result of post-test of the students’ ability in vocabulary mastery no. students experiment control score category score category 1 s-1 90 excellent 80 very good 2 s-2 85 very good 65 good 3 s-3 85 very good 75 good 4 s-4 80 very good 80 very good 5 s-5 85 very good 60 good 6 s-6 85 very good 65 good 7 s-7 90 excellent 60 good 8 s-8 95 excellent 70 good 9 s-9 80 very good 55 bad 10 s-10 85 very good 60 good 11 s-11 95 excellent 45 bad 12 s-12 80 very good 65 good 13 s-13 75 good 60 good 14 s-14 65 good 70 good 15 s-15 55 bad 60 good 16 s-16 80 very good 65 good 17 s-17 80 very good 60 good 18 s-18 85 very good 70 good 19 s-19 85 very good 45 bad 20 s-20 85 very good 55 bad the pre-test score for the experimental group was 975 overall, with 65 being the highest and 40 being the lowest, according to the table above. the control group’s pre-test score was 970 overall, with 65 being the highest and 40 being the lowest. additionally, the experimental group’s post-test score was 1645 overall, with 95 being the highest and 55 being the lowest. the post-test result for the control group was 1265 overall, with 80 being the highest score and 45 being the lowest. descriptive analysis the pre-test table for the experimental and control groups showed the following: in the experimental group, the range was 40, the minimum was 25, the maximum was 65, and the sum was 975. the mean was 48.75, the median was 50, the mode was 40, the standard deviation was 10.114, and the variance was 102.303. conversely, the control group had the following values: range was 25, total was 970, minimum was 40, and maximum was table 5: result of pre-test on experiment and control group statistics experiment group control group n valid 20 20 missing 0 0 mean 48.75 48.50 median 50.00 47.50 mode 40 40 std. deviation 10.114 7.626 pa ge 42 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 36-45, 2024 65. the values for the mean, median, mode, standard deviation, and variance were 48.50, 47.5, 40, and 58.158, respectively. the following information was obtained from the above table of the post-test for the experimental and control classes: in the experiment class, the mean was 82.25, the median was 85, the mode was 85, the standard deviation was 9.244, the variance was 85.481, the range was 40, the minimum was 55, the maximum was 95, and the sum was 1645. in contrast, the control class had the following values: mean: 63.25, median: 62.5, mode: 80, standard deviation: 9.497, variance: 90.197, range: 35, minimum: 45, maximum: 80, sum: 1265. inferential analysis the alternative hypothesis (ha) was approved based on the preceding table since the significant value was 0.000 more than alpha 0.05. thus, the use of songs had a major impact on the pupils’ mastery of vocabulary. variance 102.303 58.158 range 40 25 minimum 25 40 maximum 65 65 sum 975 970 table 6: the result of post-test on experiment and control group statistics experimental group control group n valid 20 20 missing 0 0 mean 82.25 63.25 median 85 62.5 mode 85 80 std. deviation 9.244 9.497 variance 85.481 90.197 range 40 35 minimum 55 45 maximum 95 80 sum 1645 1265 table 7: independent samples test levene’s test for equality of variances t-test for equality of means 95% confidence interval of the difference f sig. t df sig. (2-tailed) mean difference std. error differ ence lower upper vocabulary mastery equal variances assumed .230 .634 6.411 38 .000 19.000 2.964 13.001 24.999 equal variances are not assumed. 6.411 37.9 72 .000 19.000 2.964 13.000 25.000 pa ge 43 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 36-45, 2024 discussion frequency-based learning techniques are the techniques that improve information retention, understanding, and mastery by using cognitive psychological principles that suggest repeated exposure to learning content. the main objective of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of frequency-based learning techniques to enhance comprehensive understanding among students, with a focus on the pedagogical integration of music specifically english songs into language learning curricula. previous research has shown varying impact of music on learning. for instance, faroqi-shah et al (2020) demonstrated that language-related skills can be enhace by musical training (faroqi-shah et al., 2020). on the basis of this, the current study proposed that by integrating music in educational settings, cognitive functions such as vocabulary acquisition and retention can be effected. furthermore, the findings of this study aligned with sari and aminatun (2021), who revealed a compelling narrative about the role of music, particularly english songs, in enhancing the learning experience and vocabulary mastery among students (sari & aminatun, 2021). moreover, similar to the study of yuninda (2020), the findings of this study underscored the transformative impact of incorporating songs into educational practices, offering a comprehensive understanding of this dynamics process (yuninda, 2020). the investigation highlighted the significant impact of music on language learning and explained how songs’ melodic and rhythmic elements can be effective tools for improving pronunciation and vocabulary retention, a concept supported by cafuta (2016), who explored the phonetic benefits of musical education. students who actively participate in song lyrics and rhythm get a greater awareness of phonetic subtleties and a more comprehensive internalisation of word context (cafuta, 2016). because music is an interactive teaching tool, children are better able to appreciate linguistic nuances and develop a deeper, more sophisticated comprehension of the english language. furthermore, according to duinker (2020), it became clear that judicious song selection is essential to the effective incorporation of music into the educational process (duinker, 2020). the current study emphasised how important it is to match the subject material of songs with educational goals in order to make sure that the songs chosen are both curriculum-aligned and meet the unique language demands of the students. an approach that hirsh-pasek et al (2020), found revealed that engaging and dynamic learning environment that encourages active involvement and maintains students’ interest in language learning by including songs that are both culturally and thematically relevant (hirsh-pasek et al., 2020). through the use of music, teachers can introduce students to language usage in everyday situations and create an immersive, stimulating learning environment that extends beyond the walls of the classroom. in line with lestary (2019), songs’ dynamic interaction of melody, rhythm, and lyrics is a powerful tool for improving listening comprehension and developing a stronger bond with the language (lestary, 2019). this method helps students get a more sophisticated grasp of the socio-cultural contexts in which the language is enmeshed by fostering not only language proficiency but also cultural appreciation and empathy (nazarova, 2020). the research experimental design, which is typified by preand post-test evaluations, offers empirical support for the effectiveness of incorporating songs to improve students’ vocabulary mastery (isnaini & aminatun, 2021). the experimental group’s statistically substantial improvement over the control group’s performance is evidence of the transformative effect of music in supporting language acquisition. the study’s conclusions highlight songs’ potential as a tactical teaching tool, providing teachers with a flexible and interesting way to help students develop fluency in a wide range of languages and highlights the various advantages of include english songs in the curriculum for language development. it highlights how important music is in helping children become more fluent in language, comprehend different cultures, and participate actively in class (wahyuningsih & afandi, 2020). through the utilisation of music’s emotive and cognitive aspects, educators may establish a dynamic and immersive learning environment that fosters a strong and long-lasting bond with the english language. consequently, the study inspires teachers to use fresh and imaginative teaching strategies that capitalise on music’s transformative potential to enhance language acquisition and cultivate a passion for learning that lasts a lifetime (rowe & weisleder, 2020). conclusion following the exam, the vocabulary mastery test results for the students in the experiment class showed a very good level of 82.25, whereas the control class showed a decent level of 63.25. the alternative hypothesis (ha) was accepted in the inductive evaluation because the significant value was 0.000 more than alpha 0.05. as a result, singing to the class can help them learn terminology better. based on the data analysis’s findings, the abu dhabi learning institute’s students’ proficiency with vocabulary is significantly impacted by the use of songs. strengths and limitations the study may include some limitations, such as songs not covering a wide range of vocabulary, and it can be confusing for learners because some songs contain metaphoric language. however, this study emphasised its strengths by highlighting the level of student interest in learning language through music. listening to and singing along with songs can improve pronunciation and listening skills. moreover, detailed insights are provided in this study because it revolves particularly around the use of music for comprehensive understanding in the education field. pa ge 44 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 36-45, 2024 acknowledgments the authors would like to thank al ain university for supporting this research. reference alaidi, a., yahya, o., & alrikabi, h. 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(2020). the use of macromedia flash as a media in learning vocabulary at third grade of sdn pademawu barat iv pamekasan institut agama islam negeri madura]. pa ge 1 pa ge 85 american journal of education and technology (ajet) the effect of designing an interactive digital platform based on design thinking skills on developing awareness of edt among university students ahmed sadek abdelmagid1*, aseem mohamed ibrahim2, ahmed ali teleb3 volume 4 issue 1, year 2025 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v4i1.2455 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: january 31, 2023 accepted: march 01, 2024 published: february 08, 2025 the current research aimed to improve university students’ understanding of emerging and new digital technologies by developing an interactive digital platform. consequently, three groups of undergraduate students from king khalid university’s college of education were randomly selected. these groups were called the empirical group (consisting of 31 students who used the edx platform), the control group (consisting of 33 students who used the standard training strategy), and the second empirical group (consisting of 34 students who used the blackboard platform). the research findings were analyzed using the one-way anova test. the second research hypothesis was thus rejected because, after applying the measure of awareness of emerging digital technologies (edt), there was a statistically significant difference at the level (0.05) in the mean scores of the first empirical group (which used the edx platform), the second empirical group (which used the blackboard platform), and the control group (which used the standard procedure). the findings showed that university students’ awareness of edt increased higher when they utilized the edx platform than when they used the blackboard platform or the training strategy. keywords emerging digital technologies, design thinking, awareness, learning management system (lms), interactive digital platform 1 department of educational technology, faculty of education, king khalid university, saudi arabia 2 department of curriculum and teaching methods, faculty of education, king khalid university, saudi arabia 3 department of psychology, faculty of education, king khalid university, saudi arabia * corresponding author’s e-mail: ahmedsadekabdelmagid@outlook.com introduction interactive participation in education is crucial for institution success, especially in the era of technological advancements. in the fourth industrial revolution era, passive listening to lectures and taking notes could harm creativity and innovation among students and influence attitudes toward learning negatively. the concept of “cross-national education” is gaining popularity due to technological advancements, aiming to provide educational services through cooperation between educational institutions worldwide with similar goals (martin, 2018). this approach is based on modern, flexible methods and organizations, ensuring preparation, follow-up, planning, and implementation in line with international quality standards. one significant example of this is the widespread open digital courses, massive open online courses (moocs), which are university courses that include lectures, activities, assessments, and other educational materials. therefore, in 2008, the quality of education was improved when the university of manitoba introduced widespread digital courses for cost reduction. (hinnawi, 2018). the development of e-learning platforms for professional development is now offered by many open educational resources, including udemy, edx, coursera, and khan academy, as well as some arab platforms such as rwaq, edraak, and nafham. learning management systems (lms) are digital platforms used in higher education institutions (heis), including open-source and free moodle platforms and closed-source platforms like blackboard providing professional educational content (jalbout & farah, 2016; kameas et al., 2023; maican & lixandroiu, 2016). digital educational platforms, in combination with social networking and e-learning management systems, offer online services to assist students, teachers, and parents with interactive tools that offer improved delivery of educational content. therefore, for a comprehensive webbased system, these platforms are known for their safe and user-friendly interface (kiryakova-dineva et al., 2017). harvard, stanford, mit, and massachusetts institute of technology are among the top us universities that have successfully introduced moocs. in 2015, the edx platform offered over 500 courses across 40 colleges, while coursera offered over 1,000 courses across 112 universities, and over 7.1 million students participated in moocs in america (hinnawi, 2018). consequently, past studies highlighted the significance of designing educational platforms to meet desired learning outcomes for university students. it is specifically useful in developing economies where traditional systems are challenging to expand due to high material and human costs (alibraheim et al., 2023). similarly, another study focused on designing an educational platform based on participatory stories and recommended the necessity of providing digital platforms to deliver university courses encouraging students for effective learning and participation in online educational communities (faris et al., 2019). the research by holotescu et al. (2017) highlighted the importance of engaging open e-learning systems moocs among university students, concluding that these systems enabled the creation of innovative software for designing smart cities. arab universities continue to provide traditional majors that do not meet the demands of the labor market and do not adequately prepare pa ge 86 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 85-92, 2025 graduates for entry into the workforce, despite their interest over the past ten years in developing programmes and majors to help students progress (holotescu et al., 2017). therefore, university graduates have a far higher unemployment rate than other demographics. it indicates that arab institutions do not prepare their students and graduates to launch and advance their technical initiatives (maydi, 2023). therefore, modern and exciting emerging technologies that open up a wide field for technological innovation are significant for students, including robotics, big data analytics (bda), artificial intelligence (ai), and the internet of things (iot) (ghosh et al., 2018). research problem heis have not consistently invested in information and communications technology (ict) to capitalize on technological advancements, resulting in inadequate digital instructional content that fosters student innovation. in contrast to many industrialized nations that have made significant investments in ict has emerged as the primary tool for learners, allowing them to access material whenever, whenever swiftly, and however they choose for the public good. the instructor benefited from it by learning more about what he is teaching, and the guardian gained from it by being able to communicate with those who teach his children (al omar, 2018). the evolution of educational tools, approaches, and requirements is crucial to keep up with technological advancements that impact not only the subject matter but also the overall educational environment (miranda et al., 2021). higher education establishments are still acquainting themselves with new or developing digital technologies and comprehending the significance these technologies hold for society, the economy, and education. students, instructors, and administrators will find it simpler to use developing digital technologies effectively and beneficially the sooner they become interested in them; conversely, the later they become interested, the more challenging it will be to reap the benefits (khan & qudrat-ullah, 2021). in this regard, it can be concluded that college students are ignorant of the term “emerging digital technologies (edt)”, are unfamiliar with many of them, and are unsure of how to use them to their advantage in both their academic and personal lives (elnadeef & elneil, 2023). based on the gaps mentioned, the current research’s problem was determined to be king khalid university students’ inadequate understanding of new digital technologies and how to use them for instruction. in order to address this shortcoming, the current research aimed at developing awareness of edt among university students through designing a digital platform based on design thinking skills. the research emphasizes the importance of higher education officials being aware of the use of digital platforms in the classroom, offering a paradigm shift in distance learning, providing students with training sessions to enhance their digital technology knowledge, and encouraging students to use digital platforms for selflearning, communication, and idea sharing. the course material for king khalid university’s college of education’s “using computers in education” can be created, presented, shared, managed, and assessed using this interactive online learning environment. the goal is to help students gain an understanding of the latest digital technologies, including their tools, capabilities, and numerous interactive activities. awareness of edt is the understanding of the nature of contemporary technologies and how to use them to meet societal and educational demands by king khalid university college of education students. the grade that pupils receive on the scale designed for this purpose serves as the indicator. research question the research question addressed in this research is: 1. how does creating a digital platform using design thinking affect students at king khalid university’s college of education in terms of raising their knowledge of new and upcoming digital technologies? research hypothesis the goal of the current research is to confirm the following hypothesis: h1: there is no statistically significant difference at the level (0.05) between the average scores of the first empirical group that used the edx platform, the second empirical group, which used the blackboard platform and the control group (which used the usual strategy in training) in the post-application of the measure of awareness of edt. methodology the research employed a quasi-experimental methodology that involved creating control and empirical groups and applying performance measurements both before and after. the following steps were carried out to determine the efficacy of creating a digital platform for bachelor’s students at king khalid university’s college of education to improve awareness skills of edt: step 1: selection of the research sample three sets of bachelor’s degree candidates from king khalid university’s college of education made up the research sample, which was chosen at random: the first empirical group was trained through the platform (https://ahmedsadek.edunext.io) designed via (edx) platform. the second empirical group was trained using the blackboard learning management system. the third group used the traditional training strategy for the course “using computers in education-424 trb-2”. the research tools were pre-applied to ensure the equality of the groups, and table 1 below represents the computed results. in the pre-application of the awareness scale of edt, pa ge 87 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 85-92, 2025 there were no statistically significant differences between the first, second, and control groups. according to table 1, the “awareness scale for edt” has a computed (f) value of (0.705), which is not significant at the level (0.05). both sides of the calculation are significant, with a degree of freedom (2) representing the largest variance and a degree of freedom (95) representing the smallest variance. it demonstrates how the three groups’ levels of awareness of newly edt among king khalid university’s faculty of education students are equivalent. step 2: preparing research materials designing a learning environment based on e-learning platforms several earlier studies, were conducted to create a learning environment based on the digital learning platform using the generic addie design paradigm (almelhi, 2021; bąkała & bąkała, 2020; mexia et al., 2017). it was applied in this research as follows: the first stage: analysis at this stage, the following procedures were taken: ▪︎ identifying the overall goals of the educational setting by utilizing e-learning resources. the main objective of the digital learning platform-based learning environment at king khalid university’s college of education is to help bachelor’s degree candidates become more aware of and proficient with edt. ▪︎ identifying the attributes of students: in the first semester of the current academic year (19/2020 ad), king khalid university’s college of education is enrolling seventh-level bachelor’s students in “using computers in education 424, terb-2”. their familiarity with computers and internet networks is practically the same, and they both live in comparable environments. thirteen students were in the first empirical group, thirty-four students were in the second empirical group, and thirty-three students were in the control group. ▪︎ the college of education’s computer lab was utilized, demonstrating the capabilities of the learning environment. ▪︎ educational materials: each training topic was assigned five training units, along with behavioral targets that were specifically tailored to each unit. the second stage: design during the design phase, the following procedures are defined for the learning environment based on the digital learning platform: learning strategy, content, activities, and evaluation techniques. a comprehensive vision for the content, learning strategy, and activities is developed. procedural objectives of the learning environment based on e-learning platforms behavioral objectives were set for each of the training topics as follows: the first topic: emerging platforms and technologies after completing this lesson, the student should be able to: ▪︎ understand the platforms. ▪︎ describe the features of innovations. ▪︎ describe the most significant new technology. ▪︎ talk about how emerging technologies are advancing education. the second topic: designing interactive digital content after completing this lesson, the student should be able to: ▪︎ know about the digital content. ▪︎ explain the elements of digital content. ▪︎ use digital content authoring tools. ▪︎ designs digital content according to scorm standards. the third topic: designing educational websites after completing this lesson, the student should be able to: ▪︎ know the meaning of the educational website. ▪︎ explain website design specifications. ▪︎ know the drupal website design system. ▪︎ design a website on https://caramel.la. the fourth topic: digital walls after completing this lesson, the student should be able to: ▪︎ know what digital walls are. ▪︎ explain the importance of digital walls in education. ▪︎ design a digital wall. ▪︎ publish the digital wall. the fifth topic: word cloud after completing this lesson, the student should be able to: ▪︎ know what a word cloud is. ▪︎ explain the importance of word clouds in education. ▪︎ design a word cloud in his field of specialization. ▪︎ survey cloud words in a poll. the content of the participatory e-learning environment the content of the learning environment based on the learning platforms included the following topics: ▪︎ the first topic: emerging platforms and technologies. ▪︎ the second topic was digital content design. table 1: one-way anova of awareness scale of emerging technologies in pre-application tool variance source total squares degree of freedom average squares f calculated value significance level awareness scale of edt inter-group 4.585 2 2.293 0.705 0.479 intra-group 309.088 95 3.254 0 0 total 313.673 97 pa ge 88 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 85-92, 2025 ▪︎ the third topic was designing educational websites. ▪︎ the fourth topic: digital walls. ▪︎ the fifth topic is word cloud. the learning strategy and activities used in the digital platform environment based on the procedural objectives and the content of the learning environment, the learning strategy using the learning platform proceeded according to the following flowchart: learning strategy via the e-learning management system (blackboard) based on the procedural objectives and the content of the learning environment, the learning strategy proceeded using the e-learning management system “blackboard” according to the following flowchart: figure 1: flowchart of online learning strategy figure 2: flowchart for learning strategy via learning management system (blackboard) pa ge 89 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 85-92, 2025 evaluation methods a variety of assessment techniques were used, such as formative evaluation to drive student learning and provide feedback during each lesson and pre-evaluation to measure prior learning at the start of each session. after researching all of the training materials created in accordance with the digital learning platform, a final evaluation is conducted to ascertain the bachelor’s students at king khalid university’s college of education’s awareness of developing digital applications. step 3: development currently, studies are using a few computer programs to create training materials that assist college of education students in becoming aware of and proficient with new digital technologies. these websites and programs that are the most well-known are as follows: blackboard learning management system video scribe program https://www.edx.org platform https://answergarden.ch website https://ar.padlet.com articulate storyline program step 4: implementation at this stage, the digital content was published on the edx platform through the link (https://ahmedsadek. edunext.io) in order to research the content of the “using computers in education” course. it also explained how to access the platform and the tasks required to be performed. step 5: evaluation at this point, a group of experts in “educational technologies” were shown the material of the e-learning platform. after examining all of the instructional materials among the research group students, the measurement instruments for the awareness of new digital technologies in education were also implemented. the third stage: preparing performance measures awareness of edt scale the awareness scale for edt was prepared according to the following steps: analyzing the purpose of the scale the scale’s goal is to gauge college of education students’ level of understanding regarding new digital technologies. through a training program based on the digital learning platform, this scale has three dimensions: identifying the edt, applications of edt in education, and difficulties of edt. scale items the scale consists of three dimensions, represented in table 2. table 2: items and dimensions of scale in its initial form s dimension phrases 1 what are edt 11 2 applications of edt in education 16 3 challenges of edt 11 total 3 38 scale adjustment presenting the initial form of the scale to a group of arbitrators the scale was completed and then presented to a committee of experts in the fields of psychology and educational technology. their opinions clarified the scale’s applicability for the intended use while removing and rephrasing several of the scale’s phrases, including “edt will help combat corruption in the first dimension” and “credibility of data obtained from edt in the third dimension.” exploratory application of the scale a survey sample of twenty-two bachelor’s students from king khalid university’s college of education was administered to assess the scale for measuring expressions’ language and academic appropriateness. their answers demonstrated that the statements on the scale were appropriate and free of any linguistic or intellectual difficulty. internal consistency of the scale (statistical validity) table 3 below represents the correlations determined between the entire scale dimensions and the total score: table 3: the correlation coefficient matrix dimension what are edt applications of emerging technologies in education challenges of emerging technologies what are edt 1 applications of edt in education 0.73 1 challenges of edt 0.19 0.32 1 the entire scale *0.78 *0.86 *0.70 pa ge 90 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 85-92, 2025 table 3 above concluded that the correlation coefficients for the first, second, and third dimensions with the entire scale are respectively equal to 0.78, 0.86, and 0.70, which are all statistically acceptable and significant values. it suggests that the scale’s dimensions measure the same thing as the scale as a whole, demonstrating the validity of both the scale and its dimensions. calculating the average time of the scale the scale time was calculated by finding the average of the times of all students, each according to their speed, and it was approximately equal to (35) minutes. calculating scale reliability after presenting the scale to a group of arbitrators and piloting it on (22) students, cronbach alpha was used to compute the scale reliability, which was calculated approximately equal to (0.81), showing an appropriate reliability coefficient. the final form of the scale after formulating the scale and adjusting it statistically, the scale became valid for the final application. findings and discussion the following research issues were addressed after keeping an eye on the student’s performance on the postapplication awareness of developing digital technologies measure and making necessary adjustments: the response to the first query, which asks: how does creating a digital platform using design thinking affect students at king khalid university’s college of education’s knowledge of future digital technologies? the following research hypothesis was tested to answer this question: “there is no statistically significant difference at the level (0.05) between the average scores of the first empirical group that used the edx platform, the second empirical group used the blackboard platform, and the third group (which used the usual strategy) in the post-application of the measure of awareness of edt. the statistical technique of “one-way analysis of variance (one way anova)” was used to test the validity of this hypothesis and to compare the scores of the three groups in the awareness scale of edt. table 4 shows the results of applying one-way anova. table 4 demonstrates that the computed value of (f) table 4: one-way anova of awareness scale of emerging technologies in post-application tool variance source total squares degree of freedom average squares f calculated value significance level awareness scale of edt inter-group 1230.183 2 615.091 *12.573 0.001 intra-group 4581.817 95 48.230 total 5812.000 97 is (12.573) at the significance level (0.05), the degree of freedom (2) for the highest variance and the degree of freedom (95) for the smallest variance, as well as the significance of both sides. it suggests that after applying the awareness scale of developing digital technologies, statistically significant differences were observed between the first, second, and control groups. the second research hypothesis was thus rejected because, after applying the measure of awareness of edt, there was a statistically significant difference at the level (0.05) in the mean scores of the first empirical group (which used the edx platform), the second empirical group (which used the blackboard platform), and the control group (which used the standard procedure). table 5 below illustrates the application of the scheffe test to determine the direction of this discrepancy. table 5: scheffe test results for mean differences between the three groups the groups first group second group third group the first group 0 the second group *5.99 0 the thirds group *8.57 2.58 0 * significant at level 0.05 table 5 makes this evident: the first empirical group scored higher than the second empirical group, with a significant difference between the two groups scores. their average is higher than the second empirical group’s average, which is (63.97). their average is (69.97). additionally, table 5 demonstrates that there is a difference between the first empirical group’s scores and the control group’s scores, with the first empirical group’s mean being higher at 61.39 than the control group’s. the researchers believe that the previous result could be due to the following: ▪︎ the edx platform encompasses the utilization of contemporary educational applications, including cloud computing, ai, and interaction with king khalid university’s e-learning platform, https://kkux.org. these applications, which focus on modern applications like bda, design thinking, ai, and the iot, have all contributed to raising students’ awareness of edt in the pa ge 91 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 85-92, 2025 college of education. ▪︎ the educational platforms’ philosophy is grounded in social constructivism theory, as demonstrated by the students’ utilization of bar codes via the website (https:// www.qr-code-generator.com) for data recording and sharing. students were able to understand one of the new digital tools in education because of this. ▪︎ university libraries have implemented iot apps that provide a connection between a student’s checked-out books, mobile phone, and national identification document. ▪︎ every student in the research sample is interested in growing personally and exploring new areas, and the edx platform caters to their pursuit of new knowledge in the realm of technology. as a result, this setting contributed to the college of education students’ increased knowledge of developing digital technology. academic and practical significance of the research results table 6 explains the practical or applied importance of the research results by finding the effect size of the independent variable on the dependent variable (•)1 . table 6: the academic and applied importance of the research results independent variable dependent variable total squares /gross total effect digital platform design awareness of edt 0.21 significant it is clear from table 6 that the size of the effect of using digital platforms in developing awareness skills of edt in education is (0.21), which is a large percentage. the findings demonstrated that, when it came to raising awareness of new digital technologies, the students in the first empirical group who utilized the edx platform had a higher and statistically significant capacity than the students in the second group and the control group. it indicates that students who trained via the blackboard platform or the conventional methods did not profit as much from the edx platform as did the students in the first empirical group. it might be a result of the edx platform’s use of contemporary technology and its provision of teachers with useful examples of iot uses in the library sector and in the areas of creating “barcodes” and student-to-student information exchange. students’ understanding of new digital tools in education increased as a result of all of this. the findings of this investigation align with previous literature findings as well (faris et al., 2019; lattabi, 2018). limitations and future research the current research is limited to training on practical projects such as emerging platforms, interactive digital content, educational websites, digital walls, and word cloud, the course “education with computers – 424 trp2”, and measuring awareness of new digital technologies using a scale. the research suggests implementing a learning platform-based training program in the future to enhance university students’ digital leadership skills, creating an online learning environment using design thinking for digital platform design proficiency, and creating a course on iot applications to prepare students for future digital transformation and digital transformation. recommendations based on the results of the current research, the following can be recommended: ▪︎ increasing university students’ understanding of contemporary digital technologies and their potential educational benefits is an important area of focus. “iot applications,” “smart education,” “bda,” and 3d printing are a few of the most well-known. ▪︎ educators must receive training on e-learning platforms so they can facilitate open communication and information sharing among their students, thereby fostering the development of their inventive talents in the classroom. conclusion the research aimed to enhance students’ awareness of edt in education through the design of an interactive digital platform at king khalid university. the research hypothesis tested was that there was no significant difference between the average scores of the first empirical group using the edx platform, the second empirical group using the blackboard platform, and the third group using the standard procedure. however, the results showed that the first empirical group scored higher than the second group, with a significant difference between their scores. the edx platform utilized contemporary educational applications, such as cloud computing, ai, and interaction with king khalid university’s e-learning platform, which contributed to raising students’ awareness of edt. the platform’s philosophy was grounded in social constructivism theory, as demonstrated by the students’ utilization of bar codes via the website. university libraries implemented iot apps, and the platform caters to students’ interests in growing personally and exploring new areas. the academic and practical significance of the research results was found to be significant, with the first empirical group having a higher and statistically significant capacity to raise awareness of new digital technologies. acknowledgements the studies would like to extend their thanks and appreciation to the deanship of scientific research at king khalid university as this research was supported by the large research groups program at the deanship of scientific research king khalid university saudi arabia (no.: g.r.p 419-1444). pa ge 92 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 85-92, 2025 references al omar, b. o. 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(2021). the core components of education 4.0 in higher education: three case studies in engineering education. computers & electrical engineering, 93, 107278. pa ge 1 pa ge 62 american journal of education and technologies (ajet) creative writing curriculum in the selected senior high schools in the division of quezon: a groundwork for a teaching guide ranilo h. pardito1* volume 1 issue 2, year 2022 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i2.511 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: august 20, 2022 accepted: september 05, 2022 published: september 08, 2022 the study assessed the level of effectiveness of creative writing curriculum guide used by teachers of senior high school in the division of quezon. specifically, the study assessed the level of effectiveness of creative writing curriculum guide in terms of: content standard, performance standard and learning competency. the study used descriptive research design in the presentation of the findings of the study and purposive sampling in the selection of the respondents. there were 30 senior high school teacher-respondents from the selected national senior high schools. although the findings show that the respondent’s assessments on the creative writing curriculum guide in terms of content standard, performance standards and learning competencies were moderately effective, there is still a need for improvement in the performance standards based on the general weighted mean. the finding shows that majority of the senior high school students, 532 or 43.04% obtained satisfactory performance. from the interview, the following challengers emerged: inappropriate activities/task, learning material not fitting/confusing, limited time, no teacher’s guide, lack of laboratory rooms, wi-fi and library, ratio of teachers with students, and no monitoring of implementation. there was significant relationship between teachers’ strategies in teaching creative writing and content standards, performance standards and learning competency. based on these, the following are recommended: strict monitoring on the implementation of the curriculum guide be made to address the needs of the teachers and the students. the authority can use the findings of this study to determine further improvement in teaching creative writing and develop the learning competencies of the students as well as improving teacher’s performance. the proposed creative writing teaching guide can be a great help for teachers in meeting the challenges in teaching creative writing. keywords assessment, creative writing, curriculum guide, groundwork, teaching guide 1 kasetsart university, college of education kamphaeng, saen district, nakhon pathom,thailand. * corresponding author’s e-mail: ranipardito@gmail.com introduction traditionally, creative writing is an art of sorts the art of making things up. it is writing done in a way that is not academic or technical but still attracts an audience. creative writing can for the most part be considered any writing that is original and self-expressive. the department of education (deped) 2013, k-12 basic education curriculum senior high schoolacademic track for grade 11 and 12 creative writing aims to develop practical and creative skills in reading and writing; introduce students to the fundamental techniques of writing fiction, poetry, and drama; and discuss the use of such techniques by well-known authors in a variety of genres. each class was devoted to the examination of techniques and to the workshop of students’ drafts toward the enrichment of their manuscripts. students learn how to combine inspiration and revision, and to develop a sense of form. ruiz (2012), deped assistant secretary for programs and projects said that school year 2016-2017 would be the first grade 11 under the k-12. based on this new program in the deped the new curriculum was introduced where each subject area has its curriculum guide to be used by the teachers. the creative writing course of the senior high school aims to develop practical and creative skills in reading and writing; introduce students to the fundamental techniques of writing fiction, poetry, and drama; and discuss the use of such techniques by wellknown authors in a variety of genres. the present curriculum guide in creative writing serves as a structured document of the teachers in senior high school. in the first column of the guide presents the content that composed of six important topics such as creative writing (imaginative writing, vs. technical/ academic / other forms of writing, sensory experience, language, sample works of well-known local and foreign writers) reading and writing poetry, reading and writing fiction, reading and writing drama, the creative work in literary and/or sociopolitical context and the final output. for poetry, fiction, and drama, the workshop proper is highly encouraged. critiquing of the learner’s own work and his/her peers’, leading toward revision, is necessary in preparation for the final output. time allotment may be adjusted based on the learner’s phase and capacity. this paper shows on a textual evaluation of the existing curriculum guide in senior high school creative writing under the newly implemented k to 12 basic education program in the philippines. the study underscores the importance of involving classroom teachers in the processes of creating, selecting, and evaluating curriculum materials, which are considered integral phases in the language-curriculum-development process. thus, no guide will be perfect, will ever be finished product cast in stone, will be free from criticism, however, to be effective, a guide must earn acceptance by teachers and must be deemed educationally valid by parents and the https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i2.511 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= pa ge 63 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 62-71, 2022 community at large (connecticut state department of education, 2010). it is also important to reexamine the kind of curriculum that was taken by the respondents during their formative stage, if creative writing subject is included in their academic program. it cannot be denied that creative writing was only integrated in literature subjects in the past but as an independent subject it had never been given emphasis. in writing any literary piece, production is the common way either in written or oral, so a teacher should be an expert. besides creating is among the highest level of critical thinking, a teacher should have an exceptional talent related to this course; have abundance of experiences particularly in composing these crafts. any creative writing teacher should be full of imagination and can use his/her heart and mind to influence his/her students. literature review the numerous related literature and studies cited in this present study provided insights and some relevant information on the assessment of the creative writing curriculum guide for senior high school. although there are similarities with the present study, the direction either focused on students, teachers and curriculum. for example, according to bennett, et al (2008) creative writing can be defined as the study of writing (including poetry, fiction, drama, and creative non-fiction) and its contexts through creative production and reflection on process. by writing we mean not only books and other printed materials, but also scripted and unscripted performances, oral and recorded outputs, and the variety of forms possible in electronic, digital, and other new media. creative writing can use any form or genre of writing as an exemplary subject of study, but the productions of creative writing tend not to be informational, but imaginative interpretations of the world that invite the complex participation of the audience or reader. montemayor, jr., v benigno c. (2019), also made an assessment of the effectiveness of instruction in the creative writing elective at the philippine science high school main campus primarily based on the quarterly periodic examination (which are based on novels) results of the cw students, however the focused was on the instruction. on teaching guide, rodriguez (2018) adduces that the teacher’s guide has been developed with the knowledge that there are teachers with little teaching experience as well as teachers with many years of experience. it offers a step-by step outline for how to work through every lesson. therefore, the primary aim of the teacher’s guide is to provide teachers, whatever their background, with guidance and suggestions so that they can create successful lesson plans that fulfill their students’ needs. in this way, even the least experienced teacher can teach each lesson successfully, and more experienced teachers can make use those activities in the guide that are suitable to their context, with the freedom to deviate from the teacher’s guide as they see fit. the present study also intends to propose teaching guide but focused on creative writing for senior high school students. materials and methods the current research utilized the descriptive research design in the assessment of the creative writing curriculum guide. although descriptive research has only one meaning, several authors have defined it in their own ways. some of the definitions are: aquino (1974) defines descriptive research as fact-finding with adequate interpretation. for manuel and medel (1976) descriptive research is a method that describes what is. descriptive research is defined by best & kahn (1998) in this way: it describes and interprets what is. it is concerned with conditions of relationships that exist; practices that reveal; beliefs, processes that are going on, effects that are being felt, or trends that are developing. this study was conducted in selected national senior high schools in the division of quezon, region iv-a. the study used purposive sampling in the selection of the respondents. among the national senior high schools from the division of quezon, region iv-a, the researcher selected schools offering creative writing. there were 17 national senior high schools offering creative writing and 30 teachers given assignment to teach the subject. the researcher requested approval for the conduct of the study from the schools division superintendent of quezon. before administering the study, the researcher prepared a questionnaire based on the k to 12 curriculum standards validated by english professors/experts. the researcher utilized a survey adopted from the present k-12 curriculum guide for senior high school, academic track. it was modified as per recommended by validators, school principal, k-12trainers and college professors of creative writing in terms of presentation and scaled used. the study made use of content-validated, reliabilitytested, to extract the quantitative databases needed to answer the research questions. the survey-questionnaire consisted of three (3) parts. mathematical expressions and symbols the researcher considers the following statistical tools in order to evaluate the creative writing curriculum guide for senior high school. 1. mean. to determine the extent of responses of the respondents mean is used. the formula is as follows: x =(∑fx)/n where: x =mean ∑x= sum of scores n=number of respondents 2. percentage. it is used to identify the most common strategy used by the teachers based on the demand of the curriculum guide and the most challenging problem encountered by the teachers in implementing the creative writing curriculum guide. the formula is shown below. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 64 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 62-71, 2022 p = (f / n) 100 where: p = percentage f=frequency n=total number of respondents 3. for the test of significant relationship, pearson r test of relationship formula was used: results and discussion assessments of teachers on the creative writing curriculum guide in terms of content standard, performance standard and learning competency. table 1 shows the respondent’s assessments on creative writing curriculum guide in terms of content standard, performance standards and learning competency. based on the respondent’s assessments on the creative writing curriculum guide in terms of content standard, the curriculum guide used in creative writing is “moderately table 1: assessments of teachers on the creative writing curriculum guide in terms of content standard content standard wm vi 1. imaginative writing the learners have an understanding of imagery, diction, figures of speech, and variations on language 2.43 moderately agree 2. reading and writing poetry the learners have an understanding of poetry as a genre and how to analyze its elements and techniques 2.35 moderately agree 3. reading and writing fiction the learners have an understanding of fiction as a genre and are able to analyze its elements and techniques 2.40 moderately agree 4. reading and writing drama the learners have an understanding of drama as a genre and are able to analyze its elements and techniques 2.00 moderately agree 5. the creative work in literary and/or sociopolitical context the learners have an understanding of the different orientations of creative writing 2.30 moderately agree over-all mean 2.30 moderately agree moderately effective legend: disagree / not effective (1.00 – 1.49), moderately agree/moderately effective (1.50 – 2.49), agree/effective (2.50 – 3.49), strongly agree/very effective (3.50 – 4.00) effective” with an over-all mean of 2.30. the deped k to 12 basic education curriculum for senior high school-academic track in creative writing is for both grades 11 and 12. the curriculum guide is quite comprehensive—it does not only present the content but also the content standard, performance standard, and learning competency. the content does not identify focal literary works but particularizes on learning topics. for example, in “reading and writing poetry,” there are three subtopics, namely elements of the genre, elements for specific forms, and other experimental texts. these subtopics are further outlined into two (sometimes three) more levels. table 2: assessments of teachers on the creative writing curriculum guide in terms of content standard performance standard wm vi 1. imaginative writing the learners can produce short paragraphs or vignettes using imagery, diction, figures of speech, and specific experiences. 2.49 moderately agree 2. reading and writing poetry the learners can produce a short, well-crafted poem 2.45 moderately agree 3. reading and writing fiction the learners can produce at least one striking scene for a short story 2.50 moderately agree 4. reading and writing drama the learners can compose at least one scene for a one-act play that can be staged. 2.50 moderately agree 5. the creative work in literary and/or sociopolitical context the learners can produce a craft essay on the personal creative process deploying a consciously selected 2.00 moderately agree over-all mean 2.39 moderately agree moderately effective legend: disagree / not effective (1.00 – 1.49), moderately agree/moderately effective (1.50 – 2.49), agree/effective (2.50 – 3.49), strongly agree/very effective (3.50 – 4.00) https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 65 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 62-71, 2022 table 2 illustrates the respondent’s assessments on the creative writing curriculum guide in terms of performance standard. based on the respondent’s assessments on the creative writing curriculum guide in terms of performance standard, the curriculum guide used in creative writing was “effective”. according to the department of education (2020), expectations for instruction, assessment, and student work are called performance standards. these incorporate content standards and define the level of work that demonstrates achievement of the standards. performance standards isolate and identify skills needed for problem-solving, reasoning, communicating, and making connections with other information. they provide all constituents with the evidences that students have met the content standards, helping teachers define what level of work is satisfactory table 3: assessments of the teachers on the creative writing curriculum guide in terms of learning competency learning competency wm vi 1. imaginative writing 1.1. differentiate imaginative writing from other forms of writing 1.2. cull creative ideas from experiences 1.3. utilize language to evoke emotional and intellectual responses from readers 1.4. use imagery, diction, figures of speech, and specific experiences 1.5. read closely as writers with a consciousness of craft 2.45 moderately agree 2. reading and writing poetry 2.1 identify the various elements, techniques, and literary devices in poetry 2.2 determine specific forms and conventions of poetry 2.3 use selected elements of poetry in short exercises 2.4 explore innovative techniques in writing poetry 2.5 write a short poem applying the various elements, techniques, and literary devices 2.40 moderately agree 3. reading and writing fiction 3.1 identify the various elements, techniques, and literary devices in fiction 3.2 determine various modes of fiction 3.3 write journal entries and other short exercises exploring key elements of fiction 3.4 write short scene applying the various elements, techniques, and literary devices 2.40 moderately agree 4. reading and writing drama 4.1 identify the various elements, techniques, and literary devices in drama 4.2 understand intertextuality as a technique of drama 4.3 conceptualize a character/setting/plot of a one-act play 4.4 explore different staging modalities vis-à-vis envisioning the script 4.5 write short exercises involving character, dialogue, plot, and other elements of drama 4.6 write at least one scene for one-act play applying the various elements, techniques, and literary devices 2.30 moderately agree 5. the creative work in literary and/or sociopolitical context 5.1 situate the creative work in literary and/or sociopolitical context 5.2 demonstrate awareness of and sensitivity to the different orientations of creative writing 5.3 write a craft essay 2.00 moderately agree over-all mean 2.31 moderately agree moderately effective based on table 3 the assessment on the creative writing curriculum guide of the teachers’ respondents with regard to the aspect of learning competency had a verbal interpretation of “moderately effective” with a weighted mean of 2.31. as to the statement that students recognize the creative writing structure from other types of writing, richards (1990) draws attention that writing is a requirement at every level of the students’ academic pursuit and is not entirely limited to language and literature. this serves the objective of writing programs, which is to enable the students to produce different kinds of writings. therefore, creative writing helps to enhance learners’ general writing skills. table 4: performance of the students in creative writing score performance level final grade creative writing f % 95-100 outstanding 10 .81 88-94 very satisfactory 279 22.57 81-87 satisfactory 532 43.04 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 66 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 62-71, 2022 75-80 fair 346 28 65-74 poor 69 5.58 total no. of students 1236 100% average grade 80.33 very satisfactory sd 4.53 students’ performance in creative writing based on the final grade table 4 shows the performance of the 1236 students from selected senior high schools enrolled in creative writing based on the general weighted average in the final grading period. the table shows that majority of the senior high school students, 532 or 43.04% obtained grades between 81 to 87 or satisfactory performance in creative writing. this was followed by 346 or 28% of senior high school students with grade between 75-80, fair performance level in creative writing subject. there were also senior high school students with outstanding and very satisfactory performance level in creative writing, 10 or .81% and 279 or 22.57%, respectively. only 69 or 5.58% of senior high school students who go grades between 65-74 or poor performance level in creative writing subject. in comparison with the statement of hale (2008) and was quoted by razalan (2011), creative writing is anything where the purpose is to express thoughts, feelings, and emotions rather than to simply convey information. writing of any sort is hard, but rewarding work. being creative can also be difficult and challenging at times, but immensely fun. this helps as an inspiration for the study for the great hopes of the teacher are still there focusing the needs of creative writing students. table 5: strategies used by the teachers in teaching creative writing teaching strategies wm vi 1. imaginative writing 1.1 i develop several brainstorming activities for my creative writing class. 4.20 often 1.2 i use reading aloud to my students for the pleasure of hearing their own work and of getting and giving feedback. 4.00 often 1.3 i allow students to choose their own genres and topics in response to guided prompts to stimulate ability to write. 4.23 often 1.4 i use word games to spice-up creative writing lessons. 3.83 often 1.5 i use word banks to develop creative writing skills of my students. 3.70 often 2. reading and writing poetry 2.1 i use quick writes that involve jotting down everything about a topic that students know. 4.03 often 2.2 i ask students to use rough draft which focus is on finishing. 4.30 often 2.3 i introduce picture prompts and/or writing prompts. 4.00 often 2.4 i use socratic method for actively engaging students with the critical thinking process. 3.73 often 2.5 i frequently ask students to take the opening and closing line of a story or poem, carve out the middle, and write a new poem or story. 3.53 often 3. reading and writing fiction 3.1 i use visualization (or storyboarding) to distinguish fiction from nonfiction 3.97 often 3.2 in all writing, fiction and nonfiction, writing needs to go through final editing, so i use this strategy for my student. 4.23 often 3.3 i create a writing contest where students compete not only against each other but also their peers online too. 3.30 sometimes 3.4 one of the easiest strategies i use to get students writing is to give them a story starter or writing prompt. 3.83 often 4. reading and writing drama 4.1 i use outlining to keep the writer/student focused on moving the writing forward. 4.07 often 4.2 i ask my students to complete the page in their jotter with as many pieces of detail as they can for their own character. (characterization) 3.73 often 4.3 i use narrative distance for the students to experience the character's thoughts. 3.73 often 4.4 i use workshop to motivate students to be creative and responsible in their own learning. 3.63 often 4.5 i ask my students group themselves into teams of two, and each student take turns writing down what the other person says. (peer talks) 3.57 often 5. the creative work in literary and/or sociopolitical context 5.1 i emphasize the importance of research in my class for they can be reused and shared between the genres— they can use it when they think to write. 4.13 often 5.2 i use journal writing in my class because it is also very helpful at the beginning stages, in getting and developing ideas 3.97 often https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 67 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 62-71, 2022 5.3 i find video clips of a writer whose work they are using as a model in the class 3.83 often 5.4 through audio transcription my students may print out what they just wrote, and use that as their first draft. 3.10 sometimes grand mean 3.84 often common strategies used by the teachers in teaching creative writing based on the present curriculum guide based on the k-12 basic education creative writing course for senior high school (2014) under the academic track, that students should develop competency in creative skills in terms of: imaginative writing, reading and writing poetry; reading and writing fiction, reading and writing drama and creative work in literary and/or socio-political context. the teachers shared the common strategies they used in teaching creative writing in the absence of the teaching guide. based on the profile of the teachers, not all teachers specialized in creative writing. however, some of the teachers have specialization in english and linguistic with more than three (3) years of experience in teaching english and other subjects. table 6: relationship between assessment of the teachers in the creative writing curriculum guide and the common strategies they used common strategies indicators strategies description p-value decision remarks content standard 0.444 substantial correlation 0.014 reject ho significant performance standard 0.369 low correlation 0.045 reject ho significant learning competencies 0.450 substantial correlation 0.013 reject ho significant relationship between teachers assessment of the creative writing curriculum guide and the common strategies they used based on the result, content standard, performance standard and learning competency have significant relationship with common strategies used by the teachers since the p-value are 0.014, 0.045, and 0.013, respectively, which is less than the level of significance (0.05). therefore, the researcher has sufficient evidence to conclude that there is significant relationship between the assessment of the teachers in the creative writing cg and the common strategies used by the teachers. moreover, since the substantial correlations that exist on content standard, performance standard and learning competencies are positive; this means that these three indicators are directly related to the common strategies used by the teachers. challenges encountered by creative writing teachers using the curriculum guide the teacher-respondents identified the following challenges: unavailable teaching guide unappropriated activities/tasks, insufficient authentic language, learning materials not fitting, confusing, limited time, lack of laboratory and equipment. other challengers were: language tasks in the curriculum guide do not match the need to develop learners’ multilingual, multicultural, and media-literacy skills. on objectives, the teachers found them and stated in a language not clear for both teachers and learners. finally, the format of the curriculum guide presented, the teachers responded that confused the teachers and did not directly establish an affinity with other important materials such as the modules provided by the deped. the proposed applicable teaching guide for creative writing in senior high school because the present curriculum guide in creative writing has no existing teaching guide the researcher attempts to develop a teacher’s guide related to the most essential learning competencies passed by the deped that can be used in senior high school. conclusions based on the findings, the following conclusions were drawn: the existing creative writing curriculum guide needs further improvement in the three categories: of content standard, performance standards and learning competency as revealed by a moderately effective assessment. majority of the senior high school students grades in the creative writing subject clustered along 81 to 87 or satisfactory performance. the teachers shared the common strategies they used in teaching creative writing in the absence of the teaching guide. the teachers of creative writing were challenged by: inappropriate activities/task, learning material not fitting/confusing, limited time, no teacher’s guide, lack of laboratory rooms, wi-fi and library, ratio of teachers with students, and no monitoring of implementation. there was significant relationship between teachers’ strategies in teaching creative writing and content standards, performance standards and learning competencies. the proposed guide in teaching creative writing may be of great help to teachers. based on the findings and conclusions, the following are recommendations given: firstly, strict monitoring on the implementation of the curriculum guide be made to address the needs of the teachers and the students. the school principals and heads can use the findings of this study to determine further improvement in teaching https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 68 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 62-71, 2022 creative writing and develop the learning competencies of the students. the strategies used by the teachers may be used as reference in crafting teaching for creative writing. the department heads should address or solve the challenges of the teachers in teaching creative writing. since there is a relationship in the teacher’s assessment of the curriculum guide and strategies used by the teachers, this can be a great help in improving the teacher’s performance as well as the learning competency of the students through a teaching guide. implementation the use of principals and heads of the english department may of creative writing teaching guide which can be a great help for teachers in meeting the challenges in teaching creative writing as crafted by the researcher. lastly, future researchers to conduct similar studies along teaching effectiveness in english. references adam, a. a. s., & babiker, y. o. 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(2016, november 21). retrieved from https://study.com/academy/ lesson/what-is-a-curriculum-guide.html//c:/users/ ranilo/downloads/creative%20writing%20about/ writingcreativepage.pdf file:///c:/users/ranilo/ downloads/teachers%20guide%20about/a%20 teacher’s%20guide%20to%20the%20 signet%20classic%20edition%20of.pdf © 2020 seaworld parks & entertainment. https:// seaworld.org/teachers/guides/ https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 12 8 american journal of education and technology (ajet) designing and evaluating an outcome-based education model: a case study at angeli gilbert christian academy richard paolo b. deluria1* volume 3 issue 2, year 2024 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v3i2.2881 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: april 29, 2024 accepted: may 31, 2024 published: june 04, 2024 this research paper explores the implementation of obe (outcome-based education) in the context of disparate educational institutions, including the case of agca (angeli gilbert christian academy). this study uses a qualitative research method (in-depth interviews and thematic analysis), which examines how obe complies with spady’s five pillars (paradigm, purposes, philosophy, principle, and outcome of significance) and its effect on the student learning outcomes. the study’s responses were gathered from teachers (15) and parents (15) through zoom meetings, allowing for a deeper understanding of the obe and its implementation in agca. this analysis highlights the crucial importance of obe in the creation of student-centered learning approaches that are targeted to meet educational objectives, and that contribute to the formation of a favorable learning environment. the implementation of the obe manual is proposed, and it will be tailored to fit the purpose and objectives of agca, which will guide the curriculum, instruction, and assessment alignment. in general, the study underscores that understanding and integrating obe principles can help enhance education’s quality and relevance. obe implementation of agca has been successful, gathering positive feedback from parents and educators. this research also indicates some adjustments to the agca structure, involving changes to the vision and mission statements as well as to the program with a focus on the obe manual. future research could consider integration effectiveness, longitudinal surveys of alumni, and comparative analogy of informing other educational reform strategies for students. keywords outcome-based education (obe), angeli gilbert christian academy (agca), five pillars, learning, education, studentcentered learning 1 st. paul university, 680 pedro gil st, malate, manila, 1004 metro manila, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: rmdanelsaid@yahoo.com introduction outcome-based education (obe) can be considered as a model of innovation and reform in education, offering a flexible tool for the comprehensive formation of learners (asim et al., 2021). the concept of the set-out learning outcomes lays the foundation for obe, which is a breakaway from the traditional school of thought, thus signaling a successful paradigm change toward learnercentric educational policymaking. through the definition of targeted goals and proficiencies right from the commencement of the curriculum, obe strives to give students the necessary knowledge, skills, and dispositions to survive in a world that is constantly transforming (mungalu, 2019). the outstanding development whereby outcome-based education was birthed can be attributed to the mounted recognition of the inhibiting factors typically found in traditional education (mchawa, 2023). this often prioritizes content mastery and rote memorization over the all-important critical thinking, problem solving, and real-world application (kotsch, 2021). however, obe perception and application by educators have undergone drastic changes as a means of adapting to these challenges among which transformation it catalyzes in the teaching and learning methods is championed as a driving force (katawazai, 2021). the philippines hit its turning-point moment in the field of education after the introduction of the “enhanced basic education act of 2013” which introduced a new platform for educational reform and initiatives (lopez, 2022). the education act intended to raise the level of basic education and align it with international standards, which marked the beginning of the adoption of an obe as part of the curriculum across all archipelago. in a landscape infiltrated by massive educational shifts and innovations, agca, a new and dynamic educational institution, sets out on a road towards technologicalbased learning integration. the agca school, located in rodriquez, rizal, has a history of over two decades, and it has always served as a source of quality education for students from diverse backgrounds. nevertheless, despite its extensive past, agca is still unfamiliar to the idea of obe, which poses both difficulties and opportunities for improving teaching. over a period of twenty years, agca has insisted on the same mission which is to nurture the next generation of leaders, thinkers, and innovators. on the other hand, agca is aware that rapid changes in the educational environment and the current circumstances pose a challenge on which to build and develop to meet the changing needs of its students in future. the emergence of covid-19 clearly demonstrated the need for resilience, adaptability, and innovation required in times of crisis, prompting the organization to rethink its educational practices and priorities (thanitbenjasith & kamkankaew, 2023). the year 2020-2021 was intriguingly the drop-point of agca as the outbreak of covid-19 brought imbalance in various parts of philippine society such as economy pa ge 12 9 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 128-140, 2024 and education. in the aftermath of this, agca had to deal with financial difficulties, which led the former owner and principal of the school to seek a new ownership for the institution. the researcher, an educator and entrepreneur who is passionate about academic success, found the chance to acquire agca in order to rebirth the academic program and bring it to international standards. the new owner of agca, being a professional educationalist with years of experience in operating different learning centers in the uae and a wide range of educational background, possesses an unsurpassed ability to develop this promising and advanced educational community (lifestyle, 2023). since the researcher is so interested in obe and its ability to serve this purpose of uplifting filipino students’ learning standards, he can gladly lead agca toward obe implementation. this research is aimed at examining the model and evaluating outcomes for implementation in a unique context of the agca with a view to promoting individual educational growth and success. this initiative intends to design an approach for a better future for agca and its student community by conducting rigorous research and engaging stakeholders, based on the principles of outcome-based education. literature review theoretical framework this study’s theoretical framework is based on the notion of outcome-based education (obe), which was defined by william g. spady in 1994 and was further expanded by tucker in 2004 (miranda, 2011). obe seeks a radical change in the cognitive structures of education, highlighting the need to measure learning outcomes rather than using traditional means such course credits or grades. it ensures that educational systems should be built as a platform for competencies that students will be expected to exhibit at the end of learning. this is routed in overhauling the curriculum, assessments, and reporting exercises to ensure that they are in sync with the intended outcomes. obe implication depends on the synergy of the entire educational circle, such as pedagogical methods, grade evaluation approaches, and educational practices. hence, in order to realize the principles of obe, schools need to begin with a clear comprehension of desired educational outcomes followed by the modelling their actions in line with these outcomes and the attainment of these desired results. conceptual framework the study’s conceptual framework centered around the essential pillars of obe, a standards-based educational approach that stresses stated learning objectives. it recognizes that obe does not impose rigorous evaluation or teaching approaches, but rather focuses on encouraging students to achieve established objectives. the study aims to investigate the extent to which obe is implemented in schools and educational institutions, particularly angeli gilbert christian academy (agca). it seeks to identify barriers to implementing the obe model and to receive feedback from agca staff and parents on the execution of obe principles. the research seeks to evaluate agca’s present obe implementation status while adhering to obe principles and offering suggestions for improving instructional strategies and outcomes for students. figure 1: conceptual framework source: author outcome-based education (obe) outcome-based education (obe) is a new approach to learning that focuses on outcomes rather than using traditional methods. obe was established in the 1990s by william spady, who shifted from the traditional education method that revolves around what students are taught to one that focuses on what students learn. a recent study from 2020 on obe pinpoints the basic elements of the theory such as ultimate goals, purpose, achievements, and material success. it is based on a systematic methodology in curriculum development, assessment and teaching, which centers on students’ performance at the end of the program (rao, 2020). a well-structured system of writing outcomes makes it easier to observe and measure educational backgrounds by making sure that course outcomes are closely related to program outcomes and that each program is expected to respond to the outcomes of the whole program. a study by riphah international university in 2022, faisalabad campus, compared online learning (obe) with traditional teaching methods to understand its efficiency in improving student outcomes. the research concluded that obe enhances student learning, teaching methods, and subject delivery. it also highlighted the need to correlate course outcomes with program outcomes and other requirements to improve education quality (zamir et al., 2022). obe is significant in developing countries like pakistan, as it can improve educational quality and pa ge 13 0 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 128-140, 2024 performance through better systems and school policies. a paradigm shift towards obe can lead to better outcomes in education in diverse social economic situations (asim et al., 2021). outcome-based education (obe) is a teaching method the focuses on certain learning outcomes which enables to improves students’ behavior, motivation, engagement, accountability, and adaptive behaviors. it does not only enhance classroom atmosphere but it also makes students able to cope with everyday situations. it gives them knowledge that can be used for teaching and policy purposes (hamidi et al., 2024). in addition, a 2021 research emphasizes the importance of the obe model in curriculum development and evaluation. this study underlines the necessity of connecting curriculum design with targeted learning goals and using several assessment techniques to successfully evaluate student performance. the new 2022 study suggests a sophisticated approach towards introduction of obe at the tertiary level engineering programs, which in turn corresponds with the international academic standards and accreditation requirements (syeed et al., 2022). a study from 2020 focused on obe implementation at a private medical school in saudi arabia to point out the areas needed to be improved while offering the recommendations to enact these practices (iqbal et al., 2020). a qualitative research in 2023 examines concrete competences like knowledge building, problem solving and ethical values that are needed to become successful in learners’ careers (saha et al., 2023). the 2020 critical review offers an insight into the challenges and opportunities of obe implementation in higher education. this, in turn, brings guidance to the policy makers, educators and institutions as they move toward being outcome-based (rawlley & mehra, 2020). therefore, in the end we must invest even more in the research and practical steps so that the obe could achieve its full potential and contribute to academic success of students and their skills development for the future. obe in the philippines outcome-based education (obe) is a revolutionary approach in higher education in the philippines with the aim to connect educational processes to specific student learning outcomes to make graduates globally competitive and locally market driven. this work aims to evaluate the application of obe in the different higher education institutions in the philippines, considering the challenges that were overcome, the success that was achieved, and the methods applied. the survey summarizes the findings from the different studies that were done between 2018 and 2021, resulting to a complete picture of how obe has been adapted in the education system in the philippines and its effects on teaching methods as well as student’s learning outcomes. a study undertaken by (dagdag, 2019) investigates the opinions of mathematics teachers in isabela, philippines, on outcome-based education (obe). the study demonstrated that most teachers do not have sufficient knowledge of obe concepts, resulting in inefficient implementation of obe. this research underscores the need for more than just faculty development programs in helping educators orient their curricula and assessment better with the obe standards. similarly, a study in tagbilaran city looked at english teaching and learning under the framework of the obe, which showed improvement in teaching methods and academic performances due to properly implemented and wellunderstood obe principles (guigue, 2020). the study by (florida, 2018) conducted in the polytechnic university of the philippines by faculty expressed a satisfactory readiness to apply the obe particularly in the colleges of education and engineering among others. on the other side, in 2019, an evaluation at the university of perpetual help system dalta, showed that there is a logic gap between learning goals and level of student achievement, identifying that it is necessary to provide more funds at the academic area so that faculty can be well equipped with the knowledge and resources to use obe (custodio et al., 2019). a recent study that involved faculty from allied programs in the medical field shed light on several implementation challenges and adaptation strategies associated with obe. the study addresses issues like tight schedule, cautious adoption of changes, which were countered by proactive efforts like internal training as well as development of policies (raguindin & man). furthermore, a 2020 policy perspectives article contested the inputs-based structure as the major problem in philippine higher education, calling for a more comprehensive embrace of obe practices to deal with the quality issue and to make education more relevant to the economic requirements (dagdag, 2020). the findings mirror a 2019 research in central philippines state university, which assesses the implementation of the obe to moderate level by applying the adli model in order to be integrated to the teaching process that will consequently improve student’s competencies for global job market (cayot, 2019). in addition, the 2021 evaluation in aklan based on the ched-obe framework found several issues involving stakeholder participation and assistance which are required for effective implementation of the obe (barrios, 2021). the practical application of obe was also further investigated in a 2020 study that validated the contents of an obe student teaching manual, which has now become a valuable tool for enhancing the student teaching phase in teacher education institutions (marasigan, 2020). on the other hand, a study conducted by (tenedero & pacadaljen, 2021) in samar state university, which critically examined the implementation of obe paid much attention to the proper adjustment of learning experiences in such a way that they would coincide with the strategic goals of the institution with the purpose of improving the level of education. these interrelated research ensures the evolutionary and formidable implication of obe in the philippines pa ge 13 1 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 128-140, 2024 as a whole which substantiates the need for improving faculty’s readiness, consistent resource allocation and institutional implementation to achieve a higher level of efficacy in improving higher education quality. methodology study design the study employs qualitative research methods to assess the impact of obe implementation in diverse educational environments. this technique, is preferred due to its capacity to capture rich, descriptive data that can explain the intricacies of the way through which obe is being implemented (moser & korstjens, 2018). the research design involves in-depth interviews, which is a semi-structured approach that is focused on openended discussions with stakeholders, including teachers, administrators and policymakers. discussion forums will be set up that will involve teachers, parents, and other education sector players to explore the collective perception and experiences of all agents of change in this field. the posted documents (the educational documents) of formal structures have also been observed in order to grasp the features of the obe implementation. an obe observation in an education setting will be undertaken, as a part of a qualitative research combination of an interview data analysis, data collection. such qualitative multifaceted approach guarantees that the area of research covers all the diverge perspective, practices, and challenges that are observed when obe is implemented across various learning contexts. the objective of the study is to generate detailed and location specific data on obe implementation as a whole. hence, this study will help us to gain richer understanding of implementation context of obe in different educational settings. data collection research gathers data on obe implementation via literature review, interviews, and questionnaires. the literature review is a foundation where the theoretical fundamentals and practical use of obe is explored across various settings. interviews of different personalities who are the key stakeholders and include school admin, policy-making experts as well as instructors are done to disclose multiple views and experiences. the interviews were taken over the internet using platforms such as zoom, making the whole process easy to the informants and flexible. questionnaire is given to agca teachers and parents to gather qualitative data about their opinions, experiences and attitude towards obe implementation. sample size the study uses purposive sampling for a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities involved in obe implementation. 15 teachers from agca that possess the relevant skills and knowledge are appointed as participants, while the group of 15 parents selected from agca reflects the various views among each other. a sample size associated with data saturation is likely to be optimal, implying that the data collection should be continued until no other information or new themes can be obtained from the data analysis. data analysis the data analysis procedure considers the qualitative methods for identifying patterns, themes, and relationships in the interview responses and answers to the questionnaire. thematic analysis identifies patterns and categories related to obe implementation, whereas matrix alignment compares different findings through cross-source check. this will help in unveiling the congruencies, discrepancies, as well as holistic themes that allows one to understand obe implementation comprehensively. ethical considerations ethical concerns have been given top priority during the research process in a bid to protect the rights, privacy, and confidentiality of subjects. the informed consent is sought from all participants in the study, and all other measures and precautions are taken to protect the confidentiality of the information. moreover, the approval of ethical boards from the relevant institutional review boards is also sought in order to meet the requirement for ethical compliance in terms of the ethical guidelines and standards. results and discussion this study presents, analyzes, and interprets participant data based on research questions, focusing on problem statement and investigation. the data presentation, analysis, and interpretation provide insights into research questions and objectives, shedding light on the phenomenon under study and providing a comprehensive understanding of the subject matter. five pillars of obe as articulated in other schools in terms of: a. outcome of significance b. paradigm c. purposes d. philosophy e. principle table 1: articulation of five pillars of obe in spu and mit five pillars of obe st. paul university mapúa institute of technology proposed framework outcome of significance program outcomes student learning demonstrations: learning outcomes program education outcomes clear, observable demonstrations of significant learning experiences. learning schedules pa ge 13 2 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 128-140, 2024 intended learning outcomes avoid values, attitudes, feelings, beliefs, activities, assignments, goals, scores, or averages paradigm the instructional plans incorporated learning activities, resources, and assessments that were in line with the spup's vision-mission, goals objectives, and paulinian core values. framework of assessment program outcomes: obe framework of agca: selection based on area’s political process before, during and end of school year processescommitment to provide education opportunities and require learning outcomes purposes the instructional plans incorporated learning activities, resources, and assessments that were in line with the spup's vision-mission, goals objectives, and paulinian core values. a commitment that all students of all groups will ultimately reach the same minimum standards. acca's obe implementation, mission, vision and program objectives philosophy educators with a strong understanding of obe can effectively implement the new curriculum in the classroom, as their training in obe makes it easier for them to understand and apply it effectively. program evaluation objectives (peos) background and contextconsistent with institution's mission. periodically document and demonstrate objectives based on program's needs. periodically document and evaluate attainment of objectives. principles strong administrative support students' knowledge learning assessments well-informed faculty students' skills activity-based committed faculty motivation in carrying out the demonstration learning students grading system designed curriculum continuous improvementobe implementation is ascribed to faculty members table 2: articulation of five pillars of obe in uphs and lpu five pillars of obe university of perpetual help system dalta lyceum of the philippines university proposed framework outcome of significance competent professionals and graduates with aligned curricular experiences and resources that are globally competitive with standard workforce needs graduates with essential and minimum knowledge, values, and skills learning outcomes learning schedules paradigm formulating institutional, program, and course outcomes before revising course syllabi and identifying and establishing instructional supports. learning opportunity for a better structure though preparing the obe documents. obe framework of agca: accreditations, research-based, and curriculum review/revision evaluation on the effectiveness of the peos about its contribution to the progress of the community before, during and end of school year processes purposes national standards and levels for outcomes of education and training, skills, and competencies national standards and levels for outcomes of education and training, skills, and competencies agca's obe implementation mission, vision and program objectives background and context pa ge 13 3 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 128-140, 2024 philosophy student-centered learning philosophy student-centered learning philosophy background and context principles cmo no.46.s.2012 outlines a policy standard to improve quality assurance in philippine higher education through outcomesbased and typology-based qa. cmo no.46.s.2012 outlines a policy standard to improve quality assurance in philippine higher education through outcomes-based and typology-based qa. learning assessments activity-based learning grading system continuous improvement table 3: articulation of five pillars of obe in south africa and hong kong five pillars of obe south african schools hong kong proposed framework outcome of significance learners finished their course/ program at a specified time (e.g. a four year course is finished within four years) significance to teacher education in general, to build content and pedagogy experts learning outcomes learning schedules paradigm transformational exit outcomes and role-performance through outcomes assessment and performance-based standards, adopting a criteria-based view of assessment. focus on students and outcomes obe framework of agca: evaluation of curricular change and student’s evaluation before, dining and end of school year processes purposes not articulated diversified assessment tasks agca’s obe imp l emen t a t i on mission, vision and program objectives outcome achievement focused on knowledge and skills content validity with the domain of the course provide valuable feedback be reliable and fair philosophy not articulated obl background and context principles oba policy document assessment rubric with the following criteria (wang, 2010): learning assessments alignment and mapping with the cilos activity-based learning transparency grading system observable, measurable, and with evidence continuous improvementdemonstrates expectations on the students table 1, 2, 3 analyzes outcome-based education (obe) pillars in other schools and universities, based on research studies from various countries. the current guidelines of other institutions can serve as a reference for angeli gilbert christian academy (agca), providing a thorough analysis of transitioning to an obe framework and providing a rational approach to implementing obe in agca. analysis using literature and applying to the case study outcome-based education (obe) is a student-centered approach to education that focuses on the intended learning outcomes resulting from instruction. it has three versions: william spady’s first version, developed in the 1980s and 1990s, emphasizing the outcome of significance, paradigm, philosophy, purposes, and principles; the second version, widely adopted in the united states, australia, and the united kingdom in the 1980s and 90s, providing accountability to accreditation agencies and external stakeholders; and the third version, which uses learning outcomes for the sole purpose of enhancing teaching and learning (qadir et al., 2020). obe provides a framework for organizing the curriculum around predetermined and clearly defined student learning outcomes. it has been viewed as a significant pa ge 13 4 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 128-140, 2024 paradigm shift in educational philosophy and practice, emphasizing a learning-based model focusing on what students know and can do as a result of a learning experience or acquiring a degree. however, in countries like south africa, the philippines, and hong kong, the implementation of obe has different findings and success measures, depending on the approach and how the significance of obe will be a factor in the success of the school or institution. in south africa, the outcome of significance is articulated through the department of education policy document (2000), which states that learners should progress according to their age cohort and not spend more than four years in a phase (mzangwa, 2019). in the philippines, the shift towards obe is influenced by various factors, such as industry, workplace, and stakeholder expectations, propelling academic institutions to graduate professionals who can be locally and globally competitive and contribute to local, national, and global development. the study analyzed various institutions and universities to identify the philosophy pillars of open-ended learning (obe). it was found that the pillar is not articulated, with south africa stating that students should first draw learning programs, work schedules, and lesson plans. in hong kong, teachers were concerned about the implementation process, as they did not explain to students that obe was being experimented with, denying them the opportunity to become directly aware of the innovation. this led to students not being able to make informed critiques of design and implementation, potentially preventing them from noticing differences in course characteristics. the obe in south africa was revised, with each learning area having its policy document, guiding educators on planning instructional and assessment practices. in the philippines, the ched memorandum order mandated engineering schools to follow new policies, standards, and guidelines for all bachelor’s engineering programs. in hong kong, the principal pillar of obe was identified by course instructors as four principles: mapping with the cilos, being transparent, observable, and easy to measure with evidence. the study examines the perceived pillars of outcomebased education (obe) in angeli gilbert christian academy (agca) by staff and students’ parents. the responses were analyzed using spady’s five pillars of obe, and a structured obe was developed. the staff and teachers at agca are the main agents of the school’s operations, and their responses are based on their subjective knowledge and pedagogical experience. the analysis helps formulate a structured obe for agca. the study analyzed interviews with agca staff and teachers, revealing various teaching approaches and the impact of learning outcomes on students’ progress. thematic analysis identified 9 themes of obe: concern for students’ welfare, positive student traits, confidence in teaching, forecasted learning outcomes, confirmed learning skills, student success, creativity, best effort, and genuine teacher concern. table 4: thematic analysis on the perceived pillars of obe of staff/teachers of agca participants narratives themes teacher 3 proper deliverance of lessons will highly contribute in the student's daily learning. the more precise the teacher, the better the children will understand. with a clear teaching objective, both teacher and student will be able to understand each other. concern with their students’ welfares teacher 4 students whose creativity and imagination are nurtured and developed, and have understanding with their identity, with their relationships to people and to their overall well-being. positive traits of students are observed thru setting-up learning outcomes teacher 1 as a preschool teacher, i have observed significant improvements in my students' writing skills, despite the challenges of online teaching, and they've also developed social communication skills, contributing to their success as independent individuals. confidence in teaching teacher 1 emphasis is placed on a clearly articulated idea of what students are expected to know and be able to do. forecasted learning outcomes teacher 3 this only proves that he is able to grasp the learning content of the lessons. confirmed learning skills teacher 1 the students are attentive learners who easily catch up on lessons, and when they encounter difficulties, they are always asked which part they don't understand. student’s success teacher 5 the children are given empowerment all throughout the past quarters. in case a child has a difficult time learning skills, the teacher gives support to ensure that learning outcomes are met by meeting the child one on one to provide multiple means of engagement to practice and to achieve mastery. creativity pa ge 13 5 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 128-140, 2024 teacher 4 every end of the grading period, agca arranges meeting between parents and teachers to assess the performance of their students. during this time, the teacher tells the parents about the performance of their kids and on areas they are excelling and on areas the student has to improve on. i think it is the most effective support a school can give to both parents and students. best effort teacher 3 no one will be left behind. the teacher repeats the lesson or the example more often. teacher’s genuine concern themes 1 and 2: outcome of significance teachers prioritize their students’ welfare and wellbeing, as highlighted by teacher 3. proper lesson delivery significantly enhances daily learning, and a clear teaching objective fosters understanding between teachers and students. this leads to observed good behavior throughout the school year, which is significant in the context of obe. the more precise the teacher, the better children understand. therefore, teachers play a crucial role in promoting student well-being. theme 2: purpose teachers’ full potential is realized when they have a wide range of teaching confidence, or self-assurance. as a preschool teacher, i observed significant changes in my students’ learning, especially in writing, even when teaching online. they learned to communicate socially and share their thoughts and ideas. self-assurance is defined as having faith in oneself, and it is essential for teachers to have a sense of purpose in their teaching methods. themes 3 and 4: paradigm the paradigm of obe is defined by teachers by segmenting their responses to questions about it. teacher 1 emphasizes a clearly articulated idea of what students are expected to know and be able to do, while teacher 3 believes this only proves their understanding of the learning content of the lessons. theme 6: philosophy most teachers believe that student success is the ultimate goal for education, not just obe. teacher 1 believes that education should be supported from the beginning, especially when lessons are challenging. they are attentive learners who easily catch up on what they are taught. when they encounter difficulties, they are asked which part of the lesson they don’t understand. themes 7 and 9: principle the obe manual for agca implementation uses principles rooted in teachers’ genuine concern for their students. teacher 3 emphasized the importance of no one being left behind, emphasizing the need for frequent repetition of lessons or examples. agca’s staff and teachers emphasize the continuous learning approach in their educational context. they believe that lesson objectives guide students and foster understanding between students and teachers. graduates from agca are creative, responsible, and resilient young people with good virtues. the staff perceives the program’s outcomes as aligned with the school’s objectives. they observe that students are fully equipped according to their learning outcomes, collaborating well, and creatively solving problems. they overcome learning barriers through enhanced communication skills and thought processes. the purpose is not just to improve academically but also to prepare students for lifelong skills. analysis using literature and applying to the case study the paradigm pillars of obe, as perceived by staff and teachers, determine the success of students’ learning outcomes. these outcomes are evident not only at the end of the lesson but also at the end of the quarter, indicating that skills and knowledge are acquired when students leave the school. staff and teachers consistently stated that students in agca demonstrate different capabilities to cope with every lesson. the educational context in agca provides students with more opportunities for career and personal growth, allowing them to achieve better credentials and become a man of character. the educational context in agca is a significant factor in the success of each student, providing them with better credentials and character development. the researcher found that the educational context at agca provides equal learning opportunities, with a grading system that sets expectations for students, teachers, and parents. this system empowers students throughout the school year, ensuring better learning outcomes and mastery in the subject. teachers use repetitions to enhance focus and regulate learning emotions, enhancing the overall learning experience. the role of parents and guardians in angeli gilbert christian academy significantly impacts the school’s success. they are the main client of the school’s operations and their involvement in their child’s education is crucial for future success. feedback and collected responses from parents and guardians contribute to a better educational system at agca. their inputs are valuable in constructing an obe framework, ensuring a more effective learning environment. parents’ and guardian responses reveal the development of their children’s learning in agca. thematic analysis reveals themes such as affirmation, experiential learning, lesson objectives, confidence, parent’s dream, satisfaction, learning outcomes, honed skills, improved behavior, pa ge 13 6 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 128-140, 2024 learning expectations, foundation of child, better school selection, positive attributes of agca, independent learner, curriculum improvement, good traits, teachers’ positive attributes, confidence in agca, grading system, parents’ cooperation, affirmation, positive attributes of agca as a whole, confidence, motivation, teacher support, and good communication. table 5: thematic analysis on the perceived pillars of obe of guardians/parents of agca participants narratives themes parent 8 the teacher's objectives and lessons are well-prepared and executed, enabling my son to understand his lessons with minimal supervision, as the teacher has already provided a well-explained lesson. affirmation with agca parent 15 the teachers contribute to student learning through sharing of past experiences and proven effective examples. experiential learning parent 13 lesson objectives are crucial as they serve as a guideline for lesson execution, ensuring a smooth and clear understanding of the intended goals. learning objectives parent 10 yes, confidence. i don’t doubt my child’s reading and writing competency nor her drive to learn but acga really brought her confidence to a new level. confidence with agca parent 5 as we talk last time. my son told me; mommy do you think i can be an artist. i answered him yes. i saw him drawing and coloring it and he is so happy doing it. parent’s dream for her child parent 9 yes, my child has developed reading skills in a short span of time, she has demonstrated creative skills as well satisfied parents of agca parent 2 yes, self-confidence, critical thinking, problem-solving, effective and written communication, and a good leader learning outcomes parent 3 in general, behavior generally leads to personal growth, increased confidence in various aspects, and academic success through practical application of learned skills and increased observance of surroundings and other factors. honed skills improved behavior parent 1 yes, education emphasizes a clear understanding of what students are expected to know and possess, including skills and knowledge, upon leaving the school system. thinking of child’s future parent 7 agca's grading system aims to foster student achievement, fostering a strong desire among students to meet their set expectations. agca’s grading system parent 6 my child became more observant and curious, connecting school activities with real-life events in our home. she applied new words and ideas learned, indicating that the teacher effectively taught the students. experiential learning parent 12 the child is expected to enhance their intellectual knowledge across all subjects, enhance their problem-solving skills, and improve their interpersonal behavior. learning expectations parent 4 academic progress is seen every time. we can notice it in our daily activities and conversations daily learning parent 14 teachers are very supportive and always in assistance. they are ready to answer any enquiries anytime. teacher’s support parent 11 my son asks too many questions and teachers address it. they also give complement to kids who are doing great jobs. thus, they feel like doing more and better. good communication themes 1 to 3: outcome of significance many parents have praised agca’s excellent execution of their educational programs, stating that the lessons are well-planned and practical. the teacher’s objectives and lessons are well-executed, and the child can now understand the lessons with minimal supervision, as the teacher has already well explained the lesson. this positive feedback highlights the effectiveness of agca’s educational programs. themes 4: purpose the researcher’s investigation reveals that parents use learning results to create dreams for their children, and their faith in agca’s ability to help has satisfied them. their child has developed reading and creative skills, meeting their expectations, and demonstrating their expectations. pa ge 13 7 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 128-140, 2024 themes 7 to 10: paradigm parents believe that obe’s paradigm leads to improved skills, conduct, and experiential learning. they believe teachers effectively teach students and believe agca can protect their children’s future. parent 21 supports education that clearly outlines what students need to know and be able to do when they leave the school system. themes 11 to 13: philosophy parents are choosing agca for their child’s learning foundation based on obe’s philosophy and agca’s guardians and parents. agca offers a comprehensive, well-rounded christian education with a small class size. parents are seeking improvements to the curriculum to foster independence and parental involvement, fostering a sense of faith in the school. themes 14 to 15: principles agca’s grading system, a key pillar of obe principles, aims to make students achievers. parents trust the system due to teachers’ support, open communication, and inspiration. the system aligns with agca’s obe implementation manual, and parents evaluate their child’s progress. students are expected to produce lifelong experiences, possess deep knowledge, be creative professionals, spiritually aware, and possess strong digital capabilities. analysis using literature and applying to the case study parents at agca believe their children can fully equip themselves according to their learning outcomes, with students developing confidence in various subjects. despite challenges in online classes, parents have seen their children progress to the next level of education. they appreciate the advanced learning at agca and the good interaction between teachers and their children. parents believe the quality of education is important in their child’s life, and their child can demonstrate mastery of lesson concepts in daily activities. agca offers a quality education with high-quality teachers, developing good values, and improving comprehension and memory. the school prepares learners for the 21st century, producing analytical thinkers and values imbued with love and morals. the school’s strong social/emotional curriculum and teachers help children communicate, solve problems, and work together as a classroom community. agca parents and guardians believe in a realistic grading system that emphasizes attitude and behavior in class, not just completed worksheets. high expectations and incentives encourage collaboration and cooperation, valuing teamwork over individualism. agca empowers students through protection, love, and encouragement, motivating them to attend school and demonstrating their ability to deal with society. teachers use a systematic and creative approach, providing support and guidance for student development, with the guidance and moral support of the teaching staff being crucial contributors to student learning. alignment with obe pillars the literature review emphasizes the importance of figure 2: matrix of alignment with obe’s five pillars source: author high-quality learning for students, focusing on alignments between the concept, philosophy, and purpose of agca. parents believe that high-quality learning leads to changes in behavior and mastery of lesson plans. experiential learning outcomes demonstrate what students have learned during the learning process. agca education allows students to pursue higher positions, pursue various career paths, and achieve personal growth. the school’s objectives align with the pillars of the obe of the agca framework, ensuring all students are fully prepared and well-equipped to succeed. the existing grading system sets high standards for students, staff, teachers, and parents, allowing them to improve and achieve learning targets. teachers play a systematic and imaginative role in the classroom, contributing to various fields of study. the foundation for educational pa ge 13 8 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 128-140, 2024 context is based on teachings of equality in learning and helping students interact with society and create a good image for themselves. the school’s principles alignment matrix serves as the base for achievement framework design, time schedule, assessment, activity-based learning, grading system, and continuous improvements. the research emphasizes the significance of long-term skills development, requiring years of drill and reinforcement. teachers and parents share the development of their children’s learning while participating in agca, ensuring that the objectives of lessons are well-aligned. proposal for agca obe implementation manual the study proposes a program for angeli gilbert christian academy’s outcome-based education, based on alignment matrix and participant responses. the program consists of components from the five pillars of outcome-based education, with the ultimate pillar carrying significant outcomes after executing activities under philosophy, purpose, paradigm, and principles. table 6: proposed obe manual for angeli gilbert christian academy proposed obe manual for angeli gilbert christian academy spady’s concept and perceived pillar of obe content the perceived pillars of obe in angeli gilbert christian academy philosophy background and context student’s centered-learning principle purpose iagca’s obe implementation mission, vision and program objectives program outcomes academic program fundamental program paradigm obe framework of agca essential form of learning principles learning schedules learning routines learning assessments achievement structure activity -based learning grading system continuous improvement list of documents graduate outcome of significance attributes (smart) learning outcomes obe (obe) of the agca is structured to narrow the teaching and learning activities to the essential educational outcomes identified by the education expert, prof. william spady. agca does that through the setting of clear goals for students to accomplish before they finish their learning tenure. this way it ensures that the curriculum, instruction, and assessment all coincide with the outcomes of these goals to create maximum learning success for and beyond school years. the obe process at agca involves organizing a learning environment that provides the students, including those with special needs, with numerous opportunities and conduciveness in overcoming learning obstacles. the main objective for agca is to competently and sustainably provide obe which will guarantee competitiveness and generation of nationals who have capacity to build the nation for today and tomorrow. this is achieved through the vision of making the current and prospective agca staff equipped with the requisite tools for the purpose of proper obe implementation that is in line with national policies and guidelines being released by the ministry of education. its objectives focus on gaining mastery of basic education, a critical thinking and problem-solving skills development that are ethical, and effective communication, and more importantly, the promotion of lifelong learning especially in the field of technology. one of the primary objectives of the agca is to foster inquiry, critical thinking and creativity which will cater for the complete development of the child in regards to the social, physical, emotional and cultural needs while at the same time encouraging every student at their pace and style of learning. this model demonstrates the principle that the essence and method of knowledge play a big role while the time for learning can be flexible due to different development rates and outcomes. angeli gilbert christian academy (agca) follows the pillar of objective based education (obe) model, focusing on high expectations, innovation, and systematic tracking of supporting materials. the school provides equal learning opportunities for all students, empowering them to deal with society and set a good image for themselves. teachers use a systematic and creative approach in their teaching methods. the learning assessments entrance exam determines students’ learning competencies and gaps, and monthly and quarterly exams measure the effectiveness of lesson plans. students are classified into three groups based on their weighted average: challenge students (74% and below), average students (75% to 84%), and advance students (85% and above). the obe model includes written work, performance tasks, pa ge 13 9 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 128-140, 2024 figure 3: obe framework of agca source: author and quarterly assessments, with a grading system based on deped guidelines. agca’s learning schedules are designed to prepare students for college or university entrance, with academic hours based on the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 school years. students in kindergarten to grade 5 are given daily homework, monday to thursday, with teachers supporting this by not assigning homework on weekends. the school offers various learning materials to help students develop desirable work and study habits and prepare them for college or university entrance. agca’s achievement structure is an ongoing process based on multiple sources of evidence, allowing students to take responsibility for their work and support their growth as lifelong, reflective learners. the study aimed to create an outcome-based education manual for angeli gilbert christian academy (agca) to improve its current educational practices. data was collected from staff, teachers, and parents, using qualitative methods and thematic analysis. the findings revealed that the current implementation guidelines of other schools and educational institutions serve as a reference for creating an obe framework. some countries did not provide accurate details from whom they derived their educational context, while in the philippines, obe was viewed as a significant paradigm in educational philosophy. the researcher interviewed teachers and parents to identify the current learning outcomes of students, but they did not answer the question of agca’s current educational context aligned with obe. the findings suggest considering the inputs and educational teaching experience of teachers when creating the obe framework. conclusion angeli gilbert christian academy (agca) has successfully implemented outcome-based education (obe) in its educational system, demonstrating the potential for similar strategies to other schools. parents and teachers expressed satisfaction with agca’s progress in the educational system. the researcher concluded that a matrix of alignment resolved challenges in drafting an outcome-based education manual for agca. obe has been implemented in the philippines and other countries since the early 1990s, and implementing this change will help agca produce esteemed alumni and change learning opportunities. the study also identified opportunities for improvement in agca’s educational framework, suggesting a revision from the vision/mission statement and a developmental plan in line with the proposed obe manual. the learning tools used in agca are crucial for obe implementation, and other institutions should review their current approach for continuous quality improvement. recommendations future research may include studies on the effectivity of obe 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(2022). switching to outcome-based education (obe) system, a paradigm shift in engineering education. ieee transactions on education, 65(4), 695702. pa ge 1 pa ge 55 american journal of education and technology (ajet) use of sam in developing instructional numeracy materials guia b. abengoza1, jona c. agubang1, maria lakasdiwa s. bagayawa1*, maricres h. berjuela1, emily i. calagoyo1, cherry love b. montales1 volume 4 issue 1, year 2025 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v4i1.4256 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: december 17, 2024 accepted: january 24, 2025 published: february 03, 2025 in the philippines, numeracy abilities are important because they play a major role in the country’s economic development, technological advancement, and general societal advancement. this study assessed the numeracy skills and proficiency of grade 6 students of agaton c. rodriguez elementary school. based on the albay numeracy assessment tool (alnat) pre-test result, the researchers were able to construct instructional videos in mathematics 6 following the sam model of instruction, which can help in the improvement of the students who fall in need of major support level during the numeracy assessment. the mathematics 6 teacher and school ict coordinator of the selected school served as the validators of the instructional videos and revisions were done according to their comments and recommendations. this study concludes that the sam proves to be an effective and adaptable approach for designing and developing instructional content. the model promotes a user-centered process that prioritizes continuous refinement by focusing on its three core phases—preparation, iterative design, and iterative development. the study also recommends that instructional designers be open to revisiting earlier phases based on ongoing feedback, ensuring that the final product is continuously refined and meets learners’ evolving needs. engaged groups during the preparation and development phases help ensure the instructional content remains relevant and user-centered. further recommends allocating adequate time for the iterative design and development process. for sam to be successfully implemented, instructional designers should receive proper training on its principles and best practices. additionally, fostering collaboration between design teams, subject matter experts, and developers is essential for creating highquality educational resources. finally, regular evaluation during each phase of the sam process ensures that instructional content meets both pedagogical and user requirements. continuous assessment helps identify potential issues early on, leading to more effective solutions before final implementation. keywords contextualized instructional materials, mathematics, sam 1 central bicol state university of agriculture, san jose, pili, camarines sur, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: marialakasdiwa.bagayawa@cbsua.edu.ph introduction numeracy skills are essential for navigating the challenges of modern life, as these are the ability to comprehend, apply, and use mathematical concepts in a variety of contexts. the range of numeracy skills among learners around the world reflects various educational frameworks. globally, several challenges prevent the development of numeracy skills. mathematics education in the philippines is already facing major challenges. in the 2018 programme for international student assessment (pisa), the philippines ranked among the lowest in reading comprehension and ended up in the low 70s in mathematics and science across 79 countries in a study done by the organization for economic cooperation and development (oecd, 2019). the deteriorating performance of filipino students in mathematics has become a major challenge to philippine education. in the context of the philippines, numeracy abilities are extremely important because they play a major role in the country’s economic development, technological advancement, and general societal advancement. as the nation continues to navigate the opportunities and challenges of the twenty-first century, policymakers, educators, and stakeholders all need to have a thorough understanding of learners’ numeracy skills. the education system is essential to shape and improve these skills and match them with the demands of a world that is becoming increasingly complex. the tpack (technological pedagogical content knowledge) framework provides valuable insights into teaching effectiveness. research highlights that teachers with education-related degrees exhibit significantly higher tpack competency levels due to their academic preparation, which emphasizes pedagogy and technological integration. conversely, teachers without education-related degrees often require additional training to enhance their tpack skills (ferrer et al., 2025). this finding underscores the importance of providing professional development opportunities tailored to teachers’ educational backgrounds, ensuring they are equipped to foster student achievement effectively. the 2013 enhanced basic education act, republic act no. 10533, is the enhanced basic education system in the philippines, which covers kindergarten and 12 years of basic education, as outlined in republic act no. 10533 (enhanced basic education act of 2013), also referred to as the k to 12 law. the curriculum is designed to provide learners with a holistic education, including the development of numeracy skills. the deped order no. 31, s. 2012, which is the policy pa ge 56 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 41-47, 2024 guidelines on the implementation of grades 1 to 10 k–12 basic education curriculum, published in 2012, offers guidance on how to implement the k–12 curriculum. one of the key components of this curriculum is the development of competencies across a variety of subject areas, including mathematics, to improve students’ numeracy abilities. the implementing rules and regulations of republic act no. 10533, which is stated in deped order no. 33, s. 2013, further detail the enhanced basic education act of 2013’s provisions, particularly those of curriculum development and the advancement of high-quality education. the policy guidelines on the national assessment of student learning for the k to 12 basic education program, which is deped order no. 55, s. 2016, provides guidelines for the assessment of students’ learning outcomes, including in numeracy skills. the connection between this study and the sustainable development goal (sdg) 2030, specifically goal 4, aims to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all” (united nations, 2015). this study is also aligned with the research agenda of the department of education on teaching and learning, particularly in examining best practices, tactics, and enabling and impediments concerning five sub-themes, specifically: education, curriculum, students, evaluation, and learning objectives. the agaton c. rodriguez elementary school, located at cadlan pili, camarines sur, conducted the alnat (albay numeracy assessment tool) or enat (electronic numeracy assessment tool) during the first month of the school year 2024–2025. there are eighty-two (82) grade 6 learners who took the assessment. the result of the numeracy level of eighty-two (82) learners is 100% needs major support. the lowest numeracy skill is about estimating, with a rating of 28.78%. this prompted the researchers to conduct a study for the improvement of their numeracy skills. according to tolento (2024), there is a necessity to strengthen the instructional strategies employed by teachers during the teaching and learning process. teachers should prioritize professional development, particularly in the field of mathematics, to ensure they remain updated, enhance their teaching methods, deepen their subject knowledge, and ultimately facilitate student learning and success. beltran (2021) suggested that teachers should incorporate video courses, whether they are microteaching or comprehensive ideas based on portions of the lesson plans, so that they may properly lead and assist the students in understanding and instructing them on how to teach particular competencies using the offline version. including video lessons and modules could be beneficial for teaching various learning competencies in mathematics and improving grade 5 students’ performance scores (beltran, 2021). by considering the varied learning styles and needs of learners, the study on contextualized audio-visual instructional materials tackles the need for inclusive education. learners with different skill levels and preferences can more easily access the educational approach by utilizing multimedia resources. by doing this, it helps create a more equitable learning environment by guaranteeing that all learners, regardless of their educational backgrounds or abilities, have access to excellent learning materials. instructional materials are one of the most important components to support the process of learning and make it more engaging and significant (purwitaningrum & prahmana, 2021). increased technology use in the classroom can result in a variety of immediate and longterm social and academic benefits (bond & bedenlier, 2019). the use of technology in teaching has been in demand, where the study of borja et al., (2024) concluded that teaching-learning through technology such as the virtual learning is an affordable option to traditional classroom settings and learning. however, the result of the study conducted by saro et al., (2023) showed that elementary schools in the philippines mostly used traditional materials such as books, modules, supplementary reading materials, etc. while the least used materials are speakers, projectors, and tvs are the least technology-based. most traditional teaching methods are teacher-directed and designed to get students to sit still and listen. it is frequently argued that non-traditional methods of teaching and learning may better equip students with these kinds of skills. constructivist philosophies serve as the foundation for what is commonly referred to as “non-traditional” mathematics education. this includes incorporating strategies wherein individuals develop, construct, or rediscover knowledge to make sense of the world, or utilizing social constructivist ideals that emphasize the influence of teaching and learning strategies associated with students’ motivation, selfefficacy, and achievement (kartal, 2022). it is impossible to teach numeracy skills effectively without the aid of instructional media (shikuku & mwangi, 2023). technology has been a great asset in education, improving students’ learning in mathematics and reducing the achievement gap between struggling students and typical students. technological tools such as video lessons have had a positive impact on students’ attitudes and problem-solving skills and have helped teachers address the diverse needs of their students (zhang et al., 2015; vincent & stacey, 2017; parrot & leong, 2018). among the educational tools, video lessons were seen as a very promising and useful innovation in the teaching and learning of mathematics. as defined by bhatia (2015), a video lesson is a video that shows educational material for a topic in a particular subject to be learned by students. the student-centered approach is the preferred learning environment for learners as it promotes engagement rather than lecturing. notably, game-based learning emerges as a potent strategy for enhancing academic proficiency in mathematics, proving its effectiveness compared to traditional teaching methods (cayang & ursabia, 2024). game-based learning significantly enhances the teachinglearning process in mathematics and can be easily applied pa ge 57 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 41-47, 2024 in the classroom. it supports and promotes learners’ motivation, making games a highly effective part of this teaching technique. utilizing social media and other technologies has become a crucial aspect of our everyday existence, yet the absence of technology is very evident in our classrooms (karami, 2019). the retention and memorization of taught concepts are aided by visual media (shikuku & mwangi, 2023). learning support tools are needed to improve students’ numerical literacy skills. one effort that can be made is to use the help of learning media (devi & sutama, 2023). the capacity to apply and reason with basic numerical concepts is known as numeracy. basic numeracy abilities include understanding basic mathematical concepts such as division, multiplication, subtraction, and addition (umoh et al., 2023). data on numeracy skills across the globe demonstrate an increasing trend, indicating that the degree of numeracy skill acquisition rises in tandem with increased use of instructional media (shikuku & mwangi, 2023). physical manipulatives used in instruction, such as base-10 blocks and physical number lines, have demonstrated their efficacy in teaching fundamental properties of numbers (kaminski & sloutsky, 2020). integrating contextualized materials makes learning relevant by addressing the diverse needs and learning styles of students. montales (2025) highlighted the importance of contextualized and culturally grounded instructional materials, such as those developed through the pinaggikanan initiative. further, by investigating the necessity of contextualized audio-visual materials, the research demonstrates a concern for catering to diverse learning needs. the emphasis on audio-visual instructional materials suggests an exploration of technology integration in education, as highlighted by devi and sutama (2023); shikuku and mwangi (2023). this aligns with the modern teaching and learning agenda, which recognizes the role of technology in engaging students and enhancing the learning experience. furthermore, there were many factors that affect the performance and numeracy level of students in mathematics. gratela and janer (2022) emphasized that teacher-made video lessons can be valuable supplementary learning materials, particularly in distance learning modalities during the new normal education. numerous studies have demonstrated that the thoughtful application of technology can enhance both the learning of mathematical techniques and the growth of advanced mathematical abilities, such as problem-solving, critical thinking, and reasoning (mercado, 2022). according to mercado (2022), research that involves multidisciplinary approaches can provide substantial assistance to teachers in the development of educational materials. sam instructional design framework this model was used to guide the researchers in the formulation of the statement of the problem and in making the instructional video to address the needs of the students to enhance their numeracy skills in mathematics 6. figure 1: sam instructional design model used in this study statement of the problem this study was conducted to answer the following questions: 1.what is the numeracy level of grade 6 learners in alnat for school year 2024-2025? 2. what contextualized instructional video material can be developed to support the teaching and learning process in numeracy? 3. what is the validity of the developed contextualized instructional video material in terms of: a. content; b. accuracy c. technical design and d. presentation and organization materials and methods research design this paper used the sam, with three phases: the preparation phase, iterative design, and iterative development. under each phase, it includes several activities. likewise, the study of medrano & pacis (2022) followed the same process in developing and validating infographics for grade 6 science. it followed three 3) phases namely planning phase, development phase; and validation phase. respondents of the study grade 6 students of agaton c. rodriguez elementary school were selected as the respondents of the study. there were 82 grade 6 students whose alnat pre-test results were gathered to serve as the basis for the for the construction of the instructional video in mathematics 6. the grade 6 mathematics 6 teacher serves as the validator of the created instructional video together with the school ict coordinator. research instrument the researchers utilized the albay numeracy assessment (alnat) pre-test results of grade 6 learners at agaton c. rodriguez elementary school to assess numeracy proficiency. the alnat, designed to evaluate various numeracy skills, including computing, estimating, and reasoning, served as the foundational instrument for this study. the pre-test is consist of multiple-choice items including the different numeracy skills in mathematics pa ge 58 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 41-47, 2024 such as knowing and understanding, computing and solving, estimating, visualizing and modeling, representing and communicating, conjecturing and reasoning, proving and decision making and applying and connecting. the researcher also utilized the validation tools for evaluation of the instructional video patterned in the validation tools of the division of camarines sur-deped. results and discussions pre-assessment result of grade 6 learners of agaton c. rodriguez elementary school in alnat for school year 2024-2025. based on the alnat pre-test result of grade 6 learners of agaton c. rodriguez elementary school in alnat for school year 2024-2025, majority of the students fall under needs major support level of mathematics proficiency. among the competencies in the alnat estimating and applying and connecting were the least mastered skills. figure 2: mathematics proficiency rating as shown in the figure above estimating got the lowest percentage ranking among the numeracy skills questions in the alnat which has the rating of 28. 78%. while proving and decision making got 33% rating. this shows that those skills need to be enforced in order to improve the skills of grade 6 students in terms of those competencies which receive the lowest rating. developed instructional video material to support the teaching and learning this paper used the sam model, which has three main phases: preparation, iterative design, and iterative development. each phase involves several steps. the instructional videos created with sam focused on two topics: arranging integers and solving word problems with mixed decimal numbers. these videos were aligned with the competencies in mathematics 6, identified as needing the most support based on the alnat pre-test results. preparation phase the initial phase of this paper was the information collection which includes the following: a. conducted needs assessment of learners in agaton c. rodriguez elementary school. b. identified participants through small group discussions. c. gathered pre-test results of grade vi learners in albay numeracy assessment tools (alnat). d. identified the two competencies that have the highest result of needing major support. e. analysed instruction materials available in agaton c. rodriguez elementary school. f. conducted literature review on instructional videos, mathematics learning area and sam. iterative design phase in this phase, it includes design, prototype, and review. a. design. made storyboard based on the competencies that need major support. browsed applications and software based on accessibility and user-friendliness. designed the interface of the video presentation. b. prototype. laid out the step-by-step process of the instructional video. c. review. conducted peer-reviewed of the two prototype instructional videos. iterative development phase this phase includes development and evaluation, with three iterations, namely: alpha, beta, and gold versions. a. development of alpha version. produced two functional instructional videos. one was for arranging integers, and the other was problem-solving involving mixed decimal numbers. layout and sound effects were included. b. evaluation of alpha version. consulted four mathematics grade 6 teachers and four information communication technology (ict) coordinators for evaluation and feedback. conducted small group discussions about the results of feedback. the video on arranging integers needs to be edited in terms of labelling and adjusting the color of some elements. in the video on word problems, including mixed decimals, there was a need to add two more word problems. the first problem should be showing how to solve it. c. development of beta version. produced the revised instructional video. in the video of arranging integers, a minor revision was made. in the video of solving word problems, including mixed decimals, major revisions were made. d. evaluation of beta version. consulted mathematics grade 6 teachers and ict school coordinators. there should be a change of some technical terms in the video of arranging integers. instead of increasing, it was substituted with ascending and decreasing with descending. the movement of the rabbit was also suggested to hop right after the displayed answer for each box, not at the end of each question. e. development of gold version. produced a complete and detailed instructional video on arranging integers and another for word problems including mixed decimal numbers for grade 6 mathematics learners. validation of educational video materials the output of this study was the development of pa ge 59 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 41-47, 2024 educational video tutorials in mathematics for grade 6. the input variables for this study were the competencies incorporated in the melcs (most essential learning competencies). this study utilized the deped evaluation rating sheet tool for video lessons. selected math teachers in camarines sur and naga city assessed the content, accuracy, and up-to-datedness of the information. the format/technical design, presentation, and organization were assessed by selected ict coordinators in camarines sur and naga city. an initial validation was conducted by the validators. factor 1 and factor 4 were assessed by the mathematics teachers. based on the provided data from the deped evaluation rating sheet for the video lessons titled “arranging integers on the number line” and “multistep problems involving multiplication and addition or subtraction of mixed decimals,” here are the interpretation of the evaluation: factor 1. content 1. content suitability: the content is highly suitable for the learners’ level of development, as evidenced by the rating of 4 (very satisfactory). 2. achievement of specific objectives: the material adequately contributes to the achievement of specific objectives of the learning area and grade level, with a rating of 3 (satisfactory). the evaluator suggests improving the video by adding two more problem-solving examples and including solutions. 3. development of higher cognitive skills: the material effectively supports the development of higher cognitive skills, including critical thinking, creativity, learning by doing, inquiry, problem-solving, and 21st century skills, with a rating of 4 (very satisfactory). 4. freedom from biases: the material is free from ideological, cultural, religious, racial, and gender biases and prejudices, achieving a rating of 4 (very satisfactory). 5. interest arousal: the material successfully captures the interest of the target reader, also rated 4 (very satisfactory).factor 1 got 19/20 total points. the material passes factor i, as it exceeds the minimum required score of 15 points. factor 4. accuracy and up-to-dateness of information 1. conceptual errors: there are no conceptual errors, with a rating of 4 (very satisfactory). 2. factual errors: the material contains no factual errors, achieving a rating of 4 (very satisfactory). 3. grammatical errors: there are no grammatical errors in the material, receiving a rating of 4 (very satisfactory). 4. computational errors: there are no computational errors in the material, rated 4 (very satisfactory). 5. obsolete information: the information is up-todate, with a rating of 4 (very satisfactory). 6. typographical and minor errors: there are no typographical or other minor errors, with a rating of 4 (very satisfactory). factor 4 has 24/24 total points. the material passes factor 4, as it exceeds the minimum required score of 18 points. overall recommendation for factor 1 and 4 the supplementary learning resource meets the evaluation criteria for both content and accuracy/up-todateness of information. it scores highly in all areas and addresses specific learning objectives and developmental appropriateness effectively. the only suggested improvement is the inclusion of additional problemsolving examples and solutions for the two videos and specify the boxes for the video on integers. given this evaluation, the material is recommended for approval for use in public schools, provided that the suggested corrections/revisions are made in future editions. factor 2 and factor 3 were also initially conducted by the ict coordinators using the deped evaluation rating sheet for video lessons. here are the interpretation of the evaluation: factor 2. format/technical design 1. volume and quality of sound: the volume and quality of sound are appropriate, achieving a rating of 4 (very satisfactory). 2. pacing: the pacing is efficient and appropriate for instructional purposes, with a rating of 4 (very satisfactory). 3. audio-visual effects: the audio-visual effects (music, sounds, graphics, etc.) are appropriate and effective for instructional purposes, receiving a rating of 4 (very satisfactory). factor 3 has 12/12 total points. the material passes factor 2, as it meets the maximum score and exceeds the minimum required score of 9 points. factor 3. presentation and organization 1. engaging presentation: the presentation is engaging, interesting, and understandable, achieving a rating of 4 (very satisfactory). 2. logical flow of ideas: there is a logical and smooth flow of ideas, with a rating of 4 (very satisfactory). 3. vocabulary level: the vocabulary level is adapted to the target reader’s experiences and understanding, receiving a rating of 4 (very satisfactory). 4. appropriate length: the length of the video/audio recording/lesson is appropriate to the attention span of the target learner, with a rating of 4 (very satisfactory). factor 3 has 16/16 total points. the material passes factor 3, as it meets the maximum score and exceeds the minimum required score of 12 points. overall recommendation for factor 2 and 3 the supplementary learning resource meets the evaluation criteria for both format/technical design and presentation/organization. it scores high in all areas and is considered suitable for the intended instructional pa ge 60 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 41-47, 2024 purposes. the material does not require any corrections or revisions based on the current evaluation. given this evaluation, the material is recommended for approval for use in public schools. final validation of the video tutorials the final validation of the video materials was conducted by mathematics teachers and ict coordinators from camarines sur and naga city. the videos were edited based on the suggestions and comments from these validators. taking into account the experts’ suggestions, the video tutorials were revised accordingly. the edited videos were then viewed by learners for final validation. these revisions were made based on the comments and computed ratings from the experts. this process determined the videos’ content validity, accuracy, formatting, presentation and organization. the final copies of the educational video tutorials were submitted to an education professor expert for final viewing and evaluation. both video tutorials were accepted. conclusion the sam model follows a user-centered process that focuses on continuous improvement through its three core phases: preparation, iterative design, and iterative development. the preparation phase lays the groundwork by engaging stakeholders early, defining clear goals, and building a shared understanding of the project. in the iterative design phase, the team ensures the instructional materials are well-aligned with user needs through regular testing and feedback. finally, the iterative development phase refines and perfects the content by incorporating multiple cycles of evaluation and adjustment. this approach not only improves the quality of educational resources but also ensures they remain relevant, accessible, and effective for learners. by emphasizing collaboration and ongoing refinement, sam fosters a development process that is both adaptive and responsive to the needs of its users. recommendations based on the findings of this paper, several recommendations can be made for effectively implementing the sam model in instructional design. by following these recommendations, organizations can leverage sam model to create high-quality, learnercentered instructional content that is both effective and adaptable. while sam provides a structured framework, its strength lies in its adaptability. instructional designers should be open to revisiting earlier phases based on ongoing feedback, ensuring that the final product is refined continuously and meets the evolving needs of learners. the iterative nature of sam benefits from regular input from both learners and other stakeholders. engaging these groups during the preparation and development phases helps ensure the instructional content remains relevant and user-centered. due to the cyclical nature of sam, it’s important to allocate adequate time for the iterative design and development process. this allows for meaningful feedback to be gathered and incorporated at each stage, improving the quality of the end product. for sam to be successfully implemented, instructional designers should receive proper training on its principles and best practices. additionally, fostering collaboration between design teams, subject matter experts, and developers is essential for creating high-quality educational resources. regular evaluation during each phase of the sam process ensures that instructional content meets both pedagogical and user requirements. continuous assessment helps identify potential issues early on, leading to more effective solutions before final implementation. references amirreza, k. 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(2015). the role of technological tools in bridging achievement gaps in mathematics. pa ge 1 pa ge 12 3 american journal of education and technology (ajet) basic education curriculum under the newly implemented k to 10 (matatag) curriculum in the philippines: the case of science education tomas jr diquito1* volume 3 issue 3, year 2024 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v3i3.3396 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: july 25, 2024 accepted: august 28, 2024 published: september 03, 2024 curriculum reform is essential to address the current needs of the community, nation, and global demands. by doing this, community members are equipped with relevant skills and competencies that are timely and relevant in modern times. thus, this study was conducted to determine the nature of the newly implemented k to 10 or matatag curriculum under basic education-science in the philippines. discussion of the topic revolves around understanding the reasons for curriculum reform and determining the new features and competencies of the new basic education-science curriculum. moreover, document analysis was carried out to address the objectives of the study. results revealed that there are four main reasons why curriculum reform is needed in basic education in the country. reasons include poor performance of learners in national and international assessments, congested curriculum, insufficient time to teach, and mismatch of prerequisite skills and knowledge assumed by the learning competencies. in terms of new features of the basic education science curriculum, the addition of technology and engineering literacy is highlighted, along with an addition of theoretical foundations and approaches to teaching. the analysis further revealed that the highlighted competencies are aligned with the relevant skills and competencies needed in the 21st century, industry 4.0 and industry 5.0. thus, it can be concluded that the newly implemented basic education science curriculum is responsive to global demand, thus making the country more resilient and adaptive to change. keywords matatag, k-10 curriculum, curriculum reform, science education, education in the philippines 1 university of mindanao, digos college, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: tomasdiquito@umindanao.edu.ph introduction the education curriculum is dynamic and responsive to the needs of the community and states. young (2014) states that curriculum is a social fact; its purpose is to create possibilities for the betterment of the community. moreover, curriculum reform is crucial since society is dynamic (campbel, 2020; reis, 2018). changes in the components of society can profoundly affect the members of the state (newman, 2005; snooks, 2002). therefore, updating the community members’ skills and competencies is crucial for sustainable development within the locality, states, and the globe (jacobs, 2010). however, it is also crucial to understand the current and future needs of the community before implementing curriculum reform (gouëdard et al., 2020). thus, this study was created to uncover the purpose of the recent curriculum reform in the philippine basic education system under the science curriculum and how this reform addresses the modern demands of the workforce. evidence of curriculum reform in basic education shows a dynamic and rigorous process. this is conducted to ensure that the developed curriculum is responsive to the needs of society (pate et al., 2001) without compromising future demands (vreuls et al., 2022). although implementing the new curriculum is challenging primarily due to adjustments by different groups (e.g., teachers, administrators, stakeholders, learners, etc.…) (assunção flores, 2005; bennie & newstead, 1999; nuraeni et al., 2020), this can be overridden with enough training and support on the side of educators and administrators (echols et al., 2018; lachausse et al., 2014). in addition, informing the general public regarding the nature of the newly implemented curriculum is also crucial since this diverse group of people will directly benefit from the educational reform (craig, 2009; warren, 2005). the study of campbel (2020) on curriculum reform in science education indicated how crucial change is in uplifting learners’ skills. in addition, eilks (2015) and ekamilasari & pursitasari (2021) acknowledge the importance of science education in transforming the community and ensuring sustainable development. this suggests the crucial role of education institutions in shaping the present and future of the community by creating a sustainable curriculum responsive to the needs of future generations, thus eliminating different forms of discrimination (gay, 2015; kieran & anderson, 2019; mayfield & garrison-wade, 2015). therefore, ensuring that the curriculum in science education effectively addresses current issues is a must in curriculum reform. in the philippines, the former k to 12 curriculum implemented in 2012 offers a major reform in basic education by adding two years in the secondary level (refers to senior high school grade 11 and 12). in this curriculum, it is mandated by the state that the senior high school level is also compulsory in the basic education system (republic of the philippines, 2013). in addition, another feature of this curriculum is the implementation of the “mother language or regional/native language” pa ge 12 4 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 123-132, 2024 as part of the instruction in kindergarten and the first three years of elementary education (republic of the philippines, 2013). this feature was added to ensure that learners have the best learning using their first language. aside from that, the curriculum also ensures the delivery of quality education that is responsive to the global market’s needs, highlighting the essential learning competencies to produce globally competent individuals. under the k to 12 curriculum, the science discipline in the enhanced basic education also offers a wider array of opportunities for learners to become globally competent. the science curriculum highlighted the embodiment of scientific, technological, and environmental competency to produce highly competent individuals necessary for sustainable development (department of education, 2016). moreover, to accomplish these goals, the department of education released a curriculum guide containing the necessary learning competencies and other crucial information to effectively deliver the science discipline in the newly implemented curriculum (department of education, 2016). in the said document, various approaches are also given for educators to effectively carry out the curriculum and cater to the needs of learners. however, despite the preparation and proper implementation made by the philippine government to uplift the standards of science education in the country, still the country has achieved a low performance in scientific literacy. this assumption is based on various assessments conducted in the country, such as the programme for international student assessment (pisa) 2018 results (taken by 15-year-olds) by the organization for economic cooperation (oecd), wherein the philippines scored 357 in science, which scored below the average performance of all participating countries (oecd, 2019). a follow-up test result of pisa 2022 has yielded a score of 373 in science (oecd, 2023), gaining a minimal increase from the pisa 2018 result. in addition, the result of the trends in mathematics and science study (timss) in 2019 conducted on grade 4 learners by the international association for the evaluation of educational achievement (iea) resulted in a 247 score in science (low performance) (mullis et al., 2020). the findings of the international assessments on basic education scientific concepts among learners in the country served as baseline data on how to approach science education. local studies have also expressed concerns regarding the status of science education and learners in the country, such as the study of bernardo et al. (2023) and de la cruz (2022). the findings of these studies have recommended what priority areas should be considered and needed to be integrated into science education in the country to achieve desirable outcomes (e.g., the role of industry 4.0, personal and contextual learning, etc.). thus, with the outgoing k to 12 curriculum, it is very crucial to understand the critical issues that the former curriculum has and use these issues as a stepping stone in creating a new curriculum that is responsive to the needs of society. on january 30, 2023, the vice-president (vp) of the philippines and former department of education (deped) secretary sara z. duterte announced the new curriculum of basic education in the country (department of education, 2023b). following this announcement, deped issued deped memorandum no. 054, s 2023, which indicated the pilot implementation of the new curriculum in the country (department of education, 2023a). this move by the department of education was created to ensure the smooth transition of the new curriculum following its gradual implementation in the school year (sy) 2024 2025. thus, following the discussions, this study examined the new matatag or k to10 curriculum in basic education in the philippines, specifically in science education, to uncover how responsive this new curriculum in the modern demands. specifically, this study aims to address the following questions: (1) what is/are the underlying reason/s for the curriculum reform in the philippines (matatag/ k to 10 curriculum)?; (2) what are the new features highlighted in the newly implemented matatag science curriculum in the philippines? and (3) what are the lifelong competencies highlighted in the matatag curriculum and its alignment to the global competencies needed in the 21st century, industry 4.0 and industry 5.0? literature review k to 12 curriculum in the philippines the republic act 10533, or the enhanced basic education act of 2013 was implemented in the philippines to improve the overall basic education system in the country (republic of the philippines, 2013). this curriculum is called the k to12 curriculum following the major reforms in the department of education. the new feature of this curriculum is the additional two years in the secondary level, which is referred to as senior high school (shs) (grade 11 and grade 12), thus allowing learners to choose tracks as their field of expertise (republic of the philippines, 2013). another main feature of this curriculum is the use of a spiral progression approach wherein topics are introduced at the early grade level and then relearned at higher grade levels with varying difficulty of concepts (tirol, 2022). in the basic education science under the k to12 curriculum, the discipline of chemistry matter (1st quarter), living things and their environment (2nd quarter), physics force, motion, and energy (3rd quarter), and earth and space (4th quarter) were the main components and arranged in the same order in the elementary education (grade 3 to grade 6). the same science disciplines were used in the secondary level junior high school (jhs) (grade 7 to grade 10) but were arranged in different orders (department of education, 2016). the science curriculum in the shs differs depending on the learners’ chosen track. the science curriculum in elementary and jhs was framed based on the spiral progression pa ge 12 5 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 123-132, 2024 approach, aiming to have the best possible outcomes of scientific learning among learners. challenges in the k to 12 curriculum despite the initiatives, the k-12 curriculum in general, has faced several challenges, including learners not attaining the necessary skills and knowledge at the desirable grade level, difficulty in teaching and implementing the intended curriculum by teachers (robertson, kheang, et al., 2021; robertson, rickards, et al., 2021as cited in second congressional commission on education, 2023), “teachers are not prepared to deliver the k-12 curriculum specifically in filipino, mathematics, and science in grades 6, 8, and 10” (philippine national research center for teacher quality, 2017 as cited in second congressional commission on education, 2024), high cognitive demand in learner’s side due to high volume of competencies of learned (department of education, 2022) to name a few. however, the above-mentioned challenges are just one of many challenges experienced by the country. the arrival of the covid-19 pandemic significantly impacted the country, especially in the education sector. schools are forced to close due to lockdowns implemented by the state to minimize the spread of the virus, and learners are forced to learn using different modalities (modules, online learning, etc...) (unicef, 2020). educators and administrators are forced to adapt to the new learning modalities to deliver instruction despite problems encountered (e.g., ict problems, preparedness to teach in an online setting, mental health, etc…) (oducado et al., 2021; samifanni & gumanit, 2021; tria, 2020). this new learning modality has impacted the education sector, and the issue of “learning gaps among learners” arises in the philippines and other countries (unesco, 2021). these ongoing problems have become the center of attention in the education sector, and various initiatives have been drawn to alleviate these problems. the k to 10 or matatag curriculum on august 10, 2023, former vice president sarah z. duterte officially announced the launching of a new curriculum to be implemented in the philippines (office of the vice president, 2023). in the announcement, vp sarah z. duterte mentioned that the new curriculum is named the matatag curriculum or k to 10 curriculum, which will now be the heart of basic education under the department of education in the country. under the new curriculum, the matatag curriculum has four critical components, these are: (1) make the curriculum relevant to produce competent and job-ready, active, and responsible citizens; (2) take steps to accelerate delivery of basic education facilities and services; (3) take good care of learners by promoting learner well-being, inclusive education, and a positive learning environment; and (4) give support to teachers to teach better (bureau of curriculum development, n.d.). moreover, prior to the full implementation of the curriculum starting sy 2024-2025, the department of education released a statement through deped memorandum no. 054, s. 2023 that the department will conduct a pilot implementation of the said curriculum in different regions in the country (department of education, 2023a). among the selected regions are regions 1, ii, vii, and xii, the caraga region, the national capital region (ncr), and the cordillera administrative region (car). in addition, the new curriculum will be implemented first in kindergarten, grades 1, 4, and 7 for the sy 2024-2025, then followed by implementation in grades 2, 5, and 8 for sy 20252026, grades 3, 6, and 9 for sy 2026-2027, and finally grade 10 for sy 2027-2028. (department of education, 2023a). the department of education carried out plans and preparations to make this curriculum relevant and responsive to local and global demands. methodology this study employs qualitative research utilizing reviews from literature, documents, and reports from reliable sources. qualitative research, as mentioned by busetto et al. (2020), is a form of research that deals with studying the nature of phenomena and focuses on the question “why”?. in this study, the researcher aims to uncover the nature of the newly implemented curriculum in the philippines and provide a new perspective to the global and scientific communities regarding the topic. moreover, busetto et al. (2020) added that in this method of inquiry, the most common data collection method is document study, semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, and observation. thus, in this study, the researcher used document study as a data collection method to examine the nature of the new curriculum. this selection is based on karppinen & moe (2019) that documents (private or public institutions) have rich data and, therefore, are usable. in this study, the researcher used only electronic copies (either from private or public institutions) of documents since these documents are accessible on the databases or posted on the government or private entities’ websites (with proper citations). to ensure the reliability of the study, the researcher followed several protocols in including documents to be included in the study. these include; (1) the document must be related to curriculum, matatag or k to10 curriculum, emerging competencies, 21st century, industry 4.0, and industry 5.0; and (2) the document must be either published in a peer-reviewed journal (for article), government documents, private industries reports and reports from reliable media sources (blogs, commentaries, and social media posts are not included). these criteria ensure that this study undergoes a rigorous process, thus ensuring that the textual data obtained are reliable. moreover, the following procedures were carried out in this study: (1) the researcher developed the objectives of the study and wrote the background of the study; (2) the researcher then curated existing documents on the main pa ge 12 6 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 123-132, 2024 topic of the study, which is the matatag curriculum. in this stage, the researcher carefully plans how to extract the necessary documents based on bowen’s (2009) evidence evaluation suggestion. these include listing all the necessary documents to be included based on the keywords, examining the authenticity of the documents based on the inclusion criteria, and finally, evaluating the overall relevance of the documents to the study. (3) after gathering the necessary documents, the researcher then reads the document thoroughly and takes notes on the crucial information based on the study’s objectives; and (4) finally the researcher then writes the findings of the study. further, this study uses document analysis to analyze the gathered documents. the researcher followed the suggestion of bowen (2009) in analyzing documents. these include skimming (superficial examination), reading (through examination), and interpretation. in addition, as bowen (2009) suggested, document analysis can further use content and thematic analysis. thus, following this suggestion, the researcher uses content analysis as part of the analysis, especially in addressing objective three of the study. results and discussion this section discusses the major findings of the study with supporting literature to make the discussion more relevant in different settings: reason/s for the curriculum reform in the philippines (matatag/k to 10 curriculum) after carefully reading the announcement of the department of education (deped memorandum no. 054, s. 2023 (department of education, 2023), general shaping paper (bureau of curriculum development, 2023), vp sara-speech (aug. 10, 2023), and news reports from national news outlets (inquirer.net (abarca, 2023), manila bulletin (hernando-malipot, 2024) and philstar global (servallos, 2023) ) the findings were drawn on the reasons of curriculum reform in the philippines. table 1 shows the reasons for the curriculum reform in the country based on the analyzed documents and reports. based on the analysis, the reasons are (1) poor performance of learners in national and international assessments; (2) the curriculum is congested and needs to decongest; (3) insufficient time to teach the given competencies of the current curriculum (k-12 curriculum) by the teachers; and (4) mismatch between prerequisite skills and knowledge assumed by the learning competencies. these reasons allow the department of education to revisit the k to12 curriculum and create a new curriculum that is responsive to the challenges and problems associated with the outgoing curriculum. by doing this, the country can produce competent learners in various fields who are experts, resilient, and adaptive to the current and future global market without compromising the country’s development. table 1: reasons for curriculum reform in the philippines reason (statement) source “poor performance of learners in national and international assessment” 1. vp sara speech (aug. 10, 2023) 2. general shaping paper (bureau of curriculum development, 2023) “curriculum is congested and needs to decongest” 1. vp sara speech (aug. 10, 2023) 2. inquirer.net (abarca, 2023) 3. manila bulletin (hernando-malipot, 2024) 4. philstar global (servallos, 2023) 5. general shaping paper (bureau of curriculum development, 2023) 6. deped memorandum order. no. 054, s. 2023 (department of education, 2023) “insufficient time to teach the given competencies of the current curriculum (k-12 curriculum)” 1. vp sara speech (aug. 10, 2023) 2. general shaping paper (bureau of curriculum development, 2023) “mismatch between prerequisite skills and knowledge assumed by the learning competencies” 1. general shaping paper (bureau of curriculum development, 2023) new features in the k to 10 / matatag curriculum (science) the department of education prepared the new matatag or k to10 curriculum to be responsive to change brought by different factors such as the 21st century, the rise of industry 4.0, and the needs of the country and global market. the given science education curriculum under the matatag or k to 10 curriculum for grades 4 and 7 outlines the goals, theoretical, and philosophical foundations behind the new science curriculum (department of education, 2024). based on the matatag curriculum science grade 4 and 7 published by the department of education (2024), the new science curriculum has new features drawn on the goals of the 2016 science k to 12 curriculum. these include (a.) technology and engineering literacy; pa ge 12 7 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 123-132, 2024 (b.) articulate expectations of what learners should be capable of doing at each key stage and grade level; and (c.) developmental sequence of content in consideration of the prior learning of students and the cognitive and language demands of learning new science ideas. table 2 shows the comparison of the k to 12 science curriculum (department of education, 2016) and the k to 10 science curriculum (department of education, 2024) conceptual framework (except for theories). based on the comparison, the new curriculum has several improvements to the k to 12 science curriculum framework. the overall goal of the new curriculum has added engineering literacy from technological literacy in the k to 12 curriculum, creating technology and engineering literacy. this new goal expands the application of engineering in modern and future society. the opportunities that this additional goal encompasses the quality of life that is crucial as the world progresses (wilson-lopez et al., 2017; wilson &lopez & minichiello, 2017). in addition, according to hamka et al. (2024) embedding technological and engineering literacy can improve students’ critical thinking and problemsolving abilities. these findings are also aligned with the 21st-century skills that the department of education highlighted in the new curriculum. moreover, the k to 10 curriculum adapted the k to 12 table 2: comparison of k to 12 and k to 10 science curriculum conceptual framework indicators k to 12 science curriculum features k to 10 science curriculum new features goal scientific, technological, and environmental literacy scientific, environmental, and technology and engineering literacy interrelated content standards 1. demonstrating scientific inquiry skills; 1. performing scientific inquiry skills; 2. understanding and applying scientific knowledge; 2. understanding and applying scientific knowledge; 3. developing and demonstrating scientific attitudes and values. 3. developing and demonstrating scientific attitudes and values. general competencies 1. critical/ creative problem solver; 1. critical and creative problem solvers; 2. responsible steward of nature; 2. responsible stewards of nature; 3. innovative/inventive thinker; 3. innovative/inventive thinkers; 4. informed decision maker; 4. informed decision makers; 5. effective communicator. 5. effective communicators. theoretical bases 1. constructivism 1. constructivism and experiential learning 2. social cognition learning model 2. social cognition learning model 3. learning style theory 3. brain-based learning 4. brain-based learning 4. vygotsky’s zpd approaches 1. multi/interdisciplinary approach 1. inquiry-based approach 2. science technology-society approach/ contextual learning 2. transdisciplinary approach 3. problem/issue-based learning 3. science technology-society approach/ contextual learning 4. inquiry-based approach 4. problem/issue design-based learning 5. application-led approach curriculum’s interrelated content standards and general competencies based on the comparison in table 2. as mentioned in the matatag curriculum science grade 4 and grade 7, these interrelated content standards are the central features of the science curriculum. in addition, the general competencies are also drawn based on the nature of the interrelated competencies of the new science curriculum. these alignments are designed and organized to promote the overall goal of basic education science under the k to 10 curriculum (department of education, 2024). in terms of the theoretical foundation of the new curriculum, the addition of constructivism and experiential learning and vygotsky’s zpd were emphasized. constructivism and experiential learning highlight the promotion of building meaningful understanding or learning based on the learner’s experience in the topics or classroom (department of education, 2024). evidence suggests that by applying these theories in the classroom, learners develop a more positive attitude toward the topics (matriano, 2020), enhance learning achievements, environmental attitude, efficacy, and problem-solving competence (cheng et al., 2019). in addition, vygotsky’s zpd was added to emphasize the role of teachers in molding learners to attain the desired competencies (department of education, 2024). pertaining to this theory, taber (2020) mentioned that, “ capabilities of learners are best judged pa ge 12 8 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 123-132, 2024 in terms of support extended in the teaching context and effective teaching (with scaffolding)”. in terms of the approaches, the transdisciplinary approach (from multidisciplinary approach) and application-led approach are added to the new basic education science curriculum. a transdisciplinary approach is an approach that incorporates many school subjects or topics, allowing learners to be immersed in different situations, thus creating meaningful learning (chowdhury et al., 2023; jurgena et al., 2018). the application-led approach focuses on the applications of science concepts from real life, not on the logic of science concepts themselves (department of education, 2024). the addition of these new approaches makes basic science education responsive to the call for 21st-century education, creating authentic learning experiences. overall, the new basic education science curriculum offers new features that is responsive to the country’s needs and global demands. it emphasizes the crucial role of hands-on experiences, experiential learning, and problem-based learning to promote authentic learning experiences. this way, concepts are not just being learned through memorization (rote learning) but rather with a deep understanding of how these concepts can be useful in learners’ daily lives. moreover, the emphasis on scaffolding is also crucial in basic science education, considering the diverse groups of learners. in addition, the new basic education science curriculum is also responsive to the call of 21st-century education and how the competencies can be useful in promoting lifelong learning among learners. global competencies highlighted in the matatag or k to 10 science curriculum the highlighted competencies of the basic education science curriculum under the matatag or k to 10 curriculum were supported by different literature based on different philosophical concepts of world transitions, innovations, and current directions. the general competencies that the new curriculum offers in basic education science in the philippines are (1) critical and creative problem solvers, (2) responsible stewards of nature, (3) innovative thinkers, (4) informed decision makers, and (5) effective communicators. these five general competencies are crucial to attaining the overall goal of the new curriculum, which is scientific, technological, and environmental literacy. in addition, the department of education meticulously planned these competencies, which are aligned with the current and future demands of the workforce (whether belonging to the stem track or not) to achieve global preparedness among future graduates. table 3: matatag or k to 10 competencies and their alignment to 21st century, industry 4.0 and industry 5.0 no. competency 21st century industry 4.0 industry 5.0 1 critical and creative problem solvers (bao & koenig, 2019; binkley et al., 2012; häkkinen et al., 2017; hesse et al., 2015; ince, 2018; rahman, 2019; yadav et al., 2016) (lee et al., 2018; schwab, 2017) (suganya et al., 2024; zizic et al., 2022) 2 responsible stewards of nature (amundson et al., 2015; harahap et al., 2020; mathevet et al., 2018) (gonzález-pérez & ramírez-montoya, 2022; schwab, 2017 liu & tobias, 2024) (ghobakhloo et al., 2022) 3 innovative/inventive thinkers (abdullah & osman, 2010; guo & woulfin, 2016; thornhill-miller et al., 2023; živkoviŀ, 2016) (gonzález-pérez & ramírez-montoya, 2022; schwab, 2017) (suganya et al., 2024; kumar & kukreja, 2024) 4 informed decision makers (jackson & davis, 200 c.e.; merad & trump, 2020; trilling & fadel, 2012) (gonzález-pérez & ramírez-montoya, 2022) (adel, 2022; rinat et al., 2024) 5 effective communicators binkley et al., 2012; trilling & fadel, 2012 (sisinni et al., 2018; wollschlaeger et al., 2017) (suganya et al., 2024) the 21st century is a century that began on january 1, 2001 and will continue on december 31, 2100, marking an additional 100 years of earth’s existence. this century is also often called the digital age, wherein many technological innovations were created to make work easier and production faster (denning, 2022). though there are many opportunities that this age brings in global supply and demand, but still preparedness and readiness remain a challenge. that is why it is very important to prepare community members in transcending to the 21st century by investing in the relevant skills crucial in this digital age (trilling & fadel, 2012). industry 4.0 or fourth industrial revolution, is a philosophical concept that highlights the use of intelligent digital technologies in industrial and manufacturing processes for sustainable production (schwab, 2017). the rise of this concept brings different things, from the use of augmented reality, industrial internet of things, big data analytics, autonomous robots, virtual system integration, and many more, to improving the quality of production pa ge 12 9 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 123-132, 2024 in current society (schwab, 2017). in addition, another characteristic of industry 4.0 is the rise of automation, making industries rely on technology in production (ghobakhloo, 2020). thus, it is very important for community members to develop skills essential in the age of automation. moreover, industry 5.0 is another philosophical concept highlighting the importance of humans working with the technologies (products of technologies) in the modern world (nahavandi, 2019). in addition, this concept rises because of the emergence of automation brought by the industry 4.0. with this philosophical concept, personalized results and production processes become efficient with humans and technologies working together. developing competencies related to industry 5.0 allows learners to become more adaptive and prepared in handling the challenges and opportunities brought by this philosophical concept. furthermore, the new matatag or k to 10 curriculum in basic science education offers relevant competencies for graduates to develop attributes crucial in the 21st century, industry 4.0 and industry 5.0. this assumption is based on the relevant literature supporting the competencies highlighted in the new curriculum (see table 3). by investing on these, the department of education can produce globally competent and prepared individuals that are adaptive and resilient to change. thus, it is worth noting that the new curriculum set by the department of education is responsive to the current demands in the local, national, and international arena. conclusion k to 10 or matatag curriculum in the philippines is the newly implemented curriculum in the country. the aim of this reform revolved around producing competent learners that is responsive to global demands and resilient and adaptive to change. this reform is crucial for the country, especially since the world is now in the digital era and rapidly changing brought by different innovations and inventions. with this, the department of education carefully plans what life-long competencies should be included in the new curriculum in response to the changes in modern society. in the context of science education under the newly implemented curriculum in basic education, it is evident that the competencies are responsive to the call of the 21st century, industry 4.0 and industry 5.0. the general aim of this reform revolves around uplifting the scientific, environmental, technological, and engineering literacy of learners in the country. by focusing on these literacies, the philippines aims to attain a world-class science education. although this new basic education science curriculum is still young and may undergo a series of reforms, still this new curriculum offers a promising result that is beneficial to the country in general. references abarca, c. 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(2022). from industry 4.0 towards industry 5.0: a review and analysis of paradigm shift for the people, organization and technology. energies, 15(14), 5221. https://doi.org/10.3390/en15145221 pa ge 1 pa ge 51 american journal of education and technology (ajet) enhancing student engagement and achievement in biology through interactive slide presentations louis f. ruado1*, leah amor s. cortez2 volume 3 issue 1, year 2024 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v3i1.2520 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: january 22, 2024 accepted: february 29, 2024 published: march 06, 2024 in response to the emergence of education 4.0 and the covid-19 pandemic, the need to utilize effective emergency remote teaching technologies to enhance student engagement and achievement has never been more urgent. this mixed methods research investigated the effects of biology interactive slide presentations on the achievement and engagement of grade 12 stem students. biology interactive slide presentations were created using pear deck and nearpod applications. six biology lessons about the central dogma of molecular biology and dna recombination were taught to 28 students using the educational tool. the students’ achievement was determined using a one-group pre-test-post-test design. the results of the paired-sample t-test revealed that there is a significant difference in the achievement of the students before and after the use of the learning tool. the students’ engagement was investigated through focus group discussion with five randomly selected students, and outcomes related to students’ engagement were identified as improving their cognitive, emotional, and behavioral engagement. keywords achievement, biology interactive slide presentations, nearpod, pear deck, student engagement 1 de la salle university, manila, philippines 2 philippine normal university, manila, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: louis_ruado@dlsu.edu.ph introduction in december 2019, the virus severe acute respiratory syndrome – related coronavirus 2, which caused the disease covid-19, spread globally, forcing most governments around the globe to temporarily close their educational institutions. seventy percent of the world’s student population, or more than 1.2 billion learners, are affected by the school closures due to the pandemic (united nations educational scientific and cultural organization, 2020). many countries have started working and studying at home by gradually embracing digital education through various formats. hence, remote learning has been a buzzword in today’s way of instruction. remote learning allows teachers and students to remain connected and engaged while working or staying at their homes. according to ray (2020), remote learning is usually linked to emergencies that pose a threat to student safety. it is evoked during a time of stress. additionally, hodges et al. (2020) describe the concept of emergency remote teaching which refers to the temporary shift of instructional strategy to an alternative delivery mode due to crisis circumstances like this covid-19 pandemic. its objective is to provide temporary access to instruction and support in a manner that is quick to set up and is reliably available during an emergency or crisis. the covid-19 pandemic changes and affects our educational system but these changes could also prompt educational innovations. traditional classrooms with centuries-old lecture-based approaches, and outmoded classroom strategies with the slow pace of change in our global academic institutions are lamentable. on a silver lining, covid-19 could become a catalyst for the educational community to search for innovative solutions in a relatively short period (tam & el-azar, 2020). additionally, the 4th industrial revolution which involves the emergence and applications of new technologies affects every aspect of our lives including education. in response to the covid-19 pandemic and the emergence of education 4.0, technology integration and utilization play a big role in allowing both teachers and students to adapt to this new vision of learning. as schools around the world respond to the covid-19 pandemic, the need for emergency remote teaching tools has never been more urgent. presentations still play a significant role in emergency remote teaching but even in the physical classroom setup, the common presentation software is already being criticized. microsoft powerpoint is a presentation software that has been downloaded on about 1 billion computers and approximately 350 of these presentations are being exhibited every second around the globe (parks, 2012). powerpoint accounts for about 95% of all presentations and has 30 million users a day (holmes, 2007). this high-level usage of the powerpoint presentation would suggest that it is a very useful and effective tool for teaching, but this may not always be the case, as the overuse and misuse of this presentation software have led to several criticisms. literature review at the turn of the 21st century, several critiques and articles began appearing and questioning the use of powerpoint presentations. one of the most popular criticisms is by tufte in his article entitled powerpoint is evil in 2003. he argues that powerpoint presentations “induced stupidity, turned everyone into bored, wasted time and degraded the quality and credibility of communication. it set a speaker’s dominance over the audience”. the article by weimer (2012) entitled “does powerpoint help or hinder pa ge 52 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(1) 51-59, 2024 learning?” also echoes some key concerns in which she believes that using powerpoint encourages passivity and questions whether it encourages interaction for it does not foster the vibrant exchange of ideas. several authors also argue that some powerpoint presentations prompt learners to feel bored, and frustrated and are just a waste of time (anderson & williams, 2012; harman, 2010 cited in (murugaiah, 2016). students also get frustrated and feel ignored when their teacher is concentrating on the presentation and not paying attention to the class (voss, 2004). according to carini et al. (2006), “students may become engaged when their academic experience is characterized by meaningful educational activities which include active learning”. active learning pedagogy coupled with technology opens possibilities for teachers to create interactive and engaging presentations. “twenty-firstcentury students are adept at using technology, which means that incorporating appropriate technology into the classroom can excite and engage students” (metcalf et al., 2016). utilizing interactive slide presentations could potentially provide interactive and engaging presentations in the classroom. there are educational technology tools that can be used to allow interaction within the presentation. pear deck and nearpod applications enable teachers to create interactive presentations by allowing the teacher to share slide presentations with their students through the use of the internet and digital devices such as mobile phones, tablets, or computers. it enables teachers to create presentations that allow learners to respond to different types of assessment throughout the presentation. they can answer the assessments by typing, drawing, or dragging. teachers can view responses in real-time in which the teacher can provide immediate corrective feedback and share the correct answer with the class. students can see and engage with the presentation using their digital devices by logging into the website with a unique access code (robinson, 2018). this feature is called classroom response system (crs), student response system (srs), or ‘clicker’. a technology is considered interactive if it allows interpersonal interaction (lin et al., 2017, cited in lew et al., 2018). interactive learning pedagogy stimulates active learning since it engages students to actively process their learning instead of passively listening to an expert (freeman et al., 2014). vonderwell and turner (2005) postulate that incorporating active learning pedagogy with technology tools can accomplish successful teaching and learning (as cited in khan et al., 2017). numerous studies use technology-based systems such as clickers as an active learning pedagogy to enhance student engagement (caleb & aloysuis, 2016; chih-yuan sun et al., 2014; salemi, 2009; terrion & aceti, 2012). furthermore, some researchers argue that active learning pedagogies can promote student engagement and significantly impact on student learning and performance (riggs & linder, 2016; khan et al., 2017). this is supported by other research that found a positive correlation between student engagement and achievement (ainley & ainley, 2011; dotterer & lowe, 2011; lam, et al., 2014). the study of sumandal (2023) showed that student’s motivation, interest, and cooperation increased using educational games. similarly, mobile-supported self-learning modules enhances tsusents’ oral communication skills (santos, 2023). generally, several researchers and education scholars argue that the misuse of powerpoint presentations induces teacher dominance, student passivity, and boredom, impedes student’s learning, and presents a mismatch in preparing students in this technology-based society (anderson & williams, 2012; harman, 2010; park & choi, 2014; tufte, 2003; weimer, 2012). although there is an abundance of scholarly literature related to the application of active learning pedagogies coupled with technology in education (caleb & aloysuis, 2016; chih-yuan sun et al., 2014; salemi, 2009; terrion & aceti, 2012), there is a limited empirical literature that focuses on the integration of interactive slide presentations to enhance student engagement and achievement in biology. this study adds to the small, but growing research base about the effect of interactive slide presentations on student engagement and achievement. specifically, the researchers aimed to answer the following questions: 1. what is the level of achievement of the students in using the biology interactive slide presentations? 2. is there a significant difference in the achievement of the students before and after the use of biology interactive slide presentations? 3. what are the students’ perceptions of the effect of the biology interactive slide presentations on their engagement? methodology research design the researchers utilized the one-group pre-test-post-test research design and thematic analysis to conduct this mixed methods research. one-group pre-test-post-test is a type of research that tests the impact of a treatment on an outcome. research instrument in this study, the researchers used two research instruments to gather data about student engagement and achievement. one of which is the achievement test composed of 50 researcher-made multiple-choice questions answerable within an hour and was used to evaluate the student’s achievement after creating a table of specification (tos). the instrument was validated by three biology experts and was modified based on their comments and suggestions. a pilot test was conducted to check its reliability through item analysis in which the item difficulty and discrimination index were analyzed. second is the focus-group discussion questions used to gather information on the student’s perceptions of the effect of biology interactive slide presentations on their engagement. it was also validated by three experts, particularly one qualitative expert. pa ge 53 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(1) 51-59, 2024 data gathering procedure in the development of the educational tool, the researchers chose the central dogma of molecular biology and dna recombination as central topics of the presentations because students find difficulty in understanding topics related to genes, chromosomes, protein synthesis, and genetics (cimer, 2012; fauzi & mitalistiani, 2018; tabotabo-picardal & paño, 2018). consequently, six detailed lesson plans that developed and were used as guides on how to deliver the lessons using the interactive slide presentations. the lesson plans were validated by three experts. after the validation, the interactive slide presentations were created using pear deck and nearpod applications. in the beginning, formal letters were provided to the principal and an informed consent form was secured for the intended participants of the study. during the administration, grade 12 stem students were taught using biology interactive slide presentations by simultaneously joining the videoconference platform -google meet. pear deck and nearpod presentations were used to teach the following topics: 1) introduction to dna 2) dna replication 3) transcription & translation 4) protein and mutations 5) dna recombination 6) application of dna recombination. since the two applications have almost similar features, the researchers divided the six lessons. pear deck was used for lessons 1, 2, and 3 and nearpod was utilized for lessons 4, 5 & 6. to gather data on student achievement, students took the pre-test and post-test using the 50 researcher-made multiple-choice questions. lastly, a focus group discussion was conducted with the participation of five randomly selected students from the grade 12 stem students to gather their perceptions on the effects of using the interactive slide presentations on their engagement through the 10 questions. the students’ responses were transcribed, translated into english, and analyzed through deductive thematic analysis. the students’ scores in the pre-test and post-test were statistically analyzed to determine if their achievement had improved using the biology interactive slide presentations. a t-test for dependent means was utilized to identify whether there was a significant difference in student’s scores from the pre-test to the post-test. all statistical analyses were done using the 0.05 level of confidence. spss software was used for the statistical analysis. effect size and normalized gain were also reported. result and discussion problem no. 1: what is the level of achievement of the students in using the biology interactive slide presentations? table 1 summarizes the students’ achievement in using biology interactive slide presentations. a total of 28 students answered the multiple-choice questions after the discussion. the achievement scores of the grade 12 stem students showed that most of them got high scores following the use of the biology interactive slide presentations with a mean post-test score of 34.11. the median score is 35, the most common score is 41. the distribution was negatively skewed indicating that most of the students got high scores in the post-test. a total of 28 students answered the researcher-made table 1: result of descriptive analysis for the achievement scores of grade 12 stem students in using biology interactive slide presentations variable n range sd skewness achievement score 28 35 34.11 35 41 9.03 -.700 50-item multiple-choice questions after the discussion of the central dogma of molecular biology and dna recombination using the interactive slide presentations. in general, the result of the descriptive analysis showed that the mean post-test score of the students is 34.11 out of 50 points, with a median of 35 and 41 as the most common score. the distribution was negatively skewed indicating that most of the students got high scores or got scores above the mean and a few relatively very low scores. several researches revealed that students find difficulty in understanding topics related to genes, chromosomes, protein synthesis, and genetics (cimer, 2012; fauzi & mitalistiani, 2018; tabotabo-picardal & paño, 2018). hence, the researchers developed biology interactive slide presentations which cover topics about the central dogma of molecular biology and dna recombination. the central dogma of molecular biology describes the flow of genetic information from dna to mrna and protein. it involves the fundamental processes of dna replication, transcription, and translation in which proteins are produced based on the message contained in the dna. another lesson taught using the interactive slide presentations was dna recombination wherein students learned about its definition, importance, and the processes involved to form recombinant dna to produce large quantities of the gene of interest or the product encoded by the gene. interactive slide presentations were utilized through the use of two online applications named pear deck and nearpod which allow students to respond to different formative questions. the result from the achievement scores of the grade 12 stem students showed that most of them got high scores after the use of the biology interactive slide presentations. pa ge 54 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(1) 51-59, 2024 problem no. 2: is there a significant difference in the achievement of the students before and after the use of biology interactive slide presentations? table 2 shows the result of the t-test for dependent means analysis from the pre-test and post-test scores of the students. the mean pre-test score of the students is 26.04, while the mean post-test score is 34.11. these data were subjected to the paired sample t-test, with the results showing 8.071 as the mean difference between the pre-test and post-test scores. since 11.043>2.052, where 11.043 is the t-value and 2.052 is the critical value at α=0.05, the researchers rejected the null hypothesis. paired sample t-test revealed that there is a significant difference in the achievement of the students before (x̅=26.04) and after (x̅=34.11) the use of the biology interactive slide presentations. table 2: paired sample t-test result of the pre-test and post-test score of stem grade 12 students measurement n mean std. deviation t-value df p-value g pre-test 28 26.04 7.705 11.043 27 .000 0.11 post-test 28 34.11 8.655 post-test – pre-test 28 8.071 analysing the means of the achievement scores and the direction of the t-value, results showed that there was an improvement in the achievement scores of stem grade 12 students following the discussion of the six biology lessons about the central dogma of molecular biology and dna recombination using the interactive slide presentations from the mean of 26.04 to 34.11 (p<0.05). therefore, biology interactive slide presentations showed a remarkable impact towards improving the students’ achievement. six lessons about the central dogma of molecular biology and dna recombination were taught using interactive slide presentations. biology interactive slide presentations were created through the use of pear deck and nearpod applications that can be described as a combination of slide presentation and clicker. clicker is also called a student-response system because these are educational tools that enable students to participate and respond to questions presented in the slide presentation. clickers are pedagogic tools that mainly aim to provide immediate feedback to both students and teachers and survey or monitor the understanding of the students (blasco et al., 2013). clickers can be used to find out if the students have misconceptions that need to be addressed, to determine the preparedness of the students, to facilitate peer discussion and instruction, to collect assumptions on the result of the experiment, and to poll opinions for the debate (sevian & robinson, 2011). pear deck and nearpod are online applications that provide the means for students to interact in slide presentations. it includes activities like open-ended questions, multiple-choice questions, true or false, drawing, labelling, pairing, and matching, collaborative live board, fill-in-the-blanks, etc. several researchers have found that the use of clickers as an active learning pedagogy can enhance student achievement (caleb & aloysuis, 2016; chih-yuan sun et al., 2014; salemi, 2009; terrion & aceti, 2012). problem no. 3: what are the students’ perceptions of the effect of the biology interactive slide presentations on their engagement? a focus group discussion was conducted to determine the students’ perceptions of the effect of the biology interactive slide presentations on their engagement. findings were based on the outcomes that the students had identified from their use of the biology interactive slide presentations. these outcomes were categorized into 3 following the three components of engagement described in the article written by fredricks et al. (2004) namely: 1) cognitive 2) emotional 3) behavioral engagement. cognitive engagement according to fredricks et al. (2004), the term cognitive engagement is linked to the concept of investment where it refers to the eagerness of students to employ the necessary effort to understand complicated ideas and master difficult skills. one of the outcomes related to cognitive engagement that the students had identified is the capacity of the learning tool to catch their attention and focus on the discussion. bonwell and eison (1991) argue that students’ being cognitively engaged with learning activities or materials is the best description of active learning. the findings revealed the following themes and subthemes related to cognitive engagement with sample responses from the students: theme 1: caught students’ attention to listen and focus on the discussion all of the five focus group participants recognized that the biology interactive slide presentations caught their attention which enabled them to listen and focus on the discussion. at the very beginning of the focus group discussion, student st described the biology interactive slide presentations as an “attention-grabber”. i will describe it as an attention-grabber since the students are more involved in the discussion. our attention is easily grabbed by the lesson or the presentation being presented. additionally, student am explained that the interactive slide presentations grabbed her attention to listen and pa ge 55 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(1) 51-59, 2024 focus on the discussion about biology lessons. i also enjoyed responding to the interactive slide presentations because it really grabbed our attention to focus and listen. student ac also mentioned the term “attention-grabber” and shared with the group that she has a low attention span but with the use of the said educational tool, she was able to focus her attention throughout the discussion to respond to the given activities. the interactive slide presentation is attention-grabbing. personally, i have a short attention span but because the discussion caught my attention, i was able to respond to the given activities. she also added about how they are more engaged and motivated to participate during their virtual classes with the use of the biology interactive slide presentations. the interactive slide presentation is a good and effective method for a discussion. just as what am said, there are a lot of distractions during a virtual class so our focus is unsteady. in the usual activities, sometimes we’re not active in responding. but because we enjoy the activities in the interactive slide presentation, we are motivated to engage and participate in responding to the activities. subtheme: students look forward to the activities throughout the lesson a subtheme was identified under theme 1 wherein several students mentioned that they listened to the discussion because they were looking forward to the activities given throughout the lesson. student mm believed that some students are only joining their online meeting for attendance but they are not listening during the discussion. however, the interactive slide presentations motivated them to listen throughout the discussion due to the activities given before and after the discussion. she further explained that without the activities, students will not listen to the teacher’s discussion. like what they mentioned, in a normal online meeting, students join only for the sake of attendance and won’t listen anymore throughout its duration. in the interactive slide presentation however, students are motivated to listen because of the activities before and after the lesson…the activities before and after the lessons were beneficial for us to understand the lessons. without the activities, the students may not listen to the discussion. student am reiterated how students’ focus is being diverted during virtual classes since students are in the comfort of their homes. she likewise believed that with the use of the educational tool, they were encouraged to listen and focus on the slide presentations because they were looking forward to the upcoming activities or slide presentations. they are basically listening because they would like to respond or have an answer on the next activities. …it encourages the students to listen and participate in the given activities. with the online classes, the students’ attentions are often diverted to other things since they are at home which makes it difficult for them to focus on the discussions. but with the use of interactive slide presentations, their focus is solely on the presentations for they look forward to the upcoming activities and slides.…. we look forward to the discussion so we can answer and participate in the activities that follow. theme 2: concepts become more concrete central dogma of molecular biology and dna recombination comprises topics related to dna, chromosomes, proteins, and various processes that are complex, intangible, and are usually discussed at the molecular level. all of the focus group participants explained that with the use of the biology interactive slide presentations, those difficult, intangible, or complex concepts became more concrete and were better understood. student ac comprehensively explained how these complex biology concepts specifically the lessons about the molecular structure and processes that involve dna became more concrete with the use of the learning tool particularly with the animated pictures and videos included in the slide presentation that helped them understand the processes easily and in much detail. the interactive slide presentation definitely helped us engage in the lessons, particularly in molecular biology. through the presentation, we were able to understand the lessons that can’t be really seen in real life like that of the concept behind the dna structure and dna recombination. and like what am said, through animated images and videos we were able to understand the details thoroughly. we were able to recognize, associate, and remember the terms efficiently. biology is a complex subject but with the approach used, we understood the topics well. student am mentioned how animated videos and pictures helped clarify the meanings of biology terms such as in the lesson about enzymes involved in dna replication. like those of the pictures of enzymes, the animated pictures grab our attention and because of that, the meaning of the terms from the lessons became even clearer. it also becomes easier for us to remember the terms and concepts she repeatedly stated that pictures on the slide presentations served as models or representations so they don’t need to imagine or visualize how these complex concepts work or look like for they can already see it on the screen. the interactive slide presentations were very catchy since we don’t need to visualize things in our minds because we can already see them with the activities given... as i’ve said earlier, we don’t just visualize the images in our mind but we also see them on the screen. ...it helps us understand more the lessons for we do not just visualize the images in our minds but the slides also show those images theme 3: clarify understanding through real-time feedback the biology interactive slide presentations are pa ge 56 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(1) 51-59, 2024 considered as a partial form of a clicker for it allows real-time response and feedback both for the students and teachers. the five participants have recognized this feature and they had identified that real-time, immediate feedback from their teacher helps them clarify their understanding about the lesson. student mm expressed her agreement with the idea that their teacher should see her responses so that she could be given feedback if her answers are correct or how can she make her answers correct. i prefer that my teacher sees my answers so that she can immediately provide feedback and i can be aware of what is actually correct. student ac expressed her belief about the benefits of providing immediate feedback, particularly on how it could guide them during the discussion. one particular scenario she provided is when she tried to get the correct answer several times in the activity about arranging the steps in dna replication by numbering it from the first to the last step. she felt that she strived or tried her best to get the correct answer. if the teacher can give immediate feedback, then she can readily point out if our answers are right. for example, in the activity where we did numbering, several times i tried and there were mistakes and if the teacher can correct it immediately, then i could try again avoiding the same mistakes and i will be able to arrive with the right answer. it helps me strive more so i can obtain the right answer and the records shown on your screen also serve as a guide. theme 4: remember terms and concepts better three students identified this outcome from their use of the biology interactive slide presentations. student st explained how the activities particularly the labelling of the different parts of the cell and the activity that tasked learners to guess the terms with missing vowels helped her remember the terms and concepts even if there were a lot of terms that they needed to remember and memorize, especially in biology. it was a more efficient way of learning lessons in biology since there are a lot of diagrams. it’s like applying the concepts. as there are lots of terms we need to memorize, the activities in the interactive slide presentations help us remember those terms better. with the interactive slide presentations, we can immediately apply the concepts we learned. i discovered that i can remember easily the terms using the activity on missing letters. animated videos and pictures also helped her remember the concepts better. …you can visualize a certain image or a certain diagram, we were able to visualize its image and remember it because of the activity. student am also stated that activities after the lesson exercised their brain to remember and retain information. she specifically mentioned the multiple-choice question activity which enabled her to remember the terms and concepts about proteins and mutations more effectively. we can easily recall the terms and concepts because of the activities given after a discussion. because of these activities, our brain is exercised, which in turn helps us recall the previous lessons discussed. after the discussion, the multiple-choice activity was given wherein the questions were taken from the discussion. with that, we can recall the topics we learned during the discussion. theme no. 5: students become aware that they don’t know or forgot the correct answer three students honestly mentioned that there were times they didn’t respond to the teacher’s questions because they didn’t know or forgot the correct answer. this may imply that the students were aware of the important concepts that they did not understand or missed out on during the discussion and the activities throughout the lesson enabled them to recognize this concern. this may also imply that the students are aware of their learning progress. student am clarified that sometimes she forgot the correct term or answer even if she understood the question. yes, there are times when i cannot respond to the questions for i forgot the answers and even though i understand what the question is pointing out, i forgot its answer. emotional engagement emotional engagement incorporates positive as well as negative reactions to fellow students, teachers, and school that influence willingness to do work and presume to create ties to an institution. it also refers to students’ affective reactions inside the classroom including students’ interest, boredom, anxiety, sadness, and happiness (connell & wellborn cited in fredricks et al., 2004). the following are the outcomes identified by the students from their use of biology interactive slide presentations which are related to their behavioral engagement. theme 1: enjoy and have fun with the activities all of the participants said that they enjoyed and had fun responding to the activities. student ac described her impression of the educational tool as “enjoyed at first glance”. she said that she had fun and was happy to see that all of them could respond and interact with the slide presentation just like a game. she also felt that with the use of the biology interactive slide presentations, they are enjoying and learning at the same time. i enjoyed that activity. at first glance, it left a good impression...i really had fun using it for it engages everyone instead of an individual only. it is fun for it’s like a game where we don’t just enjoy but we also learn. i certainly want to use it again in a virtual classroom. student am also said that she enjoyed responding with the use of the interactive slide presentations because it grabbed their attention to listen to the discussion. i also enjoyed responding to the interactive slide presentations because it really grabbed our attention to focus and listen. pa ge 57 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(1) 51-59, 2024 theme 2: felt confident or at ease four participants stated that they felt confident, comfortable, or at ease in answering the questions embedded in the slide presentations due to the anonymity that the interactive slide presentations provide. “confident and at ease” is how student ac described her experience in answering with the use of the interactive slide presentations. she further explained that it is a great approach for students to participate especially if they are not confident with their answer or are not fond of participating in class. when i answer anonymously, i become confident or i am at ease. like what st said, even though you’re uncertain of your answer you feel assured that no one will recognize that it was you who answered. there are times when we are not confident about our answers though correct, so this interactive slide presentation gives us the opportunity to answer without exposing our identity. it’s a great approach for students who are particularly reluctant to participate in class discussions. student ds agreed with the answer of student ac that some students are not responding because they are not sure about their answer and they are scared to be judged or be embarrassed in front of the class. however, due to the anonymity feature of the educational tools, students could provide whatever their opinion is without being scared to be identified by their classmates. like what ac said, i feel confident answering anonymously using the interactive slide presentation. there are students who, despite knowing the answers, do not respond for they feel uncertain of their answers. they feel weary that they may be humiliated and judged so they’ll just opt out. this interactive slide presentation is better because they can provide any answers or opinions or whatever it is they’ve learned from the discussion without exposing their identities. theme 4: share sentiments with classmates student st believed that the feature that allowed all of them to respond at the same time brought back the faceto-face class environment wherein students were excited to participate seeing that all of them were answering, sharing the same sentiments either joy or struggle in class. the part that all of us could respond to the questions at the same time was one of the features of face-to-face classes that were lost in online classes. the interactive slide presentation, however, brought back that feature. in a normal class environment, students are eager to participate with the belief that we have our classmates. we share the same sentiments, struggle, and joy when we respond to questions. student ds agreed with the perspective of student st that it brought back the face-to-face classroom environment wherein students were motivated to answer seeing that many of them were responding to the teacher’s question. we become motivated to respond and to listen since everybody is participating. as st also said, it brings back the feature of the face-to-face classes where everyone is motivated if the others are also participating. behavioral engagement in accord with the explanation of fredricks et al. (2004) behavioral engagement is related to the concept of participation and it includes academic as well as extracurricular activities. behavioral engagement may also refer to the conduct or deportment of a student in school (finn & zimmer, 2012). outcomes that are related to students’ behavior were classified into this theme. theme 1: motivated to participate the five focus group participants identified the outcome of students being motivated to respond to questions and participate in the discussion using the interactive slide presentations. the interactive slide presentations motivated student st to respond more eagerly and enthusiastically to the various formative questions and participate in the discussion. i responded more eagerly because we were more involved in this interactive slide presentation. the way we responded, and the way we interacted with the lesson, we were more enthusiastic because we could answer and at the same time we were eager to listen and participate. another student who comprehensively explained this outcome was student ac. she described her experience as ‘enjoying and learning at the same time’ and stated that she actively engaged and participated in the discussions. i was actively engaged and i participated in the discussion as much as i enjoyed the interactive slide presentation. i was more engaged because the various ways of responding to the activities like drawing, using text boxes, and others were really enjoyable. i was enjoying the activities and at the same time, i was learning a lot. theme 2: involved in a friendly competition four participants believed that using biology interactive slide presentations created a friendly competition between the students. student ds mentioned the existence of friendly competition during the discussion. she clarified that friendly competition is not about getting high scores but answering the questions to learn the concepts within the lesson. …it really grabbed our attention and we became more interested in the lesson because of the activities. we became more competitive in a way everyone was encouraged to respond to the questions eagerly and to learn more. student st likewise described their classroom environment as having a healthy competition allowing everybody to answer and encouraging each other to participate in the discussion. there is healthy competition among the class. seeing everyone partake in responding to the questions, makes you want to participate more. it brings excitement to answering together with your classmates. pa ge 58 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(1) 51-59, 2024 theme 3: would like to use the interactive slide presentation again all of the students agreed that they would like to utilize the learning tool again in their other classes and two of them mentioned that they would prefer it will be used in all of their classes. student am and student st affirmed that they would want to use the biology interactive slide presentations again. below is the statement from student am describing the biology interactive slide presentations as a good learning tool: …i find it really good. unlike the plain slide presentations wherein the teacher discusses all throughout, the interactive slide presentation grabbed my attention so i definitely want to use it again. student st also said the same by saying that she enjoyed using the learning tool. in terms of experience, i found it enjoyable and i realized that i was eager to participate because of it. and i will definitely want to use it again in a classroom setting. conclusions the findings and results of this study showed that the use of interactive slide presentations significantly enhanced the student’s achievement in biology wherein there was an increase in the student’s scores from pre-test to post-test. the result of the descriptive analysis showed the most of the grade 12 stem students got high scores following the use of the biology interactive slide presentations. outcomes related to student engagement were identified as improving students’ cognitive, emotional, and behavioral engagement. interactive slide presentations can be utilized as one of the ways to improve the quality of teaching and learning, particularly by improving student engagement and achievement during remote learning. however, this study was limited to determining the effects of using interactive slide presentations on students’ achievement and engagement in biology. this study did not investigate the attitudes of both the students and teachers in using the interactive slide presentations. the researchers utilized a one-group pre-test-post-test design using the researcher-made 50-item multiple-choice questions to determine the student’s achievement before and after using the learning tool. additionally, the methodology used to determine the effects of the educational tool on students’ engagement was limited to a focus group discussion with the participation of five randomly selected students. further studies can be conducted by taking a larger sample, lengthening the amount of time provided for students in using the educational tool and covering more lessons including other branches of science, and may also investigate the teachers’ perceptions of the use of the interactive slide presentations. acknowledgments the authors would like to express their sincerest gratitude to the department of science and technology science education institute (dost-sei) through the capacity building program in science and mathematics education (cbpsme) for the support given in this study. additionally, we hereby recognize science experts in validating the biology interactive slide presentation and research instruments. references ainley, m., & ainley, j. 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(2021). the different types of covid-19 vaccines. https://www.who.int/newsroom/feature-stories/detail/the-race-for-a-covid-19vaccine-explained pa ge 1 pa ge 92 american journal of education and technology (ajet) breaking language barriers: the impact of translanguaging on student classroom engagement and esl confidence among grade 7 students of dr. yanga’s colleges inc mikaela louise de guzman1* volume 4 issue 4, year 2025 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v4i4.4969 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: april 07, 2025 accepted: may 13, 2025 published: november 14, 2025 this study highlights the role of translanguaging a method where mixed language (l1 and l2) is utilized in the pedagogy and its impact on the student classroom engagement and confidence in using english as the second language. using an experimental design that focuses on the result of the pre-test and post test results of the participants, the study investigated how the strategic use of both english and filipino coined as translanguaging during instruction affect students’ participation, confidence, and language preference. seventy students participated in an eight-week intervention, transitioning from an englishonly classroom as the first phase to the second phase where the researcher employed translanguaging strategies. data were collected through surveys, classroom observations, and participation logs, and analyzed using paired-sample t-tests, chi-square tests, and descriptive statistics. results revealed significant improvements in students’ engagement (p < .001), participation frequency (p < .001), and esl confidence (p < .001) after the intervention. the researcher of the study found out that most students preferred the translanguaging method, supporting the communicative and cognitive value of using the integration of their native language towards learning the second language. additionally, student perceptions show undeniable approval of translanguaging as a classroom practice. the findings affirm that translanguaging enhances learners’ emotional security, encourages meaningful participation, and validates linguistic identities. this study contributes to the growing body of literature advocating for inclusive and multilingual education practices, particularly in english-dominant philippine classrooms, where students benefit from leveraging their full linguistic abilities. keywords esl confidence, translanguaging, linguistic identity 1 dr. yanga’s colleges inc., philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: mikee.deguzman@dyci.edu.ph introduction educational institutions within linguistically diverse nations such as the philippines operate within a complex sociolinguistic framework where learners must navigate multiple language systems across both academic and social aspects. the archipelagic nation hosts in more than 180 different languages, making linguistic diversity not merely a cultural characteristic but an everyday educational reality (martin, 2014). despite this multilingual landscape, numerous philippine educational institutions particularly those in the private sector and urban environments frequently implement strict english-only instructional policies that effectively isolates non-native english speakers and disregard the documented cognitive and affective advantages of utilizing students’ comprehensive linguistic resources (libladilla, 2024; tupas & martin, 2017). while english maintains its status as an official language and predominates as the instructional medium across most private educational institutions, particularly after elementary education, it represents a second or tertiary language for numerous filipino learners, who typically acquire filipino and/or a regional mother tongue such as cebuano, ilocano, or hiligaynon prior to english instruction (dekker & young, 2005). this hierarchical language arrangement generates a pedagogical contradiction: although english proficiency is positioned as essential for academic advancement and socioeconomic opportunity, many students lack sufficient language competence and self-assurance to participate effectively in english-dominant learning environments. consequently, phenomena such as language anxiety, reluctance to participate, and classroom disengagement become widespread, particularly among students transitioning from public educational institutions where native languages receive emphasis during foundational years under the mother tongue-based multilingual education (mtb-mle) framework (gatil, n.d.; bernardo, 2004). the phenomenon of language anxiety, known as the fear or apprehension experienced during second language acquisition or utilization, constitutes substantial consequences to language development and academic achievement. horwitz (2001) tells that this apprehension regarding negative evaluation in l2 contexts frequently manifests as self-consciousness, participatory withdrawal, and diminished classroom engagement. students in developmental transitions exemplified by grade 7 learners often internalize these anxieties, associating english communication with experiences of inadequacy, embarrassment, or academic shortcoming (young, 1991). these effective components are essential to successful second language acquisition, underscoring the need for pedagogical methodologies that address both linguistic competence barriers and emotional challenges. pa ge 93 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 92-103, 2025 translanguaging represents one such promising pedagogical intervention that acknowledges and legitimizes multilingual practices within educational settings to enhance learning processes and expressive capabilities. originally conceptualized by welsh educator cen williams and subsequently expanded by garcía and wei (2014), translanguaging describes the dynamic processes through which multilingual individuals utilize their comprehensive linguistic repertoire to construct meaning, facilitate understanding, and communicate effectively. unlike conventional code-switching, which presupposes discrete language systems, translanguaging emphasizes the integrated and interconnected nature of language practices within multilingual contexts (cenoz & gorter, 2020). the translanguaging approach offers a paradigmatic transformation from the monolingual assumptions that have historically dominated educational discourse. rather than conceptualizing the first language (l1) as an impediment, translanguaging positions it as an essential cognitive scaffold for second language (l2) acquisition, such as english. this approach encourages learners to process complex conceptual information through their dominant language before articulating these concepts in english, thereby enhancing comprehension, retention, and expression (creese & blackledge, 2010). this scaffolded methodology not only facilitates deeper cognitive engagement but also mitigates the emotional burden associated with utilizing a less familiar language within high-stakes academic environments. empirical investigations across diverse multilingual educational contexts substantiate the pedagogical efficacy of translanguaging practices. research conducted by garcía and wei (2014) demonstrated that students permitted to utilize their home languages in academic contexts exhibited enhanced confidence, superior critical thinking capabilities, and increased engagement. similarly, reyes (2018) determined that translanguaging practices implemented in filipino classrooms resulted in increased student participation, enhanced inclusivity, and validation of learners’ linguistic identities. within this framework, translanguaging functions not merely as a linguistic methodology but as a sociocultural and affective intervention that establishes a more equitable and responsive learning environment. the philippine educational context presents particularly favorable conditions for translanguaging implementation. with established policies such as mtb-mle operating at the elementary level, there exists institutional recognition of multilingual education benefits. however, this progressive approach frequently diminishes at higher educational levels, particularly within private institutions where english proficiency is valued and is universally recognized as an indicator of one’s level of intellect and global competitiveness (velasco, 2019). within such contexts, english-only policies are frequently enforced under the assumption that immersion accelerates language acquisition. however, research evidence indicates alternative conclusions. cummins (2000) contends that students possessing strong l1 foundations demonstrate superior capacity for l2 acquisition, as cognitive and academic proficiencies transfer across language systems. consequently, restricting students’ access to their l1 potentially hinders rather than facilitates english language development. furthermore, translanguaging methodologies align with contemporary second language acquisition theoretical frameworks. krashen’s (1982) affective filter hypothesis proposes that emotional variables including motivation, anxiety, and self-confidence significantly influence second language acquisition processes. when learners experience psychological safety, affirmation, and competence within their educational environment, the “affective filter” is reduced, facilitating more effective language intake and processing. translanguaging establishes precisely this supportive environment by validating students’ linguistic identities and diminishing performance pressure within english-exclusive contexts. from a sociolinguistic perspective, translanguaging additionally promotes inclusivity and decoloniality. traditional english-only educational policies within postcolonial contexts such as the philippines frequently originate from colonial legacies that privilege nonindigenous languages over native linguistic systems (tupas, 2015). by implementing translanguaging, educators challenge these hierarchical structures and affirm the legitimacy of local linguistic practices. garcia-mateus and palmer (2017) observe that translanguaging pedagogy not only enhances students’ academic development but also reconceptualizes their linguistic heritage as a source of strength, resilience, and knowledge. despite these documented advantages, translanguaging remains underutilized across numerous philippine educational settings. institutional resistance persists, frequently stemming from misconceptions that native language utilization impedes english proficiency development. some educators express concerns that translanguaging may produce “language confusion” or undermine the perceived prestige of english (antony et al., 2024). these apprehensions, while comprehensible, lack empirical substantiation. indeed, accumulating evidence indicates that students exposed to translanguaging methodologies demonstrate superior performance in both language proficiency and academic achievement compared to their counterparts in monolingual instructional environments (cenoz & gorter, 2020). to address this disjunction between theoretical understanding and pedagogical implementation, this investigation examines translanguaging’s function as a pedagogical scaffold for english language acquisition within a private philippine school context. specifically, it analyzes translanguaging’s influence on two critical indicators of esl success: classroom participation frequency and student engagement levels. utilizing observational data and self-assessment instruments, this research aims to provide empirical support for pa ge 94 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 92-103, 2025 translanguaging integration within english-medium instruction. by focusing on grade 7 learners’ affective and behavioral responses, this study explores how enabling students to access their complete linguistic repertoire enhances their confidence, communication willingness, and overall classroom involvement. statement of the problem students in english-medium educational institutions across the philippines particularly those transitioning from filipino-medium public schools frequently encounter significant challenges adapting to english-only classroom environments. these adaptation difficulties often show as less participatory behavior, increased communication anxiety, and lack of confidence in english language production. despite having enough academic qualities and possessing an aspect from multiple intelligences deemed important for academic success, many students experience psychological barriers and hesitation when required to communicate exclusively in their second language english, resulting in classroom shyness or disengagement from learning activities. standard teaching approaches that enforce englishonly instruction often fail to recognize and leverage students’ diverse linguistic resources, inadvertently impacting academic engagement and motivational levels. translanguaging, defined as the strategic classroom utilization of students’ first language (filipino) alongside english, has emerged in educational literature as a potential methodology for creating more inclusive and supportive learning environments. however, the implementation and efficacy of translanguaging practices within philippine educational contexts, particularly in private institutions that maintain strict english-only policies, remains insufficiently investigated. in this light, the study seeks to examine the influence of translanguaging practices on classroom participation patterns and engagement levels among grade 7 esl students at dr. yanga’s colleges inc. the research will analyze how the strategic integration of both english and filipino during instruction affects students’ classroom involvement, confidence development, and motivational orientation toward english language learning, specifically it addresses the following research questions: 1. what is the frequency of grade 7 students’ classroom participation when translanguaging strategies are implemented, as measured by quantitative analysis of verbal contributions during instructional activities? 2. what categories of participatory behaviors (e.g., question formulation, response provision, collaborative discussion engagement) predominate during classroom sessions utilizing translanguaging approaches? 3. what language choices (english, filipino, or alternating usage) do students demonstrate when participating in classroom activities under a translanguaging framework, and what is the relative frequency distribution of each language option? 4. how does translanguaging implementation affect students’ self-reported engagement levels and confidence in english language learning, as measured through comparative analysis of preand post-intervention surveys assessing their language learning perceptions and classroom participation experiences? 5. what perceptions do students commonly express regarding the effectiveness of translanguaging practices in enhancing their classroom participation and overall learning experience? conceptual framework figure 1: conceptual framework this research is grounded in translanguaging theory (garcia & wei, 2014), which offers a pedagogical framework that recognizes and harnesses students’ multilingual resources. the theory suggests that educational outcomes improve when teachers deliberately incorporate both english and students’ native languages during instruction, potentially enhancing student engagement and building confidence in english language production. the framework proposes that learners demonstrate improved performance and self-efficacy when permitted to move fluidly between their linguistic repertoires, thereby advancing more inclusive language education practices within the philippine context. translanguaging represents the independent variable within this conceptual structure, characterized as the systematic pedagogical integration of students’ first language (l1) with english (l2) to facilitate comprehension, encourage participation, and support holistic language development. this approach enclose several instructional strategies, including contextual codeswitching, strategic translation, development of bilingual reference materials, and facilitation of native language peer collaboration. by legitimizing students’ transition between languages, translanguaging creates a learning environment that values linguistic diversity and enables more effective access to educational content. the framework represents two dependent variables: classroom engagement and esl confidence. classroom engagement encompasses students’ behavioral, emotional, and cognitive investment in learning activities, measured through specific indicators including verbal pa ge 95 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 92-103, 2025 participation frequency, sustained attentiveness, peerto-peer interaction, and motivational persistence. elevated classroom engagement indicates active student involvement in the learning process, contributing positively to both individual academic outcomes and broader classroom dynamics. the second dependent variable, esl confidence, refers to students’ self-efficacy beliefs regarding their capacity to comprehend and utilize english in academic contexts. this confidence manifests in their comfort levels with english speaking, writing, and comprehension tasks, significantly influencing their willingness to engage and communicate using english in classroom settings. hypothesis this study investigates the hypothesis that translanguaging an instructional approach that allows students to use their first language (l1) alongside english (l2) in the classroom can significantly enhance language learning outcomes in the philippine context. specifically, it posits that students exposed to translanguaging strategies will demonstrate higher levels of classroom engagement and greater confidence in using english compared to those taught through english-only instruction. by testing this hypothesis, the research aims to provide empirical evidence on the potential of translanguaging to foster a more inclusive and effective english language learning environment for multilingual learners. hypothesis 1: classroom engagement null hypothesis (ho) there is no significant difference in students’ classroom engagement before and after the implementation of translanguaging strategies in english language instruction. alternative hypothesis (h₁) students will demonstrate significantly higher classroom engagement after the implementation of translanguaging strategies in english language instruction. hypothesis 2: esl confidence null hypothesis (ho) there is no significant difference in students’ esl confidence before and after the implementation of translanguaging strategies in english language instruction. alternative hypothesis (h₁) students will demonstrate significantly greater esl confidence after the implementation of translanguaging strategies in english language instruction. materials and methods research design this study evaluated the effects of translanguaging pedagogy on the confidence and classroom participation of grade 7 english as a second language (esl) learners using a quantitative pre-experimental design with a onegroup pretest-posttest model. by enabling a before-andafter comparison this model shed light on the changes in students’ engagement and self-reported confidence in their english. while the post-test phase (weeks 5–8) incorporated translanguaging pedagogy the pre-test phase (weeks 1–4) used an english-only instructional approach allowing for comparisons of student performance before and after the intervention (cohen et al., 2017; garcía & wei, 2014). this study is consistent with translanguaging research which highlights multilingual interaction as a scaffold for enhanced language learning given its design structure (cummins, 2007). this study adds to the body of research that highlights the importance of first-language usage in lowering language anxiety and increasing participation by examining students’ classroom engagement and confidence through translanguaging pedagogy (garcía & wei, 2014; macswan, 2020). research participants students enrolled in the institution’s masterclass program, a large-format colloquium course intended to improve english communication skills in grade 7 served as the study’s participants. every week the masterclass which lasts 60 to 90 minutes can accommodate about 350 students in a single session. in spite of the scale the class used an interactive structured approach that emphasized communication and vocabulary development. students were required to learn a new set of english words by deciphering definitions and comprehending contextual usage for each session. after that students took part in brief tests and used the recently acquired vocabulary to share their thoughts. students had to either create meaningful sentences or participate in discussions using the vocabulary from the previous week as part of the final task. this method made vocabulary learning more handson and engaging, providing a strong basis for tracking changes in student confidence and involvement. students in grade 7 were specifically picked because they are in a crucial stage of their education moving from elementary to junior high school where academic standards drastically change and english is increasingly valued as a teaching language. this change poses emotional and cognitive difficulties for many people. because they frequently worry about being judged or failing learners may find it difficult to express themselves in english which can hinder their ability to participate in class and perform well academically overall (horwitz, 2001; young, 1991). this is an especially delicate time of transition. since they are still in the early phases of adolescence, seventh-graders’ learning behaviors can be significantly influenced by their perceptions of themselves and their peers. although they are still young enough to gain a great deal from interventions that promote inclusivity and confidence-building in learning, they are old enough to start participating in metacognitive reflection (krashen, 1982; cummins, 2000). translanguaging is appropriate for this group because of these factors. students can participate more freely and authentically because it acts as emotional scaffolding in pa ge 96 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 92-103, 2025 addition to being a language tool (creese & blackledge, 2010; reyes, 2018). furthermore long-term attitudes regarding academic communication and english are still being formed by this age group. according to garcíamateus and palmer (2017) and antony et al. (2024) introducing translanguaging at this point can help reframe english learning as a collaborative affirming experience that values all of a student’s linguistic resources rather than as a threatening exclusive practice. students can bridge their understanding of increasingly complex english-language content through translanguaging which promotes both language and academic development. all things considered, the population of grade 7 students is extremely pertinent and significant to this research. they are especially receptive to translanguaging as a pedagogical scaffold in english language instruction because of their developmental stage, linguistic background and place in the educational system. research sampling seventy seventh-grade students from dr. yangas colleges inc. participated in this study. chosen by basic random sampling. because the sample is representative of the broader population this approach helps minimize selection bias and improves the findings external validity (creswell & creswell, 2018). the final sample was limited to students who had perfect attendance for the entire eight-week period in order to guarantee data consistency and reliability. this group gave a fair and accurate picture of how translanguaging techniques might affect students with different levels of english proficiency because they represented a combination of proficiency levels. procedure and instructional phases the eight-week study was split into two instructional phases that compared the effects of translanguaging pedagogy and english-only instruction. this is to ensure that the students have ample time to me introduced with each phase and fairly see if there any any significant difference after the intervention phase 1: english-only instruction (weeks 1–4) the masterclass adhered strictly to the institution’s formal language policy during the first four weeks using only english. every interaction in the classroom including discussions, instructions and student answers took place solely in english. in an english-only learning environment this method sought to establish a baseline for evaluating student confidence and engagement by reflecting common esl practices (cummins, 2007). while facilitating activities and delivering content teachers strictly followed the english language. through vocabulary drills tests and sentence construction assignments students prepared their english reading, speaking and listening skills. in order to generate pre-test data on students’ frequency of participation and self-reported levels of comfort using english this phase acted as the control condition (cohen et al. (2017). additionally it exposed the early affective barriers that some students encountered including limited verbal participation and reluctance to speak problems that have been extensively documented in research on second language acquisition (horwitz, 2001; young, 1991). phase 2: translanguaging pedagogy (weeks 5–8) the class used a translanguaging pedagogy in the second half of the intervention which made it possible to use filipino and english strategically and purposefully. students were encouraged to use their entire linguistic repertoire to make sense of new vocabulary, clarify meaning and express themselves more freely even though english remained the primary language of instruction (garcía & wei, 2014). when pupils needed to clarify concepts, pose inquiries or create meaning teachers permitted the use of filipino and facilitated bilingual conversations. particularly for students who were apprehensive or nervous during the english-only phase this bilingual scaffolding approach sought to reduce affective barriers (macswan, 2020; cummins, 2007). translanguaging gave learners an easy way to start learning english while boosting their confidence and engagement by incorporating their native tongue. studies have indicated that learners are more likely to engage deeply, take academic risks and develop stronger conceptual understanding when they are allowed to use their native language as a cognitive and emotional support (creese & blackledge, 2010; reyes, 2018). due to the lack of a monolingual framework this phase enabled students to engage in more in-depth discussions and show increased comfort using english. data collection instruments the researcher of this study utilized multiple approaches to measure how confident, engaged, and involved students were in class before and after they started using translanguaging, within the eight weeks. the proponent created tools to gather numbers and stories at different times during the study. this gave the researcher a clear picture of how translanguaging affected teaching and learning. preand post-surveys on confidence to gauge how sure students felt about using english, researchers gave out a survey before and after trying translanguaging. this survey asked about key skills: talking, listening, and understanding what they read. students answered questions like “i feel sure about speaking english in class” and “i’m not scared to make mistakes when i speak english.” they chose answers from 1 (totally disagree) to 4 (agree). the pre-survey provided a baseline for students’ selfperceived language confidence; it showed how confident students felt at the start while the english only policy was being implemented, while the post-survey identified changes resulting from the translanguaging approach. pa ge 97 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 92-103, 2025 preand post-surveys on student engagement metrics the researcher of the study measured student engagement with a 10-item self-report survey using a likert scale. students took this survey twice: once before and once after the study. the survey included statements such as “i take part in class discussions when teachers allow translanguaging” and “using two languages helps me share my ideas more in class activities.” students rated their responses on a 4-point scale. this method captured how students felt about and behaved in class as well as how they saw their own involvement in a classroom that used translanguaging. preand post-assessment of frequency of participation the researcher kept track of how often students participated in class using an engagement log. the researcher filled out the first section of the student engagement log during each class session. the log recorded how many times each student contributed to discussions, categorized by: frequency of participation quantitative count of student contributions. this data was collected across sessions both before and after the intervention, allowing for a comparative analysis of change in participation behaviors over time. moreover, to gather categorical data, the researcher included the following: language used identification of the language (english, filipino, or both) used during participation. type of contribution qualitative classification of participation as answering questions, asking questions, engaging in group discussions, or sharing personal opinions. post-only student perceptions on translanguaging to gain insights into students’ thoughts and feelings, the researcher gave out an additional survey after the study ended. this survey used a likert scale to measure views on translanguaging as a teaching method. it asked students to rate statements like “translanguaging helps me understand the subject better” and “i learn more when the teacher uses materials in both my first language and english.” the goal was to see how students felt about translanguaging and its effect on their learning. this was administered after the intervention to ensure that the students understand the whole nature of translanguaging. data analysis to understand how translanguaging impacted learners’ confidence, engagement, and participation in class, the study relied on a mixed-methods strategy that integrated qualitative and quantitative data. this provided a richer and more nuanced understanding of the students’ experiences during the two phases of instruction. quantitative data analysis quantitative data were collected using preand postintervention likert-scale surveys, as well as classroom participation logs. all instruments followed a pre-test/ post-test design using the same group of students, making it possible to track changes over time. confidence and engagement surveys quantitative data was gathered through classroom participation records and delivery logs, as well as through preand post-intervention likert surveys. all of the evaluation instruments were designed to have a pre-test and post-test within one cohort of pupils, thus permitting longitudinal tracking of changes over time. this test helped determine whether students showed significant growth in confidence and engagement after they were allowed to use both english and filipino in class (cohen et al., 2017). participation frequency the participation of students in each session was tracked using an engagement log which recorded each student’s contributions to discussions and activities within the class. as with the surveys, the analysis was done using a pretest/post-test methodology, with the english-only phase serving as the baseline and the translanguaging phase serving as the post condition. a paired-sample t-test was executed to determine whether participation improved in the two phases being compared. this tested the hypothesis that translanguaging increases the frequency of interaction students have in the classroom (horwitz, 2001; young, 1991). categorical and qualitative data analysis language used and contribution type all occurence of participation were further classified according to the language used by the students (english, filipino, or both) and the contribution made (e.g., answering questions, group discussions, personal reflections). the observations were summarized through frequency counts and cross-tabulations in order to identify patterns of language use and participation. this form of analysis assisted in demonstrating how translanguaging was operating to foster more flexible and responsive relationships within the classroom dynamics (creese & blackledge, 2010). post-only perceptions of translanguaging translanguaging as a pedagogical approach was evaluated by students at the end of the research using a post-only likert-scale survey. these responses were summarized using descriptive statistics. students who provided comments were subjected to thematic analysis centered around specific themes, including greater comfort, better comprehension, and stronger willingness to engage (garcía & wei, 2014; reyes, 2018). pa ge 98 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 92-103, 2025 by combining survey data, participation logs, and student perceptions, the analysis offered a well-rounded picture of how translanguaging affected both the emotional and practical dimensions of classroom learning. this comprehensive approach helped highlight not just what changed, but how and why those changes occurred results and discussion this section focuses on how the translanguaging intervention affected students’ confidence, engagement, and participation, and it presents and interprets the study’s findings in light of the research objectives. based on both quantitative and qualitative data, the findings are arranged according to the main areas of study: students’ perceptions of translanguaging pedagogy, classroom engagement levels, frequency and type of student participation, and self-reported confidence in english use. in order to understand how letting students use their entire linguistic ability affects both the affective and behavioral aspects of learning, the discussion incorporates these findings with previously published research. student engagement table 1: student engagement metrics one sample t-test statistic df p meandifference 95% confidence interval lower upper ql student's t 37.8 139 < .001 2.95 2.80 3.10 q2 student's t 33.6 139 < .001 2.90 2.73 3.07 q3 student's t 39.1 139 < .001 2.98 2.83 3.13 q4 student's t 45.2 b9 < .001 3.05 2.92 3.18 qs student's t 38.5 139 < .001 2.90 2.75 3.05 q6 student's t 35.8 139 < .001 2.89 2.73 3.05 q7 student's t 35.7 139 < .001 2.90 2.74 3.06 q8 student's t 36.7 139 < .001 2.91 2.75 3.06 q9 student's t 37.9 139 < .001 2.91 2.76 3.07 q10 student's t 37a 139 < .001 2.84 2.69 2.99 note: ha µ≠0 to determine whether survey responses indicating student engagement levels deviated significantly from a neutral value (set at 2.5 on a 4-point likert scale), a one-sample t-test was used. the purpose of this test was to ascertain whether the sample mean for each item differed statistically from a population mean that was thought to represent neutrality. all of the items’ resulting t-values were greater than 30, suggesting significant deviations from the neutral point. this implies that across all survey items, students’ reported levels of engagement were noticeably higher than neutral. following the introduction of translanguaging techniques, students reported feeling noticeably more involved in class. with p values less than.001 for every engagement item, the 10-item likert-scale survey revealed statistically significant improvements. the highest score was recorded in question 4 (m = 3.05, 95% ci [2.92, 3.18]), indicating that students strongly agreed with feeling more involved and supported when permitted to use both english and filipino in the classroom. the mean differences ranged from 2.84 to 3.05. the information clearly shows that students’ reactions to their learning environment have improved. when translanguaging was promoted, they felt more capable of expressing themselves, participating in conversations, and maintaining their emotional and intellectual interest in the lessons. this is in line with what other researchers have found, which is that speaking students’ native tongues in the classroom increases motivation and engagement in addition to promoting understanding (creese & blackledge, 2010). the translanguaging approach increased students’ willingness to speak up, take chances, and interact meaningfully with the material rather than detracting from their english language learning. according to these results, translanguaging produced a learning environment where students felt more capable, respected, and safe— elements that are essential for both academic achievement and emotional health (cummins, 2007; reyes, 2018). student esl confidence a paired sample t-test was conducted to examine the table 2: student esl confidence levels paired samples t-test statistic df p mean difference se difference pretest average confidence post test average confidence student’s t -88.3 69.0 < .001 -1.02 0.0116 note: ha µmeasure 1-measure 2 ≠ 0 pa ge 99 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 92-103, 2025 difference in participants’ confidence levels before and after the intervention. the findings showed that confidence increased after the intervention in a statistically significant way. participants reported higher levels of confidence following the intervention, according to the analysis, which showed a mean difference of -1.02 between pre-test and posttest scores. there was a significant difference between the two sets of scores, as indicated by the calculated t-statistic of -88.3. the test was based on 70 pairs of data with degrees of freedom (df) equal to 69. a highly significant result was indicated by the associated p-value, which was less than 0.001. the finding that the noticed rise in confidence is due to the intervention and not random variation is supported by the low likelihood of observing this variation by chance. student participation frequency table 3: student participation frequency paired samples t-test statistic df p mean difference se difference frequency pre test frequency post test student’s t -12.3 69.0 < .001 -2.17 0.176 note: ha µmeasure 1-measure 2 ≠ 0 a paired sample t-test comparing before and after the intervention participation data was used to evaluate the effect of the intervention itself on students’ frequency of participation. to find out if there was a significant change over time within the exact same group of participants, this method of statistical analysis was suitable. after the intervention, students participated much more frequently, according to the analysis, which showed a mean difference of -2.17. the estimate was highly precise, as evidenced by the standard error of the mean difference of 0.176. a significant difference between the levels of participation before and after the intervention was suggested by the resulting t-statistic, which was -12.3, a value of considerable magnitude. the test used data from 70 paired observations with degrees of freedom (df) equal to 69. a statistically significant outcome was indicated by the associated p-value, which was less than 0.001. as a result, the null hypothesis, according to which the frequency of participation remained unchanged and was rejected. these results offer strong proof that the intervention was successful in raising pupil engagement rates. language used by the students assesses whether the observed frequencies of language use english, filipino, or both deviate substantially from what would be predicted based on the assumptions of equal distribution. the majority of those participating (65.7%, or 46 out of 70) preferred using both english and filipino during the intervention, according to the observed data. by contrast, only 12.9% (9 students) spoke filipino exclusively, whereas 21.4% (15 students) spoke english exclusively. the null hypothesis, which postulated an equal distribution among the three language categories, was tested against these frequencies. with two degrees of freedom, the chi-square test yielded a test statistic of χ² = 33.80 and a p-value of less than 0.001. the observed usage of language pattern is unlikely to have simply happened by accident, as indicated by the statistically significant deviation from what was anticipated, indicated by this incredibly small p-value. type of contribution performed by students table 4: chi-square for languages used by the students proportions languages used level count proportion b 46 0.657 e 15 0.2 14 f 9 0.129 x2 goodness of fit x2 df p 33.8 2 < .001 a chi-square goodness-of-fit test was used to see if students’ language preferences during the intervention deviated significantly from a uniform distribution. according to mchugh (2013), this statistical process figure 2: upset plot on type of contribution performed by students student contributions were also analyzed via an upset plot across four main levels: answering questions, asking questions, engaging in group discussion and providing personal opinions. the visualization technique was selected due to its ability to visualize intricate overlap between multiple categorical variables. the information shows that 37 students inquired, 35 gave their opinion, 33 discussed in groups and 30 answered questions. these values indicate a relatively even unbiased distribution of participation types, whereby the most frequent individual activity is posting questions. pa ge 10 0 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 92-103, 2025 this also shows that the contributions of students are shared in four types of engagement. of the participants who engaged in only one type of activity, 15 students questioned, 12 expressed an opinion, 10 discussed, and 9 responded. these participants showed a concentrated, single-modus commitment. two-way intersections were more common, with 8 students asking questions and providing their own opinions the most common pairing. other recurrent combination were questions and answers (7 students), opinions and debates (6 students) and questions and group discussion together (5 students) further participation was demonstrated by three-way points of intersection: five students combined providing opinions, responding to questions, and participating in discussions, whereas six students asked questions, offered opinions, and answered questions. seven students participated in each of the four kinds of contributions, demonstrating the greatest degree of engagement. these students demonstrated a wellrounded engagement in class interaction by participating in discussions, sharing opinions, and asking and answering questions. student perceptions on translanguaging conclusions the purpose of this study was to investigate how students interact with and perceive translanguaging in a multilingual classroom. the results offer important insights into how students engage with and react to translanguaging practices through an integration of descriptive statistical evaluation and graphic illustrations of participation patterns. the study revealed that translanguaging significantly enhances multilingual classroom dynamics by increasing student engagement, boosting esl confidence, and encouraging frequent and diverse participation. students responded positively to the integration of english and filipino, with data showing an increase in classroom involvement and self-assurance in using english. chisquare analysis confirmed a strong preference for bilingual interaction, validating translanguaging as a natural and effective communicative bridge. the variety of contributions from group discussions to questioning, demonstrated deeper cognitive processing and active learning. furthermore, student perceptions overwhelmingly supported translanguaging’s role in fostering inclusivity and reducing linguistic anxiety. these findings collectively affirm translanguaging as a powerful pedagogical strategy that enriches language learning and classroom interaction. references antony, j., smith, r., & lee, k. (2024). challenges in multilingual education: policy implications and pedagogical practices. multilingual educational journal, 18(2), 101–120. antony, s., de los reyes, a., & morales, j. (2024). decolonizing language education: the role of translanguaging in southeast asian classrooms. asian education studies, 12(1), 15–28. bandura, a. (1997). self-efficacy: the exercise of control. w. h. freeman. bernardo, a. (2004). bilingual education in the philippines: sociopolitical and cognitive perspectives. philippine journal of linguistics, 35(1), 45–68. canagarajah, s. (2011). codemeshing in academic writing: identifying translanguaging strategies of multilingual students. the modern language journal, 95(3), 401–417. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.2011.01207.x cenoz, j. (2017). translanguaging in school contexts: international perspectives. journal of language, identity & education, 16(4), 193–198. https://doi.org/10.108 0/15348458.2017.1327816 cenoz, j., & gorter, d. 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(2010). translanguaging in the bilingual classroom: a pedagogy for learning and teaching? the modern language journal, 94(1), 103–115. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.2009.00986.x table 5: students’ perception score descriptives perception score n 70 missing 0 mean 4.21 me<lian 4.20 standard deviation 0.0940 variance 0.00884 minimum 3.99 maximum 4.43 the researcher of this study utilized descriptive statistics, which are appropriate for providing an overview of the central tendencies and variations within the data provided, to examine students’ perception in translanguaging. a clear representation of common trends and the level of agreement among participants is made possible by this method. based on the average score of 4.21, students’ opinions of translanguaging techniques were highly positive. the normal distribution and the lack of significant bias in the data are suggested by the average rating of 4.20, which agrees with the result of the mean data. variability measures corroborate these outcomes. the low degree of dispersion indicated by the standard deviation of 0.0940 suggests that the responses from the students were largely consistent. the scores were also closely clustered around the mean, as indicated by the variance of 0.00884 pa ge 10 1 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 92-103, 2025 cummins, j. (2000). language, power, and pedagogy: bilingual children in the crossfire. multilingual matters. cummins, j. (2007). rethinking monolingual instructional strategies in multilingual classrooms. canadian journal of applied linguistics, 10(2), 221–240. cummins, j. (2017). teaching for transfer in multilingual school contexts. educational researcher, 46(3), 173–182. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189x17707272 dekker, d., & young, c. (2005). multilingual education in the philippines: a framework for sustainable learning. philippine multilingual education review, 12(3), 58–75. garcía, o. (2009). bilingual education in the 21st century: a global perspective. wiley-blackwell. garcía, o., & lin, a. m. y. (2017). translanguaging in bilingual education. in o. garcía, a. m. y. lin, & s. may (eds.), bilingual and multilingual education (pp. 117–135). springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3319-02258-1_9 garcía, o., & wei, l. (2014). translanguaging: language, bilingualism and education. palgrave macmillan. garcía-mateus, s., & palmer, d. (2017). translanguaging pedagogies for multilingual classrooms. bilingual research journal, 40(3), 251–266. gatil, j. (n.d.). code-switching and translanguaging in filipino classrooms: a pedagogical approach. philippine journal of language teaching, 22(2). hornberger, n. h., & link, h. (2012). translanguaging in today’s classrooms: a primer for teachers. literacy today, 29(1), 40–43. khan, m. a. (2023). affective variables in second language acquisition: a systematic review. journal of second language studies, 9(1), 112–129. krashen, s. (1982). principles and practice in second language acquisition. pergamon press. lewis, g., jones, b., & baker, c. (2012). translanguaging: developing its conceptualisation and contextualisation. educational research and evaluation, 18(7), 655–670. https://doi.org/10.1080/13803611. 2012.718490 libladilla, l. (2024). monolingual bias and the filipino learner: english-only policies in philippine education. language and society review, 8(1), 34–48. liu, p. (2023). confidence in second language writing: assessing affective factors in esl college students. tesol quarterly, 57(4), 1023–1041. luo, w., & ruan, y. (2024). multimodal translanguaging and multilingual learners. language learning, 54(1), 78–99. makoni, s., & pennycook, a. (2007). disinventing and reconstituting languages. multilingual matters. macswan, j. (2020). a multilingual perspective on language education policy. multilingual education policy studies, 22(3), 231–248. martin, r. (2014). language diversity and educational equity in the philippines. philippine sociolinguistics review, 6(1), 44–66. prilutskaya, m. (2021). translanguaging in english language teaching: systematic review of practices and implications. language education research, 13(2), 91–108. reyes, a. (2018). translanguaging in philippine classrooms: evaluating impact on student engagement. philippine journal of language teaching, 22(1), 37–55. reyes, i. (2018). cultural identity and confidence in esl learning through translanguaging pedagogy. international journal of bilingual education and bilingualism, 21(4), 385–399. https://doi.org/10.1080 /13670050.2016.1228591 tupas, r. (2015). decolonizing english language education in the philippines. applied linguistics journal, 11(4), 289–307. velasco, p. (2019). assessing language policies in private schools: a critical review. philippine journal of educational leadership, 14(3), 157–172. vygotsky, l. s. (1978). mind in society: the development of higher psychological processes. harvard university press. wei, l. (2018). translanguaging as a practical theory of language. applied linguistics, 39(1), 9–30. https://doi. org/10.1093/applin/amx039 young, d. j. (1991). creating a low-anxiety classroom environment in second language learning. the modern language journal, 75(2), 189–199. presentation of figures and tables the following tables and figures present the quantitative and visual data generated throughout the study. these include preand post-intervention results measuring classroom engagement, esl confidence, and participation frequency, as well as categorical data on language usage and types of student contributions. each table and figure is designed to support the interpretation of findings and provide a clearer understanding of how translanguaging influenced student behavior and perception during the intervention. the inclusion of both statistical results and visual representations ensures a comprehensive and accessible presentation of the study’s key outcomes. list of tables table 1: student engagement metrics one sample t-test statistic df p meandifference 95% confidence interval lower upper ql student's t 37.8 139 < .001 2.95 2.80 3.10 q2 student's t 33.6 139 < .001 2.90 2.73 3.07 q3 student's t 39.1 139 < .001 2.98 2.83 3.13 pa ge 10 2 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 92-103, 2025 preand post-intervention survey results showing changes in student engagement levels after translanguaging implementation. q4 student's t 45.2 b9 < .001 3.05 2.92 3.18 qs student's t 38.5 139 < .001 2.90 2.75 3.05 q6 student's t 35.8 139 < .001 2.89 2.73 3.05 q7 student's t 35.7 139 < .001 2.90 2.74 3.06 q8 student's t 36.7 139 < .001 2.91 2.75 3.06 q9 student's t 37.9 139 < .001 2.91 2.76 3.07 q10 student's t 37a 139 < .001 2.84 2.69 2.99 note: ha µ≠0 table 2: student esl confidence levels paired samples t-test statistic df p mean difference se difference pretest average confidence post test average confidence student’s t -88.3 69.0 < .001 -1.02 0.0116 note: ha µmeasure 1-measure 2 ≠ 0 comparison of students’ self-reported confidence in using english before and after the translanguaging intervention. table 3: student participation frequency paired samples t-test statistic df p mean difference se difference frequency pre test frequency post test student’s t -12.3 69.0 < .001 -2.17 0.176 note: ha µmeasure 1-measure 2 ≠ 0 summary of students’ participation counts before and after the implementation of translanguaging strategies. observed and expected frequencies of language usage (english, filipino, or both) with corresponding chitable 4: chi-square for languages used by the students proportions languages used level count proportion b 46 0.657 e 15 0.2 14 f 9 0.129 x2 goodness of fit x2 df p 33.8 2 < .001 square test results. descriptive statistics summarizing student responses to the post-intervention perception survey. table 5: students’ perception score descriptives perception score n 70 missing 0 mean 4.21 me<lian 4.20 standard deviation 0.0940 variance 0.00884 minimum 3.99 maximum 4.43 pa ge 10 3 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 92-103, 2025 list of figures diagram illustrating the relationship between translanguaging, student engagement, and esl confidence. visualization of student contribution patterns categorized by answering questions, asking questions, group discussions, and personal opinions. figure 1: conceptual framework figure 2: upset plot on type of contribution performed by students pa ge 1 pa ge 15 7 american journal of education and technology (ajet) determinants of teachers’ performance and their understanding of key factors in the agusan del sur division jeffry m. saro1*, leslie o. cinchez1, jose dennis p. chua2, john dave g. baldonado3, leomel e. cadiao4 volume 4 issue 1, year 2025 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v4i1.4314 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: january 03, 2025 accepted: february 01, 2025 published: march 14, 2025 the performance of teachers is fundamental to delivering quality education and fostering student success. this study explored the determinants influencing secondary school teachers’ performance in the division of agusan del sur, focusing on their understanding of key factors and their actual teaching performance. a descriptive-correlational research design was employed, with secondary teachers from various school types, including integrated and indigenous peoples (ip) schools, as respondents. findings revealed that teachers possess a strong understanding of contributing factors such as personal-related, all of which significantly impact teaching performance. teachers demonstrated proficiency in their roles, excelling in areas like content knowledge and pedagogy and contributing beyond their teaching responsibilities. however, the study identified opportunities for growth, particularly in cultivating inclusive and adaptive learning environments. a positive relationship was found between teachers’ understanding of performance factors and their actual teaching effectiveness, highlighting the importance of aligning professional knowledge with practice. the study emphasizes the need for professional development programs, resource provision, and collaborative opportunities to enhance teaching outcomes. future research should examine how school administrators and stakeholders can provide effective support systems, including mentoring and access to instructional materials, to empower teachers further. keywords determinants, key result areas, teachers’ performance, teaching performance factors, ppst 1 prosperidad national high school, prosperidad district, division of agusan del sur, deped, philippines 2 patin-ay national high school, prosperidad district, division of agusan del sur, deped, philippines 3 san isidro national high school, trento district, division of agusan del sur, deped, philippines 4 lapinigan central elementary school, san francisco district, division of agusan del sur, deped, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: jeffrysaro123@gmail.com introduction the performance of teachers plays a critical role in shaping the quality of education and the overall success of students. understanding the determinants that influence teachers’ performance is vital to ensuring that educators are equipped with the necessary support, skills, and resources to fulfill their roles effectively. this study explores the various factors contributing to teachers’ performance, encompassing personal, professional, institutional, and community aspects. with the department of education (deped) continuously striving to meet the standards of quality education, investigating these determinants provides an opportunity to identify strengths and address existing challenges. this research is particularly significant as it aims to enhance teaching practices and outcomes within the secondary education sector, which serves as the foundation of lifelong learning for students. several studies on teacher performance have been extensive, emphasizing the interconnectedness of individual attributes, professional development, and the working environment. globally, studies have highlighted the critical role of professional development programs in improving teaching practices (darling-hammond et al., 2019). locally, orale and ortinero (2020) and saro et al. (2022a) examined the role of instructional leadership and its positive impact on teachers’ motivation and classroom management in schools. a study by chua (2019) revealed that filipino teachers’ effectiveness is closely tied to their access to sufficient teaching resources and administrative support. accordingly, singh and sharma (2021) found that collaborative learning among teachers significantly boosts performance in indian elementary schools, while rivera (2020) identified workload and time constraints as barriers to performance among educators. moreover, tena and lopez (2022) argued that community support and involvement are critical in improving teaching outcomes in rural philippine settings. these findings provide a comprehensive view of the multifaceted nature of teacher performance, which aligns with the focus of this study in identifying and addressing these determinants in agusan del sur. despite the wealth of literature, gaps remain at various levels. as such, many studies tend to generalize findings without considering the specific needs of rural and underserved regions, leaving questions about the applicability of strategies and methods in such settings (singh & sharma, 2021; saro et al., 2022a). furthermore, while deped has introduced several programs to support teachers, the implementation often encounters issues such as insufficient funding and inconsistent delivery (rivera, 2020). in the agusan del sur division, challenges persist due to geographical isolation, limited access to professional development, and a high student-to-teacher ratio in secondary schools. these issues hinder the capacity of teachers to perform optimally and create disparities pa ge 15 8 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 157-164, 2025 in educational outcomes across the division. addressing these localized concerns is critical for developing contextspecific interventions that can enhance the quality of teaching and learning. the main objective of this study was to identify and analyze the determinants of teachers’ performance in the secondary schools of the agusan del sur division. additionally, the study aimed to provide insights into the factors influencing teacher effectiveness and to propose strategies to enhance their professional capabilities. the findings were significant for deped implementers, school administrators, and educators, as they offered data-driven recommendations for improving teacher performance. lastly, the study sought to contribute to the goal of elevating the quality of education within agusan del sur and beyond, ensuring that every student received a high standard of instruction that prepared them for future academic and life challenges. literature review teachers’ performance is a multifaceted concept that encompasses personal competencies, professional development, and the institutional environment in which educators operate (bustamante, 2024). studies emphasize that teacher performance directly correlates with student learning outcomes, highlighting the importance of fostering effective teaching practices (saro & chua, 2024). as articulated by creemers and kyriakides (2018), the dynamic model of educational effectiveness emphasizes that teacher behavior, particularly in instructional strategies, significantly impacts student achievement. this reinforces the need for continuous research into the various factors that contribute to teacher performance, particularly in rural and underserved areas where unique challenges may influence educational outcomes. professional development has been widely recognized as a crucial factor in enhancing teachers’ performance (mendoza et al., 2023). guskey (2020) noted that structured professional learning programs improve teachers’ content knowledge and strengthen their pedagogical skills, enabling them to effectively address diverse student needs. hattie (2019) identified collective teacher efficacy as one of the most significant factors in influencing student achievement, asserting that collaboration among educators promotes shared practices and improves instructional quality. a study by estonanto and macale (2021) found that professional development initiatives tailored to local educational settings significantly impacted teachers’ ability to manage classrooms and deliver effective instruction, emphasizing the importance of contextualized training programs. institutional support is another critical determinant of teacher performance. studies have highlighted the significance of supportive leadership and access to teaching resources in creating an environment conducive to effective teaching (saro et al., 2022d). according to leithwood and sun (2020), school leaders who foster a collaborative culture and provide ongoing feedback contribute to higher teacher morale and improved performance. dela cruz and ramos (2019) explored how public elementary schools in rural areas of the philippines often face limitations in infrastructure and resources, which negatively affect teachers’ ability to perform optimally. addressing these gaps through targeted investments in facilities and resources could mitigate these challenges and support teachers in fulfilling their roles more effectively. despite numerous interventions, teachers in rural areas face persistent challenges that hinder their performance. the study by chapman et al. (2018) revealed that geographic isolation often limits access to professional development opportunities and adequate teaching resources, leaving rural educators at a disadvantage compared to their urban counterparts. a study by basit and malik (2020) highlighted that high student-teacher ratios and lack of instructional materials are key barriers to teacher effectiveness. these findings resonate with the local context, where similar challenges, such as insufficient teacher training and a lack of administrative support, have been reported in elementary schools across rural areas. improving teacher performance in the elementary education sector is crucial for achieving educational equity and quality. moreover, darling-hammond et al. (2019) emphasized that teacher performance directly impacts the foundational learning experiences of students, which serve as a basis for their future academic and life success. the department of education (deped) has made significant efforts to address these issues through programs such as the national educators academy of the philippines (neap), which aims to enhance teachers’ skills and competencies. however, as tena and lopez (2022) and pareja (2024) noted, these initiatives often face implementation challenges, particularly in rural areas. therefore, targeted research such as this study is essential to identify the determinants of teachers’ performance and propose practical strategies for addressing the gaps in elementary education. theoretical and conceptual framework this study was grounded in the dynamic model of educational effectiveness, developed by creemers and kyriakides (2018), which emphasized that teacher performance was significantly influenced by the interaction of personal, professional, institutional, and community factors. according to this model, teacher behavior, instructional strategies, and school leadership were key determinants of student achievement. it suggested that effective teaching required a supportive environment, including professional development opportunities, strong leadership, and appropriate resources. in the context of the department of education (deped), this aligned with deped order no. 42, s. 2016, which highlighted the importance of teacher development programs, institutional support, and the use of daily lesson logs (dll) or detailed lesson plans (dlp) to guide teaching pa ge 15 9 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 157-164, 2025 and learning. deped’s focus on improving teacher quality through professional learning communities and leadership development directly supported the claims made in the dynamic model of educational effectiveness, emphasizing the need for continuous support to foster teacher growth and enhance performance. the study drew upon deped’s commitment to providing quality education through various reforms and programs aimed at improving teacher competencies. deped’s emphasis on developing a strong, capable teaching force through its national educators academy of the philippines (neap) and other professional development programs emphasized the importance of this framework. the study, therefore, sought to identify how these factors: teacher competence, institutional support, and leadership interacted within the educational system, contributing to teachers’ overall performance. this research aimed to provide actionable insights for strengthening teacher performance, thus contributing to educational improvements at the local and national levels. research questions the main objective of this study was to analyze the determinants of teachers’ performance in secondary schools within the agusan del sur division. specifically, the study aimed to answer the following research questions: 1. what is the perceived level of teachers’ understanding of teaching performance based on the following factors: 1.1 person-related factors; 1.2 school-related factors; 1.3 learner-related factors; and 1.4 community-related factors? 2. what is the level of teaching performance based on the teacher evaluation tool described in the philippine professional standards for teachers (ppst) 5 key results areas (kras), in terms of: 2.1 content knowledge and pedagogy; 2.2 learning environment and diversity of learners; 2.3 eurriculum and planning; 2.4 assessment and reporting; and 2.5 plus factor? 3. is there a significant relationship between the perceived level of teachers’ understanding of teaching performance, based on the identified factors, and the level of teaching performance as assessed using the teacher evaluation tool described in the ppst’s 5 key results areas (kras)? materials and methods research design the study was a purely quantitative research, focusing on a descriptive-correlational research design using the survey method to identify and analyze the determinants of teachers’ performance in secondary schools within the agusan del sur division. a descriptive method of research, as explained by adanza et al. (2009), aims to describe the nature of a particular situation as it exists at the time of the study and to explore the causes of a specific phenomenon. according to creswell (2014), the quantitative approach, particularly descriptivecorrelational research, allows researchers to examine relationships between variables and provide a clearer understanding of how these variables are interconnected. in this study, the data collected were analyzed using quantitative tools, through either descriptive or inferential statistics. the results were then presented in numerical form to facilitate interpretation and analysis. respondents of the study the respondents for the study consisted of secondary school teachers from the division of agusan del sur. to ensure a representative sample, the study employed a random sampling method, specifically the stratified random sampling technique. this technique categorized respondents into strata based on their affiliation with secondary education levels, which included integrated schools and indigenous peoples (ip) schools. stratified random sampling was chosen to account for the diversity of school types within the division and to enhance the generalizability of the findings. based on statistical calculations, a total of 370 secondary school teachers were considered as the sample size, determined using a 95% confidence level and a 5% margin of error. these parameters ensured the sample was sufficiently robust to provide reliable and valid insights into the target population. research instrument the study utilized an adapted questionnaire by paz (2021) on the factors affecting teachers’ performance. however, the researchers made significant changes and revisions to the instrument to better align it with the main goal of the study. the modifications were also made in accordance with the philippine professional standards for teachers (ppst) 5 key results areas (kras). the instrument consisted of two parts: the first focused on the level of teachers’ understanding of teaching performance based on the identified factors, and the second on the level of teaching performance as assessed by the teacher evaluation tool described in the ppst’s 5 key results areas (kras). the survey questionnaire was rated using a 5-point likert scale, ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree), with equivalent interpretations provided for the results. additionally, the instrument was validated by experts in the fields of education, research, and management within agusan del sur. the data collected were then organized according to the manner of presentation outlined in the research questions. data gathering procedure for the conduct of the study, the researchers sent a letter to the schools division superintendent of agusan del sur requesting permission and approval to proceed with the research. following approval, letters were sent to each district and school head explaining the purpose of pa ge 16 0 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 157-164, 2025 the study and informing them of the targeted secondary teachers. the study was conducted during the academic year 2024-2025, from august 2024 to december 2024. prior to the data collection, the researchers informed the respondents online about the purpose of the study. the survey questionnaire was then distributed via google forms to facilitate convenience for both the researchers and the respondents. after waiting one to two weeks for responses, the researchers collected relevant literature to support the data and ensure a better interpretation of the findings. once the data were gathered, they were treated and analyzed accordingly. statistical treatment the study employed both descriptive and inferential statistics. the researchers tabulated and interpreted the data from the survey questionnaire. the statistical package for the social sciences (spss) version 25 was used as the primary statistical tool, while microsoft excel 2019 was utilized to organize the data before it was transferred to spss. the researchers were supported by statistical experts in interpreting the study’s results. the independent variables, which are the determinants of teachers’ performance, and the dependent variable, which is the teachers’ performance based on the kras of the ppst, were analyzed using descriptive statistics, such as the weighted mean and standard deviation. additionally, a pearson correlation analysis was performed to examine the relationship between the perceived level of teachers’ understanding of teaching performance, based on the identified factors, and the level of teaching performance as assessed using the teacher evaluation tool in the ppst’s 5 key result areas (kras). results and discussion teachers’ understanding of teaching performance based on person-related, school-related, learnerrelated, and community-related factors table 1 presents the overall mean score of 4.00, described as “agree” with a “high” level of understanding, suggests that teachers generally possess a strong understanding of the factors influencing teaching performance across person-related, school-related, learner-related, and community-related factors. moreover, the overall mean score reflects a consistent agreement with the importance of these factors, indicating that teachers recognize the significant impact these areas have on their professional performance. with a standard deviation of 0.80, the variation in responses is moderate, reinforcing that most teachers share similar perceptions regarding the relevance of these factors in enhancing teaching outcomes. table 1: level of teachers’ understanding of teaching performance based on person-related, school-related, learner-related, and community-related factors parameter mean scores sd verbal description verbal interpretation person-related factors 4.05 0.75 agree high school-related factors 3.85 0.90 agree high learner-related factors 4.10 0.70 agree high community-related factors 3.95 0.85 agree high overall 4.00 0.80 agree high note: 4.50-5.00 (strongly agree); 3.50-4.49 (agree); 2.50-3.49 (neither agree nor disagree); 1.50-2.49 (disagree); 1.00-1.49 (strongly disagree); and 4.50-5.00 (very high); 3.50-4.49 (high); 2.50-3:49 (moderate); 1.50-2.49 (low); 1.00-1.49 (very low) based on the table, the highest mean score of 4.10 for learner-related factors indicates that teachers place the most emphasis on the role of students in shaping teaching performance, agreeing that factors such as student needs, engagement, and behavior significantly influence their teaching outcomes. the person-related factors, with a mean of 4.05, reflect teachers’ recognition of personal attributes, such as motivation and skills, as crucial to their teaching success. on the other hand, the communityrelated factors, with a mean score of 3.95, suggest that teachers acknowledge the impact of the surrounding community, including parental involvement and local support, on their teaching practices. however, the lowest mean, 3.85, for school-related factors emphasizes that while teachers recognize the importance of school infrastructure, policies, and resources, they consider these factors slightly less influential compared to the other domains. the findings of this study align with recent research emphasizing the significant influence of various factors on teaching performance. the high importance placed on learner-related factors is supported by studies that highlight the role of student engagement, motivation, and socio-emotional factors in shaping effective teaching outcomes (liu, 2020; saro et al., 2022b; lee & kim, 2023). additionally, the recognition of person-related factors, such as teachers’ motivation and professional development, mirrors findings that emphasize the importance of personal attributes in cultivating teaching excellence (sanchez & rodríguez, 2022; he & zhu, 2024). more so, the community-related factors also resonate with recent studies that emphasize the role of parental involvement and community support in enhancing educational outcomes (garcia & santos, 2021; saro et al., 2022c). lastly, the lower emphasis on schoolrelated factors in this study reflects and highlights the findings in current literature, which suggests that while school infrastructure and policies are important, they may pa ge 16 1 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 157-164, 2025 have a relatively smaller impact compared to individual and contextual factors (nguyen, 2022; tan & yap, 2023). these results highlight the multifaceted nature of teaching performance, where personal, student, and community-related factors are viewed as pivotal in driving educational success. teaching performance based on the teacher evaluation tool described in the philippine professional standards for teachers (ppst) 5 key result areas (kras) in terms of content knowledge and pedagogy, learning environment and diversity of learners, curriculum and planning, assessment and reporting, and the plus factor table 2 displays the overall mean score of 4.25, with a standard deviation of 0.66, indicates that the teaching performance of secondary teachers based on the teacher evaluation tool is generally satisfactory, falling under the category of “proficient” or “meeting expectations”. this highlights that teachers are effectively fulfilling their roles across the five key result areas (kras): content knowledge and pedagogy, learning environment and diversity of learners, curriculum and planning, assessment and reporting, and the plus factor. while the main scores for content knowledge and pedagogy and the plus factor are notably higher, described as “very satisfactory” and interpreted as “accomplished,” the other krasthough satisfactory may highlight areas for further professional growth and development to achieve higher proficiency levels consistently across all parameters. table 2: level of teaching performance based on the teacher evaluation tool described in the philippine professional standards for teachers (ppst) 5 key result areas (kras) in terms of content knowledge and pedagogy, learning environment and diversity of learners, curriculum and planning, assessment and reporting, and the plus factor parameter mean scores sd verbal description verbal interpretation content knowledge and pedagogy 4.58 0.55 very satisfactory accomplished learning environment and diversity of learners 3.95 0.68 satisfactory proficient/meeting expectations curriculum and planning 4.05 0.70 satisfactory proficient/meeting expectations assessment and reporting 4.14 0.83 satisfactory proficient/meeting expectations plus factor 4.52 0.53 very satisfactory accomplished overall 4.25 0.66 satisfactory proficient/meeting expectations note: 4.50-5.00 (very satisfactory); 3.50-4.49 (satisfactory); 2.50-3.49 (fairly satisfactory); 1.50-2.49 (needs improvement); 1.001.49 (unsatisfactory); and 4.50-5.00 (accomplished); 3.50-4.49 (proficient/meeting expectations); 2.50-3:49 (developing); 1.50-2.49 (emerging); 1.00-1.49 (beginning) among the parameters, content knowledge and pedagogy achieved the highest mean score of 4.58 with a standard deviation of 0.55, earning a “very satisfactory” rating and interpreted as “accomplished.” this highlights the strong expertise and teaching strategies demonstrated by secondary teachers in agusan del sur division in delivering subject content effectively and efficiently. more so, the plus factor scored a mean of 4.52 (sd = 0.53), also rated as “very satisfactory” and “accomplished,” reflecting teachers’ commendable contributions beyond their primary responsibilities, such as participation in co-curricular activities and community engagement. the assessment and reporting parameter scored a mean of 4.14 (sd = 0.83), indicating a “satisfactory” performance with teachers meeting expectations in evaluating and communicating student progress. moreover, the curriculum and planning followed with a mean score of 4.05 (sd = 0.70), showcasing satisfactory proficiency in designing and implementing instructional plans. lastly, learning environment and diversity of learners had the lowest mean score of 3.95 (sd = 0.68), still rated as “satisfactory” but suggesting opportunities for improvement in creating inclusive and adaptive learning spaces that address diverse student needs. the observed variations in mean scores across the key result areas (kras) align with recent studies on teacher performance evaluations. the high mean score in content knowledge and pedagogy reflects the emphasis on subject mastery and effective teaching strategies, which are critical components of the philippine professional standards for teachers (ppst) (olvido et al., 2024; bustamante, 2024). additionally, the performance in the plus factor suggests that teachers are actively engaging in activities beyond their primary teaching duties, such as contributing to school improvements and participating in professional development, as encouraged by the resultsbased performance management system (rpms) (ybnu taufan, 2022). however, the relatively lower mean score in learning environment and diversity of learners indicates a need for enhanced focus on creating inclusive and adaptive learning environments, a concern echoed in recent educational assessments (agtarap et al., 2024). addressing these disparities is essential for fostering comprehensive teacher development and improving educational outcomes. pa ge 16 2 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 157-164, 2025 the significant relationship between the teachers’ understanding of teaching performance based on contributing factors and the teaching performance as assessed using the teacher evaluation tool described in the ppst’s 5 key result areas (kras) the correlation analysis reveals a moderate positive relationship between teachers’ understanding of teaching performance based on contributing factors and their actual teaching performance, as assessed using the teacher evaluation tool described in the ppst’s five key result areas (kras). the computed r-value of 0.68 and p-value of 0.000 indicate that the null hypothesis is rejected at the 0.01 significance level, confirming the presence of a statistically significant relationship. this emphasizes that as teachers deepen their understanding of the contributing factors to effective teaching their performance tends to improve correspondingly. table 3: correlation analysis between the teachers’ understanding of teaching performance based on contributing factors and teaching performance as assessed using the ppst’s 5 kras parameter r-value p-value decision on h0 interpretation remark teachers' understanding of teaching performance based on contributing factors 0.68 0.000 rejected moderate positive correlation there is a significant relationshipteaching performance based on the teacher evaluation tool described in the ppst’s 5 kras note: indicates a significant correlation at the 0.01 significance level the findings align with olvido et al. (2024) and saro et al. (2022b), who emphasized that comprehensive knowledge of teaching standards directly enhances teachers’ effectiveness. furthermore, agtarap et al. (2024) noted that fostering teachers’ familiarity with performance frameworks, such as the ppst, promotes better alignment with professional expectations, leading to improved outcomes in classroom delivery. these insights emphasize the importance of professional development programs aimed at enhancing teachers’ understanding of the standards and factors that underpin high-quality teaching. conclusion the study emphasizes key insights into teachers’ understanding of teaching performance, their actual teaching performance, and the relationship between these variables. the findings demonstrate that teachers generally possess a strong understanding of the factors influencing teaching performance, including personal attributes, student needs, school resources, and community involvement. moreover, teachers recognize the critical role of student-related factors, emphasizing their impact on effective instruction. furthermore, while teachers exhibit satisfactory teaching performance across the ppst’s key result areas (kras), they excel particularly in content knowledge and pedagogy and the plus factor, reflecting their expertise and commitment beyond teaching. however, areas such as creating inclusive and adaptive learning environments suggest opportunities for growth. lastly, the correlation analysis reveals a moderate positive relationship between teachers’ understanding of contributing factors and their teaching performance, highlighting the importance of continuous professional development to enhance both knowledge and practice for improved educational outcomes. recommendations 1. facilitate opportunities for teachers to share best practices and collaborate on addressing common challenges related to teaching performance factors. peer learning and collaboration can lead to innovative solutions and improved practices. 2. periodically assess the effectiveness of professional development and training programs to ensure they meet teachers’ needs and contribute to sustained improvement in teaching performance. 3. future researchers should explore how school administrators can effectively provide support systems, such as access to resources, instructional materials, and teacher mentoring programs, to complement efforts to enhance teaching performance. references adanza, e. r. 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(2022). professional development of pa ge 16 4 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 157-164, 2025 teachers, competencies, educational facilities and infrastructure on teacher performance and learning achievement of high school students in makassar city. golden ratio of social science and education, 2(1), 24–38. https://doi.org/10.52970/grsse.v2i1.168 pa ge 1 pa ge 84 american journal of education and technology (ajet) the impact of artificial intelligence literacy on the expected outcome of ai tool’s integration into higher education institutions: a systematic review of efl departments marrium asif1*, asif iqbal1, ibtasam ahmed siddiqui2, nisha rose2 , syed manzar ali shah3 volume 4 issue 2, year 2025 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v4i2.3977 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: november 17, 2024 accepted: december 13, 2024 published: april 26, 2025 this study explores the integration of artificial intelligence (ai) in english as a foreign language (efl) departments, focusing on the relationship between ai literacy and educational outcomes for both educators and students. using the prisma guidelines for the review of current literature, the study included 12 studies on the ai literacy and its impact on higher education, the research identified key themes, including the impact of ai tools on language learning, the level of ai literacy among efl educators and students, and the broader implications of ai on teaching methodologies. ai-powered tools, such as intelligent tutoring systems and automated language assessments, offer personalized learning experiences and adaptive feedback, which enhance student engagement and learning efficiency. however, the effectiveness of these tools is closely tied to the ai literacy levels of both teachers and learners. the study finds that educators with higher ai literacy are more adept at integrating ai technologies into their instructional practices, fostering dynamic and blended learning environments. meanwhile, students with greater ai literacy can utilize these tools to take a more active and autonomous role in their language learning process. despite these benefits, challenges such as resistance from educators, ethical concerns, and uneven ai literacy levels pose significant barriers to effective ai integration. the findings underscore the need for structured ai literacy programs to maximize the potential of ai technologies in efl education while maintaining the essential role of human educators. keywords artificial intelligence, ai literacy, ai integration, efl departments, higher education 1 faculty of computing, department of computer science, mohammad ali jinnah university karachi, pakistan 2 faculty of arts, design, education & social sciences, iqra university karachi, pakistan 3 institute of mathematics and computer science, university of sindh, pakistan * corresponding author’s e-mail: mabutt05@gmail.com introduction artificial intelligence (ai) is rapidly revolutionizing industries across the globe including education. in the last few years, there has been an increased emphasis on utilizing ai in higher education to provide various approaches for improving teaching, learning, and management (yuan & liu, 2024). beginning from customized learning management systems, smart content delivery interfaces and engines, proctored auto-grading, and augmented analytics to forecast student outcomes, institutional practices are being transformed by ai (singh & hiran, 2022). this revolution is especially apparent in the efl departments where ai tools can enhance the process of language acquisition as well as offer targeted assistance for learners in their learning progress (mohamed, 2024). nonetheless, for the institutions to fully unlock the benefits of this advancement, another issue, ai literacy, has to be addressed. ai literacy can be defined as the level of readiness to learn ai and to utilize it in practice as the ai application increases in learning environments (alsaleh, 2020). educators and students should have information about how the ai tool works, the benefits, and drawbacks of using the tool, and the effect of the tool on learners’ performance (sumakul et al., 2022). the changes occurring in higher learning institutions especially efl departments as a result of digitization make it pertinent for every stakeholder to acquire the required knowledge in the use of ai. given that efl entails teaching and learning strategies that may be challenging involving language acquisition processes, students’ learning needs as well as dynamic instructional practices, ai assumption in efl learning should be handled deliberately (ayotunde et al., 2023). in efl settings, ai instruments enhance numerous advantages, particularly in the understanding that they can make adjustments to learning tasks in a manner that is unique to the individual student (darwin et al., 2024). for example, the uses of platforms such as artificial intelligence offer remedies in real-time correction of grammar, and pronunciation and even improve the learning of vocabulary with increased efficiency (alshumaimeri & alshememry, 2023). computerized evaluations can provide the convenience of quick feedback, while formative tasks scramble traditional classroom priorities for instructors (nazari et al., 2021). however, this must be understood and done by both educators and students who should have functional knowledge of ai tools. moreover, lack of ai literacy would therefore hurt the potential of learning outcomes that can be achieved with the adoption of ai; while conversely, the learner would take using ai as an excuse to learn rather than a tool to complement learning (khlaif et al., 2024). however, like any other system, ai has several challenges when it comes to the promotion of language learning. for, instance, the use of ai tools such as translation and grammar correction software can become a helping hand, but it will also make the students rely on these tools instead of doing things themselves (dewi et al., 2021). pa ge 85 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 84-92, 2025 this goes to show the need to ensure students develop high critical thinking skills that will enable them to employ ai learning appropriately. however, with the use of ai in teaching and learning, teachers face numerous ethical issues such as; data protection and cheating (sharadgah & sa’di, 2022). consequently, ai literacy within the efl departments should focus not only on technology adoption knowledge but on educational and ethical ai adoption knowledge as well (alhalangy & abdalgane, 2023). literature review impact of artificial intelligence on higher education ai is impressively disrupting higher learning institutions and practices internationally altering the institutional architecture and the teaching-learning processes. therefore, currently, ai technologies are also being implemented in an encompassing manner in all aspects of education starting from administrative roles (yuan & liu, 2024). this transformation is changing the landscape of how educational institutions operate as well as the approaches adopted by learners to learning contexts (singh & hiran, 2022). ai’s greatest effect on higher learning remains in the realm of customizable learning experiences. intelligent tutoring systems and adaptive learning technologies are described as automated applications of ai that work with large sets of data to deliver content that meets the learner’s requirements. ayotunde et al. (2023) state that these systems monitor progress, identify poor performance and areas of improvement, and directly feedback and guide lessons. given the fact that large and diverse classes are normally characterized by slow learners where conventional pedagogy cannot follow special learning rates, ai’s considerate learning solution has been credited for raising student interest and boosting their academic performances (alshumaimeri & alshememry, 2023). the study shows that the learning supported by ai makes education more effective by focusing on students’ characteristics (sharadgah & sa’di, 2022). ai is also being applied to clerk-like functions in higher education contexts especially grading duties and course administration. nazari et al. (2021), stated that ai-based tools can provide student results in a short time and assist educators in the grading system. proctoring tools and grading systems are automated, especially for objective tests such as multiple-choice questions, and have already been adopted and enable instructors to focus on other tasks like critical appraisal, and student support (sumakul et al., 2022). furthermore, khlaif et al. (2024) showed that using ai, together with predictive analytics in student enrolment as well as in the academic counseling process, helps in early identification of the students at risk so that supportive interventions that enhance institutional retention and completion can be promptly done. apart from the managerial and teaching usages, ai stimulates a new educational paradigm by contributing to widening access to learning. according to dewi et al. (2021), it is driving the personalization of learning experiences in platforms like moocs, or other forms of online learning, by offering learner support at scale around the world. this innovation has made education more readily available to learners irrespective of their geographical location, their status in society, and their culture. knowledge that was formerly delivered in actual classrooms is now available in virtual classrooms (mohamed, 2024). on a broader scale, ai is forcing universities to rethink their curriculum. since ai continues to become more and more commonplace in people’s day-to-day lives and at work, schools ensure that they equip their students for the modern workplace by incorporating ai literacy into their curricula (gardner, o’leary & li, 2021). fields like data sciences, machine learning, and computational thinking are becoming core components of university programs because of the increase in demand for artificial intelligence-related skills in industries (singh & hiran, 2022). nevertheless, ai integration in higher education has its issues, especially those related to ethics. ou, stöhr, and malmström (2024) detail potential issues with data privacy, algorithmic bias, and the potential for the dehumanization of learning as ai use escalates. it means that introducing ai into the atmosphere of higher education institutions has to be done with extreme responsibility and preoccupation with ethical aspects. further, alhalangy and abdalgane (2023) pointed out that as the progress of ai technologies is very fast, several issues have arisen for educational professionals, where ai leads to the blurring of the gap between automated instruction and the instructor. role of ai in efl departments ai is already in efl departments which are changing the ways by which languages are taught, as well as learned. technologies like intelligent tutoring systems (its), natural language processing (nlp), and automated language assessments are acting as agents of change in traditional approaches to language instruction and learning; personalized instruction, efficient assessment, and improved interaction (nazari et al., 2021). these innovations are thus revolutionizing the contemporary teacherless efl class into a rich and vibrant innovative space where ai has an influential function in nurturing language acquisition (ayotunde et al., 2023). one of the most significant practical implementations of ai in efl departments is an its. these systems have the feature of delivering a learning experience that is more personal and thus also based on the abilities of the learners. as highlighted by yuan and liu (2024), its responds to the student’s ongoing language use, constantly modifying the teaching-learning feedback based on the identified student learning trajectory. for instance, if a result of the diagnosis is in terms of skills in language, where a particular student has difficulties in mastering some important elements of grammar or pronunciation, the its can offer corresponding exercises and feedback pa ge 86 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 84-92, 2025 to the student indicating that further training corresponds to the student’s learning style. such an approach makes learning easier and more effective than in cases where many general methods are applied (sumakul et al., 2022). other ai platforms in language learning like duolingo and babbel also use artificial intelligence in machine learning algorithms of language learning which customizes the learner’s course based on student’s ability. these systems are conducive to encouraging students, this kind of game rewards good performances in terms of sharing of marks and necessary correct feedback by pointing out the mistakes made by the students in the course of lessons (nazari et al., 2021). the constant feedback loop provided through the use of ai technology elicits an effective mechanism for learning, practice, and repetition, all of which are critical in modifying and enhancing language learning (dewi et al., 2021). as an indispensable part of artificial intelligence, nlp has introduced improvements in the process of efl education as well. the nlp technologies are ingrained in several language learning applications for use in translation, writing, and speech (gardner et al., 2021). some examples of automated technologies applied in learning include; ai-enabled speech tools for example assist learners in the manner they pronounce their words by using native examples and describing the regions that require enhancement (mohamed, 2024). these tools allow learners a specific chance to practice in a low-risk setting to improve their skill level. furthermore, though frail, external applications that use ai such as google translate help the learner translate foreign language text to gain independence in learning and in improving comprehension (sharadgah & sa’di, 2022). another area of active contribution of ai to efl education is in the use of automated language assessments. the paper and pencil tests including final examinations, quizzes, or oral tests are time-consuming tests wherein teachers have to devote considerable time to check and update the solutions manually. however such technologies are automated by ai technologies. automated writing evaluation or writing checking software can examine text content about grammar, vocabulary, readability, or logical progression in the content (alshumaimeri & alshememry, 2023). these tools provide formative feedback and thus can effectively eliminate tasks that otherwise have to be done by teachers to provide feedback on a student’s performance. however, it is equally important that computers can evaluate spoken language and give back detailed feedback on aspects like pronunciation, intonation, and advancement of material respectively, making language evaluations richer (darwin et al., 2024). in addition to instructional and assessment applications, ai tools help teachers in their administrative responsibilities, which saves them time for more meaningful student contact (alasadi & baiz, 2023). facilitating tools have emerged, that allows educators to track student performance levels, create performance reports, and recommend individual learning activities (khlaif et al., 2024). this shift enables the teachers to spend more time on interactivity as well as attending to the individual needs of the students throughout the learning process, making the learning process more effective for both the students and the teachers (dewi et al., 2021). table 1: author(s) and year main theme/aim of the research methodology key findings/outcomes ayotunde et al. (2023) impact of ai in foreign language learning through lms systematic literature review ai enhances engagement and efficiency in learning management systems. sumakul et al. (2022) exploration of ai in efl classrooms and its dual roles qualitative analysis ai is both beneficial and challenging; requires careful integration. yuan & liu (2024) effect of ai tools on efl learners' engagement, enjoyment, and motivation mixed methods ai tools significantly increase learner motivation and enjoyment. nazari et al. (2021) application of ai-powered digital writing assistants in higher education randomized controlled trial improved writing skills and confidence among students using ai tools. sharadgah & sa'di (2022) systematic review of ai's effects on english language teaching and learning systematic review positive impacts on learner outcomes, though challenges exist. khlaif et al. (2024) university teachers' views on the adoption of generative ai tools for assessments qualitative interviews mixed perceptions; concerns about reliability and validity of ai tools. alhalangy & abdalgane (2023) impact of ai on efl contexts in saudi universities case study noted improvements in teaching practices and student engagement with ai. dewi et al. (2021) use of ai in english learning among university students case study highlighted enhanced learning experiences through ai technologies. pa ge 87 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 84-92, 2025 materials and methods research design the research design refers to the actual blueprint of the study being carried out. it lays down the process by which the research will be conducted (tomaszewski et al., 2020). the research design of the present study is qualitative, and it uses a systematic review of the literature approach. this approach is suitable for the integration of several research findings on the concept of ai literacy and its effects on the efl course and instruction. it specifically enables an analysis of the past literature for trends, knowledge gaps, and new research directions (mohamed shaffril et al., 2021). therefore, the purpose of this systematic review is to provide a critical evaluation of the research examining the relationship between ai literacy and the implementation of ai technologies in efl classrooms, considering implications for educators and students, as well as educational outcomes and potentials. through the process of synthesizing the studies qualitatively, it is possible to provide a sophisticated interpretive perspective (rethlefsen et al., 2021) on the challenging issue of ai implementation in language learning. data collection and search strategy the process of data collection for this review was systematic, involving prisma (page et al., 2021) to search for published peer-reviewed academic papers in prestigious databases that included scopus, web of science, and ieee xplore. as such criteria regarding relevancy, validity, and significance were adopted to select the most appropriate pieces of research that address ai literacy, available ai tools, and their implications to the context of efl departments. the search terms used to retrieve the literature include “artificial intelligence,” “ai literacy,” “efl,” “language learning,” “higher education,” and “teaching technologies.” in addition, boolean operators and and or were applied to elicit even more specific results. the inclusion and exclusion criteria for selecting papers are provided in detail in table 1 below: this rigorous selection process ensured that only the most relevant studies were included in the review (muzari et al., 2022). figure 1 below; illustrates the prisma flow chart of the identification of the studies. alshumaimeri & alshememry (2023) extent of ai applications in efl learning and teaching survey research identified varying levels of ai integration and effectiveness. mohamed (2024) the potential of ai-based chatbot (chatgpt) in efl teaching qualitative survey positive perceptions of chatbots enhancing language teaching. ou et al. (2024) academic communication with ai-powered language tools from a post-humanist perspective theoretical analysis emphasized the transformative role of ai in academic communication. singh & hiran (2022) impact of ai on teaching and learning in higher education literature review noted increased efficiency and personalized learning opportunities. table 2: data collection and search strategy inclusion criteria exclusion criteria studies published in peerreviewed journals between 2019 and 2024. papers not specifically addressing efl or ai literacy. the research focused on ai integration in language education, with specific emphasis on efl contexts. research that lacked empirical data or was not peer-reviewed. studies addressing ai literacy among students and educators in higher education settings. studies focused solely on technical aspects of ai without educational context. figure 1: prisma flow diagram source, author, 2024 quality assessment to ultimately establish the credibility and dependability of the findings, the critical appraisal skills program or casp tool was employed to assess the quality of the included studies. casp is useful because it offers a set of pa ge 88 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 84-92, 2025 guidelines on how to assess the methodological quality, credibility, and relevance of the research investigation (long et al., 2020). all the papers are reviewed based on the research methodology, data collection technique, analyses, and findings. in the last stage, all the identified studies that did not meet the quality inclusiveness criteria were excluded to provide a reliable review of the high-quality studies. this quality assessment assists in increasing the credibility of the systematic review to improve in the findings of the study. results and discussion results ai literacy in efl departments the students’ and educators’ ai literacy in efl departments varies considerably. studies also show that despite the efforts to incorporate ai literacy within curricula in some institutions, efl departments face challenges when it comes to preparing teachers and learners for ai integration (ayotunde et al., 2023). these findings also imply that most of the efl teachers surveyed have a minimum level of knowledge regarding ai applications and their potential in instruction (sumakul et al., 2022). this lack of proficiency limits the opportunity that ai could bring and leverage in personalizing instruction delivery and student engagement. likewise, many efl students possess low to moderate ai literacy, especially regarding the functioning of ai language platforms other than essential operations (alhalangy & abdalgane, 2023). these students use ai tools to learn yet they lack understanding of how to use these tools in understanding or to critically engage them. the literature, therefore, calls for the enhancement of refinement of ai tools by going beyond the general use and engraining a more profound attitude in students and faculty (nazari et al., 2021). several studies (yuan & liu, 2024; 2018: sharadgah & sa’di, 2022; alshumaimeri & alshememry, 2023) have called for well-designed ai literacies that encompass not only the proactive knowledge and skills that learners need to engage with ai but also include critical reflection of how ai is being used in education. those educators with more ai fluency are found to be better equipped to incorporate ai into curriculum delivery hence enhancing students’ performances through making teaching and learning fun and less monotonous (singh & hiran, 2022). despite this, the level of ai literacy varies greatly between institutions and geographical locations suggesting that a more consistent and global approach to the development of ai literacy in the efl departments is needed (sharadgah & sa’di, 2022). ai tools integration adopting ai technologies has also been an aspect of english as an efl department with varying impacts. studies also explain how technologies like its, awe programs, and artificial intelligence language learning applications make up popular technologies that may be used individually or collectively to provide individualized and adaptive learning environments (alhalangy & abdalgane, 2023). these tools include help for customized feedback and scores as well as the quick assessment to consume much of the teachers’ time that would otherwise be used for the same while enhancing students’ morale and efficiency (ayotunde et al., 2023). the flexibility of these ai systems has been similarly useful when it comes to the learners’ needs because the systems provide feedback and lessons as soon as possible (nazari et al., 2021). nevertheless, the use of ai tools in teaching efl has experienced some difficulties in departments. several works indicate that technical support constraints are among the critical issues that hinder effective implementation most of the time especially in areas with poor access to modern gadgets in education (sumakul et al., 2022). furthermore, there continues to be teacher resistance, attributable to ai illiteracy and fears of triggering the displacement of human contact by ai-based language-learning technology (yuan & liu, 2024). teachers understand that it is possible to fall for the ‘convenience trap’ and overload students with the tasks accomplished by ai, thus failing to help children or teenagers develop essential critical language skills that can be developed only through reasonably meaningful interpersonal interaction (sharadgah & sa’di, 2022). in addition, there are concerns about data sensitivity and privacy since ai tools that harvest and analyze student performance data collect personal information, and learners’ consent to sharing this information has been an issue of concern (dewi et al., 2021). nonetheless, research works, that have incorporated ai tools show that ai has the potential to optimize language learning practices by creating more engaging and interactive learning spaces (mohamed, 2024). the findings indicated that when used appropriately, ai technologies can greatly transform classroom language teaching and learning, contingent upon the proper preparation of teachers and if the technical and ethical issues of ai implementation are solved. impact of ai literacy on educational outcomes the literature review identifies three critical themes that shape the relationship between ai literacy and educational outcomes in efl contexts: (1) the level of ai literacy among educators and students, (2) the impact of ai tools on language learning processes, and (3) the broader implications of ai integration on teaching and learning. firstly, the ai literacy of teachers and students in ai contexts influences the integration of ai tools for enhanced efl instruction. a study reveals that the higher the educators’ ai literacy is, the better they can implement ai tools for teaching purposes and feel more confident while doing so (chen & xie, 2022). such educators can use ai more effectively to improve their teaching approaches, use individual learning plans, and develop the use of intelligent tests (yuan et al., 2023). similarly, more ai literate students interact with the tools more pa ge 89 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 84-92, 2025 constructively, by meaningfully using ai to intercede in the language learning process, not to merely do the tasks (nazari et al., 2021). for this reason, several studies call for the development of well-coordinated training courses regarding ai, aiming at enhancing the ai competency of teachers and learners to leverage the acceptable value of ai in efl education (dewi et al., 2021). secondly, the recent advances in adopting technologies like intelligent tutoring systems (its) and, automated language assessments have been proven to effectively increase the efficiency of learning. research shows that those students who engage with artificial intelligence technologies are provided with personalized instruction in ways that target their linguistic difficulties (mohamed, 2024). for instance, in lessons, the system can adjust according to the learner’s performance and give additional help in topics such as grammar or pronunciation which might be problematic for the learner (alhalangy & abdalgane, 2023). moreover, it will be seen that the automation of work such as grading reduces time and allows teachers to engage in effective strategies of teaching that involve interactions with students (ayotunde et al., 2023). nevertheless, existing literature reveals that achieving these outcomes is synonymous with ai literacy, whereby students with high literacy levels in ai profit from these tools, but those with low literacy levels do not benefit much from the tools’ potential (yuan & liu, 2024). last but not least; the incorporation of ai in efl departments has implications for the teaching and learning process. ai technologies are making changes to the actual language classrooms by making them more open and versatile (sumakul et al., 2022). ai has taken the teaching-learning process beyond enhancing language learning while changing the ways of teaching and the relationships between students and teachers. teachers with ai competence are inclined to apply a hybrid model of language instruction that integrates ai tool and traditional approach since this play a comprehensive approach to language learning. however, the literature also shows some threats that can be seen as prospective challenges, for example, ai can dominate the major human components of learning, including cultural humility and individual communication with other people (nazari et al., 2021). thus, only the use of ai as a tool should be aimed at supporting the main activities carried out to facilitate the education process rather than replacing traditional approaches as to some extent this can be observed at the moment (dewi et al., 2021). discussion theme 1: the level of ai literacy among educators and students ai literacy is the knowledge and application of ai systems, which is essential for the implementation of ai in efl education. ai fluency is not just a technical matter for educators but encompasses the pragmatic knowledge of how to apply ai tools to enhance teaching and learning processes (zhang & zou, 2022). according to research, some of the main predictors through which ai is more likely to be adopted are sources suggest that educators with high ai literacy levels implement the ai technology confidently and suitably inside their classrooms by using tools like intelligent tutoring systems, an automated essay grader, and ai feedback systems (lin & zhao, 2021). such educators are also more capable of leading students when it comes to the selection of proper ai tools that would foster more independent learning (xu et al., 2023). however, one can pinpoint what seems to be a critical problem – a lack of or insufficient amounts of professional development for trainers of efl employing artificial intelligence models. most educators lack profound knowledge about ai, though, and, therefore, cannot use ai technologies effectively (chen & wang, 2022). despite the availability of these resources, without properly structured ai literacy programs it can be tricky to incorporate them into teaching practices leading to low and inefficient use of available technology. furthermore, some educators, who are not used to the incorporation of new technologies, will negatively influence the adoption of ai in general in efl departments since they are unfamiliar with ai (yuan et al., 2023). thus, ai literacy is as important for students: they need to realize how beneficial ai tools are in improving their language skills, as well. the data analysis shows that the use of ai tools is more active where students have a high level of ai literacy, which means that besides using technologies as the source of information, they also involve them in the learning process (liu & li, 2022). for instance, students who can explain how intelligent language learning systems work can improve the results of practicing language skills by using these platforms, analyzing their mistakes, and receiving recommendations (dewi et al., 2021). nevertheless, there may be a variation in skill level concerning ai for students that will directly affect the quality and equitable distribution of learning. some of the students are comfortable with ai interventions, although others who have low ai literacy may find it difficult to operate the tools, reducing the likelihood of ai on language learning (nazari et al., 2021). consequently, more attention should be paid to developing ai literacy, at least the basic level of it, for both educators and learners to provide equal opportunities in achieving the benefits of applying ai in efl learning. theme 2: the impact of ai tools on language learning processes ai literacy as the knowledge and skills required to use ai technologies properly are necessary for applying ai instruments to efl learning. in ai literacy, teacher’s skills do not end at the mere technical knowledge of the use of ai tools but a profound understanding of how these tools can enhance teaching and learning processes (zhang & zou, 2022). research shows that preservice teachers with higher ai literacy are more prepared to integrate ai tools with confidence into instructional practice by applying them effectively as intelligent tutoring systems, pa ge 90 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 84-92, 2025 automated essay graders, or ai feedback systems (lin, & zhao, 2021). for that matter, such educators are wellpositioned to assist students in employing ai instruments, leading to more individualized and self-directed learning environments for learners (xu et al., 2023). still, there is a critical issue regarding teacher professional development, particularly the volume of available and accessible aibased curricula for efl teachers. most educators today have only basic ai understanding, and they cannot optimally utilize ai tools (chen & wang, 2022). this means that where there are no structured ai literacy programs to enhance the teaching methodologies, there may be difficulties, further, those educators who have not so much experience operating and learning with airelated technologies may even prove to be a negative influence on ai implementation across efl departments (yuan et al., 2023). ai literacy is also compulsory for students, especially, in the case of awareness of how ai can be helpful in language acquisition. the study reveals that aiempowered students are more active when it comes to the use of ai-based tools, they do not only consume content with the help of such tools, but they also use them as a major element in the learning process (liu & li, 2022). for instance, it is more useful for students to comprehend how the intelligent language learning systems work to apply them as practice tools to improve their language proficiency and learn more about their results and feedback (dewi et al., 2021). however, the inequality of ai literacy among the students can lead to the inequality of learning experience. some of the students benefited from ai-supported learning while the others who lacked ai literacy would be disadvantaged in this learning hence reducing the advantage of integrated learning ai for language learning (nazari et al., 2021). thus, improving ai knowledge among educators and students is crucial, so everyone can benefit from the positive effects caused by ai use in efl courses. theme 3: broader implications of ai integration on teaching and learning in efl contexts thus, the integration of ai technology corresponds not only to individual learner processes but also to the general teaching and learning patterns in efl contexts. literature shows that ai technologies are disrupting conventional pedagogical paradigms through the increased delivery of a hybrid and aşambling approach (zou & xing, 2022). the students exposed to this blended learning environment then benefit from intelligent solutions that support traditional methods of language learning, which puts more emphasis on the interaction and creativity of the teachers and ai systems taking up tasks such as grading and assessment (chen et al., 2023). thus, the ai literacy of educators is quite important for the success rate of these blended models and their adoption. teachers with enhanced ai knowledge scores are inclined to combine ai solutions with the traditional teaching-learning process and yet introduce new concepts and ideas that make the teaching-learning process lively (wang & li, 2023). regarding the usage of ai in schools, the tutors can track the learners’ outcomes, the learning needs that will have to be further addressed, and the instructional methods that can be applied. this is perhaps because this approach fosters a model of education that is a lot more dynamic and ‘recruitable’ to the learners’ needs (liu & zhang, 2021). nevertheless, the integration of ai also brings concerns regarding the potential displacement of human educators. while ai can enhance the efficiency of teaching and learning, it cannot replace the essential roles that teachers play, such as providing emotional support, cultural context, and fostering interpersonal communication. the literature highlights the necessity of maintaining a balanced approach, where ai tools are utilized to complement, rather than replace, human instructors (zhang & xu, 2023). in terms of student learning, ai integration provides opportunities for more autonomous and self-directed learning experiences. as students become more accustomed to using ai tools, they can gain greater control over their learning process by accessing personalized content and receiving on-demand feedback (dewi et al., 2022). this move toward autonomous learning is particularly valuable in efl contexts, where independent language practice is critical. however, this autonomy depends significantly on the students’ ai literacy. without sufficient ai literacy, students may struggle to use these tools effectively, potentially leading to frustration and disengagement (nazari et al., 2022). recommendation developing ai literacy programs for efl departments to maximize the potential of ai integration in efl departments, institutions must prioritize the development of comprehensive ai literacy programs for both educators and students. the literature consistently points to a gap in ai literacy, with many educators and learners lacking the skills needed to engage with ai tools effectively. educators who are proficient in ai literacy can more confidently integrate ai technologies into their teaching methods, while students with a solid understanding of ai can optimize their learning experiences. institutions should design ai literacy programs that address the specific needs of efl departments. these programs should include practical training on how to use ai-powered tools such as intelligent tutoring systems, automated writing evaluation platforms, and language learning apps. furthermore, ai literacy programs should go beyond mere technical instruction; they should also focus on cultivating a critical understanding of ai’s role in education, enabling both educators and students to make informed decisions about when and how to use ai tools. by developing targeted ai literacy programs, institutions can ensure that their efl departments are equipped to fully leverage the benefits of ai technologies. pa ge 91 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 84-92, 2025 enhancing critical thinking skills in efl students while ai tools offer significant advantages in personalizing language learning and automating assessments, it is crucial to balance ai integration with the development of critical thinking skills. the literature suggests that relying too heavily on ai-powered tools without encouraging independent thought may hinder students’ ability to critically engage with language learning tasks. thus, institutions should adopt a blended approach, where ai tools are used alongside strategies that foster critical thinking and creativity. educators should encourage students to critically assess the feedback and suggestions provided by ai systems rather than passively accepting them. for example, in automated writing evaluation systems, students can be taught to analyze the feedback critically, questioning whether ai suggestions truly enhance the clarity and quality of their writing. by fostering this critical mindset, students can become more autonomous learners, capable of making thoughtful decisions about how to improve their language skills. additionally, curriculum designers should incorporate activities that challenge students to solve problems, analyze linguistic nuances, and engage in reflective thinking—skills that are crucial for success in language learning and beyond. ethical use of ai in academic communication as ai-powered tools become more prevalent in academic communication, it is essential to develop clear ethical guidelines to ensure their responsible use. the literature highlights concerns related to data privacy, academic integrity, and over-reliance on ai tools for tasks such as writing and assessment. without proper guidelines, there is a risk that ai tools may be misused, leading to issues such as plagiarism or excessive dependence on automated systems for writing. institutions should establish ethical frameworks that govern the use of ai in academic settings. these guidelines should address key areas such as data protection, ensuring that student information collected by ai systems is stored securely and used responsibly. additionally, academic integrity policies should be updated to reflect the role of ai in writing tasks, emphasizing that ai tools should be used as supportive resources rather than replacements for students’ original work. by developing these ethical guidelines, institutions can promote the responsible and transparent use of ai in efl departments, ensuring that ai tools are used to enhance, rather than undermine, academic communication. conclusion this study explored the impact of ai literacy on the integration of ai tools in higher education, with a specific focus on efl departments. the findings indicate that while ai technologies offer significant potential to enhance language learning processes, their effectiveness is largely contingent upon the levels of ai literacy among both educators and students. the literature review highlighted three key themes: the critical importance of ai literacy, the transformative role of ai tools in language education, and the broader implications of ai integration. the need for targeted ai literacy programs emerged as a fundamental recommendation, emphasizing that both educators and students require comprehensive training to navigate ai technologies effectively. such programs can foster a deeper understanding of how ai can be utilized to personalize learning experiences, enhance engagement, and promote autonomous learning. furthermore, the study underscored the importance of nurturing critical thinking skills in efl students. while ai tools can provide valuable support, they should complement, rather than replace, the development of independent analytical skills. encouraging students to critically engage with ai-generated feedback will help them become more discerning learners, capable of leveraging technology without becoming overly reliant on it. lastly, the establishment of ethical guidelines for the use of ai in academic communication is essential to ensure responsible and transparent practices. by addressing data privacy, academic integrity, and the appropriate use of ai tools, institutions can safeguard the integrity of language education while harnessing the benefits of technological advancements. limitation the study addresses a critical gap in the existing literature: the amount of literature on ai literacy and efl learning, and the effect on the usage of ai tools from the conclusion view. although prior papers have explained the role of ai in shaping educational systems, few have weighed the impact of the degree of ai understanding across parties involved in the integration process and use of such tools. thus, besides the revealing of potential threats that may hinder the effective application of ai to education, the study also explores plausible solutions to boost ai comprehensibility and utility, so that both educators and learners could benefit from the implementation of ai in efl classes. references alasadi, e. a., & baiz, c. r. 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(2024). the effect of artificial intelligence tools on efl learners’ engagement, enjoyment, and motivation. computers in human behavior. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2024.108474 pa ge 1 pa ge 16 american journal of education and technology (ajet) graduates’ entrepreneurship programme: a proper framework for national economic development in nigeria akere olajumoke modupe1*, iwayemi olusegun damilare1 volume 2 issue 3, year 2023 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i3.1537 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: april 10, 2023 accepted: june 11, 2023 published: june 30, 2023 the numbers of persons graduating from higher education institutions (heis) are on the increase and exacerbating the unemployment problem in nigeria, while employment generation has not kept pace with the signals from the labour market. presently about 300,0000 graduates annually from heis and are mobilised into the national youth service corps (nysc). the labour market consequently tilts in excess to the supply side than to the demand side. in view of the saturation in the job seekers in search of paid employment, self-paid employment or entrepreneurship remains a very table tool to engage the heis graduates. this will ensure national development the national bureau of statistics (nbs) had last june declared that about 29 million nigerians are unemployed. in view of the level of unemployment among graduates and the ‘employability’ of the graduates, scratching the surface of our educational malaise is not acceptable. the expectation is that the relevant views and propositions on practical solutions on how to revamp the education systems to potentially complement national development strategies through a simultaneous response to skills gaps in the economy, particularly in entrepreneurship. to this end, the paper employs a content analysis approach to probe into the relevance of entrepreneurship in enhancing the self-employment of graduates and non-graduates alike as a means of curtailing unemployment and enhancing national economic development. the study deduced that graduate entrepreneurship education is important to national development as it enhances economic growth through the gained adequate knowledge, ideas, skills and motivation. the study, therefore, recommended that all educational agencies at various levels must collaborate to ensure the implementation of entrepreneurship education for accelerated economic development. keywords self-employment, national development, entrepreneurship, economic development 1 department of education management, university of ibadan, ibadan, nigeria * corresponding author’s e-mail: akereom23@gmail.com introduction higher education in any country is vital for the development of the nation’s human capital. it is therefore pivotal that higher education institutions strategically create the right environment for graduates to acquire the required skill needed for world of work. this will lead to improved growth and development in any nation as these graduates through the knowledge acquired will help increase productivity in the economy. higher education institutions therefore have been accredited with the role of ensuring the production of highly skilled manpower who would also adopt the right entrepreneurial skills that would allow them to function in the society. the constant increase in the amount of graduates churned out yearly from the various hei’s in nigeria has prevented them from achieving the objective of training/preparing graduates for the society at large. the proliferation of these institutions also affects the quality of graduates produced. this in actual fact has been one of the major problems of national development in nigeria. several economic problems in the country have also affected the effectiveness of heis in producing graduates who possess the required skill to function in the various sectors of the economy. meltdown in economy, increases youth unemployment due to the huge skill gap are also factors affecting graduate employability. many hei’s today have found it difficult to bridge the ever increasing gap between the graduates and the requirements of the workforce. nigerian undergraduates lack the pre-requisite skills such as problem solving skill, communication skill, interpersonal skills and ability to work in a team as required for functioning in the work place. oliver and pitan (2015), posited that with the emergence of new jobs and changes in technology, the global economy and population, there are signs that work patterns are changing rapidly, all of which are well suited to workers. hence, there is the need to create that balance between hei’s and the requirements of the labour market. also, facts have shown that in nigeria, the increasing rate of unemployment experienced by graduates is not only attributed to the scarcity of jobs, but also could be likened to the deficiency of graduates with employable skills that are needed in the labour market. the labour market and graduate employability as a result of the mass production of graduates from most of the hei’s, we can observe that this development has a ripple effect on the relationship between the demand for labour and the supply of labour. distortions are prevalent in the nigerian labour market and these distortions according to newton (2015) arise as a result of the rising unemployment of graduates in the country. he further added that it is no longer enough for graduates to have a good degree but they should also https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i3.1537 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= mailto:akereom23%40gmail.com?subject= pa ge 17 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 16-19, 2023 possess the skills and attributes required to compete and collaborate in a dynamic knowledge economy and world of work. labour market is therefore constantly tilted in excess to the supply side than to the demand side, leading to saturation of the market. this means that graduates who possess the required qualifications for employment would not be employed or would be underemployed as the case may be. there is definitely a threat to the nation’s development as the implication of having unemployed youths roaming the streets would lead to several vices such as; cyber-crime, drug abuse, robbery and ritual killing. the international labour organisation (ilo) during its global employment trends (2013) reported unemployment is slowly ravaging the nigerian economy. hence, there is the need for the government, policy makers, stakeholders and individuals to begin to consider alternative strategies such as, entrepreneurship to effectively tackle the problem of unemployment. several problems have been associated with unemployment apart from the fact that it hinders economic development. research has shown that most graduates attended higher institutions of learning so as to graduate with good grades, join the workforce, make good money and live their ideal picture perfect lives. however, employers of labour in different sectors of the economy have highlighted that nigerian graduates are unemployable, this is because they lack the pre-requisite skills needed in the work place. in actual fact, hei’s have been criticized for the fact that their mode of training has little or no relevance to the social and economic needs of their countries (rufai et al. 2015), which consequently leads to the production of unemployable graduates. nweke (2006) in support of the findings submits that for nearly five decades of political independence of nigeria, relevant skills needed by her manpower to drive a great national economy is still lacking. the rate at which a large numbers of graduates were being disqualified during job tests and interviews owing to their inability to meet up with the world employment requirements it is imperative to build employability curricula into higher education. ijaiya (2007), believes that the un-employability of these graduates has compounded the dimension of this problem as their having no skills means that the graduates turned out from hei’s have not acquired the saleable skills to be gainfully employed. hence an urgent needs to address the situation. the current trend in nigeria shows the education sector rising at an alarming rate in the face of this anomaly. there is still the constant rise in the proliferation of higher education institutions. this can only be attributed to the increase in the demand for education. this paper focuses on how hei’s with the help of national universities commission (nuc), should begin to think inwardly and consider alternative approaches to assisting in solving the problem of unemployment by promoting more entrepreneurial related courses that would help graduates adopt the necessary skills to become self-sufficient in the society by focusing on entrepreneurship, research and innovation. conceptualising graduate unemployment vis-à-vis entrepreneurships programmes higher education institutions are very important in achieving national development as they are largely responsible for high level manpower training. other contributions of hei’s to national development include; i) providing the right environment for developing and inculcating values that are necessary for graduates to be self-reliant in the society. ii) increasing potential for skill acquisition and developing graduates interpersonal skills that would enhance employability. iii) providing a common ground where individuals have equal opportunities to acquire physical, intellectual and vocational skills. part of the excerpts from the national university commission (2004) showed the qualities that employers look in graduates for employment. these attributes are graduates analytical skills, communication skills, social skills, technical and managerial skills among others. hei’s have also been encouraged to concentrate on personal development programmes, vocational trainings, seminars and other programmes that instigate creativity and innovation in graduates. boeteng and ofori-sarpong (2002), affirmed that graduate employability needs are in terms of competencies and skills gathered while in school rather than years spent acquiring certification. entrepreneurship is very important in combating unemployment in nigeria. it has been ascribed several meanings by various authors. gana (2008) sees entrepreneurship as the willingness and being able to seek out investment opportunities in an environment and be able to establish and run an enterprise successfully based on the identified opportunities. the concept of entrepreneurship focuses on building individuals innate abilities that would be useful in the society at large. similarly, ihekwoba (2007) posits that entrepreneurship as a concept occurs when an individual develops a new approach or innovates a new idea to solving old problems under conditions of risk. emphasis on entrepreneurship and personal development programmes in hei’s will definitely proffer lasting solutions to the unemployment problems in the nigeria. nuc (2007), stated that the entrepreneurial studies and vocational training are out to making beneficiaries to think creatively to job creation during their undergraduate days and after graduation from the university.the inclusion of vocational and technical education as well as entrepreneurship education to hei curriculum by national universities commission (nuc) and national board for technical education (nbte) has been a welcome innovation in preparing graduates for the world of work. falola (2009). entrepreneurship helps graduates identify business potentials within their immediate environment and more importantly develop the ability to turn this potential to substance by applying requisite skills to enhance economic productivity. this is https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 18 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 16-19, 2023 the bane of this study as the paper seeks to emphasize the need for hei’s to concentrate more on entrepreneurship education. this will in turn have a positive effect in the overall development of the nation’s economy. this is in line with the assertions of akpoveta and agbomah (2009), as they believe that graduate unemployment is attributed to the failure of the educational system to recognize the place of creativity and innovation but place more importance on paper qualifications and certifications. this is what this study seeks to address by reiterating the fact that entrepreneurship is the main key to attaining self-employment which opposes paid employment. job creation is a tool for developing the economy of any nation and this can only be achieved if graduates are adequately equipped with information on becoming entrepreneurs. to attain this height, the government needs to provide the enabling environment for graduates to implement their entrepreneurial skills. this will be of immense benefit to the nation as individuals will not have any reason to be idle instead: they would channel their innate abilities to a more productive cause. graduate employment, entrepreneurships programmes and national development graduate entrepreneurship education is important to national development. many developed countries today thrive on entrepreneurship as their mainstay and catalyst for overall economic development. they believe in youth empowerment programmes that will enhance creative, idea generation and innovation. that is why countries like japan, china, usa, and germany will continue to enjoy enhanced economic growth. the shortage of entrepreneurial skills is a major factor influencing unemployment of graduates in nigeria as reported by adebisi and oni, (2012). in view of this, there is the need for overall transformation of the educational sector in nigeria. entrepreneurship education should cut across all levels of learning as well as all institutions of learning. graduate unemployment can traced further to the educational system operated during pre and postindependence era in the country. emphasis was on formal education rather than vocational/entrepreneurship education that equips graduates with requisite skills for employment or job creation. the introduction of the national youth service corps seemed to be a respite in equipping graduates with opportunities for skill acquisition. the one-year scheme has since lost its value due to the number graduates produced every year. over 300,000 graduates across all the various hei’s are produced yearly and in spite of the federal governments efforts on job creation, most of these graduates are either unemployable or there are no jobs at all. babalola (2007). in view of this, the federal government in further attempts to curtail the ravaging situation, several support organizations have been created over the past five decades. the various institutions created aimed at creating employment/entrepreneurial opportunities through skill acquisition programmes, job creation, poverty alleviation schemes, youth empowerment among others. these agencies include; national economic empowerment and development strategies (needs), industrial training fund (itf), new partnership for african development (nepad), micro finance banks (mfb), national directorate of employment (nde). these organizations were set up to tackle the problems of unemployment, social vices, development of work programmes for a pool of entrepreneurs, encouraging self-employment and upgrading the social status of youths in nigeria. entrepreneurship education therefore provides students with adequate knowledge, ideas, skills and motivation to achieve excellence through entrepreneurship in diverse environments. it is important that graduates are encouraged to compulsorily engage in entrepreneurial activities as it provides a suitable lifeline for national development. there is need for deep teaching and research in the area of entrepreneurship to entrench the spirit during higher education. this paper is therefore positioned to support the hei’s promotion of the entrepreneurship programme. conclusion graduate entrepreneurship is highly essential to nation building. developing countries such as nigeria need to invest and inculcate in their budding youths the necessity to develop that interest in entrepreneurship at an early stage in life. this paper shows the importance of graduate entrepreneurship as a catalyst for overall national development. it also emphasises the need for appropriate strategies to be adopted to improve graduate employability in the country. this paper affirms that developing the right skill, connecting learning with practical observations from the labour market and knowledge on the application of these skills will make graduates more employable. higher education as the pinnacle of the educational process and the level that precedes employment, must give all these strategies outlined in this study rapt attention if we are to experience the benefits that accrues from entrepreneurial education. the unemployment rate in nigeria has reached an intolerable state and should be tackled head long until a lasting solution is implemented. recommendations despite the worrisome situation in nigeria, all hope is not lost as the unemployment situation can still be remedied. all educational agencies at various levels must collaborate to ensure the full implementation of entrepreneurship education programme. national universities commission and other educational regulatory bodies for higher learning must begin to emphasize compulsory entrepreneurship courses for students at all levels. this would instil that sense of awareness about their career and also a sense of direction at an early stage. it also helps students make proper career decisions that will help them become selfhttps://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 19 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 16-19, 2023 reliant. the structure of industrial trainings/attachment programmes in hei should be reviewed. higher institutions should make it compulsory for students to go on industrial trainings as requisite for graduation. the benefit of this form of first hand training and experience can never be overemphasized as students are exposed to the various skills needed to make them employable. private establishments and government agencies should also be involved in the promotion of entrepreneurial knowledge. seminars, lectures, trainings can be organised by these agencies to identify and groom potential entrepreneurs. the bank of industry should not be left as the nation is moving towards a more self sufficient economy through the development of the agricultural and manufacturing sectors. symposiums can be organised to help youths (undergraduates and graduates) tap into the opportunities that abound in these sectors. references abiodun, s. o. (2010). analysis of mismatch between demand and supply of skills and university graduate unemployment in nigeria. unpublished m.ed dissertation, lagos state university. ademiluyi, l. f. (2007). business competencies needed for effective entrepreneurship as perceived by fresh graduates. business education journal, 1(1)18-29. akpoveta, b. e. and agbomah, d. (2009). entrepreneurship development and skill acquisition schemes as tools for youth self-employment, economic empowerment and national development. journal of industrial and technological research. atoyebi, g. o. and m. o. odedokun, (1987). concept framework for assessing national and policy implications of distortions. proceedings of nes annual conference, 1-10. babalola, j. b. (2007). reinventing nigerian higher education for youth employment in a competitive global economy. a lecture delivered at university of calabar, department of educational administration and planning, university of calabar. boateng k, ofori-sarpong e. (2002). an analytical study of the labor market for tertiary graduates in ghana. world bank/national council for tertiary education and the nationalaccreditation board project, accra, ghana. federal republic of nigeria (2004). national policy on education. lagos federal ministry of information. gana, j. s. s (2008). entrepreneurship. kanada, joefegan associate ltd. ihekwoaba, m. e. (2007). entrepreneurship in vocational and technical education. lagos: ukugamu brothers enterprises. ijaiya, b. s. (2007). addressing youth unemployment through entrepreneurship education. ilorin journal of education, 27. international labour organization (ilo)(2013). enhancing youth employability: the importance of core work skills. skills for employment policy brief. retrieved on 20 january 2015. from http://www.ilo. org/skills/pubs/wcms_ 234 467/lang—en/index. htm national universities commission (nuc) (2004). report of national needs assessment surveys:labor market expectations of nigerian graduates. national university commission (nuc), abuja, nigeria. national universities commission (2007). benchmark: minimum academic standards (bmas) for undergraduates programme, abuja: nuc. oliver b (2015). redefining graduate employability and work-integrated learning: proposals for effective higher education in disrupted economies. journal of teaching and learning for graduate employability, 6(1), 56-65. oyesiku, k. (2010). synopsis of a colloquium on organized private sector /public service demand for nigerian universities, colleges of education and polytechnic graduates employability, organized by bureau of tertiary institutions, abeokuta, ogun state. between 12th and 13th october, 2010. pitan o. s. (2010). assessment of skills mismatch among employed university graduates in nigeria labor market. phd thesis, unpublished. nigeria: university of ibadan. pitan o. s. (2015). an assessment of generic skills demand in five sectors of the nigerian labour market. public and municipal finance, 4(1) 28-36. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 73 american journal of education and technology (ajet) school culture typology and leadership in ateneo de iloilo herman m. lagon1* volume 1 issue 3, year 2022 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i3.676 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: september 27, 2022 accepted: december 20, 2022 published: december 27, 2022 this descriptive study aims to determine the school culture typology and school leadership category of a jesuit school, ateneo de iloilo. using stratified random sampling, 76 teachers were asked to fill out two standardized instruments of the ascd, namely: (a) school culture typology (sct) worksheet and (b) school culture survey (scs) sheet. analysis of data was done using central tendencies and standard deviation. the sct survey showed that the most dominant typology in ateneo is the “collaborative” type of school culture. however, it also has a secondary blend of “contrived collegiality” and “comfortable collaboration.” “collaborative” culture is found to be prevailing in the following areas: “decision making,” “openness,” “communication,” “socialization,” and “organizational history.” but results also showed that the school needs to further improve on areas of “trust” among teachers and “parent relations.” meanwhile, the scs survey revealed that the teachers “strongly agree” in the high level of “professional development” and “unity of purpose” in school. however, it was also found that teachers still need to develop more their “trust to each other” and to be more “open in discussing disagreements over instructional practices.” the administration must also be more aggressive in structurally giving space, reward, and recognition to curricular innovators. it is hereby recommended that the results of this study must cascade down to the teachers through school summits, institutional meetings, and plcs for affirmation, dialogue, and reflection. similar study may also be made with the other stakeholders of the school for triangulation. keywords school culture, leadership, typology, ateneo de iloilo, collaborative leadership 1 iloilo state college of fisheries (iscof), brgy. tiwi, barotac nuevo, iloilo, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: hermanlagon1@gmail.com introduction the association for supervision and curriculum development (asdc) strongly encourages schools to have an outstanding culture that resonates its vision, mission, and goals. scores of books on school leadership, like the st. ignatius-inspired heroic leadership (lowney, 2003), affirm this educational principle that even the department of education (deped) had to structurally respond by establishing the national educators academy of the philippines (neap) to train administrative culture bearers of educational excellence. in the same note, ateneo de iloilo-santa maria catholic school—a jesuit, chinese-filipino educational institution in western visayas, philippines—believes that a strong, positive, and communal “way of life” must be distinct, explicit, and apparent in schools not just in its manuals or posters, but more importantly in its structures, people, and “ways of proceeding.” in effect, it must be imbibed by all stakeholders—most especially teachers— with a conscious sense of school leadership so much so that it shapes everyone’s disposition academically, professionally, socially, emotionally, and even spiritually. thus, this study was conceptualized. literature review school culture for edgar schein (1992) of the massachusetts institute of technology (mit) sloan school of management, school culture is a relatively stable pattern of organizational behavior that lies outside the immediate awareness of the organization’s members and reflects the shared behavioral, emotional, and cognitive learning the group has undergone over time. as an organization evolves, the behaviors of the organization develop a consistent pattern based upon its shared assumptions. schein believes that espoused values, group norms, habits of thinking and acting, and personnel behavior, are among the more readily understood elements that represent the organization’s culture. for his part, educational expert ron ritchhart, author of the book creating cultures of thinking: the 8 forces we must master to fully transform the school (2015), affirms the importance of having a strong and positive school culture, especially in the area of creating “cultures of learning.” he builds the case for “enculturation” as the key to deep learning and the development of the habits of the mind and dispositions needed in a changing world. he advocates that way of school life that “enables teachers and administrators—as well as anyone interested in fostering group learning—to understand and shape powerful and efficient communities. “let us build dynamic learning communities that engage students, promote deep understanding, and sustain a lifetime of inquiry,” ritchhart suggested. in a national seminar for administrators sponsored by phoenix publishing house in november, 2015, and followed up in september, 2016, leading school leadership expert dr. cynthia arcadio opined that a school with an outstanding culture begets outstanding students and teachers. “and it requires an outstanding leadership to start with.” dr. arcadio, who is also a senior accreditor of the philippine accrediting association of schools, https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i3.676 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= pa ge 74 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 73-83, 2022 colleges, and universities (paascu), further advocated that in order to achieve this, schools must have: unified vision, collaborative decisions, guaranteed curriculum, true collaboration, rigorous instruction, data-driven analyses, caring attitudes, responsive leaders, ongoing support, and fierce resolve. american school leadership expert jerry valentine (2006), citing different research studies, agrees with dr. arcadio, highlighting further that schools must put at premium its teachers in this respect since their roles are vital in the formation of a school culture, good or otherwise. in fact, he said a school with an effective learning culture: maintains the image of a “professional community,” similar to the fields of law or medicine. teachers pursue a clear, shared purpose, engage in collaborative activity, and accept a collective responsibility for student learning (newman & wehlage, 1995); has a clear mission. teachers value the interchange of ideas with colleagues. strong values exist that support a safe and secure environment. there are high expectations of everyone, including teachers. there is strong, not rigid, leadership (deal & peterson, 1990); encourages teachers to work collaboratively with each other and with the administration to teach students so they can learn more with ease (fullan, 1993); and is a place where both teachers and students learn (rosenholtz, 1989). school leadership by extension, valentine linked the positive correlation between school culture and school leadership. he said that the school leader is also very instrumental in shaping the school’s culture and leading reform and the presence and sustainability of reform is highly associated with the school’s culture. “in essence, the principal [and the associate principals and mid-level administrators by extension] is probably the most essential element in a highly successful school. the principal is necessary to set change into motion, to establish the culture of change and a learning organization, and to provide the support and energy to maintain the change over time until it becomes a way of life in the school. over time, the principal’s leadership will shape the school, positively or negatively. without high-quality leadership, high-quality schools cannot exist.” (valentine et al., 2004) corroborated by marzano et al. (2005), as cited by valentine (2006), the close link among school culture, leadership, and student achievement was described further. they stated: “fostering school culture that indirectly affects student achievement is a strong theme within the literature on principal leadership.” from their comprehensive meta-analysis of empirical studies of leadership and student achievement, they described the following key leadership behaviors: (a) promote cohesion and sense of well-being among all staff; (b) develop an understanding of purpose among all personnel, and (c) develop a shared vision of what school should be like. they concluded that each of these leader behaviors directly related to school culture and school culture related to student achievement. in another comprehensive synthesis of the leadership literature associated with student achievement, cotton (2002) described 26 principal behaviors that contributed to student achievement. the behaviors fell into five categories, one of which was characterized as school culture. it is evident that from these two comprehensive studies of the literature (marzano et al., 2005, and cotton, 2002) that educational leadership influences school culture and school culture influences student achievement. therefore, school leaders, both formal and informal, help shape the nature of school culture (leithwood, 2005, as cited by valentine, 2006) and thus the nature of school improvement. leadership and school culture go hand in hand, in both the development and the sustainability of school reform. no less than dr. roland barth (2002), the founder of the harvard school of education, says it more succinctly. “when we come to believe that our schools should be providing a culture that creates and sustains a community of student and adult learning— that this is the trellis [backbone] of our profession—then we will organize our schools, classrooms, and learning experiences differently. show me a school where instructional leaders constantly examine the school’s culture and work to transform it into one hospitable to sustained human learning, and i’ll show you students who do just fine on those standardized tests.” this perception was also corroborated by about 70 school administrations from all the visayas regions who gathered in the school leadership seminar sponsored by phoenix in seda hotel in iloilo last november 23, 2015. collectively, the group strongly confirmed the value of having a strong school culture that is backed up and predicated by a strong school leadership. with all these in mind, it seems that all school leaders— here and abroad—agree with these educational viewpoints and that they want this sense of strong school culture to be achieved. many experts on curriculum, human psychology, educational management, and even business administration apparently agree that the road to success is to have an excellent school culture, and that both the teachers and school administrators play a vital role in this dynamics. the ateneo context in the case of ateneo de iloilo-santa maria catholic school, having a school culture seems to be a given as explicitly stated in the school instruction bible, the ignatian pedagogical paradigm—a practical approach. it proposes a “way of proceeding” that is unique to jesuit schools. it also instills an ignatian language that spells magis (more), cura personalis (care for others), non multum sed multa (not many things but much), tantum quantum (in so far as it leads you to the truth) and ad majorem dei gloriam (for the greater glory of god)— https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 75 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 73-83, 2022 that every atenean young and old, teacher or student, must live by like a code in a secret society. the 30-year-old characteristics of jesuit education (cje) document likewise reinforces this “ateneo culture” principle. for one, it somehow alludes that the way jesuit schools must be run must anchor on how the 450-yearold, “tested-and-proven” order of the society of jesus is run. according to lowney (2003), this includes attention to details, constant practice of self-awareness, allergy to mediocrity, discipline to the process of reflection, space for ingenuity, sense of community, purpose-driven processes, premium for institutional identity and “heroic” way of proceeding. ideally, ateneo education promotes collaboration among its leaders and teachers. it also encourages collegial support, learning partnership, professional development, and unity of purpose. the ateneo ‘dilemma’ because of its ateneo-jesuit culture or brand, and probably highlighted by its products (students and alumni) and new physical structures, many brazenly think that the school, with its faculty in the frontline, is already “better than others” or assumed to be “among the best.” some may tenuously presuppose that its “school culture” is as strong as it shouts “one big fight” whenever there is a sports competition, or as it robotically answers “person for others” when asked about its societal responsibility. others in the local teaching world (and even coming from some parents) may even exaggerate in saying that their impressions to the teachers of ateneo include being “highly professional,” “intellectual,” “collective,” and “solid” in their ways of doing things inside or outside the classroom. such technically unsubstantiated “givens” as to the school culture, the investigators believe, might either be bordering on “hubris” or “misconception.” hence, it needs to be put on check as it might dangerously mislead the school to rest on its laurels that may possibly be founded on a soft ground. because of the lack of backed up study, there is this hesitant perception to the socalled ateneo culture in the school administrative realm. there might be an over-calculation or miscalculation in the general assessment of what the school culture and leadership really is, due to a biased, “blue-stained” pair of lens used by its stakeholders. furthermore, with the understanding of the importance of school culture and the meaning of school culture, the need to once-and-for-all measure ateneo’s is vital. the school, to note, has not yet comprehensively evaluated its school culture and leadership since its foundation in 1958. what makes it dicey is the fact the ateneo brand has been there for so long that it has apparently preceded any objective and scientific assessment of what it really meant as: “a jesuit, catholic, chinese-filipino educational institution in western visayas. a community committed to forming leaders who pursue excellence that is ignited by love and service.” meanwhile, the number of teaching personnel in school has ballooned for the past six years right after its expansion in terms of enrollment and learning space. from just less than 53, the plantilla is now 99 (43 in gs and 56 in hs) paid teaching faculty. the increase in the number of teachers apparently has taken its toll in terms of passing on the “culture” of the school to the younger ones. the stretching of personnel has also caused relational and transactional distance between and among teachers, supervisors, and administrators. and so, the dynamics of arriving at decisions or dissemination of information— or of passing on the “school culture”—may not anymore be that efficient, affecting the relational, managerial, formative, and administrative dynamics in school. henceforth, the researchers proposed to answer the following essential questions: what is the school culture typology of ateneo de iloilosmcs? what school leadership category does ateneo de iloilosmcs perform well or need improvement? methodology to answer the above questions, 76 of the 99 teachers of both grade school and high school departments of ateneo de iloilo-smcs were given the following instruments to fill out: (a) school culture typology (worksheet) survey and (b) school culture a survey using the standardized instrument of the association for supervision and curriculum development (asdc) now called the professional learning and community for educators. the school culture typology (sct) worksheet (appendix a) and the school culture survey (appendix b) on school leadership used here were developed in 2000, and revised in 2006, by steve gruenert and jerry valentine of the middle level leadership center in the university of missouri, united states of america (usa). through mllc, the authors also gave permission for the use of their instrument for this purpose. the sct instrument is a worksheet that aims to approximate the cultural typology of the school. it is a matrix that is comprised of 12 factors of school leadership namely student achievement, collegial awareness, shared values, decision making, risk-taking, trust, openness, parent relations, leadership, communication, socialization, and organizational history. these are classified into six columns representing a typology that describes the culture of the school i.e. toxic, fragmented, balkanized, contrived collegiality, and collaboration. every cell in the 12 x 6 matrix has a statement that describes the factor vis-à-vis its corresponding typology. using the point allocation method, each respondent is then tasked to distribute 10 points per factor as appropriate in proportion to how each statement in the matrix best describes the school i.e. if one statement is exactly accurate, the respondent will assign 10 to that box, assign 5 each to two equal descriptors, or maybe 5, 3, 2 as appropriate, etc. all the points placed by all respondents in every “cell” and https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 76 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 73-83, 2022 column are summed up as basis for the cultural typology of the school. school culture a survey (scs), on the other hand, is a 35-item instrument that provides insight about school leadership—the shared values or beliefs, the patterns of behavior, organizational dynamics, and the relationships in the school. each factor measures a unique aspect of the school’s collaborative culture. the factor definitions— these are collaborative leadership, teacher collaboration, professional development, collegial support, unity of purpose, learning partnership—are underlined; the additional sentences provide more detail about the concepts associated with each factor. each item can be answered “strongly agree,” “agree’” “agree,” “neutral,” “disagree,” or “strongly agree.” the summary of responses are then analyzed using the scale shown in table 1. these instruments (appendices a and b), to note, were table 1: scale of reponses for school culture survey scale description 4.21-5.00 strongly agree 3.41-4.20 agree 2.61-3.40 undecided 1.81-2.60 disagree 1.00-1.80 strongly disagree introduced by dr. arcadio in her phoenix-sponsored seminars last 2015 and 2016. with her imprimatur, schools that attended in the said summit were encouraged to use these in their own schools for whatever purpose they may deem fit. apparently, this study is an offshoot of such advice. meanwhile, after brief technical explanation on how to use the instrument, the survey sheets were distributed early november, 2019. they were eventually collected, collated, and analyzed for presentation to the school faculty for collective dialogue, reflection, discernment, and resolution. note that the focus of the study is the responses of 76 ateneo teachers (representing 76.77% of the population) from grade school and high school that aim to approximate the present “school culture” in the current educational management setting. using the “fix mode” in the scientific calculator, their names were randomly selected and the number or respondents per department—following data privacy and ethical protocols of the school–was identified using stratified sampling method. the number of respondents and their departmental classification are shown in table 2. table 2: respondents of the survey on school culture and leadership department population percent respondents percent grade school 43 43.43 34 44.74 high school 56 56.67 42 45.26 total 99 100% 86 100% analysis of data was done using frequencies, ratios, percentages, and weighted means. results and analyses to answer the question: “what is the school culture typology of ateneo de iloilo smcs?” the sct survey of the middle level leadership center of gruenert & valentine (2006) showed that the school, through the eyes of its teachers, is fairly having a collaborative type of school culture (31.5% or 2873/9120 points). however, it also has a strong blend of comfortable (24.6% or 2239/9120 points) and contrived collegiality (23.3% or 2128/9120 points) type of school culture. it is worthy to note that the school does not significantly show a culture that is toxic, fragmented, or balkanized. a school with collaborative culture, according to gruenert & velentine (2006), is that which teacher development is facilitated though interdependence and the majority agrees on educational values. furthermore, there is a commitment among stakeholders to achieve the mission of the school under the environment of collaboration, trust, collective reflection, innovation, teamwork and continued self-development. note that a collaborative, learning culture is essential ingredient in overall school success. successful schools generally have strong set of commonly held norms and values, a primary focus upon teaching that supports student learning, open dialogue, and collaboration among all members of the organization (louis et al., 1996). meanwhile, comfortable collaboration is a culture that is nearing collaborative culture but is somehow less tolerant to criticisms and critical questions but are more concerned on giving advice or tips and offering comfortable support for each other. in the contrived culture, the forms of collaboration are determined and structures are created by the school leadership. the teachers may become regulated and predictable, but such contrivance is necessary for the development of a true collaborative culture. toxic culture, on the other hand, is displayed when teachers focus on the negative aspects of the school’s operations and personnel, while a fragmented culture is shown where teachers are isolated from other teachers and are insulated from outside interference. a balkanized culture, on the other hand, is depicted where collaboration and sharing occur within like-minded groups, friends, or cabals only leading to poor communication, indifference, and groups (even the most effective teachers) going https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 77 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 73-83, 2022 separate directions. as to ateneo de iloilo-smcs, the survey revealed that a collaborative culture is found to be shown highly in the following areas: decision making, organizational history, socialization, communication, shared values, collegial awareness, openness, student achievement, risk-taking, and school leadership. meanwhile, the results as shown in detail in appendix c suggested that the school still need to pay attention to areas that may need further improvements such as “trust” and “parent relations.” although the school culture is shown to be dominantly collaborative, 30.9% (235/760 points), with elements of comfortable collaboration, 16.1% (122/760 points), and contrived collegiality, 18.0% (137/760 points) in the area of “trust,” it has confirmed a sign of culture that is toxic, 15.4% (117/760 points) and balkanized, 17.5% (133/760). in the area of “parent relations,” where it is dominantly classified under contrived collegiality of 253/760 (33.3%), there is a troubling combined 231/760 points (30.4%) under a culture classified as toxic, fragmented, and balkanized. it was found further that the specific indicators of toxic or balkanized nature are when teachers start talking behind other teachers’ backs or when trust is only given or shown arbitrarily to people. another red flag would be when teachers and parents consider each other as enemies rather than partners to the development of their child/ward. meanwhile, the results shown on table 3 underscored that ateneo de iloilo-smcs has prevailingly high expectation among teachers to participate in decisions concerning students with 326/760 or 42.3% rating under collaborative culture and a combined 38.6% or 293/760 rating under contrived collegiality and comfortable collaboration cultures. it also showed that there is a collective understanding among teachers that the school improvement is a continuous issue and that they are committed to celebrating the school’s historical milestones and identity as noted by its 310/760 or 40.8% rating placed in the collaborative culture category alone and 360/760 or 47.4% more shared by categories of culture under contrived collegiality and comfortable collaboration. table 3: statistical results of school culture typology survey toxic fragmented balkanized contrived collegiality comfortable collaboration collaorative student achievement collegial awareness shared values 41 30 29 27 32 31 93 114 86 204 169 146 211 178 228 184 237 240 decision making risk-taking 27 51 24 27 89 81 149 197 145 137 326 267 trust 117 16 133 137 122 235 openness 31 18 42 233 183 253 parent relations leadership 71 25 75 36 85 85 253 248 160 235 116 131 communication 35 19 83 133 205 285 socialization 45 28 64 131 203 289 organization history 35 21 34 128 232 310 total 537 354 989 2128 2239 2873 meanwhile, as shown in table 3 and appendix c, it also appeared that most teachers assume responsibility in helping new teachers adjust in school while the latter are encouraged to share their experiences with other faculty members. almost always, any teacher can talk to any teacher about their teaching practice with less or no hesitation at all as warm conversations among stakeholders permeates in school. it was also found out that teachers are dominantly open to and looking for new ideas, perhaps some occasionally like to experiment with new ideas, and are prevailingly interested in the opinions of their colleagues concerning instruction. this shows a satisfactory culture of trust where teacher development is facilitated through interdependence and the majority agree on ateneo’s educational values apparently inspired by the ignatian pedagogical paradigm (ipp). there is also a commitment to change and improvement among teachers. although not exactly perfect, help, support, trust, openness, collective reflection, and collective efficacy are found to be at the heart of and are well-defined in the ateneo de lloilo culture. furthermore, it was shown that teachers are aggressively curious about teaching and learning. if need arises, they also spend time observing each other (peer observation) or doing professional learning community (plc) conversations as a means of critically analyzing teaching methods. but the school is not exclusively the collaborative type one. as graphically shown in figure 1, the school has somehow showed some blend of comfortable collaboration and contrived collegiality type of school culture. the dominating features suggest that teachers are given time to discuss student achievement but most of this time is spent on giving advice and tips. most, but not all, teachers are comfortable when parents want to be involved with instructional practices; some also aggressively see the involvement of parents in classroom instruction. likewise, school leaders encourage teachers to give each other advice without being too critical and school leaders monitor the meetings that are designed for teacher collaboration. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 78 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 73-83, 2022 figure 1: overall result of school culture typology survey of ateneo de iloilo-smcs teachers. see individual results of the 12 educational factors in appendix c. it is worthy to note, however, that the sct results showed that the school needs to work more on the issue of trust as some teacher-respondents still gave weight to it under the toxic (117) and balkanized (133) types of school cultures. this item has to do with teachers talking behind each other and teachers who only trust certain teachers. the same is true in the factor on collegial awareness where the weight for balkanized (114) culture can cause a red flag. this area concerns on teachers being aware only of what their friends in the school are teaching. although in the factor of parent relations, there seems to be a spike in the points earned under contrived collegiality (253) as opposed to the low turnout in the collaborative (116) part, the disparity is quite reasonable since going into collaborative level may mean involvement of parents in classroom instruction which is a tall order to achieve as of the moment. instead, the dominant culture is that the school leaders simply require teachers to be in contact with parents regularly through parent-teacher conferences (ptc) or in other forms of communication such as direct phone call, short message service (sms), email or social media network. meanwhile, decision making and organizational history are two of the items in the survey that really showed overwhelmingly positive results in the contrived collegiality (149-decision making/128-organizational history), comfortable collaboration (145/232), and collaboration (326/310) culture columns with the least points given to toxic (27/35), fragmented (24/21), and balkanized (89/34) culture columns. this means that the teachers recognize that decisions in school follow a certain judicious protocol which they participate into, and that they not just care but also own the decision for they know that they are part of the process. also, the results showed that it is not the culture of the ateneo that its teachers are quick to share negative stories about school, instead teachers see themselves as ambassadors of the institution. to answer the question: “what school leadership category does ateneo de iloilo-smcs perform well or need improvement?” results from the school culture survey (scs) revealed that the respondents strongly agree in the level of professional development in ateneo. this means that teachers highly value the continuous personal development and school-wide improvement in school as they seek ideas from seminars, colleagues, organizations, and other professional sources to maintain current knowledge, particularly current knowledge about instructional practices. the survey also showed that the teachers strongly agree that there is this high sense of unity of purpose in school. ateneo teachers believe that there seem to be a collective effort to work toward a common mission for the school as they understand, support, and perform in accordance with that mission. here they also affirm that the school mission statement reflects the values of the community. as shown in table 4 and graphically explained by appendix d, the results also note that the teachers agree in the optimistic level of collegial support, learning partnership, teacher collaboration, and collaborative leadership is shared by the school’s stakeholders. however, although all teachers agree on the items in the survey, the degree of agreement in some areas under the categories of collaborative development, teacher collaboration, learning partnership and collegial support are found to be areas for improvement. it was revealed (see appendix e) that there is still a need for teachers to be more informed on current issues in school (weighted mean=3.954), to take extra time to observe each other teaching (3.755), to be more aware of what other teachers are teaching (3.690), to trust each other (3.684) better, to be more open in discussing disagreements over instructional practices (3.677), and to spend added considerable time planning together (3.944) as a form of teacher collaboration. the survey results also highlighted that the parents and teachers should enhance their communication line to work together (3.953) and to have common expectations for student performance (3.887). while this happens, the results suggested that the parents must trust more the teachers’ professional judgments (3.880) and apparently let the ateneo way of education take its course in the spirit of a stronger learning partnership. on the other https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 79 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 73-83, 2022 table 4: overall result of school culture survey (scs) culture category total weighted mean description professional development 4.229 strongly agree collaborative leadership 3.982 agree teacher collaboration 3.991 agree collegial support 4.173 agree unity of purpose 4.310 strongly agree learning partnership 3.988 agree hand, the significant message of the survey among school leaders was that they must trust the professional judgments of their teachers more (3.937), and invest further in giving forms of affirmation or reward to teachers who perform well (3.837) and o those who do innovations e.g. experimenting with new ideas, techniques, or any forms of instructional advances (3.525) in school. meanwhile, the survey also showed that the respondents have high agreement in items that cover categories on collaborative development, collegial support, professional development, teacher collaboration, and unity of purpose. the results revealed that in ateneo de iloilo-smcs, teachers dominantly work cooperatively (4.216), understand the mission of the school (4.242), values professional development (4.343) and school improvement (4.461), are encouraged to share ideas (4.370), have opportunities for dialogue and planning across grades and subjects (4.403), support the mission of the school (4.462), and are very much willing to help out whenever there is a problem (4.492). the school vision also provides a clear sense of direction for teachers (4.314) and reflects the values of the community (4.340). conclusion and recommendation the result of the study necessitates a programmatic initiative that will cascade down to the teachers all the things to improve in the workplace. perhaps, such can start with the presentation of the results this january, 2017 to the respective stakeholders for collective reflection and resolution. a more comprehensive form of sharing may be done during in-service training in may, 2016, this time revealing in detail the elements and items where the school fare well and must improve on. meanwhile, the areas of concern such as trust (teacherteacher and teacheradministrator dynamics), parentteacher collaboration, and reward system for teachers (re: innovations and good performance) may already be shared to the specific individuals, subject areas coordinators, human resource officers, administrators, and heads of formation programs so they can be unpacked and studied upon in a more contextual manner. the same may be shared and done on areas that affirm positive school culture especially on matters pertaining areas under shared values, communication, decision making, and strong sense of organizational history, among others. from this sharing may arise some resolutions that will improve the school leadership, relational, and instructional dynamics. further analysis on the data gathered may be done focusing more on the “culture” of the different departments and subject areas in school. this may lead to clinically identifying “lights,” ”shadows,” “red,” and “checkered” flags for immediate feedback, resolution, and action. a survey of the same nature may be conducted for the staff, administrators, and heads of offices, for triangulation. there may surface either a consistency or variation of perception to school culture vis-à-vis that of the faculty. either way, such may be germane to the administrative dynamics of the school. aside from the administrators and staff, this whole nature of investigation— perhaps using another contextualized instrument—may be extended to the other stakeholders i.e. alumni, parents, and benefactors if deemed necessary, especially if the inquiry will transcend from the realm of “school culture” to the question of “school spirit” which is another interesting universe in itself. references arcadio, c. (2016). talk on school culture. quezon city: phoenix publishing house, inc. association for supervision and curriculum development (asdc) now called the professional learning and community for educators ateneo de iloilo-smcs revised administrative and faculty manual (2016). barth, r. (2002). the culture builder. educational leadership. cotton, k. (2002). principals and student achievement: what the research says. alexandria, va: association for supervision and curriculum development. deal, t., & peterson, k. (1996). shaping school culture. san francisco, ca: jossey-bass. department of education millennium goals. fullan, m. (1993). changing forces. bristol, pa: falmer press. gruenert, s., & valentine, j. (2006). cultural typologies worksheet. usa: middle level leadership center. leithwood, k. (2005). educational leadership: a review of the research. philadelphia, pa: the midatlantic regional educational laboratory at temple university. louis, k., marks, h., & kruse, s. (1996). teachers’ professional community in restructuring schools. american educational research journal, 33(4), 757-798. lowney, c. (2003). heroic leadership. chicago, usa: loyola press. marzano, r., walters, t., & mcnulty, b. (2005). school leadership that works: from research to results. alexandria, va: association for supervision and https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 80 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 73-83, 2022 curriculum development. national educators academy of the philippines (neap) mandate. ritchhart, r. (2015). creating cultures of thinking: the 8 forces we must master to fully transform the school. new jersey, usa: jossey-bass publications. schein, e. (2010). organizational culture and leadership, 5th edition. new jersey, usa: jossey-bass publications. the international commission on the apostolate of jesuit education (1986). the characteristics of jesuit education. vatican: jesuits order. the jesuits (1993). ignatian pedagogy—a practical approach. the vatican: society of jesus. valentine, j. (2006). a collaborative culture for school improvement: significance, definition, and measurement. middle level leadership center. appendix a: school culture typology worksheet https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 81 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 73-83, 2022 appendix b: school culture survey (scs) appendix c: school culture survey (scs) table form https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 82 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 73-83, 2022 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 83 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 73-83, 2022 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 86 american journal of education and technology (ajet) digital literacy and language learning: the role of information technology in enhancing english proficiency marinel vergara-burgos1*, john edgar s. anthony1 volume 3 issue 4, year 2024 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v3i4.3808 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: september 17, 2024 accepted: october 22, 2024 published: november 29, 2024 the purpose of this study is to look at how digital literacy and information technology (it) affect english language competency among mindoro state university (minsu) information technology students. understanding the function of digital resources in language acquisition is critical as they become more integrated into education, especially in regions where access varies. the study used an exploratory research approach, using in-depth interviews to collect qualitative data from participants. the findings showed that digital literacy increases students’ access to different learning resources, improves language fluency through practical application, and develops autonomy in tailored learning experiences. participants also emphasized the importance of multimedia material in increasing engagement and motivation. language learning programs, multimedia platforms, and online courses are among the key digital tools identified as useful for improving english skills. the study emphasizes the need for educational institutions to establish training programs that improve digital capabilities and promote the appropriate use of technology in language learning. such approaches help students utilize digital resources successfully, resulting in better english proficiency and academic achievements. this study adds to the current literature by concentrating on the experiences of it students at a university, providing useful insights into the convergence of digital literacy and language learning. understanding these dynamics allows educators to better support students using digital technologies for language acquisition. keywords digital literacy, english proficiency, exploratory research, language learning 1 mindoro state university, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: aja0509briseis@gmail.com introduction in today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, information technology (it) has become essential to educational processes, particularly in language acquisition. the rise of digital literacy, defined as the capacity to successfully use digital tools and resources for communication and knowledge acquisition, has transformed the way students approach language acquisition, particularly when studying english. english competence is an important ability because it is a worldwide language and a primary means of communication in academic and professional settings. for learners, particularly in non-native english-speaking countries like the philippines, using digital tools opens up new avenues for improving language skills. while the promise of digital resources to improve english proficiency is widely acknowledged, the actual impact of these technologies on learners’ language development remains unknown, particularly in regional university settings such as mindoro state university (minsu). globally, the incorporation of information technology into language learning has received significant attention, with studies emphasizing its ability to promote tailored learning experiences and improve language acquisition outcomes. yim and warschauer (2021) found that digital technologies such as language learning apps, online platforms, and multimedia materials give learners with quick access to interactive language practice, boosting english competence. however, despite the growing use of technology in education, there are still gaps in understanding how digital literacy influences the successful use of these tools. according to research, kids with higher levels of digital literacy are better able to navigate and use digital technologies, which leads to better language learning results. yet, little attention has been given to how this applies specifically to english proficiency, particularly in regions where access to digital tools may vary based on socioeconomic factors. in the philippines, where english is the official language and frequently utilized in academic settings, integrating it into education has been a national priority, particularly in light of the covid-19 pandemic’s emphasis on flexible learning. the commission on higher education (ched) has urged the use of digital resources to aid language learning, recognizing the value of english competence for both domestic and foreign prospects (ched, 2020). despite these efforts, there are still issues in ensuring that all students, particularly those at rural universities such as minsu have access to essential digital resources. furthermore, studies such as those by david et al. (2021) point to a digital divide in the philippines, where students in rural areas frequently do not have the same level of access to technology as their urban counterparts, stifling the development of digital literacy and, by extension, english language proficiency. as a result, mindoro state university serves a diverse student body, many of whom have particular obstacles linked to both computer literacy and language learning. it students at minsu are supposed to have a solid pa ge 87 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 86-91, 2024 command of technology, making them ideal participants for investigating how digital literacy affects english ability. however, little study has been undertaken at minsu to investigate how these students use digital resources for language learning, resulting in a research gap. while these students may have stronger digital literacy than other disciplines, it is unclear how this translates into successful language learning practices, particularly for enhancing english proficiency. furthermore, it is important to understand how students view the significance of digital technologies in molding their confidence, motivation, and general involvement in learning. the present literature emphasizes the potential of digital literacy to improve english proficiency, but there is a huge gap in knowing the specific experiences of it students at regional universities. most studies have focused on urban or foreign situations, where digital technologies are more widely available. furthermore, while there is study on the general usage of digital tools for language learning, there is no investigation into how students’ digital literacy levels influence their ability to use these resources effectively in the context of english language acquisition. this study seeks to fill these gaps by focusing on it students at minsu, investigating how their digital literacy affects their english proficiency, and exploring their perspectives on the importance of information technology in molding their language learning. through this research, the study sought to provide insights into the intersection of digital literacy and english proficiency in a regional context, contributing to a better understanding of how digital tools can be harnessed to enhance language learning outcomes for students at minsu. research objectives the purpose of this research is to investigate how digital literacy and the use of information technology influence the improvement of english proficiency among learners, emphasizing the integration of digital resources into language learning processes specifically: 1. to look into how digital literacy skills affect students’ capacity to study and enhance their english proficiency. 2. to investigate the types of digital tools and resources that students utilize to improve their english language abilities and effectiveness. 3. to investigate students’ perspectives of how information technology influences their confidence, motivation, and engagement in english language learning materials and methods this part presents the methodology the researcher employed in analyzing and interpreting the data about the variables in the study. research design exploratory research design is used to study unsolved problems, allowing for exploring new ideas and identifying patterns without the limits of a formal framework. according to saunders et al. (2014), this strategy is especially useful when the researcher is unsure about the exact nature of the problem or phenomenon being examined, as it allows for the development of more explicit research questions and hypotheses for further examination. it is frequently the beginning point for expanding knowledge in areas where existing information is scarce. research site the study was conducted at mindoro state university, main campus, alcate, victoria, oriental mindoro. participants the participants are the selected information technology students from the college of computer studies since they are naturally inclined to use digital tools and resources, making them an ideal group to investigate the link between digital literacy and english proficiency. it students typically have excellent digital abilities and extensive experience with technology, allowing them to provide useful insights into how various digital platforms and technologies might be used for learning. instrumentation in-depth interviews were conducted for the purpose of this research. the study utilized a researcher made interview guide with three parts as the main data gathering instrument. the first part is composed of questions on how digital literacy skills affect students’ capacity to study and enhance their english proficiency. the second part dealt with students’ assessment on the types of digital tools and resources that students utilize to improve their english language abilities and effectiveness. .and lastly, it dealt with questions investigating students’ perspectives of how information technology influences their confidence, motivation, and engagement in english language learning data analysis strategy this study used thematic analysis. there are different approaches to thematic analysis. the researcher decided to use the inductive approach, as it involves deriving meaning and creating themes from data without any preconceptions. in doing a thematic data analysis, the researcher followed the steps of familiarization, coding, generating themes, reviewing themes, defining and naming themes, and writing up. results and discussions based from the analyzed responses of the respondents on the different questions assessing the three major objectives of the study, here are the generated themes: how digital literacy skills affect students’ capacity to study and enhance their english proficiency access to diverse learning resources participants commonly remarked that digital literacy pa ge 88 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 86-91, 2024 enables them to access a diverse range of materials, including online dictionaries, grammar tools, videos, podcasts, and language-learning platforms. these materials allow students to learn at their own speed and explore numerous facets of the english language, including grammar and pronunciation. digital literacy improves access to diverse and high-quality resources, which is critical for language acquisition. according to zou et al. (2021), effectively navigating online platforms enables learners to interact with materials that foster deeper language knowledge. this access allows students to augment their education outside of traditional classroom settings, fostering autonomy and self-regulation in language learning. improved language proficiency through practice participants reported that digital literacy abilities enable them to practice reading, writing, speaking, and listening in english using online tools and platforms. social media, educational apps, and language exchange platforms enable real-time connection and offer a space for language practice. studies highlight the importance of digital tools in enhancing language ability. according to hamid et al. (2022), digital literacy not only improves access to materials but also creates dynamic environments in which students can practice language skills in real-world situations. regular exposure and practice are essential for building language proficiency, especially in listening and speaking. enhanced engagement through multimedia many participants emphasized the value of multimedia content like podcasts, videos, and movies in boosting their english comprehension. these materials provide more interesting and dynamic learning experiences, particularly for students looking to enhance their listening and speaking skills. recent research strongly supports the use of multimedia in language learning. yang et al. (2020) describe how multimedia resources, which frequently include visual, aural, and textual features, increase engagement and make language learning more dynamic. these tools also provide realistic language contexts, helping students strengthen their comprehension abilities through exposure to real-world english usage. autonomy and personalized learning participants stated that their digital literacy enables them to take charge of their education by determining when and how they study. many people reported using apps that provide rapid feedback, like as grammarly or duolingo, to track their progress and improve consistently. digital literacy promotes autonomy by allowing students to personalize their language learning experiences. according to lim and yunus (2021), students with greater levels of digital literacy are more likely to take the initiative in their studies, tailoring their learning to their strengths and shortcomings. this personalized approach to learning is especially useful for language acquisition since it allows pupils to focus on the areas where they need the most help. barriers and challenges while most participants stressed the benefits of digital literacy in their english learning, a few mentioned difficulties, such as managing sophisticated digital tools or platforms that are not user-friendly. others observed that, while social media is important, it might create distractions and limit possibilities for focused language study. if students fail to direct digital tools or are sidetracked by non-educational content, their language acquisition may suffer. lee and frazier (2019) underline the importance of well-designed educational systems that facilitate language learning without overloading the user. they claim that, while digital technologies are useful, poorly designed platforms or distractions from nonacademic information can reduce their usefulness. types of digital tools and resources that students utilize to improve their english language abilities and effectiveness language learning applications many participants emphasized the usage of popular language learning apps like duolingo, grammarly, and merriam-webster dictionary to enhance grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation. these tools offer interactive lectures, exercises, and rapid feedback, allowing students to enhance their language skills over time. language study applications have become vital tools for improving pupils’ language skills. according to li and rosson (2020), these applications offer planned lessons with gamification aspects, making learning more engaging and successful. grammarly, which provides realtime feedback, has been demonstrated to greatly increase pupils’ writing accuracy and grammatical proficiency. multimedia platforms (youtube, spotify, netflix) participants regularly acknowledged using youtube, spotify, and netflix to improve their listening and speaking abilities. students increase their comprehension, pronunciation, and conversational skills in real-world scenarios by watching movies, listening to podcasts, and watching training videos in english. multimedia platforms offer a wealth of authentic language information, which improves learners’ listening and speaking skills. according to benson and chik (2021), these platforms expose students to various accents, dialects, and idiomatic expressions, improving their comprehension of spoken english. the usage of videos and podcasts encourages contextual learning, which is essential for developing language abilities in real-world circumstances. social media and online communities some participants underlined the importance of using social media sites like facebook, instagram, and tiktok to engage in english conversations and build online communities. these platforms provide possibilities for informal language practice by facilitating real-time conversation and engagement with native speakers and other learners. social media platforms provide engaging areas for language learners to practice english in authentic pa ge 89 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 86-91, 2024 settings. according to lamy and hampel (2019), learners who participate in online groups or discussions via social media on a regular basis enhance their fluency, vocabulary, and confidence significantly. these platforms also offer cultural insights, which are necessary for language proficiency. educational websites and online courses several participants used educational websites and online courses like coursera, edx, and bbc learning english to gain access to structured instruction on various parts of the english language, such as grammar, vocabulary, and writing. online educational platforms offer formalized learning possibilities to language learners. according to godwin-jones (2020), these platforms let students to participate in structured sessions that address grammar, reading, writing, and speaking skills. these courses are flexible, allowing students to learn at their own pace and review lessons as needed, which is critical for language learning. grammar and writing tools many students reported relying on grammar and writing programs such as grammarly and quillbot to improve their writing correctness. these tools assist students with grammatical checking, paraphrasing, and citation generation, so improving the polish and academic appropriateness of their writing. writing tools have been widely embraced to help pupils improve their written communication skills. according to kim and park (2022), technologies like grammarly fix grammatical problems while also providing extensive explanations to assist learners understand their faults. this type of automated feedback encourages individual learning and increases the overall quality of student writing. challenges and barriers despite the benefits, some participants cited issues with digital tools, such as confusing interfaces, overwhelming information, and the usage of slang on social media platforms. these impediments impede effective learning, particularly for novices. while digital tools are excellent resources for language acquisition, their complexity can be challenging. zhang and zou (2023) found that beginners or students with low digital literacy may struggle to use particular platforms, lowering their learning efficiency. addressing these hurdles is critical to ensuring that digital resources are available to all students. students’ perspectives of how information technology influences their confidence, motivation, and engagement in english language learning access to learning tools enhances confidence students believe that it increases their confidence in learning and using english by offering access to a variety of tools, including language study apps (e.g., duolingo, babbel), grammar checkers (e.g., grammarly), and online dictionaries. these tools allow kids to practice independently, receive rapid feedback, and track progress, resulting in increased confidence in their language skills. chen and hwang (2020) discovered that individualized, technology-mediated feedback promotes self-regulation and increases learners’ confidence in language acquisition. in a similar study, van batenburg et al. (2021) found that language learners who use interactive tools with rapid feedback, such as ai-powered writing helpers, have large confidence gains since they may practice without fear of criticism. gamification and multimedia content increase motivation students say that it tools, especially those with gamified components (such as points, badges, and challenges), encourage them to be more consistent with their english language learning. multimedia platforms (e.g., youtube, netflix) provide a fun and interactive way to practice language skills, improving students’ willingness to learn. hsu and tsai (2021) found that gamification in educational technologies increases intrinsic motivation among students by making the learning process more enjoyable. lee and hao (2022) discovered that multimedia platforms expose learners to authentic language environments, which not only improves their language skills but also motivates them to keep learning. enhanced participation via digital collaboration and real-world exposure many participants believe that it promotes increased involvement by encouraging collaboration through online platforms (e.g., microsoft teams, zoom) and exposing students to real-world language use (blogs, social media, podcasts). these tools enable learners to interact with global communities, participate in discussions, and use their language abilities in real-world situations. alghasab et al. (2021) discovered that technology-driven collaborative learning increases students’ involvement in language learning by providing a variety of interaction options. this is consistent with vanderhoven et al. (2022), who argue that the usage of social media and real-time communication platforms promotes meaningful engagement with authentic english information, ultimately leading to increased involvement and active learning. technology as a double-edged sword while many students emphasize the benefits of it in increasing their involvement, others point to technologyrelated distractions such as excessive social media use or overwhelming information. despite these obstacles, students who manage their distractions discover that it technologies help them stay focused in their learning path. vanderhoven et al. (2022) also investigate the paradoxical function of technology in language learning. their research found that, while technology has enormous promise for engagement, it may also present distractions that impede focus and participation. self-regulation and controlled learning environments are recommended strategies for addressing these difficulties. pa ge 90 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 86-91, 2024 conclusion the findings of this study highlight the importance of digital literacy on students’ ability to learn and improve their english language. according to the responses, access to a variety of learning resources, greater language practice through digital tools, increased engagement through multimedia, and the promotion of autonomy in tailored learning all help students learn languages better. however, difficulties such as digital tool complexity and potential diversions from social media underline the importance of taking a balanced approach. finally, using technology in language learning can boost students’ confidence, motivation, and engagement as long as they have the essential skills to navigate these resources successfully. recommendations to maximize the full benefits of digital literacy in language learning, educational institutions should create comprehensive training programs that improve students’ digital skills and encourage effective use of technology in their studies. this includes lessons on using various digital technologies, addressing potential obstacles, and developing self-regulation skills to handle distractions. furthermore, creating user-friendly platforms and resources can help alleviate the challenges associated with complex digital tools, ensuring that all students, regardless of their initial level of digital literacy, can fully participate in and benefit from their english language learning experience. references alghasab, m., hardman, j., & schartner, a. 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(2021). digital literacy and language learning: a meta-analysis. educational technology & society, 24(3), 55-68. https://www.j-ets. net/ets/journals/24_3/4.pdf pa ge 1 pa ge 1 american journal of education and technology (ajet) nature's clean-up crew: unlocking the potential of water hyacinth as a phytoremediation wonder for eutrophication reduction in aquatic environments allan gregy v. balic1*, arlene l. tabaquero1 volume 3 issue 2, year 2024 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v3i2.2639 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: february 05, 2024 accepted: march 10, 2024 published: march 16, 2024 this study aims to determine whether water hyacinth can be a phytoremediation tool to mitigate eutrophication in water bodies. specifically, it seeks to observe the morphological changes in the leaves and stems of water hyacinth in terms of length and width, to describe the similarities and differences of water hyacinth from eutrophic and normal water aquariums, and to determine the efficacy of water hyacinth in mitigating eutrophication. the research employed an experimental research design, which constitutes a structured set of protocols and procedures tailored for conducting experimental investigations scientifically, employing two distinct sets of variables. in conclusion, the study found significant changes in water hyacinth's morphology when exposed to eutrophic water, with signs of distress observed after ten days due to high nutrient levels. despite this, the findings support the potential of water hyacinth to mitigate eutrophication in water bodies, offering promise for enhanced water quality management. keywords eutrophication, morphological, phytoremediation, water hyacinth, water bodies 1 school of graduate studies, saint mary’s university, bayombong, nueva vizcaya, philippines * corresponding author’s email: allangregybalic.official@gmail.com introduction agriculture plays a crucial role in our society; in fact, nearly all the foods we consume, such as rice, oats, fruits, and vegetables like tomatoes, onions, and garlic, are products of agriculture. farmers, as businesspeople, provide sustainable food sources in our communities. they continuously seek ways to improve farming quality and increase crop yields by utilizing various fertilizers, typically rich sources of nitrogen and phosphorus crucial for plant growth. fertilizers significantly aid farmers in producing high-quality crops and boosting harvests. however, excessive levels of phosphorus and nitrogen in our environment can potentially harm aquatic ecosystems. according to the environmental protection agency of the united states (2022), farmers apply nutrients to their fields in the form of chemical fertilizers and animal manure, which supply c rops with the necessary nitrogen and phosphorus for growth and food production. however, if growing plants do not fully absorb these nutrients, they can be lost from the fields and adversely affect air and downstream water quality. this excess nitrogen and phosphorus can be washed from farm fields into waterways during rainfall or snowmelt, and it can also leach through the soil and into groundwater over time. elevated levels of nitrogen and phosphorus can lead to eutrophication of water bodies, resulting in hypoxia ("dead zones"), fish kills, and a decline in aquatic life. additionally, excess nutrients can trigger harmful algal blooms (habs) in freshwater systems, disrupting wildlife and potentially producing toxins harmful to humans. based on an article from water resources (2019), eutrophication is a natural process resulting from the accumulation of nutrients in lakes or other bodies of water. algae, which thrive on these nutrients, can form unsightly scum on the water surface, reducing recreational value and clogging water intake pipes. decaying algae mats can produce foul tastes and odors in the water, while bacterial decay consumes dissolved oxygen, sometimes leading to fish kills. human activities can exacerbate eutrophication by increasing nutrient input into water bodies. the availability of phosphate or nitrate typically constrains algal growth; a water body is considered nitrogen-limited if the ratio of nitrogen species to phosphorus species (n:p) is low, or phosphorus-limited if n:p is high. literature review this study draws from the review study conducted by djihouessi et al. (2023), which highlights the theory and conceptual framework of biological invasions, noting that "most invasions fail, and only limited taxa succeed" in a natural environment (moyle & light, 1996; williamson, 1996; gurevitch et al., 2011). several authors underscore the significance of efficient nutrient utilization and solar energy absorption as key factors contributing to water hyacinth's success as an invasive species in tropical aquatic habitats. notably, water hyacinth exhibits remarkable nutrient uptake rates, reaching 2200 mg n m−2day−1 and 550 mg p m−2day−1, significantly surpassing phytoplankton's optimum uptake rate (reddy & tucker, 1983; rawson, 1992; patel, 2012; téllez et al., 2008). additionally, it demonstrates adaptability to a wide range of environmental conditions, thriving in freshwater with high organic matter and heavy metal concentrations, as well as brackish water environments with salinities <8 ppt (brendonck et al., 2003; jayaweera et al., 2008; mahunon et al., 2018; li et al., 2021; gettys et al., 2014). water hyacinth, an adaptable aquatic plant, has attracted considerable interest for its capacity to address urban and industrial wastewater challenges. the study by rezania (2015) revealed that water hyacinth is suitable pa ge 2 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 1-6, 2024 for controlling urban and various types of wastewaters originating from industries. it also demonstrates that among aquatic plants, water hyacinth presents a viable and effective option for nutrient uptake and improving water quality. eutrophication poses a global challenge, including in the philippines, exemplified by pujada bay in mati, davao oriental. recent nutrient mapping conducted by scientists at dorsu underscores the bay's vulnerability to eutrophication due to elevated nitrate and sulfate levels, surpassing standard quality thresholds for coastal waters. high total dissolved solids (tds) and low bicarbonate levels further indicate reduced productivity and declining marine life diversity (zuasola, 2022). researchers continue to explore strategies for preventing or mitigating pollution's adverse effects on the environment. plants like water hyacinth exhibit pollutantabsorbing capabilities, serving as phytoremediation tools to address various environmental issues. auchterlonie et al. (2021) demonstrates water hyacinth's capacity to absorb phosphates and nitrates, suggesting its potential as a phytoremediation tool to mitigate eutrophication and reduce microcystis blooms. phytoremediation, employing plants to purify polluted areas, offers promise in addressing heavy metal pollution. yan et al. (2020) highlights its effectiveness in revegetating heavy metal-polluted soil, with numerous hyperaccumulator plants identified for this purpose. however, phytoremediation with natural hyperaccumulators faces limitations, including slow growth rates and low biomass production. enhancing plant performance is crucial for optimizing phytoremediation effectiveness in heavily contaminated sites. objectives of the study this study aims to investigate whether water hyacinth can serve as a phytoremediation tool to mitigate eutrophication in water bodies. specifically, it seeks to accomplish the following: 1. to observe the morphological changes in the leaves and stems of water hyacinth in terms of length and width. 2. to describe the similarities and differences of water hyacinth from eutrophic water and normal water aquariums. 3. to determine the efficacy of water hyacinth in mitigating eutrophication. materials and methods research design the study employed an experimental research design, which constituted a framework of protocols and procedures crafted to conduct experimental research with a scientific approach, utilizing two sets of variables (sirisilla, 2023). moreover, it was characterized by two distinguishing features the conscious manipulation by the researcher of a treatment or, more generically, an independent variable of interest, and the random assignment of units to treatment and control groups (munck and verkuilen, 2005). figure 1: four transparent glass aquariums • aquarium a: river water and water hyacinth • aquarium b: river water • aquarium c: river water with npk fertilizer (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) • aquarium d: river water, npk fertilizer (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium), and water hyacinth to induce eutrophication, the researcher utilized four transparent glass aquariums labeled as containers a, b, c, and d, each filled with river water sourced near the public market of bayambang, pangasinan. the growth of algae in each aquarium was observed and documented daily using the camera of a mobile phone. additionally, the researcher measured the length and width of water hyacinth leaves and stems using a ruler. instruments of the study the researcher procured four transparent glass aquariums labeled a, b, c, and d from shopee, using a piece of bond paper and a marker to designate them. these aquariums were then filled with river water. other materials utilized in the study included water hyacinth, a ruler, npk fertilizer, and a mobile phone for documentation. data analysis of the study the researcher meticulously organized the data in alignment with the study's objectives, presenting and elaborating on it in a descriptive manner. furthermore, to enhance clarity and provide visual insight, the documentation incorporated both photographs and tables. additionally, measurements of the length and width of water hyacinth stems and leaves were recorded in millimeters to ensure precision. results and discussion this section presents and discusses the data collected on the morphological changes of water hyacinth, the similarities and differences observed between water hyacinth placed in aquariums with river water and those pa ge 3 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 1-6, 2024 with river water and npk (eutrophic water), and the relationship between eutrophication and water hyacinth. morphological changes of water hyacinth the objective of this study is to observe the morphological changes in the leaves and stems of water hyacinth in terms of length and width. table 1 displays the measurements of the leaves and stems of water hyacinth in terms of length and width after 10 days of the experiment. based on table 1, there is an increase in water hyacinth leaf table 1: the length and width of water hyacinth before and after the experiment day 0 day 10 l (l) l (w) s (l) s (w) l (l) l (w) s (l) s (w) aquarium a water hyacinth 1 34.67 56.33 65.67 11.67 35.67 58.67 71.67 14.33 water hyacinth 2 30 52.33 45.67 14.67 32.67 63 47 16.33 aquarium d water hyacinth 1 37.67 54 49.67 12 26 47 49.67 10 water hyacinth 2 31 47.67 45.67 12.67 25 45.33 47.67 13.33 and stem size in terms of length and width in aquarium a compared to aquarium d. on day 0, water hyacinth 1 from aquarium a had an average leaf length of 34.67 mm (35.67 mm on day 10) and a width of 56.33 mm (58.67 mm on day 10). the stem had an average length of 65.67 mm (71.67 mm on day 10) and a width of 11.67 mm (14.33 mm on day 10). similarly, water hyacinth 2 had an average leaf length of 30 mm (32.67 mm on day 10) and a width of 52.33 mm (63 mm on day 10), with the stem measuring an average length of 45.67 mm (47 mm on day 10) and a width of 14.67 mm (16.33 mm on day 10). the leaves of the water hyacinth in aquarium d become dry after day 10. this is supported by an article from the university of california agriculture and natural resources (n.d.) that the presence of excess nitrogen can directly injure states plants. excessive nitrogen can cause plants to grow excessively and develop overly succulent leaves and shoots, promoting outbreaks of certain sucking insects and mites. fruit production and maturity can also be delayed, while fruit quality and yield may be reduced. additionally, excess nitrogen can kill small roots and increase plants’ susceptibility to damage by root-feeding nematodes and root decay pathogens. overfertilization can cause leaves to turn brown, gray, dark green, or yellow at margins and tips or overall. affected foliage may wilt temporarily or die and drop prematurely (see figure 1). *unit of measurement: millimeter (mm) *l (i) leaf length *l (w)leaf width *s (l)stem length *s (w)stem width figure 2: leaves of the water hyacinth in aquarium d after 10 days similarities and differences in water hyacinth between aquariums a and d this study aims to describe the similarities and differences of water hyacinth from eutrophic water and normal water aquariums. figure 2 depict the water hyacinth placed in aquarium a and aquarium d from day 0 to day 10. due to the excessive nutrients (npk) present in aquarium d, the water hyacinth appeared unhealthy on day 10, with its leaves turning light green and exhibiting dry tips or margins, and the stems becoming thinner compared to day 0. according to the article from trifecta natural (n.d.), nitrogen toxicity in plants can result in clawed, shiny, and abnormally dark green leaves, as well as slow growth and weak stems. clawed leaves are bent at the tips with a talon-like shape and may exhibit cupping or curving. if left untreated, nitrogen toxicity can lead to pa ge 4 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 1-6, 2024 yellowing and eventual death of the leaves. this toxicity is typically caused by an excessive nitrogen supply, which adversely affects photosynthesis. in cannabis plants, excess nitrogen can impede bud formation, reduce yields and potency, and result in inferior buds. water hyacinth and eutrophication this study aims to determine the efficacy of water hyacinth in mitigating eutrophication. figure 3 show the growth of algae in each aquarium from day 0 to day 10. visible indications of eutrophication include high turbidity figure 3: the water hyacinth placed in aquarium a and aquarium d from day 0 to day 10 figure 4: the growth of algae in each aquarium from day 0 to day 10. pa ge 5 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 1-6, 2024 caused by algal blooms, dense macrophyte growth, mass development of harmful cyanobacteria (blue-green algae), reduced species diversity, oxygen depletion, formation of hydrogen sulfide, fish kills, and odor nuisance (hufper and hilt, 2008). based on figure 3, there is no visible growth of green algae in aquarium a (river water and water hyacinths), while there is a small amount of green algae growth in aquarium b (river water without water hyacinths). furthermore, the water in container c (river water plus npk without water hyacinths) becomes greenish in color, and there is visible algae growth inside the aquarium. on the other hand, there is less growth of green algae in container d (river water plus npk) because water hyacinth consumes the nutrients present in the water, mitigating the eutrophication effect caused by excess nutrients, specifically nitrogen and phosphorus. the study by ayana (2021) revealed that water hyacinth has the capacity to remove contaminants from polluted bodies of water (chen et al., 1989). many contaminants, such as total suspended solids, dissolved solids, nitrogen, phosphorus, heavy metals, etc., as well as biochemical oxygen demand, have been minimized using wh (gupta et al., 2012). nitrogen and phosphorus removal capacity from dairy wastewater was found to be fastest in wh, followed by lemna minor and azolla pinnata (tripathi and upadhyay, 2003). with the aforementioned results, water hyacinth can absorb excess nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, which cause eutrophication in bodies of water. conclusions 1. the observations regarding the morphological changes in water hyacinth revealed significant differences between the specimens in aquariums a and d. while aquarium a exhibited robust growth, aquarium d displayed signs of stress and deterioration, likely due to the presence of excess nitrogen. this finding aligns with existing literature suggesting that excess nitrogen can adversely affect plant health, leading to various physiological disorders. 2. the comparison of water hyacinth between aquariums a and d highlighted the detrimental effects of eutrophic conditions on plant vitality. the excessive nutrients present in aquarium d led to observable changes in leaf color and texture, as well as reduced stem thickness. these symptoms are consistent with nitrogen toxicity, as indicated by previous research on plant responses to nutrient imbalances. 3. the investigation into the relationship between water hyacinth and eutrophication demonstrated the plant's potential to mitigate nutrient pollution in aquatic ecosystems. by absorbing excess nitrogen and phosphorus, water hyacinth can alleviate the adverse effects of eutrophication, as evidenced by the reduced algae growth observed in aquarium d compared to container c. this corroborates previous studies indicating the efficacy of water hyacinth in pollutant removal from contaminated water bodies. recommendations 1. also measure the length of the water hyacinth’s roots when observing its morphological changes. 2. analyse the nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus content absorbed by the water hyacinth after the experiment. 3. include more water hyacinths as instruments in the study. acknowledgements the author acknowledges the ph.d. scholarship provided by the department of science and technology's science education institute for supporting this research. special thanks are extended to dr. arlene l. tabaquero for her valuable contributions to and assistance with the preparation of this study. references auchterlonie, j., eden, c., & sheridan, c. (2021). the phytoremediation potential of water hyacinth: a case study from hartbeespoort dam, south africa. south african journal of chemical engineering, 11(3), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sajce.2021.03.002 ayana, b. (2021). economic importance, impacts and possible mitigation measures of aquatic water hyacinth (eichhornia crassipes martius) in ethiopia. journal of environment and earth science, 11(3), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.7176/jees/11-3-01 djihouessi, m., olokotum, m., chabi, l., mouftaou, f., & aina, m. (2023). paradigm shifts for sustainable management of water hyacinth in tropical ecosystems: a review and overview of current challenges. science direct. https://doi. org/10.1016/j.envc.2023.100705 hupfer, m., & hilt, s. (2008). lake restoration. science direct, 2080-2093. https://doi.org/10.1016/b978008045405-4.00061-6 oakland university. (n.d.). research hypothesis. oakland university. https://oakland.edu/assets/upload/ docs/ais/syllabi/tayler_research_hypothesis.pdf rebollar, m., & valenzuela, m. (2000). scientific bases for the preparation of heterogeneous catalysts. science direct. https://doi.org/10.1016/s01672991(00)80681-3 rezania, s., et al. (2015). perspectives of phytoremediation using water hyacinth for removal of heavy metals, organic and inorganic pollutants in wastewater. journal of environmental management, 164, 125-133. https:// doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2015.08.018 sirisilla, s. (2023). experimental research design — 6 mistakes you should never make. enago academy. retrieved from https://www.enago.com/academy/ experimental-research-design/ trifecta natural. (n.d.). nitrogen toxicity in plants. trifecta natural. https://www.trifectanatural.com/ problem-identifier/nitrogen-toxicity-in-plants/ united states environmental protection agency. (2022). the sources and solutions: agriculture. epa (united states environmental protection agency). https:// www.epa.gov/nutrientpollution/sources-andpa ge 6 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 1-6, 2024 solutions-agriculture university of california agriculture and natural resources. (n.d.). pests in gardens and landscapes. university of california agriculture and natural resources. h t tp s : // ipm .ucan r. edu/pmg/garden/ plants/disorders/nitrogenexcess.html water resources. (2019). nutrients and eutrophication. usgs science for a changing world. https://www. usgs.gov/mission-areas/water-resources/science/ nutrients-and-eutrophication yan, a., et al. (2020). phytoremediation: a promising approach for revegetation of heavy metals – polluted land. frontiers in plant science. https:// doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2020.00359 zuasola, f. (2022). davao oriental university study confirms pujada bay’s alarming pollution levels. rappler.com. https://www.rappler.com/nation/ mindanao/davao-oriental-university-study-confirmspujada-bay-alarming-pollution-levels pa ge 1 pa ge 85 american journal of education and technology (ajet) the intersection of e-learning and corporate culture: how technology is reshaping business training shaheda akter1*, md. ahsan shoishob2 volume 4 issue 4, year 2025 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v4i4.5736 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: july 17, 2025 accepted: august 16, 2025 published: november 11, 2025 this research examined the intersection of e-learning and corporate culture to determine how technology is influencing corporate training. the main objective was to explore new corporate systems and to identify how these were accepted, shaped according to the organizational values and to evaluate their effectiveness in improving the employees’ skills and performance. this study, which showed the increasing importance of digital transformation in workforce education, also emphasized that education approaches are needed that are adaptable to the digital age and are culturally congruent. a structured questionnaire was administered to 152 professionals in various industries with descriptive statistics applied to shed light on the data collected. the results indicated a good acceptance of the e-learning, participants expressed a higher competence and weak integration to the company. challenges included engagement problems, content quality, and insufficient support from leadership. the research established that although e-learning has revolutionized training delivery, its successful implementation is contingent on organizational readiness and cultural embedding. these findings suggest that organizations should promote a supportive learning environment and match e-learning approaches to their values in order to achieve the greatest effect. keywords corporate culture, corporate training, digital transformation, e-learning, learning organization, organizational development 1 department of education, asian university of bangladesh, dhaka, bangladesh 2 department of business administration, east west university, dhaka, bangladesh * corresponding author’s e-mail: shahedaakterbd12@gmail.com introduction in today’s hyper-competitive world of business, learning is no longer an option; it’s a strategic priority for organizations looking to stay relevant and agile in an ever-changing market (deshati, 2023). innovations in technology have transformed legacy training methods with e-learning emerging as the most scalable, versatile and cost effective for employee education. e-learning, defined as the practice of utilizing digital technologies and web-based resources to facilitate the communication of knowledge and learning above and beyond the conventional classroom setting, has become a key component of today’s corporate training programs (lytovchenko et al., 2022). effectively, e-learning tools enable organizations to deliver personalized and targeted content to a dispersed workforce, from onboarding and compliance training to leadership development and technical up skilling (rohit et al., 2021). but e-learning is more than just a technological solution to the problem of distance. it requires strong alignment between the organization’s existing culture and a newly introduced one. corporate culture refers to the shared values, attitudes, standards, and beliefs that characterize members of an organization and define its nature. a healthy culture can drive innovation and fast uptake, grow a learning mindset, and increase levels of employee engagement an outdated or heavily regimented culture can dampen the field of even the sweetest flowers when it comes to the introduction of the latest learning tools (lee, 2020). accordingly, the role of e-learning in relation to corporate culture and the effects both on each other should be understood in order to make the most of a learning process on the individual and organizational level (coşkun et al., 2022). while the effectiveness of e-learning and the role of corporate culture in an organization for e-learning adoption have been studied independently, little research has addressed the e-learning and corporate culture (porto, 2020). remaining issues are still if digital training initiatives are compliant with organizational value, how leadership attitude influences adoption and what are the challenges companies have for turning e-learning into the organizational dna? this study attempts to fill this gap by exploring how technology is fundamentally changing the nature of business training from that of corporate culture. the study intends to investigate how providers of e-learning actually are using this form of educational service provision in cyberspace the role of managerial support, employee motivation, and pre-existing cultural norms to influence digital training outcomes is looked at as well. results as a contribution piece, the results inform decision makers, hr practitioners and learning designers about how to strategically introduce e-learning and maintain an ongoing practice that fosters improvements in individual skills while contributing to the re-enforcement of values and culture at the organizational level. literature review the incorporation of e-learning into corporate training has generated much literature, especially in relation to technological changes and levels of organizational effectiveness (alzaabi et al., 2021). e-learning, which refers to the utilization of electronic media and ict in pa ge 86 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 85-91, 2025 education has changed the way that organizations develop and implement their training programs (zakota, 2019). benefits of e-learning (cost savings, scalability, availability, flexibility) have made it an increasingly popular choice in various fields. yet the success of e-learning is not “entirely dependent on technology but influenced by a range of wider organizational factors most notably, corporate culture” (saad et al., 2022). organizational culture is the set of shared beliefs, assumptions and values that determine the behavior of people in an organization (reddy, 2020). it shapes everything in an organization, from how you communicate to the type of leader you are and the way you learn and innovate. a culture characterized by continuous learning, flexibility and readiness for change is likely to be more conducive to successful e-learning implementation (priatna et al., 2020). in another token, in more structured or authoritarian cultures, staff can be resistant to new training technologies because they fear the change or don’t trust the leadership team. (bondar et al., 2020) have also pointed out that e-learning is not only a mirror to corporate culture, but can also become part of its driving force. strong corporate cultures that endorse and promote sharing of knowledge and innovation have been found conducive in transferring digital learning tools as indicated by (kiefer et al., 2021). in addition, (hamam, 2023) demonstrated that when content and delivery of e-learning is culturally-congruent with organizational goals and culture, employees exhibit deeper engagement with learning and better training performance. this fit is not just beneficial for learning and enhancing, but also to employee satisfaction and organizational commitment. e-learning also provides an opportunity to improve cultural values by including them in courseware, multimedia, and interactive learning objects. for instance, the profile of a company’s mission, ethics and strategic vision can be one part of leadership training or compliance through e-learning. as noted by (klassen, 2019) that significant digital learning needs to be connected to real life organizational situations if it is to be relevant and transferable to the workplace. but there are number of obstacles regarding e-learning both as a criterion and as a corporate culture. one of the primary barriers is the perceived lack of human touch and connection with the daily work without interactive features or real-time feedback (mandeno & baxter, 2020). leadership also has a strong influence on creating a culture that values and supports digital learning. leaders who promote and participate in learning activities reduce resistance to technological change (landa et al., 2022). the motivation factor is another vital element shaped by both culture and technology. according to self-determination theory, enables intrinsic motivation to learn when individuals feel autonomous, competent, and related to their work (yengkopiong, 2025). learning environment based on psychological studies, self-regulation will be favored in e-learning environments, and those support self-paced, personalized learning and social cooperation. however, company support programs that recognize and reward staff also play a major role in getting workers to embrace digital learning tools (basak et al., 2020). recent literature also points towards the role of learning management systems (lms) and new technologies such as ai, vr, and gratification in enhancing user experience and involvement (gowher hassan, 2023). these new offerings provide additional avenues to structure learning to corporate strategies and employee expectations. but, tools alone are only as efficient as the culture and leadership of learning that supports them. conclusively, for the modernization of the corporate training, the literature addresses that e-learning has an excellent potential, but, a lot depends on cultural and organizational factors for its success. there is a symbiotic relationship; who culture decides whether or not e-learning is accepted and has effect and e-learning is a vehicle to influencing and consolidating corporate culture. although a substantial body of research on this intersect exists, more empirical work is required to ascertain the extent to which this intersection trajectory is manifest in practical corporate life, in various industries and roles a gap addressed in the present study. this research was underpinned by a number of research questions focusing on the convergence of e-learning and corporate culture in the refashioning of business training. the main discussions were: how much have e-learning been accepted by the organizations for employee training? what is effectiveness of e-learning for skill and training performance improvement over traditional training? how does e-learning fit in with company values and culture? how does digital learning culture get backstopped by leadership support? what are some of the key barriers to e-learning for employees? and, finally, what enhancements do employees recommend in order to make e-learning a more effective part of their cultural environment? these questions together were intended to investigate the technical, cultural and strategic aspects of digital learning in the workplace. the main purposes of this research were to identify the use of e-learning in corporate training and to explore the effectiveness of e-learning on employee skills and performance. more specifically, the aim was to evaluate the extent to which e-learning aligns with an organization’s culture and values, to determine the role that leader support plays in creating a culture of digital learning, and to understand how employees are motivated and engaged to use e-learning platforms. further, this research aimed to explore the most important barriers in implementing and utilizing e-learning, to explore the employees’ recommendations to enhance the efficiency and culture incorporation of digital training in the company. these goals were intended to give a complete picture of the intersection of technology and corporate culture on contemporary business training. materials and methods the research design for the study was quantitative and a survey with the help of a structured questionnaire was used for collecting the data from the employees pa ge 87 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 85-91, 2025 and professionals working in different industries. the questionnaire was designed around themes emerging from the literature such as e-learning adoption, training effectiveness, cultural fit, leadership support, and challenges. it comprised five categories: demographic, usage behavior of e-learning, perceived training results, congruence with enterprise culture, and open questions for the challenges and recommendations. it was an online survey distributed by email and over professional networks to people working in management, human resources, training and development and general staff. a total of 152 valid responses were collected in 3 weeks. aggregate data was collected and analyzed through the use of descriptive statistics such as frequency and percentage distributions in order to determine trends and patterns. the approach has been developed to provide wide representation of views and understanding how technology impacts business training in a variety of corporate cultures. results and discussion the focus of the paper in the results and discussion section was an analysis of the responses to the structured questionnaire, seeking to establish how e-learning was being embraced and woven into the culture of businesses in different sectors. the results indicated usage patterns, perceived effectiveness, cultural fit, leadership support, and implementation issues when it came to technologybased training. results were discussed according to the objectives of the present research and previous literature, providing insights concerning the extent of organizational adoption of e-learning, its effects on employee development and its consonance (or lack of) with organizational values. the conversation also covered the prospective and constraints of e-learning to transform corporate training, providing a more nuanced evaluation of its efficacy in corporate contexts. demographic information the demographic data indicated a broad sampling figure 1: demographic information of the respondents of respondents, which added to a more complete understanding of e-learning adoption among differing organizational functions and industries. figure 1 represents that, most of the 152 respondents were in the age groups 25–34 years (42%) and 35–44 years (29%), highlighting that the workforce that interacted with e-learning was not for fresh out of college individuals new to the workforce. gender wise the males accounted for 56% and females for 42%, 2% preferred not to tell. in terms of the titles of respondents, 38% were in assistant or associate roles, 34% in mid-level roles, 16% came from hr/training roles, and the final 12% were in senior or executive roles. most employees (67%) had worked for the current organization for longer than one year, thus experienced at their own organization’s internal training systems is likely to be sufficient. industries of representation were diverse from the technology industry (n = 14, 28%), finance (n 11, 22%), healthcare (n = 9, 17%), education (n = 7, 13%), and manufacturing (n = 6, 11%), and other industries (n 4, 9%). the diversity of this demographic mix provided an expansive outlook on how the intertwining of e-learning and corporate culture may vary in disparate organizational configurations, job responsibilities and seniority, and also the subsequent interpretation of training regimes and cultural fit. e-learning adoption and usage the findings about the adoption and use of e-learning revealed a good level of embedding of digital training in workplaces. figure 2 explains that, among all respondents, 78% indicated that their organizations already were implementing e-learning platforms, 14% reported that their organizations planned to implement it in the future, and 8% said their organizations did not have e-learning. 32% of respondents engaged in e-learning on a monthly basis, 28% on a weekly basis, and 21% every quarter with smaller minorities (19%) doing it rarely or never, which indicates different degrees of institutional commitment to lifelong learning (kovács & kálmán, 2022). the top content types for e-learning accessed by employees were compliance training (65%), technical/job-specific skills (59%), soft skill development (47%), and leadership training (39%), indicating that e-learning is being utilized pa ge 88 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 85-91, 2025 across different functions (1). the platform used showed a variety: 31% mentioned linkedin learning, 26% their in-house lms, 19% coursera, and another such as moodle or tools that could come from vendors. these results indicate that e-learning has been institutionalized as a mainstream corporate training methodology with adoption based on industry-type, readiness of the organization, and desire among employees for skills that are flexible and personalized in nature. but the difference in usage frequency also suggested that different access, motivations or organizational priorities for digital learning may exist between contributions, indicating potential further strategic harmonization opportunities. impact on training and learning outcomes the findings from the assessment of e-learning influence on training and learning outcome revealed respondents generally held a positive perspective on how e-learning was effective in improving job performance and skills acquisition. figure 2: e-learning adoption and usage figure 3: impact on training and learning outcomes figure 3 shows that, about 65% of subjects believed e-learning was more effective than face-to-face training, 23% felt that both methods were about the same and there was 12% who thought that it was less effective than face-to-face training. a clear majority (72%) said they believed e-learning had helped them easily in developing relevant skills particularly in the technical and compliance domain. what’s more, 58% agreed e-learning had enhanced collaboration and communication between colleagues in their teams – this is most likely thanks to common learning platforms and developing digital skills. however motivation to complete e-learning courses differed between only 40%, 36% and 24% feeling highly motivated, moderately motivated and with low motivation respectively, which indicates engagement as an issue to be addressed. these results indicate that though e-learning has contributed significant advantages of flexibility, skill improvement and accessibility, is still contingent on learners’ involvement and content appropriateness (landa et al., 2022). findings also showed the need to include interactive and meaningful learning experiences to motivate students and ensure the effective retention of knowledge across varied learning styles and professional settings. pa ge 89 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 85-91, 2025 corporate culture and e-learning integration the results of the integration of e-learning into the corporate culture showed a rather heterogeneous yet overall positive compatibility of the digital training measures and the company’s values. the above figure explains that, 54% of respondents said that e-learning was well aligned with their company’s mission and culture, with 29% saying that it was somewhat aligned, and 17% saying that there was no or little alignment. leadership support significantly shaped the teachers’ perception, as 62.0% responded that their institutions’ leaders were supportive or relatively supportive in creating an environment conducive to digital based learning. in addition, 45% of the respondents reported that their companies also acknowledged and rewarded learners who have finished an e-learning course with a certificate, performance review or public recognition, boosting a culture of learning. nevertheless, 55% of them answered only vague or no recognition, implying variations in support at the institutional level. asked to characterize their organization’s technology approach to training, 39% saw it as forward-thinking and proactive, 35% saw it as somewhat tech-savvy, and 26% saw it as cautious or resistant. these findings show that, though organizations view e-learning as an integral strategic enabler, its effectiveness varies based on commitment from the top involving rewards and integration at identity level (reddy, 2020). the alignment of e-learning strategies with cultural values and the strengthening of that alignment through the articulation of leadership and recognition mechanisms seem to be important for the sustainable integration of e-learning. challenges and suggestions the results on challenges and recommendations identified some critical obstacles which organizations and employees encountered that hindered high-intensity use of e-learning for business training. figure 5 shows that, the biggest obstacle, cited by 49 figure 4: corporate culture and e-learning integration figure 5: challenges and suggestions of e-learning per cent of those responding to the survey, and was not having enough time – suggesting that staff sometimes struggled to fit learning around their normal work load. furthermore, 37% cited poor quality of content as a significant obstacle to effective learning, referencing outdated material and unattractive content. technical problems, platform bugs, and bad ui for 28% of learners or the absence of interaction with teachers or classmates for 31% that they believed compromised the depth and memorability of learning. these were obstacles for the motivation and engagement of learners to different extents. as for how the online workshop could be improved, participants cited more interactive and visually exciting content, more flexibility with the schedule, customized learning paths, and more recognition or incentives to complete the course (bertholini, 2024). pa ge 90 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 85-91, 2025 several also advocated that more leaders take a lead role in cultivating a culture of digital learning, such as helping lead by example—doing the training themselves. these findings point out to the fact that even though e-learning has potential benefits, they are limited by realistic and design issues. dealing with these issues by strategic planning, improved content design, user support and cultural reinforcement is key in increasing effectiveness and use of e-learning in a corporate setting. findings • by the time of the report, the vast majority of companies had implemented an e-learning platform, with 78% of those surveyed reporting that they were already in use at their respective organizations and another 14% stating their intentions to implement such systems at some point in the future. • sixty-five percent of participants felt that e-learning was more effective than traditional training, particularly in improving technical, compliance, and job-specific skills. • around 54 percent felt that culture and values were quite closely aligned with e-learning initiatives, with a further 29 percent reporting that alignment was partial at their organizations. • leadership support was key, and 62 percent said that leaders at their organization were supportive or somewhat supportive of digital learning initiatives. • the results also showed great differences in employee motivation to use e-learning as 40 percent stated being highly motivated, suggesting a call for more interesting content and organizational support. • the main obstacles were a shortage of time (49%), poor quality of content (37%), limited possibilities for interaction (31%) or the technical infrastructure (28%) and this, in turn, had an impact on their engagement and the effectiveness of the solution. recommendations • the relevance and engagement of e-learning programs will be greatly improved if it can be aligned to the core values and corporate culture of the organization. • ensuring e-learning is encouraged and adopted at all levels of leadership for a learning society. • to facilitate learner engagement and retention, interactive and customised e-learning content of high quality should be created. • learners should have the option of a flexible learning schedule that will fit the demands of their work and time. • recognition, and incentive designs can be added to motivate employees and courses completion. • technical infrastructure and user interface of e-learning platforms need to be enhanced for easy and user friendly learning. • the company should collect regular feedback from employees to highlight what content is missing and how to better train. • e-learning should belong to the system of performance and development, performance and professional development to help reinforcement such as strategically anchored. conclusion in summary, in this research, e-learning was shown to be a disruptive force in corporate training, providing greater access, a focus on skills, and greater ability to meet the needs of today’s business. adoption rates continue to be strong, and a lot of organizations say they are experiencing good results, but the success of e-learning is heavily impacted by corporate culture, level of leadership support, and level of employee participation. the results indicated that technology implementation alone is not sufficient for a successful integration also requires a supportive organizational climate that acknowledges the significance of continuous learning and workplace culture congruency. multifaceted barriers including time constraints, content quality, and the unwavering presence of passive 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(2019). current trends in e-learning development. pa ge 1 pa ge 56 american journal of education and technology (ajet) best practices of language teachers towards professional development: challenges, changes, and reflections sam rhoy b. dela cruz1* volume 1 issue 3, year 2022 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i3.991 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: november 22, 2022 accepted: december 08, 2022 published: december 13, 2022 this research made use of a phenomenological approach to understand profoundly the lived experiences of language teachers towards professional development and optimizing their teacher factors. it aimed to highlight the views of english teachers regarding the teacher factor and professional development, the barriers they encounter in english language teaching, and the ways where they could improve themselves as professional teachers. this qualitative study made use of remote interviews via zoom in analyzing the professional development activities employed by english teachers and the other facets connected to them during the school year 2022-2023. fifteen (15) english teachers teaching in sucs or private heis were chosen to be the participants of the study. semi-structured open-ended questions were asked. data were manually organized and structured from the interviews and thorough scrutiny of themes and identification of essential features were conducted. it was found that teachers’ ongoing reflection, evaluation, and analysis of their own practices are necessary elements of their professional development as these can support them to construct new teaching theories and improve their performances. therefore, optimizing the teacher factor must be every teacher’s hunger, concern, and intended purpose. such development does not only depend on formal learning, but it can also be self-initiated by teachers. keywords language teaching, phenomenology, language education, professional teachers, professional development 1 far eastern university, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: samrhoydelacruz@gmail.com introduction background of the study the development of a civilized nation highly requires an excellent higher education. it plays a pivotal role in the molding of great leaders in the different spheres of life including government and other professions. the economy of a country is linked to higher education which provides skilled and highly competent manpower for the national economy (brophy, 2016). educators are the backbone of institutions including higher education institutions. its effectiveness is dependent on the quality of the teachers since the structure of the traditional delivery of education has provoked the need for schools to be more flexible in responding to the academic needs of the learners (barcelona, 2017), especially now in the time of the pandemic. because of this, educators must be harnessed, developed, and helped so that they may do their jobs effectively and efficiently. teacher education programs are set to provide our teachers with the skills, competencies, and certifications required to level up their teaching careers and for promotion purposes (rao, 2004). the department of education, the commission on higher education, and educational institutions provide quality instruction and retention programs so that they may provide training for their own teachers. as raza & khawaja (2013) asserted, the primary objective of educational reform can be obtained by making sure that educators are subject matter experts and possess a repertoire of necessary pedagogical skills. the quality of training and activities for teachers and staff in the institution remains to be a major concern in policy-making and educational research (avila, 2015). there are various activities, skills, knowledge, expertise, and other characteristics of a teacher that define professional development (sultana, 2010). these days, different terminologies for professional development is professional learning, which refers to continuous, intensive, and focuses on student learning improvement (levin, 2014). continuous professional development (cdp) is a word that is used to explain all interference in which educators engage themselves in the course of their profession. cpd’s main objective is to elevate work performance in the classroom and therefore improve learners’ academic achievement. effective programs involving professional development are the ones that engage teachers in learning events that are comparable to authentic scenarios (bacchus & grove, 2016). they help teachers make their academic skills and practices in a more organized fashion. to sustain the quality of english language education in the philippines, the country has to struggle to address the dilemma. according to jabbar (2018), hopkins international partners reported that the average english proficiency score of a filipino college graduate was 631.4, based on the metrics of the international standardized test toeic (test of english for international communication). another international testing center ielts reported that in 2015, filipinos gathered a mean score of 6.69 for listening, writing, reading, and speaking english, while malaysians got the top spot among the southeast asian countries, having a mean score of 6.71. (oecd, 2019) considering that communication skills are one of the foremost factors that employers consider in hiring, it is regrettable to see these figures. teachers must cope with a number of factors contributing to the decline of english proficiency in the philippines: errorpa ge 57 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 56-61, 2022 riddled textbooks and the teaching being restrained by the capacity of the teachers (ramos & aguirre, 2018). a pressing concern arises: what do english teachers need to do for them to be more effective and abreast with this fast-changing society? what do they need to do to adapt to these disconcerting changes? how can professional development activities help in improving the quality of teaching and learning, therefore contributing to the academic success of the learners? self-improvement is a progressing learning process. this learning process is continuing and endless. a teacher may have realized certain growth; nevertheless, learning in the course of life must continue. in this dynamically changing world, preparing young minds to be prolific citizens is a game changer. therefore, continuing professional development of teachers must be deeply investigated. research objectives the following research objectives were focused on in this study: 1. to determine the professional development activities in which teachers are engaged; 2. to find out the relevance of the different professional development activities as perceived by teachers; 3. to contrast teachers’ involvement in professional development and the perceived; 4. to explore teachers’ opinions about skills to be focused on in their future training; 5. to scrutinize obstacles that are affecting the professional development of university english teachers. statement of the problem this study sought answers to the following research questions: 1. what are the common barriers to effective english language teaching as experienced by the selected teachers? 2. what are the professional development practices being done by english teachers to optimize teacher effectiveness and upgrade english classroom instruction? 3. as a result of the professional development, how can the overall experiences of english language teachers be specified in terms of the quality of teaching? methodology research design this research essentially made use of a phenomenological approach to understand profoundly the lived experiences of the informants regarding optimizing their teacher factors through the means of self-improvement. phenomenology is the study of structures of consciousness as experienced from the first-person point of view (creswell, 2012). it aimed to highlight the views of english teachers regarding the teacher factor, professional development, the barriers they encounter in english language teaching, and the ways where they could improve themselves as professional teachers. the findings of this study would be further utilized in proposing programs to sustain the inherent drive of the informants in the performance of their duties regarding being english teachers, achieve the standards of the department, and eventually, meet the needs of these english teachers brought about by the fast-changing ways of living. further to this, the purpose of this study was to understand the common elements, themes, and patterns of experiences of the informants and how their common experiences can inform change in the educational community. locale and population of the study this study derived information using convenience sampling from the english teachers currently teaching in the higher education institutions in ncr and bulacan. fifteen (15) english teachers teaching in sucs or private heis were chosen to be the participants of the study. each of them expressed his classroom experiences through the zoom recorded interview. the following is the list of criteria met by the candidates: 1. the participant should have at least served in the academe for 2 years. 2. the participant should be teaching english. 3. the participant should be teaching in the higher education institution. materials and instruments this qualitative study made use of remote interviews via zoom in analyzing the professional development activities employed by english teachers and the other facets connected to them. in obtaining data with regard to how educators perceive their professional development, semi-structured open-ended questions were asked. these teachers were interviewed and asked different questions that aimed to tell their stories of professional development activities, their perceptions, the skills they think they need, and their struggles. data gathering procedures data were collected before the start of the academic year 2022-2023 using remote interviews via zoom. remote data collection was conducted to still maintain safety and convenience during the pandemic, and still, be able to clarify elucidations and comprehend the participant’s intent and thinking about situations or procedures. with the use of a structured survey and open-ended questions for the interviews, the teacher-participants were able to share their stories of challenges, changes, and reflections in regard to their professional development. data analysis when the interviews with the 15 informants were finished, the initial process of analyzing the data was performed. data were manually organized and structured from the interviews conducted. as a part of the process of transcription, the researcher then listened to the media tool over and over until the text was formed into verbatim transcriptions. additional comments, which may be pointless or unnecessary, and other generative pa ge 58 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 56-61, 2022 facets were removed to sanitize the transcripts. after this, thorough scrutiny of themes and identification of essential features were conducted. this required the process of labeling and categorizing the data. thereafter, the researcher proceeded to the major step of coding by organizing data into segments and assigning names for them. the researcher read the transcripts and listened to them and determined the meaningful patterns, which led to the discovery of certain phenomena from the informant’s experiences. the researcher then further applied thorough and accurate analyses of data, after which directed the analysis of the lived experiences of english teachers regarding their teacher factor and selfimprovement, which were embedded in the identified themes from the analysis of data. eventually, the data were developed according to the common themes and were translated into chapters, which are suited to the purpose of this study. ethical considerations the participants’ rights, interests, and sensitivities were primarily considered in this study. participation was purely voluntary, and the participants were allowed to discontinue participation in the study at any time if certain unwarranted incidents arose without reprimand. participants remained anonymous with the use of pseudonyms and access to the data was confidential and limited only to the researcher and each individual participant. the research design was explained to each participant and prioritizes participants’ views, beliefs, and ideas throughout the study. participation in this study helped concerned authorities to understand better the english teachers and how to optimize their teacher effectiveness and self-improvement leading to the upgrading of their classroom instruction in english, to create a better system and culture that can be a source of inspiration not just to the english teachers, but to other professionals as well. results and discussion common issues in the english classroom jampacked curriculum many researchers acknowledged the fact that the english primary curriculum in higher education was overloaded making it a major hurdle for effective classroom practice. (gathumbi 2013) consequently, there was a distinction between teaching and learning when it came to the concepts being discussed in an english classroom. it was raised that teachers, coerced by the current curriculum, seemed to be teaching more, and students, who are bombarded with “so many” concepts during a session seem to learn less. some encounters with excessive instructional material were raised in the following accounts: “there are too many materials that i need to use in my english classroom. sometimes they are overwhelmed because of it. the textbook wants me to teach too many concepts for the students, sacrificing the quality.” (english teacher 6) the curriculum was packed with so much content that teachers resorted to telling students what they knew, and students simply committed facts to memory (lujan, 2015). the jampacked curriculum left little time for students to acquire a deep understanding of the language concept or to develop life-long skills such as critical thinking, problemsolving, and most especially communication skills (cardenas, 2018). low comprehension level citing a very alarming program for international student assessment (pisa) 2018 report released last december 2019, filipino students obtained an average score of 340 points in overall reading literacy, which was significantly lower than the oecd average of 487 points. only 1 out of 5 filipino students (19.4%) achieved at least the minimum proficiency level (level 2) in overall reading literacy. moreover, among the participating asean countries, filipino students performed closest to but significantly behind indonesian students by 31 points in overall reading literacy. (oecd 2019) this result of an international organization reflected the classroom experiences of the informants. they witnessed the students’ difficulty in reading and their struggle in reading and listening comprehension, as expounded in the succeeding accounts: “they have problems with the foundations of language. comprehension is a big problem. every time i speak, they find it hard to grasp my instruction.” (english teacher 6) moreover, the challenges to maintaining a very interactive class abounded because of the learners’ comprehension level. how could teachers proceed to the lesson and even facilitate activities if learners did not understand the instructions? prevalence of struggling readers as the problem in reading is delved into in this study, an issue in the system was raised. some students still passed the basic education level even if the student could not read. citing a report of albano (2019), the case was raised because of a roomful of grade 7 non-readers and frustration level readers in the sauyo national high school in novaliches, quezon city featured in the documentary “pag-asa sa pagbasa” in the i-witness program of gma 7 on september 1, 2018. owing to this eye-opener, a memorandum of the deped national capital region dated september 6, 2018 required the submission of data on the english reading performance of elementary and secondary learners with the report form for high school students having a column for non-readers. our informants, as stated in the following, witnessed the prevalence of non-readers at the high school level: “there are students who are still struggling readers. imagine they are college students, yet some of them still cannot read certain words. and if they can even read, their comprehension is really poor. this is my main problem.” (english teacher 8) “some of my students in my classroom tend to find it difficult to express themselves in english. it might be because they lack pa ge 59 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 56-61, 2022 vocabulary; especially because they think in filipino first and then translate it into english. due to their limited vocabulary bank, therefore it leads to fear in speaking.” (english teacher 14) since there was an issue with the limited vocabulary skills of the learners, tagalog-english code-switching was an extensive occurrence in the philippines, used in oral communication and increasingly even in informal written communication by young, well-educated filipinos. (bautista, 2014) worse, the utilization of the first language in an english classroom was being employed by teachers, simply because they did not have any choice if they wanted to be understood by the learners. enhancement programs getting a graduate degree aside from exerting effort to improve these linguistic facets, the most important factor affecting the quality of education was the quality of instruction of the individual teacher in the classroom. there was clear evidence that a teacher’s ability and effectiveness are the most influential determinants of student achievement. (maende, 2013) “the reality of teaching is that we never stop learning.” (english teacher 1) teacher professional development has a high influence on student motivation, teaching methodologies, communication skills, and organization of content and planning of lessons and a very high influence on students’ participation during lessons, teacher confidence, and knowledge of the subject matter. therefore informants also mentioned the significance of continuing professional development to further hone their teacher factor, as stated in the following accounts: “as an english teacher, i pursue my master’s degree in english language education. it did open a whole new world of teaching for me.” (english teacher 11) attending seminars and workshops aside from enrolling in a graduate degree, other professional development courses designed to improve teacher effectiveness were regularly offered by the different organizations to further help in upgrading the quality of teachers here in the country. in fact, in the experience of our informants, it was to their advantage: “it is good that i receive opportunities to go to seminars and workshops. i could get techniques, trends, and different sorts of experiences because of it. the learnings and takeaways i can get from seminars and workshops and other training are the ones that i am applying in my classroom.” (english teacher 2) as supported by another informant, attending in-service training (inset) upgrade them as teachers, feeling like a mobile phone having s software update. this was stated in the following accounts: “we do undergo training provided by the school and apply these things in class. aside from the bi-annual in-service training, there are different seminars/workshops that i attend. they do upgrade me as a teacher. it is like getting a software update. after the process, i feel new. i feel faster and i feel more optimized like an upgraded device.” (english teacher 5) consulting mentors more importantly, aside from these professional development schemes, the more traditional way of being trained was what other informants do to upgrade their teacher factor. that is they consult their mentors and ask for advice. this was stated in the following encounter: “i make sure that i find time to consult my mentor on how else i can augment my teacher factor and be a better educator overall. they are the experts on this craft, that is why consulting them is a great idea.” (english teacher 3) it was believed that wisdom comes with age. there were things that were not experienced by the teachers but already encountered by the mentors and those teachers were more experienced by age. through that, things that could be done and could be avoided can be identified. conducting feedback and self-evaluation separately, another great practice being employed by some informants is asking for constructive feedback from the students. constructive feedback is delivering valuable comments and recommendations that contribute to a positive teaching result, a better process, or improved behaviors. it provides inspiration, provision, measures, and direction to the teacher receiving it. knowing how to ask for constructive feedback is a valuable skill. this way, strengths and points for improvement in the perspective of the learners can be determined. “i always do self-evaluation about my classes. i make sure to always be open to constructive criticism, especially during class observations or even just regular teaching sessions. i sometimes do random interviews about how well my classes went.” (english teacher 4) best practices of language teachers quality planning the informants greatly exclaimed the importance of quality lesson planning in their classrooms. as supported by a study by dorovolomo et al. (2010), which aimed to investigate whether there was a relationship between the quality of lesson planning and its successful implementation, it was found that there was a positive correlation between the quality of lesson planning and the quality of delivery. this validated the important place lesson planning should have in english classrooms, or in any other classroom, considering it as a crucial area of prospective teachers’ professional development and teacher effectiveness. therefore, teacher planning served as an antidote to solve and further avoid other issues in the english classroom as stated in the succeeding accounts: “i need to get to know my students and identify their interests and needs, then design my lesson accordingly to avoid having a boring class.” (english teacher 1) the informant identified the need to know the student’s needs and current level, to provide comprehensible input, a lesson that was understandable and beneficial for the students. strategic innovation through innovations and other modern methodologies pa ge 60 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 56-61, 2022 in teaching the language, english teachers could facilitate an interactive english class to improve their students (bustos-orosa, 2008). effort in planning and in looking for modern and trendy methodologies was required to be able to execute good class instruction, as manifested in the following statement: “i have been doing great efforts to address the problems and issues i face in my classroom. i do prepare a lot and frequently talk to my head to support me in the efforts and other projects i will execute to enhance the skills of my students.” (english teacher 3) indeed, teachers who allotted time in innovating their classroom instruction could see the difference in classroom instruction between a very traditional to an innovative classroom. one particular example of new methodologies and innovations in an english classroom was the employment of dear (drop everything and read). language immersion with the application of these scenarios and new methodologies in language teaching, better and broader opportunities to use and be immersed in the language were being provided. as mentioned in the previous chapter, one of the several issues being faced in an english classroom is that the students did not have enough chances to use the language, whether in speaking or writing, or even reading. according to a study by al zoubi (2018), learners should be continually exposed to the english language through different real-life scenarios such as watching english movies and programs, listening to the radio, reading english books, and practicing speaking through different activities. rightly, as experienced by the informants, opportunities such as these were provided, stated in the following: “i address the problems in speaking by letting the students use the language in a natural way. i usually provide activities that are relatable for the students, especially daily activities that require them to have a conversation and use the language the way that they can.” (english teacher 11) moreover, teachers and parents should raise learners’ awareness towards the importance of learning the english language through exposure to the language daily using different techniques that could enhance second language acquisition, further motivating them and encouraging them to use the language. summary of ideas regarding the teachers’ experiences with their profession and as classroom teachers, many of them expressed their joy whenever students were appreciative and commended their efforts in the class. teaching the value of the lessons in their lives, according to them, was what transpired during their classes. moreover, on account of the utilization of the instructional materials, the informants perceived its importance to successfully have a meaningful learning experience in an english classroom. they also said that ims allow them to further expound on the lesson using different accessible forms of media and different technological tools. however, as they experienced, they also stated the curriculum in english even the textbooks are so jam-packed, leaving the learners with so many things to accomplish in each period. the issue of textbooks being too difficult for the current level of students also arose. as to the accounts regarding the different issues being faced in their english classroom, the teachers reported lack of vocabulary, non-readers, and low comprehension level to be the most frequently encountered problems in their classrooms. because of this, the need for professional development mechanisms arose. regarding the benefits of teacher factor as perceived and experienced by the teachers, the following are the steps being undertaken to optimize their teacher factor: 1) getting a graduate degree as experienced by the informants, enrolling in a post-graduate degree such as obtaining their master’s or doctorate is being undertaken so as to level up their professional dimensions; 2) attending seminars and workshopsvoluntarily looking for workshops and seminars in line with language teaching and methodologies do help teachers provide better learning experiences to learners; 3) consulting their mentors, superiors, and experts asking for advice and talking to their superiors and mentors are also done, acknowledging their edge when it comes to classroom experiences; 4) conducting feedback analysis and self-evaluation conducting formal even informal interviews and surveys with students and superiors with regard to their experiences in the english classroom and making selfreflection on how they were taught during the session can also help them in their improvement. as a result of their efforts in professional development, these are the methods teachers employ to upgrade their english classroom instruction: 1) innovation: through innovations and other modern methodologies in teaching the language, interactive classes can be attained; 2) language immersion: creating opportunities for the learners to naturally use the language is of primordial importance; 3) quality planning: the importance of lesson planning in designing a lesson that is suitable for the current level of the students is apparent in general, english language educators, with their initiatives of self-improvement to optimize their teacher factor, aim to upgrade their english classroom instruction. with the different personalities, backgrounds, skills, and orientations of these educators, one thing is common among them: their drive for self-improvement to improve their teacher factor is evident. conclusions and recommendations teacher professional development is considered one of the most important influences contributing to students’ academic achievement among many other facets in the educational field. how satisfactory the teacher teaches and treats the students can have a huge impact on how regularly students attend school. teachers’ ongoing pa ge 61 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 56-61, 2022 reflection, evaluation, and analysis of their own practices are necessary elements of their professional development as these can support them to construct new teaching theories and improve their performances. for an english teacher, this happens when a learner of the english language finally makes sense of a certain grammar, literature, or even pronunciation lesson, and applies them in practical and real-life scenarios! this fulfillment is through developing the necessary life skills that can help the teachers grow in and outside their profession. even if they are facing multifarious issues in their english classroom, categorically linguistic and nonlinguistic problems, they can still provide better outcomes and meaningful learning experiences to their learners. more importantly, they can become resilient to challenges and still be tougher, honed by experiences. teacher factor development is an evolving learning process. this learning process is ongoing and endless. even if a teacher has achieved certain improvements, they still need to learn throughout his whole life and career. in this rapidly changing world, preparing skilled workers and engaged citizens is becoming a game changer. therefore, optimizing the teacher factor must be every teacher’s hunger, concern, and intended purpose. such development does not only depend on formal learning, but it can also be self-initiated by teachers. in this case, finding the right teacher factor optimization activities that fit one own needs and preferences remains a necessary decision to make. whether it is formal or informal, updating their skills and innovating are the pillars of teacher factor optimization. because of the upgrading of english classroom instruction brought about by the optimized teacher factor, self-improvement should be every teacher’s goal, ambition, 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(2010). need for professional training of secondary school heads. journal of educational research, 13(1), 273-288. http://dx.doi.org/10.20533/ licej.2040.2589.2013.0132 pa ge 1 pa ge 12 american journal of education and technology (ajet) exploring environmental education content through education for sustainable development lenses. a case of malawi senior primary school religious education curriculum silas garatia kathyole1*, baamphatlha dinama2, makotoka kahaka2 volume 4 issue 1, year 2025 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v4i1.3875 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: october 01, 2024 accepted: november 07, 2024 published: december 21, 2024 the united nations environmental education agenda calls all bodies of knowledge to engage students by instilling environmental consciousness and actively involve them through transformative classroom practices. therefore, all curricula are expected to integrate considerable and relevant environmental content that is linked to education for sustainable development through classroom practice. this qualitative article is part of a larger study that investigated the adequacy of environmental education content and the suggested pedagogical approaches in the malawi senior primary school religious education curriculum. this was in an effort to seek deeper understanding on the adequacy of ecological and environmental content and how the content is pedagogically made accessible to learners. the investigation involved analyzing religious education curriculum documents and recommended textbooks with respect to ecological and environmental content, including the suggested pedagogical approaches. the study revealed the limited coverage of ecological and environmental issues especially the bible knowledge curricular that focus more on conservation and less on sustainability and ecological justice. furthermore, the study revealed a dominance of transmission mode, with a focus on knowledge transmission rather than critical thinking or problem-posing with practical engagement of students. among some of the propositions were the need for review of re curriculum, focusing on adequacy of ecological and environmental content with the transformative pedagogical approaches and this in response to the un urgent call on ecological and environmental education. keywords curriculum documents, environment, environmental content, religious education, sustainable development 1 department of languages & social sciences education, faculty of education, university of botswana & lecturer emmanuel university, lilongwe area 43, malawi 2 department of languages & social sciences education. faculty of education, university of botswana, botswana * corresponding author’s e-mail: s.kathyole@emmanueluniversity.ac.mw introduction the 21st century made the world a global village by introducing inter-disciplinary studies and thus helped create a platform for intensive and inclusive resourceoriented research and development in various fields which include environment, education, and others (olsson et al., 2016). the united nations adopted agenda 21 at rio de janeiro in 1992 for which malawi like other un member states are signatories. this initiated a significant paradigm shift in the instruction on environmental education (kachitsa & eneya, 2009). the new approach mandates all bodies of knowledge at all levels to integrate ecological and environmental education content using the education for sustainable development (esd) framework both at curriculum development and infusion at classroom practice and at all levels from preschool to college and university (united nations, 2005). in response to the united nations’ call for ecological and environmental education, various countries have taken proactive steps to integrate environmental education into their schools’ curricula. for instance, the swedish national board of education (snbe) appointed a special committee on environment education in schools with the task of revising the curricula to provide a basis for efficient environmental education at all school levels. this committee proposed measures for the development and reform of teaching methods, review teacher training and investigate the need for special training for persons who are to work professionally with environmental problems (olsson et al., 2016). in malawi, the issue of integrating ecological and environmental education in all areas can be partly traced from way back in 1997. informed by the objectives of agenda 21, malawi undertook a review of its environmental policy. as a result, malawi made significant efforts to enhance access to environmental information and raised awareness among its citizens, thereby promoting ecological and environmental education (government of malawi 1997). in addition, following the decade of education for sustainable development (desd) summit held in south africa in 2005, malawi reviewed the environmental policies, and made several efforts to improve access to environmental information and awareness to the people. consequently, the national environmental policy (nep) was formulated (government of malawi, 2005). the nep emphasized that ecological and environmental issues must be addressed at all educational levels; that is, from primary to university level. following the united nations’ appeal to integrate ecological and environmental education, the malawi ministry of education initiated a curriculum review. consequently, the social studies curriculum for standard five was reviewed to include pa ge 13 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 12-24, 2025 environmental and ecological content, reflecting the country’s commitment to sustainable development and environmental stewardship (government of malawi, 2007). it is worthy noting that at the time of this study, schools’ curricular were under review and therefore this study sought to understand how the government through the ministry of education, including the citizens respond to the call on ecological and environmental education at all levels: policy, curriculum integration down to infusion at teaching and learning at all levels. problem statement sustainable development (sd) is a collective global request to consider the escalating list of societal issues including biodiversity, climate change, energy, water, production and consumption patterns, human rights, human health, governance, and urbanization (ojala, 2013). therefore, the new understanding is that education for sustainable development is not the exclusive domain of any discipline, and that all disciplines should contribute towards addressing these societal issues through the integration of ecological and environmental content (united nations, 1978). education for sustainable development (esd) utilizes a variety of transformational pedagogical techniques that promote participatory learning and the acquisition of high intellectual skills (tucker, 2014). however, in developing countries like malawi, research on ecological and environmental content in relation to transformative pedagogical knowledge particularly in religious education (re) has not been given the scholarly attention it deserves despite an uptick on literature in this area elsewhere. as a result, little is known about what goes on in the re classrooms as guided by the curriculum in terms relevance, adequacy and pedagogical approaches on ecological and environmental content hence necessitating this study. purpose of the study the purpose of this study was to examine the adequacy of ecological and environmental education content and how it is delivered in the malawi senior primary school religious education – multi-faith and bible knowledge curriculum documents and textbooks. focus was on education for sustainable development concept and the suggested pedagogical approaches. research questions this study was guided by the following questions: 1. how adequate and relevant is the ecological and environmental content in the malawi senior primary school religious education curriculum? 2. what pedagogical approaches are suggested to deliver ecological and environmental education in malawi senior primary school religious education practice? objectives of the study 1. to evaluate the adequacy and relevance of the ecological and environmental content in the malawi senior primary school religious education curriculum. 2. to explore the transformative pedagogical approaches on environmental education in the malawi senior primary school religious education curriculum. literature review un call for environmental education the 2005 world summit on sustainable development (wssd) held in johannesburg, south africa aimed to reinvigorate global efforts towards sustainable development and assess the progress made in implementing agenda 21. agenda 21 was the program of action adopted at the united nations conference on environment and development (unced) in 1992 also known as the earth summit. following the 2005 wssd summit, the united nations decided that from 2005 until 2014 would be un decade of education for sustainable development (undesd) with unesco as the lead agency (unesco, 2005). within the broad goals established by the general assembly, the national sub-goal for the decade of education for sustainable development focus on leveraging education, public awareness, and training to drive sustainable development. seeks to elevate the significance of education promoting sustainability (unesco, 2005). among other things, the desd aimed also to foster an increased quality of teaching and learning in education for sustainable development and help countries make progress towards and attain the millennium development goals through esd efforts. furthermore, through desd, unesco provided countries with new opportunities to incorporate esd into education reform efforts. response to un call on environmental education at international level the republic of china taiwan, demonstrated its commitment to the call for environmental education by formulating the environmental protection act (epa) in 2011 (wang, 2010). within its implementation program, all civil servants, k-12 schoolteachers, students and employees of the state-run businesses and statutory bodies sponsored by the government, must attend at least for hours of environmental and sustainability courses every year (roc, 2010). response to un call on environmental education at regional level at the regional level, sadc member states domesticated the global sustainability initiatives with focus on sustainable development, ecological and environmental issues and other socio-economic issues (lotz-sisitka, 2006; lotz-sisitka et al., 2017). in botswana for example, the ministry of education engaged in the implementation of environmental education as an infused phenomenon into the existing curriculum (ketlhoilwe, 2010). this approach aligns with the objectives of multi-faith religious education as highlighted by dinama (2010), pa ge 14 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 12-24, 2025 which leads to equip learners with religious knowledge and skills, encouraging harmony with nature and fostering ecological and environmental awareness and sustainability practices. in addition, government of botswana set up an environmental education committee with a focal person at all education regions (ketlhoilwe, 2007). in response to the un call, zimbabwe took steps to integrate ecological and environmental education into its curriculum. the revised curriculum framework (2015 – 2022) incorporated environmental education and sustainability concepts across subjects (zimbabwe ministry of primary and secondary education, 2015). furthermore, the environmental education policy (2017) aimed to promote sustainable development, conservation, and environmental stewardship (zimbabwe ministry of environment, water and climate, 2017). with relation to transformative approaches, the integrated environmental learning programme (ielp) launched in 2004, focused on hands-on, inquiry-based learning (zimbabwe ministry of education, sports, arts and culture, 2004). response to un call on environmental education at local level in response to the un call, the government of malawi reviewed the environmental policies, and a significant milestone archived was the formulation of the national environmental policy (nep) that emphasized the need for ‘multi-disciplinary approach to environmental matters. furthermore, malawi reviewed schools’ social studies syllabus for standards five to eight, the senior primary level only (government of malawi, 2007). however, this response fell short, as it was a review of a single subject, defeating the ‘inter-disciplinary’ inclusive approach to addressing ecological and environmental issues. concept of sustainable development scholars have explained sustainable development differently but with converging meaning (ojala, 2013; olsson et al., 2016; pellaud et al., 2019). the world commission on sustainably (wced, 1987), defined sustainable development as: ‘development that meets the needs of present generation whole not compromising the ability of future generations to also meet their needs’ (p.11). tilbury (2011) clarifies sustainability as an inclusive way, encompassing human and ecological health, social justice, secure livelihoods, and a better world for all generations. taylor (1999) postulates that there exists a strong interdependence between economies, social and environmental dimensions, therefore formulating a distinction between the two concepts as “sustainability” is often viewed as a long-term goal, whereas “sustainable development” refers to the many processes and pathways to achieve the long-term goals. curricula changes on environmental education the implementation of changes in curricula in each country depends, among other things, on the education policy of the individual country, and on the degree of centralization of policy makers. in some countries like the united kingdom, almost each headmaster can form his own curricula for his school; in yugoslavia each state has a high degree of freedom to adapt the curricula established by the federal council of education (olsson et al., 2016). whereas in the united states each state and greater cities are completely free to write curricula of their own. however, in countries like germany and sweden, where education is highly centralized curriculum changes can be implemented swiftly and uniformly across the nation, this enables the efficient integration of environmental education into the curriculum, reaching all schools and students simultaneously (olsson et al., 2016). in contrast, counties with centralized or individualized educational systems face greater challenges in introducing nationwide curriculum changes, including environmental education due to several reasons such as diverse regional or institutional autonomy, variability in curriculum design and implementation and potential resistance to change from local stakeholders due to lack of centralized authority. sub-saharan countries, including malawi, possess highly centralized education systems, facilitating uniform curriculum changes on ecological and environmental education nationwide. however, economic constraints and donor-driven influences often hinder the implementation and consistency of these changes. economic challenges, such as limited resources and budget constraints, slow down curriculum reform efforts (world bank, 2018). additionally, donor-driven initiatives, while well intentioned, can lead to (1) curriculum overload and fragmentation (unesco, 2012), (2) shifts in focus, prioritizing donor agendas over national goals (kemmerer & lasota, 2016). (3) dependence on external funding, rather than sustainable national investment (global partnership for education, 2020). these factors compromise the effectiveness and sustainability of curriculum changes, including environmental education initiatives. history of re in relation to ecological and environmental education religious education has a long history dating back to ancient civilization. initially it focused on passing down spiritual traditions and beliefs. however, as environmental concerns grew, religious education began to incorporate ecological and environmental themes. during the pre-industrial era, religious education emphasized harmony with nature and stewardship of the earth. during the industrial revolution, focus shifted to human domination over nature, leading to environmental degradation. in the 1960s-1970s, ecological consciousness emerged, influencing religious education to incorporate environmental concerns. for example, religious scholars like (taylor 2009, 2010, 2016; gottlieb, 2006) highlighted the need for religious education to address pa ge 15 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 12-24, 2025 environmental issues. in addition, the tbilisi declaration (1978) emphasized the importance of interdisciplinary approaches to environmental education, stating that it “should be interdisciplinary in its approach, drawing on the specific content of each discipline to make possible a holistic and balanced perspective” (united nations, 1978). this declaration paved the way for the incorporation of environmental education into various disciplines, including religious education. in the 1980s and 1990s, religious education began to address issues of sustainability, climate change, and eco-justice, reflecting a growing recognition of the interconnectedness of human and environmental wellbeing (cathedral, 1989; hessel, 1990). similarly, the 20th century religious communities began re-emphasizing environmental stewardship and social justice (source??) a direct result of the un adoption of agenda 21 and emphasis on sustainable development and transformative pedagogy on environmental issues (united nations, 1992). religious teaching on ecology and environment religious teachings on ecological and environmental issues vary across different faiths, but many shares common themes and principles. key teachings are on stewardship, creation care, justice and compassion, interconnectedness and responsibility to future generations. stewardship many religions emphasize humanity’s responsibility to care for and manage the earth’s resources, recognizing god’s ownership and dominion over creation (genesis 1:28, psalm 24:1). on creation care, religious teachings often stress the importance of protecting and preserving the natural world, recognizing its inherent value and sacredness (genesis 1:1, psalm 104:24). justice and compassion: faiths emphasize the need for justice and compassion in relation to environmental issues, particularly for the most vulnerable populations (isaiah 58:6-7, matthew 25:31-46). with regards to interconnectedness, many religions teach the interconnectedness of all living beings and the earth, encouraging a holistic approach to environmental issues (colossians 1:15-20). simple living: religious teachings often promote simplicity, moderation, and restraint in consumption and resource use (matthew 6:19-21, luke 12:15). responsibility to future generations: faiths emphasize the importance of considering the impact of our actions on future generations and the long-term health of the planet (deuteronomy 30:19, 7th generation principle). these teachings reflect a shared concern for the well-being of creation and a recognition of humanity’s responsibility to care for the earth. islam emphasizes the importance of environmental stewardship and ecological balance. some key teachings and scholars’ perspectives include trusteeship: that humans are entrusted with protecting the earth and its resources (quran 2:30). in terms of conservation, islam encourages sustainable use of resources, avoiding waste, and preserving natural habitants (quran 7:31). chishti (2016) highlights the importance of environmental education in islam. malawi’s traditional religions have a deep connection with nature and emphasize living in harmony with the environment. traditional religions in malawi view nature as sacred and interconnected with human life (chakanza, 2000). in addition, ancestors are believed to reside in natural features, promoting conservation and respect for the environment (schoffeleers, 2000). traditional religions promote community-based conservation, encouraging collective responsibility for environmental stewardship (kishindo, 2004). religious education curriculum in malawi in malawi, religious education is a compulsory subject in public schools following a strong christian historical foundation of education in malawi. both re which is multi-faith in its approach (christianity, islam and malawi traditional religions and bible knowledge which is mainly based on christianity options are offered. the choice between the two curricular is left to the proprietors or community around the school. multi-faith religious education and bible knowledge (bk) options coexist following a compromise by the government of malawi on the contestation of curriculum space between the christian and muslim communities (matemba, 2004; salanjila, 2009; makuwa, 2019; chimango, 2020; kamija 2020; thyolo, 2018; mnthambala, 2020). while the multi-faith curricular focuses on comparative religion, ethics, and values, including environmental stewardship, bible knowledge narrowly focuses on christian doctrine with less emphasis on environmental matters. however, the dual mode has sparked controversy among christian and muslim communities, with some arguing that bk promotes christianity over other religions, while re caters for all the major religions in malawi, without elevating a particular religion. primary education in malawi the primary education system in malawi is a crucial foundation for the country’s education framework. the duration of primary education is eight (8) years from standard 1 – 8) with the age range of 6 – 14 years. key curriculum subjects include chichewa (local official language) english, mathematics, primary science, social studies, and religious education. additional subjects include art, music, physical education and life skills. the structure is such that standard 1-2 are infant, 3 – 4 are lower primary, standard 5-6 are upper primary and standard 7 – 8 are senior primary. national examinations are at the end of standard 8 called primary school leaving certificate examination (pslce). administratively, malawi’s current national educational system is divided into six administrative areas called education divisions. these are namely, north education division (ned), central east education division pa ge 16 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 12-24, 2025 (ceed), central west education division (cwed), south east education division (seed), south west education division (seed), and shire highlands education division (shed). the education divisions are responsible for, among other things, coordinating and monitoring the implementation of education policies in malawi (ministry of education, 2006). concept of transformative pedagogy transformative pedagogy, as rooted in critical pedagogy, is deeply connected to education for sustainable d development. paulo freire’s work (1968) is foundational on transformative pedagogy, emphasizing critical consciousness, dialogue, and empowerment as opposed to the ‘banking system’ pedagogical approach. freire’s dialogical approach encourages collaborative learning, promoting collective action for sustainability. education for suitable development aims to emancipate individuals and community from unsustainable practices similarly, bell (1994) explores the intersection of race, gender, and culture in education, advocating for a transformative pedagogy that challenge dominant norms. furthermore, mclaren (1998) comments on the commodification of education and advocates for a transformative pedagogy that prioritizes social justice and critical consciousness. kincheloe (2005) provides a comprehensive overview of critical pedagogy by emphasizing the need for transformative education that challenges dominant power structures. giroux (1999) criticizes the cultural politics of education and advocates for and emphasizing student empowerment and critical thinking. brookfield (2011) provides practical strategies for transformative pedagogy, emphasizing critical thinking and problemposing education. the literature on transformative pedagogy reveals a forceful approach to education that prioritizes social justice, critical consciousness, and student empowerment. by challenging dominant norms and structures, transformative pedagogy offers a leeway to more democratic and inclusive learning environments. through the work of freire, hooks, mclaren, and others, they reveal the potential for education to be a liberator force, rather than a tool of oppression. educators are called to embrace this vision and work towards creating classrooms that foster critical thinking, dialogue, and collaborative action. by doing so, educators can cultivate a new generation of critically conscious citizens, equipped to challenge the status quo and build a more just and democratic society. ultimately, transformative pedagogy reminds educators that education is not merely classroom exercise, but a political and ethical act with the potential to transform individuals, communities, and the world. the literature on transformative pedagogy reveals a forceful approach to education that prioritizes social justice, critical consciousness, and student empowerment. by challenging dominant norms and structures, transformative pedagogy offers a leeway to more democratic and inclusive learning environments. through the work of freire, hooks, mclaren, and others, they reveal the potential for education to be a liberator force, rather than a tool of oppression. educators are called to embrace this vision and work towards creating classrooms that foster critical thinking, dialogue, and collaborative action. by doing so, educators can cultivate a new generation of critically conscious citizens, equipped to challenge the status quo and build a more just and democratic society. ultimately, transformative pedagogy reminds educators that education is not merely classroom exercise, but a political and ethical act with the potential to transform individuals, communities, and the world. theoretical framework for the study this study is anchored on the education for sustainable development (esd) framework (unesco 2014). the choice for esd framework is informed by several factors including: integrating sustainability into education, sustainability is a concept that permeate into all spheres of human engagement with the environment. in addition, esd framework promotes critical thinking and problem solving among not only learners but also seasoned education practitioners. the esd framework encourages participatory learning, a current trend in learner-centered methodologies. eventually, esd framework fosters global citizenship, of which this study focused also on the un call to education for sustainable development at international and local levels with a global perspective. materials and methods methodology is viewed as “the rationale and the philosophical assumptions underlying a particular study” (wisker, 2008). this research is a qualitative study based on document analysis. the researcher analyzed the following documents for relevancy and adequacy of ecological and environmental education content: bible knowledge syllabus, selected schemes of work and lesson plans for bible knowledge and re and strides in bk textbooks. this researcher chose the content analysis method because the main interest was the meaning of the content and gaining an understanding of the general impression of environmental issues created by the curriculum document and the prescribed textbooks. the researcher focused on the upper and senior classes from standard five to eight because these are the classes which are expected to integrate more content on ecological and environmental education. this researcher began the analysis process with a conventional content analysis technique with no predetermined expectations of the outcome. this was justifiable because there is little previous literature on the research problem of this study that is, ecological and environmental issues in religious education. the researcher read through the data carefully several times, extracting sections discussing nature and environmental issues. the researcher did the first coding inductively, pa ge 17 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 12-24, 2025 deriving the coding categories from the data and at the same time looking for similarities and differences. of the three main types of documents that researchers use, this particular researcher used public records and physical evidence (o’leary 2014). as postulated by bowen, (2009), the researcher observed the issue of bias and subjectivity in document analysis. bias is in both in the author or creator of the document, and the researcher as well. the researcher considered the subjectivity of the author and the personal biases he or she may be bringing to the research. in this study, the researcher analyzed curriculum documents whose authors are drawn from a wide array of experts across the country and this aspect minimized bias (bowen, 2009). o’leary (2009) second major issue is the latent content of the document. latent content refers to the style, tone, agenda, facts or opinions that exist in the document. this is a key first step that the researcher must keep in mind (o’leary, 2014). bowen, (2009) adds that documents should be assessed for their completeness in other words, how selective or comprehensive their data is. furthermore, content analysis is used as a “first-pass document review” that can provide the researcher a means of identifying meaningful and relevant passages. data collection tools this research used curriculum documents on education developed at the malawi institute of education (mie), in domasi zomba malawi and these are made available in all primary schools in malawi. the mie is mandated by the ministry of education through an act of parliament to develop and to make available in schools all curriculum issues from primary, secondary to teacher training colleges. the researcher used two primary schools where to collect data through document analysis. the two schools, (pseudonyms); conmara and st gina, a public and a grant – aided respectively, were selected based on convenience, they are within the researcher’s vicinity for cost effectiveness. for ethical considerations and protection of schools, the researcher used pseudonyms. preceding document analysis the researcher ensured a systematic and rigorous approach (bowen, 2009). the researcher initially defined the objectives and articulated clear research questions (creswell & poth, 2018). the researcher further identified key concepts and themes, and guided the selection of relevant documents (hart, 2018). this study analyzed the following curriculum documents: bible knowledge (bk) and religious and moral studies (rms) syllabuses, bk and rms textbooks for standard five to eight. selected schemes and records of work and lesson plans from teachers. having selected these documents, the researcher communicated with the school heads to inform and prepare the teachers for standard five to eight in advance for their consent and preparation of the meeting and putting together the documents that the researcher had asked for (merriam & tisdell, 2016; o’leary, 2014). the researcher developed a system for categorizing, labeling and storing documents creating a document inventory (guest et al., 2021). coding and categorization involved developing a scheme and framework, identifying themes and concepts, and key words (saldana, 2016). ethical considerations such as copyrights were addressed by proper citation despite being public documents. eventually, the researcher established a timeline to guide duration for analyzing the documents in the schools. results and discussion this study aimed at exploring how the malawi senior primary school religious education curriculum responded to the united nations call to environmental education through education for sustainable development. furthermore, the study sought to investigate the transformative pedagogical approaches on environmental education in malawi senior primary school religious education curriculum. therefore, the analysis focused on the adequacy and relevance of ecological and environmental content in the curriculum through the lenses of education for sustainable development (esd). there were various issues that emerged from the curriculum documents relating to re in malawi upper and senior primary school. the study collected and organized for analysis the curriculum documents, namely: bible knowledge (bk) syllabuses for standards 5 – 8. religious education – multi-faith. (remf) syllabuses for standards 5 – 8. bk textbooks for standards 5 – 8. re-multi-faith textbooks for standard 5 8. schemes and records of work from re teachers lesson plans from teachers re teachers religious education curriculum options in the malawi primary schools matemba (2008) conducted a survey that sought to find out which of the two syllabuses schools had selected for their curriculum and why. it also inquired on what problems schools faced in offering either of the syllabuses. the survey engaged 31 schools located in various districts in the three administrative regions of the country (southern, central and northern), (matemba, 2008). the survey comprised, 20 public, six grant‐aided, four independent faith and one private. results of the survey revealed that most schools representing 87.1% had bible knowledge compared to a few representing 12.9% which had religious and moral education (rme) on their curriculum. none of the school surveyed offered both bible knowledge and religious and moral education (matemba, 2008). the survey surmised that most schools both primary and secondary, public, grant-aided or private prefer to have bible knowledge and not religious and moral education figure 1 is one of the two options for re curriculum in the malawi primary schools. the curriculum is monofaith, purely christian and bible based. pa ge 18 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 12-24, 2025 the table of contents for re standard 6 clearly shows that environmental education content is featured in unit 6: composition of the environment, unit 7: religious teaching on environment and unit 13: contributions of different religions on the environment. the researcher read through the documents to familiarize himself to the documents and understand the content, structure and language used and suggested pedagogical approaches. for both teachers guides and learners books, the researcher scanned the contents pages to isolate units that are ecological and environmental in nature. in the process, the researcher also isolated few more other units in which ecological and environmental education content can be easily infused, depending on the creativity of the teacher. both of these categories of units were read through to understand the content, relevancy and adequacy. the researcher developed a coding framework based on esd principles, ecological and environmental concepts such as: stewardship, creation care, sustainability, environmental justice, climate change, biodiversity, responsible resource management, compassion for creation biblical values for environmental stewardship figure 1: bible knowledge curriculum figure 2: religious education curriculum pa ge 19 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 12-24, 2025 figure 3: education curriculum the researcher assigned codes to the themes and concepts in the documents using a systematic and consistent approach. the coded data were analyzed by identifying patterns, themes, and gaps in the ecological and environmental content. the analysis was done by examining frequency and emphasis on esd concepts, integration with religious studies and bible knowledge. the researcher also analyzed the documents for relevance to malawian context and sustainable development goals and the adequacy of coverage and depth. analysis of pedagogical approaches the researcher analyzed pedagogical approaches suggested in the standards 5-8 re multifaith curriculum documents particularly the syllabuses. the suggested approaches in the teachers guides and learners book activities sections and syllabuses include storytelling, visual aids, interactive games, reflection and discussion, case studies, group work, role-playing, service learning, critical thinking, debates, guest speakers, field trips, collaborative learning, the researcher did a strengths and weaknesses analysis, and came out that the weaknesses outweigh the strengths pedagogical strengths the researcher identified the following strengths that included 1) suggestion of a variety of approaches to engage students, 2) emphasis on interactive learning such as group work and experiential learning, 3) encouragement of critical thinking and reflection. pedagogical weaknesses on the contrary, the researcher identified pedagogical weaknesses that included; overemphasis on lectures and discussions (standards 5-6), limited use of technology integration (standards 5-7), with insufficient opportunities for student-led learning and autonomy (standards 5-7), (4) lack of clear assessment and feedback mechanisms (standards 5-8), (5), limited attention to diverse learning styles and needs (standards 5-8), (6) over-reliance on traditional teaching methods (standards 5-6), (7) inadequate provision for differentiated instruction (standards 5-8). limited opportunities for student reflection and self-assessment (standards 5-7). the researcher compared the findings across the different documents, syllabuses and textbooks, also noting similarities and differences between bible knowledge and re-multifaith religious education with respect to suggested pedagogical approaches, adequacy of ecological and environmental education content. pedagogical similarities based on the suggested pedagogical approaches in both bk and re-multifaith curriculum documents, the researcher noted the following similarities: 1) emphasis on values-based education, 2) use of storytelling and narratives, 3) community engagement and service, 4. integrative approach, that is combining subjects, and 5) focus on moral and ethical decision-making (ministry of education, 2014) pedagogical differences the researcher also noted differences in suggested pedagogical approaches as follows: the re-multifaith curriculum; (1) puts more emphasis on spiritual and moral development, and focusing on religious teachings and scriptural references, (3) the curriculum pa ge 20 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 12-24, 2025 document encourages personal reflection and devotion, and (4) uses more theoretical and conceptual approaches. bible knowledge 1. stronger focus on biblical teachings and scriptures, 2. emphasizes biblical application to daily life, 3. uses more didactic and instructional approaches, 4. focuses on knowledge acquisition and recall. weaknesses based on the curriculum documents for both re and bk curricula, the researcher noted weaknesses between the two curricula worth noting. religious educationmulti-faith the analysis exposed gaps in the re multi-faith curriculum. the curriculum is limited in practical applications, with overemphasis on theory. in addition, the curriculum does not demonstrate clearly the assessment strategies. malawi adopted the outcome based education (obe) system in its primary school curriculum in 2001, marking a shift from objective based to outcome-based curriculum framework (moe & mie, 2007). a critical element in this obe reform is the integration of continuous assessment (ca) which has been underscored as integral element in teaching and learning process. the results of the longitudinal study by improving education quality (ieq) project in malawi primary school revealed that the majority of learners were unable to read, write or perform simple mathematical tasks. in the year 2000, a team of ieq project members started meeting education officials in malawi to devise classroombased intervention in order to improve the teaching and learning process. this led to the launch of ca feasibility study in 21 primary schools of ntcheu district in 2002 (moest, 2008). this therefore meant that all learning areas core or optional and re inclusive, teachers must assess learners not as ‘testing the learners’ but rather for assessing learning. this was a departure from the way assessment was perceived in traditional education. further, it was observed that teachers used ca to inform their teaching. bible knowledge lack of environmental focus the curriculum primarily focuses on biblical content, neglecting environmental issues and tier biblical connections (kinseler & kinssler, 2010). on the other hand, bible knowledge curriculum overemphasis on rote memorization, without emphasis on critical thinking and reflection. the analysis further exposed inadequacy in connection to real-life issues with much emphasis on teacher-cantered approach. insufficient integration environmental themes are not explicitly integrated into biblical teachings, missing opportunities for holistic understating (dewitt, 2011). less stewardship emphasis much as the curriculum touches on stewardship, it lacks depth and application to contemporary environmental concerns. the curriculum does not explicitly integrate education for sustainable development (esd) principles. furthermore, the curriculum does not explicitly integrate education for sustainable development. principles. is hinders effective environmental education (unesco, 2014). in a different context, efficient instructional models, such as the literacy program outlined by sawyer et al. (2021), have demonstrated the potential to accelerate academic growth while providing opportunities to address broader educational goals. in their study, a combination of precision teaching (pt), direct instruction (di), and curriculum-based measurement (cbm) resulted in significant academic gains (16 percentile points in just 6 hours) for students in a title-1 elementary school. this efficiency not only facilitates the recovery of learning losses due to the pandemic but also allows for the integration of additional, crucial content—such as climate change education. similarly, in the context of malawi’s primary school religious education (re) curriculum, there is potential to implement efficient instructional methods to integrate ecological and environmental education. by doing so, re classes could address pressing environmental issues, fostering an awareness of sustainability and ecological preservation alongside religious teachings. the dualmode curriculum approach, which blends both traditional and modern pedagogues, offers an opportunity to enhance ecological and environmental education while remaining relevant to the cultural and religious context of malawi. effective instructional strategies informed by behavioral science could help educators efficiently deliver both academic content and environmental education, contributing to the holistic development of students in this critical area. shared weaknesses it is worthy noting that the two re curricula share weaknesses. the researcher was interested to make this analysis because both are examinable options and are taught in both private and public schools in malawi. the analysis therefore exposed inadequacy in terms of integration of ecological and environmental education, and this is the area emphasized in all un declarations conferences on sustainable development. the study noted limited use of innovative and interactive teaching methods, another un emphasized aspect towards use of transformative pedagogical approaches. ecological and environmental content analysis the researcher analyzed both bk and re in terms of ecological and environmental content. particular attention was given to relevancy and adequacy. similarities based on suggested content, the researcher noted striking pa ge 21 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 12-24, 2025 similarities in both re curricula as follows: (1)emphasis on creation care and stewardship (malawi ministry of education, 2018a; malawi ministry of education, 2018b), (2) reference to biblical and religious teachings on environmental responsibility (re textbook, 2020; bk textbook, 2020), (3) mention of human responsibility towards the environment (malawi ministry of education, 2018a; malawi ministry of education, 2018b), (4) inclusion of environmental themes like conservation and sustainability (re textbook, 2020; bk textbook, 2020) and lastly, 5) use of biblical and other religious stories and examples to illustrate environmental lessons (malawi ministry of education, 2018a; malawi ministry of education, 2018b) differences in ecological and environmental content religious education (re) multi faith curriculum the analysis revealed that the religious education – multi faith curriculum has a broader focus on ecological and environmental issues (malawi ministry of education, 2018a) that includes topics like climate change, biodiversity, and eco-justice (re textbook, 2020). the curriculum further emphasizes the interconnections of human and environmental well-being (malawi ministry of education, 2018a). furthermore, the curriculum encourages critical thinking and reflection on environmental issues (re textbook, 2020). since it is multi faith curriculum, it therefore, incorporates diverse religious perspectives on environmental stewardship (malawi ministry of education, 2018a). figure 4: religious educationmulti-faith figure 5: bible knowledge (bk) standard 8 pp 2 table of contents pa ge 22 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 12-24, 2025 table of contents for bible knowledge textbook, learners’ book shows no content or unit on ecological and environmental education for the whole year. bible knowledge (bk) curriculum the analysis revealed that the bk curriculum has a narrower focus on biblical teachings related to environment (malawi ministry of education, 2018b). the analysis further revealed that the bk curriculum primarily concentrates on biblical accounts of creation, stewardship, and dominion (bk textbook, 2020). however, the curriculum, particularly textbooks for standard five emphasizes human responsibility towards creation based on biblical mandates (malawi ministry of education, 2018b). the analysis further revealed a limited coverage of contemporary environmental issues (bk textbook, 2020). much focus of the bk curriculum documents is on biblical knowledge and application rather than critical thinking (malawi ministry of education, 2018b) ecological and environmental issues in the comparison analysis of both bk and re-multifaith, the researcher noted that there is inadequate coverage of environmental issues, with a focus on conservation rather than sustainability and ecological justice. furthermore, there is no explicit mention of climate change, biodiversity, or environmental stewardship, which is key to environmental education. in addition, the researcher noted lack of emphasis on the interconnectedness of human and non-human creation. this should have come out explicitly given than in both re curricular in the malawi primary education, there are creation stories that show connectedness of both human and non-human.the researcher noted through the comparison analysis that the bk curriculum documents and texts fail to integrate ecological and environmental issues, resulting in a lack of preparation for students to address contemporary environmental challenges. pedagogical aspect of the two curricula there is limited attention to transformative pedagogues, hindering the development of critical thinking, problemsolving, and social responsibility. overemphasis on rote memorization rather than contextualization and application of biblical teachings. there is lack of diversity and inclusivity in both bk and re multi-faith curriculum, neglecting the experiences and perspectives of marginalized groups. the implication in this situation is lack of students’ involvement. there has been an increase in worries regarding the decreasing levels of student engagement in the recent years (fredrics et al., 2019). insufficient student engagement not only impacts students’ learning experience but also has lasting effects on their educational achievements, attitude towards environmental issues and future success. (quines & relacion, 2022). therefore, the re curriculum should integrate pedagogical approaches that are learner-centered. conclusion this study revealed that the malawi senior primary school religious education curriculum has gaps in adequately addressing ecological and environmental education. the analysis of the curriculum and textbooks showed a limited emphasis on environmental stewardship, sustainability, and eco-justice, with a focus instead on religious dogma and doctrine. the curricular fail to integrate ecological and environmental issues, resulting in a lack of preparation for students to address contemporary environmental challenges. there is limited attention to transformative pedagogues, hindering the development of critical thinking, problem-solving, and social responsibility. over-emphasis on rote memorization rather than contextualization and application of biblical teachings. there is lack of diversity and inclusivity in the curriculum, neglecting the experiences and perspectives of marginalized groups. the findings suggest a missed opportunity to shape young minds and foster a culture of environmental responsibility through bible knowledge and religious studies. to address this, the researcher recommends a comprehensive review and revision of the religious education curriculum to integrate ecological and environmental education, emphasizing practical applications and critical thinking skills. by doing so, malawi can empower its future generations to address the pressing environmental challenges facing the country and the world. the study’s findings have implications for curriculum development, teacher training, and educational policy, highlighting the need for a more holistic approach to education that prioritizes the well-being of both people and the planet. climate change impacts are increasingly felt across the globe, and no region is immune to its effects on education. events such as flooding, wildfires, droughts, cyclonic storms, disease outbreaks, food shortages, rising sea levels, and extreme weather conditions like heavy snowfall can disrupt learning environments and educational systems. these challenges have been linked to human-induced climate change, highlighting the urgent need for climate resilience in education systems worldwide (lagman, & aguilar-ong, 2024) ) therefore the malawi primary school religious education curricular should also not include environmental education. recommendations based on the analysis of curriculum documents: syllabuses, schemes and lesson plans, re multi-faith and bk texts, this study makes the following recommendations to different stakeholders. to curriculum developers especially for bible knowledge and religious education – multi-faith to consider adequate integration of ecological and environmental issues to demonstrate response to the united nations call on integration of ecological and environmental education content in curricula. bilodeau, et al. (2014) emphasized on the need for both re curricula to emphasize sustainability, justice, and stewardship. furthermore, both curricula to adopt transformative pa ge 23 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 12-24, 2025 pedagogues, prioritizing critical thinking, problem posing and student-cantered learning. incorporate diverse perspectives and experiences, promoting inclusivity and social justice. emphasize contextualization and application of religious teachings, encouraging critical consciousness and empowerment. by addressing these shortfalls, the curriculum can better prepare students to engage with the complex ecological and environmental challenges facing malawi and the world. references berling, j. a. (2004). understanding other world religions: a guide for inter-religious education. orits books. botswana government. (1996). the junior secondary religious education syllabus. ministry of education. government printers. botswana government. 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(2015). revised curriculum framework (2015-2022). pa ge 1 pa ge 9 american journal of education and technology (ajet) deep learning for predicting university academic fees in a semi-urban area mpia heritier nsenge1*, kanduki mystere kivuyirwa1, kitakya ange katya1 volume 3 issue 1, year 2024 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v3i1.2307 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: november 28, 2023 accepted: december 23, 2023 published: december 25, 2023 academic fees are an annual amount that students must pay in return for the training they receive. these fees can change according to several factors. among these factors, some can influence the increase of tuition fees, while others can ensure that fees are moderate. therefore, this research aimed to analyze these factors and integrate them as predictors in a deep-learning model for predicting university tuition fees. hence, the authors used quantitative analysis based on secondary data on tuition fees at the université de l’assomption au congo (uac). these data were used to develop two regressive neural network models, namely the three-hidden-layer neural network and the four-hidden-layer neural network, to determine the best model for prediction and deployment purposes. the metrics used to evaluate the performance of these two models were mean absolute error, mean square error, root mean square error and coefficient of determination. the results revealed that academic costs increase as a student moves up the promotion ladder. after developing these models, although they all performed successively at 95.3% and 95.6%, the hidden 4-layer model was deployed. the predictors used as features were six: academic year, promotion, tuition fees, dissertation fees, partial time lecturers fees and equipment fees. keywords academic fees prediction, deep learning, artificial neural network, data analysis, tuition fees 1 université de l’assomption au congo, congo * corresponding author’s e-mail: nsengempia@uaconline.edu.cd introduction the université de l’assomption au congo (uac) comprises various offices, including the management committee, the budget administration, the general academic secretariat and the general administrative secretariat. of all these departments, the finance administration center was the one that interested the authors in carrying out this research. this office in a university is often responsible for establishing the academic budget each year, as well as setting the tuition fees to be paid per promotion according to certain criteria (scott, 2018). academic fees are an annual amount that students must pay in return for their education. academic fees at a university can change from year to year due to various factors (wahyuddinet al., 2019). higher education is an investment in human capital, and one that pays off handsomely. greater responsibility on the part of students, a better perception of the true cost of their studies and greater flexibility for universities can lead to a better allocation of resources. this makes it possible to maintain and consolidate a high-quality university system without undermining its accessibility (sulistiyo & soegoto, 2018). the purpose of higher education in students’ lives is their own personal development, the development of the community in which they live and the preparation for professional employment, leading to a better quality of life (sailaja et al., 2022). some south african universities, including the university of kwazulu-natal, have consistently witnessed student protests through the effect of rising tuition fees each year. in 2015-2016, the announcement of a 10.5% increase in academic fees had sparked higher protests among students (chiliza et al., 2022). around 61% of parents in the democratic republic of congo (drc) believe that academic fees are unaffordable given that 81% of households in the drc earn $1100 a year as salaries (mpia et al., 2023). tuition fees are the first concern when it comes to university studies, and this can also influence the choice of university. this is also the case for students in the city of butembo. young people in this city tend to choose universities on the basis of tuition fees. higher tuition fees and the commercialization of universities are reducing education to an essentially pragmatic commodity, increasingly expensive but lesser rich in content. the setting of tuition fees can give rise to complaints or even students failing to register or re-register (yustanti et al., 2017). moreover, tuition fees vary from year to year, depending on a number of factors. among these factors, some can influence the rise in academic fees, while others can ensure that fees are moderate. in this study, the authors first analyzed the factors that predict the setting of these fees, which constitute the reputation of an institution or university, and then proposed a predictive model that uses these factors as predictors based on secondary data collected within the uac (deschenaux & tardif, 2016). uac is a private university which exists and operates under the moral responsibility of the augustinians of the assumption. this academic institution comprises the faculty of letters and humanities, the faculty of economics and management, the faculty of development sciences, the faculty of psychology and educational sciences, the faculty of science and the faculty of applied sciences (kasambya et al., 2023). the main objective of this study was to implement a deep learning model that better predicts the amount pa ge 10 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(1) 9-17, 2024 of tuition fees to be paid per promotion each year using secondary data collected within the uac. specifically, this research had three objectives: (i) to identify the factors that influence the setting of tuition fees, contextualizing them in the case of the uac, (ii) to develop two regressive deep learning models in order to select the most efficient one that best predicts the university tuition fees, and (iii) to deploy the validated model in a web-based technology that is flexible for end-users. literature review tuition fees are a mount of money charged to a person by the educational institution in which he or she enrolls, based on the number of course credits in which he or she is enrolled and the school budget for each period of study. in other words, it is an amount of money to support education within an institution in teaching and various activities (iskandar, 2019). higher education is characterized by significant private returns, both monetary and non-monetary. one of the reasons for legitimizing these fees lies in the necessary financing of higher education (flacher et al., 2012). today, thanks to these fees, two things have changed: (i) the university has returned to the heart of the knowledge society sought by governments, and (ii) a new, private, for-profit sector has emerged, growing rapidly in recent years by virtue of not weighing on public spending (bietenbeck et al., 2022). artificial intelligence artificial intelligence (ai) was coined by john mccarthy in 1956. the term refers to any system capable of adapting itself to respond appropriately to its environment (virginia, 2014). ai is a science that seeks to solve complex problems logically or by using different, well-adapted algorithms. at present, ai is used in various fields, including robotics, military services, education, organizations, banking systems, medicine and more. ai is also used in video games and in industrial computing to optimize truck routes (jungwirth & haluza, 2023). ai has impacted various domains of our life, especially the field of education (mohammed, 2023). data mining data mining is the process of discovering insightful and predictive models from massive data. it is the art of extracting useful information from large quantities of data. data mining has been applied with considerable success in business, retail, telecommunications, intrusion detection, biological data analysis, healthcare as well as other fields (sadiku et al., 2015). due to its increased application in all fields, data mining is now being used for knowledge discovery in databases. therefore, using the data mining process, factors can be discovered that are needed and applied to predict outcomes from the data (nagaraj et al., 2020). deep learning deep learning has become a buzzword of late. however, the existing literature has no unified definition of deep learning. however, it is a sub-domain of machine learning (zhang et al., 2018; dereje et al., 2022). the concept of machine learning dates back to the middle of the 20th century. in the 1950s, british mathematician alan turing imagined a machine capable of learning, a learning machine. over the following decades, various machine learning techniques were developed to create algorithms capable of autonomous learning and improvement. among these techniques are artificial neural networks. deep learning is based on these algorithms, as are technologies such as image recognition and robotic vision. deep learning is a new field of machine learning research, introduced to bring machine learning closer to its main objective, which is ai (taye, 2023). artificial neural networks artificial neural networks are made up of a set of neurons or nodes connected to each other by links that allow signals to be propagated from one neuron to another. they are used to discover relationships between many variables without external intervention, thanks to their ability to learn. this is why they are used in classification, estimation and forecasting problems such as the stock market, sales forecasting, etc. (sulistiyo & soegoto, 2018). neural networks are subdivided into different layers including the input layer, the hidden layer(s) and the output layer. the hidden layers constitute the abstraction layer required to move from the input layer to the output layer. the number of hidden layers defines the type of system: a surface learning system (with one to three hidden layers) or a deep learning system (with more than three hidden layers) (badillo et al., 2020). thus, starting from the three main parts of an artificial neural network, which are the input layer, the hidden layer and the output layer, a neural network can have a multitude of layers at each level, in which case we speak of deep learning (kumar et al., 2023). the neural network was used in this research to train the model to predict the amount of academic fees to be paid per promotion. empirical literature review research on the prediction of school fees has already been initiated by several scientific frameworks from different fields of study, each approaching it from a different perspective. thus, this study has inserted itself into the dynamics of these precursors by presenting different results obtained from their research in order to draw the underpinning. yustanti et al. (2017) developed a classification model to predict tuition fees a student would pay in order to help academic authorities make the decision in classifying the student’s customized tuition fee. these authors collected data from registers of new students from the years 2016 to 2017 at a public university. the variables they used were parental salary, home electricity, household size, parental education level, etc. the results of their study gave an accuracy of 66.52%. after correlation feature selection (cfs) had pa ge 11 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(1) 9-17, 2024 been used to select variables useful in determining costs, accuracy rose to 81.78%. the combination of svm and cfs gave a better result. these authors observed that their model could be used to solve other similar problems (yustanti et al., 2017). budiharjo et al. (2018) proposed an artificial neural network model to predict factors causing tuition payment problems at a private university, namely akademi manajemen informatik. six variables were identified, including parental income, parental occupation, number of siblings, residence status, misuse of money and external factors. the models had given an accuracy of 80% and could be used to predict factors in the problem of late payment of tuition fees in other higher education institutions (budiharjo et al., 2018). rohmayani (2020) had carried out an analysis to predict tuition payment reliability using the naïve bayes algorithm based on particle swarm optimization (pso). the aim of his research was to determine the exact classification model that detects the most influential indicators in predicting tuition payment delays. to carry out his study, the author used a number of variables, including study programs, parents’ occupations, parents’ monthly income, number of dependents, parents’ monthly expenses and monthly allowances. for data collection, this author used a questionnaire and the target population was students at politeknik tedc bandung. the results of his research showed that the application of pso with the naïve bayes algorithm had achieved better accuracy scores of 78.50%, while without using pso, the accuracy was 65.30%. using only naïve bayes and the most influential attribute, accuracy was 73.62%. thus, this author had concluded that optimizing the naïve bayes method based on pso can help predict late payments at bandung’s tedc polytechnic with better accuracy. in addition, this can also uncover the most influential attributes. from the above, the most influential attributes had been parents’ income, parents’ number of dependents, revenue per month, financial services, academic services, study programs, and tuition payment methods (rohmayani, 2020). methods and materials research design this research was based on secondary quantitative data. the quantitative method is based on collecting and relating information and facts that can be quantified and measured or social facts that can be converted into figures, statistics, and graphical data (giordano & jolibert, 2016). the authors began by collecting secondary data recorded in academic fee payment registers within the uac. only information on the academic fees paid per promotion was selected to constitute a csv file of the raw data. as part of a modeling project, such as classification, or regression, the raw data cannot generally be used directly, as some machine learning algorithms place demands on the data, statistical noise and errors in the data may need to be corrected, complex non-linear relationships may be extracted from the data (kivuyirwa et al, 2023). this justifies the data pre-processing phase in this study to detect possible errors such as missing or null values and outliers. after this check, the authors noticed that the dataset had both numerical and categorical values. this led to the conversion of categorical values into numerical values. from the processed data, the authors proceeded with exploratory data analysis (eda), which is a process of sifting through the data and trying to make sense of individual columns and the relationships between them. although this is a time-consuming activity, it has important benefits, as a good understanding of the data leads to better-performing models and an understanding of why predictions are made (matt & theodore, 2020). after eda, the dataset was subdivided into training and test data. the training dataset consisted of 75% data, while the test dataset took 25%. the authors then proceeded to create models using artificial neural networks. at the end of the evaluation of the models created, the best model was considered. this model was then saved using the pickle library. this model was then deployed in web technology using flask. flask is a python micro-frame. the fact that it is a micro framework doesn’t make it any less functional, but rather very simple and highly extensible. this gives developers the power to choose the configuration they want, making it easier to write applications or plugins (kunal, 2018). the evaluation metrics used were mean absolute error (mae), mean square error (mse), root mean square error (rmse) and coefficient of determination (r2). use case scenario was used as a technique to evaluate the performance of the deployed model in the real world. the image below illustrates the processes followed in order to deploy the proposed model: figure 1: flowchart of the used methodology of the study pa ge 12 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(1) 9-17, 2024 population target taking courses at a university is conditional on paying tuition fees, enabling the school managers to establish and operate the institution properly (abbas et al., 2021). based on this research on the prediction of university tuition fees, the target population was uac students. the units of analysis included all information related to academic fees covering a six-year period, from the 20172018 academic year to 2022-2023. data collection procedure the authors collected data from the uac registers and documents. they used the quantitative method based on secondary data. secondary data exist, and their use has many advantages because they are at least structured (ellram & tate, 2016). secondary data is information that has already been collected or produced by an organization for a purpose other than that of the study being conducted, and which is available for a second use (joannidès & berland, 2008). the authors collected data from uac’s finance office documents. the data collection process was carried out quasi-manually, i.e. authors obtained data from an excel file from which they selected relevant data. once the data was collected, the authors compiled a dataset, which was saved in a .csv file. characteristics of the collected data prior to the processing phase, the data collected at uac comprised 17 variables, namely academic year, promotion, national insurance company (sonas) fees, tuition fees, unit fees, workshop and lab fees, thesis supervision fees, library fees, fees for university projects management, fees for supporting visiting lecturers, fees for university websites management, fees for acquiring lab equipment, culture and sports fees, internet fees, student card fees, ishango edition fees, and academic fees. the collected data was in french. as the algorithms selected in this research do not recognize certain special characters and are unable to process categorical data, the authors converted the variables into terms that could be understood by these algorithms and the categorical values into numerical values using certain python functions, including map(), which enabled the authors to convert the categorical values into numerical ones (mpia et al., 2022). after data conversion, the size of the dataset remained the same. the table below illustrates the different variables and how their categorical values were encoded to make them suitable: table 1: description of the used data n° feature description encoding format 1 annee_acad academic year ‘2022-2023’=5, ‘2021-2022’=4, ‘2020-2021’=3, ‘2019-2020’=2, ‘2018-2019’=1, ‘2017-2018’=0 2 promotion promotion ‘l1sdm’=0, ‘l2sdm’=1, ‘l3sdm’=2, ‘m1sdm’=3, ‘m2sdm’=4, ‘l1philo’=5, ‘l2philo’=6, ‘l3philo’=7, ‘m1philo’=8,’m2philo’=9, ‘l1sic’=10, ‘l2sic’=11, ‘l3sic’=12, ‘m1sic’=13, ‘m2sic’=14, ‘l1ig’=15, ‘l2ig’=16, ‘l3ig’=17, ‘m1ig’=18, ‘m2ig’=19, ‘l1psy’=20, ‘l2psy’=21, ‘l3psy’=22, ‘m1psy’=23, ‘prepa’=24, ‘l1pl’=25, ‘l2pl’=26, ‘l3pl’=27 3 minerval tuition fees 10 4 sonas national insurance company fees 3, 2 5 frais_etude fees to pay for units taken per year 215, 225, 305, 275, 380, 315, 420, 365, 220, 230, 310, 280, 260,250, 320, 205, 235, 255, 210, 285, 340, 245, 360, 270, 300, 355,335 6 atelier_pratique workshop and lab fees 20, 15, 25 7 tfc_memoire thesis supervision fees 0, 60, 110 8 bibliotheque library fees 10 9 projets fees for university projects management 20 10 enseignants fees for supporting visiting lecturers 20, 15, 25 11 securite_sites fees for university websites management 8, 5 12 equipements fees for acquiring lab equipment 15, 8, 13, 10 13 culture_sports culture and sports fees 4, 5 pa ge 13 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(1) 9-17, 2024 data processing and analysis the technique used to identify the best variables was feature selection. feature selection technique refers to obtaining a set of best features from the research variables in accordance with different criteria for selecting relevant variables from the dataset. this technique reduces the data by removing redundant and irrelevant variables (cai et al., 2018). this technique is also important in the case of many input features because it reduces the dimension of the original problem, which sometimes leads to improved model performance (remeseiro & bolon-canedo, 2019). to process and analyze the collected data, the study used tools such as pandas, matplotlib, numpy, seaborn, scikit learn, flask and others. the authors were able to analyze and process the data by checking for null or missing values, verifying variable types and converting categorical variables to numerical, deleting columns of less importance to the dataset and many other operations. results and discussion in this section, the researchers focus on data analysis based on various statistics, such as the correlation between variables, and data distribution, and then the presentation of the various results obtained, and, finally, the discussion of these results with reference to those of predecessors. descriptive statistics descriptive statistics were used to describe and summarize data. they were used to illustrate data with graphs, plots, histograms, and other graphics. they were used to summarize data by describing the relationship between variables, types of variables, how data are organized or dispersed, etc. (kaur et al., 2018). this study was conducted to determine the best variables predicting the amount of academic fees to be paid per promotion. the authors first checked the distribution for the promotion column and then explored the correlation between the target variable (frais_academiques) and the promotion variable. hence, the graph figure 2. in order to determine the fees to be paid per promotion, nine predictor variables were identified. in the process of descriptive statistics for these variables, the authors studied the correlation between the target variable (frais_ academique) and the promotion variable, as summarized in the following figure 3 14 internet internet fees 10, 30, 35 15 carte_etudiant student card fees 5 16 edition_ishango ishango edition fees 6, 5, 4 17 frais_ academiques academic fees 350,500,435,600,540,700,345,360,305,440,605,390, 52 5,450,630,505,365,385,340,495,430,595,480,650, 355,5 20,445,625,380,545,475,535,485,575,490,510, 474,524, 339,344,429,544,354,479,434,384,499,444, 574 figure 2: distribution of promotion variable figure 3: correlation between academic fees and promotion from the figure 3 results, the authors observe that academic fees are correlated to promotion. this means that a student moves up the promotion ladder, academic fees to be payed increase. results this section focuses on the presentation of the different results obtained according to the predefined methodology and specific objectives of this research. results to achieve the first research objective the first objective of this study was to identify variables that predict academic fees, or simply the variables that best predict academic fees. the researchers used the feature selection technique to achieve this objective, which seemed suitable for determining the factors that best predict (soledad, 2022). the variables identified are shown in the figure 4. the filtering method, and especially the mutual information technique, stipulates that if the value of the variable is equal to 0, then this variable is not important and does not predict the target value. consequently, there is no correlation between this characteristic variable and pa ge 14 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(1) 9-17, 2024 figure 4: selection of variables that best predict academic fees the target variable. in the opposite case, when the variable has a value greater than 0, this shows that there is an association or relationship between this variable and the target variable. consequently, this characteristic variable predicts the target variable or target (soledad, 2022). from figure 4, the variables that predict academic fees and have values greater than 1 are annee_acad, promotion, frais_ etude, tfc_memoire, enseignants and equipement. these are the six variables or features retained for the construction of the deep learning models thanks to the feature selection technique applied to the data collected during this investigation. the descriptions of these six variables are presented in table 1. results to achieve the second research objective the second objective of this study was to develop two regressive deep learning models in order to select the best-performing one that best predicts academic fees. to achieve this objective, the study developed two multi-layer neural network models and evaluated their performance. the researchers developed a model with three hidden layers (rna3c) and another with 4 layers (rna4c). the model test consisted of 25%. table 2 shows the evaluation results for these two models: table 2 : performance measurement results for the models developed models mae mse rmse r2 rna3c 10.792 396.974 19.924 0.953 rna4c 10.945 372.998 19.313 0.956 based on the results of table 2, the constant was that both models scored good performances. the two artificial neural network models, namely the rna3c model and rna4c model, all performed well and can be used for deployment or can be deployed. however, rna4c model outperformed rna3c model by 95.6% to 95.3%. it is this model that has been validated and deployed in web technology. results to achieve the third research objective this last objective consisted in deploying the validated prediction model in a web technology. to achieve this objective, the model was saved. after saving the model, the authors deployed it in web technology in local mode. the flask module was used. a python file called frais.py was created and interacted with an html file to design the model’s user interface. after deployment, the authors tested the application using the use case scenario technique. the use case scenario showed how users of this developed web application could use the proposed prototype (mwendia et al., 2016). use case scenario example makaya is uac’s head of finance. given that in previous academic years many students have complained about the amount of academic fees set by the uac, makaya wishes to objectively estimate the academic fees that each student per promotion will be able to pay in the 2022-2023 academic year. makaya thus uses the proposed prototype to predict the exact amount that the second year bachelor of science in development and management (l2sdm) class, encoded as 1 in table 1, will pay in 2022-2023. makaya enters the application’s url into his pc browser. the application opens the home page (as shown in figure 5 below) for makaya to enter the relevant information: makaya completes the form with the information shown in figure 6. in the first text field, makaya put 20222023 as the academic year (encoded in table 1 by 5), the second text field receives the promotion l2sdm, encoded in 1. the tuition fees are set at 225 us dollars, the dissertation direction fees are set at 60 us dollars, the travel management deposit for visiting teachers is set at 20 and the laboratory equipment maintenance fees are set pa ge 15 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(1) 9-17, 2024 figure 5: page d’accueil de prédiction des frais académiques figure 6: prediction of academic fees for the l2sdm class (promotion) in 2022-2023 at 15 us dollars. finally, makaya clicks on the prédire button to see the result of the prediction. the results of the prediction revealed that the academic fees that second-year bachelor of science in development and management students in 2022-2023 would pay is 458 us dollars. conclusions this research dealt with deep learning to predict the amount of academic fees within universities. the uac was chosen as the sample of universities in which the authors collected secondary data used in the training and testing phases of the models developed in this study. the authors’ main objective was to develop and deploy a deep-learning regression model that best predicts academic costs. through the use of quantitative methods, the authors were able to collect secondary data from the uac database. to arrive at the final results, this research involved a number of steps. in addition, the target population was uac students. the analysis used python tools such as pandas, scikit learn, numpy and matplotlib. in terms of contributions, compared to previous studies, this research has added the aspect of web deployment through the use of flask technology, thus enabling endusers to have a user-friendly graphical interface when making predictions. moreover, the variables used in previous studies were found to have no direct influence on the way academic fees are set in drc universities, especially in uac. as a result, the authors propose to continue improving this research. this study used only the multi-layer neural network. it is suggested that future researchers build models with other algorithms and increase the size of the training and test data in order to build a more robust model. references abbas, j., alturki, u., habib, m., aldraiweesh, a., 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(2019, september). towards the spectral restoration of shadowed areas in hyperspectral images based on nonlinear unmixing. in 2019 10th workshop on hyperspectral imaging and signal processing: evolution in remote sensing (whispers) (pp. 1-5). ieee. https://doi.org/10.23919/ wac.2018.8430387 pa ge 1 pa ge 10 2 american journal of education and technology (ajet) assessment of the impact of technology integration: basis for intervention framework s. b. quintos1* volume 3 issue 3, year 2024 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v3i3.3439 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: july 25, 2024 accepted: august 27, 2024 published: august 30, 2024 this study aimed to develop an intervention framework that would serve as a guide on how teachers can adopt technology integration in the academic curriculum by looking into the level of effects and challenges during its implementation. the study utilized a quantitative method specifically the descriptive design to assess the effects of technology integration and to measure the significant difference when grouped according to the demographic profile of the respondents. a convenience sampling technique was used to select a sample size of 30 public secondary school teachers. also, an adapted questions from the study of sarker et al. (2019), jakubek (2023), and hero (2019) was utilized. the findings highlighted that all dimensions of technology integration in terms of teaching style, teaching performance, teaching preference, job satisfaction, teachers’ commitment, teachers’ acceptance, and student engagement have significant and positive effects. moreover, the teachers faced different challenges specifically the limited resources, inadequate training, and concerns about digital equity. therefore, the study came up with an intervention framework that can be noted to contain various activities such as teacher professional development programs, curriculum integration and resource allocation, support mechanisms, teacher reflection and feedback, digital equity and accessibility, and research and evaluation. thus, the implementation of this framework is suggested for future research to ensure its effectiveness in the educational context. keywords student engagement, teachers’ commitment, teaching performance, teaching preference, teachers’ style 1 bataan peninsula state university, capitol compound, balanga city, 2100, bataan, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: sbquintos@bpsu.edu.ph introduction in the contemporary era, the integration of technology into teaching has fundamentally reshaped conventional methodologies, catalyzing a profound transformation in education (smith, 2020; jones, 2019). as technology permeated daily life, its impact on education became undeniable, prompting a harmonious fusion of technology and education that resonated throughout the educational realm. this convergence spurred an exploration into the intricate dynamics of integrating technology into educational administration, revealing its extensive implications for instructional methodologies and student engagement. moreover, sarker et al. (2019) emphasized the paramount importance of education in achieving sustainable development goals (sdgs), with digital technology playing a pivotal role. in an era where digital technology became integral to education, its incorporation became imperative for elevating global education standards by 2030. globally, advancements in digital tools and online platforms catalyzed unprecedented opportunities for global collaboration, cultural exchange, and knowledge dissemination among educators and learners worldwide (hwang & wu, 2020). notably, d’ angelo (2018) pointed out that over the years, researchers and educators devoted significant attention to exploring diverse methods and strategies aimed at enhancing the student learning environment. as the education system evolved and advanced, teachers invested considerable effort in devising innovative approaches to delivering course content in a manner that catered to the needs of all learners. the increasing ubiquity of technology in contemporary society elevated the importance of effectively integrating digital tools into classroom practices, emerging as a primary focus within the educational community. according to yuen and ma (2018), governments and educational authorities increasingly recognized the imperative of integrating technology to cultivate digitally literate citizens capable of navigating the complexities of the modern world. within the traditional education system, limitations of time and place burdened learners to adapt to their learning environment. digital technology offered a solution to meet the demands of the learning environment and overcome these barriers. back then, it served as an effective tool for knowledge acquisition and capacity enhancement. leveraging digital technology promoted advancements in e-learning, d-learning, m-learning, and u-learning by establishing connections between various technologies, such as computers, networks, ict, multimedia, and artificial intelligence (sarker et al., 2019). in the study of hero (2019), the author emphasized that the integration of technology opened up new horizons in the field of education, offering exciting prospects for teaching and learning. it provided the potential for more engaging, interactive, and effective educational experiences, not only within the realm of social studies but across various subjects. this aligned with a broader movement advocating for technology-enhanced education experiences that were in sync with curriculum objectives and that enhanced overall teaching efficacy. consequently, educators across disciplines increasingly pa ge 10 3 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 102-122, 2024 embraced technology integration to strengthen their teaching methodologies. this infusion of technology into education played a central role in improving teacher productivity and enhancing classroom performance, regardless of the subject area. conversely, a digital learning environment eliminated the constraints of time and location, allowing learners to access digital resources like computers, mobile devices, the internet, e-readers, diverse facilities, video tutorials, mock exams, and various analytical software. learners and educators benefited from these resources throughout the learning process, motivating and stimulating learning. consequently, the digital learning environment had the potential to enhance capacity, creativity, collaboration, autonomy, and personalization. it also fostered interactive and creative thinking, making it a viable alternative to traditional lecture-based pedagogy. in fact, the recent trend of embracing technology provided remote learning opportunities for students. educators and policymakers reevaluated educational approaches and technology integration. the use of technology in schools continued to accelerate, and online education played a significant role in the learning landscape (mcdiarmid & zhao, 2022). in similar vein, technology integration has empowered educators to personalize learning experiences, engage students through interactive multimedia resources, and bridge gaps in educational equity and access (johnson et al., 2019). with these considerations, the purpose of this study was to assess the effects of digital technology in teaching style, teaching performance, teacher preference, job satisfaction, teachers’ commitment, acceptance, and student engagement (hero, 2019). another gap was highlighted by jakubek (2023) on conducting more comprehensive research on the specific training and support requirements necessary for teachers to utilize technology in their instructional practices effectively. this study aimed to develop an intervention framework with different programs and requirements to ensure the adaptability and effectiveness of technology integration. this could be achieved by looking into the effects of technology integration and the challenges faced by the respondents. specifically, the researcher sought to answer the following specific research questions: 1. what is the demographic profile of the respondents in terms of: 1.1 age; 1.2 sex; 1.3 years of teaching; 1.4 educational background; and 1.5 subject taught? 2. what is the level of effects of technology integration among the respondents in terms of: 2.1 teaching style; 2.2 teaching performance; 2.3 teaching preference; 2.4 job satisfaction; 2.5 teachers’ commitment; 2.6 teachers; acceptance; and 2.7 student engagement? 3. is there a significant difference between the effects of technology integration when grouped according to the demographic profile of the respondents? 4. what are the challenges encountered by teachers in the technology integration in the school? 5. based on the findings, what intervention framework can be proposed to overcome various challenges and effectively adopt technology integration in academic instruction? literature review technology integration and trends the recent surge in technology utilization opened up avenues for remote learning among students. and, there was a growing momentum towards expediting the integration of technology in schools, with online education emerging as a substantial and integral aspect of the learning landscape (mcdiarmid & zhao, 2022). in the study of jakubek (2023), explored the impact of technology integration, highlighting data-driven methodologies to quantify student engagement in virtual learning. similar study of solé-beteta (2022) suggested strategies like task relevance, gamification, and comprehensive engagement assessments. further, wallace-spurgin (2020) focused on the effective incorporation of technology and the evaluation of student cognitive engagement. wallace-spurgin emphasized the challenges faced by school districts in optimizing technological devices to enhance student cognitive engagement and academic achievement. collaborative efforts were deemed essential to reshape pedagogy, instructional methods, curriculum design, and assessment practices. as highlighted by lai (2022), the imperative for comprehensive tools to assess technology’s impact on education, advocating for an evaluation framework that prioritized learning outcomes over mere technological presence. the evaluation process within the realm of technology-integrated learning was multifaceted and often contentious, as highlighted by muller & wulf (2020). while the educational technology literature covered a broad spectrum of dimensions, including learning, affective elements, behaviors, design, pedagogy, presence/community, and institutional environment, previous research, such as that by lai & bower (2019), revealed a tendency to focus on a subset of these dimensions. to address this gap, lai & bower (2019) conducted a systematic literature review of 365 papers published in computers & education between 2015 and 2017. the review identified eight primary themes for evaluating technology use in education, encompassing learning outcomes, affective elements, behaviors, design, technology elements, pedagogy, presence/community, and institutional environment. each theme comprised pa ge 10 4 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 102-122, 2024 various sub-dimensions, forming the foundation for the survey instrument. for instance, learning outcomes encompassed performance, knowledge acquisition, and skill development, as evidenced by studies like those of el-maghraby (2021) and komalawardhana et al. (2021). affective elements related to learners’ perceptions and attitudes, reflected in research by hew et al. (2020) and sun et al. (2021). behaviors encompassed interaction and collaboration, evident in studies by bergdahl et al. (2020), while design included aspects like course quality and accessibility, as discussed by jahnke & liebscher (2020). pedagogy considerations included teaching strategies and quality, as explored by undheim & jernes (2020), while presence/community involved social interactions and environmental engagement, as demonstrated by park & song (2020). lastly, the institutional environment considered policies and support for technology integration, as elucidated by huang et al. (2020). to validate these dimensions and items, lai et al. (2022) conducted a field specialist validation survey involving 48 educational technology specialists. the results indicated a strong alignment between the identified constructs and specialists’ perceptions, with 98% agreement on the relevance of items across the eight dimensions. in relevance, this validation considers multiple dimensions when evaluating technology integration in education, providing a comprehensive framework for assessing its impact on teaching performance, preferences, job satisfaction, teachers’ commitment, and acceptance. as observed in lai et al. (2022) study, technology acceptance was evaluated through perceived usefulness and ease of use. the exploration of the impact of technology integration on teaching performance, teaching preference, job satisfaction, teachers’ commitment, and acceptance was emphasized as crucial. performance expectancy (pe) played a pivotal role, elucidating individuals’ expectations regarding how technology could enhance their job performance (tang, 2020). this perspective was reinforced by research conducted by jung and lee (2020) emphasizing the significance of individuals anticipating positive outcomes from technology utilization. additionally, the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (utaut) model introduced key variables such as hedonic motivation, price value, and habit, extending the understanding of technology acceptance. however, the challenge lay in selecting a model that aptly interpreted technology acceptance within teacher education and professional development contexts, considering the contextual influences impacting findings (granić & marangunić, 2019; scherer, siddiq, & tondeur, 2019). meta-analytical reviews accentuated the central role of performance expectancy (pe) and effort expectancy (pu) in shaping teachers’ intentions to adopt technology, with a particular emphasis on pu’s stronger effect on implementation intentions (granić & marangunić, 2019). attitude toward technology (at) emerged as a crucial mediator between intention (in) and pe/ pu in educational settings (scherer et al., 2019). in the quantitative phase, the study focused on predicting k-12 teachers’ intention to adopt open educational resources (oer), where pe and pu were identified as significant predictors, with at mediating their effects. the study not only validated the numerical results but also explored the intricate perspectives of educators using a qualitative approach. through the integration of both methodologies, the research revealed significant insights regarding the adoption of open educational resources (oer) in k-12 educational environments. convincing teachers of the ease of using oer became paramount, with qualitative insights emphasizing the accessibility, user-friendliness, low costs, and abundance of resources associated with oer (tang, 2020). the research solidified the link between teachers’ performance expectancy and their perceptions of ease of use, ultimately impacting attitudes and intentions toward oer adoption, aligning with and extending existing literature (jung & lee, 2020). in the article of kwok (2020), it was highlighted that the integration of information technology into teaching practices played a pivotal role in shaping educators’ teaching styles, as highlighted by the australian christian college (2020). the use of online resources, software programs, and apps became a transformative element in facilitating student engagement and learning across diverse curriculum areas (auld, 2019). the evolving landscape of technology-based learning processes presented a notable shift in teaching paradigms. for educators accustomed to low-tech approaches, embracing technology signified a crucial aspect of their growth and professional development. conversely, for digital natives, technology intertwined seamlessly with their concept of modern teaching (kwok, 2020). furthermore, some investigations thoroughly examined the intricate journey of transforming digital scholarship among educators, uncovering shifts in knowledge, organizational learning, pedagogy, and fundamental teaching methodologies (kwok, 2020). the study highlighted the individualized nature of these changes, reflecting teachers’ distinct knowledge and beliefs. a 2021 review on effective practice principles by acer accentuated the need to blend technology with pedagogical strategies. the emphasis lay not only on using cuttingedge tools but also on integrating them harmoniously with traditional teaching methods. this delicate balance underscored the importance of educators being both tech-savvy and pedagogically sound (kwok, 2020). additionally. auld (2019) emphasized the significance of an effective teaching style in engaging students and fostering enjoyment in learning. drawing from decades of educational research, effective teaching practices involved providing positive feedback, offering appropriately challenging tasks, helping students find meaning and value in learning materials, fostering a sense of community, and aligning instruction with students’ strengths and interests. ahmed et al. (2021) extended this perspective, highlighting that well-designed and pa ge 10 5 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 102-122, 2024 user-friendly online teacher resources enhanced learning outcomes by enabling effective knowledge transfer to classrooms. in the ever-evolving realm of educational technology, researchers such as agbo et al. (2023) explored immersive virtual reality (ivr), emphasizing its potential to enhance computational thinking through mini-games. their research scrutinized the influence of game elements and ivr features on students’ cognitive perceptions. as education technology continued to advance, ivr emerged as a potent tool with the capacity to shape student experiences and outcomes in innovative ways. the ongoing discourse on the integration of technology into teaching styles emphasized the need for educators to adapt, ensuring that technology served as an enhancer rather than a replacement for foundational teaching practices. in this vein, barba-sánchez et al. (2022) pointed out that teachers’ effectiveness in incorporating ict into their classrooms facilitates the pedagogical utilization of these technologies, particularly in stem subjects. in the current landscape, characterized by abundant opportunities and cost-saving potentials offered by technological advancements (barba-sánchez; ariasantúnez; orozco-barbosa, 2019), there is an imperative to update educational curricula with tools that steer the educational process toward a digital environment. in this context, the issue of teacher job satisfaction emerges as a critical factor in navigating the challenges posed by digital transformation. barba-sánchez et al. (2022) emphasize that teacher job satisfaction significantly enhances crucial aspects such as motivation, degree of involvement, commitment, and overall performance. the study’s results reveal the impactful relationships between ict skills, improvement in teaching, and job satisfaction. specifically, the findings indicate that ict skills not only contribute to enhanced teaching practices but also play a role in influencing job satisfaction, both directly and indirectly through ict integration and improvement in teaching. consistent with existing literature (chai et al., 2019), the study acknowledges the limited ict knowledge among primary school teachers, which may hinder the adaptation of the educational model to an ict-based teaching environment. however, the empirical study suggests that despite these challenges, teachers are cognizant of the potential of ict for their teaching activities, emphasizing the importance of awareness in adapting the educational model to environmental needs (özgür, 2020). importantly, the research concludes that ict skills wield a pivotal influence on the integration of ict, ultimately simplifying teaching tasks and contributing to increased job satisfaction. this highlights the interconnected relationship between technological proficiency, effective teaching practices, and the overall job satisfaction of educators. on the other hand, enhancing student engagement through technology integration represented a multifaceted journey with profound implications for the landscape of education. according to ahmed et al. (2021), the meticulous design and delivery of online teacher resources were integral, serving as a cornerstone in ensuring that educators perceived learning materials and tools as not only meaningful but also educationally sound and userfriendly. this, in turn, equipped teachers with the ability to acquire knowledge more effectively, instill confidence in its application, and subsequently transfer these honed skills to their classrooms. in this iterative process, the ultimate outcome was a tangible enhancement in student engagement and subsequent improvements in overall learning outcomes. according to kwok (2020), several elements contributed to shaping student engagement. these encompassed teacher-related factors, spanning interaction style, the level of support, responsiveness, and behavioral and academic expectations. additionally, schoolrelated factors, including aspects like classroom layout, noise, lighting levels, and the institution’s approach to supporting and disciplining students, played a crucial role. furthermore, student-specific factors, such as emotional, physical, cognitive, and behavioral states, incorporating considerations like health, disability, and peer relationships, significantly influenced engagement. family and community dynamics, encompassing a student’s residential circumstances, the extent of family support or involvement in education, and family relationships, also contributed to this multifaceted picture. lastly, curriculum and resource factors, such as the availability and nature of learning resources (including educational systems and technology), characteristics of learning tasks (e.g., difficulty, interest, meaningfulness), access to educational tools, alignment with learning goals and objectives, and approaches to assessment, collectively impacted the overall landscape of student engagement. within the realm of technology integration, student engagement unfolded across diverse dimensions, as elucidated by korhonen et al. (2019). the cognitive and behavioral engagement of students while utilizing technology became the focal point of the investigation, reflecting a paradigm shift in teaching and learning, as suggested by halili (2019). in addition, wallace-spurgin (2020) explored the effective use of technology in education to enhance student cognitive engagement. teacher training and collaborative efforts are crucial to transform teaching methods and curriculum. students, often called “digital natives,” need to be seen as “digital learners” to cater to their unique needs. further, the author accentuated the transformative potential of technology, offering abundant opportunities for both learners and educators to reshape the classroom environment. this restructuring facilitated higher-order cognitive engagement among students, emphasizing the evolution of educational paradigms (wallace-spurgin, 2019). moreover, baporikar (2020) directed attention to the role of digital technological tools and models, specifically focusing on their capacity to promote pa ge 10 6 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 102-122, 2024 reflective engagement among students. platforms such as video tutorials, vlogs, electronic portfolios, and online discussions emerged as facilitators of metacognitive awareness and reflective thinking (katyara et al., 2022). the inherent affinity students possessed for technology empowered them to analyze information, compare ideas, and actively engage in reflective practices using various devices like computers, laptops, and smartphones. the promotion of reflective engagement aligned seamlessly with metacognitive awareness, as emphasized by korucukis and demir (2019). an array of technological tools, including vlogs, blogs, online tutorials, and discussion platforms, acted as supportive frameworks for students, enabling them to employ metacognitive and selfexplanation techniques. this, in turn, fostered deeper levels of reflective thinking throughout the learning process. in essence, technology integration emerged as a catalytic force propelling student engagement beyond conventional boundaries. this transformative approach offered avenues for cognitive, behavioral, and reflective engagement, reshaping the educational landscape and contributing to a dynamic and enriched learning experience. challenges encountered by the teachers the integration of technology in classrooms, as highlighted by jakubek (2023), brought substantial benefits for teachers, enabling them to customize instructional materials and assessments to address the unique learning needs of students. this empowerment was further emphasized by the vast array of authentic resources technology provided, facilitating the creation and delivery of engaging lesson plans. nevertheless, challenges arose when educators adopted technology without sufficient consideration for the quality of teaching and learning experiences it generated. relatively, the study of dube and wen (2021) provided a comprehensive analysis of technology trends in k-12 education from 2011 to 2021 which focused on the dynamic evolution of technology. while technology rapidly progressed, the study emphasized the imperative need for increased attention to the outcomes and impacts of these changes. notably, there was a discernible trend over the past decade toward adopting mobile and analytical technologies, with mobile technology emerging as the most effective form of educational technology. in contrast, yilmaz (2020) investigated critical thinking and multidimensional 21st-century skills, exploring the associated shift in academic achievement resulting from technology integration. the study involved prospective teachers comparing instruction with and without technology integration, revealing positive changes with the gradual inclusion of technology in the educational process. yilmaz’s findings underscored the benefits of incorporating technology into instruction, particularly in fostering critical thinking skills and multidimensional competencies. moreover, eppard (2022) emphasized the parents’ and students’ perceptions regarding ipad integration in the classroom uncovered positive outcomes. the results revealed that 80% of students reported a better understanding of new concepts through ipad usage, particularly in math instruction, where it enhanced student engagement levels and attention. likewise, christopoulos (2020) study on educational technology in elementary school mathematics compared the skills and competencies developed through intervention, highlighting the potential of curriculum-driven digital learning tools to support and enhance mathematics learning at the elementary school level. in a study conducted by ricci et al. (2023) on the effects of technology on early childhood, both positive and negative aspects were presented. in contrast to earlier sources predominantly highlighting detrimental impacts, cordeiro’s research shed light on potential benefits. excessive internet usage was associated with intellectual deficits and mental health concerns, emphasizing the importance of parents enforcing limits on screen time and controlling the content their children were exposed to. collectively, these varied studies accentuated the transformative potential of technology in education, provided its integration was thoughtful and aligned with pedagogical goals. similarly, the integration of artificial intelligence (ai) into educational practices aimed to enhance student learning experiences across various domains. these included personalizing tasks based on individual competence, facilitating human-machine conversations, analyzing student work for feedback, and increasing adaptability and interactivity in digital environments. while aipowered systems successfully tailored learning tasks to individual student abilities, as demonstrated by hirankerd and kittisunthonphisarn (2020) and yang and shulruf (2019), challenges persisted due to the scarcity of supportive learning resources. similarly, ai chatbots and interactive books fostered communication skills among students, yet further exploration was needed to optimize their impact in educational settings (chew & chua, 2020; kim et al., 2021). moreover, ai applications for analyzing student work showed promise in enhancing learning processes, but the pre-prepared nature of feedback often failed to address the diverse needs of students and educators (fu et al., 2020; porter & grippa, 2020). additionally, ai technologies aimed to enhance adaptability and interactivity in digital learning environments by capturing student data and facilitating personalized interactions (kickmeier-rust & holzinger, 2019; westera et al., 2020). however, the lack of appropriate evaluation methods hindered the assessment of their impact on student learning outcomes. furthermore, hero (2019) stressed the challenges teachers faced in fully integrating technology into their teaching practices, despite recognizing its potential benefits. this emphasized the importance of comprehensive professional development programs to pa ge 10 7 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 102-122, 2024 support technology integration, especially considering the varying levels of tech skills among faculty members. addressing these challenges through targeted training initiatives could empower teachers to leverage technology effectively, thereby enhancing classroom engagement and learning outcomes. materials and methods the present study employed a quantitative method of research, particularly the descriptive design, in assessing the level of the teacher’s technology integration. the descriptive design extracted and gauged the level of effects of technology integration in terms of teaching style, teaching performance, teaching preference, job satisfaction, teachers’ commitment, teachers’ acceptance, the engagement of students, and the challenges experienced by teachers in public secondary schools in the division of balanga city. the research was conducted in selected public secondary schools of the division of city of balanga. a convenient sampling technique was used to select a sample size of 30 teachers from public secondary schools. the respondents belonged to the regular teachers and were chosen based on particular inclusion criteria, as follows: (1) a regular teacher at least with one (1) year teaching experience, (2) must be let passer, and (3) using technology-focused learning method of instruction. the research materials, used in the study, are adapted from the questionnaire in the study of sarker et al., 2019, jakubek, 2023, and hero et al., 2019. the first section comprised informed consent, a statement of confidentiality, and the demographic profile of participants in terms of age, sex, years of teaching, educational background, and subject taught. the second section was made up of statements related to various indicators of technology integration in terms of teaching style, teaching performance, teacher preference, job satisfaction, teacher commitment, teacher acceptance, and student engagement. the third part, on the other hand carried questions in relation to the challenges that the respondents experienced through the fusion of technology. descriptive statistics, including arithmetic mean and standard deviation, were used to assess technology integration and challenges. t-tests and anova evaluated significant differences in respondents’ views on various aspects of technology integration. the likert scale was employed to facilitate data interpretation, providing a common approach for scaling survey responses. table 1: scale and description scale and description score scale range description interpretation 4 3.26 – 4.00 strongly agree high level of effects 3 2.51 – 3.25 agree moderate level of effects 2 1.76 – 2.50 disagree low level of effects 1 1.00 – 1.75 strongly disagree very low level of effects table 2: scale and description profile frequency percentage age 25 30 years old 14 47 31 35 years old 10 33 36 40 years old 6 20 total 30 100 sex male 12 40 female 18 60 total 30 100 years in teaching 1 5 years 13 44 6 10 years 10 33 more than 10 years 7 23 total 30 100 results and discussion socio-demographic profile of the respondents based on the gathered responses, the frequency distribution of the respondents in terms of age, sex, years of teaching, educational background, and subject taught was shown in table 2. pa ge 10 8 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 102-122, 2024 the study revealed that most respondents were aged 25-30 years (47%), indicating a concentration in the mid-to-late twenties. in contrast, the 36-40 age group had the lowest frequency (20%), suggesting a younger demographic. regarding sex, 60% of respondents were female, highlighting a potential gender disparity in technologyrelated fields. most respondents had 1-5 years of teaching experience (44%), reflecting early-career educators’ perspectives and adaptability to technology integration. respondents with over 10 years of experience comprised 23%, indicating a seasoned group. educationally, 54% had bachelor’s degrees, 33% had master’s degrees, and 13% had doctorates, suggesting varying levels of familiarity with technology integration. teachers with bachelor’s degrees might have encountered educational technologies during their studies, while those with doctorates likely had advanced expertise in educational technology. the study also found that 60% of respondents taught general education, 23% taught all subject areas, and 17% taught business subjects. this broad representation implied that technology integration initiatives impacted various academic domains. level of effects of technology integration educational background bachelor’s degree 16 54 master’s degree 10 33 doctorate degree 4 13 total 30 100 subject taught general education 18 60 business subject 5 17 all subjects 7 23 total 30 100 number of cases=30 table 3: level of effects of technology integration in terms of teaching style statements mean std. deviation interpretation rank 1. technology integration has made my lessons more engaging for students. 3.89 .31 high level 1 2. technology integration has positively influenced my teaching style, making it more interactive and dynamic. 3.83 .38 high level 2 3. technology integration has allowed me to adapt and diversify my teaching style to cater to individual student needs. 3.69 .52 high level 5 4. technology integration has improved my ability to deliver content in a way that resonates with my students. 3.75 .44 high level 4 5. technology integration has led to increased student participation and interaction in the classroom. 3.81 .40 high level 3 overall mean 3.79 .34 high level based on the results in table 3, it was clear that technology integration highly affected the teaching style of the teacher with an overall mean of 3.79 (sd = .34) which suggested a high level of influence on teaching methodologies. among the statements, statement 1 stated that “technology integration has made my lessons more engaging for students,” received the highest mean score of 3.89 (sd = .31). this indicated that the majority of participants perceived a high level of effectiveness in enhancing student engagement through technology integration. this result underscored the positive influence of technology on instructional methods, aligning with the notion that well-implemented technology could contribute to increased student engagement. the literature and studies cited significantly bolstered the study’s findings regarding the effects of technology integration on teaching styles. the kwok (2020) exploration highlighted the transformative role of information technology, emphasizing the positive impact of online resources, software programs, and apps in facilitating student engagement. this aligned seamlessly with the study’s conclusion that technology integration had a high level of effect on teaching styles, particularly in enhancing student engagement. moreover, the study of auld (2019) emphasized the significance of effective teaching styles in engaging students and fostering enjoyment in learning resonating with the study’s assertion that well-implemented technology positively influenced instructional methods and teaching approaches. the acer review in 2021 further reinforced the study’s pa ge 10 9 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 102-122, 2024 findings by highlighting the importance of blending technology with pedagogical strategies, affirming the need to integrate cutting-edge tools harmoniously with traditional teaching methods (kwok, 2020). finally, agbo et al. (2023) study of immersive virtual reality (ivr) was aligned with the study’s conclusions, emphasizing the positive potential of ivr mini-games in enhancing computational thinking and supporting the idea that technology integration shaped teaching styles by offering innovative approaches to student experiences and outcomes. collectively, these studies provided robust support for the study’s findings, validating the notion that technology integration played a crucial role in shaping diverse aspects of teaching styles. table 4: level of effects of technology integration in terms of teaching performance statements mean std. deviation interpretation rank 1. technology integration has significantly improved my teaching performance. 3.77 .42 high level 3 2. technology integration has positively impacted my ability to deliver lessons effectively. 3.85 .35 high level 1 3. technology integration into my teaching has enhanced my overall performance as an educator. 3.73 .45 high level 5 4. technology integration has made me more adaptable and effective in responding to students' learning needs. 3.75 .43 high level 4 5. technology integration has improved my teaching performance in terms of student comprehension and engagement. 3.80 .40 high level 2 overall mean 3.78 .33 high level the analysis of the results presented in table 4 highlighted that technology integration significantly influenced teaching performance, as evidenced by the high overall mean score of 3.78 (sd = .33). this indicated a widespread perception among participants regarding the positive impact of technology integration on their teaching effectiveness. among the individual statements, statement 2 emerged as particularly noteworthy, with the highest mean score of 3.85 (sd = .35). this statement, “technology integration has positively impacted my ability to deliver lessons effectively,” indicated that the majority of participants recognized technology as a valuable tool for enhancing their instructional delivery. the high mean score suggested a strong consensus among participants regarding the effectiveness of technology in facilitating effective lesson delivery, highlighting its potential to improve teaching performance. the study of jung and lee (2020) corroborated the findings as it highlighted the crucial role of performance expectancy (pe) in shaping teachers’ expectations regarding technology’s positive impact on job performance. their research solidified the link between teachers’ performance expectancy, ease of use perceptions, and attitudes towards open educational resource (oer) adoption, offering a valuable framework for understanding how teachers perceived technology’s effects on their professional performance, aligning with existing literature in the context of technology integration. additionally, solé-beteta’s (2022) study complemented the research by exploring methodologies to quantify student engagement in synchronous virtual learning environments, emphasizing the interconnected nature of technology integration in both teaching and student engagement. solé-beteta’s emphasis on a tailored approach to measure student engagement resonated with the study’s overarching theme, enriching the understanding of how technology impacted teaching effectiveness. the findings from solé-beteta’s research provided valuable insights into the intricate relationship between technology, teaching, and student engagement, contributing to the depth and scope of the study. table 5: level of effects of technology integration in terms of teaching preference statements mean std. deviation interpretation rank 1. i prefer using technology-assisted teaching methods over traditional approaches in my classroom. 3.37 .58 high level 5 2. technology has become my preferred teaching tool to enhance student learning. 3.57 .50 high level 4 3. technology integration aligns with my teaching preferences and enhances my instructional methods. 3.69 .46 high level 1 4. i have developed a strong preference for technology as a means to enrich my teaching practices. 3.64 .48 high level 2 pa ge 11 0 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 102-122, 2024 5. considering my teaching experience, technology has become my preferred way to engage and educate students effectively. 3.61 .49 high level 3 overall mean 3.57 .40 high level the analysis of the results presented in table 5 provided insights into the impact of technology integration on the teaching preferences of the teachers. the data indicated that all statements related to technology integration had a significant effect on teaching preferences, reflected in the high overall mean score of 3.57 (sd = .40). this suggested a notable influence of technology on educators’ preferences in instructional methods. among the individual statements, statement 3 stood out with the highest mean score of 3.69 (sd = .46). this statement, “technology integration aligned with my teaching preferences and enhanced my instructional methods,” indicated that teachers perceived technology as not only aligning with their existing teaching preferences but also improving their instructional methods. the elevated mean score highlighted a strong agreement among participants concerning the favorable influence of incorporating technology on their teaching preferences. the exploration of solé-beteta’s (2022) into the methodologies for quantifying student engagement aligned with the study’s focus on teaching preferences, emphasizing the interconnected nature of technology integration in teaching and student engagement. wallacespurgin (2020) further contributed by highlighting the challenges school districts faced in optimizing technological devices to enhance student cognitive engagement and academic achievement. the call for comprehensive tools to assess technology’s impact on education by lai (2022) reinforced the study’s emphasis on evaluating the outcomes of technology integration in teaching practices. additionally, muller & wulf ’s (2020) acknowledgment of the multifaceted and contentious nature of the evaluation process aligned with the challenges highlighted in the study, emphasizing the need for a nuanced understanding of technology’s impact on teaching preferences. table 6: level of effects of technology integration in terms of job satisfaction statements mean std. deviation interpretation rank 1. technology integrated into my teaching practices has significantly increased my job satisfaction. 3.58 .50 high level 5 2. the use of technology in education has positively impacted my job satisfaction as an educator. 3.63 .48 high level 2 3. the successful integration of technology has made me more satisfied with my teaching profession. 3.62 .59 high level 3 4. technology integration has enhanced my job satisfaction by improving the effectiveness of my teaching methods. 3.61 .54 high level 4 5. technology integration in education has contributed to higher job satisfaction by better meeting my teaching goals and the needs of my students 3.64 .53 high level 1 overall mean 3.62 .46 high level the findings presented in table 6 indicated that all statements related to the effect of technology integration on job satisfaction were interpreted at a high level, with an overall mean of 3.62 (sd = .46). this suggested a substantial impact of technology integration on educators’ satisfaction with their jobs. among the statements, statement 5 stood out with the highest mean of 3.64 (sd = .53). this statement, “technology integration in education contributed to higher job satisfaction by better meeting my teaching goals and the needs of my students,” highlighted the perception among participants that technology integration positively influenced job satisfaction by aligning with teaching objectives and student needs. similarly, statement 1, which indicated, “technology integrated into my teaching practices significantly increased my job satisfaction,” had the lowest mean of 3.58 (sd = .50), yet it was still interpreted at a high level. this suggested that while this statement received a slightly lower mean score compared to others, it still reflected a strong perception among participants regarding the positive impact of technology integration on job satisfaction. in support of these findings, barba-sánchez et al. (2022) accentuated teachers’ effectiveness in integrating ict into classrooms, particularly in stem subjects, emphasizing the need to update curricula for the digital era. the study underscored the crucial role of teacher job satisfaction in addressing digital transformation challenges, with increased satisfaction positively impacting motivation, involvement, commitment, and overall performance. significant relationships were found between ict skills, teaching improvement, and job satisfaction, indicating direct and indirect contributions of ict skills, through pa ge 11 1 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 102-122, 2024 ict integration and teaching enhancement, to heightened job satisfaction among educators. despite acknowledging primary school teachers’ limited ict knowledge, in line with prior research (kovarik et al., 2013; chai, 2019), the study highlighted teachers’ awareness of ict’s potential and the importance of adapting the educational model to environmental needs (özgür, 2020). notably, the study concluded that ict skills were pivotal in ict integration, simplifying teaching tasks and enhancing job satisfaction, emphasizing the interconnected relationship between technological proficiency, effective teaching practices, and overall job satisfaction in educators. table 7: level of effects of technology integration in terms of job satisfaction statements mean std. deviation interpretation rank 1. my commitment to integrating technology into teaching has significantly increased over time. 3.59 .49 high level 3 2. technology integration has positively influenced my commitment to improving educational outcomes. 3.55 .56 high level 4 3. i am highly committed to utilizing technology to enhance my teaching methods and student engagement. 3.59 .55 high level 3 4. my commitment to technology integration is reflected in my ongoing efforts to adapt and innovate in the classroom. 3.61 .49 high level 2 5. technology integration in education aligns with my commitment to providing high-quality learning experiences for my students. 3.63 .54 high level 1 overall mean 3.59 .45 high level the results presented in table 7 demonstrated that all statements related to the effects of technology integration indicated a high level, with an overall mean score of 3.59 (sd = .45). these findings suggested a substantial impact of technology integration on teacher commitment. among the statements, statement 5 stood out with the highest mean of 3.63 (sd = .54). this statement, “technology integration in education aligned with my commitment to providing high-quality learning experiences for my students,” highlighted the participants’ perception that technology integration positively influenced their commitment to delivering high-quality educational experiences. the high mean score reinforced the idea that teachers saw technology integration as aligned with their dedication to providing excellent learning opportunities for students. supporting these findings, jung and lee’s (2020) research emphasized the importance of individuals anticipating positive outcomes from technology utilization, aligning with the positive perceptions of teachers in the study. the review of technology use in education, identifying eight primary themes, including learning outcomes, was further enriched by studies such as those by elmaghraby (2021) and komalawardhana et al. (2021), which emphasized the impact of well-designed online teacher resources on learning outcomes. ahmed et al.’s (2021) perspective on the meticulous design and delivery of online teacher resources as integral echoed the study’s emphasis on the positive influence of technology integration on teacher commitment. additionally, dube and wen (2021) comprehensive analysis of technology trends highlighted the dynamic evolution of technology, reinforcing the need for attention to outcomes and impacts, and supported the study’s focus on understanding the effects of technology integration on teacher commitment. table 8: level of effects of technology integration in terms of teacher’s acceptance statements mean std. deviation interpretation rank 1. i am enthusiastic about and accepting of technology integration into my teaching practices. 3.71 .45 high level 4 2. i have a positive attitude toward technology integration in education. 3.81 .39 high level 2 3. i readily embrace technology as a valuable tool for enhancing teaching and student engagement. 3.71 .45 high level 4 4. i am open to new technological advancements and their integration into my educational methods. 3.83 .38 high level 1 5. technology integration aligns with my teaching philosophy and enhances my effectiveness as an educator. 3.72 .45 high level 3 overall mean 3.76 .36 high level pa ge 11 2 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 102-122, 2024 the results presented in table 8 demonstrated that all statements related to the effects of technology integration indicated a high level, with an overall mean score of 3.76 (sd = .36). these findings suggested a substantial impact of technology integration on teacher acceptance. among the statements, statement 4 stood out with the highest mean of 3.83 (sd = .38), interpreted as a high level. this statement, “i was open to new technological advancements and their integration into my educational methods,” highlighted a strong willingness among participants to embrace new technological developments and integrate them into their teaching practices. the research findings on the effects of technology integration on teachers’ acceptance were substantiated and reinforced by several pertinent studies in the literature. tang et al.’s (2020) investigation into technology acceptance, focusing on perceived usefulness and ease of use, aligned directly with the present research’s emphasis on assessing teachers’ readiness to adopt new technological advancements in teaching. additionally, insights from jung and lee (2020) underscored the pivotal role of performance expectancy (pe) in shaping teachers’ expectations of technology’s positive impact on job performance. the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (utaut) model enhanced understanding by providing essential variables like hedonic motivation and habit. furthermore, meta-analytical reviews by granić & marangunić (2019) and scherer et al. (2019) emphasized the significant roles of performance expectancy (pe) and effort expectancy (pu) in shaping teachers’ intentions to adopt technology. table 9: level of effects of technology integration in terms of student engagement statements mean std. deviation interpretation rank 1. technology integration has significantly enhanced student engagement in my classroom. 3.69 .52 high level 1 2. students are more actively engaged in their learning when technology is integrated into my teaching methods. 3.67 .47 high level 2 3. technology has a positive impact on student engagement and participation during lessons. 3.67 .47 high level 2 4. students exhibit increased interest and involvement in their education due to technology integration. 3.67 .47 high level 2 5. technology integration has led to higher levels of student engagement and interactive learning experiences. 3.67 .47 high level 2 overall mean 3.67 .42 high level the findings from table 9 provided a valuable understanding of the perceived high level of effects of technology integration on student engagement. the overall high mean score of 3.67 (sd = .42) across all statements indicated a strong agreement among participants that technology integration had a substantial positive impact on student engagement in the classroom. among the statements, statement 1, which emphasized that “technology integration significantly enhanced student engagement in my classroom,” stood out with the highest mean of 3.69 (sd = .52). this result accentuated a strong consensus among participants that integrating technology into teaching practices led to a notable improvement in student engagement. the higher mean score for this statement suggested that teachers particularly emphasized the transformative effect of technology on enhancing the level of interaction and involvement among students. notably, all remaining statements from 2 to 4 yielded mean scores equivalent to 3.67 (sd = .47), interpreted at a high level. this consistency across statements indicated a consistent perception among participants that various aspects of technology integration positively contributed to student engagement. while the mean scores were slightly lower than statement 1, the fact that they were still interpreted at a high level emphasized the broad agreement among teachers regarding the positive influence of technology on student engagement. these findings were strongly corroborated by several studies by ahmed et al. (2021) and kwok (2020) which emphasized the transformative impact of technology on teaching practices and student engagement. ahmed et al. highlighted the importance of online teacher resources in making learning materials meaningful and userfriendly, which resonated with the study’s findings on technology integration. kwok’s exploration of factors influencing student engagement supported the idea that various aspects of technology integration contributed positively to student engagement. additionally, korhonen et al. (2019) underscored the cognitive and behavioral dimensions of student engagement with technology, while halili (2019) and wallace-spurgin (2019) highlighted technology’s potential to reshape teaching paradigms and foster higher-order cognitive engagement. finally, baporikar’s (2020) study on digital technological tools aligned with the study’s assertion that technology promoted metacognitive awareness and reflective thinking in students. pa ge 11 3 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 102-122, 2024 table 10: summary of the level of effects of technology integration statements mean std. deviation interpretation rank teaching style 3.79 .34 high level 1 teaching performance 3.78 .33 high level 2 teaching preference 3.57 .40 high level 7 job satisfaction 3.62 .46 high level 5 teacher’s commitment 3.59 .45 high level 6 teacher’s acceptance 3.76 .36 high level 3 student engagement 3.67 .42 high level 4 the results highlighted participants’ perceptions of the effects of technology integration across seven indicators. overall, the findings suggested that participants perceived a high level of impact from technology integration with these indicators. the study indicated that technology integration had a substantial effect on teaching style, as evidenced by the overall mean of 3.79 (sd = .34). this high mean score suggested a widespread agreement among participants that incorporating technology significantly influenced and enhanced their teaching approaches. despite a high level of effect on teaching preference, it is noteworthy that it received the lowest mean among the seven indicators, with a mean of 3.57 (sd = .40). this suggested that while participants acknowledged the positive impact of technology on their teaching preferences, there may have been variations in the extent to which educators preferred technology-assisted methods over traditional approaches. significant difference between the effects of technology integration and demographic profile the succeeding tables reveal the comparison of the effects of technology integration when the teachers are grouped according to their demographic profile. the independent sample t-test was applied to compare the effects of technology integration when the teachers were grouped according to their sex. on the other hand, to compare the effects of technology integration the participants were grouped according to their age, years in teaching, educational attainment, and subject teaches, one-way analysis of variance was carried out. table 11: test of difference between the effects of technology integration when the teachers are grouped according to age indicators age n mean sd f-value (29) p-value remarks teaching style 25 30 y/o 14 3.69 a 0.38 2.16 ns .134 do not reject the null hypothesis 31 35 y/o 10 3.92 a 0.10 36 40 y/o 6 3.87 a 0.21 teaching performance 25 30 y/o 14 3.61 a 0.41 5.93 ** .007 reject the null hypothesis31 35 y/o 10 4.00 b 0.00 36 40 y/o 6 3.93 a 0.10 teacher preference 25 30 y/o 14 3.39 a 0.38 5.34 * .011 reject the null hypothesis31 35 y/o 10 3.68 b 0.41 36 40 y/o 6 3.93 b 0.10 job satisfaction 25 30 y/o 14 3.46 a 0.44 8.05 ** .002 reject the null hypothesis31 35 y/o 10 4.00 b 0.00 36 40 y/o 6 3.80 b 0.31 teachers’ commitment 25 30 y/o 14 3.40 a 0.43 5.95 ** .007 reject the null hypothesis31 35 y/o 10 3.76 b 0.31 36 40 y/o 6 3.93 b 0.10 teachers’ acceptance 25 30 y/o 14 3.84 a 0.19 5.04 * .014 reject the null hypothesis31 35 y/o 10 4.00 b 0.00 36 40 y/o 6 4.00 b 0.00 student engagement 25 30 y/o 14 3.59 a 0.46 2.15 ns .135 do not reject the null hypothesis 31 35 y/o 10 3.92 a 0.10 36 40 y/o 6 3.67 a 0.52 pa ge 11 4 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 102-122, 2024 overall 25 30 y/o 14 3.57 a 0.34 6.06 ** .007 reject the null hypothesis31 35 y/o 10 3.90 b 0.05 36 40 y/o 6 3.88 b 0.19 ** significant at 0.01 alpha level; ns – not significant at 0.05 alpha level; mean ratings in a row not sharing subscripts are significantly different at .05 level as demonstrated in table 11, the test statistics value [f(29)=6.06; p-value=.007] signifies that there is enough evidence that a significant difference exists in the effects of technology integration when they are grouped according to their age. furthermore, the post hoc test (tukey hsd) infers that the effects of technology integration on teachers who are 31 to 35 years old (mean=3.90; sd=0.05) and 36 to 40 years old (mean=3.88; sd=0.19) are significantly higher than 25 to 30 years old (mean=3.57; sd=0.34). based on the results provided, several implications and analyses could be drawn regarding the effects of technology integration on teachers across different age groups. notably, the findings indicated a significant difference in various sub-variables related to teaching performance, teacher preference, job satisfaction, teachers’ commitment, and teachers’ acceptance when teachers were grouped according to their age. this suggested that the impact of technology integration varied among different age cohorts of teachers. specifically, teachers in the age groups of 31 to 35 and 36 to 40 years old demonstrated significantly higher effects of technology integration across multiple domains compared to their younger counterparts aged 25 to 30. this highlighted the importance of considering age-related differences in the implementation and utilization of technology in educational settings. younger teachers might have required additional support or training to fully leverage the benefits of technology integration, while older teachers might have benefited from targeted strategies to enhance their engagement and effectiveness with technology. these findings implied the need for tailored approaches to technology integration in education that addressed the diverse needs and preferences of teachers across different age groups. additionally, the significant difference in the effects of technology integration based on age emphasized the importance of ongoing professional development initiatives that catered to the evolving technological landscape in education, ensuring that teachers of all ages were equipped with the necessary skills and resources to effectively integrate technology into their teaching practices. table 12: test of difference between the effects of technology integration when the teachers are grouped according to sex indicators gender n mean sd t-value (28) p-value remarks teaching style male 12 3.93 0.16 2.13 * .043 reject the null hypothesisfemale 18 3.71 0.34 teaching performance male 12 3.88 0.29 1.03 ns .313 do not reject the null hypothesisfemale 18 3.76 0.36 teacher preference male 12 3.50 0.31 -1.02 ns .315 do not reject the null hypothesisfemale 18 3.66 0.46 job satisfaction male 12 3.82 0.35 1.22 ns .232 do not reject the null hypothesisfemale 18 3.63 0.44 teachers’ commitment male 12 3.82 0.28 2.23 * .034 reject the null hypothesisfemale 18 3.50 0.44 teachers’ acceptance male 12 3.98 0.06 1.71 ns .098 do not reject the null hypothesisfemale 18 3.89 0.18 student engagement male 12 3.83 0.39 1.33 ns .195 do not reject the null hypothesisfemale 18 3.63 0.41 overall male 12 3.83 0.14 1.33 ns .195 do not reject the null hypothesisfemale 18 3.68 0.36 * significant at 0.05 alpha level; ns – not significant at 0.05 alpha level based on table 12, the corresponding significant values for each sub-variable of the effects of technology integration are higher than the value of 0.05 significant level. as a result, there is no significant difference posted on the effects of technology integration when they are grouped according to their gender, as indicated by the test statistics value [t(28)=1.33; p-value=.195]. based on the results presented, it was evident that the pa ge 11 5 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 102-122, 2024 effects of technology integration did not significantly differ based on the gender of teachers. the corresponding significant values for each sub-variable, including teaching performance, teacher preference, job satisfaction, teachers’ acceptance, and student engagement, were all higher than the predetermined significance level of 0.05. this indicated that there was no substantial variation in these variables among male and female teachers. however, two sub-variables, teaching style, and teachers’ commitment, demonstrated a significant difference based on gender, with corresponding significant values below the 0.05 level. specifically, male teachers exhibited significantly higher effects of technology integration in teaching style and teachers’ commitment compared to their female counterparts. nevertheless, when considering the effects of technology integration overall, regardless of gender, the test statistics value indicated no significant difference. these findings suggested that while gender may have influenced certain aspects such as teaching style and teachers’ commitment, overall, technology integration had a similar impact on both male and female teachers. hence, efforts to enhance technology integration in education should have focused on fostering equitable opportunities and support for all teachers, irrespective of gender, to ensure that they could effectively leverage technology in their teaching practices. table 13: test of difference between the effects of technology integration when the teachers are grouped according to years in teaching indicators years in teaching n mean sd f-value (29) p-value remarks teaching style 1 5 years 13 3.66 a 0.39 4.64 * .019 reject the null hypothesis6 10 years 10 4.00 b 0.00 > 10 years 7 3.77 a 0.14 teaching performance 1 5 years 13 3.66 a 0.39 2.41 ns .109 do not reject the null hypothesis 6 10 years 10 3.90 a 0.32 > 10 years 7 3.94 a 0.10 teacher preference 1 5 years 13 3.28 a 0.35 13.67 ** .000 reject the null hypothesis6 10 years 10 3.76 b 0.31 > 10 years 7 3.94 b 0.10 job satisfaction 1 5 years 13 3.49 a 0.44 3.92 * .032 reject the null hypothesis6 10 years 10 3.90 b 0.32 > 10 years 7 3.83 b 0.29 teachers’ commitment 1 5 years 13 3.49 a 0.49 1.99 ns .156 do not reject the null hypothesis 6 10 years 10 3.82 a 0.30 > 10 years 7 3.60 a 0.26 teachers’ acceptance 1 5 years 13 3.85 a 0.20 3.84 * .034 reject the null hypothesis6 10 years 10 3.98 b 0.06 > 10 years 7 4.00 b 0.00 student engagement 1 5 years 13 3.55 a 0.46 4.64 * .018 reject the null hypothesis6 10 years 10 4.00 b 0.00 > 10 years 7 3.60 a 0.42 overall 1 5 years 13 3.57 a 0.36 5.21 * .012 reject the null hypothesis6 10 years 10 3.91 b 0.14 > 10 years 7 3.81 b 0.14 ** significant at 0.01 alpha level; ns – not significant at 0.05 alpha level; mean ratings in a row not sharing subscripts are significantly different at .05 level to summarize table 13, the test statistics value [f(29)=5.21; p-value=.012] implies that there is sufficient evidence that a significant difference exists in the effects of technology integration when they are grouped according to their years in teaching. to be more specific, the post hoc test (tukey hsd) conveys that the effects of technology integration on teachers who have been teaching for 6 to 10 years (mean=3.91; sd=0.14) and more than 10 years (mean=3.81; sd=0.14) are significantly higher than on those who have been teaching for 1 to 5 years (mean=3.57; sd=0.36). the results provided significant insights into the effects of technology integration on teachers based on their years of experience in teaching. while there was no significant difference observed in teaching performance and teachers’ commitment across different tenure pa ge 11 6 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 102-122, 2024 groups, a notable variation was evident in other subvariables. specifically, teaching style, teacher preference, job satisfaction, teachers’ acceptance, and student engagement demonstrated significant differences based on years in teaching. the post hoc test further elucidated these distinctions, revealing that teachers with 6 to 10 years and more than 10 years of experience consistently experienced significantly higher effects of technology integration compared to those with 1 to 5 years of experience across various aspects. notably, in teaching style, teacher preference, job satisfaction, teachers’ acceptance, and student engagement, technology integration had a more pronounced impact on teachers with intermediate levels of experience. these findings highlighted the importance of considering teachers’ tenure when implementing technology integration initiatives in education. efforts to support and train teachers, particularly those with fewer years of experience, were crucial in maximizing the benefits of technology integration and enhancing overall teaching effectiveness. additionally, tailored professional development programs aimed at addressing the specific needs and preferences of teachers at different stages of their careers could contribute to more effective technology integration practices in educational settings. table 14: test of difference between the effects of technology integration when the teachers are grouped according to educational attainment indicators educational attainment n mean sd f-value (29) p-value remarks teaching style bachelor’s 16 3.73 a 0.37 1.36 ns .274 do not reject the null hypothesis master’s 10 3.92 a 0.17 doctorate 4 3.80 a 0.00 teaching performance bachelor’s 16 3.73 a 0.37 1.30 ns .289 do not reject the null hypothesis master’s 10 3.86 a 0.31 doctorate 4 4.00 a 0.00 teacher preference bachelor’s 16 3.41 a 0.43 5.20 * .012 reject the null hypothesismaster’s 10 3.72 b 0.29 doctorate 4 4.00 b 0.00 job satisfaction bachelor’s 16 3.59 a 0.44 2.03 ns .151 do not reject the null hypothesis master’s 10 3.78 a 0.37 doctorate 4 4.00 a 0.00 teachers’ commitment bachelor’s 16 3.59 a 0.49 1.46 ns .251 do not reject the null hypothesis master’s 10 3.78 a 0.29 doctorate 4 3.40 a 0.00 teachers’ acceptance bachelor’s 16 3.88 a 0.19 2.13 ns .138 do not reject the null hypothesis master’s 10 3.98 a 0.06 doctorate 4 4.00 a 0.00 student engagement bachelor’s 16 3.64 a 0.45 0.57 ns .571 do not reject the null hypothesis master’s 10 3.80 a 0.42 doctorate 4 3.80 a 0.00 overall bachelor’s 16 3.65 a 0.36 1.67 ns .207 do not reject the null hypothesis master’s 10 3.84 a 0.17 doctorate 4 3.86 a 0.00 ** significant at 0.01 alpha level; ns – not significant at 0.05 alpha level; mean ratings in a row not sharing subscripts are significantly different at .05 level essentially, there is no significant difference observed in the effects of technology integration when they are grouped according to educational attainment, as marked by the test statistics value [f(29)=1.67; p-value=.207]. the results offered an understanding of how technology integration affected teachers based on their educational background. while no notable differences were detected in variables such as teaching style, teaching performance, job satisfaction, teachers’ commitment, teachers’ acceptance, and student engagement across various educational levels, an exception was evident in teacher preference. the significant contrast in teacher preference suggested that educators with advanced academic credentials, particularly those with doctorate and master’s degrees, tended to show a stronger inclination toward technology integration compared to their counterparts pa ge 11 7 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 102-122, 2024 with bachelor’s degrees. this observation emphasized the potential impact of educational qualifications on teachers’ attitudes toward integrating technology in the classroom. however, overall, the findings indicated that educational attainment did not notably influence the effects of technology integration on teachers. this suggested that teachers may have derived similar benefits from technology integration initiatives regardless of their educational background. hence, efforts to promote technology integration in education should have prioritized providing support and resources to all educators, regardless of their academic credentials, to ensure fair access to the advantages of technology in teaching and learning. furthermore, future research could delve into the underlying factors shaping teacher preferences for technology integration across different educational attainment levels, aiding in the development of more targeted interventions to address the diverse needs of educators. table 15: test of difference between the effects of technology integration when the teachers are grouped according to subject taught indicators subject teaches n mean sd f-value (29) p-value remarks teaching style general education 18 3.93 b 0.14 75.44 ** .000 reject the null hypothesisbusiness subject 5 3.20 a 0.00 all subjects 7 3.89 b 0.11 teaching performance general education 18 3.90 b 0.24 31.11 ** .000 reject the null hypothesisbusiness subject 5 3.20 a 0.00 all subjects 7 4.00 b 0.00 teacher preference general education 18 3.60 b 0.34 20.52 ** .000 reject the null hypothesisbusiness subject 5 3.00 a 0.00 all subjects 7 4.00 b 0.00 job satisfaction general education 18 3.79 b 0.30 27.91 ** .000 reject the null hypothesisbusiness subject 5 3.00 a 0.00 all subjects 7 4.00 b 0.00 teachers’ commitment general education 18 3.79 b 0.32 14.13 ** .000 reject the null hypothesisbusiness subject 5 3.00 a 0.00 all subjects 7 3.66 b 0.32 teachers’ acceptance general education 18 3.99 b 0.05 229.02 ** .000 reject the null hypothesisbusiness subject 5 3.60 a 0.00 all subjects 7 4.00 b 0.00 student engagement general education 18 3.84 b 0.32 23.05 ** .000 reject the null hypothesisbusiness subject 5 3.00 a 0.00 all subjects 7 3.89 b 0.11 overall general education 18 3.84 b 0.13 86.39 ** .000 reject the null hypothesis business subject 5 3.14 a 0.00 all subjects 7 3.92 b 0.07 ** significant at 0.01 alpha level; ns – not significant at 0.05 alpha level; mean ratings in a row not sharing subscripts are significantly different at .05 level overall, the test statistics value [f(29)=86.39; p-value=.000] denotes sufficient evidence that a significant difference exists in the effects of technology integration when grouped according to the subjects they teach. to be more precise, the post hoc test (tukey hsd) reflects that the effects of technology integration on teachers teaching all subjects (mean=3.92; sd=0.07) and general education (mean=3.84; sd=0.13) significantly surpass those of teachers handling business subjects (mean=3.14; sd=0.00). the results above showed there were significant differences in the effects of technology integration among different teaching subjects. all sub-variables of effects of technology integration had a value below the 0.05 level, indicating that there were variations among teachers grouped according to the subjects they were teaching. conversely, a post hoc test using tukey hsd was used in determining specific areas of disparity between variables. significantly, the integration of technology had a far greater effect on teaching style, teaching performance, teacher preference, job satisfaction, teachers’ commitment, teachers’ acceptance, and student engagement among general education and all subjects teachers than among business subjects teachers. this difference showed how subject specialization affects the efficacy of technology integration in teaching practices. pa ge 11 8 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 102-122, 2024 in other words, the test statistics revealed sufficiently strong evidence that there were significant differences in the effect sizes of technology integration among different teaching subjects. more specifically, the post hoc test revealed that teacher instructing all subjects and general education showed significantly stronger effects of technology integration compared to their peers who only taught business subjects. these findings were supported by a considerable amount of literature in use regarding technology in education and teacher effectiveness. granić and marangunić, in their study, focused on performance expectancy and effort expectancy as major factors influencing teachers’ intentions to implement technologies, with effort expectancy having the strongest influence in implementation intentions. similarly, scherer et al. (2019) identified attitude toward technology as a critical mediator between intention and pe/pu within educational settings. the findings sounded very consistent with the present study in that all variables involved with teaching performance, teacher preference, job satisfaction, teachers’ commitment, and teachers’ acceptance were significantly affected by technology integration, regardless of age, gender, or teaching experience. on the other hand, kwok (2020) highlighted how strong information technology is in transforming teaching styles and relating to students, whereas barba-sánchez et al. (2022) stressed that ict skills fostered effective teaching practices, mainly in stem subjects. moreover, ahmed et al. (2021) stressed that well-designed online teacher resources might have a positive effect on learning outcomes and student engagement, which resonates with the focus of the current study in finding the key differences regarding the effects of technology integration on student engagement across different subjects of teaching. these studies, taken together, thus reiterated what was stated previously: technology integration in pedagogical practice shaped teaching practices, enhanced student engagement, and improved learning outcomes within education. challenges encountered by the teachers in technology integration based on the findings, the respondents faced several challenges in integrating technology as specified in table 10. eight indicators have been assessed whether the respondents agreed with some of the challenges that they might experience. table 16 exhibits the challenges encountered by the participants in the technology integration in the school. table 16: challenges encountered in the technology integration in the school statements mean std. deviation interpretation rank indicators mean sd de level 1. inequal access of infrastructure and disparities to highspeed internet, modern devices, and software 3.47 0.78 strongly agree high level 2. inadequate teacher training and professional development to leverage technology effectively. 3.30 0.75 strongly agree high level 3. both teachers and students may resist adopting digital changes and new technological tools. 3.30 0.70 strongly agree high level 4. concerns about data privacy and security become evident. 3.37 0.49 strongly agree high level 5. socioeconomic disparities can result in some students being left behind in technology-integrated education. 3.43 0.50 strongly agree high level 6. limited access to maintenance and technical support. 3.43 0.50 strongly agree high level 7. the lack of more comprehensive research and established best practices to know the most effective ways for technology integration becomes challenging. 3.10 0.80 agree moderate level 8. students are experiencing digital distractions. 3.53 0.51 strongly agree high level overall mean 3.37 0.53 strongly agree high level scale of means: 4.00–3.26 strongly agree/high level; 3.25–2.51 agree/moderate level; 2.50–1.76 disagree/low level; 1.75– 1.00 strongly disagree/very low level; sd-standard deviation; de-descriptive equivalent based on the results of table 15, the indicator with the highest rating is “students are experiencing digital distractions.” (mean=3.53; sd=0.51; strongly agree; high level). on the other hand, the indicator with the lowest rating is “the lack of more comprehensive research and established best practices to know the most effective ways for technology integration becomes challenging.” (mean=3.10; sd=0.80; agree; moderate level). collectively, the rating (mean=3.37; sd=0.53) denotes that the teachers responded “strongly agree” on the challenges encountered in the technology integration in the school. additionally, the teachers face significant challenges when integrating technology into the school, often reaching a “high level” of difficulty. pa ge 11 9 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 102-122, 2024 these findings stressed the importance of addressing disparities in infrastructure access while simultaneously navigating resistance to technological change. efforts aimed at providing equitable access to technological resources and fostering a culture of openness and adaptability towards technological innovations were essential for overcoming the challenges encountered in technology integration. systematically tackling these issues could enable educational institutions to establish an atmosphere favorable to the successful integration of technology, ultimately enriching the teaching and learning encounters for educators and students alike. these findings aligned with the study of chiu et al. (2023) that explored the integration of artificial intelligence (ai) into educational practices. while ai-powered systems successfully personalized learning tasks and fostered communication skills among students, challenges persisted due to the scarcity of supportive learning resources, as evidenced by various studies. additionally, ai applications aimed at analyzing student work and enhancing adaptability in digital learning environments faced obstacles, including the pre-prepared nature of feedback and the lack of appropriate evaluation methods. moreover, concerns highlighted by hero’s (2019) study emphasized the challenges teachers encountered in fully integrating technology into their teaching practices, despite recognizing its potential benefits. the importance of comprehensive professional development programs to support technology integration, particularly considering varying levels of tech skills among faculty members, was underscored. addressing these challenges through targeted training initiatives could empower teachers to leverage technology effectively, ultimately enhancing classroom engagement and learning outcomes. proposed intervention framework mechanisms, teacher reflection and feedback, digital equity and accessibility, and research and evaluation. this framework emphasizes the need for comprehensive professional development programs to enhance teachers’ ict skills and knowledge. it also calls for a curriculum revision to align education with the demands of the digital age and highlights the necessity of budgeting for access to appropriate technology tools. additionally, the framework emphasizes the importance of establishing support structures, such as technology integration support teams, to align technology use with curricular objectives and teaching goals. promoting a culture of self-assessment and peer observation is also essential for effective technology integration. to bridge the digital divide, the framework advocates partnering with local organizations and government agencies to ensure accessibility and inclusivity. finally, continuous research and evaluation are crucial to understanding the impact of technology integration on student learning outcomes and teacher job satisfaction. conclusion the demographic profile analysis revealed diverse teacher participants in age, gender, teaching experience, educational background, and subjects taught, enhancing the generalizability of the studies’ results. it can be noted that assessments on the effects of technology revealed significant positive effects of technology integration, specifically determinations of effects across lenses of teaching style, performance, preference, job satisfaction, commitment, acceptance, and student engagement, with notable differences among demographics. delving into differences of effects vis-à-vis demography, age and experience significantly showed differences in teaching performance and job satisfaction, with those aged 3140 and more experienced teachers showing greater effects. gender and educational attainment, on the other hand, showed less pronounced differences except in teacher preference, where higher degrees indicated stronger integration effects. subject matter also played a significant role, with general education teachers experiencing greater integration instances than those teaching business subjects. recommendations include tailored professional development, ongoing support, and collaborative environments to sustain technology integration, considering demographic distinctions, and further research into the observed differences to maximize benefits across diverse teacher demographics. and implementing multifaceted intervention frameworks involving professional development, curriculum revisions, support structures, reflection mechanisms, and digital equity initiatives is essential to be considered by educational institutions and policymakers. acknowledgment the researcher would like to thank the bataan peninsula state university and research development office for the support extended to finish this paper. figure 1: intervention framework (dizon, 2024) the proposed intervention framework consists of seven categories: teacher professional development programs, curriculum integration and resource allocation, support pa ge 12 0 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 102-122, 2024 references agbo, f. j., olaleye, s. a., bower, m., et al. 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(2018). information and communications technology (ict) in education: a critical literature review and its implications. international journal of education and development using information and communication technology, 14(3), 57-67. pa ge 1 pa ge 79 american journal of education and technology (ajet) utilization of electric circuit studio application as a learning tool in selected topics in electronics ryan aranga1* volume 4 issue 3, year 2025 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v4i3.4646 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: march 02, 2025 accepted: april 05, 2025 published: september 10, 2025 traditional teaching methods have established the educational foundation; however, recent research supports the transition to modern pedagogical approaches such as technology integration. this paper assesses the utilization of electric circuit (ec) studio as an intervention to improve the academic performance of 48 college students in selected topics in electronics courses. it employed an explanatory sequential mixed-method research design. the quantitative incorporated a quasi-experimental with a pre-test – posttest design. qualitative data were obtained from the purposively selected respondents through interviews to explore the benefits gained with the utilization of the ec studio. before the main analysis, an independent samples t-test showed no statistical significant difference between the two groups (t(46)=0.872, p=.388). it confirmed that both groups were statistically equivalent at baseline. after the intervention, the mean improvement scores of the experimental group (9.2) were nearly twice that of the control group (4.83). an independent samples t-test (t(46)=-3.164, p=.003, α= 0.05) confirmed that the mean improvement scores between the control and experimental groups are significantly different. the effect size, measured using cohen's d indicates a large practical effect (d=0.913). the thematic analysis of transcribed interviews from 14 respondents identified five key benefits of utilizing the electric circuit (ec) studio application: (1) enhanced learning efficiency and understanding (n=14); (2) increased motivation and interest (n=10); (3) improved classroom engagement and collaboration (n=8); (4) accessibility and portability (n=7); and (5) application beyond the classroom (n=5). the results proved the effectiveness and insights of using of ec studio as a learning tool. thus, its integration into teaching-learning of electronics-related courses is highly recommended. keywords benefits, electric circuit studio, electronics, learning tool 1 palawan state university, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: raranga@psu.palawan.edu.ph introduction technology breakthroughs, shifting societal demands, and a growing understanding of effective learning strategies are all driving changes in the global educational landscape. traditional teaching methods have established the educational foundation; however, recent research supports the need to transition to modern pedagogical approaches, such as technology integration (babu et al., 2024). in the philippine higher education settings, studies reported key challenges such as varying quality of higher education institutions and programs (chao, 2021), pandemic predicaments (toquero, 2020), recurring extreme weather events (preña & labayo, 2024), and disrupting extracurricular demands. with these issues, educational institutions have been forced to adopt flexible learning modalities. to support this transition, the commission on higher education (ched) issued cmo no. 4, s. 2020, encouraging institutions and stakeholders to explore innovative pedagogical approaches that could ensure the continuity and enhancing educational quality of education in times of uncertainty and change. in recent years, there is a growing emphasis on integrating technology into education to cope with the demands of the 21st-century learning environment (murugesan, 2021). integrating technology in the classroom offers a dynamic and proactive teaching and learning environment (ghavifekr et al., 2014). interactive computer simulations, in particular, have gained prominence in higher education due to their ability to provide new educational opportunities and enhance student engagement (sari, 2017). learning electronics poses significant challenges for many students, particularly in higher education, where abstract concepts and complex circuit analyses are core components of the course. one significant difficulty lies in students' limited ability to visualize and conceptualize circuit behavior, which often results in misconceptions and cognitive overload (sangam, 2012). traditional lecture-based methods—focused heavily on theoretical instruction with minimal hands-on experience—can further alienate learners, especially those with little prior exposure to electronics (adjetey, 2024). additionally, constraints in laboratory resources and limited access to simulation tools have been cited as barriers to meaningful engagement and comprehension (dunleavy et al., 2009). these factors contribute to a consistent struggle to master foundational topics. the lack of interactivity and contextualized application in traditional instruction models makes it difficult for students to connect theoretical knowledge with real-world problemsolving (kim and hannafin, 2011). thus, exploring innovative and interactive tools that facilitate conceptual understanding and experiential learning in electronics has become increasingly important. one promising tool for interactive learning in electronics is electric circuit studio (ec studio) by pa ge 80 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 79-89, 2025 kenneth s. kundert and the university of california (ecstudiosystems, 2021). this software, which is freely available for mobile devices and personal computers, provides users with a suite of tools to build, simulate, and analyze electronic circuits. it provides calculations for basic circuits, an information center with resources, connector pinouts, and an interactive book explaining fundamental electrical theorems and laws. most importantly, through ec studio, students can actively explore electrical concepts like current, resistance, power, voltage, and circuit configurations in a virtual, hands-on environment. meanwhile, the teaching of physics courses at palawan state university has predominantly relied on traditional methods, which have presented particular challenges. students often perceive the courses as challenging, which can be attributed to the conventional approach that primarily involves hours of lecturing and limited practical applications of scientific concepts due to material constraints – an issue common in many public higher education institutions in the philippines (laguador, 2013). this long-standing stigma surrounding the course highlights the need for a revolutionary approach that promotes a more effective teachinglearning environment.this study is undertaken with the aim of investigating the potential impact of ec studio as a learning tool on the academic performance of college students in the fundamentals of electronics course at palawan state university. while numerous local studies advocate for the integration of technology into education, no research to date has specifically examined the application of mobile-based circuit simulators such as ec studio in higher education. most existing research focuses on more established platforms, with limited empirical evidence available on the effectiveness, accessibility, and pedagogical value of ec studio in the philippine context or similar resource-constrained environments. furthermore, despite the recognized limitations of traditional lecture-based approaches, few localized studies have explored innovative, cost-effective alternatives tailored to the needs of electronics learners. the findings of this study could provide valuable, evidence-based insights on the efficacy of the ec studio as a learning tool, potentially revolutionizing the teaching of electronics courses. specifically, this study sought to answer the following questions: what are the pre-test and post-test scores of students in selected topics in fundamentals of electronics using faceto-face instruction alone; and face-to-face instruction with the intervention of the ec studio application? what is the improvement in the student's academic performance in selected topics in fundamentals of electronics using face-to-face instruction alone; and face-to-face instruction with the intervention of the ec studio application? is there a significant difference in the improvement of academic performance between the students who were taught using face-to-face instruction alone and students taught using face-to-face instruction with the intervention of the ec studio application? what are the benefits gained by the students in utilizing the ec studio application? literature review learning difficulties in electronics many college students struggle with fundamental electrical concepts (goris & dyrenfurth, 2013). this hinders their ability to engage with more complex subjects, ultimately affecting their academic performance and professional readiness. the study conducted by quezada-espinoza et al. (2023) sheds light on the limitations of traditional teaching methods in the context of electronics courses. these methods, encompassing lectures, tutorials, and practical sessions, have faced criticism for failing to address the application and design aspects of the subject adequately. consequently, students often overlook these crucial components of learning. recognizing the need for an alternative approach that addresses these shortcomings and provides a more comprehensive learning experience, recent studies have explored the effectiveness of flipped classroom models in electronics education (scachitti & higley, 2018). moreover, material constraints further restrict hands-on learning opportunities, making it difficult for students to bridge the gap between theory and real-world application (alyahyaee et al., 2024). without sufficient exposure to practical problem-solving and experiential learning, students may struggle to develop the critical thinking and technical skills required in the field. these challenges highlight the need for alternative pedagogical approaches that integrate active learning strategies, modern technological tools, and industry-relevant applications to enhance student engagement and comprehension (rodriguez-sanchez et al., 2024). learning electronics learning electronics is a valuable pursuit that offers numerous benefits. it provides a foundation for understanding the inner workings of electronic devices, enabling individuals to troubleshoot and repair them. additionally, it opens up opportunities in various fields, such as engineering and telecommunications where electronics knowledge is essential (batarseh & harb, 2018). learning electronics fosters problem-solving skills, logical thinking, and a mindset of continuous learning. by staying up-to-date with advancements, individuals can contribute to technological progress. new materials empower individuals to navigate the world of technology and unlock their creative potential (kim et al., 2022). moreover, the study of elaoufy (2023) found that despite the current challenges in teaching and learning, teachers and students responded favourably of technology integration in education. incorporating software simulations in electronics education can positively impact student learning outcomes by enhancing active learning and boosting confidence in knowledge acquisition (coleman & hosein, 2022). in their study, students benefited from simulation tasks by visualizing theoretical concepts, verifying and validating pa ge 81 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 79-89, 2025 outcomes, and experimenting with various scenarios both before and after physical laboratory sessions. similarly, recent research has demonstrated that integrating electronic circuit simulation software into coursework improves students' motivation and participation, leading to a better understanding of complex concepts (alyahyaee et al., 2024). these findings suggest that incorporating simulation software to complement laboratory practicals is advisable whenever feasible. integrating simulation-based learning into electronics education provides students with a practical and immersive virtual environment to explore, experiment, and analyze electronic circuits. utilizing simulation software enhances hands-on practice, deepens understanding, and facilitates the visualization of complex concepts. this approach offers a safe, cost-effective, and flexible method for acquiring essential knowledge and skills in the field. recent studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of simulation-based learning in electronics education. for instance, phacharoen and akatimagool (2024) developed the risda simulation-based learning model for industrial electronics education. their research demonstrated that students who participated in the risda model experienced higher learning achievement and expressed greater satisfaction with their learning experience, suggesting that structured simulation-based approaches can effectively promote competencies aligned with 21stcentury learning skills. learning electronics through software is a contemporary and accessible method that brings numerous benefits. the study of mukhtasar (2021) found out that using virtual reality enhances students’ mastery of the subject matter by 85%. moreover, students become an active participant in the learning process where they can express ideas freely, participate in discussions, debate on the topic, and develop practical skills. software learning tools eliminate the requirement for physical components and costly equipment, enabling learners to design and simulate circuits in a safe environment. visual and interactive interfaces facilitate comprehension, while scalability allows exploration of various circuit complexities. moreover, ratu and erfan (2017) investigate how "every circuit simulation" improves students' motivation and electrical circuit analysis skills. the findings indicated that students in the experimental group were more motivated than those in the control group. the experimental group's students demonstrate noticeably superior proficiency in examining electrical circuits compared to the control group. the researcher concluded that the every circuit simulator improves student motivation and electrical circuit analysis skills. integration of technology in philippine classroom in the philippines, garcia's study (2017) focused on examining factors influencing college students' acceptance of e-learning technology, with a specific focus on learning management systems (lms). the results indicated that factors such as internet connectivity experience, social media influence, integrated multimedia instruction, and system interactivity, along with the original predictors from the technology acceptance model (tam), played significant roles in students' acceptance of e-learning technology. this study emphasizes the importance of considering various factors that influence students' perception of technology in education. the study by antipolo and lopez (2021) examines the effectiveness of the mobile simulation application—the everycircuit. this study focuses on the effect of using the simulation application on the procedural knowledge of students. it uses the experimental pretest-posttest research design; one experimental group is exposed to a treatment or intervention and then compared to one control group (modular approach) who did not receive the treatment. the study concluded that the intervention or treatment, which uses the simulation application, is more effective than the pure modular learning approach. moreover, mamolo and sugano's (2024) study examined how students' self-efficacy, anxiety, and general mathematics achievement were affected by the digital interactive math comics (dimac) smartphone application. the study used a one-group pre-posttest design, a type of quasi-experimental research. in the study, two modified questionnaires were used. the findings showed that after using the dimac app for six weeks, students' achievement significantly improved, and their anxiety dramatically decreased, and retained their self-efficacy. anxiety and students' self-efficacy in mathematics were found to be negatively correlated. the findings showed that interactive teaching resources, such as the dimac app, improve learning outcomes and reduce students' learning anxiety in the new normal environment. recent studies looked into integrating phet interactive simulations, one of the newest online simulations that span numerous scientific domains, in the classroom. according to the study's findings, phet simulationintegrated education can raise students' level of competency in learning general physics (almadrones & tadifa, 2024) and biophysics (villaruel, 2025). the argument that phet simulations can serve as a virtual lab for evaluating students' performance on demonstration applications was also reinforced. additionally, using and incorporating phet simulations into physics instruction can help students have engaging and beneficial learning experiences. materials and methods research design an explanatory sequential mixed-method research design was used to assess the effectiveness of the ec studio application as a tool in learning the selected topics in the electronics course (fundamentals of electricity, introduction to electrical circuits, and dc circuits and its elements) by the 48 second-year bachelor of science in information technology students enrolled during the second semester of the 2024-2025 academic year at palawan state university's main campus. the quantitative design incorporated a quasi-experimental pa ge 82 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 79-89, 2025 method with a pretest-posttest design. in the quantitative phase, data were collected from both the control and experimental groups. a pre-test was administered at the outset to establish baseline academic performance and ensure comparability between the two groups. both groups received face-to-face instruction; however, only the experimental group was exposed to the intervention involving the ec studio application. the instructional phase lasted for three months, following the course syllabus for the completion of midterm topics in the fundamentals of electronics course: fundamentals of electricity, introduction to electrical circuits, and dc circuits and its elements. after the instructional period, a post-test was administered to both groups. the gain scores—calculated as the difference between post-test and pre-test scores—were used to assess the extent of academic improvement within each group. an independent samples t-test was then performed to determine whether there was a statistically significant difference in academic performance gains between the control and experimental groups. in the qualitative phase, data were gathered from purposively selected respondents within the experimental group, specifically those who demonstrated the highest and lowest levels of academic improvement based on their gain scores. interviews were conducted to explore the perceived benefits during the use of the ec studio application as a learning tool. the responses were analyzed using both thematic analysis and content analysis to identify emerging themes, recurring patterns, and significant insights related to the integration of the application into the learning process. research instrument in order to gather both qualitative and quantitative data, the researcher used (a) a researcher-constructedparalleled pre-test and post-test that measured the student's academic performance and (b) interview guide questions administered to the selected respondents, seeking information about the benefits gained during the intervention. both instruments underwent validation by a panel of four experienced physics teachers. the pretest and post-test were validated by four physics teachers, and reliability testing yielded a cronbach's alpha of 0.82, indicating good reliability. likewise, the same four physics teachers validated the interview guide questions. research procedure to initiate this study, the researcher first sought table 1: pre-test – post-test mean percentage score descriptor range of scores descriptor 25-30 very satisfactory 19-24 satisfactory 13-18 fairly satisfactory 7-12 poor 0 – 6 did not meet expectation table 2: cohens’ d value descriptor cohen’s d value descriptor 0 – 0 .20 weak effect 0.21 – 0 .50 modest effect 0.51 – 1.00 moderate effect >1.00 strong effect permission from the palawan state university—college of sciences dean's office and the palawan state university—research ethical review committee (psurerc). then, the researcher informed the respondents about the research's objectives and the study's process, aiming to obtain their consent for participation. the researcher administered a 30-item multiple-choice pre-test to both the control and experimental groups. the assessment covered key midterm topics in the fundamentals of electronics course, and was designed to evaluate baseline knowledge and ensure initial comparability between groups prior to the instructional intervention. administering the pre-test at this stage also helped mitigate potential threats to internal validity, such as selection bias or pre-existing differences in content familiarity. to determine whether the two groups were statistically comparable, assumption testing was conducted. the assumption of normality was assessed using the kolmogorov–smirnov test, which indicated that the distribution of scores was normal: d(48) = 0.109, p = 0.200. additionally, levene’s test for equality of variances confirmed homogeneity of variance between the groups: f(1, 46) = 0.542, p = 0.465. an independent samples t-test was then performed to compare the pretest scores of the control and experimental groups. the results showed no statistical significant difference between the two groups, t(46)=0.872, p=0.388. this confirms that both groups were statistically equivalent at baseline, ensuring their comparability for further analysis. these findings validated the use of parametric statistical methods for subsequent data analysis. after administering the pre-test and confirming that there were no statistically significant differences between the control and experimental groups, the instructional intervention commenced. the intervention was structured around three selected topics: (1) fundamentals of electricity, (2) introduction to electrical circuits, and (3) dc circuits and elements. each topic had welldefined intended learning outcomes and was delivered through face-to-face instruction in both groups by the researcher, following the official course syllabus. however, only the experimental group received the ec studio application as an intervention tool. students in this group were required to install ec studio on their mobile phones or personal computers and were encouraged to use it both during class and at home, as needed. the ec studio allowed real-time simulation and manipulation of parameters such as voltage, resistance, and current, enhancing conceptual understanding and practical pa ge 83 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 79-89, 2025 table 3: frequency distribution of students' pre-test and post-test scores of control group (n=24) range of scores descriptive interpretations pre-test post-test f % f % 25-30 outstanding 0 0.00 0 0.00 19-24 very satisfactory 0 0.00 8 33.33 13-18 satisfactory 8 33.33 15 62.50 7-12 fairly satisfactory 16 66.67 1 4.17 0 – 6 did not meet expectation 0 0.00 0 0.00 mean 11 (fairly satisfactory) 15.83 (satisfactory) standard deviation 2.60 2.90 mean difference 4.83 application. for instance, it was used in lectures alongside multimedia modules and board work to visualize circuit behavior and solve problems. in laboratory activities, it supported tasks such as simulating static and current electricity, designing block diagram-based circuits, and constructing dc circuits using virtual components. the control group, by contrast, received the same instructional content and engaged in similar activities—such as lectures, board work, and laboratory experiments—but without access to the ec studio. the intervention lasted for approximately three months, aligning with the midterm coverage period outlined in the course syllabus. instructional strategies and activities were based on a structured learning plan approved by the panel members. upon the completion of the teaching-learning activities covering the selected midterm topics, the researcher administered a parallel-form post-test to both the control and experimental groups. this assessment was designed to measure the academic gains resulting from each instructional approach. to evaluate the effectiveness of the two teaching interventions—face-to-face instruction alone and face-to-face instruction alone with the intervention of ec studio application—mean scores and mean improvement scores (post-test minus pre-test) were calculated and compared. to ensure the appropriateness of statistical procedures, assumption testing was again conducted. the normality of the improvement scores was assessed using the kolmogorov–smirnov test, which yielded d(48) = 0.109, p = 0.200, indicating that the data were normally distributed. furthermore, levene’s test for equality of variances revealed f(1, 46) = 4.602, p = 0.037, confirming the homogeneity of variances between groups. these results validated the use of parametric tests, such as the independent samples t-test, for analyzing the significance of the observed differences in learning gains. this allowed the researcher to draw evidence-based conclusions regarding the comparative effectiveness of the two instructional strategies employed in the study. within the experimental group, the researcher employed purposive sampling to select a subset of students for interviews. specifically, participants were chosen based on their degree of improvement (post-test score minus pretest score), and those who demonstrated the highest and lowest gains in performance were selected. the number of participants was determined until data saturation was reached, ensuring comprehensive insights into the benefits gained during the intervention. statistical treatment quantitative statistical analyses were conducted using the statistical package for social sciences (spss). the researcher calculated the mean scores and standard deviations (sd) for the pre-test and post-test scores of the respondents. additionally, the researcher determined the difference between the mean scores (post-test minus pre-test) for both groups. the interpretation of the results was based on a scaling system adapted from villaruel (2025). the independent sample t-test for correlated samples was table 4: frequency distribution of students' pre-test and post-test scores of experimental group (n=24) range of scores descriptive interpretations pre-test post-test f % f % 25-30 outstanding 0 0.00 7 29.17 19-24 very satisfactory 0 0.00 10 41.67 13-18 satisfactory 7 29.10 5 20.83 7-12 fairly satisfactory 15 62.50 1 4.17 0 – 6 did not meet expectation 2 8.33 1 4.17 mean 10.38 (fairly satisfactory) 19.58 (very satisfactory) standard deviation 2.36 5.86 mean difference 9.21 pa ge 84 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 79-89, 2025 used to determine if the difference in the improvement of academic performance between the students who were taught using face-to-face instruction alone and students taught using face-to-face instruction with the intervention of the ec studio application was statistically significant. kolmogorov-smirnov and levene’s tests were conducted to establish normality and homogeneity of variance before proceeding to the above-mentioned parametric test (kim, 2015). in addition, the researcher computed the effect size using cohen's d to assess the practical significance of the difference between groups (cohen, 1988). the following descriptor corresponded to the computed cohen's d values (yelpaze and yakar, 2020): moreover, qualitative data analysis involved transcribing interview data and using open coding to categorize key phrases and segments that captured the essence of the participants’ experiences. these responses were then organized into thematic categories to analyze the benefits gained, challenges encountered, and coping mechanisms employed while using the ec studio application. content analysis followed to quantify the frequency of identified themes, offering a clearer picture of the most common table 5: improvement of the academic performance of the control and experimental group respondents mean standard deviation mean difference p-value cohen’s d control group (n=24) 4.83 3.46 4.38 0.003 0.913 experimental group (n=24) 9.21 5.86 *significance level is 0.05. *effect size d = 0.20 indicates a small effect; = 0.50 indicates a medium effect; ≥0.80 indicates a large effect *p value is asymptotic significance (2-tailed). responses. verbatim statements were used to support the analysis. results and discussion this section presents the findings on the improvement in students' academic performance in selected topics in fundamentals of electronics under two instructional conditions: (a) face-to-face instruction alone and (b) face-to-face instruction with the intervention of the ec studio application. the analysis is based on students' pre-test and post-test scores in each instructional setting. before the instruction, the majority of students (66.67%) had scores in the range of 7-12, which corresponds to a fairly satisfactory level. additionally, 33.33% of the students scored from 13 to 18, classified as satisfactory. no students achieved a very satisfactory or outstanding rating in the pre-test. the mean pre-test score was 11 (fairly satisfactory) with a standard deviation of 2.60. these quantitative results align with common findings in education research, where pre-test scores are often low due to limited prior knowledge in learning content (bergman et al., 2015). according to studies, pre-tests serve to measure baseline knowledge and often reveal learning deficiencies that instructional interventions are designed to address (van riesen et al., 2019). the qualitative interviews from this study support this findings. as one of the respondents mentioned: "although i was familiar with the topic since i took stem and had a physics subject in grade 12, that was about two years ago. so, the lessons on electronics were no longer fresh in my memory."-s1 likewise, another respondent shared "i only had a little idea. most of my answers were just guesses."-s5 these statements confirm that students’ pre-test performance was constrained by prior knowledge gaps and unfamiliarity with the learning content. this validates the necessity of structured teaching interventions to improve learning outcomes. after the face-to-face instruction, students demonstrated improvement. a significant percentage of students (62.50%) reached the satisfactory level (13-18 score range), while 33.33% progressed to the very satisfactory range (19-24). the mean post-test score increased to 15.83 (satisfactory) with a standard deviation of 2.90. several studies support the idea that post-tests typically reflect better outcomes due to instructional impact (besonia et al., 2025; guo & li, 2025; peñas et al., 2025). "the pre-test made us aware of what our topics would be for the midterm. then, after class lectures and we applied them in our lab activities, the post-test became much easier."–s11 the mean score difference between the pre-test and post-test was 4.83, indicating that face-to-face instruction alone positively impacted student performance. tiwary et al. (2024) emphasize that structured in-person teaching provides students with more practical guidance and assessment opportunities, leading to enhanced learning outcomes. similarly, mcgee et al. (2024) found that traditional instructional approaches foster greater engagement and comprehension, particularly in handson subjects. in electronics education, the findings of el-adl (2024) support the idea that interactive, face-toface guidance contributes to higher achievement levels, reinforcing the importance of direct teacher-student interaction. however, despite the increase, no students reached the outstanding level (25–30), and a portion of students remained in the fairly satisfactory category, suggesting that additional instructional interventions may be necessary for higher achievement. the second instructional method integrated the ec studio application alongside face-to-face instruction. table 4 displays the pre-test and post-test scores under this approach. before instruction, 62.50% of students were in the fairly satisfactory category (7-12 range), and 29.10% were in the satisfactory category (13-18 range). however, a pa ge 85 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 79-89, 2025 small percentage (8.33%) fell within the did not meet expectation range (0-6). the mean pre-test score was 10.38 (fairly satisfactory) with a standard deviation of 2.36. this is attributed to limited prior knowledge in learning content (bergman et al., 2015). following instruction with ec studio integration, a notable improvement was observed. a significant 29.17% reached the outstanding level (25-30), while 41.67% of students achieved a very satisfactory performance (19-24). the mean post-test score rose to 19.58 (very satisfactory) with a standard deviation of 5.86. this result aligns with the findings of rutten et al. (2020) that integrating simulations into traditional teaching significantly improves learning outcomes, particularly in complex topics like physics and electronics. a comparison of the two instructional methods reveals that the experimental group resulted in a greater improvement. while both methods led to learning gains, the mean increase of 9.21 in the experimental group is higher than the 4.83 increase observed with the control group. the integration of ec studio allowed students to achieve higher-level learning outcomes, with more students reaching very satisfactory and outstanding performance levels. these results underscore the value of integrating technology into instruction. as bornaa et al. (2023) recommend, teachers should take advantage of today’s technology-driven landscape by blending traditional face-to-face instruction with e-learning approaches to enhance the teaching and learning. such blended models can foster more engaging, flexible, and personalized learning experiences for students. however, the standard deviation of the post-test scores under experimental group (sd=5.86) was higher than that of control group (sd=2.90), indicating a wider spread of scores. this suggests that while many students benefited greatly, others may have required additional support to fully leverage the ec studio tool. the computed kolmogorov-smirnov value (d(48)=0.109, p=.200) confirmed that the data followed a normal distribution, while levene’s test (f(1,46)=4.602, p=.037) indicated homogeneity of variances. thus, validating the appropriateness of using a parametric test for statistical analysis. an independent samples t-test was conducted to determine the significance of the difference in the improvement of academic performance between the control and experimental groups. the results indicate a statistically significant difference between students taught using face-to-face instruction alone and those who received additional support through the ec studio application. the computed p-value, t(46)=-3.164, p=.003, is below the standard significance threshold (α= 0.05) confirming that the observed difference is not due to chance but rather the impact of the intervention. this finding aligns with recent research demonstrating that technology-enhanced learning environments significantly improve student performance when integrated with traditional teaching methods (laun & wolff, 2025). additionally, the effect size, measured using cohen’s d indicates a large practical effect (d=0.913), suggesting that the ec studio application had a substantial impact on student learning outcomes compared to face-to-face instruction alone. this is consistent with findings from avcu and yaman (2024), who reported that educational technology interventions often yield high effect sizes, further supporting their efficacy in enhancing student engagement and comprehension. further, these results underscore the potential of technology-assisted learning tools to bridge learning gaps and reinforce conceptual understanding in electronics education. fourteen (14) respondents in the experimental group were purposively selected based on their improvement for interview. the selection process alternating between those who demonstrated significant improvement and those who showed minimal progress. this approach ensured a balanced representation of varying learner experiences. the interviews continued until data saturation was reached, at which point no new themes or insights were emerging. based on the thematic analysis of the interview data, five significant benefits of utilizing the ec studio application were identified, which are the following: enhanced learning efficiency and understanding the use of ec studio significantly enhanced students' learning efficiency by enabling real-time visualization of circuit designs and providing immediate verification of computations. participants (n=12) frequently described how simulation allowed them to bridge theory and practice, improving both conceptual understanding and procedural knowledge. as expressed by students, ec studio facilitated the achievement of learning outcomes not only during laboratory exercises but also in independent problem-solving. "i recall that each lesson states the expected learning outcomes. ec studio helped achieve those, especially in laboratory experiments. aside from conducting physical experiments, we could also simulate them using ec studio to get an idea of the expected results. […] aside from the laboratory exercises, the application was very beneficial. for example, when solving problems related to formulas and computations, i used ec studio to check my answers instead of relying solely on my own calculations." –s1 "i learned how to correctly apply and use circuit elements. by navigating the information section and reading the provided details, i understood how to use them properly. once i became familiar with it, ec studio became a significant tool in my learning process. it made things much easier." –s5 this observation aligns with the findings of singh and ahmad (2024) which confirms that simulations are effective in enhancing operational skills and user experience in electronics laboratories by offering clear and interactive representations. moreover, ceberio et al. (2016) concluded that interactive simulations in physics education encourage scientific reasoning and problem-solving, a finding that translates well to pa ge 86 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 79-89, 2025 electronics education, where hands-on engagement with circuit elements strengthens conceptual retention and independent exploration. "ec studio made the lessons easier to approach. seeing diagrams and visualizing how circuit components function really helped. it also increase my interest in electronics. i even started working on small projects on my own. i’m already using it to explore circuit boards and understand them better."–s7 "measuring voltage and resistance became simpler compared to doing it manually with a breadboard and multi-meter. before, we were unsure where to place the probes. with ec studio, it’s faster. it makes the visualization clearer." –s13 increased motivation and interest during the interview, students (n=10) described how simulations boosted their confidence, allowing them to validate their computations and visualize what they are doing. this ease of interaction reduced cognitive barriers and made learning feel enjoyable and engaging. "it motivated me to study because it provided a foundation for interpreting my answers. if i relied only on ohm’s law and other theorems, i wouldn’t be as confident in my answers. the simulation increased my confidence by showing expected results." –s1 "i think the ability to design circuits in ec studio was very helpful. it taught me where to place the voltmeter and ammeter correctly in a circuit. since it made things easier, studying became more enjoyable." –s3 "ec studio made the lessons easier to approach. seeing diagrams and visualizing how circuit components function really helped. it also increase my interest in electronics. […] i even started working on small projects on my own. i’m already using it to explore circuit boards and understand them better."–s7 "if i had to compute manually, i wouldn't be as motivated because it seems difficult. but with ec studio, i just have to type and set things up easily." –s5 "i’m not really fond of math, sir. but i really enjoyed using ec studio. because it felt like i was just playing, sir. you just put it in, and it works right away." –s14 thus, incorporating real-world examples and simulations in laboratory classes significantly enhanced student motivation and engagement (gero et al., 2016). similarly, catz et al. (2018) reported that simulations, when paired with hands-on experiments, motivate learners and increase their interest in analog electronics. improved classroom engagement and collaboration a recurring theme that emerged from the respondents (n=8) is how the use of ec studio fostered engagement and collaboration. the data suggest that ec studio served not merely as a learning tool but as a catalyst for participatory learning and peer collaboration. "when my classmates were working on ec studio, i was also motivated to try it. i wanted to see how to set up and manipulate elements inside the app." –s5 "ec studio made me more engage in class. for example, in our group activities, i was able to contribute more since i had access to a phone and a guide. i could help my group mates with the parts i understood. "–s6 this observation aligns with findings by bajaj (2024), who emphasized that digital learning platforms stimulate intrinsic motivation and engagement through peer modeling, leading to increased curiosity and proactive learning behaviors. additionally, mobile learning platforms not only increase individual student participation but also build confidence by providing structured guidance, thereby enabling more meaningful contributions in collaborative settings (pedraja-rejas et al., 2024). "during group activities, we would work together using just one set of materials. but with ec studio, we became more interactive. if someone made a mistake, we would correct each other. that helped us collaborate more." – s10 "when we had group activities, it was easier to collaborate since we were all using the app. it helped us figure out where to place components and what to do. "–s11 accessibility and portability respondents (n=7) consistently highlighted the significance of portability as a key feature of ec studio, enabling flexible learning beyond the confines of the traditional classroom. the application's ability to function seamlessly on smartphones allowed students to integrate learning into their daily routines. "it’s easy to use and doesn’t require complex setup. the best feature is its portability—you can use it on a mobile phone like a calculator, making it more convenient than using a laptop." –s1 "since it made things easier and more accessible, i was more inclined to use it. instead of buying a multi-meter and other tools, i could just use the app." –s6 "it was easier, sir. you don’t need as many physical materials. aside from not needing to buy things, it's not as much of a struggle to connect components to boards. for me, it’s better with ec studio. it’s not perfect, but it allows you to simulate what needs to be done, which makes things much easier through the app. that’s my best experience with it." –s10 this observation aligns with the work of dunleavy et al. (2019), which revealed that mobile digital education platforms facilitate flexible access to educational content, particularly by leveraging the portability of mobile devices. al-rahmi et al. (2021) noted that mobile learning applications democratize educational resources, reducing reliance on physical tools and infrastructure. their studies emphasized how the affordability and accessibility of mobile platforms make them particularly advantageous for students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. moreover, bere and rambe (2016), reported that device portability directly enhances learning flexibility, allowing students to simulate and experiment with educational content without the need for additional resources. pa ge 87 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 79-89, 2025 application beyond the classroom the participants (n=6) highlighted how ec studio extended its value beyond the traditional classroom, supporting not only academic coursework but also personal projects and real-world applications. the verbatim reflect a shift from learning tool usage toward lifelong learning and innovation. "ec studio made the lessons easier to approach. seeing diagrams and visualizing how circuit components function really helped. it also increase my interest in electronics. i even started working on small projects on my own. i’m already using it to explore circuit boards and understand them better." –s7 "it can be used in our system integration class too." –s4 educational simulations are often adaptable across multiple subject domains, particularly when students need to understand integrated systems and interdisciplinary concepts (theelen et al., 2019). "ec studio isn’t just about building circuits. it also helps users understand different components and their functions in a circuit. it helps you understand components for real-world use." –s5 "it will be useful in the future if i have small personal projects at home. to be sure, i will simulate it first in ec studio so i can make sure it’s safe." –s14 this observation agrees with the findings of chernikova et al. (2020), whose analysis confirmed that simulationbased learning tools contribute significantly to skill transfer beyond academic settings. ec studio as a classroom resource, may become a tool that fosters applied learning, interdisciplinary integration, and lifelong curiosity. its flexibility and practical utility prepare learners not only for academic success but also for real-world problemsolving and independent innovation. conclusions this study examined the improvement in students' academic performance in selected topics in fundamentals of electronics under two instructional conditions: (a) faceto-face instruction alone and (b) face-to-face instruction supplemented with the ec studio application. the findings revealed that while both instructional approaches led to significant learning gains, the integration of ec studio application resulted in a greater improvement in student performance. the statistical analysis revealed a significant difference in the improvement of academic performance between students who were taught using face-to-face instruction alone and those who received additional support through the ec studio application and confirmed that the intervention of ec studio had a large practical effect. thematic analysis of student interviews identified five major benefits of ec studio: enhanced learning efficiency and understanding, increased motivation and interest, improved classroom engagement and collaboration, accessibility and portability, and application beyond the classroom. recommendations based on the findings of this study, the following recommendations are proposed to enhance instructional practices and optimize student learning outcomes: (1) students are encouraged to use the ec studio application as a learning tool. they should explore its interactive features, apply theoretical concepts through simulations, and use it as a supplementary tool for independent study. (2) teachers should incorporate similar simulation-based applications alongside traditional face-to-face instruction in electronics and related subjects. (3) educational institutions should invest in technological infrastructure and its integration to support blended learning approaches. additionally, institutions should conduct training and support both faculty and students to ensure the smooth adoption and effective use of technology in the classroom. (4) further studies should explore the long-term impact of the ec studio application on student performance across different topics and modes of instruction. future researchers may investigate ways to optimize the application. comparative studies with other digital learning tools can also provide deeper insights into the role of technology in education. references almadrones, r. d., & tadifa, f. g. 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(2025). physics education technology (phet) in learning selected topics in physics among college students. american journal of education and technology, 4(1). pa ge 1 pa ge 24 american journal of education and technology (ajet) social support and expectancy as predictors of licensure examination success among professional teachers larry b. guardario1, carl joseph m. bucio1, louiely kaye b. garocho1, john harry s. caballo1* volume 3 issue 4, year 2024 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v3i4.3416 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: september 17, 2024 accepted: october 20, 2024 published: november 04, 2024 this study aimed to determine the licensure examination for teachers (let) profile, the level of social support and expectancy and their relationships and identify the dimensions that predict let success rating. this quantitative study utilized descriptive-correlational design among let passers and licensed professional teachers produced by the university of mindanao from 2019–2023. 303 lpts composed of 109 elementary and 194 secondary teachers selected via convenience and snowball sampling responded to the virtual survey. the collected data were analyzed using mean, standard deviation, spearman correlations, and multiple regressions. results revealed that 87% of the lpts were top-performing and had high social support and expectancy levels during their let preparation. the correlation between social support and the let success rating is positive but very weak. likewise, the correlation between expectancy and let success rating is positive but very weak. moreover, social support predicts the let success rating by 1.9%; expectancy predicts it by 0.4%. furthermore, support from friends and/or classmates has moderate and positive correlations and has a strong positive predictive power with let success rating. keywords convenience sampling, education, licensure examination for teachers, social support expectancy 1 the university of mindanao, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: john_caballo@umindanao.edu.ph introduction numerous variables have been utilized to determine their relationships with licensure examination success (les). academic variables are validated multidisciplinary internationally. they were affirmed in the field of medicine in the usa (jeyaraju et al., 2023; spohn et al., 2021), canada (cameron et al., 2017), and taiwan (lai et al., 2023). studies in the philippines also proclaim academic achievement predominantly in the education domain (somosot et al., 2022; valencia, 2022; polinar et al., 2020; albite, 2019). these claims are likewise confirmed in the following disciplines: agriculture, forestry (ognayon & afalla, 2020), criminology (albina et al., 2021; ognayon & afalla, 2020), nursing (llego et al., 2020), accountancy (pattaguan, 2018), and engineering (terano, 2018). however, other fields and studies negated these previously mentioned pieces of literature (garcia, 2020; delgado, 2019; buenveninda, 2016). besides the academic factors in the field of education, the other known predictors of success in the licensure examination for teachers (let) include demographics (delos angeles, 2019; buenveninda, 2016), cognition (valencia, 2022; orlanda-ventayen, 2020), motivation (briones, 2021), curriculum (delos angeles, 2020), and pre-licensure preparations (lagcao et al., 2023; palma et al., 2022; valle & brobo, 2022; polinar et al., 2020). family and expectancy are the least explored variables in identifying the role of social connections and examinees’ expectancies in les, lacking other dimensions and approaches with a restricted population scope. polinar et al. (2020) argue that looking for other predictors can help improve and maintain succeeding le performance. the quest for their relationships, therefore, is herein, specifically in let success. research questions this study described the level of social support and expectancy of licensed professional teachers (lpts) and their relationship to let success rating. it specifically aimed: (1) to determine the profile of the lpts according to their let rating classification, namely top performing, better performing, and good performing; (2) to determine the level of social support received by lpts according to friends and/or classmates, family, and professors; (3) to determine the level of expectancy among lpts according to positive affect/optimism, fighting spirit, and negative affect/pessimism; (4.1) to ascertain if there is a significant relationship between social support and let rating classification; (4.2) to ascertain if there is a significant relationship between expectancy and let rating classification, and; (5) to identify which dimensions of social support and expectancy predict let rating classification./pessimism; (4.1) to ascertain if there is a significant relationship between social support and let rating classification; (4.2) to ascertain if there is a significant relationship between expectancy and let rating classification, and; (5) to identify which dimensions of social support and expectancy predict let rating classification. theoretical framework access to people we can depend on, connect to, and communicate with, such as friends, classmates, family, and professors —which sarason et al. (1983) refer to as social support—complements coleman’s (1988) social capital theory. it argues that parental obligations and social networks (at home, school, and community) are essential pa ge 25 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 24-44, 2024 aspects of students’ academic achievement and success (sharbatiyan & rohani, 2021; daly et al., 2020; mutawally, 2018; novak et al., 2018; salloum et al., 2017; yang, 2017). studies have shown that academic attainment is associated with strong level of belongingness (han & rideout, 2022), active student engagement, well-developed social skills (chan & dai, 2023), parental relationships (kafa et al., 2023), and extraversion (wang et al., 2023). accordingly, an individual’s belief that their actions can produce a particular outcome or expectancy (apa, 2023) aligns with eccles-parsons et al.’s (1983) modern expectancy-value theory (evt). it proposes that one can perform well on tasks attached to four values, namely: attainment or subjectively important; intrinsic or enjoyable; utility or useful; and cost or worthwhile. moreover, carver and scheier (1988) consider these desirable values as goals, and action only occurs when goals are valued. they also noted the role of expectancies, the sense of confidence or doubt in attaining the goal, illustrating that the adequacy of confidence facilitates one to “engage and remain engaged in the goal-directed effort.” furthermore, scheier et al. (2000) consider these concepts applicable to optimism and pessimism. studies have unveiled that performing well in academics is linked with yielding intellectual satisfaction (son & cho, 2020), motivation (setiawan et al., 2020), self-management skills, and self-efficacy (meng & zhang, 2023; al-abyadh & abdel azeem, 2022). literature review social support individuals’ social connections at home and school represent the term social support, which is found to be highly influential in academic success. in the usa, bronkema and browman (2019) discovered that peer relationships positively and significantly predict graduation rates; having a closer one predicts college gpa significantly. studies in asia revealed that support from peers (1) positively and significantly influences academic performance (furo & kagu, 2020; reang & kaipeng, 2020); (2) is indirectly associated with learning engagements through self-efficacy and academic resilience (shao & kang, 2022); (3) significantly influence academic achievement, and (4) moderately influence academic performance (luo et al., 2023). familial relationships, meanwhile, helped medicine students in their studies. they significantly increased cuban male medicine students’ belongingness and academic performance (cisneros-elias, 2022) and negatively influenced chinese nursing students’ procrastination (li et al., 2022). family background, i.e., socioeconomic status and academic performance, had weak but positive relationships (rodriguez-hernandez et al., 2019). meanwhile, stress in the family and academics can lead to depression, negatively influencing academic performance and learning (deng et al., 2022). furthermore, studies in asia discovered that studentteacher relationships have (1) positive correlations with self-esteem, self-efficacy, academic performance, extracurricular activity participation, and personal wellbeing (bai et al., 2022); (2) have positive and significant relationships with peer pressure, academic achievement (gebresilase & zhao, 2023), and (3) highly correlated with graduating students’ the psychological well-being (saputra & palupi, 2020). social support’s connections with examinations were examined globally. in india, gautam and sharma (2022) recommended positive thinking, emotional, spiritual, and social support, and diversional activities to cope with stress and boost examination performance. ortegadonaire et al. (2023) revealed that students in spain benefited from it by decreasing their test anxiety. in the philippines, albina et al. (2021) ascertained that home and family factors influenced the licensure examination success among criminologists. a local study by binayao and dales (2020) revealed that family support, financial support, and esteem, i.e., motivation, reassurance, and encouragement, were influential for both let passers and non-passers. for the topnotchers of the university of southeastern philippines (usep), albite (2019) gained that they had a sound support system, strong spiritual belief, and active group-study participation. caranguian (2020) determined that family profiles, i.e., nuclear, intact, and high economic status, work with academic factors as a significant predictor of let success among elementary education graduates. expectancy positive expectations in individuals are often associated with optimism. several studies in euro-asian countries have established a link between optimism and academic achievement (ramli et al., 2023; amalu & dein, 2022; ateş & ünal, 2021; horner et al., 2019; tetzner & becker, 2018). in spain, usán et al. (2022) found that optimism, along with academic performance, fosters adaptive behaviors in the classroom, personal development, dropout prevention, and school satisfaction, particularly when mediated by self-efficacy. optimism also supports athletic performance (ortín-montero, 2018). furthermore, in india, mishra et al. (2016) revealed that optimism is linked to workplace performance and job satisfaction. in turkey, çikrıkci et al. (2019) identified an association between optimism and the regulation of test anxiety, self-esteem, and life satisfaction. this connection even extends to language acquisition. for example, buscagan et al. (2024) emphasized that self-belief plays a crucial role in learning english. conversely, negative expectations are associated with pessimism. according to nair (2020), defensive pessimists “anticipate the worst and prepare for the best,” while optimists excel in tasks requiring “resistance and perseverance.” a study in spain by ferradas et al. (2020) found a partial mediation between pessimism and attitudes toward learning and performance. in indonesia, kurniati and fakhruddin (2018) observed that pessimism negatively impacts success in mathematics. in serbia, pa ge 26 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 24-44, 2024 jovančević and milićević (2020) examined behavior during the covid-19 pandemic and revealed that pessimists experienced higher levels of fear compared to optimists. optimists, on the other hand, exhibited lower fear levels and higher general trust, alongside greater disbelief in conspiracy theories (jovančević & milićević, 2020). finally, individuals’ ability to face and overcome obstacles to survive in a complex situation and to treat the condition refers to a power struggle or fighting spirit (phoolka & kaur, 2012; stlotz, 2007). for olason and rogers (2001), it is the “feelings of strength, determination and endurance”. fighting spirit is contemporarily similar to resilience, “the process and outcome of successfully adapting to difficult or challenging life experiences” (apa, 2023), and adversity quotient (aq), an individual’s ability to overcome setbacks and persist in the face of challenges (octavianti, 2016; ying, 2011). susanti et al. (2018) realized that fighting spirit has a significant influence on career readiness among the students in indonesia. for deb and arora (2012), highly resilient adolescents in india showed better academic performance than those who are otherwise. likewise, kuhon (2020) noticed that students with high levels of aq performed excellently in their studies. in the philippines, espaňola (2016) realized that aq and academic performance were positively correlated with each other among university students in marawi. in contrast, ewan et al. (2015) confirmed that the aq of students is positively associated with their academic achievement but not very influential. expectancy was also matched with examinations internationally. in the usa, lewis (2016) unearthed that students with higher optimism and self-efficacy scored higher and performed better on exams. in romania, bagana et al. (2011) discovered that it reduces exam anxiety among high school students. meanwhile, in london, jerrim (2022) unraveled that pessimism contributes to low exam scores. deb and arora (2012) discovered that highly resilient adolescents performed better in examinations and had a 120% greater chance of success. taylor and reyes (2012) observed otherwise; the correlations between test scores and resilience among nursing students are weak. locally, binayao and dales (2020) listed that upholding positivity and optimism, productivity, mental readiness, inspiration, confidence, and self-trust also helped let passers and non-passers of usep in stress and anxiety management. furthermore, olvina et al. (2023) delved into those who failed the let and discussed that optimism was among the insights shared by licensure examinees. licensure examination success success in the licensure examination among professional teachers has been studied for years. in the studies by nool and ladia (2017) and andacao and lugo (2022), professional regulatory commission’s (prc) classification of let ratings was utilized, namely: top performing (80%–100%), better performing (75–79.99%), good performing (50% and higher than the national passing percentage), poor performing (20%–49.99%), and worse performing (less than 20% passing rate). nool and ladia (2017) unveiled that from 2009–2016, 110 teacher education institutions (teis) in region 3, luzon, philippines, performed poorly and were near the national passing percentage. they discovered that institutions perform better when first-time let takers dominate the number of repeaters. in addition, andacao and lugo (2022) employed a similar method and uncovered that from 2010 to 2021, all teacher education programs in a state college in the davao region, mindanao, philippines were good performing. furthermore, in her quest to identify the relationships between academic factors and let success, buenveninda (2016) formulates her classification to classify elementary teachers’ performance from 2013 to 2015. she categorized them as follows: highly exceptional (99-100%), excellent (93-98%), above average (87-92%), average (8186%), fair (75 -80%), poor (70 -74%), and very poor (69 and below). she negated the relationship between academic performance and let success. moreover, males outperformed females. per the studies cited above, three types of gaps in the literature were identified. first, there is a knowledge gap regarding the role of social support and expectancy in licensure examination success among licensed professional teachers (lpts). most studies regarding let success are academic factors, including in the local region. present studies discovered that social support and positive expectations or optimism are predictors of health (ruiz-rodriguez, 2022; non et al., 2020) and wellness (schug et al., 2021; tras et al., 2021; lara et al., 2020). the discovery of the family factors’ influence on let success in caranguian’s (2020) study needs to include other dimensions like friends and/ or classmates and facilitators. albite (2019) and binayao and dales’ (2020) discovery of positive expectations’ influence on let success needs to include other dimensions like pessimism and fighting spirit. secondly, there is a methodological gap in local studies about let success. the findings of binayao and dales (2020) and albite (2019) used a qualitative approach; polinar et al. (2020), meanwhile, used data mining. finally, the researchers noticed a population gap. although a local study regarding let success published by the university of mindanao, davao city, professional schools is present, their variables were academic-related factors, and the respondents were bsed graduates of davao del norte state college (polinar et al., 2020)—not any graduates produced by the university of mindanao. upon searching for local literature, secondary education lpts are yet to be represented as caranguian (2020) catered to elementary lpts, while albina et al. (2021) delved among criminologists. pa ge 27 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 24-44, 2024 conceptual framework materials and methods respondents the researchers gathered a name list with 781 let passers produced by the university of mindanao, composed of 265 elementary and 525 secondary let passers of 2019–2023 from several let schedules. employing quota sampling, the predetermined quota of this study involved 300 licensed professional teachers produced by the university of mindanao. a total of 303 education graduates responded to the virtual survey: 109 elementary and 194 secondary lpts. the researchers utilized several nonprobability techniques in the selection process. the respondents were selected non-randomly and via convenience sampling. they invited and shared the virtual link with their lpt friends and batchmates as well, classified as snowball sampling. these sampling techniques were intended as the research respondents are outside of the university premises. the respondents met the following criteria: (1) a graduate of the university of mindanao, (2) a let passer from 2019 to 2023, and (3) an active facebook user with recent posts by january 1, 2024. the researchers included the unit earners present on the list and those who were not but are graduates of the university of mindanao and let passers of 2022 onwards. however, we excluded those who are let passers of 2018 and below; and limited the survey to um graduates only. furthermore, the study disregards the para-teachers, those who got a below 75% let rating, invited by their batchmates to participate the survey. instruments and materials we utilized social support among undergraduates (ssus), an instrument developed by blizzard (2020) to measure the social support received by lpts from their friends and classmates, family (parents, siblings, aunts/ uncles, and others), and professors while preparing for the let. this instrument has 32 items with three indicators: friends and/or classmates (11 items), family (11 items), and professors (10 items). the tool used an agreement 5-point likert scale. the author performed an extensive review of previous literature about college students and social support measures. then, it underwent expert review within the field of higher education and in measurement. the researchers modified the instruments by converting the items into past tenses and contextualizing them into licensure examination preparations. this instrument tested social support and its indicators’ correlations and predictions to let success. secondly, we utilized olason and roger’s (2001) positive and negative expectancy questionnaire (paneq) to determine whether lpts were pessimists, optimists, or had a fighting spirit while preparing for the let. their tool can be a new approach to assessing expectancy and adaptation. this questionnaire has 48 items: 23 items measuring negative affect or pessimism; 15 items measuring expectation for success, determination, and endurance or fighting spirit; and 10 items measuring general happiness, contentment, and optimism (positive affect or optimism). the tool originally used a dichotomized true or false format. however, the authors suggested using a forced-choice option or a 4-point likert scale to avoid regression to the mean. nonetheless, this study employed a 5-point likert scale to avoid survey coercion. the authors confirmed that the instrument underwent four studies: (1) scale construction, (2) concurrent validation, (3) confirmatory factor analysis, and (4) application in a health study or paneq and wellbeing (olason & roger, 2001). the researchers modified the instruments by converting the items into past tenses and contextualizing them into licensure examination preparations. this instrument tested expectancy and its indicators’ correlations and predictions to let success. the interpretation of mean scores for both instruments are as follows: a mean score of 4.20–5.00 indicates that social support and expectancy are consistently observed; a mean score of 3.40–4.19 means that social support and expectancy are generally observed; a mean score of 2.60–3.39 signifies that social support and expectancy are sometimes observed; a mean score of 1.80–2.59 denotes that social support and expectancy are rarely observed, and; a mean score of 1.00–1.79 conveys that social support and expectancy are never observed. we adopted the classification of let rating by the professional regulatory commission, which nool and ladia (2017) and andacao and lugo (2022) utilized, namely: top performing (80%–100%), better performing (75–79.99%), good performing (50% and higher than the national passing percentage), poor performing (20%– 49.99%), and worse performing (less than 20% passing rate). since this study only catered to let passers, the scales and indicators below the required passing rate, i.e., 75% with no grade below 50% in any subject, are figure 1: schematic diagram of social support and expectancy as predictors of licensure examination success among licensed professional teachers pa ge 28 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 24-44, 2024 removed. using cronbach’s alpha coefficient, the reliability of the survey items was assessed. the 32-item social support among undergraduates (ssus) questionnaire obtained an α = .902, which signified as very reliable. likewise, the 48-item positive and negative expectancy questionnaire (paneq) attained an α = .857, signified as reliable. these scores obtained by the survey items suggest higher agreement between items. furthermore, two experts reviewed the modified questionnaire. the research validators rated it with 3.9 out of 5 or very good across multiple criteria: items’ clarity, presentation and organization, suitability, adequateness of representation, purpose, objectivity, and scale and evaluation. after the validation of the questionnaires, the researchers performed a virtual pilot test on facebook among 30 lpts, selected via convenience and snowball sampling. consequently, we proceeded to the final survey after we received a signal from our statistician. design and procedures we employed quantitative and descriptive-correlational research designs to determine the relationship between social support, expectancy, and licensure examination success among licensed professional teachers (lpts). the descriptive-correlational research design tests relationships between our independent and dependent variables (fitzgerald et al., 2004), allowing us to gather precise and objective numerical and statistical analyses to support or refute our hypotheses (campbell, 2014). furthermore, we utilized frequency and percentage to determine the lpts’ profile according to their let rating classification. we also used mean and standard deviation to ascertain their level of social support and expectancy and how these two influenced their let rating. since the variables are ordinal levels of measurement (national university, 2024), we utilized the spearman correlation coefficient as well to identify if our variable increases when the other variable does (mcdonald, 2024). this characteristic became an invaluable tool for our study, as we aim to examine the significant relationship between social support and expectancy in licensure examination success. with spearman, we measured the strength and direction of monotonic relationships of our nominal data. finally, we utilized multiple regression to determine which among social support and expectancy predict licensure examination success rating. for data collection, we utilized google forms as our chosen technology and tool to survey respondents located outside the university. we presumed that our lpt respondents had their respective errands and the tool accommodated their unavailability for physical surveying and our objective to gather data concerning their social support and expectancy. we followed the proceeding steps in gathering the data. we sought permission first to survey respondents outside the university and gather data virtually. upon receiving the necessary approvals, we then requested a list of graduates and let passers from 2019 to 2023. subsequently, we approached each lpt on facebook and asked their permission to participate in our study. after obtaining their consent, we commenced the administration of our research materials by sharing our google forms link with the respondents. when the data collection phase was completed, we verified the identity of our respondents by confirming their names on the list. since recent lpts were considered, we diligently checked their facebook profiles if they met the criteria. as a vital precautionary measure, we ensured that storage for the answered google forms was backed up to prevent any potential data loss. as an adherence to the republic act of 2012 and the data privacy act of 2012, we stored the documents in a single document folder, securing their responses for confidentiality purposes. essentially, we stopped accepting incoming virtual responses and deleted all the communication history on facebook. finally, in the analysis phase, we collaborated with our statistician, who expertly interpreted and expounded the quantitative results, results and discussion lpt’s profile & let rating classification table 1 below shows the profile and let rating classification of the 303 lpts (2019–2023). the descriptions of their let rating are derived from the philippine regulatory commission (prc) ‘s let rating classification. table 1: um lpt’s profile & let rating classification classification frequency percent (%) top performing 266 87.79 better performing 37 12.21 overall 303 100 (n=303) the descriptive statistics revealed that the majority of the lpt respondents (87.79%) produced by the university of mindanao from several let schedules of 2019–2023 are classified as top performing, which means their let rating ranges from 80–100%. following that, 12.21% of the lpts are classified as better performing, which means their let rating ranges from 75–79.99%. level of social support table 2 shows the level of social support received by the licensed professional teachers while preparing for the let. the mean scores of each indicator of the social support variable and their implications are discussed below. pa ge 29 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 24-44, 2024 the overall mean score of this variable is 4.07, with a standard deviation of 0.538. lpts received a high level of social support while preparing for the let, which means their social support is generally observed. the level of support from their friends and/ or classmates and family is very high with means scores of 4.31 and 4.26, respectively. the level of support from their professors, meanwhile, is high, with a mean score of 3.63—the lowest among the three dimensions. nonetheless, their means’ standard deviations mark these results as reliable. garnering a high level, lpts had supportive friends and/ or classmates, family, and professors during their preparation. mohamedhoesein (2020) identified that supportive interactions contribute to students’ feeling in control of their academics and achieving success. moreno-murcia (2021) argues that social support influences students’ motivation for learning, fostering commitment through intrinsic motivation. as tertiary education completers, it is implied that their high social support persisted after graduation and during their let preparation. the mean score for the friends/class dimension is 4.31, with a standard deviation of 0.549, indicating that lpts received a very high level of social support from their friends and/ or classmates. per shanti et al. (2021), support from peers is beneficial in discussing and overcoming academic challenges. it is also influential in one’s learning (furo & kagu, 2020; reang & kaipeng, 2020), academic performance, and achievement (luo et al., 2023; shao & kang, 2022). hence, it is implied that the peer support they received was always observed during their let preparations. secondly, the mean score for the family dimension is 4.26, with a standard deviation of 0.690, indicating that lpts also received a very high level of social support from their family. as stipulated in the studies of turzák et al. (2022) and otero et al. (2020), having more real interactions with parents shows higher competency levels. additionally, alanoğlu (2022) and villarreal soto et al. (2020) realized a link between family support and students’ learning attitudes. hence, it is implied that the family support they received was always observed during their let preparations. thirdly, the mean score for the dimension professors is 3.63, with a standard deviation of 0.840, indicating that lpts received a high level of social support from their professors. professors provide higher instructional support and student achievement in various subjects (carrell & kurlaender, 2023; zhou & wu, 2023; andzik et al., 2022; collie et al., 2021; ayllón et al., 2019; tian et al., 2019). their support, based on the studies by tomás et al. (2022) and auletto (2021), boosts students’ academic satisfaction and commitment. moreover, klasnić et al. (2021) obtained that this support has an impact on their academic success and growth— emotionally, socially, and morally. this implies that the respondents received general support from their professors during their let preparations. level of expectancy table 3 shows the level of expectancy of the licensed professional teachers while preparing for the let according to its dimensions: positive affect (pa), fighting spirit (fs), and negative affect (na). the mean scores of each indicator of the variable and their implications are discussed below. the overall mean score for the expectancy variable is 3.51, with a standard deviation of 0.270. lpts had a high level of expectancy while preparing for the let, which means their expectancy is generally observed. their expectancy levels in terms of positive affect and fighting spirit are high with mean scores of 3.45 and 4.14, respectively. their negative affect, on the one hand, is moderate with a mean score of 2.93—the lowest among the three dimensions. furthermore, their means’ standard deviations rate these results as reliable. table 2: social support level received by um lpts dimensions mean sd description friends/class 4.31 0.549 very high family 4.26 0.690 very high professors 3.63 0.840 high overall 4.07 0.538 high (n=303) table 3: expectancy level of um lpts dimensions mean sd description pa 3.45 0.337 high fs 4.14 0.454 high na 2.93 0.612 moderate overall 3.51 0.270 high (n=303) pa ge 30 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 24-44, 2024 the mean score of the fighting spirit (fs) dimension is 4.14 with a standard deviation of 0.454, indicating that lpts had a high level of fighting spirit during their let preparation. similar to fs, deb and arora, (2012) cited that students with better academic performance are highly resilient. in their studies, high aq has been linked as well to higher levels of achievement (octavianti, 2016) and academic performance (kuhon, 2020; espaňola, 2016). additionally, susanti et al. (2018) discovered its significant influence on career readiness. hence, it is implied that the respondents’ fighting spirit, resiliency, or adversity was generally observed during their let preparations. the mean score of positive affect (pa) or optimism dimension is 3.45 with a standard deviation of 0.337, indicating that lpts had a high level of positive affect while preparing for the let. optimism creates positive expectations for what is going to happen and anticipates positive outcomes (peters et al., 2016; scheier & carver, 1985). for charles (2021), tsivilskaya (2016), and shahid (2013), a high positive affect prevents depressive symptoms and provides one with a positive perception of life, a sense of purpose, and a belief in one’s ability to succeed). it can also lead to increased academic achievement, dropout rates reduction, better student engagement and lower perceptions of academic stress (horner, 2019; shahid, 2013; tan & tan, 2013). furthermore, binayao and zita (2020) discovered that optimism is one of the keys that helped successful examinees and graduates of the university of southeastern philippines or usep. hence, it is implied that the respondents’ positive affect or optimism was generally observed during their let preparations. the mean score of the negative affect (na) or pessimism dimension is 2.93, with a standard deviation of 0.612, indicating that lpts had a moderate pessimism level while preparing for the let. those with high levels of pessimism inhibit feelings such as fear and hopelessness (trinidad et al., 2020); jovančević and milićević (2020) seconded this with fear. hazarika (2021) warns that pessimism can lead to stress and influence mental health, physical well-being, and academic success. ferradas et al. (2020) ascertained a partial mediation between pessimism and attitudes toward learning and performance. furthermore, kurniati and fakhruddin (2018) exposed that negative expectancy disfavors success in mathematics. since the respondents’ negative affect is moderate, it is implied that, sometimes, they inhibit pessimism during their let preparations. correlation between social support and let success rating table 4 below shows the correlation between social support and its dimensions and let rating. the dimensions include support from friends and/ or classmates, family, and professors. table 4: correlations between social support and let success rating social support let rating р friends and/or classmates 0.124 0.031 family 0.009 0.869 professors -0.018 0.759 overall 0.043 0.445 spearman’s rho analysis revealed that social support and let ratings obtained an rs-value of 0.043, which implies that both have a very weak positive correlation. in addition, the two variables have a p-value of 0.455. the table shows that the relationship between social support and let rating is positive but very weak and negligible. although gautam and sharma (2022) realized that social support is a coping mechanism for stress and a performance booster, and donaire et al. (2023) considered it as a test-anxiety regulator—it does not necessarily correlate with let success. furthermore, this statistical result confirms rotheram-fuller et al.’s (2022) study among elementary pupils: there is no relationship between social variables and standardized test scores. the findings revealed similar significance in the relationships between two dimensions of social support and let rating below. firstly, the friends and/ classmates dimension and let rating garnered an rs-value of 0.124, which implies that lpts’ support from their friends and classmates has a moderate positive relationship with their let rating. additionally, both variables attained a p-value of 0.031, which signifies a moderate significance. peer relationships were determined significant in academic factors such as (1) cognitive and performance outcomes (wentzel et al., 2018); (2) learning engagements (shao & kang, 2022); (3) graduation rates, college gpa (bronkema & browman, 2019); and (4) academic attainment (luo et al., 2023; furo & kagu, 2020; reang & kaipeng, 2020). this study aligns with gomes’ (2019) and chan and lam’s (2014) findings that peers facilitate examination scores and performance as the friends and/or classmates dimension and let success rating have a moderate positive correlation. secondly, family and let rating gained an rs-value of 0.009, which means that lpts’ support from their family has a very weak positive correlation on their let rating. also, both variables earned a p-value of 0.869, which signifies a very weak significance. family factors, according to cisneros-elias (2022), increased students’ belongingness and academic performance. li et al. (2022) exposed that it decreases the procrastination of nursing students. this study refutes borekci and uyangor’s (2018) claim that there is a positive correlation between achievement scores and family attitudes. moreover, albina et al. (2021), binayao and dales (2020), and caranguian pa ge 31 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 24-44, 2024 (2020) may have classified family aspects as influential to the licensure examination success of criminology and education graduates; however, this quantitative study revealed their very weak positive relationship on licensure examination for teachers. lastly, the professor dimension and let rating achieved an rs-value of -0.018, which conveys that the support of the lpts from their professors has a negative and very weak relationship with their let rating. then, both variables received a p-value of 0.759, which denotes a very weak significance. student-teacher relationships, as discovered by bai et al. (2022), have relationships with self-esteem, self-efficacy, academic performance, extracurricular activity participation, and personal well-being; additionally, saputra and palupi (2020) unearthed its relationships as well with peer pressure, academic achievement, and the psychological well-being of graduating students. this study disagrees with cahapay and toquero’s (2022) and cowan et al.’s (2020) findings that professor support is significant in exams as the professor dimension is negatively and negligibly correlated with um lpts’ let rating. correlation between social support’s dimensions table 5 below shows the correlation between social support dimensions with each other. the dimensions are friends and/or classmates, family, and professors. table 5: correlations between social support’s dimensions dimensions friends/class family friends and/or classmates — — family 0.436 *** — < .001 — professors 0.342 *** 0.401 *** < .001 < .001 * p < .05, ** p < .01, *** p < .001 interestingly, social support indicators are correlated with each other. these relationships are statistically very strong should this be the center of the investigation. friends and/or classmates and family dimensions have a positive and strong correlation (rs = 0.436), with a statistical significance of p = <.001. matlin et al. (2011) indicated that increased family support and peer support are associated with decreased suicidality; peer support and community connectedness mediated the relationship between symptoms of depression and suicidality. for fino et al. (2021), parental support was significantly related to college students’ cognitive and affective well-being. saeed et al. (2023) unveiled that support from peers and family has indirect effects on academic achievement. thus, this study realized that um lpts’ support from their friends and/ or classmates and family support during their let preparation have a strong correlation. conversely, friends and/or classmates and professor dimensions have a moderate positive correlation (rs = 0.342), with a statistical significance of p = <.001. forster et al. (2020) shared that support from peers and teachers can promote positive outcomes, including those living in stressful family conditions. balila et al. (2021) seconded this as they disclosed that teacher support fully mediates the influence of students’ extracurricular activities participation and the their “perceived lifelong learning skills”. furthermore, luan et al. (2020) ascertained that support from peers and teachers, alongside students’ cognitive, emotional, and social engagement, is moderated by behavioral engagement. thus, this study sighted a moderate positive correlation between peer and professor support that the um lpts received while preparing for the let. family and professors have a positive and strong correlation (rs = 0.401), with a statistical significance of p = <.001. hellfeldt et al. (2019) unearthed that the support coming from family and support from teachers are mediators between cyberbullying and psychological well-being. their support reduces depressive and anxiety symptoms as well. pajarianto et al. (2020) ascertained that support from teachers and parents is positively correlated to academic stress amid the covid-19 pandemic. thus, this study noticed a strong positive correlation between um lpts’ family and professor support during their let preparation. family and professors have a positive and strong correlation (rs = 0.401), with a statistical significance of p = <.001. hellfeldt et al. (2019) unearthed that the support coming from family and support from teachers are mediators between cyberbullying and psychological well-being. their support reduces depressive and anxiety symptoms as well. pajarianto et al. (2020) ascertained that support from teachers and parents is positively correlated to academic stress amid the covid-19 pandemic. thus, this study noticed a strong positive correlation between um lpts’ family and professor support during their let preparation. correlation between expectancy and let success rating table 6 shows the correlation between expectancy and its dimensions and let rating. the correlation of each dimension, positive affect/optimism, fighting spirit, and negative affect/pessimism, to let success rating is discussed below. the spearman’s rho analysis unveiled that expectancy and let rating garnered an rs-value of 0.044, which pa ge 32 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 24-44, 2024 table 6: correlations between expectancy and let success rating expectancy let rating p positive affect -0.005 0.925 fighting spirit 0.028 0.629 negative affect 0.032 0.572 overall 0.044 0.446 implies that both have a very weak positive correlation. in addition, the two variables have a p-value of 0.446. the table shows that the relationship between expectancy and its dimensions towards the let rating is positive but very weak. moreover, the variables’ indicators shared uniform significance towards let rating. this finding negates the collective findings of expectancy and adaptability towards examinations. firstly, positive affect (pa) or optimism and let rating gained an r-value of -0.005, which implies that lpts’ optimist mindset has a very weak negative relationship with their let rating. additionally, both variables obtained a p-value of 0.925, which signifies a very weak significance. researchers uncovered that this dimension is linked with (1) academic achievement (ramli et al., 2023; amalu & dein, 2022; ateş & ünal, 2021; horner et al., 2019; tetzner & becker, 2018); (2) better gpas (rogaten, 2013); (3) adaptive behavior’s, personal development, dropout prevention, and school satisfaction (usan et al., 2022); (4) athletic performance (ortin-montero, 2018); (5) test anxiety regulation, self-esteem, and life satisfaction (çikrıkci et al., 2019); (6) reducing anxiety (bagana et al., 2011); (7) anxiety management (binayao & dales, 2020); and work performance and job satisfaction (mishra et al., 2016). nonetheless, this study uncovered otherwise. furthermore, it refutes the claim of lewis (2016) and rogaten (2013) that students with higher optimism can score higher and perform better on exams -including the local qualitative studies of binayao and dales (2020) and albite (2019) regarding optimism’s significance in let rating and success-as um lpts’ optimism and let success rating have a very weak negative relationship. secondly, fighting spirit (fs) and let rating attained an rs-value of 0.028, which implies that lpts’ ‘fighting spirit’ has a very weak positive relationship with their let rating. additionally, both variables obtained a p-value of 0.629, which signifies a very weak significance. susanti et al. (2018) learned that fighting spirit is significant on students’ career readiness; lumbo et al. (2023), cowan et al. (2020), and moneva and tribunalo (2020) discovered it as a predictor and has a correlation with examinations. however, the result of this study says otherwise, as the fighting spirit dimension and the let rating have a very weak positive relationship. lastly, negative affect (na) or pessimism and let rating garnered an rs-value of 0.032, which implies that lpts’ pessimist mindset has a very weak positive relationship. additionally, both variables attained a p-value of 0.572, which signifies a very weak significance. pessimism was associated with (1) learning performance (ferradas et al., 2020); (2) failure in mathematics (kurniati & fahkruddin, 2018); (3) high levels of fear (jovančević & milićević, 2020); (4) low scores in exams (jerrim, 2022); (5) worse examination grades and gpa (rogaten et al., 2013); and (5) negative test performance (chin et al., 2015). nevertheless, pessimism and let success rating are positively associated, but negligibly correlated. correlation between expectancy’s dimensions table 7 below shows the correlation between expectancy’s dimensions to each other. the dimensions are positive affect/optimism, fighting spirit, and negative affect/ pessimism. interestingly, their relationship ranges from strong to very strong should this be the subject of the investigation positive affect and fighting spirit have a moderate positive correlation (rs = 0.378), with a statistical significance of p = <.001. bidve et al. (2022) discovered that through optimism, one becomes resilient. maheshwari and jutta (2020) revealed that the two share a positive relationship. among secondary students, rahayu and ad (2023), as well as setyadi and seotjiningsih (2022), unearthed that optimism also has a positive and significant relationship table 7: correlations between expectancy’s dimensions dimensions pa fs positive affect — — fighting spirit 0.378 *** — < .001 — negative affect -0.155 *** -0.150 *** 0.007 0 .009 * p < .05, ** p < .01, *** p < .001 pa ge 33 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 24-44, 2024 with adversity. thus, this study agrees with the literature above; it determined that while preparing for the let, um lpts’ positive affect or optimism and fighting spirit have a moderate positive relationship. positive affect and negative affect, meanwhile, have a very weak negative correlation (rs = -0.155), with a statistical significance of p = 0.007. optimism was learned to predict a decrease in negative affect (rand et al., 2020). some studies analyzed negative affect such as perceived stress and psychological distress. regarding the former, joshi and joshi (2021), together with rajan and babu (2021), disclosed that positive affect and negative affect, or optimism and pessimism, are negatively correlated. for the latter, rodiyah (2021) identified that the optimism and psychological stress of college freshmen students amid the covid-19 pandemic are negatively correlated. hence, this study shared similar findings as um lpts’ optimism and pessimism, which have a strong negative relationship. likewise, fighting spirit and negative affect or pessimism have a very weak negative correlation (rs = -0.150), with a statistical significance of p = 0.009. fuentes and medina (2012) ascertained that resilient students are less pessimistic. female ones had greater pessimism. they observed that resiliency and pessimism are negatively related. shaheen et al. (2023) complemented the findings above. they unveiled that those who are highly resilient have jobs, are optimistic, and are fearless amid the covid-19 pandemic. like fuentes and medina (2012), feng (2023) discerned that resilience and negative affect are negatively correlated. furthermore, this study harmonizes with the aforementioned findings as um lpts’ fighting spirit and negative affect amid their let preparation have a strong negative relationship. social support as predictor of let success rating table 8 below shows the standardized, unstandardized, t value, and significance level of social support and its dimensions as predictors of let rating. the dimensions are friends and/or classmates, family, and professors. multiple regression analysis was performed to determine how social support and its dimensions predict the let rating of the lpts. the analysis revealed that friends and classmates (ß = 0.153) significantly predicted the let rating in a positive direction; family (ß = -0.039) and professors (ß = -0.020) significantly predicted the let rating in a negative direction. each dimension obtained a p-value of 0.019, 0.560, and 0.303, respectively. that table 8: which dimensions of social support predict let rating let rating social support b ß t р friends/class 0.101 0.153 2.367 0.019 family -0.020 -0.039 -0.583 0.560 professors -0.028 -0.066 -1.033 0.303 r 0.138 r2 0.019 f 1.960 p 0.120 means only the friends and/or classmate dimension obtained a statistical significance. the three predictor dimensions explain the let rating at 1.9% (r = 0.138, r2 = 0.019, f = 1.960, and p = 0.120). based on the results of the analyses, friends and/or classmates yield the highest regression coefficient (b = 0.101); while family (b = -0.020) and professors (b = -0.028) have a similar low regression coefficient. hence, the friends and/or classmates dimension emerges as a better predictor than family and professors. additionally, it obtained a p-value of 0.019 which means it has a strong significance level. social support predicted exam scores (sever & tunç, 2020; sulva & sukma, 2020) among early adolescents (shivata, 2022), public secondary students (al-faleh, 2020), and university students in brazil (nunes et al., 2020); this study found otherwise as social support predict let rating by only 1.9%. hence, it is implied that a high social support level while preparing for the let has a positive predictive power but is statistically insignificant in the let success rating. peers are influential to one’s test-taking skills (lee, 2020). yu et al. (2023) unearthed that among elementary and secondary students, peer relationships are closely associated with their scores in mathematics. this study confirms the studies above as the peer support that um lpts received positively and strongly predicted their let rating by 1.9%. hence, it is implied that very high support from friends and/or classmates has a positive predictive power and strong statistical significance in let success rating. family support, as argued by valencia-jimenez et al. (2021), is influential when it comes to obtaining average scores, which rodrigues (2020) confirmed among elementary students in angola. lindberg (2019) revealed that high parental expectations also make students attain high grades and achieve high scores on standardized tests. igbo et al. (2015) shared that familial relationships had a significant impact on math and english test scores. nonetheless, this study refutes the literature claiming that family support is a predictor of test scores as the pa ge 34 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 24-44, 2024 family support that um lpts received negatively and negligibly predicted their let rating. hence, it is implied that a very high level of family support has a negative predictive power and negligible statistical significance in the let success rating. support from professors or teachers is also essential. hill and jones (2017) discovered that teachers’ expectations increased the test scores of students in grades 4–8. together with the schools, deangelis (2021) confirms that they shape learners’ cognitive skills, as evident in their students’ test scores. for delos angeles (2020), professors’ mastery of the subject matter and the quality of content are the strongest predictors of let performance. nonetheless, this study refutes the literature claiming that support from professors predicts test scores as the professors support that um lpts received negative and negligibly predicted their let rating. hence, it is implied that a high level of support from professors has negative predictive power and negligible statistical significance. expectancy as predictor of let success rating table 9 shows the standardized, unstandardized, t-value, and the significance level of expectancy and its dimensions as predictors of let rating. the dimensions are positive affect/optimism, fighting spirit, and negative affect/pessimism. multiple regression analysis was performed as well to determine how expectancy and its dimensions predict the let rating of the lpts. the analysis revealed that positive affect (ß = 0.047) significantly predicted the let rating in a negative direction; fighting spirit (ß = 0.027) and (ß = 0.039) significantly predicted the let rating in a positive direction. each dimension obtained a p-value of 0.457, 0.673, 0.503, respectively. that means table 9: which dimensions of expectancy predict let rating let rating social support b ß t р positive affect -0.051 -0.047 -0.745 0.457 fighting spirit 0.021 0.027 0.423 0.673 negative affect 0.023 0.039 0.671 0.503 r 0.062 r2 0.004 f 0.381 p 0.767 all dimensions of the expectancy variable obtained an insignificant level. the three predictor dimensions explain the let rating at 0.4% (r = 0.062, r2 = 0.004, f = 0.381, and p = 0.767). based on the results of the analyses, positive affect yields the lowest regression coefficient (b = -0.051; both fighting spirit (b = 0.021) and negative affect (b = 0.023) have high regression coefficients. although fighting spirit and negative affect dimensions emerge as the better predictors and predict let rating in a positive direction, they have a very weak significance level. despite lpts’ high level of expectancy during their let preparation, it only positively predicts their let rating by 0.4% with a very weak or negligible significance level. thus, this implies that expectancies—either positive, negative, or fighting spirit—have negative predictive power and negligible statistical significance in the let success rating. majali (2020) sighted positive affect or optimism to be a predictor of exam scores, while khan (2020) learned that it mediates examination anxiety. as attested by lewis (2016), a high positive expectancy, like optimism, was associated with a higher score and better performance on exams when combined with selfefficacy. these complement the local qualitative findings of binayao and dales (2020) regarding upholding positivity and optimism, as they helped let passers and non-passers of usep in regulating their stress and anxiety. furthermore, olvina et al. (2023) revealed that optimism was one of the insights shared by licensure examinees who failed the let. however, this study revealed that despite um lpts’ high levels of positive affect or optimism while preparing for the let, it predicted their let success rating negatively and negligibly. taylor et al. (1989) claimed that over-optimistic perceptions may lead to maladaptive behaviors. an accurate or even less optimistic self-assessment may be more conducive to success. false optimism may lead to complacency, inappropriate preparation, or carelessness for certain events (ochse, 2014), e.g., licensure examinations. hence, this study implies that a very high positive affect has a negative predictive power and negligible statistical significance in let success rating. fighting spirit traits such as resilience, as deb and arora (2012) discovered, is a facilitator to performing better in exams with 120% odds of success. taylor and reyes (2012) detected otherwise, as the correlations between test scores and resilience are weak. lumbo et al. (2023), cowan et al. (2020), and moneva and tribunalo (2020) indicated it as a predictor of and correlated with examinations. nevertheless, this study has shown that despite um lpts’ high level of fighting spirit while preparing for the let, it predicted their let success rating positively but negligibly. hence, this study implies pa ge 35 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 24-44, 2024 that a high fighting spirit has a negative predictive power and negligible statistical significance in the let success rating. theobald et al. (2022) uncovered that negative affect such as test anxiety predict memory-retention challenges during the exam-preparation phase. jerrim (2022) exposed it as a contributor to low exam scores, while kurniati and fakhruddin (2018) discovered pessimism to negatively favour success in mathematics. despite um lpts’ moderate levels of negative affect or pessimism while preparing for the let, it predicted their let success rating of the lpts positively but negligibly. hence, this study implies that a moderate negative affect has a positive predictive power but negligible statistical significance in let success rating. in a nutshell, the majority of the lpts produced by the university of mindanao are top performing. they had high levels of social support and expectancy while preparing for their licensure examinations for teachers. nevertheless, the variables and their indicators have no correlation and negligible statistical significance with the let success rating. social support positively but negligibly predicted the lpts’ let success rating at 1.9%. the friends and/or classmates dimension dominated as a positive predictor with a strong significance level among the dimensions utilized. in addition, expectancy’s fighting spirit and negative affect dimensions positively but negligibly predicted let success rating at 0.4%. the descriptive-correlational and inferential statistics indicate that the non-academic variables as social support and expectancy and their dimensions have very weak importance in increasing the odds of succeeding in the licensure examination for teachers for the 303 licensed professional teachers produced by the university of mindanao from 2019–2023. the social capital theory of coleman (1988) argues that parental obligations and social networks are essential aspects of students’ academic achievement and success, which are testified in several literatures (see sharbatiyan & rohani, 2021; daly et al., 2020; mutawally, 2018; novak et al., 2018; salloum et al., 2017; yang, 2017). this theory highlights the role of social capital in enhancing the teacher-student relationship and improving instruction, but the results have shown that professors’ support negatively predicted the let success rating. this finding is comprehensible as the respondents are outside the university premises after graduation and while preparing for the examination. familial support negatively predicted let’s success as well. hence, this study confirms that the friends and/or classmates dimension is a better significant predictor of success in the licensure examination for teachers than support from family and professors. eccles-parsons et al.’s (1983) modern expectancy-value theory (evt) proposes that one can perform well on tasks attached to four values, namely: attainment or subjectively important, intrinsic or enjoyable, utility or useful, and cost or worthwhile. carver and scheier (1988) consider these desirable values as goals, and action only occurs when goals are valued. they also noted the role of expectancies wherein one engages and continues to be engaged in the goal-directed effort should they have enough confidence. scheier et al. (2001) may have considered these concepts applicable to optimism and pessimism, but the results have shown that expectations such as positive affect or optimism, negative affect, and fighting spirit have very weak predictive power in the licensed lpts’ performance in the task, i.e., licensure examination for teachers, regardless of whether the four values of evt are observed. conclusion the study revealed that um lpts received high levels of social support from friends, classmates, family, and professors during their let preparation, and their expectancy levels, including positive affect, fighting spirit, and negative affect, were also high. despite this, the relationships between social support and let success rating, and expectancy and let success rating, were positive but very weak, which means that there is no significant relationship between these factors and let success. notably, support from friends/classmates strongly correlated with family support, and family support strongly correlated with professor support, though the relationship between friends/classmates and professor support was weaker. similarly, positive affect and fighting spirit were weakly related, and both had a very weak negative relationship with negative affect. while social support and expectancy minimally predicted let success, only support from friends/classmates showed strong significance. under social capital theory, the study confirms that support from friends/classmates slightly predicts let success, but family and professor support do not. under expectancy-value theory, positive affect negatively predicts success in the licensure examination for teachers, whereas fighting spirit and negative affect positively predict success, though to a minimal extent. this study filled the three gaps found. first, it adds knowledge to the literature on the relationship of social support and expectancy in licensure examination success among licensed professional teachers, i.e., their relationship is positive but negligible. this finding is novel as most prior studies utilized academic predictor variables, especially in the local region. previous research unveiled that the social support variable and optimism dimension are predictors of health and wellness. this finding is new, adding insights into the field of education. secondly, this quantitative study filled the methodological gap in local studies about let success. the published local literature utilized qualitative and data mining approaches. finally, this research filled the population gap, targeting education graduates produced by the university of mindanao and the inclusion of secondary education graduates. pa ge 36 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 24-44, 2024 recommendation researchers recommend that future let takers prioritize knowledge content in their preparation, as this unveiled positive, albeit weak, relationships with let success. while these factors are statistically negligible, social support plays a crucial role in regulating stress, boosting performance, and reducing anxiety. familial support, background, relationships, study groups, positivity, and optimism are influential for let takers, with peer support moderately correlating with let success. additionally, the university of mindanao should utilize these findings to maintain its tradition of producing board passers and quality education. the institution should focus on enhancing professor support and reducing negative affect to prevent mental health issues among students. references al-abyadh, m. h., & azeem, h. a. 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(2023). a research on the relationship between teachers’ support and students’ academic achievement in higher vocational colleges. journal of namibian studies, 33(2). https://doi.org/10.59670/ jns.v33i.1146 pa ge 1 pa ge 10 3 american journal of education and technology (ajet) using mobile devices for learning in a teacher training distance education programme: the case of an in-service programme in lesotho m. z. mphunyane1*, m. m. e. ntšohi2 volume 4 issue 1, year 2025 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v4i1.3826 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: september 25, 2024 accepted: october 24, 2024 published: february 14, 2025 the use of technology for teaching and learning has become common over time. the onset of covid-19 in the year 2020 and its impact on education systems, in a few subsequent years, made the situation even dire for schools and institutions that had not explored this approach to teaching and learning for reasons that include autonomy on the part of the educators. the use of mobile devices has even proved to be a necessity, especially for situations where learning must happen on the go, particularly for higher education students who study part-time and are in full-time jobs. this paper reports on students’ perceptions and experiences on the use of mobile devices for learning in one part-time education programme offered through a blended mode of instruction. data were collected using a structured questionnaire that included both close -ended and open-ended items. the quantitative data from the close-ended questions was analysed statistically, while the qualitative data from open-ended questions was thematically analysed. key findings include benefits, challenges and preferences of use of the mobile devices with various tools which include the university learning management system, some google apps and social media for learning. keywords distance education, in-service programme, mobile devices, mobile learning, teacher training 1 science education department, national university of lesotho, p.o. roma, 180, lesotho 2 centre for teaching and learning, national university of lesotho, p.o. roma, 180, lesotho * corresponding author’s e-mail: mzmphunyane@gmail.com introduction research indicates that advancements in the development of technological devices have brought about an increase in the use of technology to enhance teaching and learning (odabas & kahramanoglu, 2023) with approaches to teaching and learning that are hybrid (haleem et al., 2022). research also indicates an increase in the use of online learning to enhance classroom activity with a positive impact on both attitude and performance on the learners (ekanayake & wishart, 2014). the institution reported in this study has a teaching and learning platform based on sakai learning management system (sakai lms). it also has facilities for students to access the internet, while on campus, mostly through wireless connection, although it is not clear whether these facilities are sufficient for the entire students’ population. it is also not clear how distant learners manage their learning, which happens mostly online across the country, including lowlands, foothills and highlands areas, while they are off campus. the prevalence of covid-19 brought with it disruptions in the way teaching and learning activities were traditionally carried out in educational settings (makafane & cheremasupa, 2022; makumane & mpungose, 2022) which also affected even the local teacher training institutions. the in-service bachelor of education (primary) (b.ed. prim) programme at the institution reported in this study, had previously been offered face-to-face in block sessions, and had to shift to a fully distance learning mode and later to a blend of mostly distance learning and a reduced face-to-face on-campus block sessions per year. while use of mobile devices may seem to be relevant and impactful though with differing levels from time to time (odabas & kahramanoglu, 2023), such use has its own merits and challenges, hence the need to study the benefits that may be derived, challenges encountered, and support structures needed for effective use of mobile devices for learning by students in this institution. literature indicates there is need for more studies on the use of mobile devices for learning, in less developed countries of africa, as such studies are predominant in powerhouses such as south africa and nigeria (kaisara & bwalya, 2022). the aim of the study is to investigate how distance education students in one he institution perceive use of mobile devices for teaching and learning and find out the challenges they face in their use of the mobile devices while studying away from campus. this aim is addressed through the following research questions: 1. what are the students’ views about the benefits of using mobile devices for learning? 2. what are the students’ experiences on the use of mobile devices for learning? 3. what university support structures exist for students when they learn both from campus and remotely? literature review distance learning distance education is characterised by students mainly learning on their own and having to organise their own study times and habits. however, these flexible study times may be limited by scheduled virtual meeting times with facilitators and/or discussion sessions with colleagues. this mode of learning requires high levels of discipline from the students for effective learning and success in their studies. distance learning, particularly in-service learning, greatly benefits most students as they have the pa ge 10 4 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 103-109, 2025 opportunity to improve their knowledge and skills as well as their qualification and ultimately their performance at work, without having to resign from their employ. the target group in this research is a selection of students who were initially taught in traditional face-toface sessions in blocks, but later shifted to a blend of distance learning with on-campus face-to-face sessions in the form of blocks. due to the prevalence of covid-19, there had to be a shift in the mode of delivery to a case where the programme was then offered at a distance and fully online. this then brought in more demand on the use of technology, the educational technology, hence putting students on mobile learning. in order to succeed in their studies, students need to attend classes and access study materials and additional information from the internet and from sharing with other students. they need to be able to compile their own notes and be in touch with their peers for communication and collaborative learning activities. they should also be able carry out assessment tasks as given and organised by course facilitators, and submit them for marking. students also need to be able to track their own progress in learning, they should be able to access feedback on assessments (delcker et al., 2016). it is therefore important that students need to be able to use and operate their mobile devices efficiently for effective learning in digital environments. they need to have access to mobile devices that can display information in a manner and quality that enhances their learning. mobile learning and mobile devices different researchers define mobile learning differently. winter (2006) in park (2011) conceptualises mobile learning as “mediated learning through mobile technology” while petrova and li (2009) define mobile learning as “an ubiquitous learning activity occurring through person-to-person communication using a mobile device which is supported by an appropriate mobile technology, user interface and a pedagogical approach”. these definitions highlight the use of mobile devices as a key tool and approach. el-hussein and cronje (2010) emphasise mobility of the tool and the learner and define mobile learning as “any type of learning that takes place in learning environments and spaces that take account of the mobility of technology, mobility of learners, and mobility of learning”. for the three definitions cited here, what is apparent is that the learning happens through use of technological devices that permit students to learn anywhere, and at any time, as the devices are small enough to be carried around. the most commonly used mobile devices include smartphones, tablets, cell phones and laptops (alioon & delialioglu, 2015). technological attributes and pedagogical affordances of mobile devices there are technological attributes and pedagogical affordances provided by the mobile devices. the attributes include portability, and as ally and tsinakos (2014) put it, “they are always available, always connected, and all are packed with auxiliary features”; they have the ability to support face-to-face communication, and are even getting cheaper. odabas and kahramanoglu (2023) concur by indicating that mobile technologies possess characteristics such as portability and ease of distribution, thus leading to their potential to serve as valuable educational resources. the features that mobile devices have enable learners to engage with authentic contexts through a variety of multimedia elements, including sounds, videos, animations, pictures, and text (odabas & kahramanoglu, 2023). it is because of the characteristic features associated with the mobile devices that the devices have become so appropriate for enhancing communication in educational settings. the very feature of mobility allows communication between course facilitators and students, and amongst students themselves. asynchronous and synchronous learning opportunities may be created quite easily and effectively through use of mobile devices. these technologies become very useful in the search for more information using the internet, for sharing information on platforms such as emails, whatsapp, network chats and discussions, and accessing course learning materials, and other academic communication through institutional learning management systems (lms). these devices, according to rodríguez-arancón et al. (2013), can “offer learning opportunities that are: spontaneous, informal, contextual, portable, ubiquitous, pervasive, and personal” (kukulska-hulme et al, 2011). students can learn successfully anywhere, while walking along streets, travelling in a bus, carrying out some other activity outside the learning space; they can access information more spontaneously, at their own convenience. the feature of mobility helps students to learn across locations (cross et al., 2019). the devices have functionalities for producing artefacts, expressing and presenting innovative creations of students’ own making. students can create audio and video clips of events or situations. large computations may be carried out very quickly and accurately using these movable handheld computers. challenges associated with distance learning through mobile devices research indicates that while there are numerous benefits from the use of mobile devices for learning in higher education (sophonhiranrak, 2021), there are also challenges that are associated with such usage. unavailable or failing internet connection (makumane & mpungose, 2022) is found to be one such challenge; students, particularly those in distance education, are usually from all over the physical space, and usually face challenges of internet connectivity, and do not have any connection to wifi. the other challenge involves access to computers; in some cases in-service students may not have much access to computers away from their workspace, and be limited only to their mobile devices, and for some, small pa ge 10 5 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 103-109, 2025 cell phones with very small screens and limited capacity to store downloadable instructional material and other resources. such challenges may also be viewed from the perspective of a digital divide (makumane & mpungose, 2022; makumane et al., 2023) where some students may have devices with capabilities to support their learning while others just have devices which are very basic and cannot do much to support learning. in some instances, students may have to travel long distances to access the internet and thus only be able to read emails at cyber-cafes. another challenge that students may face is the distractive factor of mobile devices. this requires students to possess high levels of discipline, otherwise students may find themselves entertaining social conversations during times that they allocated to study. because students know they are not in face-to-face contact with course facilitators, they may choose not to participate in online lesson discussions (cross et al., 2019). lack of competence and confidence in the use of technologies, including mobile devices, to their maximum potential (mafa & govender, 2023) may lead students to getting lost in their digital learning spaces, wherein they may not be able to move swiftly between the interfaces or windows, thus a lot of study time may end up not being used efficiently. phillip (2017) indicates that while technology would have been developed in idealized conditions of smooth use of devices and running of software, the reality in the classrooms is far different from what happens in the real world. conceptual framework the conceptual framework used was guided by the characteristics (ozdamli, 2011; mehdipour, 2013) and challenges (bidin, 2013; elias, 2011) described below, which are associated with the use of mobile devices to support learning. characteristic features of mobile devices include the following: ● high portability and availability of the devices which allows use anywhere and whenever; ● individual use allowing use by one user at a time; ● unobstructive use means that technology can be used without it being overly noticeable; ● use for communication, interaction and collaboration. challenges associated with use of mobile devices for learning relate to variability, connectivity and battery life. variability of the devices may pose challenges on access to instructional materials as some devices may not have capacity to accommodate large-sized files (documents, videos or audio files). furthermore, the issues of connectivity are related to expense in terms of purchase of data for connecting to networks, and how available is such a network considering the topography of the country. lastly, battery life may waste away at a rate dependent on activities students work on using the device, be it educational or private. materials and methodology the study followed a combination of quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis methods. data was collected through a survey using a questionnaire comprising closed ended and open-ended questions/ statements. the target group comprised students from all four study levels of the b.ed.prim programme of the faculty of education. the questionnaire was administered through google forms. this questionnaire was adapted from the resource technology-enabled learning implementation handbook (kirkwood & price, 2016). one hundred and three (103) participants out of 372 responded to the questionnaire. the questionnaire had statements on students’ experiences and views in using mobile devices for learning, the possible challenges of use of the mobile devices and information about university infrastructure that could relate to the use of mobile devices such as internet connectivity. statistical methods (descriptive statistics) were used to analyse data from the close-ended statements while thematic approach was used to analyse data from the open-ended statements. results and discussion participants’ general information the participants came from all years of study, years 1 up to 4. there were almost twice as many female participants as males (67 to 34), while two participants did not indicate their gender. the ages of participants ranged from 26 to over 41 years, while the majority (46.6%) was in the age group 36-40. the majority of participants came from either highlands (41.7%) or lowlands (39.8%), and only 19% came from the foothills of the country. table 1 represents the distribution of participants per category. table 1: distribution of participants per category of the given attributes attribute year of study age gender school location c at eg or y ye ar 1 ye ar 2 ye ar 3 ye ar 4 26 30 31 -3 5 36 40 ≥ 4 1 n o re sp on se fe m al e m al e pr ef er no tto sa y fo ot hi lls hi gh la nd s lo w la nd s frequency 26 31 13 33 7 27 48 21 1 67 34 1 19 43 41 percentage 25.2 30.1 12.6 32.0 6.8 26.2 46.6 20.4 1.0 65.0 33.0 1.0 18.4 41.7 39.8 pa ge 10 6 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 103-109, 2025 devices used by students among the devices used by the participants, the smartphones were most popular (94.2%), while the table 2: the devices used by the participants for studying in their programme (bedprim) frequency percent valid percent cumulative percent desktop computer 2 1.9 1.9 1.9 laptop 3 2.9 2.9 4.9 smartphone 97 94.2 94.2 99.0 tablet (or ipad) 1 1.0 1.0 100.0 total 103 100.0 100.0 desktop computers, laptops and tablets were each used by less than 3% of the participants. benefits of using mobile devices for learning most of the participants either agreed or strongly agreed to the usefulness of mobile devices for learning either on campus or off campus. several benefits were pointed out by the participants. the majority indicated they use their mobile devices to communicate with lecturers or classmates. they also indicated they can access study materials, and join discussion groups with mobile devices. they use mobile devices to download or to access audio/ video materials for lessons they missed or for lessons they attended, where the intention would be to use these materials to revise the content learnt. several studies attest to these findings by pointing to some benefits that include breaking barriers in learning, providing hybrid approach to teaching and learning, and communicating with students and assessing them in real time, as just a few of the benefits (haleem et al., 2022). experiences on use of mobile devices students’ experiences on use of mobile devices reported here involve access to the devices and the internet, platforms used for learning (messaging tools, social media tools and lms), and their competencies in use of mobile devices with various tools for learning. challenges associated with use of the devices and support structures for learning are also reported. access to devices and the internet of the four devices, desktop, laptop, tablet, smartphone, the smartphone appeared to be the most popular (n=88; 85.4%) device owned by the participants. table 3: access to devices b1. do you own any of these devices? [smartphone] value no response 7 no 2 no, and i do not plan to buy one before i complete my studies 1 no, but i plan to buy one before i complete my studies 5 yes 88 total 103 a large number of participants (95.1%) claimed they mostly use smartphones for learning in their programme. most participants (97.1%) also use this device to access the internet. the majority of the participants (86.4%) indicated they used the internet daily, while slightly over half of the participants (61.2%) claimed they did not have a connection to wi-fi while on campus. platforms used for learning the students indicated they have used meetings or conferences platforms that include microsoft teams, google meet, zoom and whatsapp group call, with whatsapp group calls as the most used. other platforms included facebook, google scholar, youtube. the tools accessed, though not very frequently, on the institution’s lms included announcements, resources, assignments, tests and quizzes, chat room, forums, gradebook and lessons tools. the participants rated themselves as either ‘poor’ or ‘fair’ in knowledge of use of these tools indicating likelihood that these tools may not be used effectively for learning. competencies on use of mobile devices for learning a slight majority of participants rated themselves from poor to fair to neutral in the following aspects of use of the institution’s lms tools: accessing the lms, downloading materials from the lms, uploading materials into the lms, using lms to discuss and submitting assignments through the lms. slightly more than half also indicated they could use word, email and search the internet on their mobile devices to either a small extent, or satisfactorily. slightly less than half (44.7%) of the participants indicated they had a challenge working with powerpoint and excel. the challenges encountered in using mobile devices for learning most of the participants indicated they accessed the internet from home, and about two-thirds indicated they did not access wi-fi when they were on campus. the other common challenges according to participants included expenses on data. “network is a massive challenge because i access it on the mountain [sic] and the means of charging the phone is also a challenge because i use solar panels to charge”. pa ge 10 7 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 103-109, 2025 [location: highlands] although the main service providers have made efforts to make network connection accessible throughout the country, there are still some areas where the connection still fails, especially on days with bad weather. “in bad weather conditions like clouds, rain and snowfall, l do not have access to use my phone because i am living in rural areas where we use solar for charging phone. so, when there is no sun i do not charge my phone. on other days [there is] no vcl [vodacom lesotho] network”. [location: highlands] electricity connection to some villages is still a challenge according to some students. they indicated it is difficult for them to charge their devices. some depend on the solar system to charge devices. “charging mobile phones is a problem where there’s no electricity” [location: foothills]. the size of the device was reported a challenge when writing an assignment. this refers to the size of the screen and the keypads for typing. “typing is a big challenge and writing tests”. this therefore means using these devices for written work by the students becomes a challenge particularly timed work such as writing assignments and tests. support structures to enhance students’ learning there was generally minimal support from lecturers on use of devices. a few cases included: “he showed us how to use google meet” “they usually give us more time to submit especially during bad weather”. on the question of support by the institution, slightly more than half (n=59) of the participants indicated that no support had been provided. some participants expressed the support given in the following way “it [the institution] once train[ed] first year students many years ago” “[we were] once offer[ed] it people to guide us”. participants suggested ways of support that could benefit effective use of mobile devices for learning. these include preferred teaching approaches; resources lecturers can use and the need for students to be trained on applications they are expected to use. “if google meet or zoom are used it should be recorded by a lecturer so that in case of unavailable network or closure of mobile phone due to shut down of a battery in some area a student could listen to missed classes”. some participants mentioned they need support with data for internet connection. “be helped with data like full-time students”. the participants suggested training students on manipulating their devices. “orientate b.ed.-primary students to usage of mobile devices, i mean applications that are used, how to use them, how to download them”. this refers to training that could be provided by the institution at various levels as support on how to obtain and use some of the software for learning purposes. discussion various authors have documented the benefits of using mobile devices for learning (cross et al., 2019; kearney & maher, 2019). a study carried out in croatia (kljunić & vukovac, 2015) indicates more use of m-learning activities on smartphones compared to tablets, which is a finding confirmed by the current study, though carried out in a different country and context. the participants in the current study either agreed or strongly agreed to the usefulness of various technology tools which include those that enable access to study materials and discussions through mobile devices. many participants indicated they have access to mobile devices and the internet almost daily through mobile devices. the case of access for the participants differs from the one reported for secondary school learners by makumane and mpungose (2022) where the digital divide among the learners in their study appeared to be prevalent. the two situations differ for reasons that include an obvious one that participants in the current study were working inservice teachers, access was mostly through personal devices whether they were off campus, at their workplaces or homes or on campus when they attended face-to-face classes. however, philip (2017) points to a possible challenge with the expectations that students buy their own up-to-date and compatible devices for learning as this requires a serious budget for many students. the reason being that not every device may be suitable in terms of functions required for use in elearning; one example being small screen devices (hinze et al., 2023). participants indicated they used a variety of platforms that include institutional lms, google scholar, facebook, and whatsapp on their mobile devices for learning. research has shown benefits of these platforms which include promotion of distance learning through creating and managing groups by using the tools such as the social learning platforms (haleem et al, 2022). while participants indicated they use the institution’s lms on their mobile devices for learning, the majority indicated they use the following tools, available in the university lms, even though not very frequently. these tools are announcements, resources, assignments, tests and quizzes, chat room, forums, gradebook and lessons tools. the participants rated themselves from poor to fair on use of mobile devices for learning and this indicates they need support in this area. the key support the students reported they needed is training on use of the devices including various features and applications of the various mobile devices. lecturers could also provide part of support in use of the devices, although this is still a tricky area for some lecturers as they still have to develop their own competencies and confidence with the use of particularly the mobile devices, adopting them for effective pedagogical approaches (kearney & maher, 2019) especially for distance learning. the needed support may also include frequent deployment of features possessed by the devices, by engaging students with learning materials that require use of mobile pa ge 10 8 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 103-109, 2025 devices. examples include resources such as audio clips and videos created from various learning materials. shuja et al. (2019) argue that mobile learning is in demand to provide flexible learning that is discussion-oriented to the learners. students can also be supported through provision of reliable means of access to internet, such as wifi at convenient places while on campus. this would enable reliable connection to the online platforms and websites for seamless learning. to achieve this the institution may negotiate reasonable data rates with the local service providers for access to internet connection both on campus and off campus. conclusion this study has established that while mobile devices are beneficial for learning, especially for students who learn mostly from a distance, their usage has some challenges. the perceptions and experiences of the participants indicate varied use of mobile devices with different technological resources, which include institutional lms, some google applications, and social media platforms. students’ support on aspects which include basic use of devices, means of connecting to the internet are key to effective usage of the devices for learning. one of the highlights is the need for further probing into the approaches used by the lecturers to have their students use their mobile devices with the tools mentioned for learning and how they may work around keeping their students motivated and interested to use their devices amidst challenges pointed out by this study. references alioon, y., & delialioglu, o. 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(2019). effect of m-learning on students’ academic performance mediated by facilitation discourse and flexibility. knowledge management & e-learning: an international journal, 11(2), 158–200. https://doi. org/10.34105/j.kmel.2019.11.009 pa ge 1 pa ge 80 american journal of education and technology (ajet) assessing the impact of hearing assistive technologies on the academic progress of learners with hearing loss in primary schools in malawi: a case of lilongwe rural east makarios kizito chimowa1*, gerald nkowani2, elarton sapala2 volume 3 issue 3, year 2024 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v3i3.2731 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: july 20, 2024 accepted: august 24, 2024 published: august 29, 2024 many parents from rural communities nowadays are faced with many challenges in terms of their children’s education. one of the challenges is hearing problems. it is difficult for a rural impoverished parent or guardian to think of treatment for their children when such services are rarely heard of. many children have great dreams for the future but if one has a challenge of hearing, such dreams cannot be realized. this is where assistive technologies have to come in to aid such school-going children. the study aimed to assess the impact of assistive technology on the academic progress of learners with hearing loss in rural primary schools in malawi: a case of lilongwe rural east. the study adopted a qualitative research approach with a target population of 65 who were screened by african bible college clinic, comprising 10 learners with hearing impairment in four (4) primary schools from lilongwe rural east and four (4) teachers and ten (10) parents. a sample size of 18 was determined. purposive and stratified random sampling techniques were utilized to determine respondents. from the sample size of 18, all 4 teachers were purposively selected to participate in the study with seven (7) learners while the remaining were parents who were picked through stratified random sampling technique. the study established that hearing aids helped in the academic progress of some school-going children with hearing loss. in addition, the study also noted that hearing aids influenced many learners to participate in class activities because they can hear and follow class conversations. it has also been noted that some learners have other disabilities apart from hearing loss which prevent them from performing well. the study proposes frequent early identification and intervention through the provision of hearing aids to develop effective communication. schools should then keep progress records for all learners with hearing aids which are in good condition. the study will be beneficial to the government as policy developers, the school as policy implementers, and the community as people who live with the affected learners. keywords hearing aids, rural primary schools, learners, academic performance, disability, intervention and progress records 1 faculty of education, emmanuel university, p. o. box 30583, lilongwe, malawi 2 department of education foundations, emmanuel university, p. o. box 30583, lilongwe, malawi * corresponding author’s e-mail: k.chimowa@emunimw.com introduction emmanuel university, in partnership with african bible college clinic, annually conducts screening exercises on students in 18 primary schools in lilongwe, malawi, to identify those with hearing loss and help them accordingly. in 2022, the exercise managed to screen 30 learners at mtenthera primary school 2 were fitted with hearing aids, 7 learners at mthandiza primary school and 4 were fitted with hearing aids, 24 learners at mwalawanthonga primary school, and 2 were fitted with hearing aids, 4 learners at chilembwe primary school and 2 were fitted with hearing aids. some learners had their ears cleaned and treated for infections. many children in society especially rural malawi are faced with hearing problems. most of them do not have access to the right treatment due to several reasons. learners without learning difficulties in terms of hearing problems do not have issues that may need hearing equipment or treatment. this means that assessment of academic performance is likely to be better than those with hearing loss or problems. the study would like to assess if learners benefit from hearing aids for their academic success. purpose of the research the main purpose of this paper was to assess the impact of hearing aids on the academic progress of learners with hearing loss in rural primary schools in malawi, a case of lilongwe rural east. there were other specific purposes which intended to: 1. to identify the effects of hearing loss on the academic progress of learners 2. to establish the advantages for learners of using hearing aids in classrooms 3. to find out the academic achievement of learners before starting to use assistive hearing technology 4. to establish the impact of hearing aids on learners’ academic progress after being provided with hearing aids. research questions the research study was guided by the following research questions: 1. how does hearing loss affect the academic performance and progression of learners? 2. what are the advantages of using hearing aids in the classroom for learners with hearing problems? 3. what are the academic challenges of learners with hearing impairment? 4. what is the impact of hearing aids on learners with hearing impairment? pa ge 81 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 80-87, 2024 significance of the study the study was relevant in that it provided additional knowledge on proper steps that need to be taken before providing any hearing aids as assistive devices to needy learners in this specific area. the study identified hearing loss on the academic progress of learners, established the advantages of using hearing aids in a classroom, and also established the impact of hearing aids on learners with hearing impairment. to stakeholders and the general public in the provision of intervention strategies assistive hearing aids helped to address the plight of students with hearing impairments. it will further open new avenues for further research in the education of students with special educational needs in this field. the study further provided reasons on how hearing loss affects the academic performance of learners, and also how the use of hearing devices can better improve learners’ academic performance in malawi or elsewhere. literature review global view on assistive hearing devices (hearing aids) in recent years, researchers have become increasingly interested in investigating the use of technological devices to enhance the achievement of children with specific learning disabilities in inclusive classrooms (starcic & istenic, 2010; susan, 2009; wood et al., 2017). these studies have demonstrated that assistive technology is a potential aid to promote the educational needs of children with sld, and the integration of technology is important to increase the efficiency of learning among children with learning disabilities (starcic & istenic, 2010 wood et al., 2017). the successful implementation of technologies in the classroom largely depends on the knowledge and attitude of teachers regarding the use of technology in the teaching and learning process (cope & ward, 2002). salamanca’s statement asserts that the general education setting should be regarded as a venue of child development, open to all children regardless of their physical, emotional, and intellectual disabilities (unesco, 1994). the individuals with disability act (idea) in the usa requires that, when a child is identified for special education services, an individual education program (iep) should be developed (idea, 2004). this comes after an individual student has been assessed and identified as having a specific learning disability. the iep prevents marginalization and discrimination of the concerned affected learners. this helps to promote inclusivity. the united nations convention on the rights of persons with disabilities (uncrpd, 2006) emphasizes the rights of people with disabilities to access lifelong learning without discrimination and on an equal basis with others as well as not to be excluded from mainstream education due to their disability. the major goal of education for children with disabilities is to provide the best possible facilities for all children with disabilities in the most appropriate setting to achieve the highest possible level of education in a mainstream setting (felicia et al., 2014; hornby, 2015). however, the learning development of children with learning disabilities in a general education classroom depends on the skillful application of teaching techniques and materials to facilitate the learning of these children (keetam & alkahtani, 2013). it is the responsibility of teachers to evaluate, organize, and come up with an implementing plan for instructional activities for classrooms that have children with disabilities such as hearing impairment. appropriate instructional materials help the affected learners to have a long concentration span in the classroom during lessons. interventions involving assistive and instructional technologies, peer tutoring, cooperative learning, and the teaching of metacognitive strategies have been identified as useful in optimizing the effectiveness of teaching for children with specific learning disabilities (lindeblad et al., 2016). individuals with disability education act (idea), states that any equipment that is used to improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities is considered as assistive technology (at). it may include any software program, or product system that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of people with disabilities (kumar & raja, 2010). selection, acquisition, and use of at are dependent on the evaluation of the specific needs of the child and the adequate level of the professionals, who work with students with learning disabilities (campbell, et.al, 2006). assistive technology allows students with disabilities to increase their accessibility to the curriculum and the quality of the learning experience (alkahtani, 2013). worldwide, the use of listening assistive technology extends beyond making the devices easily available to skilled audiologists and technicians to check hearing levels and assure the performance of the listening equipment (zirzor, 2019; wagner-skinner, 2018; the american speech-language and hearing association [asha], 2016). the availability of training and instruction enlightens the students and teachers on how to use these gadgets, and also ensures their full exploitation and use (zirzor, 2019; wagnerskinner, 2018). african perspective africa still faces a lot of challenges when it comes to development when it comes to listening assistive technology. listening assistive technologies are devices and equipment that amplify, control, and supply sound to improve a person’s hearing capability, especially when there is background noise (hermawati & pieri, 2019), individuals with disability education act [idea], 2004; national institute on deafness and others communication disorders [nidcd], 2021; masayi, 2020). assistive technology is defined as any artefact that is used to improve the functional capabilities, quality of life, autonomy and social inclusion of people with disabilities and these artefacts can be anything from cardboard communication cards to computer software (atia n.d.). assistive technological devices have the pa ge 82 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 80-87, 2024 capability to regulate sound quality through reduction of background noise. the severity of the condition determines the type of assistive listening equipment used (hermawati & pieri, 2019). school-going children with hearing loss have several learning challenges. it has a detrimental influence on the child’s language and literacy development, social and emotional development, engagement in frivolous activities, and academic success range; international journal of professional practice (ijpp) vol. 10 issue no. 3, 2022 106 murithi, mwirichia and gichohi (idea, 2004; wagner-skinner, 2018). this was effectively demonstrated by the findings of wagerskinner (2018), who observed that learners with hearing loss were unable to participate in activities that their peers did. according to mcnicholl et al. (2019), mwantimwa (2021) and plan internationally (2021), the benefits of assistive technology include increased communication abilities, social and psychological pleasure, and improved academic achievement. the low adoption of assistive technology in nigeria has been linked to issues such as high cost of obtaining the equipment, and a lack of skilled specialists and teachers to help learners in using the gadgets. furthermore, there was no clear guideline directing the implementation of assistive devices for students in inclusive settings (rohwerder, 2018; tony, 2019). this finding was comparable to that of ngonyani and mnyanyi (2021) in tanzania, who discovered that learners with hearing impairments were offered listening technology, but not in sufficient quantities. in turkana county in kenya, pupils with hearing impairments at st. bernadette school for the deaf perform poorly as the mean scores of the learners in kenya certificate of primary education between the years 2009 and 2013 were 99.9, 100, 133.1, 118.5 and 126.4. these results were far below the average 250 marks needed for entry into secondary school (mugisa (2017). in uasin gishu county in kenya, pwoka (2016) carried out a study in three schools for learners with hearing impairment and the findings revealed that the learners with hearing impairment in this county lagged behind their hearing counterparts as their mean score was 34.18. similar study was done by muiruri (2015) in kiambu county and findings revealed that 86.7% learners performed below average, 11.7% achieved averagely while only 1.6 of them performed averagely. the quality of performance is affected by the quality of education received by learners with hearing impairment. research carried out in kakamega county by opiyo (2013) revealed that a big difference between the academic performances of st. martin’s school for the hearing impaired and that of regular schools. okutoyi, kochung, kabuka, were & adoyo (2013) further carried out a study in kakamega county and revealed that very few (10%) learners with hearing impairment use hearing aids. it has been reported that people with disabilities face many challenges (indongo & mufune 2015), including those related to social identity and education (groce 2004). ethically, children with disabilities should have the same access to education as those without disabilities (brodin 2010) and, practically, they should have the same access to education to support themselves and to contribute to society in adulthood. the study concerned children with hearing disabilities, which was a significant disability as deafness or partial deafness affected about 5% of the global population in 2018 or about 460 million people, with 34 million of these being children (who 2018). out of these children, almost 9 million were in sub-saharan africa, including namibia (who 2012). learners who are deaf experience challenges such as growing up in a family that is not proficient in sign language (anglin-jaffe 2013; luckner, bruce & ferrell 2016), which is a language with grammatical rules and structure used by the deaf and based on visual signs and gestures. in addition, having to learn from conventional textbooks can be difficult because reading skills are developed subsequent to sign language skills, resulting in decreased reading proficiency (verlinden, zwitserlood & frowein 2005). these challenges have been reported to foster cognitive deficits that have resulted in impaired academic achievement (humphries et al. 2016; luckner et al. 2016). for instance, in a report based on data from 1974 to 2003 states that learners who are deaf and hardof-hearing typically lag behind their hearing peers in academic achievement (qi & mitchell 2012). understanding hearing impairments hearing impairment has been described as the inability to hear below 25 decibels of sound and is categorized as fluctuating or permanent (agyire-tettey et al., 2017). similarly, kodiango and syomwene (2016) refer to hearing impairment as the total loss or slight loss of hearing ability while nordheimer and brandl (2015) describe it as the deafness, dysfunction of the auditory system and hardness of hearing (hardman, drew, & egan, 2005). factors such as disease, accidents, tinnitus condition, heredity, ageing and noise from factories are among the common causes of hearing impairment (kodiango & syomwene, 2016; mpofu & chimhenga, 2013). it covers the entire range of auditory impairments, encompassing both deaf person and the individual with a very mild loss. according to quigley and kretschmer (1998) there are different types of hearing impairments based on where along the auditory path way the hearing loss is sustained. the first is conductive hearing and it affects loudness or intensity linked with speech. the second is sensorineural hearing impairment which affects the frequency, intelligibility, and clarity of the sounds a person can hear. quigley and kretschmer (1998) further categorized the causes of hearing impairment into endogenic and exogenic factors. endogenic factors are a result of some biological cause or process such as hereditary, syndromes, metabolic endocrine disorders and blood incompatibilities. the malawi perspective the malawi government, through the policy investment pa ge 83 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 80-87, 2024 framework, has been working assiduously to provide a suitable enabling environment for people with sne (pif, 2001). the government has further designed the national sne policy that seeks to help persons with sne in every part of the country and has been linked with the national education sector plan (ministry of education science and technology malawi, 2008). there are five special residential schools for learners with hearing impairments in malawi. these include mua school in dedza, embangweni school for the deaf in mzimba, mary view in chiradzulu, mountain view school in thyolo, malawi total communication school (matoco) in blantyre and bandawe in nkhata bay. these special schools are effective because the class size is easily regulated than in general education set ups. regulated classes with a manageable number of learners help to easily manage the attention of learners as well as providing instructions without many challenges. this implies that the regulated small sized classes are advantageous to learners because they will be saved from sound-detecting challenges and it becomes easy for them to win teachers attention. this makes individualised education plans (iep) very easy to implement for teachers because of the small numbers which are manageable unlike in mainstream schools. the 2018 population and housing census of malawi estimated that 1, 734,250 people have disability in malawi. this number represents 11.6% of the total population of the country (malawi population and housing census report, 2018). malawi is a signatory to the united nations convention on the right of persons with disability (crpd) since 27th september, 2007 and enacted the disability act in 2012 (malawi government, 2020). globally, it is estimated that 15% of the seven billion people are disable in some form (agyiretettey et al., 2017; world et al. bank, 2011). among the global disability index, hearing impairment is common (kodiango & syomwene, 2016). world health organization world bank (2011) contends that about 360 million people have a hearing impairment disability globally. global studies have shown that hearing impairment is worst in africa as compared to other parts of the world (agyire-tettey et al., 2017; world health organization, 2012). however, in malawi, albinism is the most common disability and it account for 0.8 (134, 636) of the national population of the country (malawi population and housing census report, 2018). about 24% of the people with disability in malawi are those with hearing impairment (malawi population and housing census report, 2018). in 2005, there were around 60,000 people with disability in malawi (who, 2005). research has shown that hearing impairment has an effect on certain developmental areas of children in their early ages. these areas include speech, intelligence, language, psychological development and educational achievement (kodiango & syomwene, 2016); ndurumo (1993). the most important and respected rights for people with disability in malawi is the right to education. it is to this effect that malawi government has signed global treaties on disability and has instituted several initiatives to support people with disability or learners with special education needs (sne). a good example is the (1948) universal declaration of human rights proclaimed that every child has the right to education regardless of their status. similarly, unesco framework for action on sne and the un standard rules on equal opportunities for disabled people (1993) as well as the education for all (2002) all geared towards providing basic education for all without discrimination (malawi human rights commission, 2003). audiologists advance that children with hearing loss utilize prescribed hearing technology during school hours. thus, children with hearing loss benefit from the use of devices placed into their ears such as cochlea implants, spoken telecommunication training and instructions, as well as social support services (who, 2013). diverse studies conducted have revealed that hearing aids are useful for people with special needs in some ways. hearing aids assist people who are differently abled in a variety of ways; including recognizing discourse and resonances (poss & mann, 2010), as well as managing time (green, houghes, & ryan, 2011). hearing aids are helpful to users as they do not focus on finished products when two or four years of usage is over. it is challenging in a developing country like malawi to have medical doctors who are specialists in audiology. this goes to the factors attached to attaining the qualification which includes financial among others. the expensive equipment for hearing assistive technology is also a hindrance for affected people to have access to the devices. moreover, repairing services for such devices is also a challenge. once a device has been damaged, it is very difficult to find hearing device repairers. methodology study location the study was conducted in lilongwe rural east schools. lilongwe district is the capital city of malawi and is located in the central region of the country. the district is bordered by kasungu to the north, salima to the north east, dedza to the east, mchinji to the west and mozambique to the south respectively. lilongwe district covers an area of 6, 159 sq. km with a population of 2, 626, 901 (population and housing census of malawi, 2018). this study was conducted in 2023. research design the study design was mainly qualitative in nature because it required a comprehensive description of the required information needed. this research was designed for indepth interviews and focus group discussions and the interpretation of the eighteen (18) participants including teachers, parents, and learners was done verbatim. target population the target population of the study consisted of learners with hearing impairment, teachers, and parents pa ge 84 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 80-87, 2024 from mwalawanthonga, chilembwe, mthandiza, and mtenthera primary schools where learners with hearing impairment are currently registered. this population was chosen because they fit the scope of learners with hearing impairment, teachers, and parents dealing with learners with hearing impairment to provide the primary information needed for the study. sample size and sampling technique a total of seven (7) learners with hearing impairment, four (4) head teachers and seven (7) parents were selected. the researchers chose this number because it represents 70% of the persons with hearing impairment present in the four (4) schools as at that time who were screened by the african bible college clinic and were enough to provide detailed information needed for the study. purposive sampling was used in choosing the participants. the researchers choose those learners with hearing impairment who are older and have stayed longer at the primary schools but also teachers who have taught the learners and their parents. the researchers believed that participants with such characteristics were conversant with the situations at the four (4) primary schools and were able to provide rich data about the influence of hearing aids on the academic performance of learners with hearing impairments. the figure below presents the distribution of respondents. 1. to identify the effects of hearing loss on academic performance and class participation of learners 2. to establish the advantages of using hearing aids in classrooms 3. to find out the academic achievement issues of learners with hearing impairment 4. to identify the impact of hearing aids on learners with hearing impairment results and discussion effects of hearing loss on academic performance teachers were asked to give their opinion on how hearing loss imposes challenges on the academic performance of learners. those who participated responded that many children with hearing loss do not communicate with the other learners as well as the teachers effectively. they fail to contribute during group activities as well as respond to questions from the teacher. “they don’t participate in class activities even in group work.” (t1) another teacher had this to say: “the child was always sitting at the back and had difficulties hearing”. (t2) “there was a poor performance from the learner and sometimes could miss some lessons, had problems to capture what the teacher is saying which made the learner absent at times” (t3) in addition, a parent also responded by saying: “samatha kutsatira chinthu ukamuuza (chichewa local language) …. unable to follow instructions when you tell him.” (p1) one of the learners had to say this during the discussion: “i was unable to hear the teacher and could not participate.” (hi l1) advantages of using hearing aids in a classroom the study has revealed that changes have been noticed in learner’s participation in classroom activities after being fitted with hearing aids. teachers reported that learners were able to take part in class activities because they could hear and communicate with others and teachers as evidenced below: “this time the learner can fully participate, answer certain questions, and take part in group activities.” (t2) however some of the learners had different opinions on their experiences after receiving the hearing aids. one learner had this to say: “ndimamva kupweteka kukhutu (chichewa local language), meaning i feel pain in the ears. ndimamva phokoso (chichewa local language)– i hear a lot of noise” (hi l2). academic achievement issues of learners with hearing impairment the study revealed that learners benefited in their academic achievement after being given hearing aids. most of the learners interviewed indicated that the hearing aid assisted them in their academic performance. figure 1: sample size data analysis in this research, data was analyzed using qualitative content analysis. it is a process designed to condense raw data into categories or themes based on valid inference and interpretation. in another instance, content analysis is a research technique for the objective, systematic, and quantitative description of the manifest content of communication,” (berelson, 1952). however, in this research, qualitative content analysis was used. the analysis method was chosen because the sources of data included interviews, open-ended questions, field research notes, conversations, and discussions. the findings were focused on answering the question: assessing the impact of assistive technology on the academic performance of learners with hearing loss in primary schools in malawi: a case of lilongwe rural east. the study was meant to answer the following four specific objectives: pa ge 85 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 80-87, 2024 they were able to hear properly because they were able to respond to questions from the teachers and participate in class activities. for example, one learner had this to say: “ndimatha kutenga mbali poyankha mafunso (chichewa language) – meaning, i can take part in answering questions.” (hi l3) this was supported by the teacher who said: “learners take part by raising a hand to respond to questions from the teacher because he can hear. also gives ideas in group activities.” (t3) this is supported by the findings from progress reports as shown in the tables below. table 1: learners don’t participate in class activities even in group work learner class term eng chichp math ses e/art p/s total l1 6 1 20 25 18 15 20 15 113 6 2 19 30 50 36 20 25 180 6 3 30 40 25 18 25 30 168 l1 7 1 15 30 20 25 30 30 115 7 2 18 46 27 50 30 25 195 7 3 19 53 20 50 33 29 204 table 2: learner can fully participate, answer certain questions, and take part in group activities learner class term eng p/s chich math ses l/s total l2 7 2 58 40 46 35 48 23 250 7 3 62 47 71 42 54 38 314 table 3: learners take part by raising a hand to respond to questions from the teacher because he can hear learner class term eng p/s chich math ses l/s total l 3 6 2 56 51 69 34 57 44 311 6 3 60 61 70 64 61 53 369 table 4: the learner improved in academic performance though had a slight change in mathematics learner class term eng p/s chich math ses l/s total l 4 6 2 40 40 24 51 43 43 241 6 3 46 54 67 50 50 65 332 the table above generally shows that the learner improved in academic achievement though in some areas, performance was not steady. it is clear in standard 7 that the learner improved greatly from 115 total marks in term 1 to 204 total marks in term 3. the learner benefited from the use of a hearing aid. the learner improved in all the learning areas with chichewa subject (chich) being the best of all and life skills being the least. however, the grades show steady progress in academic performance. the learner in the above table shows that the hearing aid assisted in improving academic performance because in all the learning areas there was improvement though there was a slight improvement in chichewa with a margin of 2 marks from the previous score. the learner below improved in academic performance though had a slight change in mathematics where the learner managed to improve by 1 mark. in conclusion, it can be confidently said that the study revealed that if learners with hearing loss are provided with hearing aids, their academic performance improves as shown by the progress reports above from four (4) learners out of the seven (7)’. this is in support of the research study by choudhry, noor, shahid, mukhtar, zahra, and butt, (2021) who concluded that the use of hearing aids supports learning and leads to better grades. the impact of hearing aids on learners with hearing impairment the study revealed that there has been an improvement in student academic achievement than before receiving hearing aids. the evidence from parents indicates that learners can perform better than before. “amachita bwino moti amatha kukhoza nambala 18, 15, or 12 (chichewa language) as opposed to when he had no hearing aid”, meaning that “he can get position 18, 15 or 12 than before receiving the hearing aid” (p2) pa ge 86 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 80-87, 2024 this is in support of the studies conducted by various researchers which confirm that the use of hearing aids improves the academic performance of learners with hearing loss. research has further noted that early intervention and early use of hearing aids are key to the attainment of better grades. limitations of the study one of the limitations was that some learners’ voices were not audible enough to understand what they were talking and required to ask them to repeat. another limitation was the type of assistive devices given to the learners. the research was done on the assumption that the process of identifying the causes of the hearing loss of the students, the diagnosis, and the prescriptions of the type of assistive devices given were properly done by the expert personnel. the other assumption was that the learners were given enough information on how to handle and maintain the devices for effectiveness. conclusion the study attempted to answer the research questions through the objectives by using a qualitative approach. the study used class progress records, face-to-face interviews, and focus group discussions. the main research question for this study was: “assessing the impact of hearing assistive technology on the academic progress of learners of learners with hearing in primary schools in malawi: a case of lilongwe rural east. the findings confirmed that assistive hearing devices positively influence learners’ motivation for consistent class attendance, promoting good academic performance on learners in and outside class. teachers explained that learners’ ability to understand what teachers were teaching them and also participating in different activities increased their social ability. this is because they gained confidence every day they interacted with their classmates and friends. learners’ emotional well-being was also beefed up as they were able to relate well with others without feeling segregated or discriminated against. feedback from all three groups of participants agreed with the fact that assistive devices in hearing for school-going children with hearing challenges help to improve academic participation which enhances good academic progress in terms of results from tests given. assistive hearing devices if not supplied to learners with hearing loss affect academic performance in primary schools. this is because hearing aids according to this study helped in improving communication skills which facilitated the academic performance of learners in class. the study also implied that the orientation of learners, parents, guardians, and household members on how to use hearing aids once donated or bought for use was very important. this is because a lack of knowledge on proper fixing or use led to many such devices getting destroyed untimely. other learners ended up giving their friends who could admire what their friends were wearing and ended up borrowing and misusing the devices out of curiosity. recommendation the research recommends that: 1. a deliberate collaboration between the ministry of education and the ministry of health be signed to cater for such hearing loss in schools. 2. schools should come up with a schedule of inspections where health personnel in the specialized area visit schools to check or review learners with hearing loss and make recommendations for either referral or hearing aids. 3. schools should be organizing seminars or workshops where they invite parents of the affected children, learners, chiefs, and teachers for a sensitization campaign on how to respect, motivate, or help such learners with hearing loss and provide guidance on procedures for reporting to school if the learner has stopped coming to school. 4. concerned learners should be sensitized on the importance of the devices looking at how expensive and rare it is. parents and guardians need to be oriented on how to fix the devices and also how to properly use them especially those with young learners to avoid the devices being destroyed untimely. 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(2009). the effects of assistive technology on students with disabilities. journal of educational technology, 37(4), 419–429. https://doi. org/10.21901et.37.4 pa ge 1 pa ge 76 american journal of education and technology (ajet) the influence of parental involvement on the acquisition of filipino language skills in early childhood education myleen balderas1* volume 4 issue 2, year 2025 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v4i2.4331 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: january 02, 2025 accepted: february 05, 2025 published: april 23, 2025 the study explored parental involvement in children’s filipino language learning. filipino language competence and cultural identity are vital to children’s development, so the study examines parental participation, types of involvement, and issues in helping their children acquire language. in a mixed-methods study, parents were asked about their languagerelated activities, such as speaking filipino, helping with schooling, and using educational materials. parents engage moderately in informal activities like everyday discussions and media consumption but less in systematic language teaching like grammar correction and instructional resources. parents struggle with their children learning filipino due to time, language, and resource constraints. these findings highlight the importance of parents in children’s language development and the therapies and resources to promote parental participation. educational programs can assist families teach filipino to their children, encouraging bilingualism and cultural identity in the philippines by addressing challenges and leveraging parents’ strengths. family engagement in language learning is stressed in this study. keywords bilingualism, cultural identity, educational resources, language development 1 central bicol state university of agriculture, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: myleen13balderas@gmail.com introduction language acquisition is a multifaceted process that profoundly influences children’s cognitive, social, and academic growth (sun, 2023). in multilingual cultures such as the philippines, the acquisition of the filipino language is essential, since it enhances communication and cultivates cultural identification and affiliation (lising & bautista, 2022). nonetheless, despite the significance of filipino language proficiency, numerous children have difficulties in its acquisition, especially in environments where english predominates. this study examines the influence of parental involvement on children’s acquisition of the filipino language, analyzing the many aspects of parental engagement, the forms of involvement, and the obstacles encountered by parents. parental engagement is acknowledged as a vital element in children’s linguistic development (epstein, 2018). studies demonstrate that parental involvement in children’s learning, especially in language acquisition, enhances vocabulary development, fluency, and overall language competency (tamis-lemonda et al., 2004). parents operate as key linguistic models for their offspring, and their engagement can manifest in several ways, including daily dialogues, homework assistance, and involvement in cultural activities. an influential parental involvement can foster a language-rich learning environment, enhancing the skills children develop in educational settings (pasaribu, 2021). the philippine educational system emphasizes the importance of bilingualism, with filipino and english as the official languages. this bilingual context presents unique challenges for children learning filipino, especially if their home environment predominantly uses english or other languages. according to the department of education (deped) in the philippines, children’s proficiency in filipino is essential for their success in academic settings, where instruction is often conducted in both languages (deped, 2018). however, a number of issues, such as their own inadequate filipino proficiency and unfamiliarity with efficient teaching methods, may make many parents feel unprepared to assist their children’s filipino language development. the current literature highlights the significance of parents in offering emotional support and participating in targeted educational methods that facilitate language development. informal activities, like shared reading, storytelling, and discussions about the importance of learning filipino, can enhance children’s language ability (nguyen & phillips, 2022). furthermore, engagement with filipino media, such as television programs and films, has demonstrated the ability to enhance language proficiency by offering children contextual language application and cultural allusions (reusora et al., 2024). notwithstanding these benefits, studies reveal that numerous parents encounter difficulties in these domains, hindering their efficacy as language facilitators. the complexities of parental engagement in language development are diverse. research has identified time constraints, parents’ poor proficiency in the target language, and challenges in obtaining educational resources as substantial obstacles to effective engagement (kelty & wakabayashi, 2020). many parents find that juggling job and family obligations provides scant opportunity for language-related activities, impeding their capacity to assist their children’s learning at home. moreover, the absence of excellent filipino language materials and resources exacerbates their challenges, particularly in a largely english-speaking community. pa ge 77 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 76-83, 2025 this study seeks to elucidate the role of parental participation in the acquisition of the filipino language, highlighting its importance in children’s educational achievements. this research aims to elucidate the essential role of families in language development by analyzing the types of involvement, the frequency of participation in language-related activities, and the obstacles faced by parents, thereby informing educators, policymakers, and community leaders. furthermore, the data will identify areas where interventions can be instituted to better equip parents with essential tools and methods to improve their children’s filipino language proficiency. ultimately, understanding the dynamics of parental engagement in language acquisition might facilitate the development of more successful educational practices and policies, fostering bilingualism and cultural identity in the philippines. this study aims to clarify the intricate relationship between parental participation and children’s proficiency in the filipino language, so contributing to the broader discourse on language education in multilingual contexts. objectives this study aimed to explore the influence of parental involvement on the acquisition of filipino language skills among children in early childhood education. specifically, the study determined the level of parental involvement in the filipino language learning process at home. the study highlighted many forms of parental participation that influence a child’s acquisition of filipino language skills and the problems parents encounter in helping their children’s language development. based on the findings, intervention is proposed to address the challenges the parents face when supporting their children’s language acquisition. materials and methods the study utilized a descriptive research design with a mixed-methods approach. this design allowed for the integration of both quantitative and qualitative data, providing a more holistic understanding of the research problem. the quantitative aspect involved gathering numerical data to determine the level of parental involvement, while the qualitative aspect helped to explore the personal experiences, challenges, and attitudes of the parents. a survey was conducted utilizing a standardized questionnaire aimed at assessing multiple markers of parental participation. the quantitative data facilitated the statistical examination of patterns and trends in parental involvement. focus group discussions (fgds) and indepth interviews were done to obtain comprehensive and intimate insights into the experiences and obstacles encountered by parents. this supplied more comprehensive contextual information that enhanced the quantitative results. the study encompassed parents of elementary school students in pili west district who actively assisted their children in learning filipino. a sample of 150 parents was chosen to represent various socioeconomic backgrounds and educational attainments for the poll. twenty parents participated in focus groups, and ten were interviewed to gain further insights into their life. purposive sampling identified parents of filipino children in school who have language acquisition difficulties. this sampling approach was selected to guarantee that participants possessed pertinent experiences that may enhance the study. a number of instruments were devised to collect quantitative and qualitative study data. tools were created to address parental participation and language learning issues. quantitative data was collected using a standardized questionnaire with likert scale and multiple-choice questions. it has numerous sections: the frequency and nature of parental actions that aid filipino language learning are investigated. this included daily filipino discussions, assignment help, filipino educational materials, and cultural activities. a piece on parents’ struggles to teach their children filipino. these included time constraints, poor filipino skills, difficulty finding learning resources, and juggling work and family. the questionnaire assessed involvement frequency and perceived difficulty severity using a 5-point likert scale from “1 strongly disagree” to “5 strongly agree”. focus groups and in-depth interviews employed survey data and interview protocols. a guide employed openended inquiries to provoke profound reflections and experiences. the subjects of the interview were as follows: parental perspectives: parents’ perspectives on filipino language instruction and their influence on their children’s language acquisition. experiences in parental language acquisition: achievements and obstacles. challenges: the examination focuses on parental time, linguistic confidence, and educational resources. two methodologies were employed to poll 150 individuals. for individuals who favored direct interaction or lacked digital access, surveys were conducted in person during school events or parent meetings. for individuals with internet access but constrained time, parental engagement was adaptable through an online questionnaire. parents received clear instructions to complete the questionnaire, and data collection occurred over a period of four weeks. the qualitative data was gathered via focus group discussions and in-depth interviews. three focus group discussions were conducted, each comprising 6 to 8 parents. the 90-minute discussions occurred in the school auditorium. facilitators trained in the methodology directed the sessions utilizing the interview framework while permitting open dialogue. ten interviews with parents provided enhanced insights into specific challenges and distinct perspectives. the interview, lasting 30 to 45 minutes, was conducted either in person or via video call. all qualitative data collection was documented (with consent) and transcribed for analysis. descriptive statistics were used to analyze quantitative data regarding parental engagement and problems, including means, frequencies, pa ge 78 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 76-83, 2025 and percentages. trends in parental participation and the intensity of challenges were assessed using likert scale data. mean scores for various parental involvement indicators were calculated to ascertain the activities in which parents participated the most and the least. thematic analysis was employed to identify, examine, and present themes within qualitative data. the software was employed to analyze fgd and interview transcripts to discern parental engagement, barriers, and attitudes toward language acquisition. the study revealed parental time limitations, linguistic insecurity, informal education, and challenges in maintaining children’s engagement in filipino. the research adhered to stringent ethical guidelines to safeguard participants’ rights. all participants were informed of the study’s objectives, data collection techniques, and their rights. a consent document was necessary prior to the survey, focus group discussions, or interviews. the results report contained no personally identifiable information. secure data storage inhibited unauthorized access. participation in the study was optional, and individuals might withdraw at any moment without consequence. results and discussion table 1: level of parental involvement in the filipino language learning process indicator mean verbal description 1. parents frequently converse with their children in filipino. 3.8 high level of involvement 2. parents read filipino books or stories to their children. 3.45 moderate level of involvement 3. parents use filipino language educational materials (e.g., apps, games). 2.9 moderate level of involvement 4. parents help children with filipino language homework. 3.6 high level of involvement 5. parents encourage children to watch filipino tv shows or movies. 3.75 high level of involvement 6. parents participate in filipino cultural activities with their children (e.g., festivals, events). 2.8 moderate level of involvement 7. parents engage their children in storytelling using filipino. 3.5 moderate level of involvement 8. parents use filipino language during family meals and gatherings. 3.2 moderate level of involvement 9. parents consistently correct and guide their children in filipino pronunciation and grammar. 2.7 low level of involvement 10. parents regularly discuss the importance of learning filipino with their children. 3.4 moderate level of involvement legend: 3.50 – 4.00: high level of involvement; 2.50 – 3.49: moderate level of involvement; 1.50 – 2.49: low level of involvement; 1.00 – 1.49: very low level of involvement table 2: different types of parental involvement theme/type of parental involvement frequency percentage (%) 1. conversing with children in filipino 120 80% 2. helping with filipino language homework 105 70% 3. reading filipino books or stories 95 63% 4. encouraging children to watch filipino tv shows/movies 110 73% 5. using filipino language educational materials (e.g., apps) 80 53% 6. participating in filipino cultural events 65 43% 7. storytelling in filipino 90 60% 8. correcting pronunciation and grammar 70 47% 9. discussing the importance of learning filipino 100 67% 10. engaging in filipino conversations during meals 85 57% presented in table 1 is the level of parental involvement in the filipino language learning process of their children. table 2 illustrates parental involvement across several activities, highlighting the most favored categories and identifying areas that may require additional help. filipino conversations were the predominant form of parental involvement (80%), succeeded by promoting children’s viewership of filipino television and films (73%) and assisting with filipino language assignments (70%). engagement in filipino cultural events (43%) and the pa ge 79 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 76-83, 2025 correction of pronunciation and grammar (47%) were less prevalent. table 3 presents the challenges encountered by parents when supporting their children’s language acquisition. lack of time to engage in language activities was the most frequent challenge (73%), followed by difficulty balancing work and language support (67%) and limited proficiency in filipino (63%). less frequent challenges included limited support from schools (40%) and lack of cultural immersion opportunities (37%). table 3: challenges encountered by parents when supporting their children’s language acquisition challenges frequency percentage (%) 1. lack of time to engage in language activities 110 73% 2. limited proficiency in filipino language 95 63% 3. limited access to filipino learning materials 85 57% 4. difficulty balancing work and language support 100 67% 5. lack of confidence in teaching filipino 70 47% 6. inconsistent exposure to filipino at home 65 43% 7. difficulty sustaining children's interest in learning 90 60% 8. limited knowledge of effective teaching strategies 75 50% 9. limited support from schools 60 40% 10. lack of cultural immersion opportunities 55 37% discussion level of parental involvement research indicates that parental involvement in the development of the filipino language is inconsistent. average ratings indicate moderate to high parental involvement in various domains, reflecting active engagement and potential for improvement. parents promote the viewing of filipino television and films (3.75), assist with filipino language assignments (3.6), and communicate in filipino (3.8). these activities facilitate language acquisition for youth by promoting regular and informal engagement. these activities facilitate language acquisition for youth by promoting regular and informal engagement. however, structured language instruction, such as grammar correction and pronunciation guidance, remains limited, reflecting broader challenges in language education implementation. a similar pattern was observed in the implementation of mother tongue-based multilingual education (mtbmle) in indigenous communities, where teachers and parents encountered significant difficulties in providing structured language support due to unpreparedness, lack of resources, and implementation gaps (berame, et al., 2023). likewise, research on qawa’id nahwu learning in arabic education has shown that while informal language exposure plays a role in language acquisition, structured learning approaches significantly enhance reading and comprehension skills (amir, 2023). this suggests that filipino language instruction may benefit from a balanced approach, integrating both informal engagement and structured linguistic guidance to improve proficiency. filipino parents engage in reading to their children (3.45), narrating filipino tales (3.5), and participating in filipino cultural events (2.8). although structured practice may be limited, these gatherings familiarize youth with filipino literature and traditions. the utilization of filipino by parents during family meals (3.2) and conversations regarding filipino acquisition (3.4) indicate a consistent emphasis on the language inside the household. instruction in the filipino language (2.9) and the rectification of children’s pronunciation and grammar (2.7) are rather infrequent. statistics indicate that parents may informally promote their children’s language development but are less inclined to correct grammar or utilize formal educational resources. the findings indicate that parents facilitate children’s acquisition of filipino via interactions, television, and academic assignments. nonetheless, the limited engagement in structured activities such as grammatical correction, educational resources, and cultural events indicates enhanced parental assistance is necessary. educators and language advocates should engage parents in organized support programs that provide resources and strategies for enhanced language participation. research indicates that although numerous parents emphasize the use of filipino in daily conversations, formal language instruction holds lesser significance within the home environment. this discrepancy may impair filipino children’s pronunciation and grammar, which are essential for academic achievement. encourage parents to cultivate these skills through applications, games, and grammar exercises. the findings support the research of parental language acquisition. tamis-lemonda et al. (2004) discovered that parental narratives and dialogues enhance children’s language development. li (2015) asserts that informal activities such as viewing television or participating in cultural events facilitate youth engagement with language and culture, hence enhancing fluency and cultural identity. limited involvement in technical language learning, such as grammatical correction, corroborates research indicating that casual language exposure is advantageous; pa ge 80 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 76-83, 2025 yet, structured literacy and technical skill training are essential for language acquisition (budiman et al., 2023). this indicates that parents require further assistance in instructing their children on grammar and pronunciation (unicef philippines, 2021). to facilitate healthy language development, parents should participate in both informal and structured activities (eden, 2024). parents possessing resources and expertise to offer structured language assistance may enhance their children’s proficiency in filipino. types of parental involvement table 2 indicates that parents encourage the filipino language among their children at varying rates. conversations in filipino (80%) and encouraging children to view filipino television episodes and films (73%) are the predominant types of engagement, suggesting that informal, quotidian interactions such as dialogue and media consumption facilitate language development in children. assisting with filipino language assignments (70%) and emphasizing the need to learn filipino (67%) indicate that numerous parents offer greater formal academic assistance. the high frequency of parents engaging in daily conversations in filipino demonstrates the significance of everyday language use in children’s language acquisition. one parent mentioned: “we try to speak to our children in filipino at home, especially during meals or when we’re doing things together. it’s important for them to feel comfortable using our language.” the utilization of filipino language instructional materials such as applications (53%) and engagement in filipino cultural events (43%) seldom suggests a diminished dependence on external resources or activities for language development. although parents may encourage language development via media and assignments, they are less inclined to rectify pronunciation and grammar (47%). frequent filipino conversations and media consumption underscore the necessity for continuous exposure to colloquial language. research indicates that frequent exposure to naturalistic situations enhances children’s linguistic abilities. zainal and rahmat (2020) discovered that informal interactions enhance second-language vocabulary and fluency. a significant proportion of parents assist with school assignments and engage in discussions about learning filipino, indicating they offer structured academic support. epstein (2018) asserts that parental engagement in homework enhances children’s academic achievement, especially in language development. the minimal utilization of teaching materials and participation in cultural events indicates that parental involvement may be enhanced. this aligns with previous research indicating that cultural heritage and communitycentered educational practices significantly enhance language acquisition and identity formation. for example, montales (2025) emphasized that integrating cultural narratives and traditions within educational programs fosters deeper engagement with heritage languages, as observed in efforts to revitalize bicolano heritage through the pinaggikanan approach. this suggests that incorporating community-driven initiatives into filipino language education could address the gaps in parental engagement and cultural immersion (montales, 2025). while, hernandez and gupta (2024) assert that cultural and social events facilitate the connection between language acquisition and cultural identity in youth, enhancing linguistic skills and a sense of belonging. the inadequate pronunciation and grammatical correction indicate that parents may not prioritize formal language mechanics. studies indicate that even informal feedback on speech and grammar enhances linguistic precision (saito, 2021). initiatives that inform parents about the advantages of providing such feedback may assist children in acquiring linguistic rules (kelty & wakabayashi, 2020). the frequent occurrence of these activities facilitates social interactionist language acquisition (vygotsky, 1978), in which language is acquired from more proficient speakers. media, particularly instructional television, facilitates language acquisition in children when integrated with parent-child interaction (reusora et al., 2024). many parents assist their children with filipino assignments. one parent stated, “i assist my child with their filipino homework whenever it arises.” i am often unfamiliar with the rules, which complicates matters; nonetheless, we acquire knowledge together. this indicates that parents actively promote academic pursuits despite their limited linguistic abilities. this corroborates epstein (2018)’s findings that parental engagement in homework enhances children’s academic achievement, especially in language development. this provides a collaborative learning opportunity that may enhance familial bonds and augment linguistic abilities. epstein’s idea of overlapping domains of influence posits that collaboration between home and school is crucial for language development. parental assistance with homework influences children’s academic achievement, particularly in language subjects (jeynes, 2012). these activities occur infrequently, indicating missed opportunities. cultural capital theory (bourdieu, 2011) posits that parents engaged in cultural and educational activities enhance their children’s language acquisition environment beyond the classroom. these findings underscore the significance of informal, quotidian interactions and media exposure in language acquisition, advocating for the utilization of educational resources and engagement in cultural events to enhance growth. different types of parental involvement table 3 enumerates the challenges parents encounter while instructing filipino. constraints encompass insufficient time for language practice (73%), inadequate proficiency in filipino (63%), and challenges in balancing pa ge 81 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 76-83, 2025 job with language support (67%). language obstacles and insufficient resources hinder parents in reconciling everyday obligations with language assistance. preserving children’s engagement in learning (60%) and supplying filipino educational resources (57%) are significant concerns. insufficient school help (40%) and limited opportunities for cultural immersion (37%) were reported less frequently, suggesting that although external aid and cultural experiences are valued, several parents perceive their primary challenges as time, skills, and resources. parents identified time constraints as their primary concern. a parent stated, “i work extended hours, and by the time i return home, i possess minimal energy for language activities.” i wish i had further time to assist. research by kang et al. (2020) demonstrates that socioeconomic factors and time constraints may restrict parental engagement in schooling. inadequate parental engagement in language activities may hinder children’s language development, reducing filipino practice and interaction. the linguistic competencies of parents constituted an additional concern. one parent stated, “i lack fluency in filipino, making it challenging to instruct my child.” i am concerned about imparting erroneous information to children. chavez et al. (2023) assert that parents with insufficient verbal confidence or proficiency may encounter difficulties in fostering their children’s language development. parents could forgo language activities, so neglecting opportunities for reinforcing the home tongue. numerous parents find it challenging to reconcile employment with language assistance. a parent remarked, “balancing work, household responsibilities, and other obligations makes it challenging to dedicate time to assist my child with filipino.” orange (2020) identified that parental employment obligations impede their engagement in their children’s academic and linguistic advancement. the pressure of balancing work and family hinders consistent parental engagement. access to educational resources is an additional grievance expressed by parents. the parent stated, “it is challenging to locate quality filipino books or applications for my child.” the predominance of english content impedes their filipino proficiency. this corroborates research indicating that high-quality educational resources are crucial for language acquisition (international literacy association, 2019). if filipino-language materials are overwhelmed by english-language resources, parents may find it challenging to offer varied and stimulating learning experiences. parents expressed concerns regarding the engagement of children in linguistic activities. one parent stated, “it is challenging to maintain my child’s engagement.” they enjoy english cartoons and games. peace-hughes (2022) discovered that maintaining the engagement of youth in learning a minority language is challenging, particularly when they have greater exposure to english. english media and entertainment may divert children from filipino, complicating parents’ efforts to engage them in language activities (swider-cios et al., 2023). numerous parents questioned their proficiency in teaching filipino. “as i am not an educator, i am uncertain if my actions are appropriate,” remarked a parent. determining the method of instruction is challenging. research such as puccioni (2015) indicates that parental self-efficacy is crucial for educational engagement. parents lacking confidence in their pedagogical abilities may forgo systematic language education in favor of television viewing. parents require more flexible and accessible methods to facilitate language learning, as 73% and 67% report insufficient time and difficulties in balancing work with language support. kang et al. (2020) identified time poverty as a significant barrier to school engagement. educational institutions and communities may provide brief, accessible language exercises or applications for parents with constrained time availability. policies promoting work-life balance that facilitate family engagement may also assist children in language acquisition. the lack of ability and confidence in teaching filipino, at 63% and 47% respectively, indicates the necessity for programs aimed at enhancing parents’ language skills and instilling self-assurance. chavez et al. (2023) and puccioni (2015) discovered that parental linguistic proficiency and self-efficacy promote children’s language acquisition. community language classes or online tutorials may assist parents in facilitating their children’s language acquisition. the limited availability of filipino-language learning resources (57%) indicates a need for enhanced distribution and accessibility. this corroborates the findings of the international literacy association (2019) that language acquisition necessitates high-quality, culturally pertinent resources. schools, libraries, and publishers might provide additional filipino-language books, applications, and multimedia content tailored to various age groups and interests to assist parents in facilitating their children’s language development. competition with english-centric media and entertainment hinders 60% of parents from maintaining their children’s engagement in filipino. peace-hughes (2022) demonstrates how exposure to a dominant language may adversely affect the preservation of minority languages. educational institutions and media producers should partner to develop more captivating, high-quality filipino-language applications, programs, and games to engage children and enhance the enjoyment of language acquisition. merely 40% of schools give limited assistance, while 37% provide no opportunities for cultural immersion, indicating a potential need for enhanced external support. bejarin and quezada (2024) suggest that schools may adopt a more proactive approach by offering filipino language seminars or organizing family engagement events. bourdieu’s (1986) theory of cultural capital advocates for the endorsement of cultural immersion activities, such as filipino festivals or language camps, to pa ge 82 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 76-83, 2025 enhance linguistic proficiency within a culturally vibrant and engaging framework. parents have numerous challenges in facilitating their children’s acquisition of the filipino language, including time constraints, inadequate language proficiency, lack of enthusiasm, and limited access to educational resources. the findings indicate that schools, communities, and legislators must enhance resources, implement flexible programs, and cultivate supportive settings to enable parents to serve as language facilitators. increased filipino-language media, parental language assistance, and culturally immersive events could aid children’s language acquisition. conclusion the results indicate that parents are moderate to high in their engagement in facilitating their children’s acquisition of the filipino language. they participate in activities such as speaking with children in filipino, assisting with filipino homework, and promoting media consumption in filipino. nevertheless, opportunities for enhancement encompass the utilization of educational resources, rectifying grammatical and pronunciation errors, and engaging in filipino cultural events. these practices are essential for enhanced language acquisition and profound cultural engagement. parents frequently encounter problems such as time limitations, insufficient skills in filipino, and the struggle to balance employment with language assistance. parents also express challenges in maintaining children’s engagement in learning and obtaining suitable filipino educational resources. these problems underscore the necessity for better organized and accessible support mechanisms for parents to properly facilitate their children’s language development. the study underscores the significance of both informal and formal parental engagement, indicating that while routine interactions are advantageous, organized language learning activities are also essential for holistic language proficiency, particularly in grammar and pronunciation. recommendation educational institutions must provide parents workshops on efficient language instruction methodologies, grammar correction tactics, and the use of educational resources, including applications or games, to enhance children’s linguistic abilities. filipino language classes for parents should be offered to enhance their fluency. enhance the accessibility of filipino language materials, encompassing books, applications, and multimedia content, customized for various age demographics. cooperation among educational institutions, libraries, and publishers can facilitate parental access to resources that enhance both informal and formal language acquisition. develop concise, captivating linguistic exercises that parents may include into their daily activities. these may encompass rapid language games, filipino podcasts, and conversation prompts that families can utilize during meals or commutes. furthermore, educational institutions and communities must to facilitate cultural events, language camps, and virtual immersion programs to enhance the connection of children and parents to the filipino language and culture. engagement in these activities can improve language acquisition and cultural identity. educational institutions ought to enhance support mechanisms by providing family engagement initiatives, home language resources, and fostering teacher-parent collaboration to empower parents in effectively aiding their children’s language acquisition. continuous feedback and support for parents will enhance home-school collaborations in language acquisition. foster the creation and dissemination of superior filipino-language media, including educational television programs, interactive games, and youtube channels, to render the acquisition of filipino enjoyable and captivating for children, thereby sustaining their interest in the language amidst the dominance of english media. references amir. 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(2020). social media and its influence on vocabulary and language learning: a case study. pa ge 1 pa ge 60 american journal of education and technology (ajet) the effect of digital platforms and artificial intelligence on the development of engagement skills in learning and digitaltrust among university students ahmed sadek abdelmagid1*, naif mohamed jabli1, adel ibrahim qahmash1 volume 3 issue 1, year 2024 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v3i1.2459 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: february 02, 2024 accepted: march 09, 2024 published: march 12, 2024 the current study sought to develop engagement skills in learning and digital trust among university students by designing an interactive e-learning environment based on integrating the edx digital platform with some artificial intelligence applications. it was achieved by a random sample of undergraduate students at the college of education, king khalid university, was selected and divided into two groups: the first empirical group numbered (28) students and used the edx platform with some ai applications, and the other empirical group numbered (29) students who used blackboard platform. a scale of engagement in learning was prepared, and a scale of digital trust and a t-test were used to analyze the study’s findings. the study found a statistical significance between integrating the edx digital platform with some ai applications and the blackboard platform in developing engagement skills in learning in favor of the edx digital platform. the calculated t-value for both groups was 7.923, statistically significant at p<0.05. the t-value for integrating the edx digital platform with some ai and the blackboard platform applications in developing digital trust skills in both groups was 1.368, which was insignificant at p<0.05. keywords digital platforms, artificial intelligence (ai), engagement in learning, digital trust 1 department of educational technology, college of education, king khalid university, abha, kingdom of saudi arabia * corresponding author’s e-mail: abdelmagid@kku.edu.sa introduction online learning allows teachers to efficiently deliver interactive educational content to students through platforms and applications, enabling future reference and recording of this interactive learning experience (sablić et al., 2021). it contributes to creating and designing an interactive learning environment that meets the needs of each learner. due to the significant development in the field of the internet, the idea of widespread massive open online courses (moocs) appeared (sablić et al., 2021). george siemens is the first to coin the term “moocs” among students through the course “connectivism and connective knowledge” at the university of manitoba (mcauley et al., 2010). these courses were based on the philosophy of the open university and technological platforms. however, the mooc did not officially start until 2012. when stanford university launched the first moocs in the “introduction to artificial intelligence” course, it attracted more than (160000) subscribers from all over the world (khamis, 2020). arab initiatives have emerged to launch open educational courses, the most famous of which were the rwaq and edraak platforms (sallam, 2017). however, these arab initiatives differed from their foreign counterparts in that universities did not launch them but rather were initiatives of individuals or institutions (adham & lundqvist, 2015). e-learning platforms (moocs ) are defined as a set of educational services available via the internet that integrate social networks and e-learning management systems (encarnacion et al., 2021). they provide teachers, learners, parents, and educational participants with information, interactive tools, and resources to support and enhance educational content for learners through a comprehensive web-based system (kiryakova-dineva et al., 2017). in this aspect, faris et al. (2019) focused on designing a digital learning platform based on participatory stories. they recommended the need to provide digital platforms to deliver undergraduate courses to encourage students to learn and participate in educational communities across the web (faris et al., 2019). (holotescu et al., 2017) focused on employing highly polarized open e-learning systems (moocs) among university students. the study concluded that the students were able to produce new software that contributed to the design of smart cities for their countries. there are ai applications that are used in the field of education, including tracking and extracting educational data to track student behavior, as well as provide support to students at risk of dropping out of their studies (pedro et al., 2019). ai applications can delve deeper to learn more about the real difficulty facing the learner and can identify the basic steps that the student missed and then help them learn the correct way (gonzález-calatayud et al., 2021). in this aspect, ondáš et al. (2019) concluded that chatbots are among the modern applications of ai that can be used to provide educational content to students through a set of interactive questions, texts, images, videos and comments (ondáš et al., 2019). the study recommended integrating these applications into teacher preparation programs to keep pace with the ever-changing labor market requirements. werang and leba (2022) indicated that there was a need to achieve student engagement in studying the courses offered through digital platforms (werang & leba, 2022). these courses must be based and designed on interaction to ensure the effective participation of students and their pa ge 61 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(1) 60-69, 2024 engagement and non-dropout. engagement was one of the important aspects that reduced students’ attrition while studying (canty et al., 2020). the rate of student attrition in courses taught remotely increases by (10-20%) than teaching courses in traditional classes (angelino et al., 2007). therefore, those who teach courses via digital platforms must pay attention to choosing content and designing activities that ensure the effective engagement of students. the global reliance on interactive digital learning platforms in education has led to a major change in the teaching and learning processes (decuypere et al., 2021). ai and its various applications have become one of the methods that can help in monitoring students’ online activities and their access. ai applications help students with comprehension and assist in understanding major concepts and are linked with the development of skills (shiohira, 2021). the current research aimed to develop engagement skills in learning and digital trust among students of the college of education, king khalid university, through integration between the global edx platform and some ai applications. this study suggested university education officials pay attention to the use of digital platforms in university education. it further encouraged students to self-learn, exchange ideas, and integrate into learning through digital platform environments. research problem ritter et al (2018) confirmed that educational programs offered by universities did not help students to engage and integrate them (ritter et al., 2018). the reason for this was that the educational software template was similar to the educational book template in terms of showing chapters, lessons, and activities to students. the study suggested designing digital content that helps students to participate effectively through behavioral interaction, promotes positive emotional responses, and encourages them to respond positively. non-engaged students learn less and are often described as “unmotivated”. many students in virtual learning sessions turn off the microphones and cameras to divert their attention to something else (castelli & sarvary, 2021). as a result, there is a gap and a decrease in the academic achievement of students. tiryakioglu and erzurum (2011)indicated that most students were more interested in the social connections they make through web-based tools and platforms (tiryakioglu & erzurum, 2011). although students used these tools daily, educational institutions were still slow to adopt these digital tools and platforms that may help them integrate into the learning process (rodríguezabitia & bribiesca-correa, 2021). mutambik et al. (2022) indicated that there are some fears and lack of confidence among some users about placing their information and files with the companies providing digital platforms when the service is subjected to a hacking process (mutambik et al., 2022). many users have weak confidence in the services of digital platforms. based on the preceding, the problem of the current study was identified as “poor engagement skills and digital trust among university students”. therefore, the current research sought solutions for this weakness through the integration between the global edx platform and ai applications to develop their digital engagement and confidence skills . research questions the current research attempts to answer the following two questions: a. what is the effect of integration between the digital edx platform and ai applications in developing the skills of engagement in learning among students at the college of education, king khalid university? b. what is the effect of the integration between the digital edx platform and ai applications in developing digital trust skills among students at the college of education, king khalid university? research hypotheses the current research attempts to verify the validity of the following hypotheses: h1: there was no statistically significant difference at the level (0.05) between the mean scores of the first empirical group (which used the edx platform) and the other empirical group that used the blackboard platform in the post-application of the engagement scale in learning. h2: there was no statistically significant difference at the level (0.05) between the mean scores of the first empirical group (which used the edx platform) and the other empirical group that used the blackboard platform in the post-application of the digital trust scale. methodology this study employed a quasi-experimental approach, and it was based on two groups following their pre and postapplication performance measures. research procedures to know the effect of integrating the edx platform with ai applications on developing engagement skills in learning and digital trust among students of the college of education, king khalid university, the following was conducted: first: selection of the research sample the research sample was selected from the “bachelor’s” students at the college of education, king khalid university, randomly. it consisted of two groups: the first empirical group, consisting of (29) students, was trained through the edx platform through the free account (https://www.edunext.co). the second empirical group, a division of (28) students, was trained using the learning management system (blackboard) available at the university. to ensure the equality of the two groups, the research tools were applied beforehand, and the findings were as shown in table (1). pa ge 62 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(1) 60-69, 2024 table (1) shows the calculated (t) value, (1.749), (1.564) in the learning engagement scale and the digital trust scale. these were non-functional, at the level of significance (0.05), the significance of both sides and the degree of freedom (55). the non-functionality indicated equivalence of the two groups as there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in the pre-application of the scale of engagement in learning and the scale of digital trust. second: preparing research materials designing a learning environment based on the integration of edx platform and ai applications: to design a learning environment based on the engagement of the digital edx platform with ai applications, some previous studies were reviewed. the study of (spatioti et al., 2022), (stapa & mohammad, 2019) and the general model of addie design was used as follows: analysis at this stage, the following procedures were taken: ▪︎ determining the general objectives of the learning environment based on the engagement of the digital edx platform with ai applications, where the general objective of this environment is to develop engagement skills in learning (the use of computers in education) among the students of the research sample. determining the characteristics of learners seventh-level undergraduate students at the college of education, king khalid university, studying the course “using computers in education 424 trb-2” in the first semester of the academic year (2021 ad). learners belong to the same environment with similar circumstances, and their skills in using computers and internet networks are almost identical. the number of students in the first empirical group was (29) students, and the number of students in the second empirical group was (28) students. educational material the training content has been identified in the form of (5) training units. design the design stage included defining procedural goals for the existing learning environment, integrating the edx platform with ai applications, setting the conception of the content, learning strategy, and evaluation methods, as follows: athe procedural objectives of the learning environment based on the integration of the edx platform with ai applications: first topic: digital platforms after completing this content, the student should be able to: ▪︎ discuss the nature of digital platforms. ▪︎ explain the characteristics of technological innovations. ▪︎ review the most important emerging technologies. ▪︎ discuss the role of emerging technologies in the development of education. the second topic: designing interactive digital content after completing this content, the student should be able to: ▪︎ know the digital content. ▪︎ define the elements of digital content. ▪︎ employ digital content authoring tools. ▪︎ design digital content according to the sharable content object reference model (scorm) standards. the third topic: designing educational websites after completing this content, the student should be able to: ▪︎ know what the educational site is. ▪︎ define web design specifications. ▪︎ know the drupal system for web design. ▪︎ design an educational website. the fourth topic: digital walls after completing this content, the student should be able to: ▪︎ know about digital walls. ▪︎ explain the importance of digital walls in education. ▪︎ design a digital wall. ▪︎ able to publish the digital wall. the fifth topic: words cloud after completing this content, the student should be able to: ▪︎ discuss what the word cloud is. ▪︎ conclude the importance of the word cloud in education. ▪︎ design a word cloud in his field of specialization. ▪︎ employ the word cloud in the opinion poll. the chatbot application was designed through the chatfuel platform. this platform does not require programming experience, and automated chat is easily designed without any programming experience. the otter voice notes application has also been integrated through the website (https://otter.ai/) with the edx digital platform. table 1: findings of the t-test in the scale of inclusion in learning and the digital trust scale in the pre-application tool group mean sd degree of freedom calculated t value significance level significance learning engagement scale 1st empirical group 42.90 3.33 1.749 0.848 not significant 2nd empirical group 41.36 3.31 55 digital trust scale 1st empirical group 45.10 3.06 1.564 0.438 not significant 2nd empirical group 43.89 2.77 pa ge 63 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(1) 60-69, 2024 bthe learning environment content: the content of the learning environment edx platform with ai applications included the following five topics: 1. emerging platforms and technologies. 2. digital content design. 3. designing educational websites. 4. digital walls. 5. word clouds. the learning strategy and activities used in the edx platform and ai applications: in light of the procedural objectives and the content of the learning environment, the learning strategy proceeded using the edx platform by entering the platform, starting to study the content and reviewing the objectives. the digital content was read by interacting with the otter application and the chatbots application, as well as between the students and the teacher. the students completed the required project and presented it to the teacher in order to obtain feedback. as for the learning strategy through the learning management system “blackboard” was concerned, it was done through students entering the platform, reviewing the objectives, and studying the content. then, interacting with each other and between the students and the teacher. the students completed the required project and then got the feedback. figures 1 and 2 show the flowchart of the learning strategy through the edx electronic platform and the flowchart of the learning management system “blackboard” strategy, respectively. figure 1: shows a flowchart of the learning strategy through the edx electronic platform figure 2: shows a flowchart of the learning management system’s “blackboard” strategy pa ge 64 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(1) 60-69, 2024 assessment methods the assessment methods varied to include the tribal calendar at the beginning of each topic to determine the previous learning. formative assessments were included to guide students and provide feedback. the final assessment, which took place after completing the study of all training content designed according to the engagement of the digital edx platform with ai applications. development at this stage, the researchers used some programs and applications, the most important of which were the following: • blackboard system • video scribe software • https://www.edx.org platform • https://answergarden.ch website • articulate storyline program • https://ar.padlet.com • chatbot application • otter voice notes application implementation at this stage, the digital content was published on the edx platform, the trial version, and was available to (50) users. it also explained how to enter the platform and the tasks to be performed. evaluation the content of the edx digital platform with ai applications was distributed among a group of experts in the fields of curricula and “educational technologies”. in addition, the measurement tools were employed after thoroughly studying all the training content of the students of the research sample. third: preparing performance measures the scale of engagement in learning the scale of engagement skills in learning was prepared according to the following steps: determining the purpose of the scale the objective of the scale was to measure engagement skills in learning the “using computer in education” course with its three dimensions, which were the cognitive dimension, the behavioral dimension, and the emotional dimension, using the digital edx platform integrated with ai applications for “bachelor’s” students at the college of education at king khalid university. paragraphs of the scale the scale consisted of three dimensions: the cognitive dimension and the number of its phrases (11), the behavioral dimension and the number of its phrases (9), and the emotional dimension and the number of its phrases (11). thus, the number of scale phrases became (31) phrases. adjusting the scale through presenting the initial image of the scale to a group of arbitrators: after completing the formulation of the scale’s vocabulary, it was presented to a group of experts in the field of curricula, educational techniques, and psychology. their opinions explained the appropriateness of the scale for the purpose for which it was set. the deletion of some phrases of the second dimension of the scale and the reformulation of some phrases from the linguistic point of view after analysis. exploratory application of the scale after knowing the opinions of the arbitrators, the scale was applied to digital ally through the website https://cutt. us/jf7m7 on an exploratory sample of (22) undergraduate students at the college of education, king khalid university to identify the appropriateness of phrases from a linguistic and scientific point of view. their responses illustrated the appropriateness of the scale statements without any linguistic or scientific ambiguity. internal consistency of the scale (statistical validity) the correlation coefficient matrix (pearson) was found between the dimensions of the scale and the total score, according to table 2. table 2: shows the dimensions of the scale and the total score item cognitive behavioral emotional cognitive 1 behavioral 0.64 1 emotional 0.37 0.50 1 the scale as a whole *0.89 *0.80 *0.68 table 2 shows that the correlation coefficient of the first, second, and third dimensions with the scale as a whole were equal to (0.89), (0.80), and 0.68) respectively. all of these were significant and statistically acceptable values. this indicated that the dimensions of the scale were the same thing as the scale as a whole, which showed the validity and dimensionality of the scale. calculating the average time of the scale the scale time was calculated by finding the average of all students’ times, each according to his speed, and it was approximately equal to (30) minutes. calculating the reliability of the scale after presenting the scale to a group of arbitrators and its exploratory testing on (22) students using (cronbach’s alpha) equation, it was found that it was approximately equal to (0.83), which was an appropriate reliability coefficient. the final version of the scale after formulating the scale and adjusting it statistically, the scale became valid for the final application. pa ge 65 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(1) 60-69, 2024 digital trust building scale the digital trust building scale was prepared according to the following steps: determining the purpose of the scale the objective of the scale was to provide the bachelor’s degree at the college of education at king khalid university with the skills of building digital trust in dealing with digital platforms. the dimensions of the scale were accessibility, ease of use, information quality, website format and design, and information security. paragraphs of the scale the scale contained dimensions, as shown in table 3. table 3: shows the total number of dimensions and number of phrases for each dimension s the dimension no. of phrases 1 easy access to the platform 5 2 easy use of the platform 8 3 quality of information on the platform 9 4 form and design of the platform 6 5 information security in the platforms 10 total 5 38 setting the scale by presenting the initial image of the scale to a group of arbitrators after completing the formulation of the scale’s vocabulary, it was presented to a group of specialists in the field of curricula, teaching methods, educational techniques, and psychology. the scale’s appropriateness was emphasized, with certain phrases removed and linguistic wording modified for its intended purpose. exploratory application of the scale after knowing the opinions of the arbitrators, the scale was applied to digital ally through the website https:// cutt.us/3uimb on an exploratory sample of (22) undergraduate students at the college of education, king khalid university, to identify the appropriateness of phrases from a linguistic and scientific point of view. their responses illustrated the appropriateness of the scale statements without any linguistic or scientific ambiguity. internal consistency of the scale (statistical validity) spearman correlation coefficient matrix was found between the dimensions of the scale and the total score according to table 4: table 4: shows the spearman correlation coefficient matrix dimension ease of access ease of use information quality platform and design information security ease of access 1.00 ease of use 0.61 1.00 information quality 0.57 0.73 1.00 platform form and design 0.34 0.67 0.59 1.00 information security 0.54 0.49 0.61 0.54 1.00 the entire scale *0.70 *0.65 *0.80 0.54 0.84 table 4 revealed significant correlation coefficients for five dimensions of scale, with coefficients of 0.70, 0.65, 0.80, 0.54, and 0.84, respectively, indicating acceptable and statistically acceptable values. this indicates that the dimensions of the scale were the same thing as the scale, which indicated the validity and dimensionality of the scale. calculating the average time of the scale the time of the scale was calculated by calculating (75%) of the student’s responses, and it was approximately equal to (50) minutes. calculating the reliability of the scale after presenting the scale to a group of arbitrators and experimenting with it on (22) students using the (alpha cronbach) equation, it was found that it was approximately equal to (0.86), which was an appropriate reliability coefficient. the final version of the scale after formulating the scale and adjusting it statistically, the scale became valid for the final application (appendix 3). fifth: pre-application of measurement tools the tools of the scale of engagement in learning and the scale of digital trust were applied to the two research groups in the first semester (2021 ad). sixth: implementation of the research experiment after clarifying the purpose of the experiment, the pa ge 66 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(1) 60-69, 2024 research experiment was carried out at the college of education during the first semester (2021 ad), and the first empirical group had 29 students. as for the second empirical group, it numbered (28 students), and the experiment lasted about (6) weeks. seventh: post-application of measurement tools after the completion of the research experiment, the measurement tools represented in the scale of engagement in learning and the scale of digital trust in the course “using computers in education” a postapplication to the research sample, correcting and monitoring it. result and discussions research findings and its interpretations after monitoring the scores of the students in the postapplication in each of the scales of engagement in learning and the scale of digital trust in the course “using computers in education”, the research questions were answered as follows: the answer to the first question “what is the effect of the integration between the digital edx platform and ai applications in developing the skills of engagement in learning among the college of education’s students at king khalid university?” to answer this question, formulate the following hypothesis: there was no statistically significant difference at the level (0.05) between the mean scores of the first empirical group (which used the edx platform) and the other empirical group that used the blackboard platform in the post-application of the engagement scale in learning. to test the validity of this hypothesis, the statistical treatment was carried out using the t-test for two independent samples to compare the scores of applying the scale of engagement in learning for the first experimental or other empirical groups. table 5 shows the findings of applying the t-test to indicate the differences between the mean scores of the first empirical group and the other empirical group in the scale of engagement in learning the course “using computers in education”. table 5: the t value and its statistical significance between the mean scores of the students of the first and the other empirical groups in the engagement scale group tool n m a degree of freedom t value significance 1st group education engagement scale 29 52.69 4.91 55 *7.923 significant 2nd group 28 43.41 4.13 55 *7.923 significant table (5) shows that the calculated (t) value was (7.923), which was a function of the level (0.05), the significance of both sides and the degree of freedom (55), which indicated the existence of statistical significant differences between the first empirical group and the other empirical group in the post application of the engagement scale in learning the course “using computers in education”. thus, the first hypothesis of the research was rejected, as there was a statistically significant difference at the level of (0.05) between the mean scores of the first empirical group (which used the edx platform with some artificial intelligence applications) and the other empirical group that used blackboard platform, in the post application of the engagement scale in learning, in favor of the first empirical group. the researchers believe that the previous finding could be due to the following: • the user interface characterized the edx digital platform, including buttons, ease of access, dropdown lists, outgoing and incoming message boxes, and others. all of this contributed to attracting students and integrating them into learning the content of the computer use course in education. • availability of an application of ai in the edx platform, which was the chatbots, as this application helped in assessing the level of students after they studied the content of the lesson and then assisted them in the difficult and incomprehensible parts. as a result, the application helped students to get engaged in the learning process by asking questions and getting answers instantly. • the design, quality, and modernity of the digital content of the “using computers in education” course, including the implementation of practical projects by students, helped the students’ engagement in the learning process. • integration of otter voice notes app into the edx platform, which was an ai application that helped students record information and share it with others, whether by converting sounds into written texts or only audio recordings. • the basic philosophy of the edx platform was based on self-learning through the learner’s search for information and the participation of others to exchange information. then, each student from the research sample was interested in developing their abilities and searching for new things in the field of technology. this environment helped to increase the engagement of the college of education’s students in the learning process. • the integration of the edx platform with the chatbots application represented a personalized learning environment for each learner. through this application, each learner was able to obtain his needs according to the pre-made answers. in addition, this environment is not linked to a specific place or time, and therefore, all students were primarily involved in the learning process. • as a result of the students’ familiarization in the current era with the means of instant communication platforms, integration of the edx platform with the chatbots application provides this feature for instant communication and immediate feedback, as mobile pa ge 67 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(1) 60-69, 2024 applications have now become an essential part of every student’s life. • integration of the edx platform with the chatbots application helped students to keep up with their trends and tendencies in real-time by using the internet to browse, get knowledge, and instant help, thus helping to engage students in the learning process. the answer to the second question “what is the effect of integration between the digital edx platform and ai applications in developing digital trust skills among students at the college of education, king khalid university?” to answer this question, formulate the following hypothesis: there was no statistically significant difference at the level (0.05) between the mean scores of the first empirical group (which used the edx platform) and the second empirical group (which used the “blackboard” platform) in the post-application of the digital trust scale. to test the validity of this hypothesis, the statistical treatment was carried out using the (t) test for two independent samples to compare the application scores of the digital trust scale for the first experimental and the other empirical groups. table 6 shows the results of the t-test to indicate the differences between the mean scores of the first empirical group and the second empirical group in the digital trust scale. table 6: the t value of and its statistical significance between the mean scores of the students of the first and second empirical groups in the digital trust scale group tool n m a degree of freedom t value significance 1st group digital trust scale 29 66.52 7.05 55 1.368 insignificant 2nd group 28 64.04 6.68 55 1.368 insignificant table 6 shows the calculated t-value (1.368), which was non-functional at the level of (0.05), and the significance of both sides, with a degree of freedom (55). the t-value was insignificant, suggesting that there were no statistically significant differences between the first empirical group and the second empirical group in the post-application of the digital trust scale in the “use of computers in education” course. thus, the second hypothesis of the research hypotheses was accepted, as there was no statistically significant difference at the level (0.05) between the mean scores of the first empirical group (which used the edx platform) and the second empirical group that used blackboard platform, in the post-application of the scale digital trust. the researchers believed that the previous finding could be due to the following: • edx platform included applications for ai, and the “blackboard” platform includes an easily and securely accessible link. • edx and blackboard platforms provided tools for the user to verify his identity before starting to enter the platform and study the educational content. • the user in both edx and blackboard platforms can securely have registered his data on the platform by sending a confirmation message via his mobile phone. then the student deals with confidence and security with the content of the platform. • the user in both edx and blackboard platforms could easily and securely share the content of any platform, where each platform provides content protection tools, when a file had an extension (exe), for example, it was not shared with any other user. • in case the user lost or forgot the password, edx and blackboard provided accurate password recovery tools through the user’s mobile number or by sending a message to the platform manager to verify the identity of the student. therefore, all students on the edx and blackboard platforms felt safe and confident in dealing with any of these platforms. scientific and practical significance through tables 5 and 6, the researchers explained the practical or applied importance of the research findings by finding the effect size of the independent variable on the dependent variables. table 7: shows the scientific and applied significance of the research findings independent variable dependent variable cohen’s (d) ɳ2 effect size edx integration with ai apps education engagement 2.13 0.53 big digital trust 0.29 0.03 small table (7) shows the size of the effect of the engagement of the digital edx platform with ai applications in the development of engagement skills in learning the course “using computers in education” among students of the college of education, king khalid university (0.53), which was a large percentage. the rest was due to a variety of other factors, including specialization, student experience, student environment, peers, and other factors. the size of the effect of using the edx digital platform with ai applications on the development of digital trust skills was (0.03), which is a small size. table 7 suggested that the integration of edx integration with ai apps had a significant impact on education management as it showed a bigger effect size as compared pa ge 68 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(1) 60-69, 2024 to digital trust, which had a slight influence and had an effect size smaller. discussing the research findings the current research aimed to develop engagement skills and digital trust in the course “using computers in education” among students at the college of education, king khalid university, by designing a learning environment based on the engagement of the digital platform (edx) with some ai applications. the findings of the study in consistent with previous research. first what is the effect of the integration between the digital edx platform and ai applications on the development of engagement skills in learning among students at the college of education, king khalid university? the findings showed that the ability of the students of the first empirical group that used the edx platform was higher and statistically significant than the ability of the students of the second group that used the “blackboard” platform to develop engagement skills in learning. this means that the students of the first empirical group benefited from the edx platform and ai applications better than the students who trained through the “blackboard” platform (mohammed, 2023). this was due to the employment of ai applications within the edx platform and giving the student the ability to share information with others. moreover, the user interface of the edx platform facilitated the engagement of students in the learning process anywhere and at any time. these findings were consistent with the findings of the study of (kim et al., 2019) and the study of (chen et al., 2020). second what is the effect of the integration between the digital edx platform and ai applications in developing digital trust skills among students at the college of education, king khalid university? the findings showed that the ability of the students of the first empirical group that used the edx platform was almost equal to the ability of the students of the second group that used the “blackboard” platform in digital trust skills. this means that the students of the first empirical group benefited from the edx platform and ai applications almost to the same extent as the students who trained through the “blackboard” platform. this may be because both edx and blackboard platforms each provide a secure system for entering the platform, as well as the ability to verify the user’s identity when changing the password. edx and blackboard platforms also provided safe handling without fear on mobile phones, as well as through them, the learner can share files safely without fear. (salvador et al., 2021) also looked into security measures and issues when using blackboard and edx. all of this led to the equal role of edx and blackboard platforms in developing digital trust skills among students of the college of education, king khalid university. similar results were shared by (zdravkova, 2019) and (ivanova et al., 2016). research recommendations based on the current research findings, the following can be recommended: • train university students on digital engagement skills through global e-learning platforms such as edx and coursera. • develop skills of university faculty members on ways to employ ai applications in the field of education. • need to pay attention to the engagement of ai applications in interactive digital platforms. conclusion this research was conducted in an effort to improve students’ digital and learning engagement abilities. the results of this research has supported that the integration of edx in artificial intelligence enhance students learning, and digital experience. furthermore, the results also highlight the significance of interactive digital environments in promoting engagement on cognitive, behavioral, and affective levels. ongoing investigation and improvement of these methods may provide significant knowledge for future teaching approaches. deceleration availability of data and materials the datasets used and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. acknowledgements the author extends their appreciation to the deanship of scientific research at king khalid university for funding this work through the general research project under grant number (139/1444 ah). references adham, r. s., & lundqvist, k. o. 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(2019). privacy of crowdsourcing educational platforms in the light of new eu regulations authors. pa ge 1 pa ge 41 american journal of education and technology (ajet) the impact of ai-powered gamified learning tools on language proficiency and student engagement of jhs students from private schools in bulacan jessa mae a. dela cruz1*, joseline m. santos2, jessielyn yambao3 volume 4 issue 3, year 2025 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v4i3.4845 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: march 22, 2025 accepted: april 25, 2025 published: august 04, 2025 this study investigates the impact of ai-powered gamified learning tools on language proficiency and student engagement among junior high school (jhs) students from private schools in bulacan, contributing to the advancement of sustainable development goal 4 (sdg 4) on quality education. a bibliometric analysis was conducted using 205 documents retrieved from the scopus database (2015–2025), utilizing keyword-based searches and analytical methods such as citation analysis, co-citation analysis, and coword mapping to identify key research trends and theoretical foundations. the study analysis revealed increasing academic interest in ai-powered gamification, digital language learning, and student engagement strategies. key theoretical frameworks underpinning the literature include constructivism, self-determination, and flow theory. findings from the reviewed studies, alongside the present study, show that integrating ai-powered gamified tools significantly enhances students' language proficiency and fosters higher levels of motivation, participation, and active learning. this study emphasizes the need for educational institutions to invest in ai-driven educational technologies, develop teacher competencies in digital pedagogy, and redesign language curricula to leverage gamification for improved student outcomes and engagement. this study offers a comprehensive overview of the academic landscape surrounding ai-powered gamified learning in language education. it provides actionable insights for educators, researchers, and policymakers aiming to promote innovative, engaging, and technology-enhanced learning environments. keywords ai-powered learning, bibliometric analysis, digital learning tools, educational technology, gamification, language proficiency, private schools, sdg 4, student engagement 1 dr. yanga’s colleges incorporated, bocaue, bulacan, philippines 2 bulacan state univeristy, philippines 3 sti college san fernando, city of san fernando, pampanga, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: jessa.delacruz@dyci.edu.ph introduction the rapid integration of technology into the education system has significantly transformed how learning experiences are designed. in particular, ai-driven tools have emerged as game-changers by offering personalized learning and immediate feedback (zainuddin et al., 2020). as technology continues to reshape education, it is increasingly important to explore how these tools can enhance language learning, particularly for junior high school (jhs) students in private institutions. moreover, ai-gamified learning environments have garnered considerable attention as practical tools for enhancing student engagement and improving learning outcomes. by integrating elements such as points, rewards, and challenges into the learning process, gamification transforms traditional education into a more interactive, competitive, and engaging experience (sailer & homner, 2019; kalogiannakis et al., 2021). this approach has proven effective across various educational contexts and subjects, boosting student motivation and deepening content understanding. there has been a noticeable shift toward integrating modern, technology-driven teaching methodologies in bulacan, particularly within private schools. these institutions increasingly adopt innovative tools such as aipowered systems and gamified learning platforms to boost student engagement and improve academic performance. this transition is necessary to equip students with the future challenges in a constantly changing world. language skills form the foundation for academic achievement and future professional opportunities. in today’s increasingly interconnected global economy, effective communication, particularly in english and other widely spoken languages, is vital for emerging learners. moreover, technology-enhanced learning supports the development of these skills by offering participatory, responsive, and immersive experiences that resonate with the digitally native generation. language proficiency involves communicating, understanding, and producing language effectively across diverse contexts. within the school setting, this not only translates to achieving high marks in exams and assessments but also to participating in global conversations and contributing meaningfully to various professional fields (sanchez et al., 2020). furthermore, engagement is frequently identified as one of the most crucial factors influencing positive learning outcomes. when students are actively engaged, they are more likely to stay motivated, retain knowledge, and apply their learning in real-world situations. the use of interactive tools further enhances this engagement, leading to improvements in both academic performance and language proficiency (zainuddin et al., 2020). the synergy of student engagement and language proficiency is critical in learning. when students are actively involved in learning tasks, particularly those that challenge and engage them, there is a high likelihood that they will enhance their language abilities. gamification, mainly when supported by ai-enabled tools, has been pa ge 42 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 41-52, 2025 proven to significantly improve engagement and learning gains, as it offers an engaging and stimulating mechanism for language skills practice (manzano-león et al., 2021; smiderle et al., 2020). gamified learning technologies that leverage ai combine the aspects of gamification with ai to develop individualized, interactive learning experiences. these technologies apply adaptive algorithms to offer real-time feedback, tailor lessons according to students' requirements, and enable them to learn at their own pace. commonly used applications such as duolingo, quizlet, and kahoot! have been extensively utilized for language learning, demonstrating the capabilities of gamification and ai fusion to improve proficiency (zainuddin et al., 2020). gamification revolutionizes conventional learning by adding rewards, challenges, and competition. this strategy enhances motivation and maintains student engagement (klock, 2020). ai also individualizes this process by adapting lessons and quizzes to each learner's learning speed and achievement (zainuddin et al., 2020). these applications enable learners to enjoy the thrill of advancing through levels while at the same time building their language abilities. whereas the efficacy of gamification and ai has long been documented within other educational contexts, little prior research has attended to their potential impact on private school jhs students. the present study attempts to examine the effects of ai-facilitated gamified tools on language ability and the participation of students in this specific population. the importance of this research is that teaching practices need to change to accommodate the needs of students today. with technology advancing and changing the face of education, knowing how these technologies can improve language learning in private schools is essential. this study will give valuable insights into the practical use of ai-driven gamified tools and how they can revolutionize language learning. the increasing use of ai and gamification in teaching practices indicates the movement towards equipping students for a future characterized by the fourth industrial revolution. this research is part of an ongoing initiative to investigate technology's role in influencing pedagogical practices and enhancing student performance (saleem et al., 2022). this research aims to determine the effect of ai-driven gamified tools on language skills and motivation among jhs students in private schools in bulacan. the study will examine if the tools contribute to better language skills, increased student motivation, and overall academic achievement. this study will add to the existing literature regarding the convergence of educational technology, gamification, and language learning. it will give evidencebased recommendations that can assist teachers in adopting better teaching approaches and enhancing language instruction in private schools and beyond. materials and methods the current study used bibliometric analysis to systematically examine the literature on applying ai-based gamified learning systems to enhance student engagement and english language proficiency. bibliometric analysis is a quantitative research method aimed at determining patterns in scientific literature, such as publication trends, author networks, citation structure, and new thematic areas. the data were gathered from the scopus database, which was chosen for its broad coverage of highquality, peer-reviewed academic literature across fields. a total of 215 documents published between 2013 and 2025 were retrieved. the search process was informed by a boolean logic style utilized to conjoin two sets of keywords. the first cluster concentrated on instructional innovations and gamified resources, employing keywords like "gamification" and “english language proficiency." in contrast, the second cluster concentrated on language skill acquisition and student motivation, using keywords like "gamification" and "english language skills." boolean operators (and/or) and phrase searches ensured a broad but appropriate set of articles while retaining terminological variations. wildcards (*) were used where necessary to capture all the pertinent forms of the root words. once the data had been retrieved, bibliometric mapping software, specifically vosviewer, was used to carry out multiple levels of analysis. these involved citation analysis (establishing the most cited works and authors in the dataset), co-citation analysis (the identification of intellectual connections and most cited pairs of studies), and co-word analysis (the identification of most frequently occurring keywords to identify dominant research themes and upcoming topics). cluster analysis was also conducted to map the dominant areas of knowledge and connections between the researched concepts. this methodology presented an in-depth overview of the trends in research, intellectual basis, and possible future directions in ai-based gamification and language learning, particularly focusing on its influence on student motivation and english language proficiency. search strategy and data collection table 1: search string used for the database search keyword justification gamification or "english language proficiency" to identify literature on the role of educational tools in business educationand gamification or "english language skills" results and discussion this section presents key findings from a bibliometric analysis based on scopus data, illustrating the annual distribution of documents related to a specific research theme. the figure shows a notable upward trend in scholarly output from 2020 to 2024, beginning with 256 papers in 2020 and peaking at over 520 in 2024. this increase indicates growing academic interest and pa ge 43 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 41-52, 2025 engagement in the topic. however, a sharp decline is observed in 2025, with the number of documents dropping to just over 220, likely due to the partial coverage of the year or delays in indexing. overall, the publication pattern reflects heightened research activity and expanding contributions to the field, particularly in recent years, aligning with global academic efforts and priorities. figure 1: number of publications and citations the scopus trend analysis in the figure above illustrates the number of documents published annually from 2020 to 2025. the data show a dynamic pattern of scholarly output, with notable fluctuations in publication trends over the six years. in 2020, the number of documents was approximately 260, marking the starting point of this trend. a moderate increase occurred in 2021, reaching just over 300 publications, indicating a growing academic interest. this upward trend continued sharply into 2023, when document output rose to over 400. the consistent rise from 2020 to 2023 suggests sustained and expanding research activity, driven by the global shift toward digitalization and technology integration in various fields. the most significant peak occurs in 2024, with over 500 documents published, representing the highest output within the timeframe. this surge could be attributed to intensified post-pandemic research efforts, increased funding, and a widespread emphasis on digital transformation, artificial intelligence, and innovation across disciplines. however, the trend sharply declines in 2025, with the number of documents falling to just over 200. this abrupt decline may be due to several factors, including incomplete indexing for the current year, shifting research priorities, or reduced academic output following the postpandemic research boom. the figure reflects a general increase in research activity between 2020 and 2024, followed by a dramatic drop in 2025. the peak in 2024 underscores a period of heightened scholarly engagement, while the 2025 decrease signals the need for further analysis to determine whether it represents an actual decline or a temporary data gap. further bibliometric analyses of leading authors, institutions, and research themes could provide deeper insights into this evolving field. citation analysis by applying document citation analysis, table 2 presents the publications that have been the most cited within the dataset. the top three most frequently cited works were sailer and homner (2019) with 664 citations, zainuddin et al. (2020) with 530 citations, and kalogiannakis et al. (2021) with 338 citations. these citations reflect these studies' substantial influence and academic relevance within gamification in education. table 2: top 10 highest-cited documents no authors title citations 1 sailer & homner (2019) the gamification of learning: a meta-analysis. 664 2 zainuddin et al. (2020) the impact of gamification on learning and instruction: a systematic review of empirical evidence. 530 3 kalogiannakis et al. (2021) gamification in science education. a systematic review of the literature. 338 4 manzano-león et al. (2021) between level up and game over: a systematic literature review of gamification in education. 272 5 zainuddin et al. (2020) the role of gamified e-quizzes on student learning and engagement: an interactive gamification solution for a formative assessment system. 262 6 klock (2020) tailored gamification: a review of literature. 254 7 smiderle et al. (2020) the impact of gamification on students’ learning, engagement, and behavior based on their personality traits. 232 8 saleem et al. (2022) gamification applications in e-learning: a literature review. 227 9 sanchez et al. (2020) gamification in the classroom: examining the impact of gamified quizzes on student learning. 209 10 legaki (2020) the effect of challenge-based gamification on learning: an experiment in the context of statistics education. 186 pa ge 44 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 41-52, 2025 trends and emerging themes in english language education tools as technology advances, educational methods are evolving to serve diverse learners better, leading to a significant shift in language learning from traditional classroom settings to digital platforms. one prominent example is duolingo, an ai-driven gamified language learning app, which utilizes artificial intelligence and gamification techniques such as points, badges, and levelups to enhance learner motivation. moreover, gamifying the experience caters to a wide range of users, from casual learners to those seeking fluency. thus, this approach offers immediate feedback, personalized learning paths, and bite-sized lessons that integrate easily into daily routines. recent research on gamification in english language education (ele) indicates a significant shift in traditional teaching methods to enhance student engagement, motivation, and overall learning outcomes. gamification incorporates points, badges, leaderboards, and challenges, significantly increasing student motivation by making learning more enjoyable and interactive. according to sailer and homner (2019), gamified learning environments can alleviate the stress typically associated with conventional education, allowing students to engage in a more inviting and less intimidating learning experience. this enjoyment boosts participation and enhances retention and performance, particularly in language acquisition. zainuddin et al. (2020) support this notion by highlighting that gamified assessments, like quizzes integrated into game mechanics, provide students with immediate feedback. this feedback fosters a sense of accomplishment and offers valuable insights into their learning progress. manzano-león et al. (2021) further stress that these interactive feedback mechanisms enable educators to customize instruction, addressing individual learning gaps and enriching the educational experience. a significant trend is the personalization of gamification, where educators tailor game-based elements to meet their students' diverse needs and personalities. smiderle et al. (2020) argue that personality traits significantly affect students' engagement with gamified content. for instance, competitive learners may excel in point-based systems, while collaborative learners thrive in team-based challenges. this personalized approach ensures that gamification effectively reaches a wide range of learners, fostering a more inclusive environment. klock (2020) notes the increasing prevalence of tailored gamification, where educational tools and experiences are customized according to specific learner preferences, further enhancing engagement and academic outcomes. this is especially pertinent in english language classrooms, where students exhibit varying proficiency levels and learning styles. the role of gamification in collaborative learning is also essential for language acquisition. zainuddin et al. (2020b) demonstrate that gamified activities encourage students to collaborate, solve problems, and learn from each other, aligning with social constructivist language learning theories. such peer interaction improves linguistic skills and cultivates critical thinking and teamwork. moreover, integrating gamification into digital platforms, as investigated by sanchez et al. (2020), has broadened the accessibility of gamified learning experiences. digital tools facilitate more flexible, interactive, and personalized learning opportunities, making gamification a scalable and effective approach across various educational contexts. using technology, students can interact with gamified content outside traditional classroom settings, reinforcing language learning engagingly. citation distribution and implications for integrating technology in esl classrooms technology integration, mainly through gamification, has attracted significant attention in english as a second language (esl) classrooms. recent studies highlight various applications and benefits of this approach, revealing distinct patterns in its use and implications for enhancing esl learning outcomes. sailer & homner (2019) conducted a meta-analysis demonstrating that gamification can significantly boost student engagement in esl settings through interactive elements like rewards and challenges. their findings indicate that gamified experiences motivate students and foster a sense of accomplishment, which is crucial for language learners who may find traditional acquisition methods challenging. zainuddin et al. (2020) further emphasize the role of gamification in enhancing instructional strategies, particularly with tools like gamified quizzes, which provide immediate feedback. this formative assessment can address language acquisition challenges by offering real-time data on student progress and areas needing improvement. manzano-león et al. (2021) support this approach, highlighting the importance of continuous feedback in sustaining motivation and guiding personalized learning pathways. research also underscores the need for personalized gamification to cater to the diverse needs of esl learners. klock (2020) and smiderle et al. (2020) stress the significance of tailoring gamified experiences based on student characteristics such as personality traits, learning preferences, and language proficiency. klock’s literature review reveals that a personalized approach engages diverse learners, ensuring all esl students benefit from gamified learning. personalized gamification can support both beginners and advanced learners by adjusting the difficulty and type of game elements. smiderle et al. note that considering personality types, competitive or cooperative, enables educators to design resonant gamified tasks, increasing participation and effectiveness. collaborative learning is another vital implication of gamification in esl classrooms. zainuddin et al. (2020) and sanchez et al. (2020) discuss how gamified activities, especially team-based challenges and interactive quizzes, promote peer collaboration, which is essential for pa ge 45 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 41-52, 2025 developing fluency in esl contexts. gamified tools encourage teamwork and peer learning, enhancing language skills while fostering social connections among learners. digital platforms further amplify the effectiveness of these collaborative activities. sanchez et al. (2020) highlight how digital gamification tools create scalable and accessible solutions for esl students to engage with content inside and outside the classroom. the technological aspect of gamification in esl classrooms offers flexibility and scalability. kalogiannakis et al. (2021) note that digital tools support gamified learning and provide a flexible instructional approach, allowing students to engage with content at their own pace. this flexibility is particularly beneficial in esl education, accommodating students from diverse backgrounds who may require varying amounts of time to master language skills. digital gamified tools enable educators to customize lessons and assessments to meet individual needs, ensuring personalized learning experiences for all students co-citation analysis the top ten most-cited documents in gamification and educational research reflect the evolving understanding of how game elements enhance learning, motivation, and engagement. sailer and homner (2019), with the highest citation count of 664, present a meta-analysis that forms the theoretical backbone for evaluating gamification’s impact across various educational settings. zainuddin et al. (2020a) follow closely with 530 citations, offering a systematic review of empirical studies that solidify gamification as a credible instructional approach in modern pedagogy. kalogiannakis et al. (2021), cited 338 times, explore the integration of gamification in science education, highlighting the domain-specific benefits of gamified learning tools. similarly, manzano-león et al. (2021) (272 citations) and zainuddin et al. (2020b) (262 citations) offer in-depth reviews of gamification in education and its use in formative assessments, respectively, emphasizing its adaptability and positive influence on student learning and engagement. further supporting these insights are klock (2020), with 254 citations, and smiderle et al. (2020), with 232 citations. these authors investigate tailored gamification strategies and how personality traits shape gamification outcomes. saleem et al. (2022), with 227 citations, underscore the expanding application of gamification in e-learning environments. sanchez et al. (2020) (209 citations) and legaki (2020) (186 citations) close the list with studies focused on gamified quizzes and challenge-based learning, respectively. together, these works highlight the breadth and depth of gamification research, from theoretical frameworks to applied classroom practices, signaling its growing impact in transforming contemporary education. together, these studies establish a robust framework for examining how ai-enhanced gamification can significantly boost student engagement and language proficiency in junior high settings. table 3: top 10 documents with the highest co-citation and total link strength documents citation total link strength sailer, m., hense, j. u., mayr, s. k., & mandl, h. (2017). how gamification motivates: an experimental study of the effects of specific game design elements on psychological need satisfaction. computers in human behavior, 69, 371-380. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. chb.2016.12.033 118 308 koivisto, j., & hamari, j. (2017). the rise of motivational information systems: a review of gamification research. ssrn electronic journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ ssrn.3226221 156 296 seaborn, k., & fels, d. i. (2015). gamification in theory and action: a survey. international journal of human-computer studies, 74, 14-31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. ijhcs.2014.09.006 105 250 hanus, m. d., & fox, j. (2015). assessing the effects of gamification in the classroom: a longitudinal study on intrinsic motivation, social comparison, satisfaction, effort, and academic performance. computers & education, 80, 152-161. https://doi. org/10.1016/j.compedu.2014.08.019 101 236 werbach, k., & hunter, d. (2020). for the win, revise and update the edition. https:// doi.org/10.9783/9781613631041 157 233 kapp, k. m. (2012). the gamification of learning and instruction: gamebased methods and strategies for training and education. pfeiffer. https://doi. org/10.1145/2379057.2379059 147 224 zichermann, g., & cunningham, c. (2011). gamification by design: implementing game mechanics in web and mobile apps. o'reilly media. https://doi.org/10.5555/2073550 156 222 pa ge 46 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 41-52, 2025 mekler, e. d., brühlmann, f., tuch, a. n., & opwis, k. (2017). towards understanding the effects of individual gamification elements on intrinsic motivation and performance. computers in human behavior, 71, 525-534. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.08.048 80 199 xi, n., & hamari, j. (2019). does gamification satisfy needs? a study on the relationship between gamification features and intrinsic need satisfaction. international journal of information management, 46, 210-221. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2018.12.002 64 162 huotari, k., & hamari, j. (2016). a definition for gamification: anchoring gamification in the service marketing literature. electronic markets, 27(1), 21-31. https://doi. org/10.1007/s12525-015-0212-z 82 154 mcgonigal, j. (2012). reality is broken: why games make us better and how they can change the world. choice reviews online, 49(11), 49-6095-49-6095. https://doi. org/10.5860/choice.49-6095 76 119 buckley, p., & doyle, e. (2014). gamification and student motivation. interactive learning environments, 24(6), 1162-1175. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2014.96 4263 66 97 source: author's interpretation based on vosviewer analysis based on network visualization, co-citation analysis produced three distinct clusters. figure 2 shows the network structure of co-citation analysis. each cluster was labelled and characterized based on representative publications according to the authors’ inductive interpretation and understanding of the three clusters. figure 2: co-citation analysis of the impact of ai-powered gamified learning tools on language proficiency and student engagement the co-citation analysis examining the impact of aipowered learning tools in esl education identifies three significant research clusters, each reflecting a crucial dimension of gamification's role in enhancing student engagement and language proficiency. the red cluster, which includes the works of sailer et al. (2017), hanus & fox (2015), and seaborn & fels (2015), emphasizes the effects of gamification on student motivation. the frequent citation of these studies together highlights the importance of game design elements, such as rewards and challenges, in fostering intrinsic motivation and engagement in language learning. moreover, the blue cluster, represented by koivisto & hamari (2017), huotari & hamari (2016), and xi & hamari (2019), explores the broader applications of gamification in education. it mainly focuses on how gamified systems contribute to student satisfaction and overall educational outcomes. the connections within this cluster suggest that ai-powered gamification can effectively meet intrinsic needs like competence and autonomy, making learning more enjoyable and efficient. the green cluster led by kapp (2012), mcgonigal (2012), and werbach pa ge 47 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 41-52, 2025 & hunter (2020) delves into the pedagogical aspects of gamification. it examines how game mechanics can be integrated into teaching strategies to enhance learning experiences. this cluster underscores the significance of using game-based methods to accommodate diverse learning styles, promote active participation, and foster collaborative learning environments. this co-citation network illustrates a robust interrelationship between gamification’s effects on student motivation, pedagogical innovation, and overall educational effectiveness. as ai-driven gamification tools advance, future research should investigate how these technologies can create more personalized, adaptive, and engaging esl learning environments, ultimately enhancing language proficiency and student engagement. • cluster 1 (red) this cluster examines how gamification influences student motivation within academic settings. key studies, including those by sailer et al. (2017), hanus & fox (2015), and seaborn & fels (2015), highlight the psychological advantages of gamification, such as heightened intrinsic motivation and engagement. sailer et al. (2017) demonstrate that specific game design elements—like rewards and challenges— play a crucial role in meeting students' psychological needs, enhancing the learning experience. hanus & fox (2015) further affirm that gamification positively affects academic performance by boosting intrinsic motivation, social comparison, and overall classroom satisfaction. this cluster indicates that integrating gamified elements into esl classrooms, mainly through ai-driven tools, could maintain student motivation and promote ongoing language practice by making learning more interactive and rewarding. • cluster 2 (green) the second cluster delves into the theoretical foundations of gamification and its pedagogical implications. influential works by kapp (2012), mcgonigal (2012), werbach & hunter (2020), and zichermann & cunningham (2011) investigate how game mechanics can be integrated into educational practices. they argue that gamification offers a framework for creating engaging learning environments aligned with academic objectives. kapp (2012) advocates using gamebased methods and strategies in instructional design, highlighting gamification’s potential to accommodate diverse learning styles and foster collaborative learning. werbach & hunter (2020) contend that gamification is a powerful pedagogical tool that enhances engagement and effective learning outcomes when applied appropriately. this cluster emphasizes that ai-powered gamification tools in esl classrooms can support dynamic, studentcentered teaching approaches that promote language development through interactive and enjoyable learning experiences. • cluster 3 (blue) this cluster addresses the broader implications of gamification in education, with studies by huotari & hamari (2016), koivisto & hamari (2017), and xi & hamari (2019) examining the use of gamified elements across various educational contexts. huotari & hamari (2016) offer a conceptual definition of gamification, drawing connections to service marketing literature and stressing the importance of satisfaction in gamified systems. koivisto & hamari (2017) note the growing prevalence of motivational information systems, indicating that gamification is increasingly utilized in educational technologies to enhance learning experiences. xi & hamari (2019) investigate how gamification features cater to intrinsic needs, contributing to increased student satisfaction. in the esl context, this cluster suggests that ai-driven gamified educational tools can be customized to address students’ intrinsic needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness, ultimately improving language proficiency and creating a more enjoyable learning experience. table 4 summarizes the co-citation analysis by presenting its clusters, cluster labels, number of articles, and representative publications. table 4: co-citation clusters on the role of educational tools in business education cluster cluster label number of articles representative publications 1 (red) effects of gamification in student motivation 5 buckley & doyle (2014), hanus & fox (2015), meckler & bruhlmann (2017), sailer et al. (2017), seaborn & fels (2015) 2 (green) pedagogy 4 kapp (2012), mcgonigal (2012), werbach & hunter (2020), zichermann & cunningham (2011) 3 (blue) gamification in education 3 huotari & hamari (2016), koivisto & hamari (2017), xi & hamari (2019) the co-citation analysis of educational tools in business education identified three distinct research clusters, each focusing on specific aspects of gamification and pedagogy in academic contexts: the red cluster, labeled “effects of gamification in student motivation,” includes five publications that explore how gamification strategies influence student engagement, participation, and motivation. key works in this cluster include buckley & doyle (2014), hanus et al. (2015), and meckler et al. (2017), which investigate the psychological and behavioral impacts of gamified learning environments. these studies emphasize how game elements such as rewards, competition, and interactivity foster intrinsic motivation and enhance learning outcomes. the findings suggest that gamification is valuable for increasing student involvement and pa ge 48 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 41-52, 2025 improving educational experiences. the green cluster, titled “pedagogy,” comprises four influential articles focused on teaching strategies, instructional design, and theoretical foundations of learning. contributions from authors like kapp (2012), mcgonigal (2012), and zichermann & cunningham (2011) highlight the role of effective pedagogical frameworks in implementing gamified learning. this cluster also underscores the importance of aligning gamification with sound educational principles to maximize its impact on learning. it suggests that thoughtful pedagogical integration is key to successfully applying gamification in business education. the blue cluster, labeled “gamification in education,” contains three studies broadly examining gamification’s role across different educational settings. key works by huotari & hamari (2016), koivisto & hamari (2017), and xi et al. (2019) explore conceptualization, implementation, and assessment of gamified systems in education. these studies offer insights into user experience, motivational design, and educational outcomes, supporting that gamification can be a powerful tool for transforming traditional teaching practices. overall, the three clusters reflect an evolving research landscape where gamification is being integrated into pedagogy to enhance motivation, learning efficacy, and educational innovation in business education. co-word analysis a co-word analysis was conducted on the dataset to identify the most frequently associated terms. of 7,150 total keywords, 63 met the threshold of at least six occurrences. this analysis revealed multiple keyword clusters that reflect key themes in the literature. as shown in table 5, the keywords with the highest co-occurrence were gamification (1,808 occurrences; total link strength: 1,776), motivation (281 occurrences; total link strength: 1,842), and learning (155 occurrences; total link strength: 1,771). these results highlight the centrality of gamification and its strong association with motivational and learning contexts in the analyzed research. table 5 presents the top 15 co-occurring keywords, including their occurrence counts and total link strength, underscoring their relevance in the academic discourse. table 5: top 15 keywords in the co-occurrence of keywords analysis ranking keyword occurrences total link strength 1 gamification 1808 1776 2 human 189 878 3 humans 128 649 4 article 125 635 5 motivation 281 1842 6 learning 155 1771 7 female 95 1660 8 male 88 1529 9 students 185 1418 10 education 153 1328 11 adult 72 1237 12 teaching 94 1096 13 human experiment 60 1023 14 e-learning 136 888 15 game-based learning 115 850 figure 3 presents a network map of the co-word analysis. the map produced six clusters, which were classified and labeled based on the author’s inductive interpretation of the occurring words. all clusters were closely related and partially integrated. • cluster 1 (red) this cluster emphasizes the application of technology, especially simulation tools, in educational environments. it also underscores the role of simulations and controlled studies in enhancing learning experiences. in medical education, simulations allow students to practice real-world scenarios in a safe, controlled setting. the frequent co-occurrence of terms like "video games" and "learning" indicates that gamified simulations are increasingly integrated into curricula, creating engaging and interactive learning environments. research from sailer et al. (2017) and hanus & fox (2015) demonstrates how these simulations are not just about content delivery; they foster immersive, gamified experiences that deeply engage students, a principle applicable to english language education. • cluster 2 (green) the second cluster highlights the rising influence of gamified and immersive learning technologies in educational contexts. keywords such as "augmented reality," "game-based learning," and "mobile learning" reflect the integration of innovative technologies that allow students to partake in interactive, game-like educational experiences. this aligns with findings by koivisto & hamari (2017) and mcgonigal (2012), illustrating how gamification enhances motivation and learning outcomes by providing immediate feedback and rewards. the co-occurrence of terms like "gamification" and "learning systems" suggests that aipowered tools and game-based platforms are central to modern educational strategies, making language learning more engaging and tailored to individual needs. • cluster 3 (blue) this cluster addresses the broader educational context and challenges of integrating new technologies into teaching. keywords such as "covid-19," "innovation," and "sustainability" underscore the necessity for educational systems to adapt to global challenges, including the transition to online learning during the pandemic. researchers like mcgonigal (2012) analyze how educational innovations like gamification can tackle these challenges by fostering flexible, engaging, and sustainable learning environments. pa ge 49 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 41-52, 2025 figure 3: co-word analysis on the role of gamification educational tools in english language proficiency the connection between "perception" and "student" signifies that the success of educational innovations largely relies on students' perceptions of these tools and their willingness to engage. • cluster 4 (yellow) this cluster underscores the significance of active learning strategies. keywords such as "academic performance," "active learning," and "flipped classroom" illustrate the incorporation of gamified tools to promote student-centered learning environments. research from werbach & hunter (2020) and kapp (2012) supports this notion, showing that gamified elements in active learning settings empower students to take ownership of their education, thus improving motivation and academic performance. including "escape room" and "higher education" indicates innovative teaching methods that challenge students interactively, which can significantly enhance english language proficiency through problem-solving tasks. • cluster 5 (purple) focusing on the psychological aspects of gamification, this cluster centers on learner motivation. keywords like "intrinsic motivation," "selfdetermination theory," and "engagement" indicate that gamified learning tools are designed to foster motivation by satisfying psychological needs such as autonomy, competence, and relatedness. research by seaborn & fels (2015) and sailer et al. (2017) aligns with this cluster, suggesting that well-structured gamified environments can enhance students' intrinsic motivation, leading to more effective and sustained learning. this is particularly crucial in esl classrooms, where engaging students with the language can be challenging. • cluster 6 educational technology and student engagement (cyan) the final cluster investigates the relationship between educational technology and student engagement. keywords such as "online learning" and "student engagement" reflect the shift towards digital and remote learning platforms. research from koivisto & hamari (2017) shows that educational technologies, especially gamified systems, effectively maintain student interest and participation in online settings. this cluster highlights the increasing reliance on technology to sustain engagement in language learning. this trend has become especially pronounced during the covid-19 pandemic, as traditional classroom-based learning faced disruptions. the connection among the six clusters illustrates a vibrant ecosystem in which technology, gamification, learner motivation, and active learning strategies converge to elevate english language education. each cluster plays a supportive and complementary role, forming a comprehensive framework for language learning that is interactive, engaging, and adaptable. by weaving these clusters into a unified strategy, educators can cultivate a rich language learning environment that prioritizes proficiency and fosters student motivation and engagement sustainably and effectively. ongoing research should optimize these interconnected themes to meet current and future educational demands. the co-word analysis comprehensively overviews how gamification and technology-enhanced tools transform language learning. the clusters illustrate a clear trend towards utilizing ai and gamified elements to engage students and improve learning outcomes, from simulations and immersive technologies to active learning strategies and learner motivation. future research should delve into refining and integrating these technologies into esl education, considering the evolving needs of learners in both physical and online classrooms. table 6 summarizes the co-word analysis represented by the cluster label, number of keywords, and representative keywords. pa ge 50 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 41-52, 2025 table 5: co-word analysis on the role of gamification educational tools in english language proficiency cluster no and color cluster label number of keywords representative keywords 1 (red) technology-enhanced simulation 24 adult, article. controlled study. curriculum, female, human, human experiment, humans, knowledge, learning, major clinical study, male medical education, simulation, students, video game, video games, young adult 2 (green) gamified and immersive learning technologies in education 17 augmented reality, computer-aided instruction, curricula, e-learning, game design. game-based learning, gamification, learning systems, mobile learning 3 (blue) c o n t e m p o r a r y educational challenges and innovations 9 covid-19, design, education, innovation, perception, student. sustainability, sustainable development, teaching 4 (yellow) active learning and educational innovation 5 academic performance, active learning, escape room, flipped classroom, higher education 5 (purple) learner motivation 5 behavioral research, engagement, intrinsic motivation, motivation, self-determination theory 6 (cyan) educational technology and student engagement 3 educational technology, online learning, student engagement implications of the study the conclusions of this bibliometric study provide valuable insights into the theoretical and practical significance of language education and the integration of educational technology. with the increasing use of aibased gamified tools by schools to improve the teaching and learning process, understanding the emerging trends, theoretical underpinnings, and practical usage of these technologies becomes imperative. this research adds to the debate on how technology-inclined, gamified learning environments can ensure increased student engagement, enhanced language skills, and inclusive, adaptive education systems to achieve the objectives of the fourth industrial revolution. additionally, it brings out the contribution of digital innovation toward ensuring quality education by sustainable development goal 4 (sdg 4). the subsequent section presents the major theoretical and practical conclusions of this research. theoretical implications the results of this bibliometric study highlight significant theoretical contributions to educational technology, gamification, and language learning. to begin with, the use of ai-driven gamified tools supports constructivist theories of learning, which assume that learners actively build knowledge through meaningful and interactive experiences. the dominance of studies highlighting learner-centered environments indicates that ai gamified platforms provide dynamic scaffolding that adjusts to learners' needs, thus encouraging deeper cognitive engagement and long-term language acquisition. in addition, the bibliometric trends identify the growing impact of self-determination theory (sdt) in accounting for student motivation and engagement. gamified ai systems are more likely to meet students' autonomy, competence, and relatedness needs, which are at the core of sdt. therefore, theoretical frameworks that account for intrinsic motivation are supported by evidence that ai-augmented gamification enhances engagement and academic achievement, especially in language learning environments. furthermore, the function of flow theory is supported theoretically, as the research indicates that gamified tools, designed well, assist students in achieving "flow" a condition of concentrated immersionresulting in improved language proficiency. the tools offer instant feedback, suitable challenges, and a feeling of advancement, all the main components of inducing flow in learning environments. lastly, the analysis identifies a developing theoretical framework that combines artificial intelligence in education (aied) models with gamification approaches. it indicates how intelligent algorithms tailor learning pathways and tests, lending theoretical justification to adaptive learning environments that transcend static, onesize-fits-all teaching. therefore, the bibliometric results confirm current learning theories and imply the necessity of an integrated theoretical model that captures ai-based personalization, gamification mechanics, and language learning processes. future theoretical research may address conceptualizing the interaction among these factors to more effectively explain and predict student engagement and proficiency in ai-facilitated, gamified learning environments. practical implications bibliometric analysis provides several practical insights that can guide educational practitioners, curriculum developers, and policymakers in effectively leveraging aipowered gamified learning tools in language education, pa ge 51 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 41-52, 2025 especially for junior high school students in private schools in bulacan. first, the strong emphasis across studies on personalization and adaptability suggests that schools should prioritize the adoption of ai-based platforms that can tailor learning experiences to individual students’ proficiency levels, learning styles, and motivational needs. practical implementation should involve integrating adaptive learning technologies that monitor real-time progress and adjust content difficulty to maintain optimal engagement. second, the analysis indicates that gamification elements such as rewards, leaderboards, and interactive storytelling significantly enhance student engagement. teachers should be trained to strategically embed these gamified features into their lessons to create a more motivating and enjoyable language learning environment. moreover, incorporating healthy competition and collaborative tasks through gamified activities can foster individual achievement and student social interaction. the findings highlight the need for ongoing professional development focused on ai literacy for teachers. educators must be equipped to use gamified tools effectively and critically evaluate which tools best align with their instructional goals and students' needs. schools should invest in workshops and training sessions that bridge the gap between technological innovation and classroom practice. finally, the success of ai-powered gamified tools in improving language proficiency suggests that educational institutions should integrate these technologies into their broader curriculum planning. pilot programs and research-based implementations could help schools finetune best practices for maximizing the impact of these tools on student learning outcomes and engagement. conclusion the study focuses on the growth of scholarly curiosity at the crossover of artificial intelligence, gamification, and foreign language teaching. • the research confirms that ai-based gamified instruments play a central role in improving linguistic competence and enhancing learning engagement. • they are based on critical educational theories, such as constructivism, self-determination, and flow theory, prioritizing active, individualized, and engaging learning experiences. • in practice, the evidence suggests that incorporating ai and gamification into language learning can create more adaptive, dynamic, and student-centered environments, leading to improved learning outcomes. • in general, the research reaffirms the need for the purposeful incorporation of ai-driven gamified learning aids into junior high school curricula to address the changing needs of learners in the 21st century. although bibliometric analysis presents valuable insights, it is limited. the study mainly relied on academic databases, which may have left out pertinent articles within other sources. in addition, the dependence on specific keywords and search criteria could have excluded interdisciplinary or nascent research that could offer a comprehensive view of the subject. additionally, because bibliometric analysis was concerned with numerical trends, it did not analyze the included studies critically about their quality, methodology, or contextual features. another limitation is the period considered, as more recent developments in ai-driven gamification might not yet be adequately represented in the data under examination. these limitations indicate that although the findings are significant, they must be taken cautiously and supplemented by further in-depth studies. to extend the outcomes of this study, further research needs to incorporate more qualitative methods, like interviews, classroom observations, and case studies, to record richer insights into how ai-facilitated gamified tools influence individual learning experiences. extending the scope to interdisciplinary and emerging studies would offer a better picture of how these technologies develop in various education settings. in addition, longitudinal research is encouraged to evaluate the long-term impacts of gamified ai learning software on language ability and student engagement. future research must also investigate the difficulties teachers and schools encounter when integrating these technologies to create more comprehensive models of support for integration. lastly, educational institutions should continue investing in teacher training and infrastructure development to get the most out of ai-driven gamified learning tools in schools. references kalogiannakis, m., papadakis, s., & zourmpakis, a. i. (2021). gamification in science education: a systematic review of the literature. education sciences, 11(1), 22. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11010022 klock, a. c. t., gasparini, i., pimenta, m. s., & hamari, j. (2020). tailored gamification: a review of literature. international journal of human–computer studies, 144, 102495. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2020.102495 legaki, n. z., hamari, j., & koivisto, j. (2020). the effect of challenge-based gamification on learning: an experiment in the context of statistics education. international journal of information management, 60, 102347. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. ijinfomgt.2021.102347 manzano-león, a., camacho-lazarraga, p., guerreropuerta, l., guerrero-puerta, m., aguilar-parra, j. m., & trigueros, r. (2021). between level up and game over: a systematic literature review of gamification in education. sustainability, 13(4), 2247. https://doi. org/10.3390/su13042247 sailer, m., & homner, l. (2019). the gamification of learning: a meta-analysis. educational psychology review, 31(2), 377–417. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648019-09498-w saleem, s., noori, n. m., & shabbir, m. s. (2022). gamification applications in e-learning: a literature review. international journal of advanced computer pa ge 52 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 41-52, 2025 science and applications, 13(5), 508–517. https://doi. org/10.14569/ijacsa.2022.0130561 sanchez, e., young, s., & jouneau-sion, c. (2020). gamification in the classroom: examining the impact of gamified quizzes on student learning. computers & education, 144, 103666. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. compedu.2019.103666 smiderle, r., rigo, s. j., marques, l. b., coelho, j. a. p. m., & jaques, p. a. (2020). the impact of gamification on students’ learning, engagement, and behavior based on their personality traits. smart learning environments, 7(1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40561-0190098-x zainuddin, z., chu, s. k. w., shujahat, m., & perera, c. j. (2020). the impact of gamification on learning and instruction: a systematic review of empirical evidence. educational research review, 30, 100326. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2020.100326 zainuddin, z., shujahat, m., haruna, h., & chu, s. k. w. (2020). the role of gamified e-quizzes on student learning and engagement: an interactive gamification solution for a formative assessment system. interactive learning environments, advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.108 0/10494820.2020.1717645 word count: 6,928 words, excluding references. pa ge 1 pa ge 41 american journal of education and technology (ajet) silent crisis: examining the alarming trend of violence against teachers in moroccan high schools ahmed lehfid1*, abdelaaziz el bakkali1 volume 4 issue 1, year 2025 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v4i1.4024 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: november 17, 2024 accepted: december 20, 2024 published: february 03, 2025 in learning environments where knowledge is produced, and futures are shaped, a growing epidemic remains largely hidden from the public view, which is violence against teachers. teachers confront a multitude of challenges in the classroom including the difficult reality of experiencing violence at the hands of their own students. such acts of aggression, whether overt or subtle, destabilize the holiness of the educational environment and destroy the trust and respect that are essential for effective teaching and learning. using both the quantitative and qualitative approaches, this article aims to shed light on the frequency, causes, and consequences of violence against teachers. furthermore, this article explores the various forms of aggression teachers encounter, with a focus on the most targeted gender. the findings reveal that school violence is a pervasive issue that occurs daily in various forms including verbal, physical, psychological, behavioral, and sexual aggression against teachers. contrary to common assumptions, the study revealed that this phenomenon is not influenced by teachers’ gender. key contributing factors include students’ academic struggles, exposure to violence, lack of morals, media influence, peer pressure, and acts of revenge. additionally, teacher-related factors, such as weak personalities, humiliation of students, and criticism, exacerbate the problem. the consequences of such violence are profound as it leaves teachers feeling insecure, altering their behavior, reducing interactions with students, and diminishing their self-esteem. in severe cases, this leads to absenteeism or even resignation. given the alarming nature of these findings, this article advocates for proactive measures to address the issue and create a safe, supportive, and violence-free environment in moroccan schools. keywords causes of violence, consequences of violence, frequency of violence, gender-based violence, violence against teachers 1 english department, sidi mohamed ben abdellah university, fez, morocco * corresponding author’s e-mail: ahmed.lehfid@usmba.ac.ma introduction for ages, there has been no country or society that was exempt from violence. the latter was and is still a nonseparate phenomenon from our lives to the extent that violent acts and behaviors are reported on a daily basis. that is, violence invades almost all spheres including institutions, companies, houses, streets, etc. and is often utilized by members within a society regardless of their social status, age, class, etc. as an example, history was very marked with the use of violence which is manifested in colonialism, slavery and extermination. however, with the emergence of human rights, violence has approximately decreased, yet, it is still practiced by those who hold the power over those who do not. the exercise of violence is reflected in the japanese proverb of “the weak are meat; the strong eat,” and other proverbs that connote that the possession of power is more likely to lead to violence. for instance, violence occurs between a woman and her partner, an employee and his/her boss, old people and their caregivers, newborn babies and their sitters, etc. violence as an exertion of power over powerless is not limited to physical violence but rather it takes place via different forms of oppression including verbal violence, psychological violence and behavioral violence. in the world of academia where knowledge and development take place, a disturbing reality sneaks under this idealization; it is violence against teachers. in the past, teachers enjoyed some prestige and honorable status as mutual respect was the dominant makeup of the interrelationship of teachers and students. students used to be shy, lower their gaze whenever they talk to or be in the presence of their teachers. however, in the present time, the teachers’ position has changed dramatically since they are not respected as it used to be to the extent that students do not only disrespect, disturb, and harass but also beat, confront and even threaten their teachers within the confines of their classrooms. this phenomenon not only weakens the fundamental principles of education but also shakes the well-being, morale, and professional efficacy of those tasked with shaping the minds of future generations. when gender arose in a social issue, it becomes very clear that women are the focus of the attention. culturally speaking, unlike men who enjoy and exert power, women are not only used to be hidden in the private sphere, but also exposed to violent treatments due to being categorized as vulnerable. along with various objectives, this article aims to focus on gender within the phenomenon of violence against teachers. exploring the phenomenon: an overview of violence in educational settings the current chapter is divided into four sections. the first section provides an overview on violence. the second pa ge 42 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 41-54, 2025 section defines school-related gender-based violence and explores its types. the third section explores the reasons that push students to exercise violence on their teachers. lastly, the fourth section focuses on the consequences and impacts of this violence on teachers. unveiling violence: defining and understanding the problem violence is a universal issue that affects every society globally including morocco. it refers to “mistreatment, injury, insulting and coarse language; to hurt by treating badly.” (kashani & allan, 1998). it is safe to say that violence designates an aggressive action wherein individuals exercise their physical or psychological strength to harm others. violence manifests in numerous environments, with schools being one significant setting. this environment has been and is still marked with incidents of violence involving educators, students, and administrators. in this regard, school violence is “an alarming issue involving a range of negative behaviors that threaten the physical, psychological, and emotional well-being of all individuals on school campuses.” (watson & skinner, 2004). it is also a “student-onstudent and student-on-teacher acts of physical harm.” (henry, 2000). therefore, school violence pertains to any aggressive behavior by a student towards their teachers or vice versa within an educational setting. to illustrate, violence may occur between students, professors, administrators, etc. however, a new form of violence emerged lately in which students dare to exercise different forms of violence namely psychological violence (verbal, non-verbal …) and physical violence (beating, injuring …) against their teachers. for instance, in the united states of america, “a twelve-year-old from surprise, arizona, smashed his teacher with a computer keyboard and then kicked and punched the teacher until a police officer restrained him.” (nelson, 2016). furthermore, violence extends beyond verbal insults or physical attacks to include the use of weapons. to be clearer, in the usa, “a student repeatedly struck his teacher in the face with a hammer, leaving her in need of serious reconstructive surgery.” (nelson, 2016). however, violence does not always result in physical injuries; tragically, it can also lead to fatalities, as evidenced by the fact that “a fourth-grade teacher collapsed and died of a heart attack after a physical altercation with a nine-yearold student.” (nelson, 2016). it is impossible to overlook the fact that teachers also face violations from their students in middle eastern countries like jordan where “schools and universities have been strongly involved in hundreds of violent incidents due to social and personal reasons.” (alzyoud et al., 2016). in moroccan schools, the phenomenon of violence against teachers is widespread as regularly reported on social media platforms. instances of students perpetrating violent acts against their teachers are documented on a daily basis. gender-based violence in education: exploring the phenomenon school violence has long been a controversial topic, especially when linking it to gender which is “a collection of cultural norms and actions that are connected with an individual’s biological sex.” (lehfid, 2024). this relationship has given rise to the term school-related gender-based violence (srgbv). by definition, it refers to “acts or threats of physical, sexual or psychological violence or abuse that is based on gendered stereotypes or that targets students on the basis of their sex, sexuality or gender identities.” (usaid, 2016). therefore, schoolrelated gender-based violence refers to any form of violence based on gender stereotypes. it sheds light on power relations between males and females. additionally, it can take place in various settings within the school environment such as dormitories, restrooms, classrooms, corridors, and beyond. moreover, school-related gender-based violence can manifest in a multitude of forms, one of which is bullying. it refers to “frighten or hurt a weaker person; to use your strength or power.” (hornby, 2010). to simplify, bullying designates any disrespectful or rude behaviour that is directed towards others including name-calling, humiliation, verbal intimidation, and exclusion. another form of school-related gender-based violence is corporal punishment. it is defined as “a form of physical violence—physical punishment—that involves the deliberate infliction of pain to discipline or reform a child or to deter attitudes or behaviors deemed unacceptable or inappropriate.” (usaid, 2016). corporal punishment is the use of physical means to discipline a student such as beating with a stick. other forms of corporal punishment include shaking, slapping, pulling ears, pinching, and forcing children to stand for extended periods. last but not least, school-related gender-based violence can escalate from psychological and physical violence to include sexual violence. the latter is described as “forced or unwanted sexual activity where there is no consent, consent is not possible, or power or intimidation is used to coerce a sexual act.” (usaid, 2016). to elaborate, sexual violence manifests in two distinct forms; the first which is known as sexual harassment targets the psychological well-being of the individual since it includes gestures, winks, comments on one’s body, and dirty jokes and stories. the second form which is named sexual abuse involves physical acts such as unwanted touching including grabbing and rubbing specific parts of the body like the buttocks, thighs, or breasts. unfortunately, sexual violence can evolve to more severe forms such as sexual assault and rape. this can be exemplified in instances of transactional sex wherein a teacher, regardless of his/her gender, may promise a student to improve his/her grades in exchange for sexual favours. (usaid, 2016). however, it is important to acknowledge that schoolrelated gender-based violence is not only concerned pa ge 43 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 41-54, 2025 with violence perpetrated by teachers against students but also extends to include students’ violence against their teachers. that is to say, all forms of violence mentioned above can be directed towards teachers regardless of their gender. nowadays, particularly in morocco, instances of students’ violence against their teachers have taken on more serious dimensions. this extends beyond psychological forms which is manifested in students’ gaze or making verbal insults and threats, to physical violence through which teachers are subjected to physical assault. this was tragically exemplified in the case of “ouarzazate’s sidi daoud high school when a 17-year-old student violently beat one of his teachers during a class.” (kasraoui, 2017). a shocking video uploaded on social media exhibited the severe and repeated physical assault on a male teacher including punches to the face. one of the most alarming aspects of these incidents is that some students escalate beyond mere physical violence to attempts at seriously injuring or even killing their teachers. such cases are viewed as tragic because they contradict both the moroccan law as well as the values of islam as being morocco’s official religion. one such case involves a teacher from the same city previously mentioned who was attacked in the middle of the street when two hooded men threw acid on him and fled […] the victim, who was badly wounded in the face, was later transported to the ibn tofail university hospital of marrakech due to the deterioration of his health state. (elouazi, 2018). moving to the moroccan capital of economy casablanca, a female teacher was “gruesomely attacked with knife by her 17-years-old student upon leaving the institution wednesday evening” (lahsini, 2017) due to her indirect involvement with the school board’s decision to transfer him to another school as a punishment for beating an islamic education teacher. the phenomenon of schoolrelated gender-based violence has become a nightmare in moroccan educational institutions to the extent that authorities, civil society, and associations were alarmed and seek satisfactory answers through in-depth investigation of this phenomenon. therefore, the following section will primarily focus on highlighting the major factors behind school violence. exploring the roots: understanding factors that lead to school violence the emergence of students’ use of violence against their teachers can be attributed to a variety of factors. to start with, drug and alcohol addiction is a significant contributor to students’ violent behaviors towards their teachers. these substances have the ability to cause a hypnotic state and impair consciousness that leads students to lose control of their actions and become unaware of their behavior. for instance, in morocco, “the student who repeatedly stabbed his teacher in the neck in salé lately was claimed to be addicted to drugs.” (jalal, 2013). moreover, media plays a crucial role in increasing the rate of violence due to broadcasting programs that depict various forms of aggression. globally, children, especially students, are captivated by international channels such as mbc2 and mbc action which feature violent content like action movies. additionally, violent video games like gta v, as well as certain cartoons and animations contribute to an increase in aggressive behaviours as children often imitate the actions of characters. at the local level in morocco, several television channels air violent shows that are unsuitable for child and adolescent audiences. examples include reality shows like “the most dangerous criminals” on 2m and “crime scene” on medi1tv which depict and transmit violent acts and behaviours to viewers. (jalal, 2013). it is undeniable that moroccan society is characterized by the use of violence to the extent that it serves as an environment for various forms and manifestations of aggression that range “from obscene language to fighting with knives and swords.” (jalal, 2013). hence, schools as being a part of moroccan society, inevitably bear the impact of the escalating phenomenon of violence. similarly, households are not exempt from the culture of violence with numerous examples that highlight this reality. for instance, a significant number of students witness domestic violence on a daily basis within their own homes. others experience the stress of parental separation or divorce accompanied with a loss between two households or neglected altogether. many endure uncomfortable living situations as they grow up between parental insults and frequent fights. furthermore, there are households that are deemed unsuitable for students where one or both parents may struggle with constant abuse or engage in extramarital affairs. this idea was highlighted by gázquez et al. (2015) who contend that “looking at family factors, […] emphasize lack of love, attention and communication, that is, little family attachment, and little time shared […]. intraparental conflicts, separation, divorce or absence of parents […]. poverty and unfavourable situations would also have to be stressed. another of the most predominant factors that occur in violent situations is a negative climate and continuous stress in the family”. additionally, the government’s role in perpetuating violence against teachers cannot be overlooked. for instance, the ministry of education is viewed as a contributing factor to school violence particularly due to its dependence on teachers to not only educate but also understand the psychology of students rather than “providing schools with psychologists and psychiatrists” (jalal, 2013) who have the power to transform students’ aggressiveness into something from which they can benefit. lastly, it is important to acknowledge that some teachers also contribute to the factors behind violence through their use of unethical deeds and practices such as “using abusive language in class or using the grading system for money-spinning purposes.” (jalal, 2013). having outlined the primary factors contributing to violence in moroccan educational institutions, particularly schools, the following section will delve into the effects of school violence. pa ge 44 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 41-54, 2025 wounds of the aftermath: exploring the consequences of school violence school violence has detrimental effects on the moroccan educational community since it affects both teachers and students. at the physical level, school violence can result in injuries, scars, and even disabilities, particularly when weapons are involved. furthermore, school violence impacts mental health as it causes anxiety, permanent thinking about the experience and a fear of returning to teaching as exemplified by a female teacher from casablanca who expressed in a video that the emotional injury inflicted by her student’s attack using a knife would never heal. she stated while crying: “it is difficult to overcome the fact that you teach your student and wish the best for him, and he hits you” (kifache tv | 3:09 ,2017 , ي furthermore, school violence can .(كيفاش تي�ف also result in low self-esteem and post-traumatic stress disorder (ptsd), which is “a mental disorder that may develop after exposure to exceptionally threatening or horrifying events.” (bisson et al., 2015). this means that it is a mental health problem that some people develop after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening event. furthermore, teachers who are exposed to violence may change their behaviours to hostility, anger and other violent acts towards their colleagues as well as students. teachers’ educational abilities are also affected by school violence. that is to say, teachers’ recall of any bad experience while giving lessons may cause them to lose focus and concentration. furthermore, the classroom itself can become an unhealthy environment for education where teachers lose safe interaction with their students and students in turn may lose interest in school. teachers’ absence from school would be regular and many of them would abandon their jobs. last but not least, it should be noted that school violence has financial consequences on teachers. to illustrate, teachers find themselves obliged to pay the costs of not only treatments and visits to the hospital, but also those of the lawyer in order to prosecute offenders (mazoyer, 2016). it is indeed evident that the phenomenon of violence poses a significant and serious threat that manifests in various forms and impacts teachers regardless of their gender. this issue stems from a multitude of causes and yields dangerous effects on teachers’ health, psychology, finances, and more. the following chapter will delve into the methodology through outlining the research hypothesis, objective, questions, sample population, approaches, and data collection procedures including the utilization of questionnaires and interview guides. materials and methods research hypotheses and objectives in this study, it is hypothesized that the more teachers are exposed to school violence, the more their performance inside the classroom decreases, and the more their relation to their students is damaged. additionally, it is assumed that female teachers are more likely to be targeted by school violence compared to their male counterparts because the conventional perceptions of masculinity and femininity control their students. the objective of this study is to identify the frequency and different forms of violence experienced by teachers in their workplace. it also aims to detect whether there is a gender disparity in the prevalence of violence, specifically whether male or female teachers are more frequently targeted. finally, this study aims to identify the factors behind and the impact of school violence on teachers’ self-esteem and performance. research questions the study attempts to answer the following questions: 1 – to what extent are teachers exposed to violence? 2 – what are the types of violence teachers are exposed to in the workplace? 3 – what is the most victimized gender by school violence? 4 – what are the factors behind students’ violence against male and female teachers? 5 – what are the impacts of school violence on the teachers? 6 – what are the recommendations that help at reducing school violence against teachers? sample population in this study, the population sample chosen combines high school teachers within fes, taza, and taounate directorates. this selection was made because this population directly interacts with students and thus is exposed to violence. random sampling was employed to ensure the selection of a representative sample of teachers. this method was chosen for its objectivity and fairness as it allows equal opportunity for all teachers to participate in the study. the study has a total of 100 contributors who are high school teachers from fez, taza, and taounate directorates. in terms of gender, the population is distributed as the figure below illustrates: figure 1: gender of the respondents pa ge 45 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 41-54, 2025 when it comes to the age of the respondents, it is distributed as follows: figure 2: the age of the respondents as for the period of teaching, it is distributed as the figure below demonstrates: figure 3: the period of teaching of the respondents research approaches both the qualitative and the quantitative approaches will be used in this study. the qualitative approach will be helpful in determining the profiles of the teachers who express their attitudes towards violence practiced by students, in measuring the extent to which they are affected by this violence, and in finding out the different factors behind and the impacts of this genre of violence. on the other hand, the qualitative approach will be useful in eliciting in depth explanations about why some students practice violence against their teachers, and the frequency of violence implemented and practiced against them. mixing both approaches will increase the validity and the reliability of the data, and thus the quality of the findings. data collection procedures the initial data collection method employed in this study is the questionnaire which serves as a quantitative tool for measuring the frequency and quantity of various aspects related to violence against teachers. one of the advantages of using a questionnaire in this context is its ability to gather quantitative data on the existence of violence, as well as the profiles of teachers, their attitudes, the underlying reasons and impacts of this violence. since one of the weaknesses of the questionnaire is its limitation with respect to eliciting in depth answers from the respondents, interviews will also be used to collect data. this qualitative data collection procedure allows respondents the time and scope to talk about their opinions on a particular subject, and it allows the researcher to elicit in-depth information around the topic. results and discussion this present section is devoted to the presentation of the data collected in this research. it will be providing an analysis and discussion of the major qualitative as well as quantitative data which will be divided into six sections. the first section deals with the frequency of violence against teachers. the second section is devoted to the demonstration of the different types of school violence. the third section is for the discussion of gender and violence. the fourth section is concerned with the factors behind school violence. sections five and six deal successively with the impacts of school violence as well as some recommendations. assessing the incident: examining the frequency of violence towards teachers violence is a widely debated issue in the whole world generally including morocco. teachers are exposed to violence by their students who are typically expected to show them respect akin to that of their own children. starting with an examination of the frequency of violence against teachers, the following diagram illustrates the distribution of opinions among respondents. pa ge 46 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 41-54, 2025 the findings indicate that the majority of respondents believe that violence is often perpetrated by students on their teachers as 60% of them agree that violence against teachers is common. moreo intensely, 30% of respondents believe that students consistently engage in violence against their teachers, considering it a very common phenomenon. however, only 10% of respondents view this phenomenon as not particularly common while none of them perceive violence against teachers as uncommon at all. these results exhibit that violence exists in our society including schools. selecting the option which indicates that the frequency of violence is common suggests that respondents perceive violence as an existing phenomenon within schools, particularly during exams. in this context, students may view teachers as enemies who hinder their success by imposing restrictions on cheating and collaboration during exams. when answering whether she experienced violence, female interviewee number 1 affirms: “yes sometimes especially for the final exams […] especially that students they consider that the teacher is the person who prevents them from getting good answers the cheated answers and they suppose that it he/she is an enemy”. additionally, a significant number of participants contend that violence takes place on an everyday scale as many respondents state that it is a very common phenomenon. numerous respondents indicate that their daily lives are harmed by violence, particularly in the form of verbal aggression which is clearly noticed when students encounter difficulties with their teachers. male interviewee number 2 asserts on this stance by clarifying that “yes i was exposed to violence so many times i can say verbal violence by some students”. the minority who views violence against teachers as less common emphasized that despite maintaining positive relationships with their students, their professional careers are not entirely devoid of violence. they recount some cases when some students have been compelled to attend school. having no interest in school pushes students to look for the tiniest chance to begin problems and exert violence on teachers. to reinforce this idea, male interviewee number 4 further elaborates: “i throughout my professional career did not been exposed to any direct form or forms of violence […] a student never dares to insult me or beat me but there are forms of violence which remain simple”. in brief, the data collected in this section revealed that teachers become more exposed to violence than ever since as manifested in the fact that nearly all the respondents emphasize on the existence of violence in moroccan schools. this is revealed in the fact that 60% as well 30% of them choose that violence is common and very common respectively. this fact ultimately demonstrates a decrease of the once-held position and status of teachers in the perception of the moroccan people in general and students in particular. decoding school violence: diverse manifestations and forms the previous section was concluded with a remark that the majority of the respondents emphasize on the existence of school violence in moroccan schools. the current part further asserts this premise by reflecting on the major types of school violence namely verbal, physical, behavioral, psychological and sexual. to achieve this purpose, this section is mainly devoted to describe and analyze the data collected according to the already mentioned types. focusing on the types of school violence, the following figure reflects respondents’ standpoints. figure 4: the frequency of violence against teachers figure 5: types of school violence pa ge 47 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 41-54, 2025 concerning the types of school violence, the above figure indicates that 38.78% of respondents perceive verbal violence as the most occurred type in moroccan schools. following behind, 21.43% select physical violence as the second most common form. behavioral violence ranks third with 19.39% while psychological violence is chosen by 16.33% of respondents. sexual violence is reported to occur less frequently with only 4.08% of respondents who select it. selecting verbal violence as the most occurred type of violence against teachers in moroccan schools reflects a concerning societal shift where this type of aggression is becoming normalized particularly among students. in the past, there was a culture of respect towards teachers to the extent that they were considered as sacred figures as illustrated in the opening lines of ahmed chaouki’s poem where the teacher is likened to a prophet. (al-diwan, n.d.) however, there has been a noticeable escalation in students’ aggression towards teachers especially with verbal violence which becomes increasingly common to the point where it is seen as acceptable behavior. male interviewee number 2 asserts that “the verbal confrontations or verbal violence are exercised normally and successively”. female interviewee number 1 further supports the earlier statement by emphasizing that verbal violence often emerges as the initial response during misunderstandings; she elaborates that “first it starts verbally”. this type of violence frequently manifests in the form of curses, insults, offensive language, and immoral remarks, all aimed at undermining the teacher’s worth in addition to causing harm. female interviewee number 3 reinforces this by mentioning that “it takes often the form of insults and curses and pronouncing bad and non-respectful words”. moreover, respondents reveal that physical violence tends to follow verbal aggression as highlighted by female interviewee number 1 who clarified that “later on it could become physical”. indeed, physical violence that is exercised on teachers manifests in various forms including direct confrontations, beating and inflicting injuries. male interviewee number 4 asserts this stance by stating that “physical violence and we have this case through what media shows us so students beat and use sharp weapons against their teachers”. behavioral violence follows and emerges as another widespread form of aggression that is directed towards teachers in moroccan schools. similar to the previously mentioned types, behavioral violence manifests in diverse forms. male interviewee number 2 sheds light on this by expressing that “there is behavioral violence that is represented in certain movements exercised by some students”. to provide further insight, behavioral violence differs from direct confrontations with teachers, yet, it equally harms them. that is to say, this type of violence has negative effects on teachers since it involves students hitting tables, kicking trash bins, throwing supplies on the ground, or aggressively slamming doors. psychological and sexual violence are reported to be less frequent. psychological violence typically involves students who are hesitant to directly confront their teachers. instead, they opt to target their teachers’ mental wellbeing by attempting to plant fear. additionally, this type of violence may manifest in behaviors such as prolonged staring at teachers as explained by male interviewee number 2: “there is behavioral violence that is represented in certain movements exercised by some students like staring”. concerning sexual violence, it is predominantly perpetrated by male students against their female teachers as a form of disrespect. this behavior often manifests in the form of harassment as highlighted by male interviewee number 2: “there is sexual violence exercised through students harassing their female teachers and so on”. in brief, the data collected in this section shows that teachers are exposed to different forms of violence giving the majority of their choices to verbal violence, then physical violence, behavioral violence while psychological violence as well as sexual violence were the least chosen. by doing so, it is crystal clear that teachers’ values and positions are no more recognized and appreciated by students since the latter is more likely to confront their teachers rather than respect them. more intensely, some dare to harass their female teachers which means that they see them as mere bodies to be looked at and harassed rather than intellectuals who serve in educating them. which gender bears the burden? identifying the primary victim of school violence the previous section demonstrates that teachers face violence at school through different forms and shapes. this section, however, is dedicated to explore which gender is targeted by this phenomenon, whether it is male teachers, female teachers, or both. the diagram below illustrates the distribution of opinions in accordance to the respondents vis-à-vis the most targeted gender by school violence. figure 6: the most targeted gender pa ge 48 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 41-54, 2025 regarding the most targeted gender, the majority of respondents which is represented by 75% believe that both male and female teachers are subject to violence. however, 20% of respondents indicate that female teachers are the primary targets, while only 5% identify male teachers as the most targeted. in terms of the most targeted gender, female teachers tend to be more targeted by this phenomenon than their male counterparts. that is to say, this preference for female teachers as primary targets suggests that students avoid exerting power over men because they are more likely to respond with violence rather than submission or fear. female interviewee number 5 emphasizes this stance by stating that “female teachers may encounter aggressive behavior from their students more than men because men are more powerful and they know how to handle students and the class”. hence, targeting female teachers reflects the patriarchal mindset which is rooted in moroccan society and controls people including students. this social mindset categorizes females as vulnerable beings who are incapable of defending themselves. furthermore, there are some individuals who still believe that women belong primarily to the private sphere. consequently, male students tend to be more aggressive towards their female teachers in an attempt to assert their masculinity in a cultural context where males are perceived to occupy the top of the hierarchy while women are relegated to the bottom. male interviewee number 4 supports this viewpoint by arguing that the moroccan society is a patriarchal society and the patriarchal values are the dominated values in the framework of social relationships and this patriarchal tendency is a tendency that leads to devote a superior vision of males against females and this is common here in the eastern societies in which there is the moroccan society and this tendency is translated inside the educational environment and therefore the female is the targeted one in the operation of violence and here the student tries to practice his nodes against the weak side which is the woman and statistically the woman remains the most violated inside the moroccan society and its cause is the nature of the socialization always we see the woman as a weak component she is that short wall on which we can put our psychological and social nodes. to reinforce this perspective, women are often stereotyped as mere vessels for emotions. male interviewee number 6 asserts this notion by responding to the question of which gender is targeted by school violence: “the female the female the female due to being emotions that cannot defend herself.” however, the majority of respondents assert that school violence is not inherently tied to one’s gender, but rather it is related to the personality of the teacher and their ability to effectively manage the classroom with a charisma. this sentiment is echoed by female interviewee number 1 who elaborates that “it depends again on the personality of the teacher it doesn’t depend i think on the gender”. in brief, the collected data indicates that all teachers face school violence regardless of their gender. however, it is important to acknowledge that moroccan society is still, to some extent, influenced by patriarchal norms as evidenced by many respondents who identify female teachers as more targeted by this phenomenon when compared to their male counterparts. into the depths: exploring the factors of school violence in the previous sections, it was concluded that teachers regardless of gender are exposed to various forms of violence. of course, every fire has its fuel. therefore, this section will primarily focus on describing and analyzing the factors that lead to school violence. when examining the reasons behind this phenomenon, the following figure illustrates the opinions of respondents as far as the responsible for violence against teachers is concerned. figure 7: the most responsible for violence against teachers in terms of the primary responsibility for violence against teachers, 64.1% of respondents believe that both teachers and students share responsibility for this phenomenon. however, 33.33% attribute the blame solely to students, while only 2.56% hold teachers solely responsible. choosing ‘both’ as the main responsible parties for violence against teachers indicates a recognition that this issue is not solely the fault of one party, but rather, it reflects a shared responsibility between students and teachers who are both integral components of the educational process. interviewee number 3 supports this perspective by stating: “the responsible for the pa ge 49 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 41-54, 2025 phenomenon of violence against teachers the student and the teacher both.” however, many respondents attribute responsibility to students since they are not supposed to violently treat their teachers under any circumstance. consequently, the majority of respondents place blame on societal influences and the environment in which students are raised. female interviewee number 5 explains this viewpoint by stating: “sometimes some students speak in a violent way it is a way they learnt at home it is the way they use ordinarily.” the minority who chose teachers as the sole responsible for this phenomenon believe that it is the treatment of students by teachers that determines whether students become calm or aggressive. female interviewee number 5 reinforces this viewpoint by stating: “sometimes they don’t respect the student okay that’s why he feels of course that he is the victim and that’s why he become aggressive.” to provide further insight, the following figure is concerned with the reasons behind school violence from the part of students. figure 8: the reasons behind school violence from the part of students as for the reasons that push students to violate their teachers, 25.76% of the respondents choose ‘lack of morals’ at first. 18.18% of the respondents choose ‘exposure to violence’ as second. 16.67% of them believe that ‘media’ is also a crucial factor. ‘lack of punishment’ follows with 15.15% of the respondents. then, ‘low grades’ follows with 12.12% while ‘revenge’ and ‘peer preserve’ come last with 7.58% and 4.55% respectively. selecting ‘lack of morals’ as the primary reason that drives students to violate their teachers highlights the concerning nature of this issue. lack of morals can manifest in various detrimental behaviors including disrespect towards teachers as pointed out by female interviewee number 3: “violence against teachers is represented in lack of respect and appreciation of the position of the teacher.” being highly associated with behavior, laziness can also be considered a contributing factor in this category as hardworking students generally exhibit less aggression compared to their lazier counterparts. this viewpoint is supported by the same interviewee who asserts: “when the classroom is very full and the majority of its students have lack of education and behavior and educational weakness because we rarely find a hard worker student with a bad and violent behavior.” generally, society is also one of the main causes behind the crisis of morals that has become noticed in students. specifically, families start to give up their roles in raising children with good manners and behaviors. male interviewee number 4 asserts this stance by saying that the first party is the family and unfortunately the moroccan family gave up on its roles in educating, rather the moroccan family is overwhelmed by new and strange values [now] the family’s own focus is to insure the financial needs of the student or the child and of course [the family] forgets other dimensions of education the thing that pushes to produce to us a student who is profiteer in his/her nature he/she has to wear in a good way as their peers wears snickers cost 1000 dirhams or 1500 dirhams and a jacket with so and so but on the level of values through which he/she is put inside the society in a correct way unfortunately the moroccan society does not give much importance to this case the environment in which students are raised and grow up significantly influences their morals, manners, and behaviors. consequently, the majority of respondents strongly emphasize that both the general environment and the family have the power to shape students conduct for better or for worse. male interviewee number 5 further clarify this viewpoint respectively by stating: “there is the street the street as you see now is creating a lot of corrupted values.” media plays a critical role in facilitating the violation of teachers by transmitting certain messages and ideologies that undermine their positions. interviewee number 4 reinforces this perspective by clarifying: “media with all its types the audio visual and the internet and so on start transmitting corrupted values to the student”. moreover, social media as a platform without supervision encourages students to harm their teachers, particularly when following a trend. this is revealed in male interviewee number 6’s statement: “there are a lot of videos in facebook or instagram in which students mock or beat their teachers. then the video can become a trend followed by a lot of students.” moreover, the absence of adequate punishment is considered one of the crucial factors that encourage students to engage in harmful behaviors. when punishments are perceived as too lenient, it diminishes pa ge 50 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 41-54, 2025 the sense of fear among students, the thing that leads to an increase in aggression towards their teachers. male interviewee number 6 elaborates on this point by clarifying: the punishments are too simple even if the teacher is exposed to beating and abuse from some of his/her students the student as the ultimate punishment he /she may be exposed to and this happens in many times is to change the school and this is not good rather it increases students’ tyranny and daring on his/her teachers. ‘low grades’ are also seen as a factor that drives students to resort to violence against their teachers. poor academic performance can be perceived as a barrier that hinders students’ success. one interviewee shares their experience of being insulted by students because they did not achieve the grades they desired; he states: “i was exposed to violence i can say verbal violence by some students who have not got good grades.” the same applies to exams as well. students may become more aggressive because they perceive teachers as hindering their success by preventing cheating during exams. female interviewee number 1 further supports this viewpoint by illustrating: “students consider that the teacher is the person who prevents them from getting good answers the cheated answers and they suppose that it is an enemy”. lastly, ‘revenge’ as well as ‘peer pressure’ were not selected by many respondents. regarding revenge, it refers to “something that you do in order to make sb suffer because they have made you suffer.” (hornby, 2010). seeking revenge may resort to physically harming or violating teachers as discussed in the first chapter. for instance, a student took extreme measures by causing a serious injury to his teacher’s cheek due his belief that she played a role in the school board’s decision to transfer him to another school after he had engaged in physical violence against his islamic studies teacher. (lahsini, 2017). as for ‘peer pressure’, female interviewee number 5 defines it as “aggressive students especially who push others to be more and more violent in the class.” these students are more likely to have a primary goal of encouraging others to engage in negative behaviors. this idea is discussed by male interviewee number 4 who argues that: “he/she is going to be put inside the school he/she will be an item that motivates problems inside the school and not the opposite”. having addressed the factors that contribute to school violence from the perspective of students, the following figure will unveil the factors that emanate from the side of teachers and that may push students toward such actions. figure 9: the reasons behind school violence from the part of teachers concerning the factors that push students to violate their teachers from the latter’s part, 32.97% of the respondents choose the teachers’ ‘personality’. 23.08% choose ‘humiliation’. ‘constant criticism’ as well as ‘devaluing certain students’ go on the same footing as they are equally chosen by 18.68% while gender remains at the bottom with 6.59%. selecting the teacher’s personality as the primary reason indicates its significant impact on the educational process. a weak personality can result in inadequate performance in their role. male interviewee number 6 reinforces this perspective by contending: “the teacher’s weak personality leads to not doing the job in a complete and perfect way”. furthermore, it is essential for the teacher to possess a strong personality as it grants them the authority to effectively manage students in the classroom. this sentiment is echoed by male interviewee number 2: “the more the teacher does not control his/her class the more he/she is incapable of holding the class and is exposed awfully to violence”. furthermore, when teachers humiliate their students, it often provokes feelings of anger and can potentially lead students to resort to violence as a means of defending their pride. humiliation can manifest in various forms, but its underlying objective is to mock students. sometimes, it takes the form of a lack of respect as indicated by male interviewee number 6 who reveals instances where teachers’ relationships with their students are rooted in power relations and are devoid of any mutual respect by stating: “there are a lot of teachers who do not respect their students”. in addition, some teachers go beyond lack of respect and resort to using offensive language which can significantly harm students. female interviewee number 3 reinforces this viewpoint by stating: “some teachers violently treat the student like cursing and insulting and mocking from him/her in which he/she humiliates the student and reduces from his/her value”. as a result, male interviewee number 2 contends that “when you pa ge 51 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 41-54, 2025 provoke the student in front of his peers and specifically when you attempt to minimize him in front of his female peers so here he may transform into a predatory beast who can exercise on you all forms of violence.” ‘devaluing certain students’ and ‘constant criticism’ are perceived with equal concern among respondents. similar to the previous factor, teachers may devalue certain students as a means of asserting power and authority over them. engaging in such power-based behaviors can lead students to feel victimized which may in turn increase the likelihood of them becoming more aggressive towards their teachers. male interviewee number 4 asserts this perspective by stating: societies suffer from a collection of collective and psychological nodes and one of these collective and psychological nodes which control the underdeveloped societies is the node of authoritarianism […] is when every person feels inside with an amount of power which he/she tries to exercise it on whom are weaker than him/ her and here when the teacher evokes that he/she has this power over the student and is not conscious with the danger of this case tries to exercise his/her power with a shocking forms which may lead to forms of mutual violence. regarding teachers’ constant criticism, most respondents argue that teachers employ an ineffective approach by publicly criticizing students. consequently, students may become more aggressive towards their teachers as a means of preserving their ideal image among their classmates. however, one respondent suggested that teachers should change this approach to engage in private discussions instead. male interviewee number 4 argued that: “when you criticize him/her face to face he/she can accept your critique and he/she even excuse but if you criticize him/ her in front of his/her peers so just wait any form of the various forms of reactions from him/her”. selecting gender as the least influential factor in encouraging students to exercise violence against their teachers indicates that respondents are aware of the fact that violence against teachers has nothing to do with one’s gender. this notion is reinforced by the examples provided in the earlier part of this research which featured instances from moroccan schools that involve both male and female teachers. this highlights that teachers, regardless of their gender or position, can be vulnerable to the phenomenon of school violence. wounds unmasked: examining the ramifications of school violence having dealt with the factors that push students to exercise violence against their teachers, the current part is devoted to display the impacts of school violence on teachers namely ‘insecurity’, ‘lack interaction with students’, ‘behavioral change’, ‘loss of self-esteem’, ‘absence’ and last but not least ‘quitting’. to shed light on the consequences of school violence on teachers, the following figure presents the opinions of respondents vis-à-vis the impacts of this phenomenon. figure 10: the consequences of school violence on teachers as far as the consequences of violence against teachers are concerned, 33.33% of the respondents choose ‘insecurity’. 24.44% choose ‘low interaction with students’. next is ‘behavioral change’ being chosen by 16.67% of the respondents. ‘loss of self-esteem’ follows as being chosen by 15.56% of the respondents while ‘absence’ and ‘quitting/resigning’ remain at the bottom as 5.56% and 4.44% of the respondents choose them respectively choosing ‘insecurity’ as the major impact of school violence on teachers highlights the profound sense of lack of confidence which is experienced by teachers when violated by their students. this sentiment is echoed by female interviewee number 3 who states that “violence against teachers is represented in lack of respect and appreciation of the position that the teacher enjoys the feeling of humiliation the feeling of lack of security”. experiencing this feeling is more likely to lead teachers to restrict communication channels with their students and withdraw into themselves. this sentiment is articulated by male interviewee number 4 who contends: “violence leads to devote a violent look between the student and the teacher and when this violent look is devoted between the student and the teacher channels of communication are separated”. furthermore, teachers are inclined to change their behavior inside the classroom when interacting with their students by becoming more fearful. this shift in behavior frequently leads teachers to make appointments with psychiatrists as they begin to suffer from severe depression and fear which stem from the hurt and violation that are pa ge 52 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 41-54, 2025 experienced from those who were supposed to respect them. male interviewees number 2 contends: “the violence exercised on teachers ends with many of them in psychiatric clinics some of them suffer from depression and suffer from psychological crises.” as a result of the damage which is inflicted upon their personalities and psyches, teachers often experience a loss of self-esteem. male interviewee number 6 further reinforces this viewpoint by stating: “the most important consequences is that the teacher gets psychologically damaged which negatively influences on his/her job and the quality of his/her job”. as an explanation for the absence of teachers as a consequence of this phenomenon, violated teachers often find themselves recall the traumatic experiences while giving lessons which can lead to a loss of focus and concentration. consequently, the classroom itself can transform into an unhealthy environment for education. thus, regular absences may occur, and many teachers may ultimately choose to abandon their jobs. more intensely, teachers find it increasingly difficult to fulfill their duties to educate and teach students as they initially had a positive perception on teaching and interacting with students. thus, teachers are more likely to quit their jobs as they deem it impossible to continue being exposed to a setting where they are violated by those who should be under their care. female interviewee number 1 emphasizes this perspective by clarifying: well i suppose that there are very very bad consequences when we see the teachers are beaten by students i sometimes think about those teachers and i try to imagine how this teacher would continue teaching after this incident maybe it would be impossible for teachers to look again into the eyes of students and continue working. creating change: proposed measures to alleviate school violence against teachers the preceding sections comprehensively addressed many aspects of the phenomenon of violence against teachers including its frequency in schools, its manifestations, the gender which is most affected, factors from both students and teachers, and the impacts on educators. thus, it is fitting to conclude this chapter by presenting recommendations and solutions to mitigate this issue. examining potential remedies to reduce this phenomenon, the following figure presents the perspectives of the respondents. figure 11: the measures to reduce violence against teachers concerning the measures that aim at reducing violence against teachers, 46.67% of respondents advocate for the expulsion of students who dare to violate their teachers. 28.89% suggest imposing fines while 24.44% believe that sending these students to jail is more appropriate. some respondents argue that students who intentionally harm or violate their teachers should be banned from attending school and even face imprisonment. this sentiment is expressed by male interviewee number 6: “the recommended ministry must look for its role in curbing the students who dared to damage the teachers and beat them and abuse them through repressive and restraining methods and maybe most notably expulsion” before he continues, “and why not prison whoever is proven to want for example hurt his/her teachers must be judicially pursued so as to be a lesson for others”. however, the majority of respondents reject these solutions when dealing with such students by viewing them as measures that may aggravate the issue rather than resolve it. they argue that attempting to address violence with further violence is not a feasible solution. instead, some suggest the interference of several parties instead of depending solely on teachers as a means to prevent this phenomenon. female interviewee number 1 is among those who advocate for this approach as she clarifies: the direct solutions is the entry of the civil society online through the contribution in organizing the behavior inside schools the entry of the parents association on-line as being considered an essential partner in its children’s future and the school’s future […] the educational administration of the school should have roles and direct responsibility inside the school in order to understand the dishonorable behaviors and violent behaviors of students and also the councils inside the school should be active and effective like the council of strategy and the educational councils. others advocate for the establishment of support institutions within schools where students can seek assistance to alleviate stress and address problems that originate from home. this approach aims to provide students with a supportive environment to address pa ge 53 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 41-54, 2025 their issues constructively. female interviewee number 3 expresses support for this idea by stating: “we want and we beg those responsible to create and build some listening institutions and accompanying students with violent behaviors”. in brief, school violence poses a significant threat to moroccan schools since it occurs on a daily basis and manifests in various forms including verbal, physical, psychological, behavioral, and sexual violence against teachers. this study’s respondents revealed that the phenomenon has no relation with teachers’ gender. several factors contribute to violence against teachers namely students’ academic struggles, exposure to violence, lack of morals, media influence, peer pressure, and revenge. conversely, teacher-related factors include weak personalities, humiliation, and criticism. these factors result in numerous consequences for teachers such as insecurity, limited interaction with students, behavioral changes, loss of self-esteem, absenteeism, and even resignation. given the severity of this issue, proactive measures are necessary to create a safe and violence-free environment in moroccan schools. discussion it is worth mentioning the results that this research paper has yielded. starting with the frequency of school violence, the majority of the respondents asserted that school violence exists to the extent that it becomes a normal and common deed in moroccan schools. moreover, most of the respondents assert on the existence of school violence in different types as it mostly takes the verbal form through insults and curses. then, it can develop to direct confrontations through beating or injuring. this phenomenon can also be behavioral as manifested in the fact that certain students aggressively behave inside the classroom through kicking trash bins, throwing school supplies, hitting on tables, etc. besides, school violence may be psychological through gazing and staring at the teacher and it rarely takes the sexual dimension through harassing female teachers. it should be noted that the majority of the respondents chose that this phenomenon has nothing to do with one’s gender. concerning the reasons that push students to attack their teachers, they emanate from different perspectives according to the respondents’ perceptions on this issue. that is, some argue that it is the students’ mistake as being lazy, not well-raised, living in inappropriate arenas, not expecting serious punishments. in contrast, others believe that it is teachers’ mistake as having weak personalities, devaluing, criticizing and humiliating their students in front of their peers. yet, the respondents stressed on the fact that no matter what teachers do, there is no convincing justification for students to exercise violence against them. furthermore, this study reveals that this phenomenon has severe consequences on teachers which vary from the feeling of insecurity inside the classroom and limiting the scope of interaction with students to quitting their job. last but not least, the study comes with the fact that there are many suggestions to reduce this phenomenon which range from using rationality to heavy punishments. conclusion to conclude, it is safe to say that school violence is a serious issue that occurs within the corridors of moroccan schools. this phenomenon is manifested in various forms within our society as broadcasted by social media platforms. the phenomenon which students exercise towards their teachers stems from diverse reasons and has profound psychological consequences for educators. importantly, while traditional stereotypes may suggest that this phenomenon targets female teachers, empirical evidence suggests that violence against educators transcends gender boundaries. both male and female teachers are vulnerable to various forms of aggression. this fact demands the urgent need for comprehensive strategies to address school violence in order to guarantee safe and supportive environments for all educators. effective interventions may include the implementation of strict disciplinary policies, promoting awareness and education about the impacts of violence, and providing psychological support and counseling services for affected teachers. at last, we hope to create a secure and nurturing educational atmosphere where teachers feel respected and protected, enabling them to fulfill their critical role in shaping the future of moroccan society. references 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(2004). encyclopedia of school psychology. plenum publishers. https://shorturl. at/iq1yn pa ge 1 pa ge 1 american journal of education and technology (ajet) implementation of the learning action cell in the teaching of mathematics in four mega high school of agusan del sur, philippines myla c. quemado1 volume 4 issue 4, year 2025 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v4i4.5365 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: may 15, 2025 accepted: june 21, 2025 published: september 23, 2025 this study investigates the implementation of the learning action cell (lac) in mathematics and its effect on teachers’ development in the division of agusan del sur. specifically, it examines the extent of lac implementation in terms of administrative support, provision of facilities and financial resources, monitoring and evaluation, and quality of teacher participation. it also explores its effects on teachers’ instructional performance and sharing of expertise and resources. employing a concurrent mixedmethod approach, the study involved 125 mathematics teachers from four mega-schools: agusan del sur national high school, trento national high school, prosperidad national high school, and bayugan comprehensive national high school. quantitative data were collected through a validated questionnaire, while qualitative insights were obtained through interviews with lac leaders. findings revealed a very high extent of lac implementation in administrative support, teacher participation, and monitoring, while provision of facilities and financial resources scored moderately. teachers demonstrated remarkable development in instructional performance and collegial resource sharing. spearman rho analysis confirmed a significant positive correlation between lac implementation and teacher development. notable strengths included competent human resources and a strong culture of collaboration. however, financial and time-related challenges emerged as key barriers to effective implementation. based on these findings, the study concludes that while lac is effectively fostering professional growth among mathematics teachers, gaps in resource provision must be addressed. an intervention program is recommended to sustain and enhance lac’s effectiveness. the study offers practical implications for deped policymakers, school leaders, teachers, and future researchers in promoting sustained professional development through lac. keywords educational leadership, learning action cell, mathematics teachers, professional learning, teacher development 1 faculty, prosperidad national high school, prosperidad district, division of agusan del sur, deped, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: 72mylaque@gmail.com introduction continuity of learning and professional growth among teaching and non-teaching personnel remained essential in enhancing instructional delivery and improving educational quality. culajara (2023) emphasized that, similar to students, teachers required consistent support and opportunities for continuous improvement. trainings and capacity-building initiatives served as key mechanisms for this purpose. however, financial limitations hindered many schools from sending a large number of teachers to expensive seminars and workshops (cabral & millando, 2019). in the philippines, this challenge persisted, restricting educators’ access to meaningful development programs (macapobre, 2024). the department of education (deped) introduced more sustainable and cost-efficient strategies. one of its major initiatives was the institutionalization of learning action cells (lacs) through deped order no. 35, s. 2016. lacs were designed to promote collaborative, school-based professional development where teachers could share expertise, improve instructional practices, and foster professional growth. saquilabon et al. (2023) recognized lacs as effective platforms that supported learning without incurring high costs. in agusan del sur, this initiative was reinforced by division memorandum no. 595, s. 2023, also known as sidlac, which emphasized strengthened implementation and delivery of lac sessions in all schools. the implementation of lacs in mathematics gained particular relevance due to persistent low performance in both national and international assessments. filipino students continued to score below the international averages in key examinations such as the 2022 programme for international student assessment (pisa), the 2019 trends in international mathematics and science study (timss), and the 2019 southeast asia primary learning metrics (seaplm). these assessments consistently showed that a significant number of students failed to meet minimum proficiency levels in mathematics. locally, the performance of students in agusan del sur, particularly from the four identified mega-schools, bayugan comprehensive national high school, prosperidad national high school, agusan del sur national high school, and trento national high school reflected similar issues. the 2024 national achievement test (nat) scores indicated low academic performance in mathematics among grades 10 and 12 learners. in response, these schools regularly conducted lac sessions, typically held once or twice each quarter, to support instructional improvement and collaborative problem-solving among mathematics teachers. despite documented practices in other regions, limited pa ge 2 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 1-8, 2025 research focused specifically on lac implementation in mathematics in agusan del sur. this study aimed to examine the extent of lac implementation in mathematics and its impact on teacher development in the four mega-schools in the division. the findings served as the basis for a proposed lac primer that highlighted successful practices, common challenges, and evidence-based recommendations. the primer aimed to guide schools in optimizing lacs as cost-effective professional development tools, while fostering a culture of collaboration among school heads, master teachers, and classroom educators. theoretical and conceptual framework this study was grounded in wenger’s community of practice (cop) theory, which described a group of individuals who shared a concern or passion for something they did and learned how to do it better through regular interaction (cabral et al., 2019). the learning action cell (lac) approach embodied this theory by providing teachers with a collaborative environment where they continuously enhanced their professional skills. in alignment with the goals of the k–12 curriculum, lacs offered ongoing, school-based opportunities for educators to improve their instructional practices and respond more effectively to student needs. wenger’s cop theory proved especially relevant in examining how mathematics teachers engaged in shared learning and reflective practice through lacs. these sessions served as platforms where educators came together to discuss instructional challenges, exchange strategies, and co-develop solutions aimed at improving mathematics instruction. within these communities, teachers built professional identities, formed shared meanings around teaching practices, and strengthened their capacity to deliver quality education. the theory also facilitated the understanding of how collaborative engagement within lacs contributed to sustained professional growth. moreover, the core elements of wenger’s framework mutual engagement, joint enterprise, and shared repertoire were clearly reflected in the lac process. teachers demonstrated mutual engagement by actively participating in lac activities, discussing common challenges, and supporting one another. the joint enterprise was evident in their collective aim to improve student outcomes in mathematics, while their shared repertoire included co-created lesson plans, assessment tools, and instructional techniques. studying lacs through this theoretical lens allowed for a deeper analysis of how collaborative professional learning influenced instructional improvement and how such efforts addressed the long-standing issues in mathematics education in the philippines. the conceptual framework of this study centers on the implementation of learning action cells (lacs) as a school-based professional development strategy aimed at improving mathematics instruction. it considers how the effectiveness of lac implementation influences teaching practices and professional growth among educators. the study explores key factors such as leadership competence, quality of session content, administrative support, teacher engagement, and challenges encountered throughout the process. these components serve as mediating and moderating variables that affect the overall success of lac initiatives. by examining the relationship between these factors and the outcomes of professional development, the study identifies essential practices and gaps within the current system. the end goal is to generate outputs such as a primer and implementation guide to strengthen lac operations and promote sustained teacher competence in mathematics teaching. overall, the framework reflects the dynamic process of collaborative learning, where teachers collectively improve their instructional skills through structured support, shared goals, and reflective practice ultimately aiming to enhance student achievement and instructional quality. research questions this study generally aimed to investigate the implementation of learning action cells (lac) and its effect on teachers’ development in the division of agusan del sur. specifically, this research sought to answer the following questions: (1) what is the extent of the implementation of lac in mathematics according to the guidelines stipulated in deped order no. 35, s. 2016 in terms of administrative support, provision of facilities and financial resources, monitoring and evaluation, and quality of teacher participation? (2) what is the extent of teachers’ development in terms of instructional performance and sharing of expertise and resources? (3) is there a significant relationship between the implementation of lac and the teachers’ development? (4) what are the strengths in the implementation of lac as experienced by the teachers? (5) what are the weaknesses in the implementation of lac as experienced by the teachers? materials and methods research design the study used a mixed-methods approach, integrating both quantitative and qualitative data gathering methods to gain a comprehensive understanding of the implementation of learning action cells (lacs) in teaching mathematics in mega schools. it focused on the perceptions of lac leaders regarding the implementation of lacs, administrative support, quality of teacher participation, and the impact of lac sessions on instructional supervision and teaching performance. guided by takele (2020), who employed a mixed-method approach to explore the use of active learning strategies in mathematics classes, this study adopted a similar methodological framework to assess the effectiveness of lacs. the integration of both data types allowed for a more in-depth analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, pa ge 3 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 1-8, 2025 and overall impact of lacs, leading to evidence-based recommendations for enhancing professional learning communities in mathematics education. research respondents the respondents of the study were mathematics teachers from four identified mega-schools in agusan del sur. a complete enumeration sampling technique was employed to ensure that all mathematics teachers from these schools were included in the study. agusan del sur national high school had a total of forty-one (41) mathematics teachers, with twenty-seven (27) from junior high school and fourteen (14) from senior high school. bayugan comprehensive national high school, under the city division of bayugan, also had forty-one (41) mathematics teachers, comprising twenty-one (21) from junior high school and twenty (20) from senior high school. prosperidad national high school had a total of nineteen (19) mathematics teachers, fifteen (15) from junior high school and four (4) from senior high school. trento national high school had twentyfour (24) mathematics teachers, including seventeen (17) from junior high school and seven (7) from senior high school. overall, the total number of respondents was one hundred twenty-five (125) mathematics teachers, with eighty (80) from junior high school and forty-five (45) from senior high school. research instrument this study utilized a researcher-made questionnaire and guide questions for the quantitative and qualitative components, respectively. the instrument was structured based on the study’s problem statements and was divided into four parts. part i consisted of a five-point likert scale, where 5 indicated “strongly agree,” 4 for “agree,” 3 for “neutral,” 2 for “disagree,” and 1 for “strongly disagree.” this section measured the extent of the implementation of lac in terms of administrative support, provision of facilities and financial resources, quality of teacher participation, and monitoring and evaluation. part ii also used the same likert scale to assess teachers’ development in lac sessions, focusing on instructional performance and the sharing of expertise and resources. part iii included open-ended questions designed to gather responses on the perceived strengths in the implementation of lac, while part iv contained open-ended questions aimed at identifying the weaknesses encountered. to ensure reliability, a test was conducted using cronbach’s alpha, and all variables yielded alpha values greater than 0.70, indicating strong internal consistency. the validity of the instrument was established through expert judgment. data gathering procedure the researcher analyzed survey results and conducted focus group discussions to develop policy guidelines for lacs based on the findings. the study involved junior and senior high school mathematics teachers from four mega schools, using both quantitative and qualitative methods. the quantitative part focused on the implementation of lac in terms of administrative support, resources, teacher participation, and monitoring, as well as teacher development in instructional performance and sharing of expertise. the qualitative part explored the strengths and weaknesses of lac implementation. the study aimed to gather comprehensive insights on lac practices in mathematics teaching. ethical considerations multiple ethical considerations were maintained throughout the study to protect the rights, privacy, and welfare of the participating teachers. the researcher requested written permission from the schools division superintendent and sought approval from the principals of the identified mega-schools. most importantly, informed consent was obtained from all participants. each selected teacher received a written informed consent form outlining the study’s objectives, procedures, and potential benefits and risks. to ensure anonymity, confidentiality protocols were strictly followed, using unique codes to protect the identities of participants. furthermore, secure data storage and limited access were enforced to maintain the integrity and privacy of all collected information. treatment of data the data acquired from the survey questionnaire were analyzed using descriptive statistics in this study. descriptive statistics summarized and described the characteristics of the participants and their responses. the implementation of learning action cells in teaching mathematics in mega schools was described using the mean. the qualitative data were subjected to thematic analysis to uncover recurring themes related to the perceptions and experiences of teachers involved in lac sessions. furthermore, a correlation analysis was conducted to examine the association between the implementation of lac in teaching mathematics and teachers’ development, including the strengths and weaknesses experienced by the participants. a significance threshold of 0.05 was applied to all statistical tests to determine significance. these analyses aimed to explain the implementation of lac in mathematics instruction in terms of administrative support, provision of facilities and financial resources, teacher participation, monitoring and evaluation, and the resulting development in instructional performance and sharing of expertise in agusan del sur, philippines. results and discussion extent of lac implementation in mathematics based on deped order no. 35, s. 2016 table 1 evidently present the four parameters used to measure the implementation of lac sessions in the mega schools of agusan del sur, the provision of facilities and financial resources is the area that needs the most improvement, as indicated by the lowest overall mean of pa ge 4 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 1-8, 2025 2.85. in contrast, the other three parameters received very high descriptive ratings based on their overall mean scores. notably, the quality of teacher participation emerged as the strongest aspect of the program, with the highest mean of 4.43. administrative support and monitoring and evaluation were also identified as key strengths, with overall mean ratings of 4.36 and 4.33, respectively. overall, the findings highlight more strengths than weaknesses in the program. the limited availability of facilities and financial resources presents a clear opportunity for improvement that deped management may address in support of its goal of advancing the professional growth of both teaching and non-teaching personnel. table 1: summary of mean scores for the parameters assessing the implementation of lac in mathematics parameters mean score extent administrative support 4.36 very high provision of facilities and financial resources 2.85 average quality of teacher participation 4.43 very high monitoring and evaluation 4.33 very high table 3: correlation analysis between lac implementation and teachers’ development using spearman’s rho coefficient teacher development indicators statistics administrative support provision of facilities and financial resources quality of teacher participation monitoring and evaluation instructional performance spearman's rho 0.700 0.602 0.819 0.891 p-value < .001 < .001 < .001 < .001 sharing of expertise and resources spearman's rho 0.622 0.444 0.650 0.705 p-value < .001 < .001 < .001 < .001 table 2: summary of mean scores for the parameters assessing teachers’ development parameters m e a n score extent instructional performance 4.34 very high sharing of expertise and resources 4.52 very high correos and paler (2020) emphasized that monitoring and evaluation are vital in ensuring the effectiveness of lac in mathematics by systematically assessing teaching practices and tracking progress. wedia et al. (2024) added that teacher participation is essential, as active engagement fosters collaboration, reflection, and the sharing of best practices. without it, lac sessions may become less impactful (cabaylo & dado, 2025). extent of teachers’ development in instructional performance and sharing of expertise and resources table 2 presents the notable extent of teachers’ development as a result of their participation in a series of lac sessions in mathematics. it can be gleaned from the table that both parameters of teachers’ development are rated as having a very high extent. this is supported by the overall mean silva (2021) emphasized that lac sessions help teachers discover effective solutions to students’ learning needs in mathematics. medina et al. (2023) also highlighted that lac fosters collaboration by creating a supportive space for sharing resources and addressing teaching challenges. on the other hand, cardenas et al. (2022) noted that lac provides a structured platform for teachers, also saro and taray (2024) emphasized that to exchange ideas and improve instructional strategies provides a structured platform for teachers research capability and understanding. significant relationship between lac implementation and teachers’ development table 3 presents the correlation results between lac implementation and teacher development using spearman rho due to data non-normality. the results reveal positive and significant relationships between instructional performance and the four lac indicators: administrative support (ρ = 0.700), provision of resources (ρ = 0.602), teacher participation (ρ = 0.819), and monitoring and evaluation (ρ = 0.891), all with p-values < 0.05. these findings imply that stronger lac implementation enhances teachers' instructional performance, supported by relevant studies linking administrative support, adequate resources, active participation, and monitoring to improved teaching outcomes. scores of 4.33 for instructional performance and 4.51 for sharing of expertise and resources. these results suggest that teachers’ development is strongly evident in the big schools of agusan del sur, in line with the very high implementation level of the lac program in mathematics. these findings reflect the ongoing efforts of the division management in fulfilling its duties and mandates. additionally, the findings also shows that strong monitoring and evaluation efforts positively influence teachers’ instructional performance, as supported by correos (2020), who emphasized that regular feedback helps improve teaching practices. a spearman rho of 0.622 reveals that administrative support significantly boosts teachers’ sharing of expertise and resources. this aligns with cabaylo and marmol-dado (2025) and antig pa ge 5 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 1-8, 2025 and ubayubay (2024), who found that effective leadership fosters collaboration and resource sharing. provision of facilities and financial support (ρ = 0.444) also correlates with higher collaboration, as adequate spaces and tools encourage active participation (olujuwon et al., 2022). more so, teacher participation (ρ = 0.650) enhances sharing of strategies, as noted by culajara (2023). lastly, monitoring efforts also strengthen this culture of collaboration, echoing velasco’s (2023) findings on the impact of evaluation on professional growth. strengths in the implementation of lac as experienced by the mathematics teachers table 4 presents the thematic analysis that highlight the strengths of lac implementation in mathematics. these findings support the quantitative results showing high levels of lac implementation and teacher development. the actual experiences shared by respondents led to the emergence of key themes that describe the strengths of lac sessions within the school setting. table 4: thematic analysis of strengths in the implementation of lac sessions in mathematics coded responses sub-themes themes presence of internal experts human resource capabilities utilization of internal and competent human resources in different fields of expertise trained teachers and trainers good leadership of department heads participative teachers strong collaboration between teachers positive collaboration and collegial culture presence of conducive environment and culture for interactive and collaborative learning exchange of ideas and materials internal mentoring and coaching theme 1: utilization of internal and competent human resources in different fields of expertise in many schools, lac sessions are facilitated by experienced teachers, especially master teachers, who are often trained by the division to ensure the transfer of new knowledge. these sessions also serve as opportunities for teachers without access to divisionlevel trainings to learn from colleagues with expertise in mathematics and related areas. teachers with advanced studies or research outputs are invited to share best practices during lac, as noted by respondent a: “one of the strengths that we have at school is the presence of competent teachers who are capable to share experiences and new insights in the teachinglearning process of mathematics. usually, the master teachers are tasked to facilitate the lac sessions. but as long as any teacher has something useful to share, we allow it in the lac sessions.” this is supported by sales (2022), who emphasized the importance of maximizing teacher potential in professional development. in addition, strong leadership from school heads backed by very high administrative support as found in the quantitative data ensures a supportive structure for lac. medina et al. (2023) and saro et al. (2022) affirmed that administrators play a vital role in fostering a culture of continuous improvement. furthermore, the high quality of teacher participation, also highlighted in the quantitative results, confirms that active engagement among teachers significantly contributes to the success of lac implementation. theme 2: presence of a conducive environment and culture for interactive and collaborative learning another strength that emerged from the thematic analysis is the existence of a supportive environment that promotes interactive and collaborative learning. despite logistical and financial limitations, teachers reported a strong culture of collaboration and mutual support. a conducive lac environment is seen not only as a physical space but also as one where teachers willingly engage in shared learning. antig and ubayubay (2024) similarly found that teachers maximized peer learning opportunities even with limited internet or technological access. as respondent b shared: “i think the strong collaboration with one another is a remarkable strength. teachers are helping one another, sharing resources and expertise. while the physical environment is beyond our control, the spirit of collegial work to improve teachinglearning is highly evident. this is what we are proud of amidst the grapples in other aspects.” this insight aligns with the quantitative finding of very high teacher participation in lac sessions. aquino et al. (2023) and saro et al. (2023) also observed that motivation and interest in learning from peers are common among public school teachers, who use school-based activities as platforms for continuous learning, experience sharing, and professional growth. weaknesses in the implementation of lac as experienced by the mathematics teachers table 5 presents the thematic analysis results revealing the weaknesses in the implementation of lac sessions in mathematics. contrary to the strengths previously observed, certain challenges remain evident. consistent with the quantitative findings, the lack of facilities and limited financial resources are common hurdles encountered by the respondents. two major themes that emerged from the participants’ actual responses: budget-related constraints and time-related issues. these themes reflect ongoing concerns that impact the overall effectiveness and sustainability of lac implementation within schools. pa ge 6 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 1-8, 2025 table 5: thematic analysis on the weaknesses in the implementation of lac sessions in mathematics coded responses sub-themes themes insufficient budget allocation financial resource limitations limited access to essential facilities due to budget constraintssmall mooe allocation internet subscription issues budget for food and training kits time management issues time barriers in the implementation of lac time-related issues including conflict in school activities and training time spanconflict of schedules lesser prioritization of lac schedule theme 1: limited access to essential facilities due to budget constraints as reflected in both the qualitative and quantitative findings, budget constraints significantly affect the implementation of lac sessions. many respondents revealed that expenses for food during sessions are often personally shouldered by teachers, and some schools lack stable internet connectivity. several participants emphasized that the school’s mooe (maintenance and other operating expenses) is insufficient, and funding for lac sessions is not prioritized due to competing opcr targets and deliverables. supporting this concern, respondent c shared: “the prime problem in many schools is budget. it’s true that it is very hard to operate or implement lac without budget. in many cases the limitation in financial resources negatively affects the quality of program implementation. moreover, without budget, teachers could hardly access technological facilities and other machineries needed especially about research.” this statement echoes the findings of vega (2020), who highlighted financial constraints as a key challenge in sustaining lac sessions. bartolay et al. (2024) also noted that without sufficient funds, schools may struggle to provide access to modern teaching tools, training, and updated resources. cardenas (2022) emphasized that such financial limitations hinder teacher development and their ability to deliver high-quality instruction, thereby impacting student outcomes. theme 2: time-related issues including conflict in school activities and training time span time constraints also emerged as a prominent challenge in implementing lac. findings shows that time-related issues such as scheduling conflicts, lack of prioritization, and compressed session durations limit the effectiveness of lac implementation. teachers often face competing responsibilities, and lac sessions are sometimes deprioritized amid packed school calendars. this leads to sessions being held merely for compliance rather than genuine professional growth. respondent d remarked: “i have encountered many times that lac sessions only occurred in 2–3 hours because of conflict in schedules. lac is not given much priority compared to those posted in the school calendar. also, because of the various functions of teachers, not all of them can effectively manage time for lac sessions. in effect, lac sessions are conducted for compliance.” vega (2020) also identified time constraints as a common barrier to meaningful teacher engagement in lac. pobre (2022) added that without structured and dedicated time, teachers cannot deeply participate in discussions, share classroom insights, or engage in reflective practice. rushed and disorganized sessions undermine the collaborative and developmental goals of lac, thus limiting its long-term impact. conclusion based on the findings, several conclusions can be drawn regarding the implementation of lac in mathematics. the program continues to thrive due to strong administrative support, high-quality teacher participation, and consistent monitoring and evaluation. nonetheless, the provision of essential facilities and financial resources remains a critical area for improvement, which calls for support beyond the local school administration. despite these challenges, teacher development has been significantly enhanced through lac, as educators demonstrated notable improvements in skills and knowledge. the positive correlation between the extent of lac implementation and teacher development further implies that enhancing lac strategies will lead to greater teacher effectiveness. among the most notable strengths are the effective utilization of internal, competent human resources and the strong culture of collegiality and collaboration within schools. however, for lac to reach its full potential, increased budgetary support and better prioritization in school schedules are necessary. therefore, an intervention program is recommended to ensure the continuity and sustainability of teacher professional development through effective lac implementation. recommendations based on the findings, it is recommended that deped use this study to address challenges in lac implementation and support sustainability efforts. school heads may integrate the proposed intervention into their school improvement plans. teachers are encouraged to maximize lac opportunities despite budget constraints. future researchers may build on this study by including more schools or exploring the link between lac and student learning outcomes. acknowledgment the researcher extends heartfelt gratitude to the pa ge 7 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 1-8, 2025 professors and mentors from saint joseph institute of technology whose expertise, guidance, and unwavering support were instrumental in the completion of this dissertation. special appreciation is given to the dissertation committee for their constructive feedback and encouragement throughout the process, as well as to the adviser whose patience and insightful mentorship greatly enriched the quality of the study. deep thanks are also given to colleagues, friends, and the prosperidad national high school community for their continuous support, understanding, and encouragement during the journey. above all, the researcher acknowledges the divine guidance and strength provided by the almighty, whose presence was felt throughout every challenge faced in accomplishing this academic milestone. references antig, c. j. a., & ubayubay, r. m. (2024). teachers’ role in school learning action cell and learners’ academic performance. academic performance, 145(1), 25. aquino, s. r., kilag, o. k., cordova jr, n., branzuela, j., batiancila, c., & tipdas, c. (2023). transformative learning: a deep dive into slac sessions and teacher empowerment. excellencia: international multi-disciplinary journal of education (2994-9521), 1(5), 498-509. bartolay, r., carrasco, j., bullo, m. m., delavin, e., & padasas, r. (2024). san fernando masbate teachers on the implementation of learning action cell (lac): an inquiry. international journal of research, 13(1), 57-65. cabaylo, d. c., & dado, c. p. (2025). utilization of learning action cell (lac) session contents among science teachers in vigan, ilocos sur. the asian journal of education and human development (ajehd), 5(1). cabral, j. v., & millando, m. r. (2019). school learning action cell (slac) sessions and teachers' professional development in buhaynasapa national high school. ascendens asia journal of multidisciplinary research abstracts, 3(2m). cardenas, a. p. g., guzon, a. f. h., & vistro-yu, c. p. (2022). learning from the ground: how mathematics teachers view collaboration through the learning action cell program. american journal of educational research, 8(6), 416-419. https:// doi:10.12691/ education-8-6-8 correos, c. t. c. c., & paler, a. a. (2020). extent of implementation, monitoring and evaluation of school learning action cell (slac) as a costeffective learning and development strategy for teachers’ development. international journal of research publications, 58(1), 61-76. culajara, c. j. (2023). improving teachers’ professional development through school learning action cell (slac). journal of research, policy & practice of teachers and teacher education, 13(1), 76-88. deped order no. 35, s. 2016: learning action cell as a k to 12 basic education program school-based continuing professional development strategy for the improvement of teaching and learning. department of education. deped-bea. (2023). national achievement test 2023 results and implications for mathematics instruction. department of education. division memorandum n0. 595, s. 2023sidlac. division of agusan del sur, caraga region, department of education. macapobre, k., kilag, o. k., sasan, j. m., uy, f., villegas, m. a., solatorio, r., & suba-an, j. (2024). educational leadership in the philippines: the challenges. international multidisciplinary journal of research for innovation, sustainability, and excellence (imjrise), 1(6), 1021-1026. medina, a. m. s. (2023). the acceptability of online learning action cell session practice to tagumpay national high school teachers. online resources journal. https://philarchive.org/rec/medtao-6 olujuwon, m. t., omiyale, o. p., & olujuwon, m. t. (2022). management of school facilities on academic achievement of students in public secondary schools in badagry local government area of lagos state. international journal of educational research and policy making, 5(1), 988-1001. pobre, c. (2022). implementation of online learning action cell as learning and development strategy among senior high school teachers in calasiao district i. available at ssrn 4286550. philippine institute for development studies (pids). (2021). challenges in mathematics education in the philippines: a policy review. sales, b. b. (2022). exploring the learning action cell implementation and its challenges in public elementary schools. educational innovations review, 18(2), 22-34. saquilabon, r.p., albuena, c. a. a., & antatico, m. n. (2023, march 30). g.u.r.o. program for teachers: a designed school learning action cell (slac) sessions for professional development during covid-19. aide interdisciplinary research journal, volume 4, pp 75–86. doi.org/10.56648/aide-irj.v4i1.45 saro, j., manliguez, m., buar, i. j., buao, a., & almonicar, a. (2022). new normal education: strategies, methods, and trends of teaching-learning on students’ perspectives and its effectiveness. https://philpapers.org/rec/sarnne-4 saro, j., silabay, a., lumbanon, j., pepugal, e., & pareja, m. (2022). school-based management: reevaluating and innovating learning outcomes to refine schools’ performances and practices. psychology and education: a multidisciplinary journal, 4(5), 439-448. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.7087798 saro, j. m., apat, j. q., & pareja, m. s. (2023). a descriptive-correlational study of the teachers’ motivation, competences, and perceptions in writing action research. j adv educ philos, 7(1), 14-24. doi: pa ge 8 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 1-8, 2025 10.36348/jaep.2023.v07i01.003 saro, j. m., & taray, j. d. (2024). teachers as researchers: practices, perspectives, problems, and a plan of action (4ps) for public school teachers in writing action research. american journal of interdisciplinary research and innovation, 3(3), 21-41. https://doi. org/10.54536/ajiri.v3i3.3344 southeast asian ministers of education organization (seameo) & unicef. (2019). southeast asia primary. takele, g. a. 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(2021). the impact of a lack of mathematical education on brain development and future attainment. proceedings of the national academy of sciences, 118(24), e2013155118. pa ge 1 pa ge 24 american journal of education and technology (ajet) competencies of filipino it workers in australia and their level of job satisfaction: basis for it curriculum enhancement in the senior high school program mabeth borres1*, gina labitad1 volume 3 issue 2, year 2024 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v3i2.2681 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: march 10, 2024 accepted: april 15, 2024 published: april 19, 2024 this study aimed to assess the it competencies of filipino it workers and their level of job satisfaction in australia. specifically, this research addressed six key objectives by profiling respondents, evaluating their it competency levels in technical, managerial, and socio-interpersonal areas, measuring their job satisfaction in terms of economic security, professional growth, and socio-cultural adaptability, analyzing the relationship between competency levels and job satisfaction, examining differences in it competencies and job satisfaction based on demographic characteristics, and designing an it curriculum enrichment plan. employing an adapted survey questionnaire that used slovin’s formula as a sampling method, 382 filipino it workers across australia were surveyed during the australian fiscal year 2023 2024. statistical tools such as weighted mean, frequency distribution, percentages, standard deviation, pearson-r, and analysis of variance were applied for data analysis. findings indicated that filipino it workers are well competent in their it competencies but competent only in technical competency. filipino it workers are much satisfied with their job satisfaction in australia, but satisfied only with professional growth. a significant relationship was found between it competencies and job satisfaction. job position levels affected it competencies, while the number of years working in it in australia and visa status impacted job satisfaction. the study revealed a gap in the area of computer networking, and herein proposed enrichment topics into the k to 12 key learning areas of k to 12 and ict tracks, as part of the ict curriculum enrichment plan. keywords it competency, ict curriculum enhancement, job satisfaction 1 phinma cagayan de oro college, australia * corresponding author’s e-mail: mamo.borres.coc@phinmaed.com introduction background of the study all employees are evaluated and assessed on their competencies, performance, and job satisfaction (civil service commission, 2023). filipinos working in government and non-government agencies are encouraged to pursue continuing professional development programs (david, 2020). for those who worked abroad or in other countries, an equivalent evaluation is essential to establish if their educational background, attainment, or preservice education has provided sufficient preparation for their current job. thus, the relevance of this present investigation is proposed and established herein. in australia, 87,870 skilled filipino migrants were recorded from 2016 to 2022 (department of home affairs, 2022). out of this number, 2,078 are working in it-related occupations, which puts a yearly average of 2.78% for those working in information technology (it). as of june 2021, the population of filipinos is 310,620. this means that from this number, 8,635 are estimated to be working in it. the study at hand takes into account the job performance of these filipino workers, along with various factors such as their educational background and work experience. the aim is to determine how these variables impact their performance in their current position. it is worth contemplating on their perception of satisfaction and contentment with their work in australia, as in all organizations and establishments, the pivotal element that determines success in today’s ever-changing and dynamic environment is none other than its employees, workers, or staff members (nyakundi & solomon, 2022). additionally, organizations and offices all aim to harness the competencies of their employees so that their performance can also lead to a productive, effective, and successful organization. the ideal soft competencies of the employees, as well as their contentment in their workplace, form part of the success indicator of an organization. one of the key questions this study addresses is the relationship between job satisfaction and perceived competence levels among filipino it workers. the study builds on previous research by almeida and fernando (2017), which found that employers in regional australia were more accepting of overseas-based qualifications and experience. the study also aims to determine if filipino it workers in australia share the same positive experiences as reported by arandia et al. (2022). importantly, this research seeks to correlate job satisfaction with technical competencies, highlighting the potential impact of job satisfaction on it workers’ performance. job satisfaction has long been a focus of organizational research, recognized for its role in enhancing productivity, reducing turnover, and fostering a positive organizational culture. in today’s digital landscape, the importance of it competencies has been elevated (heath, 2020). these competencies, which include programming, data analysis, cybersecurity, and software proficiency, empower pa ge 25 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 24-51, 2024 employees to navigate the digital landscape effectively. they enable employees to perform their tasks efficiently and adapt to the evolving technological demands of their roles, underscoring the relevance of this research in the current technological context. to deepen the value of this study, it is the intent to give and analyze the present senior high school (shs) curriculum in it as a basis for curricular enrichment. this has been prompted by the present legislative act and the resolution of the house of congress to conduct a curricular review of the k to 12 curriculum (house of congress, 2020) addressed to the department of education (deped) since its inception and implementation in 2013 and 2015 (deped order 43, series of 2013). increased career and technical education coursework in high school had a positive impact on educational and labor market outcomes, according to dougherty et al. (2019). moreover, according to research conducted by khenner (2021), incorporating computer science classes in high schools can serve as a foundational step toward facilitating the professional development of students who aspire to work in the it industry. in the present senior high school program of deped, ict is one of the major curricular tracks. this study is unique in its focus on filipino it workers in australia, aiming to determine their competencies and job satisfaction levels. by exploring these aspects, the study fills a significant gap in research, providing valuable insights into a group that has not been extensively studied despite the presence of similar research on workers in australia. literature review technical competency in this present millennial era, technical competency is paramount in the field of it due to its fundamental role in ensuring the efficient functioning and development of digital systems and software applications. in an everevolving technological landscape, it professionals need a deep understanding of various programming languages, technologies, frameworks, hardware configurations, and network infrastructures. technical competency enables it experts to design, develop, implement, and maintain complex it solutions, ensuring they align with organizational needs and industry standards. without technical expertise, it professionals would struggle to troubleshoot issues, optimize systems, or develop innovative software, hampering any organization’s efficiency and competitive edge (mbise, 2021). goh et al. (2022) identified that post-pandemic must-have technical skills include web development, cyber security, cloud computing, agile project management, mobile development, and devops, among others. a study on pakistani librarians found that technical, functional and professional skills play significant roles in successful organizational productivity, and technology skills were positively related to generic job satisfaction (khan, 2021). the national ict competency standards (nics) of the philippines’ commission on information and communication technology (cict) is unique in the implementation of holistic national-level ict competency standards for all public sector employees and citizens (apcict, 2023). among the ict competencies mentioned are a range of proficiencies such as software development and programming, software testing or quality assurance, database administration, data management and analysis, cyber security, it support or maintenance, systems or computer networking, and systems analysis and design. to excel in these areas, one must possess knowledge and expertise in various programming languages and frameworks, testing methodologies, agile development methodologies, database systems, data analysis, secure coding practices, debugging tools, computer networks or infrastructure, software design principles, patterns, and methodologies. professionals in ict must ensure that software applications remain modular, scalable, and compliant with business or software requirements while also prioritizing maintenance and upkeep. in the it industry, competency in it-related tasks is fundamental for job satisfaction. individuals who possess the necessary it competencies tend to feel confident and fulfilled in their work. having the skills and knowledge to perform tasks efficiently not only boosts self-assurance but also enables professionals to handle challenges effectively, leading to a greater sense of job satisfaction and fulfillment. this confidence in their abilities often translates into a positive work experience, fostering a fulfilling and contented professional life within the it sector (alshammari & alenezi, 2023). managerial competency managerial competency in it is indispensable as it provides the framework for effective leadership, strategic planning, and efficient resource utilization within technology-driven environments. it managers with strong managerial skills can align the organization’s it strategies with broader business objectives, ensuring that technological initiatives contribute meaningfully to the company’s overall goals. they are responsible for optimizing resources, including talent, time, and budgets, ensuring that projects are completed on time and within financial constraints. this is according to the study by pahuachón (2023) exploring dynamics of organizations. indeed, managerial competencies can also be discerned through organizational leadership. in fact, in korea, it was confirmed that the effect of leadership behaviors on organizational commitment is different by organizational culture (jung, 2022). in addition, a study in indonesia found that organizational commitment perhaps mediates the relationship between leadership behaviors and job satisfaction and performance; however, the presence of this mediating effect was contingent upon the type of leadership and organizational culture (nurjanah et al., 2020). the present research has incorporated the ideas, theories and findings of these two studies in korea and in indonesia. there are similarities in work performance pa ge 26 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 24-51, 2024 as filipinos are also of the asian race and similar cultural background as well. in a study conducted in india, about 449 it employees disclosed that job satisfaction mediated the relationship between organizational commitment and job performance by a positive amount (chhabra, 2019). additionally, that hierarchical multiple regression results also showed job satisfaction is positively correlated with internal locus of control and organizational commitment. it is important for managers to implement strategies that will ensure high job satisfaction and commitment in the workplace. it is critical that they understand the role that personality attributes play in moderating the relationship between job satisfaction and overall work commitment. to improve organizational effectiveness, there must be strong management support for employees’ freedom of expression because, without the support, job satisfaction and productivity diminish (abdulgalimov et al., 2020). socio-interpersonal competency socio-interpersonal competency in it holds immense importance as technology increasingly becomes intertwined with human interactions and collaborative teamwork. it professionals with strong sociointerpersonal skills can navigate the complexities of working in diverse and multidisciplinary teams, fostering effective communication, mutual understanding, and cooperation. in the it domain, where projects often involve cross-functional teams and interactions with clients, the ability to convey complex technical concepts in a clear, understandable manner is crucial, according to the study by morcov et al. (2020) with them sharing their expertise and backgrounds in managing large complex international it projects, performance modelling of socio-technical systems. akpan et al. (2021) studied the dimension of the relationship as part of organizational culture, which led them to conclude that building positive workforce relationships is vital for career success and eventually affect the employees’ satisfaction with their job. harmonious relationships provide increased resources to produce job efficiency. just like the classical management theories of frederick taylor and elton mayo and even of douglas mcgregor’s theory x and theory y, this present study tried to capture office practices and work principles that would reflect organizational climate; however, the millennial focus on technical competence has prevailed. divett (2020) studied some organizational practices of employers and employees in australia. results indicated that working as a team could let the employees feel content and even boost their confidence and that the office has recognized the importance of having employees give encouragement to each other. eventually, this has resulted in higher productivity and better job performance. true enough, these perspectives are incorporated in the research tool being used in the present investigation, particularly on office teamwork, office communication, organizational adaptability, discipline, and ethical integrity. economic security economic security significantly influences it job performance in various ways, creating a stable foundation for professionals to thrive within the industry. in economically stable environments, organizations are more likely to invest in it infrastructure, innovation, and digital transformation initiatives. this is an insight coming from the study conducted by nwankpa and merhout (2020) among chief information officers (cios) from us firms. this then translates to a plethora of opportunities for it professionals, enabling them to work on cutting-edge projects and stay updated with the latest technologies. employment stability, providing job security and consistent income, along with decent work conditions such as fair wages and a supportive work environment, significantly enhance job performance. these factors reduce stress, boost motivation, and foster commitment, leading to higher productivity and job satisfaction. when employees have stable jobs and positive working conditions, they can focus on their tasks, contribute effectively, and plan for the future, ultimately improving overall job performance (murphy & turner, 2023). economic factors play a crucial role in determining the quality of working life for individuals, according to singh and maini (2018). a robust economy creates high working life quality by offering diverse job opportunities, competitive wages, and comprehensive benefits. economic stability fosters education, skills development, and infrastructural growth, enhancing work-life balance and overall well-being for employees. professional growth a study conducted in indonesia by widodo et al. (2023) reveals that the desire to enhance career development and human relationships is considered significant in the workplace. professional growth is anchored on basic technical competency, which this present study espouses and advocates. this supports the idea of a positive, significant relationship between job promotion and job satisfaction. in the same vein, this present study has covered and identified similar components and elements of work performance as influenced by professional growth. various factors can influence the job performance of an organization, among them satisfaction with work (gunawan & sondakh, 2019). rewards, recognition, and even a better compensation package form part of job satisfaction. this is an essential component in an organization that affects policies and operations. employees’ job performance affects organizational effectiveness as it is directly related to behavior and attitude reflected in their commitment, punctuality, discipline, and sense of responsibility. professional growth significantly enhances it job performance by equipping professionals with advanced skills, knowledge, and expertise. as it is a rapidly evolving field, continuous learning and skill development are pa ge 27 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 24-51, 2024 essential. in the study by mbise (2021) among it academic staff in tanzania, engaging in professional development programs, certifications, and training courses allows it professionals to stay updated with the latest technologies and best practices. the knowledge empowers them to solve complex problems efficiently, write optimized code, and design innovative solutions. furthermore, professional growth fosters confidence, encouraging it experts to take on challenging projects and tasks. it improves their adaptability to new tools and methodologies, making them versatile in diverse it environments. additionally, ongoing learning sharpens communication skills, enabling it professionals to collaborate effectively within teams and convey technical concepts clearly to stakeholders. moreover, as professionals climb the career ladder through professional growth, they often assume leadership roles, enhancing their project management and decision-making abilities. this is highlighted in a separate study among it specialists by zubareva et al. (2023), detailing that continuous professional growth in the it field not only enhances technical expertise but also boosts confidence, adaptability, communication, and leadership skills, all of which are vital for exceptional job performance. socio-cultural adaptability research carried out by tentama et al. (2019) found a significant link between work satisfaction and relationships. all of these have similar bearings in the areas of concern of this present research as it dwelt on the correlation between job satisfaction and work competencies in technical aspects, management and social and interpersonal relationships. it is important to learn, acquire and possess knowledge of various cultures around the world, and also, to develop career competencies (barnes et al., 2022). with rapid changes occurring in various industries, professionals are adapting to these challenges by enhancing their skills and competencies to tackle emerging global issues. similarly, businesses are also striving to stay competitive by upgrading the competencies of their officers and employees. workers and employees from small and medium-sized enterprises in vietnam were evaluated on their job satisfaction and commitment to the organization as a result of organizational culture, according to the study by thi et al. (2021). the findings showed that organizational culture positively impacts employees’ satisfaction, and that job satisfaction significantly influences organizational commitment. a study conducted among university staff in canada explored the correlation between different types of organizational culture and employee levels of workrelated stress, enjoyment of work, and self-perceived productivity (olynick & li, 2020). the study revealed that employees working in a clan culture or family-like environment reported a high level of enjoyment and productivity with the least amount of stress. those in the adhocracy and hierarchy cultures followed closely behind, with the market culture being the least productive. this highlights the importance of organizational leaders taking organizational culture into consideration on employee well-being and workplace functioning. meanwhile, a research was carried out in tuguegarao city, philippines to investigate the organizational culture, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment of faculty members of the st. paul university system (spus) (batugal, 2019). the findings revealed a strong correlation between job satisfaction and organizational culture. it was also found that job satisfaction predicts organizational commitment and that the faculty members’ work commitment has a bearing on their work engagement. statement of the problem the study aimed to determine the level of competencies of filipino it workers in australia and the extent of their job satisfaction, as the basis for a proposed it curriculum content enhancement for the senior high school program. specifically, this study sought to answer the following questions: 1. how are the respondents’ characteristics distributed in terms of: age, sex, highest educational attainment, number of years working in it in australia, status of employment, job position level; and visa status? 2. to what level of competencies are the respondents as to: technical competency, managerial competency, and socio-interpersonal competency? 3. how do the respondents assess their level of job satisfaction considering the following: economic security, professional growth, and socio-cultural adaptability? 4. is there a significant relationship between the level of job satisfaction and the level of it competencies as to: technical competency, managerial competency, and socio-interpersonal competency? 5. is there a significant difference between the level of it competencies and the level of job satisfaction according to the respondents’ characteristics? 6. based on the findings, what development plan can be designed or proposed in relation to an enhancement of the it curriculum in the shs program? theoretical and conceptual framework having been considered as essential components in this millennial world, it competencies are grounded in various theories that guide their development and application. cognitive load theory delves into the cognitive processes involved in learning and comprehending complex information. cognitive load theory was developed by john sweller (1988), an australian educational psychologist. sweller’s research on cognitive load and instructional design has had a significant impact on the field of education. cognitive load theory, applied in the context of it competencies and student learning, focuses on optimizing the learning process by managing mental effort effectively. for it students, this means breaking down complex technical concepts into manageable parts, and employing pa ge 28 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 24-51, 2024 instructional strategies that align with cognitive capacities. educators aim to reduce cognitive overload during learning activities, ensuring students can absorb and retain information efficiently. by presenting information in a structured manner and offering guided practice, cognitive load theory enhances the learning experience, allowing students to grasp intricate technology skills and concepts more effectively (chen & woolcott, 2019). this research has utilized the frameworks of the commission of information and communication technology; frederick herzberg theories on job performance and motivation; and the civil service commission program prime-hrm (csc, 2023; csc mc 03, s. 2012). in 2013, republic act no. 10533 was signed into law, which paved the way for the senior high school (shs) program. the department of education’s order no. 43, series of 2013, provided guidelines for the enhanced basic education act of 2013, which included core curriculum and specialized tracks like it or ict, particularly concepts under national certificate level iii. with a decade since its inception, it is crucial to evaluate the program’s learning outcomes and gauge its importance and relevance. ict learning competencies are embedded in the k to 12 curriculum which are also consistent with other existing provisions and even policies and standards of other organizations. apparently, the cict issued the national ict competency standards for teachers (nics for teachers). according to this document, there are four domains in ict competencies namely, social and ethical, pedagogical, technology operations and concepts; and professional competencies. based on this 2006 document of cict (philippine ict roadmap, 2006), competencies refer to the knowledge, skill, ability or characteristic associated with high performance on a job. it may include motivations, beliefs, and values. competencies can also help distinguish high performance from average and low performance, a desirable quality or behavior, a performance indicator. it has also espoused the identification of standards and indicators, and even descriptors and statements. as to job satisfaction, the present research has considered the theories of herzberg, which identified factors that give satisfaction and the causes of dissatisfaction. these are two dimensions of interaction or intrinsic factors and hygiene or extrinsic factors (herzberg,1959). the job satisfaction aspects that are derived from spector’s work are economic security (job package and benefits), professional growth (career advancement) and sociocultural adaptability (workplace environment and relationships) (spector, 1985, 2022). these are the job satisfaction aspects being used for this research. scope and limitation the research study was intended to investigate the competencies and job satisfaction of filipino it workers who are currently residing in different states of australia. the research was conducted during the australian fiscal year 2023 – 2024. the research aimed to gain insights into the level of technical, managerial, and socio-interpersonal competencies among the filipino it workers only as described. additionally, the study looked into the job satisfaction of these workers, focusing only on factors such as economic security, professional growth, and socio-cultural adaptability. the main research tool was the questionnaire which was available online. methodology research design this study utilized a descriptive-correlational method of research to collect data on the level of competencies of filipino it workers and the level of their job satisfaction in australia. the researcher crafted a questionnaire based on the prevalent assumptions as a filipino it worker, identifying demographic attributes for part 1 of the research questionnaire. technical competencies were aligned based on cict’s nics. for the competency section on managerial and socio-interpersonal areas, the multiple competency assessment surveys by hr-survey, llc (2023) was used as a reference. these formed part 2 of the research questionnaire. in conducting this particular research, the researcher adapted spector’s (1985, 2022) job satisfaction survey (jss) job satisfaction aspects as a reference particularly in part 3. it is worth noting that other researchers have employed the jss for various purposes, including in higher education settings (pokornowski, 2018). study setting the study was conducted in the beautiful country of australia, known to celebrate its diversity, encourage multiculturalism, and promote equality. according to the australian institute of family studies (2023), the filipino community in australia is characterized by its strong cultural identity, close family bonds, active participation in community life, and significant contributions to the multicultural fabric of the country. filipino workers are also known for their friendly and outgoing nature, making them highly sought-after employees in a wide range of industries. many filipino workers in australia have gained a reputation for being skilled and reliable, and they are often considered an asset to any workplace. study population and sampling technique this research involved 382 filipino it workers who were working in australia at the time of the study. the sample was based on the profile of filipino it workers in australia, as reported by the australian bureau of statistics and department of home affairs (2022). the estimated number of filipino it workers in australia at that time was 8,635, and the researcher used slovin’s formula to determine the sample size. pa ge 29 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 24-51, 2024 research instruments the research questionnaire is intended and outlined to collect insights into the perceptions of filipino it workers in terms of their level of competence and job satisfaction in australia. there were three parts of the questionnaire. part 1 dealt with the basic demographic profile such as age, sex, highest educational attainment, status of employment, number of years working in it in australia, job position level relating to their current role and their visa status. part 2 identified three key variables related to it competency, namely technical, managerial, and socio-interpersonal competencies. part 3 covered questions related to job satisfaction, which were categorized into economic security, professional growth, and socio-cultural adaptability. the questionnaire has undergone a reliability test using the test-retest method. the number of respondents was limited to 10 it workers in misamis oriental and 20 it workers in sydney. using the pearson reliability test formula, the computed value was 0.75, which was embedded in the degree of acceptance. the results of the reliability test indicated a strong reliability coefficient demonstrating a moderately high level of consistency and stability in measuring the intended construct. further, cronbach’s alpha was also used to assess the internal consistency or reliability of the survey. the resulting cronbach’s alpha value was 0.9215 which means the scale has excellent reliability (nunnally, 1978). moreover, this high level of reliability suggested that the questionnaire was a valid and effective tool for measuring the intended construct among filipino it workers. statistical treatment of data descriptive statistics such as frequency and percentages were used to determine the respondents’ sociodemographic profiling. descriptive mean values and standard deviation organized the respondents’ perception levels of their competencies and job satisfaction. pearson correlation coefficient analysis was used to examine the significance of the relationship between the level of it competencies and the job satisfaction of filipino it workers at .05 level of significance, particularly for problem 4. spearman rho correlation analysis was also used to verify the outcomes, and the outcomes were the same. similar strategy was used for problem 5, at .05 level of significance, analysis of variance (anova) was used to test the significance of the difference between the level of it-related competencies and their level of job satisfaction in it, with regards to their demographic profile or characteristics. for the overall values in the test of significant differences, multivariate analysis of variance (manova) was utilized. results and discussions problem 1. how are the respondents’ characteristics distributed in terms of: age, sex, highest educational attainment, number of years working in it in australia, status of employment, job position level; and visa status? table 1: distribution of respondents state or territory number of respondents northern territory 9 queensland 65 new south wales 146 south australia 19 australian capital territory 6 victoria 86 western australia 49 tasmania 2 total 382 table 1: distribution of respondent’s characteristics characteristics category frequency percentage age 41 years old and above 161 42.15 31-40 years old 202 52.88 21-30 years old 19 4.97 total 382 100 sex male 255 66.75 female 127 33.25 total 382 100 highest educational attainment doctorate level 3 0.79 masteral level 102 26.70 college graduate or graduate diploma 270 70.68 undergraduate 7 1.83 total 382 100 number of years working in it in australia 7 years and above 244 63.87 4-6 years 79 20.68 pa ge 30 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 24-51, 2024 table 1 shows the distribution of respondent’s characteristics. the research respondents, who are all filipino it workers in australia, represent a diverse demographic profile in terms of age. the majority, comprising 52.88%, falls within the 31-40 years age range, got the highest percentage of filipino workers highlighting a significant representation of individuals in their prime working years. additionally, 4.97% of respondents belong to the 21-30 years age group, got the lowest percentage but still present number of younger it professionals. to enter australia with a valid working visa takes some time so the turnout and the resulting demographics is consistent with the results. the gender distribution of the research respondents, on the other hand, shows dominantly males, with 66.75% of the respondents being male and 33.25%, being female. this potentially highlights the need for greater efforts to promote gender diversity and inclusion within the it sector. in australia, the tech industry is experiencing an increase in the number of women joining it. however, there are still issues surrounding gender representation. the office of the chief scientist reports that women constitute only 28% of the stem workforce, which includes technology-related roles (salient team, 2023). the outcome aligns with the state of the it industry in australia. the educational backgrounds of the research respondents are diverse, reflecting a wide range of educational attainment within the field. of the respondents, 70.68%, have completed college or graduate diplomas got the highest percentage. this means that the it workforce is largely well-educated, with a significant majority having completed at least a college degree or graduate diploma, while 0.79% hold doctorate degrees got the lowest percentage. it reveals that in prioritizing continuous professional development is not a big deal with them, but it could enhance their overall expertise in the it workforce manifesting increased technical know-how. the distribution of the research respondents’ number of years working in it in australia reveals a seasoned and experienced workforce. a significant majority, accounting for 63.87%, have accumulated seven or more years of experience in the it industry got the highest percentage. this indicates a stable and well-established professional community with a wealth of knowledge and expertise. meanwhile, 15.45%, have been in the industry for 1-3 years, representing a proportion of early-career professionals into the it industry in australia which got the lowest percentage. the employment status of the research respondents, all of whom work in it, reveals an interesting trend. the vast majority, 83.25%, of those surveyed hold permanent or regular positions. this suggests that the it industry benefits from a stable and committed workforce, which likely contributes to a sense of job security and continuity. however, it is worth noting that 16.75%, of respondents are engaged in contractual or fixed-term positions. the results align with neda’s report on labor force survey dated feb 2021 (neda, 2021) where filipino labor force was more in permanent employment in nature. in this survey it can be said that filipinos also have the perception that permanent or regular positions have more benefits than contract workers giving the sense of stability economically. the data collected from the survey in terms of job position also reveals that the majority of respondents, 58.90%, hold senior-level positions got the highest percentage. this indicates that the workforce is composed of seasoned professionals who have a wealth of experience and expertise in their respective fields. majority of migrants who enter australia are skilled migrants so it is understandable that these filipino workers prefer to take on senior roles that are much more fitting to their skillset. the lower percentage, 5.76%, hold junior or entry-level positions. this would align to the filipino it workers who entered australia on a temporary visa like student visa, and usually pursuing a post graduate studies or masters programs in australia. the distribution of visa status among the surveyed it workers indicates a high prevalence of permanent residents or australian citizens, constituting 89.27%, of the respondents. this suggests a stable and committed workforce with a long-term commitment to the australian it industry. on the other hand, 10.73%, hold 1-3 years 59 15.45 total 382 100 status of employment permanent or regular 318 83.25 contractual or fixed term 64 16.75 total 382 100 job position level (relating to current role) senior level position 225 58.90 mid-level position 135 35.34 junior or entry-level position 22 5.76 total 382 100 visa status permanent (pr or au citizen) 341 89.27 temporary (student visa, working visa, etc) 41 10.73 total 382 100 pa ge 31 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 24-51, 2024 temporary visas, such as student or working visas. student visa holders can work a certain number of hours based on guidelines imposed by the australian government (australian department of enterprise, investment and trade, 2024). problem 2. to what level of competencies are the respondents as to: technical competency, managerial competency, and socio-interpersonal competency? table 2 shows the distribution of the respondents’ level table 2: distribution of respondents’ it competency based on technical competency indicators mean sd description proficient in programming languages and frameworks, and able to build applications on various platforms such as web, mweb and mobile, with good understanding of the software development lifecycle. 3.19 1.43 competent in terms of software testing or qa, proficient in the use of different testing frameworks, tools and methodologies including unit testing, integration testing and automated testing. 3.64 1.22 well competent proficient in agile development methodologies and devops practices, such as continuous integration and continuous deployment. 3.74 1.13 well competent proficient in the use of database systems, including how to design and interact with databases and proficiency in sql (structured query language), as well as practice of database normalization and optimization. 3.66 1.16 well competent proficient in organizing, analyzing, and interpreting data particularly in data management and analysis. 3.43 1.10 competent proficient in cybersecurity methods or use of secure coding practices to protect personal and organizational data; and use of tools to protect against phishing, online threats, and vulnerabilities. 3.18 1.23 competent mastery in using debugging tools and techniques is essential for it support/ maintenance professionals to identify, analyze, and debug code when there are issues with the application; and to maintain an application to run smoothly with no outage. 3.45 1.38 competent having a comprehensive understanding of systems and computer networking and proficient in designing, implementing, managing, and troubleshooting computer network issues or infrastructure vulnerabilities. 2.87 1.27 competent having knowledge of software design principles, patterns, and methodologies that are crucial in systems analysis and design, to create modular, maintainable, and scalable software systems. 3.53 1.35 well competent in terms of digital literacy, proficient in using digital technology, communication tools, and networks to locate, evaluate, use, and create media content, such as images, videos, and audio, in digital formats. 3.12 1.32 competent overall 3.38 1.26 competent legend: 4.50 – 5.00 very well competent, 3.50 – 4.49 well competent, 2.50 – 3.49 competent, 1.50 2.49 not well competent , *<= 1.499 not competent of it competency based on technical competency, and overall results show that they have a competent assessment level as indicated by the overall mean of 3.38 (sd=1.26) which means that these competencies have been performed in their office or workplace satisfactorily with ease and no lapses, meeting targeted time and deadlines. filipino it workers perceived themselves as indeed competent based on the overall results. in their study, ismail and hassan (2019) have underlined the paramount importance of technical competencies in digital technology towards the onset of industrial revolution 4.0. the importance of it competencies were also emphasized in the study of khan (2021) particularly in the recent contemporary digital landscape. on a similar note, chacha et al. (2023) noted in their research that there was a high demand from southeast asia (including the philippines) for technical competencies in areas such as software development, data analysis, database management, network administration, and cloud computing. this supports that filipino it workers are competent and in-demand locally and abroad. in particular, the indicator proficient in agile development methodologies and devops practices, such as continuous integration and continuous deployment got the highest mean rating of 3.74 (sd=1.13), described as well competent. this implies that that the competency or skill has been performed in the office or workplace very satisfactorily, with ease and with no lapses, meeting targeted timelines. this also means that majority of the filipino it workers are well-versed in the area of pa ge 32 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 24-51, 2024 development operations particularly ci/cd or the continuous integration and continuous deployment. according to a study by madampe et al. (2020), the increase in agile software development projects in australia has resulted in a corresponding positive trend. the study states that one reason for this trend is the ability to deliver a product in a shorter period and increase team productivity. practitioners have noted that this trend has improved the agile team environment, which is the real motivator for teams to practice agile. in the philippines, a similar trend of leaning towards agile practices in the corporate landscape is also emerging as reported by luningning (2023). on the other hand, the indicator which got the lowest mean rating 2.87 (sd=1.27) is the having a comprehensive understanding of systems and computer networking and proficient in designing, implementing, managing, and troubleshooting computer network issues or infrastructure vulnerabilities described as competent. this indicates that the competency has been performed in the office or workplace satisfactorily with ease and no lapses, meeting targeted time and deadlines. computer networking skills are still in demand, according to darby (2024) examining the possible futures of careers in computer networking in australia. this also ably supports the basic competencies embedded in the senior high school curriculum (ict curriculum map, 2016, k12philippines, 2015). chechulin (2023) highlighted the significance of evaluating computer network security, as it assists organizations in recognizing and addressing potential vulnerabilities and threats in their infrastructure. this indeed is the main area of concern being considered as basis for the enrichment in the it curriculum in the shs program. table 3: distribution of respondents’ it competency based on managerial competency indicators mean sd description able to craft/ develop self-, small-, medium-, large-term development plan which encompasses it/ technology. 3.46 1.16 competent able to perform quantitative analysis of data related to the formulation of a development or project plan. 3.24 1.22 competent able to perform it-generated monitoring of the systems performance related to operations (ie deployments, etc) and internal control or process. 3.39 1.13 competent able to perform it-based evaluation of both vertical and horizontal communication or reporting all across the layers of the organization either structured or unstructured. 3.14 1.22 competent able to formulate a budget matrix or resourcing and scheduling that determines the flow of operation and its sustainability. 2.69 1.33 competent demonstrates and promotes high standards of honesty, integrity, trust, openness, and respect for others, honoring commitments and promises while showcasing a strong sense of responsibility and commitment to public trust. 4.38 0.83 well competent inspires, motivates, and guides others toward goal accomplishment, emphasizing cooperation and a team-oriented approach to work, and fosters an environment that encourages and rewards collective problem-solving, participative decisionmaking, and collaboration. 4.05 0.92 well competent establishes performance expectations, assesses employee performance through timely feedback, formal appraisals, and recognition, while also taking appropriate corrective and disciplinary actions as needed. 3.49 1.28 competent ensures self and staff are proficient in new information technology, strategically integrating these technologies into the workplace to enhance organizational effectiveness and adeptly leading virtual work environments, including telecommuting and virtual teams. 3.63 1.04 well competent adapts behavior and work methods in response to management priorities, multiple demands, new information, changing conditions, unexpected obstacles, and ambiguity, responding constructively to reversals and setbacks, and remaining open to new ideas and approaches. 3.91 1.02 well competent overall 3.54 1.11 well competent legend: 4.50 – 5.00 very well competent, 3.50 – 4.49 well competent, 2.50 – 3.49 competent, 1.50 2.49 not well competent , *<= 1.499 not competent table 3 shows the distribution of respondents’ it competency based on managerial competency and overall results show that they have a well competent assessment level as indicated by the overall mean of 3.58 (sd=1.11). this means that the said competencies have been performed in the office/ workplace very satisfactorily, pa ge 33 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 24-51, 2024 with ease and with no lapses; and targeted time/ deadlines are met. this implies senior executives exhibit a strong achievement-orientation and a tendency toward visionary-inspirational leadership, which contributes to their managerial competency. skills such as flexibility, conflict resolution, leadership, time management, communication, customer service, mentoring, negotiation, and coaching are crucial for effective management in australia. moreover, there are various management styles prevalent in australia, such as command-and-control management, butler leadership, coaching leadership, and flat organization management, contribute to effective leadership and managerial competency. overall, the combination of strong leadership qualities, emphasis on essential managerial skills, diverse management styles, ongoing training and development initiatives, and a focus on improving management practices collectively contribute to the well-competent managerial competency observed in australia. (hassan, 2020). in particular, the indicator demonstrates and promotes high standards of honesty, integrity, trust, openness, and respect for others, honoring commitments and promises while showcasing a strong sense of responsibility and commitment to public trust got the highest mean rating of 4.38 (sd= 0.83) describes as well competent. this implies that promoting honesty and integrity in the workplace is very important according to the filipino it workers who participated in the research. it reveals that there is a crucial task for building a trusted and effective public service, as it underpins the culture of the australian public service (2023) with a foundational set of values and behaviors. research by reichheld and dunlop (2023) revealed that employees are more engaged in the workplace when employers or supervisors show them their trust and vice versa. employees would take advantage of this opportunity by demonstrating consistency, a willingness to learn, and an ability to complete assigned tasks successfully. furthermore, in this present era, management concepts of the classical era like that of douglas mcgregor’s theory x and theory y, frederick herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theory, elton mayo’s human relations theory and many others still hold true even with the millennial generations (deped ix dm no. 505 s. 2021). thus, emphasis on honesty, integrity, and trust is essential for restoring public trust in government institutions and strengthening standards of governance. the open government partnership (2023) in australia commits to integrity, honesty, and accountability as part of its initiative to promote transparency, empower citizens, fight corruption, and strengthen governance. these values are fundamental in fostering a culture of trust within the public sector and ensuring that government actions align with the expectations of the community. on the contrary, the indicator able to formulate a budget matrix or resourcing and scheduling that determines the flow of operation and its sustainability got the lowest mean rating of 2.69 (sd=1.33) described as competent, which means they said competency/ skill has been performed in the office/ workplace satisfactorily, with ease and with no lapses, meeting targeted time/ deadline. this means also a highly likely area to be considered when drafting for the curriculum enhancement for senior high school curriculum. this suggests likely due to the complexity of managing resources effectively in a matrix organization, where there is no centralized resource scheduling system, making it challenging to allocate the best-suited and cost-effective workforce to projects. additionally, miscommunication between sales and delivery teams, lack of resource visibility, and mismatch in skillset between capacity and demand can contribute to the low rating. it is possible that this indicator manifested a bigger portion of filipino it workers who may be senior but are individual contributors in nature or have worked on pre-defined tasks. in general, budget matrix formulation or resource planning and scheduling are important in project management but can be difficult without the right tools or techniques, such as changes in project scope or requirements can lead to fluctuating resource demands, making frequent allocations challenging (gupta, 2023). table 4: distribution of respondents’ it competency based on socio–interpersonal competency indicators mean sd description able to use australian languages/ dialects or understanding/use of common language ie english. 4.50 0.71 very well competent adapts or uses australian dialects or common language, ie english, in all forms of communication, employing clear and concise language in emails, reports, and documentation to ensure recipient comprehension. 4.47 0.73 well competent adapts or use technology to connect with social groups ie use of social media. 4.00 0.94 well competent utilizes different it gadgets or tools or applications to broaden social circle. 3.90 0.96 well competent utilizes various it platforms to enhance global social interconnectivity, including platforms like linkedin, and actively engages in professional it communities by attending conferences and seminars, enriching their global professional network. 3.86 0.91 well competent manages conflicts among team members by creating a resolution-oriented environment, actively listening to diverse viewpoints, facilitating discussions to achieve mutually agreeable solutions, and promoting open communication to prevent future conflicts and misunderstandings. 3.80 0.91 well competent pa ge 34 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 24-51, 2024 collects and comprehends customer requirements, aligns it solutions with their needs, and delivers exceptional customer service by promptly addressing inquiries and concerns, consistently maintaining a customer-oriented approach, even in challenging situations. 4.19 0.82 well competent displays adaptability by adjusting to changing project requirements and technologies, rapidly acquiring and applying new programming languages, tools, or frameworks as necessary, and tailors’ communication style to cater to the audience, whether technical or non-technical. 4.04 0.93 well competent exhibits integrity through adherence to ethical guidelines and industry best practices, promptly identifying and addressing ethical concerns with transparent communication, while ensuring the confidentiality and security of sensitive information and data. 4.29 0.80 well competent effectively resolves disputes with stakeholders by finding mutually beneficial solutions, balancing organizational interests with stakeholder expectations to achieve win-win outcomes. 4.00 0.83 well competent overall 4.11 0.86 well competent legend: 4.50 – 5.00 very well competent, 3.50 – 4.49 well competent, 2.50 – 3.49 competent, 1.50 2.49 not well competent , *<= 1.499 not competent the third aspect of the competencies being tested is on the socio-interpersonal engagement and human relations area. the data is pointed out in table 4 which reveals the distribution of the respondents’ level of it competency based on socio-interpersonal competency and overall results show that they have a well competent as indicated by the overall mean of 4.11 (sd=0.86). it means that filipino it workers perceived that they are well competent in the socio-interpersonal competency. this implies also that these socio-interpersonal engagements and interactions have been performed very satisfactorily with ease and without lapses, meeting deadlines and within targeted time. based on the results, it can be said that filipino it workers in australia have exceptional sociointerpersonal competency, which encompasses a wide range of qualities and skills that contribute to effective communication, collaboration, and relationship-building. communication is a key strength of filipinos in terms of socio-interpersonal competency. they are skilled at expressing themselves articulately and empathetically, both verbally and non-verbally. as indicated in the study of akpan et al. (2021), work relationships play a big part in organizational culture, and socio-interpersonal competencies equip for harmonious connections withing the office environment. in particular, the indicator able to use australian languages/ dialects or understanding/use of common language ie english got the highest mean rating of 4.50 (sd=0.71) described as very well competent. this suggests that the competency/ skill has been manifested and performed in the office/ workplace outstandingly, with ease and with no lapses, even meeting targeted time/ deadline very advanced. this is a good thing, the use of the english language among filipinos as a medium of teaching and learning at the basic education levels in the philippines helped in this aspect. filipinos view english beyond being just a mere subject or course in school. it serves as the primary medium of instruction in schools and corporate institutions, therefore becoming the second official language (chan, 2019). thus it can be observed that filipino it workers are proficient in the english language. additionally, it has been established in the study by asare et al. (2023) that integrating it into teaching english in ghana showed improvements in improved language learning, increased engagement and motivation among students and better digital literacy skills. on the other hand, the indicator manages conflicts among team members by creating a resolution-oriented environment, actively listening to diverse viewpoints, facilitating discussions to achieve mutually agreeable solutions, and promoting open communication to prevent future conflicts and misunderstandings got the lowest mean rating of 3.80(sd=0.91) described as well competent. this means that managing conflicts seems to be the hardest thing that the respondents are now facing in the workplace that needs to be addressed. it may be due to various factors such as cultural differences, communication styles, and the importance of trust in different contexts. for example, filipino culture emphasizes diplomacy and humility to avoid appearing arrogant, indirect communication to prevent loss of face, and respect for elders or higher status individuals. these cultural differences may affect the way trust is built and maintained in the workplace, leading to a lower rating for this indicator in the filipino it worker context. while filipino it workers generally excel in interpersonal interactions and community cohesion, it can also be said based on the results that they may encounter challenges in effectively managing conflicts among team members in certain contexts. one aspect that may contribute to challenges in conflict resolution is the emphasis on harmony and saving face within filipino society, where filipinos often prioritize maintaining smooth interpersonal relationships and avoiding confrontation, pa ge 35 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 24-51, 2024 which can sometimes lead to issues being swept under the rug rather than addressed directly. this tendency to avoid conflict openly may hinder the creation of a resolution-oriented environment within teams. as highlighted in agnir-paraan’s (2019) research on filipino communication styles, politeness is the most prominent distinguishing characteristic of filipinos when it comes to communication strategy. according to the study, filipinos tend to prioritize preserving relationships and protecting others’ self-worth, while also expressing discomfort with directness and a preference for in-group orientation. this shows that perhaps the journey of filipino it workers in australia towards frank or open communication may still have a long way to go. table 5: summary distribution of the respondents’ level of it competencies indicators mean sd description technical 3.38 1.26 competent managerial 3.54 1.11 well competent socio-interpersonal 4.11 0.86 well competent overall 3.68 1.07 well competent legend: 4.50 – 5.00 very well competent, 3.50 – 4.49 well competent, 2.50 – 3.49 competent, 1.50 2.49 not well competent , *<= 1.499 not competent table 5 presents the summary table showing the respondents’ level of it competencies. as can be gleaned from said table, the overall data revealed that respondents’ level of it competencies of filipino it workers was well competent having the overall mean of 3.68 (sd=1.07) which indicates that the competencies were performed very satisfactorily in the workplace, with ease and with no lapses, meeting targeted deadlines. altogether, the findings suggest that filipino it workers have a positive self-perception of their abilities in the it competencies. from the three components under competencies, as can be seen from the said table, socio-interpersonal competency has the highest mean with 4.11(sd=0.86) described as well competent. it reflects that for the socio-interpersonal competencies alone where they fared the highest, the competencies have been performed in the office/workplace very satisfactorily, with ease and with no lapses, meeting targeted time/deadline. this implies that socio – interpersonal among it filipino workers in australia is often strong due to various factors such as cultural diversity, effective communication skills, teamwork abilities, and collaborative work environment prevalent in the australian technology industry. additionally, australian universities and training programs often emphasize soft skills alongside technical skills, contributing to well – rounded professionals as explained by wood (2018) and punzalan (2020). filipino it workers are exposed to this australian work culture. sociointerpersonal skills play a crucial role in the it industry by facilitating effective communication, collaboration, client interaction, problem-solving, leadership, adaptability, and ultimately, contributing to the success of it projects and organizations. from this summary, filipino it workers excel in this area. however, among the three competencies, the most challenging area is on the technical competency aspect which got the lowest mean rating of 3.38 (sd=1.26) described as competent only. this means that the technical competencies have been performed in the office/workplace satisfactorily only, with ease and with no lapses, meeting targeted time/deadline. this implication seemingly gives more bearing and importance on the proposed curricular enrichment of the it track in the senior high school curriculum (deped order no. 43, s2013). this competency has to be enhanced for the next batches for filipino it workers who would like to be in other country specifically in australia. the summary results agree with the research of bahador and haider (2020) on the level of it competencies among accounting professionals in malaysia. according to the study, it competencies are multi-dimensional and include not only technical skills but also organizational, people, and conceptual skills. the tenets mentioned are very much alike with the present study such that the it competencies encompass not only technical skills but also include managerial and socio-interpersonal abilities. people skills was the highest level among the skills measured in the study of bahador and haider. the lowest among the skills measured was technical skills, same as in the present study. according to goh et al. (2022), technology is constantly emerging with the advancement of new technological disciplines. this also means that the measurement of technical skills is constantly advancing, and it workers need to keep up with the changes of time. much as the recommendation of bahador and haider’s study for accountants to constantly upskill their technical skills, it workers also need to do the same. problem 3. how do the respondents assess their level of job satisfaction considering the following: economic security, professional growth, and sociocultural adaptability? table 6 presents the distribution of respondents’ job satisfaction based on economic security and overall results show that they have a much satisfied as indicated by the overall mean of 3.66 (sd=1.04). this means that what have been experienced or what has happened is 20-25% beyond the expectation. economic security or financial stability is highly valued in filipino society as it provides individuals and families with the means to meet pa ge 36 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 24-51, 2024 their basic needs, pursue opportunities for advancement, and support their loved ones (smith & gillin, 2021), and based on the results it shows that filipino it workers in australia are much satisfied with their economic situation. filipinos typically prioritize providing for their families and ensuring their well-being, which includes financial support for education, healthcare, and other essential needs. based on the data, the ability to fulfill these responsibilities brings a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction to many of the filipino it workers. the indicator enough time for personal and family life without needing to work multiple jobs, indicating a balance between work demands and personal responsibilities got the highest mean rating of 4.10 (sd=0.98) described as much satisfied. this implies that the filipino it workers surveyed share comparable viewpoints regarding this given that sd<1. this means that what have been experienced or what has happened is 20-25% beyond the expectation. in australia offers opportunities for individuals to maintain a healthy balance between their professional commitments and personal life through flexible working arrangements, family-friendly practices, and supportive workplace policies. these initiatives aim to enhance employee well-being, productivity, and overall satisfaction in the workforce. it is often promoted by companies that their staff prioritize their families. australians are granted a week-long break during the holiday period in order to spend quality time with their loved ones (wood, 2018). filipino migrants in general benefit a lot from this consistent australian workplace culture. meanwhile, the indicator the opportunity for a side hustle or passive income or investments, providing fair chances for financial growth and stability got the lowest mean rating of 3.20 (sd=1.04) described as satisfied. this means in australian economic context outlined by the reserve bank of australia (rba, 2023), the country’s economy is expected to remain below trend due to cost-of-living pressures and higher interest rates. however, there are signs of resilience in the economy with stronger-than-expected growth in private and public investment supporting demand conditions for businesses. this economic outlook underscores the importance of exploring diverse financial opportunities like side hustles, passive income streams, and investments to enhance financial stability and growth in australia. according to yi (2023) side hustle in australia can be a great way to earn extra income, pursue a passion, or even launch a new business in your spare time. some popular side hustle ideas include freelancing, pet sitting, dog walking, tech setup services, blogging, e-commerce stores, tutoring services, and more side hustles allow individuals to explore their skills and interests while potentially turning them into full-time ventures with commitment and follow-through. having passive income or a side hustle on top of a main income is not unusual in the australian landscape but may be unusual for filipino culture. table 6: distribution of respondents’ level of job satisfaction on economic security indicators mean sd description the salary, specified in the work contract on a weekly/monthly/annual basis, appropriately compensates for skills and contributions, forming a satisfactory compensation package. 3.84 0.86 much satisfied the opportunity for a side hustle or passive income or investments, providing fair chances for financial growth and stability. 3.20 1.04 satisfied the stability of your employment is indicated by your visa/residency status, ensuring job security without the fear of sudden layoffs or downsizing, providing a sense of security. 3.83 1.03 much satisfied the fringe benefits such as paid time off, transport, childcare, wellness, health welfare benefits, etc are given 3.73 1.15 much satisfied the achievability or security for a retirement plan or superannuation or savings. 3.79 1.07 much satisfied availability of resources and support for financial planning, including workshops, counselling, or resources to help employees manage their finances effectively. 3.28 1.20 satisfied the ability to handle unexpected financial emergencies without severe negative impacts on their overall well-being. 3.59 1.07 much satisfied bonuses and salary increases are fairly paced. 3.35 1.04 satisfied manageable personal debt, indicating that employees are earning enough to meet their financial obligations without constant worry. 3.84 0.96 much satisfied enough time for personal and family life without needing to work multiple jobs, indicating a balance between work demands and personal responsibilities. 4.10 0.98 much satisfied overall 3.66 1.04 much satisfied legend: 4.50 – 5.00 very much satisfied, 3.50 – 4.49 much satisfied, 2.50 – 3.49 satisfied, 1.50 2.49 less satisfied, *<= 1.499 not satisfied pa ge 37 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 24-51, 2024 table 7: distribution of respondents’ level of job satisfaction on professional growth indicators mean sd description the opportunity to participate at national/ international conferences/ training or speak/ present at meetups or conferences. 3.17 1.19 satisfied the granting of postgraduate studies or approval to pursue postgraduate studies or office-sponsored tech certifications. 3.09 1.28 satisfied the opportunities or chances for promotion or advance in career ladder. 3.36 1.07 satisfied the opportunity for an expanded inter-company exchange program or companysponsored business travels. 2.82 1.19 satisfied the extension of financial assistance to graduate school programs or professional courses 2.75 1.21 satisfied existence of mentorship initiatives where experienced employees guide and support newer or less experienced colleagues in their professional development. 3.26 1.13 satisfied regular feedback and coaching sessions to help employees understand their strengths and areas for improvement, fostering continuous learning and growth. 3.45 1.04 satisfied recognition and rewards for outstanding performance and achievements, motivating employees to excel in their roles and encouraging professional growth. 3.40 1.09 satisfied opportunities for employees to propose and implement innovative ideas, encouraging creativity and allowing employees to see the impact of their contributions. 3.68 0.97 much satisfied increasing levels of responsibility and autonomy in decision-making, indicating trust in employees' abilities and providing opportunities for skill development. 3.88 0.93 much satisfied overall 3.29 1.11 satisfied legend: 4.50 – 5.00 very much satisfied, 3.50 – 4.49 much satisfied, 2.50 – 3.49 satisfied, 1.50 2.49 less satisfied, *<= 1.499 not satisfied table 7 shows the distribution of respondents’ level of job satisfaction on professional growth and overall results show that they have a satisfied assessment level as indicated by the overall mean of 3.29 (sd=1.11). this means that what have been experienced or what has happened is same to what was expected to happen. this implies that filipino workers may have different expectations and definitions of professional growth compared to australian standards. cultural nuances, such as communication styles, work values, and approaches to career advancement, can influence how individuals perceive their professional development and satisfaction. the level of career development opportunities available to filipino workers in australia may not meet their expectations or align with their career goals. limited opportunities for advancement, training, or skill development can impact job satisfaction related to professional growth. mismatch between the expectations of filipino workers regarding professional growth and the actual opportunities available in the australian workplace could lead to lower satisfaction levels. clear communication and alignment of expectations are crucial for fostering job satisfaction. (tran, 2021). in particular, indicator increasing levels of responsibility and autonomy in decision-making, indicating trust in employees’ abilities and providing opportunities for skill development got the highest mean rating of 3.88 (sd=0.93) described as much satisfied which means what has been experienced or what has happened is 20-25% beyond what was expected. as can be gleaned from the said table, the filipino it workers have enjoyed a certain level of responsibility and autonomy in decision-making. this is indicative of a workplace environment where employees feel empowered and valued (heath, 2020). it suggests that employees perceive their employers as trusting their judgment and capabilities, allowing them the freedom to make decisions and take on greater responsibilities. this autonomy is accompanied by opportunities for skill development, indicating that employees have access to resources and support to enhance their competencies and grow professionally. such a positive rating reflects high levels of job satisfaction, as employees feel a sense of ownership and fulfillment in their work. continuous learning and professional development are key elements in most government agencies and government corporations through project prime of the civil service commission (csc mc 03, s. 2012; csc, 2023). educational attainment and accomplishments and any other related endeavors on human resource development are really given a premium, as an important element of good governance. it implies that in australia, the concept of increasing levels of responsibility and autonomy in decision-making, indicating trust in employees’ abilities and providing opportunities for skill development, is reflected in several aspects of the country’s work culture and education system. organizations in australia are increasingly recognizing the importance of familyfriendly workplaces to attract and retain diverse talent, contributing to gender equality and overall workplace well-being. on the other hand, the indicator the extension of financial assistance to graduate school programs or pa ge 38 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 24-51, 2024 professional courses got the lowest mean rating of 2.75 (sd=1.21) described as satisfied. this means that what has been experienced or what has happened is same as what was expected to happen. the availability of financial assistance programs specifically tailored for graduate school programs or professional courses may be limited in australia, leading to a lack of accessible support for filipino it workers pursuing higher education. the stringent eligibility criteria for existing financial aid programs may not align with the needs or circumstances of filipino it workers, making it challenging for them to qualify for assistance in pursuing advanced education. therefore, these factors collectively contribute to the low mean rating for the extension of financial assistance to graduate school programs or professional courses among filipino it workers in australia. so, addressing these challenges through tailored funding programs, improved accessibility, and awareness initiatives could help enhance support for individuals seeking to advance their education in the it field. in australia, companies do not usually offer this as this as the government itself is the one offering programs such as fee-help, which is available to australian citizens to assist in covering their student services and amenities fees. any student who is enrolled in an australian university’s commonwealth supported place is eligible to apply for this program. domestic postgraduates have an advantage as they are not charged loan interest, making it a highly advantageous funding opportunity for them (australian government study assist, 2023). table 8: distribution of respondents’ level of job satisfaction on socio-cultural adaptability indicators mean sd description the occasions and programs of the office/ company for social events/ social gathering, that includes a workplace environment that's friendly and warm. 3.80 1.01 much satisfied the available events for social/ group interaction within the office and with other sister-companies or within tech community. 3.55 1.12 much satisfied the available regular programs which promote social camaraderie and teamwork. 3.56 1.10 much satisfied the opportunities to work with colleagues from other ethnicities/ race in the global community. 4.18 0.95 much satisfied the available social/ educational programs that allow to understand the social history and various cultures of australia. 3.45 1.11 satisfied recognition and celebration of cultural events and holidays from various backgrounds, encouraging employees to share and appreciate their cultural traditions. 3.64 1.04 much satisfied perception of being treated fairly and respectfully regardless of cultural background, fostering a sense of belonging and acceptance. 4.09 0.83 much satisfied encouragement and support for employees to develop cultural competency skills, which include understanding cultural nuances, customs, and etiquettes in a diverse workplace. 3.71 0.93 much satisfied implementation of policies and procedures that address and mitigate cultural biases in recruitment, performance evaluation, and decision-making processes. 3.77 1.03 much satisfied opportunities for employees from similar cultural backgrounds can connect, share experiences, and contribute to the organization's diversity and inclusion initiatives. 3.68 1.14 much satisfied overall 3.74 1.03 much satisfied legend: 4.50 – 5.00 very much satisfied, 3.50 – 4.49 much satisfied, 2.50 – 3.49 satisfied, 1.50 2.49 less satisfied, *<= 1.499 not satisfied table 8 shows the distribution of respondents’ level of job satisfaction based on socio-cultural adaptability, which results show that they have a much satisfied as indicated by the overall mean of 3.74 (sd=1.03). this means that what have been experienced or what has happened is 20-25% beyond the expectation. this implies that australia’s multicultural society celebrates diversity and fosters inclusivity, creating an environment where professionals from various ethnicities and races can collaborate and learn from each other. this cultural richness enhances teamwork, creativity, and innovation, leading to higher job satisfaction. moreover, working with colleagues from diverse backgrounds provides greater opportunities for personal and professional growth. exposure to different perspectives, ideas, and working styles allows filipino workers in australia to broaden their skills, expand their knowledge, and develop a global mindset, contributing to job satisfaction. this promotes an open and inclusive workplace environment where all team members feel empowered to contribute. this inclusive culture encourages colleagues from different ethnicities/races to share their viewpoints, collaborate effectively, and build strong working relationships, fostering a sense of belonging and satisfaction (rao & karumuri, 2019). in particular, indicator the opportunities to work with pa ge 39 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 24-51, 2024 colleagues from other ethnicities/ race in the global community got the highest mean rating of 4.18 (sd=0.95) described as much satisfied. this discloses that these experiences were 20-25% beyond your expectation as it workers in australia. indeed, the filipino it workers felt lucky with the opportunities working with other foreigners or races like the british citizens, chinese, hindus, indonesians, americans, europeans, africans and even the muslim brothers and sisters. working with colleagues from diverse backgrounds provides valuable learning experiences. filipino it workers in australia have the chance to gain insights into different cultures, communication styles, and work practices. this exposure broadens their perspectives, enhances cross-cultural competence, and enriches their professional interactions, leading to higher job satisfaction. collaborating with colleagues from various ethnicities/races offers filipino it workers in australia the opportunity to build a global network. this exposure opens doors for career advancement, knowledge sharing, and collaboration on an international scale. the global networking prospects contribute to their professional growth and overall job satisfaction. the diverse work environment in australia provides filipino it workers with opportunities for personal and professional development. interacting with colleagues from different backgrounds helps broaden their skill set, adaptability, and cultural awareness, fostering continuous growth and job satisfaction (punzalan, 2020). this is similar to the ideas of olynick and li (2020) in the canada setting which correlated job satisfaction and organizational culture. meanwhile, the indicator the available social/ educational programs that allow to understand the social history and various cultures of australia with the lowest mean rating of 3.45 (sd=1.11) described as satisfied. in this indicator it can be said that what was experienced or what has happened is same to what was expected to happen. this means that in australia, there are several social/ educational programs that allow individuals to understand the social history and various cultures of the country. these programs aim to build meaningful connections between people and promote intercultural understanding. australia is a big continent thus, the filipino workers still express the need to learn more of their social history or background. this indeed is also the same sentiment of australians in general according to the study by cairns and garrard (2023) indicating that learning from history is something that is important for the future, coming from insights and perceptions among australian students and what these students think about the history of australia. table 9: summary distribution of the respondents’ level of job satisfaction indicators mean sd description economic security 3.66 1.04 much satisfied professional growth 3.29 1.11 satisfied socio–cultural adaptability 3.74 1.03 much satisfied overall 3.56 1.06 much satisfied legend: 4.50 – 5.00 very much satisfied, 3.50 – 4.49 much satisfied, 2.50 – 3.49 satisfied, 1.50 2.49 less satisfied, *<= 1.499 not satisfied as shown in the summary table on respondents’ perceived level of job satisfaction, overall, the scoring for job satisfaction is much satisfied having the overall mean of 3.56(sd=1.06). this means that all aspects of job satisfaction were experienced with 20-25% beyond what was expected. among the three indicators, the highest mean rating is socio-cultural adaptability of 3.74 (sd=1.06) described as much satisfied. this means that the filipino it workers who participated in the study perceived their work environment to be inclusive and accommodating of different cultures and backgrounds much satisfactorily, which was reflected in the indicators for socio-cultural adaptability, which is aligned with the study of barnes et al. (2022). in the same way, they perceived that they are much satisfied in their jobs in terms of economic security, and that their jobs provided them with a sense of financial stability and dependability as expressed in the study by nwankpa and merhout (2020), arandia et al. (2022). in terms of professional growth, the filipino it workers perceived themselves to be only satisfied overall, having this as the lowest mean of 3.29 (sd=1.11) described as satisfied. this means that what have been experienced by filipino it workers in terms of professional growth or career advancement, or what has happened is same to what was expected to happen. continuous growth and development are imperative for it professionals to thrive in their careers as mentioned in the study of zubareva et al. (2023). in a field characterized by rapid technological advancements and high demand for skilled professionals, staying current with the latest technologies, tools, and methodologies is essential for remaining relevant and competitive. by continuously expanding their skills and knowledge, it professionals can enhance problem-solving abilities, increase career prospects, and advance into leadership roles within their organizations. furthermore, investing in professional growth contributes to job satisfaction and fulfillment, as well as future-proofing skills for evolving industry demands. filipino it workers may encounter challenges in having their qualifications recognized in australia. however, the process of accreditation and recognition of degrees from the philippines can be time-consuming and complex, requiring additional courses or exams to meet australian pa ge 40 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 24-51, 2024 standards. in overcoming these challenges involves navigating through the accreditation process, which can be daunting and may require significant effort and time. in accessing to professional development opportunities, training programs, and networking events tailored to the it industry may vary for filipino it workers in australia. having a limited access to resources for skill enhancement and career advancement could hinder their professional growth trajectory, requiring proactive efforts to seek out relevant opportunities for upskilling and development. this is reiterated by murphy and turner (2023), that skill enhancement indeed correlates with employment stability and decent work. problem 4. is there a significant relationship between the level of job satisfaction and the level of it competencies as to: technical competency, managerial competency, and socio-interpersonal competency? table 10: test of relationship between the it competencies and job satisfaction it competencies job satisfaction overall economic security professional growth socio–cultural adaptability pearson r -value pearson r -value pearson r -value pearson r -value pvalue pvalue pvalue pvalue technical r = 0.2425 r = 0.3635 r = 0.2284 r = 0.278 p = 0.01406 p = 0.000173 p = 0.020949 p = 0.0117 (significant at p < .05) (significant at p < .05) (significant at p < .05) (significant at p < .05) managerial r = 0.2816 r = 0.3502 r = 0.153 r = 0.2616 p = 0.004141 p = 0.000308 p = 0.124726 p = 0.0431 (significant at p < .05) (significant at p < .05) (significant at p < .05) (significant at p < .05) sociointerpersonal r = 0.2445 r = 0.395 r = 0.2849 r = 0.308 p = 0.013264 p = 0.00004 p = 0.003704 p = 0.00567 (significant at p < .05) (significant at p < .05) (significant at p < .05) (significant at p < .05) from the results in table 10 showing the relationship between the it competencies and job satisfaction, the statistical analysis of the data indicates that there is an overall significant relationship between technical competencies and job satisfaction (r = 0.278, p = 0.0117), managerial competencies and job satisfaction (r = 0.2616, p = 0.0431), and socio-interpersonal competencies and job satisfaction (r = 0.308, p = 0.0057). based on this general assessment that there exists a substantial relationship between job satisfaction and several key factors, including economic security, professional growth opportunities, socio-cultural adaptability, and it competencies in various dimensions, this aligns with the earlier mentioned studies of kucharska and erickson (2019), as well as the study of alshammari and alenezi (2023). the significant positive correlation between technical competency and economic security (r = 0.2425, p = 0.01406) means that filipino it workers who possess higher technical competency levels are more likely to have better economic security. the findings reveal the crucial role of technical skills in achieving financial stability and suggest that investing in technical competence can have a positive impact on one’s economic well-being. this is inherent in the study of murphy and turner (2023) towards the productivity and global competitiveness indicating employment stability also means continuous upskilling in the process. technical competence is a cornerstone of economic well – being as it drives productivity, fosters innovation, creates employment opportunities and enhances global competitiveness and builds resilience in the face of economic challenges. the strong and significant positive correlation between technical competency and professional growth (r = 0.3635, p = 0.000173) implies that the filipino it workers with higher technical competency levels are more likely to experience substantial professional growth. the findings highlight the importance of technical skills in career development and advancement. thus, the results suggest that a strong technical competency base is associated with better opportunities for professional growth, particularly when it professional certifications are at play (mbise, 2021). the significant and positive correlation between technical competency and socio-cultural adaptability (r = 0.2284, p = 0.020949) means that filipino it workers with higher technical competency levels are also likely to demonstrate greater socio-cultural adaptability. the findings highlight the possible connection between technical skills and the ability to adapt to diverse social and cultural contexts is in line with another study by benbow and hora (2018) that skills are multifaceted and situated assemblages of knowledge, skill, and disposition. both the studies emphasize the importance of recognizing the contextual factors that influence skills and urge the adoption of more nuanced views among educators, employers, and policy makers. as to managerial competency, the results indicate a statistically significant positive correlation (r = 0.2816, p = 0.004141) between managerial competency and economic pa ge 41 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 24-51, 2024 security. this means that filipino it workers with higher levels of managerial competency are more likely to experience increased economic security. the findings emphasize the potential association between managerial skills and financial well-being, indicating that a strong managerial competency base may contribute positively to an individual’s economic security. this corresponds well with the study of pahuachón (2023) on the importance of management competencies in organizations. the statistically significant positive correlation (r = 0.3502, p = 0.000308) between managerial competency and professional growth suggests that filipino it workers with higher levels of managerial competency are more likely to experience substantial professional growth. the findings highlight the potential connection between managerial skills and career development, emphasizing that a strong managerial competency base may positively influence an individual’s opportunities for professional advancement. most of the time, it workers would learne new skills on the job. the study of gunawan and sondakh (2019) established the impact of work motivation, work engagement, and job satisfaction toward job performance, relating much to the results of this study. the positive association between socio-interpersonal competency and economic security (r = 0.2445, p = 0.013264) indicates that filipino it workers with higher levels of socio-interpersonal competency are more likely to have better financial stability. this means that possessing strong socio-interpersonal skills can significantly enhance one’s financial well-being. socio-interpersonal competency is also positively linked with professional growth (r= 0.395, p= 0.00004) which suggests that filipino it workers with robust socio-interpersonal skills are more likely to experience significant career development. these findings imply that a sound socio-interpersonal skill set can offer opportunities for professional advancement. akpan et al. (2021) implied in their study that building positive workforce relationships is tantamount to career success. moreover, socio-interpersonal competency has a significant positive correlation with socio-cultural adaptability (r = 0. 2849, p = 0.003704) which emphasizes the potential connection between strong sociointerpersonal skills and the ability to adjust to diverse social and cultural environments. these results suggest that having a robust socio-interpersonal competency base can positively contribute to an individual’s socio-cultural adaptability. the results further agree with the study conducted by tentama et al. (2019) showing a significant link between work satisfaction and relationships, as well as the study by saunders and bajjaly (2022) relating interpersonal skills as crucial in the workplace. problem 5. is there a significant difference between the level of it competencies and the level of job satisfaction according to the respondents’ characteristics? table 11: test of difference between it competencies and the respondents’ characteristics respondents’ characteristics it competencies overall technical managerial socio–interpersonal f -value f -value f -value f -value pvalue pvalue pvalue pvalue age f = 0.7715 = 1.08142 f = 1.0856 f = 1.01 p = 0.46508 p = 0.343086 p = 0.341683 p = 0.420 (not significant at p < .05) (not significant at p < .05) (not significant at p < .05) (not significant at p < .05) sex f = 4.71862 f = 0.51734 f = 0.32287 f = 1.57 p = 0.032201 p = 0.473656 p = 0.57116 p = 0.201 (significant at p < .05) (not significant at p < .05) (not significant at p < .05) (not significant at p < .05) highest educational attainment f = 2.022534 f = 4.327565 f = 4.030777 f = 1.81 p = 0.111988 p = 0.0055607 p = 0.0082139 p = 0.067 (not significant at p < .05) (not significant at p < .05) (not significant at p < .05) (not significant at p < .05) number of years working in it in australia f = 3.27424 f = 2.08776 f = 1.81802 f = 1.96 p = 0.041982 p = 0.129389 p = 0.167724 p = 0.074 (significant at p < .05) (not significant at p < .05) (not significant at p < .05) (not significant at p < .05) status of employment f = 1.70896 f = 0.2063 f = 0.33065 f = 1.11 p = 0.194119 p = 0.650671 p = 0.56657 p = 0.350 (not significant at p < .05) (not significant at p < .05) (not significant at p < .05) (not significant at p < .05) pa ge 42 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 24-51, 2024 job position level f = 13.29434 f = 4.00855 f = 1.52456 f = 4.72 p < 0.00001 p = 0.021184 p = 0.222783 p < 0.001 (not significant at p < .05) (not significant at p < .05) (not significant at p < .05) (not significant at p < .05) visa status f = 4.76776 f = 0.00286 f = 2.73992 f = 2.23 p = 0.031336 p = 0.957483 p = 0.101005 p = 0.090 (not significant at p < .05) (not significant at p < .05) (not significant at p < .05) (not significant at p < .05) table 11 shows the test of difference between it competencies and the respondents’ characteristics. based on this table, the overall test of significant difference using manova showed only significant differences found in the it-related competencies when respondents were grouped according to job position levels (f = 4.72, p < 0.001). the other competencies were found with no significant differences when computed for overall test of significant differences even though individually there are significant differences found via anova. it is noted in the study of borres (2020) that years spent at a job position level impact certain ict competencies, and similarly implied from the results in this study. the results indicate that as to grouping of respondents according to sex, number of years working in it in australia, job position level, and visa status, there’s a significant difference when gauged with technical competency among filipino it workers. the significant difference in technical competency based on sex (f = 4.71862, p = 0.032201) suggests potential disparities in opportunities, training, or support provided to male and female employees. this could be due to various factors such as societal biases, differences in educational opportunities, or unequal access to resources and training in technical fields. this finding may highlight the need for targeted interventions to address any gender-based disparities in technical skill development and career advancement opportunities within the organization as stated by salient team (2023). in the senior high school level, it can be suggested that ict course should be able to attract more female students to balance such disparity in the future. in the case of number of years working in it in australia and technical competency (f = 3.27424, p = 0.041982), the significant difference implies that experience plays a crucial role in developing technical skills within the australian it industry. this could be attributed to the accumulation of skills and expertise over time, exposure to a diverse range of projects, and opportunities for professional development in a dynamic industry environment. the high significant difference in technical competency across job position levels (f = 13.29434, p < 0.00001) suggests that higher-level positions within an organization require greater technical expertise. seniorlevel employees may have undergone extensive training, gained hands-on experience, and developed specialized technical skills relevant to their technical responsibilities, whereas entry-level employees may still be in the early stages of their career development. lastly, the significant difference in technical competency based on visa status (f = 4.76776, p = 0.031336) suggests potential barriers or facilitators to skill development and integration within the workforce for employees with different immigration statuses. this could be due to factors such as stability of employment, access to long-term training and development opportunities, and integration into the local professional network. for managerial competency, there’s significant difference when respondents are grouped according to highest educational attainment and job position level. the significant difference in managerial competency based on educational attainment (f = 4.327565, p = 0.0055607) highlights the importance of higher education in preparing individuals for managerial roles. organizations may benefit from investing in educational opportunities for employees to enhance their managerial skills and effectiveness. individuals with advanced degrees, such as master’s or doctoral degrees, demonstrate higher levels of managerial competency compared to those with a lower educational attainment. the significant difference in managerial competency across job position levels (f = 4.00855, p = 0.021184) suggests that higher-level positions within the organization require distinct sets of managerial skills and competencies. it workers with senior-level positions are the most confident in terms of their competencies, may it be technical or managerial. for socio-interpersonal competency among filipino it workers, only in highest educational attainment, that there’s a significant difference (f = 4.030777, p = 0.0082139). the results suggest that individuals with different levels of educational attainment may possess varying levels of socio-interpersonal competency. employees with higher levels of educational attainment who have presumably stronger socio-interpersonal skills, may be perceived as better equipped for leadership roles that require effective communication, collaboration, and relationship-building. this outcome also agrees with the study by zubareva et al. (2023). pa ge 43 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 24-51, 2024 table 12: test of difference between the job satisfaction and the respondents’ characteristics respondents’ characteristics job satisfaction overall economic security professional growth socio–cultural adaptability f -value f -value f -value f -value pvalue pvalue pvalue pvalue age f = 0.41412 f = 0.04935 f = 0.59725 f = 0.7 p = 0.662062 p = 0.951868 p = 0.552294 p = 0.651 (not significant at p < .05) (not significant at p < .05) (not significant at p < .05) (not significant at p < .05) sex f = 0.06461 f = 0.47443 f = 1.07609 f = 0.41 p = 0.799869 p = 0.49255 p = 0.302076 p = 0.749 (not significant at p < .05) (not significant at p < .05) (not significant at p < .05) (not significant at p < .05) highest educational attainment f = 2.756067 f = 0.615137 f = 1.441628 f = 1.46 p = 0.0435564 p = 0.60594 p = 0.231858 p = 0.162 (significant at p < .05) (not significant at p < .05) (not significant at p < .05) (not significant at p < .05) number of years working in it in australia f = 7.0231 f = 5.13465 f = 5.55239 f = 2.75 p = 0.001405 p = 0.007556 p = 0.005182 p = 0.014 (significant at p < .05) (significant at p < .05) (significant at p < .05) (significant at p < .05) status of employment f = 6.17002 f = 4.95595 f = 2.48167 f = 2.16 p = 0.014655 p = 0.028245 p = 0.118339 p = 0.097 (significant at p < .05) (significant at p < .05) (not significant at p < .05) (not significant at p < .05) job position level f = 1.40277 f = 2.21147 f = 3.07487 f = 1.09 p = 0.25076 p = 0.114923 p = 0.050633 p = 0.368 (not significant at p < .05) (not significant at p < .05) (not significant at p < .05) (not significant at p < .05) visa status f = 9.00142 f = 11.44519 f = 7.9967 f = 4.23 p = 0.003405 p = 0.001025 p = 0.005662 p = 0.007 (significant at p < .05) (significant at p < .05) (significant at p < .05) (significant at p < .05) table 12 shows the test of difference between job satisfaction and the respondents’ characteristics. based on this table, the overall test of significant difference using manova showed significant differences found in the job satisfaction areas when respondents were grouped according to the two demographic characteristics: number of years working in it in australia (f = 2.75, p = 0.014) and visa status (f = 4.23, p = 0.007). the other job satisfaction areas were found with no significant differences when computed for overall test of significant differences even though individually there are significant differences found via anova. the study conducted by bussolo et al. in 2023 found that individuals who have stable and longer-tenured jobs tend to accumulate more wealth compared to those who do not have such jobs. the study highlights the importance of job stability and longevity in terms of building wealth. per table 12, results indicate that as to grouping of respondents according to highest educational attainment, number of years working in it in australia, status of employment, and visa status, there’s a significant difference when gauged with economic security among filipino it workers. the level of educational attainment significantly affects economic security (f = 2.756067, p = 0.0435564). this implies that individuals with higher levels of education may perceive greater economic security in their job roles compared to those with lower levels of education. this could be attributed to factors such as higher earning potential, access to more specialized job opportunities, and greater job security associated with advanced education. it can be said that individuals with higher levels of education are less prone to longterm unemployment or leaving the workforce due to a period of unemployment. additionally, they may possess pa ge 44 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 24-51, 2024 better abilities to adjust to new career opportunities, acquire new skills, and upgrade their existing skillset, so as to cope with the evolving job market (oecd, 2022). as to number of years working in it in australia, the duration of employment in the it industry in australia significantly influences economic security (f = 7.0231, p = 0.001405). this suggests that individuals who have been working in the it sector in australia for a longer period tend to have higher levels of satisfaction with their economic security in their job roles. longevity in the industry may lead to increased job stability, higher salaries, and access to more senior positions, contributing to greater economic security satisfaction. same can be said as to the work of bussolo et al. (2023) stating that those with stable, longer-tenured jobs accumulate more wealth than those who do not. for status of employment, the employment status significantly affects economic security (f = 6.17002, p = 0.014655). this implies that individuals in certain employment statuses may perceive higher levels of economic security compared to others. full-time employment often provides benefits such as stable income, access to healthcare, and retirement benefits, which contribute to greater economic security satisfaction. visa status significantly influences economic security (f = 9.00142, p = 0.003405). this suggests that individuals with different visa statuses may perceive varying levels of economic security in their job roles. citizenship or permanent residency may offer greater stability in employment, access to social benefits, and opportunities for career advancement, contributing to higher levels of economic security satisfaction. for professional growth among filipino it workers, there’s significant difference when respondents are grouped according to number of years working in it in australia, status of employment, and visa status. when it comes to professional growth, the duration of employment in the it industry in australia significantly influences professional growth (f = 5.13465, p = 0.007556). individuals who have worked for a longer duration in the it sector in australia tend to have higher levels of satisfaction with opportunities for professional development and advancement within their job roles. this could be because longer tenure in the industry often leads to greater opportunities for career progression, skill development, and access to leadership roles. this is similar to the finding of bussolo et al. (2023). employment status significantly affects professional growth (f = 4.95595, p = 0.028245). certain employment statuses may be associated with higher levels of satisfaction with opportunities for professional development and advancement within job roles. full-time employment typically offers more structured career paths, access to training and development programs, and opportunities for advancement, contributing to increased perceptions of professional growth satisfaction. visa status significantly influences professional growth job satisfaction (f = 11.44519, p = 0.001025). individuals with different visa statuses may perceive varying levels of opportunities for professional development and advancement within their job roles. this could be because citizenship or permanent residency often provides greater stability in employment, access to career development programs, and opportunities for long-term advancement, contributing to increased perceptions of professional growth satisfaction. when assessed with socio–cultural adaptability among filipino it workers, in terms of number of years working in it in australia, and visa status, there’s a significant difference. the duration of employment in the it industry in australia significantly influences socio-cultural adaptability (f = 5.55239, p = 0.005182). individuals who have worked for a longer duration in the it sector in australia tend to have higher levels of satisfaction with their ability to adapt to diverse cultural contexts within their job roles. this could be because longer tenure in the industry provides individuals with more exposure to diverse cultural environments, enhancing their ability to navigate and adapt to different cultural norms and practices (thi et al., 2021). visa status significantly influences socio-cultural adaptability (f = 7.9967, p = 0.005662). individuals with different visa statuses may perceive varying levels of satisfaction with their ability to adapt to diverse cultural contexts within their job roles. this could be because citizens and permanent residents have typically lived in the country for a longer period, providing them with more exposure to the local culture and facilitating greater cultural adaptability in the workplace. problem 6. based on the findings, what development plan can be designed or proposed in relation to an enhancement of the it curriculum in the shs program? based on the inherent finding on technical competency to focus more on computer networking and its related disciplines, the researcher identified the subjects where discussions on computer networking can be enriched within, and their corresponding learning areas. note that the proposed enrichment topics will be part of the discussions in the proposed 3-day training for shs ict teachers. ict teachers will be guided how to include these enrichment topics into their lesson plans and learning materials. this study hereby proposes the following: a) entry points for curriculum enhancement on the k to 12 learning areas focused on the nine identified courses/ subjects of the senior high school (govph official gazette, 2023; k12philippines, 2015; deped k to 12 curriculum guides, 2024) which are: 1. 21st century literature from the philippines and the world 2. media and information literacy 3. general mathematics 4. statistics and probability 5. physical science 6. personality development 7. understanding culture, society and politics pa ge 45 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 24-51, 2024 8. introduction to the philosophy of the human person 9. oral communication/ reading and writing b) proposed subject content for enrichment based on the may 2016 ict curriculum based on deped order no.43, s.2013 and correspondingly influenced by deped order no.40, s.2015, deped order no.24, s.2016; and deped order no.44, s.2016; c) the two-year development plan on ict curriculum enrichment training the mapping of the entry points for curriculum enrichment with the k to 12 learning areas is illustrated. the descriptions are based on deped k to 12 curriculum guides (2024). the ideas for reasoning or the rationale or relation per entry point are crafted by the researcher based on the book computer networking by kurose and ross (2021) and the researcher’s expertise in software engineering. table 13: k to 12 learning area rationale for the subjects as entry points 1. literature 1. 21st century literature from the philippines and the world understanding literature provides insights into human interaction, communication, and the evolution of societal structures. by delving into literature, students can comprehend the diverse perspectives and contexts that shape human behavior and societal dynamics. this understanding is crucial in networking as it involves communication protocols, cultural nuances, and the exchange of information among diverse systems and users. 2. communication 2. media and information literacy media and information literacy equip individuals with the skills to critically analyze, evaluate, and utilize various forms of media and information. in computer networking, where the flow of data and information is fundamental, individuals need to discern credible sources, assess network security risks, and understand data integrity principles. 3. mathematics 3) general mathematics mathematics forms the foundation of many networking concepts, such as algorithms, protocols, and data transmission. concepts like binary arithmetic, logic gates, and graph theory are essential in designing and analyzing network structures, routing algorithms, and encryption techniques. 4) statistics and probability statistics and probability play a crucial role in understanding network performance, reliability, and security. through statistical analysis, one can identify patterns in network traffic, predict system failures, and assess the likelihood of security breaches or cyber-attacks. 4. natural science 5) physical science physical science provides the foundational understanding of the physical components and principles underlying computer networking. concepts such as electricity, magnetism, and wave propagation are essential for comprehending how data is transmitted through network cables, fiber optics, and wireless signals. 5. social science 6) personality development personality development fosters interpersonal skills, teamwork, and conflict resolution abilities, which are invaluable in networking environments. effective communication, collaboration, and leadership skills are essential for managing network teams, negotiating with stakeholders, and resolving technical issues efficiently. 7) understanding culture, society, and politics networking operates within diverse cultural, social, and political contexts. understanding cultural norms, societal structures, and political dynamics is essential for navigating global networks, addressing ethical dilemmas, and ensuring compliance with regulatory frameworks across different jurisdictions. 6. philosophy 8) introduction to the philosophy of the human person the philosophy of the human person delves into fundamental questions about human nature, consciousness, and ethics. such philosophical inquiries provide insights into the ethical considerations, privacy concerns, and moral implications surrounding data handling, surveillance practices, and technology adoption in networking contexts. 7. language 9) oral communication/ reading and writing skills effective oral communication and literacy skills are essential for conveying technical information, presenting network designs, and articulating troubleshooting procedures to diverse audiences. additionally, proficient reading and writing abilities enable individuals to comprehend technical documentation, analyze network protocols, and document network configurations accurately. pa ge 46 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 24-51, 2024 table 14: two-year development plan on ict curriculum enhancement year number of days participants budget total no. of principals no. of supervisors no. of teachers training/ food learning materials year 1 3 (april/ may) 16 12 (+ 4 training staff) 32 64 pax at 2,000/day x3days 64 at 1,000 total=28+4 384,000 64,000 php 448,000.00 year 2 3 (april/ may) 16 4 training staff 32 52 pax at 2,000/day x3 days 52 at 1,000 total=20 312,000 52,000 php 364,000.00 total 48 64 php 812,000.00 source of funds: division/school mooe/hrdd funds objectives the 3-day workshop/ writeshop for the shs/ ict teachers on ict-curriculum workshop/ writeshop, forms part of the 2year development pledge for curriculum enhancement. it aims to: 1. orient/ discuss the research findings and recommendations, and its major proposal 2. discuss the appropriate entry points and the proposed enrichment topics for further discussion, enhancement, and integration into the ict teachers’ lesson plans and learning materials 3. conduct application procedures and demonstration teaching with the integrated enrichment topics into the learning materials. table 15: 3day training workshop to shs-ict teachers to enhance the ictcurriculum time day 1 day 2 day 3 7:00-8:00 registration unfreezing unfreezing 8:00-9:00 opening program orientation presentation of workshop outputs9:00-10:00 overview of the research/ study results/ findings/ proposal workshop/ writeshop 10:00-10:15 health break health break health break 10:15-12:00 the principles/ practice of curriculum enrichment computer networking assessment of lm’s demo-teaching ie subject with enriched topic on computer networking 12:00-1:00 noon break noon noon break 1:00-2:00 2:00-3:00 discussion: k to 12 learning areas and entry points for enrichment strategies for integration of computer networking concepts into the key learning areas: writeshop/ workshop demo-teaching 1. literature 2. communication 3. mathematics 4. natural science 5. social science 6. philosophy 7. language 3:00-3:15 health break health break health break pa ge 47 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 24-51, 2024 3:15-5:00 (cont...) presentation of workshop outputs *group interactions/ agreements • ict specializations and proposed topics for enrichment *closing program • strategies for integration of computer networking concepts into the specializations • topic content enrichment for the nc iii java programming • strategies for integration of computer networking concepts into basic competencies, common competencies and core competencies (optional) topic content enrichment for the nc iii .net programming topic content enrichment for the nc iii oracle database programming giving of assignments/ groupings conclusions the majority of filipino it workers in australia are males of middle age and college degree graduates. having worked for more than seven years, most of them have permanent visa status and are occupying senior level positions. in general, filipino it workers are well competent when their it competencies are measured, but with technical competency as the lowest measured at competent only. specifically, the area of concern among the technical competency areas is computer networking. filipino it workers are much satisfied with their job satisfaction in australia, but professional growth is the lowest measured at satisfied only. there is a significant relationship found between the it-related competencies and job satisfaction. moreover, it can be said from this study that job position levels affect it competencies in general, the number of years working in it in australia, and visa status affect job satisfaction all in all. recommendations based on conclusions of the study, the following recommendations are hereby forwarded: 1. for filipino shs students under the ict track to pursue college education to contribute to the filipino it talent pool globally, and if possible, attain proficiency in computer networking along with other it skills. 2. the herein proposal on ict integration can be proposed/submitted or presented to the bureau of curriculum and instruction of the department of education. additionally, the ict curriculum can be further enriched with the following topics: managerial competency (ie formulating budget matrices for resourcing and scheduling), socio–interpersonal competency (ie resolving team conflicts and leveraging it platforms for global networking), professional growth (ie increasing levels of responsibility and autonomy in decision-making), economic security (ie financial literacy particularly investments), and socio-cultural adaptability (ie understanding of the social history of australia or other nations). 3. a review of the rationale and components of the performance evaluation may also incorporate specific technical competencies specified in this study as competency related like computer networking etc. 4. emerging technologies such as systems and computer networking, cybersecurity, data management and analysis, etc can be added as new specializations, pending deped reviews. 5. for future researchers to compare this study with inputs from another country or region where there are filipino it workers. references abdulgalimov, d., kirkham, r., nicholson, j., vlachokyriakos, v., briggs, p., & olivier, p. 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(2023). professional development of it industry specialists at the workplace: trends, focus and prospects. 2023 3rd international conference on technology enhanced learning in higher education (tele), 41-44. https:// doi.org/10.1109/tele58910.2023.10184379 pa ge 1 pa ge 18 american journal of education and technology (ajet) authoritative parenting: the best style in children’s learning arjun prasad tiwari1* volume 1 issue 3, year 2022 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i3.687 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: september 29, 2022 accepted: october 25, 2022 published: october 30, 2022 the study purposes to analyses the influence of parents’ roles in their children’s learning, and claim the suitable parenting style with argumentations. the parents’ roles or accountability in children’s overall learning have been categorized into various parenting styles, i.e. authoritarian, authoritative, permissive, and uninvolved. a few types of research have indicated that parents in traditional societies have been exercising authoritarian parenting as a solution to make their children true followers. the national and international legal provisions are against this authoritarian parenting. on the contrary, most research has shown that authoritative parenting is the best style for children’s learning. it makes the children create socially valued self-esteem, develop social skills, democratic values, and personality traits, and value discipline. this theoretical study concludes that authoritative parenting makes children learn about humanism, mutual relationships, receptivity, conscientiousness, administer fair and consistent discipline, encourage independence, and express warmth and nurturance. the argumentations and claims under the discussion section signify the value of authoritative parenting. keywords authoritative role, discipline, personality traits, self-esteem, social skills 1 nepal rastriya secondary school laxmanpur, bansgadhi multiple campus, bansgadhi, bardiya nepal * corresponding author’s e-mail: tiwari.arjun367@gmail.com introduction children reflect the society of tomorrow. the un convention on the rights of the child (uncrc) and the government of nepal defines children as persons under 18 years of age. according to the act relating to children, 2018 children below six years of age shall have the right to learn properly by their age and level of development under their parents’ guidance (bhattarai, 2020). children learn not only the content of the prescribed curriculum but also social skills, self-esteem, democratic values, discipline, emotional control, and personality traits. many parents seem to have been tired of their children who have the habit of cursing, talking back, procrastinating at work, refusing to follow their orders, and feeling shy to come in front. in such a situation, some parents attempt to control by corporal punishment, show bullying manners, and yell; some try to direct their children by considering their desires, and some leave them free without care. the accountability or roles that parents perform in their children’s learning design and shape the child’s behaviours and thoughts accordingly. if so, what kind of parenting is the best style for children’s overall learning? the parents’ commonly practiced roles are authoritarian parenting, authoritative parenting, permissive parenting, and uninvolved parenting. authoritarian parenting makes children see the world through their parents’ lens. yelling, corporal punishment, controlling behaviors, mistrust, unwillingness to negotiate, and shaming are the features of the authoritarian role of parents. authoritative parenting makes children administer fair and consistent discipline, encourage independence, and express warmth and nurturance. children develop good social skills and selfconfidence in their abilities and have emotional control and regulation. permissive parenting makes children see the world through children’s lenses with little interference. the parents take their children as a friend. loving and nurturing, few rules without structures, emphasis on freedom rather than accountability, and no worries for consequences are some features of permissive parenting. in uninvolved parenting, parents never ask about their children’s homework, school, or responsibilities. children don’t receive much parental attention, nurturing, and guidance. baumrind introduced authoritative parenting in 1971 as one of the styles for controlling and demanding the role of parents that rationally directs the activities of children in an issue-oriented manner and results in the children with self-reliance, independence, and selfcontrol for life satisfaction (baumrind, 1971). a survey (watabe & hibbard, 2014) in the united states and japan, explored that authoritative parenting resulted in better academic goals for western children, and authoritarian parenting resulted in positive academic outcomes for asian children. similarly, haslam et al. (2020) studied the parenting style comparing australia and indonesia. they found that parents teach their children to be independent and emotionally expressive in individualist cultures (australia) that advocate authoritative parenting. still, the children try to maintain social harmony and suppress their negative emotions in collectivist cultures (indonesia) which indicates authoritarian parenting. the culture and tradition of the country also affect the practice of parenting styles. however, a study (hossain & eisberg, 2020) in south asian families explored that parents teach the content of learning subjects and the socio-cultural and religious values in children’s educational activities. the parents expect to be obeyed by their children whatever they order but globalisation and access to communication compel https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i3.687 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= mailto:tiwari.arjun367%40gmail.com?subject= pa ge 19 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 18-21, 2022 them to act as authoritative parenting. authoritative parenting is the demand of the present world as it makes the children learn social skills, democratic values, personality traits, self-esteem, and discipline. methodology the qualitative, interpretive research method has been used to gather the information, and to interpret authoritative parenting with secondary sources of data. the research articles, papers, dissertations, and national and international laws related to various types of parenting have been studied and used as the source of information to explore, explain, analyse, and interpret the parenting styles practised around the world. as yin (2018) suggested i have consulted relevant books, official publications, articles, newspapers, and magazines to analyse the information obtained from the secondary data. the article has been interpreted based on the sociocultural context of parenting in developing countries. as suggested, i read the secondary articles many times and created a series of themes (creswell & creswell, 2017) manually. the information contained in the themes was analysed manually. the conclusion was naturalistic generalisations (stake, 1995) of the findings because of my involvement in the interpretation. results and discussion why authoritative parenting? how does it support the children’s learning? how is it different from other parenting styles? this section argues with claims on behalf of authoritative parenting. authoritative parenting creates socially valued selfesteem self-esteem refers to confidence or satisfaction in oneself. martínez and garcía (2007) claimed that permissive parenting shows the highest scores for creating selfesteem in children. the children become less self-reliant, explorative, and self-controlled. being self-controlled and having high scores in socially ignored self-esteem can’t play a crucial role in life satisfaction. on the other hand, confidence in one’s worth can be helpful or harmful to society. socially harmful self-esteem creates lots of egocentric habits. in this matter, lavrič and naterer (2020) claimed that authoritative parenting makes children socially and instrumentally more competent with higher socially valued self-esteem and lower levels of depression. authoritative parenting makes the children self-satisfied in learning, promotes reasoning, and cultured autonomy (osorio & gonzalez-camara, 2016). similarly, a crosscultural study (martinez et al., 2020) in spain, portugal, and brazil investigated that only authoritative parenting is accountable for creating self-esteem that internalizes children’s social values. the above literature shows that only an authoritative role can create socially valued selfesteem. authoritative parenting develops social skills and democratic values children should learn social skills and democratic values such as sharing, cooperating, listening to others, following directions, respecting personal space, using manners, making eye contact, collective decision-making for the common good, liberty, equality, justice, the pursuit of happiness, love for the nation, etc from their families. van vleet and bodman (2016) claimed that authoritarian parents tend to display hostility, anxiety, aggression, dependency, delinquency, rebelliousness, and other authoritarian rules. similarly, a study (bhatta et al., 2019) in nepal, explored the parents’ beliefs in traditional societies that children spoil their life if they are left uncontrolled, so are to tie them with a chain of restrictions. in such family traits, how can children develop their social skills and democratic values? they only have the feeling of negativism and revenge. humans are social beings. childhood is the foundation to mirror family, society, and the nation of tomorrow. democratic family functioning develops social skills in children (miklikowska & hurme, 2011). a study (zhang et al., 2018) in china investigated that a good parentchild relationship fosters children’s democratic values and social creativity. to maintain a good relationship, parents should encourage their children to discuss options, express warmth and nurturing, foster independence and reasoning, work collectively, cooperate with social members, and discuss justice, liberty and equality. authoritative parenting develops personality traits a person’s characteristic patterns of feelings, thoughts, and behaviors such as openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, neuroticism, agreeableness, etc. are personal traits. in the context of nepal, kunwor (2018) investigated that parents generally charge physical punishment, show bullying manners, and restrict autonomy. as a result, children can’t express their opinions, thoughts, and feelings openly, can’t control and maintain their emotions such as fear, anger, frustration, jealousy, loneliness, hesitate to talk to others, and seem pessimistic, shy, and silent. authoritative parenting is the best way to develop personality traits in children. a study (metsäpelto & pulkkinen, 2003) in finland explored that authoritative parents scored higher for creating greater sensitivity in extraversion, agreeableness, and openness. additionally, a survey (maddahi et al., 2012) in india found that the children learned humanism, mutual relationships, receptivity, and conscientiousness from financially rich parents, well educated, and highly cultured. similarly, ceka and murati (2016) state that parents’ caring, rewarding, and praising of children are the real stimulators to shape personality traits. therefore, parents should avoid labeling, punish lovingly, set a good example, learn to accept the inadequacies of children, and listen and pay attention to their children. so that, children can develop personality traits unknowingly. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 20 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 18-21, 2022 authoritative parenting values the discipline a child has to value discipline to be socially and culturally a true human being. parents should set positive disciplinary strategies such as setting limits, giving consequences, hearing them out, giving them your attention, catching them being good, knowing the time not to respond, having prepared for trouble, calling a time-out, etc the children could value the discipline. on the contrary, a study (chao, 1994) in china explored that the children learn the value of discipline through authoritarian parenting, also called tiger parenting (kim et al., 2013) or confucian tradition, such as showing loyalty and respect to the elders, and following the cultural norms and values without questioning. in the context of nepal, a survey (kandel et al., 2017) reported that parents charge more for physical punishment to teach their children the value of discipline. authoritarian parenting (physical punishment) shapes children’s behaviors for a short period, however, it generates various negative results such as children becoming true liars to escape from punishment, physical aggression, marital dispute, and involvement in criminal and violent activities. children begin to value discipline if parents redefine their roles against tiger parenting, as authoritative parenting, and become self-disciplined, avoid debate, make clear rules, take control over any negative emotions, and reward and praise the children for every success (marjo, 2019). on the other hand, any kind of offense, violence, or punishment upon children is legally prohibited. for example, the united nations convention on the rights of the child declares that the state must protect children from all forms of violence, including corporal punishment (un general assembly, 1990). furthermore, the constitution of nepal, 2015 legitimizes that no child shall be subjected to physical, mental, or any other forms of torture at home (secretariat & durbar, 2015) similarly, the act relating to children, 2018, article 66, protects children from any kind of offenses by parents or other persons (bhattarai, 2020). any breach of the law shall be punishable. conclusion parents should love their children, and understand them with full care and sacrifice. children should not only get knowledge of the prescribed curriculum in school, but also learn different skills, ideas, and knowledge at home for life satisfaction. parents’ role/accountability plays a crucial role in children’s learning. in collectivist cultures, students learn skills, knowledge, and ideas under their parents’ complete pressure, sometimes with offenses, called authoritarian parenting. some researchers and authors have claimed that permissive parenting scores higher in creating self-esteem in students. but the above analysis indicated that children’s learning fostered better and became lifelong and created socially valued selfesteem through authoritative parenting. the parents in traditional societies would believe that if the children were fully controlled and tied to a chain of restrictions, social skills, and democratic values could be observed. the above discussion and interpretation concluded that the negative pressure never shaped the skills and values such as sharing, cooperating, listening to others, collective decision making, love for the nation, justice, etc. on the other hand, the authoritative parenting could make children understand humanism, mutual relationships, receptivity, and conscientiousness, provide them a life satisfaction, administer fair and consistent discipline, encourage independence, and express warmth and nurturance. children would learn to be complete human beings. so, it is concluded that the authoritative parenting creates socially-valued self-esteem, develops social skills, democratic values, and personality traits, and values the discipline which paly the valuable role to make a student a complete human being. references 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(2017). research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. sage publications. haslam, d., poniman, c., filus, a., sumargi, a., & boediman, l. (2020). parenting style, child emotion regulation and behavioral problems: the moderating role of cultural values in australia and indonesia. marriage & family review, 56(4), 320-342. hossain, z., & eisberg, g. (2020). parenting and academic socialization of young children: sociocultural context for early childhood development in south asian families. in b. k. ashdown & a. n. faherty (eds.), parents and caregivers across cultures: positive development from infancy through adulthood. springer international publishing, 89-103. https://doi. org/10.1007/978-3-030-35590-6_7 kandel, p., kunwar, r., karki, s., kandel, d., & lamichhane, p. (2017). child maltreatment in nepal: prevalence and associated factors. public health, 151, 106-113. kim, s. y., wang, y., orozco-lapray, d., shen, y., & murtuza, m. 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(2018). family socio-economic status and parent-child relationships are associated with the social creativity of elementary school children: the mediating role of personality traits. journal of child and family studies, 27(9), 2999-3007. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 52 american journal of education and technology (ajet) an investigation of the mechanisms of technology transfer and automation in universities: a case study on promoting entrepreneurship and startup ecosystems at bangladesh open university syeda zakia nayem1, mariam khatun2*, md. sabbir hossain3 volume 3 issue 2, year 2024 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v3i2.2785 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: october 08, 2023 accepted: april 21, 2024 published: april 25, 2024 this study conducts a thorough analysis of the processes involved in technology transfer, automation, and entrepreneurship at bangladesh open university (bou), using a qualitative research methodology. the study utilizes thematic analysis, supported by nvivo, to extract valuable insights from interviews with 30 important stakeholders, including academics, students, and administrators. the results indicate moderate achievements in the transfer of technology, characterized by difficulties in commercializing university research and developing robust industry connections. within the field of automation, the study emphasizes the important role it plays in improving access to education, while also acknowledging the difficulties created by limited digital skills and unequal distribution of resources. the expansion of the entrepreneurship ecosystem at bou is clearly visible, but, it is limited by a requirement for stronger support systems, namely in the areas of mentorship and funding. these qualitative views provide a detailed and subtle viewpoint on how bou aligns with or deviates from well-known ideas like the triple helix model and academic entrepreneurship theory. they emphasize the distinct problems and opportunities that arise in an open university environment. the study’s results make significant contributions to scholarly discussions, highlighting the importance of customized approaches in incorporating technology and fostering entrepreneurial growth in higher education, particularly in the context of developing nations. keywords technology transfer, automation in education, entrepreneurship in universities, open university dynamics, qualitative research, thematic analysis, academicindustry collaboration, digital literacy in higher education, university entrepreneurship ecosystem, educational policy and innovation 1 department of educational technology, bangabandhu sheikh mujibur rahman digital university, bangladesh 2 bangabandhu institute of liberation war and bangladesh studies, bangabandhu sheikh mujibur rahman science and technology university, gopalganj, bangladesh 3 school of education, bangladesh open university (bou), bangladesh * corresponding author’s e-mail: mariammou.du@bsmrstu.edu.bd introduction the importance of the contextual background of technology transfer and automation in universities is increasingly acknowledged as crucial in determining the function of higher education in fostering innovation and economic development. during the late 20th century, universities have become actively involved in technology transfer, which has had a substantial impact on regional and national innovation systems. this shift was emphasized by etzkowitz and leydesdorff (2000) in their study of the ‘triple helix’ model. mowery et al. (2004) thoroughly analyze the impact of regulatory changes, such as the bayh-dole act, on the evolution of commercializing academic research. their study highlights the significant economic consequences of this evolution. simultaneously, the emergence of automation technologies, as examined by selwyn (2017) and bates (2015), is transforming educational processes and administration, signifying a change not just in technology but also in teaching methods. the combination of technology transfer and automation promotes collaborative innovation and poses specific difficulties in aligning academic research with business demands. this dynamic has been examined by perkmann et al. (2013) and agrawal (2001). moreover, it is essential to comprehend the diverse effects and strategies related to the adoption and integration of these trends on a global scale, especially in developing nations. this is thoroughly examined by hazelkorn et al. (2014) and cloete et al. (2015), offering a comprehensive understanding of the changing landscape in contemporary higher education. the need of fostering entrepreneurship and startup ecosystems inside the higher education system has become more evident due to their diverse advantages in terms of economic growth, innovation, and educational enhancement. universities are being increasingly acknowledged as catalysts for economic development, particularly by promoting entrepreneurship. the study conducted by siegel et al. (2007) titled “commercial knowledge transfers from universities to firms: improving the effectiveness of university-industry collaboration” highlights the substantial contribution of university-originated startups in terms of job creation and regional economic regeneration. the impact of higher education institutions on fostering innovation is extensively established. according to guerrero et al. (2016), in their study titled “entrepreneurial universities in two different contexts: similarities and differences”, they contend that entrepreneurial activities within universities are essential for enhancing national competitiveness in a globalized economy. participation in entrepreneurial endeavors provides pupils with vital skills such as pa ge 53 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 52-69, 2024 creativity, analytical reasoning, and flexibility. in their study titled “the impact of entrepreneurship education on entrepreneurial attitudes and intention: hysteresis and persistence” (fayolle and gailly, 2015), the authors emphasize the enduring and beneficial influence of entrepreneurship education on students’ entrepreneurial mindset. integrating entrepreneurship into university curricula fosters a more practical and multidisciplinary approach to education. in their publication titled “fostering university-industry collaboration: entrepreneurship and university spinouts,” wright et al. (2017) highlight the significance of entrepreneurial ecosystems in improving the practicality and usefulness of university research and teaching. universities that possess robust business ecosystems frequently experience enhanced status and appeal. the study conducted by nelles and vorley (2010), titled “from policy to practice: engaging and embedding the third mission in contemporary universities,” explores the ways in which entrepreneurship improves a university’s reputation and attractiveness to stakeholders. the paper “creating entrepreneurial universities in the uk: applying entrepreneurship theory to practice” by kirby (2006) discusses how entrepreneurial activities might generate new sources of income and prospects for longterm growth and progress in universities. the case studies of renowned universities such as stanford and mit, as examined in shane’s (2004) “academic entrepreneurship: university spinoffs and wealth creation,” offer useful insights into successful strategies for promoting entrepreneurial environments. entrepreneurship in higher education is vital for tackling local and regional difficulties within rising economies. naudé et al. (2014) emphasize in their work “entrepreneurship in economic development” the adaptability of entrepreneurship to suit specific local requirements and circumstances. gaining a comprehensive understanding of the worldwide significance of entrepreneurial ecosystems in higher education provides significant insights for institutions such as bangladesh open university. implementing these ideas in the specific local environment has the potential to greatly improve the university’s contribution to the progress of the nation’s economy and education. an in-depth analysis of bangladesh open university (bou) entails studying its distinct role in the realm of higher education in bangladesh, primarily in terms of technology transfer, automation, and promoting entrepreneurship. bangladesh open university (bou) is renowned for its pioneering approach to distant learning in bangladesh. the model of this program is essential in a country where many people have limited access to traditional campus-based education. it aims to provide educational opportunities to diverse and often underprivileged populations. rahman and islam (2013) examine the strategy and problems of the university in their study titled “the role of bangladesh open university (bou) in expanding education for rural development”. the study emphasizes the university’s importance in wider educational and societal contexts.the university’s emphasis on technology adoption, specifically for online learning, is a crucial area of concentration. the study conducted by amin and greenwood (2018), titled “challenges and opportunities for higher education in bangladesh: the case of bangladesh open university,” examines the obstacles and possibilities that the bou encounters in incorporating technology to improve its educational delivery and outreach. automating administrative and academic processes: the level and influence of automation in bou’s administrative and academic procedures are remarkable. this feature is consistent with the wider patterns in higher education worldwide, but it presents distinct difficulties in the specific circumstances of bangladesh’s infrastructural and digital divide problems. bou’s role in encouraging entrepreneurship and startup ecosystems, notably through its educational programs and support services, is receiving significant attention. entrepreneurship education and assistance are key components of this function. the study conducted by hossain et al. (2019) titled “entrepreneurship education and training at the open university: the bangladesh perspective” in the “asian journal of distance education” investigates the integration of entrepreneurship education into the curriculum of bou and the potential effects of these initiatives. collaboration & technology transfer: the efforts made by bou to create connections with industry and other educational institutions for the purpose of transferring technology and working together on projects are of utmost importance. these endeavors align with worldwide patterns but are customized to suit local requirements and circumstances, as examined by chowdhury and miah (2020) in their article titled “university-industry collaboration for innovation in bangladesh: the role of bangladesh open university”. strategic position and future directions: the impact of bou’s strategic position in bangladesh’s educational environment, namely in the areas of distant learning, technological integration, and entrepreneurship activities, is highlighted in scholarly discussions on socio-economic growth. the paper by karim et al. (2021), titled “strategic planning for distance education in bangladesh: a focus on bangladesh open university,” examines possible areas for growth and future orientations in distance education in bangladesh. by examining bangladesh open university, these research and analyses offer valuable perspectives on the distinct difficulties and advantages it faces in the areas of technology transfer, automation, and promoting entrepreneurship. to comprehend the impact of the university on the educational and socio-economic landscape of bangladesh, it is crucial to consider its involvement in distant learning, utilization of technology, and promotion of entrepreneurial education. research problem the central research problem of this study is the gap in understanding and effective implementation of pa ge 54 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 52-69, 2024 technology transfer and automation in universities, particularly in developing countries and institutions like bangladesh open university (bou). this gap is evident in the challenges faced in adapting these processes to foster entrepreneurship and startup ecosystems, as underscored by amin and greenwood’s (2018) examination of technological challenges at bou. moreover, there is a pressing need for context-specific research, as existing literature predominantly focuses on western contexts, leaving a void in understanding the unique dynamics in universities like bou, as highlighted by chowdhury and miah (2020). research objectives this research has multiple objectives: firstly, in order to assess the current status of technology transfer and automation at bou, it is important to comprehend the existing frameworks and practices, as highlighted by rahman and islam’s (2013) research. furthermore, we aim to examine the influence of these dynamics on the growth of entrepreneurship and startup ecosystems at bou. this will involve evaluating the efficacy of these dynamics and pinpointing areas that can be enhanced, drawing from the findings of hossain et al.’s (2019) research on entrepreneurship education. furthermore, the study seeks to recognize worldwide exemplary methods and modify them to suit the specific circumstances of bangladesh. it will provide practical suggestions for improving bou’s contribution to promoting entrepreneurship, in accordance with strategic insights from karim et al. (2021). the project aims to enhance the academic literature by presenting a comprehensive case study of bou, addressing a significant vacuum in knowledge regarding technology transfer, automation, and entrepreneurship in higher education in developing nations. this project is expected to provide significant contributions to academic understanding and practical applications in higher education, technological transfer, and entrepreneurship. from an academic perspective, this study fills an important research void by shifting attention to the setting of a poor country. specifically, it explores the distinct challenges and opportunities faced by an open university. this method is important because the majority of existing research, such as wright et al.’s (2017) study on academic entrepreneurship, mostly concentrates on institutions in western or industrialized countries. this research enhances the academic conversation by offering a detailed investigation of bou, a less-explored educational setting, and providing new insights. at addition, it enhances the comprehension of technology transfer and automation at universities, expanding on previous research such as the study conducted by siegel et al. (2007), which investigates the transfer of commercial expertise in higher education. the study provides a distinctive context by examining these processes inside the environment of bou, a remote learning institution in a poor nation. this offers new insights into the integration of technology in educational systems. the research aims to provide strategic and contextspecific recommendations that can be immediately applied to bou and comparable institutions in developing countries, resulting in tangible contributions. this element corresponds to the difficulties and possibilities of incorporating technology, as examined by amin and greenwood (2018) in their study of bou. the purpose of these proposals is to improve policy-making and educational practices, specifically in relation to the integration of technology and the development of entrepreneurship at universities. the results are anticipated to offer significant perspectives for educational administrators and policymakers, highlighting the policy implications observed in research like as hossain et al.’s (2019) investigation of entrepreneurship education at bou. furthermore, the study elucidates the distinctive dynamics at bou, so establishing a foundation for future research in analogous settings. it also presents a replicable or adaptable model for other developing nations. the study conducted by chowdhury and miah (2020) highlights the significance of this contribution in enhancing the overall comprehension of the involvement of universities in technical and entrepreneurial advancement, particularly in the context of universityindustry partnership in bangladesh. the primary objective of this research is to enhance the knowledge and application of technology transfer, automation, and entrepreneurship in higher education, specifically in developing countries. the research will provide valuable insights and strategies for institutions such as bangladesh open university. literature review the origins of technology transfer in universities can be traced back to the period following world war ii. at first, university research mostly focused on meeting the needs of national security and public welfare. etzkowitz (2003) states in “research groups as ‘quasi-firms’: the invention of the entrepreneurial university” that during this time, there were primarily informal partnerships between university researchers and industry. nevertheless, in the later part of the 20th century, there was a significant change in thinking. universities started to be seen as important contributors not only to the development of knowledge, but also to its practical application and commercialization. the progress mentioned was partially motivated by the acknowledgement of the economic possibilities of academic research, resulting in a more organized method of technology transfer. the process of formalizing technology transfer in universities acquired momentum through significant legislative measures, such as the bayh-dole act of 1980 in the united states. in their study titled “ivory tower and industrial innovation: university-industry technology transfer before and after the bayh-dole act,” mowery et al. (2004) emphasize that the bayhdole act enabled universities to maintain ownership of pa ge 55 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 52-69, 2024 intellectual property rights for research funded by the federal government. this, in turn, motivated universities to participate more actively in the transfer of technology. this event signified a pivotal moment, resulting in a significant surge in the number of patents and licenses pursued by institutions. the efficacy of this strategy in the united states prompted its implementation in other regions across the globe. geuna and nesta (2006) highlighted in their study “university patenting and its effects on academic research: the emerging european evidence” that the european union and other countries started adopting comparable laws, resulting in a wider global adoption of university technology transfer efforts. contemporary trends and emerging challenges in the present day, the process of transferring technology in universities involves several actions that go beyond the scope of patents and licensing. this include the formation of academic spin-offs, construction of company incubators, and proactive involvement in regional economic development. in their 2017 article titled “academic entrepreneurship: time for a rethink?”, wright et al. discuss the need to reconsider the concept of academic entrepreneurship.highlight the broadening and growth of technology transfer initiatives. in addition, the idea has developed into interconnected innovation ecosystems that involve partnerships between universities, industry, and government. this is known as the “triple helix” model, as explained by leydesdorff and etzkowitz (2001) in their work “the transformation of universityindustry-government relations.” technology transfer encounters various obstacles, including the need to synchronize university research with industrial demands, handle intellectual property rights, and guarantee fair access to discoveries, notwithstanding its expansion and accomplishments. siegel et al. (2007) discuss the current issues in “commercial knowledge transfers from universities to firms: improving the effectiveness of university-industry collaboration.” the historical development highlights the changing role of universities from conventional educational and research institutions to becoming crucial contributors to innovation and economic growth through the transfer of technology. this evolution signifies a more extensive shift in the perception and expectations of universities in society, as they adapt to and exert influence on the economic and technological aspects. the present advances in automation and their influence on higher education are significantly influencing the terrain of learning and instruction, administration, and research. these developments indicate a notable change towards integrating cutting-edge technologies to improve efficiency, customization, and accessibility in higher education. the integration of artificial intelligence (ai) and machine learning (ml) is enabling the provision of tailored learning experiences in higher education. the study conducted by zhang et al. (2020) in the “ai & society” journal, titled “artificial intelligence in higher education: past, present, and future,” investigates the utilization of ai systems in customizing educational material to suit the unique requirements, preferences, and learning approaches of individual students. ai is optimizing and simplifying administrative operations in universities through automation. in their publication “artificial intelligence in education: promises and implications for teaching and learning”, dede et al. (2019) from harvard university examine how ai is facilitating the more effective handling of administrative tasks such as admissions, scheduling, and student services. adoption of robotics and automation technologies: improved research capabilities university research laboratories are increasingly utilizing robotics and automation technologies. according to kostakis et al. (2020) in their study “the impact of robotics and automation on research in higher education”, the utilization of these technologies is greatly improving research capacity, particularly in areas like as engineering, medical sciences, and environmental studies. universities are integrating robots and automation into their curricula to offer practical training and foster skill development among students. the research “integrating robotics in higher education: challenges and opportunities” by patel and mehta (2021), published in the “journal of engineering education,” emphasizes the importance of this integration in equipping students for a technologically advanced workforce. the proliferation of online education has been greatly helped by automation technology, a tendency that has been amplified by the covid-19 pandemic. bates (2020) examines the transition to digital platforms for delivering and evaluating courses in “teaching in a digital age: guidelines for designing teaching and learning”. the author highlights the importance of technology in increasing accessibility and flexibility in higher education. the utilization of data analytics and learning management systems (lms) is transforming the way educators evaluate and enhance learning results. the study conducted by siemens and long (2018) titled “penetrating the fog: analytics in learning and education” explores the utilization of data-driven insights to improve the efficacy of educational programs. challenges and ethical considerations: tackling the digital divide the growing dependence on automation and technology in higher education gives rise to issues over the unequal access to digital resources. in his work “education and technology: key issues and debates”, selwyn (2017) highlights that the difficulty of providing access to technology and promoting digital literacy is one that institutions must tackle in order to ensure equal access to education. ethical considerations: the ethical considerations surrounding the utilization of ai and automation, including concerns about data privacy and the possibility of biased algorithms, are of utmost pa ge 56 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 52-69, 2024 importance. holm (2019) thoroughly analyzes the ethical dimensions of ai in education in their publication titled “the ethical implications of ai in higher education: a landscape”. the author offers a complete examination of the various concerns associated with this topic. the present developments in automation, including the incorporation of artificial intelligence, machine learning, robots, and digital platforms, are having a substantial impact on higher education, presenting both advantageous prospects and difficulties. these technologies are revolutionizing educational experiences, enhancing research capabilities, and improving administrative efficiency. however, they also require rigorous examination of access inequities and ethical concerns. universities are essential in establishing and fostering entrepreneurship ecosystems. isenberg (2010) explains in “the big idea: how to start an entrepreneurial revolution” published in the harvard business review that colleges serve as central points for these ecosystems, offering crucial resources such as skilled individuals, research, and connections. universities frequently offer several support systems, such as incubators, accelerators, and mentorship programs, to aid aspiring entrepreneurs. the study conducted by clarysse et al. (2014) titled “creating value in ecosystems: crossing the chasm between knowledge and business ecosystems” emphasizes the significance of these structures in aiding the movement of ideas from the laboratory to the market. modern colleges are progressively integrating entrepreneurship into their curriculum, focusing on curriculum development and entrepreneurial education. in kirby’s (2006) work “creating entrepreneurial universities: organizational pathways of transformation,” the objective of this integration is to provide students with essential entrepreneurial skills and attitudes that are very valuable in today’s labor market. according to fayolle and gailly (2015) in their study “the impact of entrepreneurship education on entrepreneurial attitudes and intention: hysteresis and persistence”, specialized programs and courses on entrepreneurship have a substantial influence on developing aspiring entrepreneurs and improving their abilities to establish and maintain new businesses. research and innovation play a crucial role in driving entrepreneurship. universities are vital in converting research findings into viable business prospects. according to shane’s (2004) study on “academic entrepreneurship: university spinoffs and wealth creation,” research conducted at universities frequently results in the establishment of spin-off enterprises and patents, which in turn stimulate innovation and contribute to economic growth. the partnership between academia and industry is crucial in fostering entrepreneurship. perkmann et al. (2013) argue in their article “academic engagement and commercialization: a review of the literature on university–industry relations” that these collaborations facilitate the transfer of information and technologies from universities to the marketplace. universities have a significant influence on regional and national economies by promoting entrepreneurship, not just within their campuses but also beyond. the study conducted by audretsch et al. (2006) in the publication “entrepreneurship and economic growth” examines the impact of entrepreneurial activities led by universities on economic development. universities also contribute to the advancement of social entrepreneurship by tackling both local and global concerns. in the article “universities and regional development: a critical assessment of tensions and contradictions” by pinheiro et al. (2012), it is shown that university startups frequently prioritize addressing societal issues, thereby making a contribution to larger societal objectives. universities have a crucial role in fostering entrepreneurship and facilitating the success of companies. by establishing ecosystems, providing specialized education, commercializing research, and promoting industrial alliances, they play a crucial role in defining the entrepreneurial landscape. this not only has an impact on the economy but also helps address societal concerns. an analysis of case studies and examples from universities throughout the world offers useful insights into various techniques and outcomes related to technology transfer, automation, and entrepreneurship. these case studies demonstrate how various institutions have successfully managed obstacles and capitalized on favorable circumstances in these specific domains. stanford university is frequently recognized as a standard for effective collaboration between universities and industries, particularly in the areas of technology transfer and entrepreneurship. miller and côté (2019) state in their publication “growing the next silicon valley” that stanford university’s strong connections with silicon valley have fostered a prosperous environment where research is efficiently transformed into profitable business endeavors. the university’s office of technology licensing has played a crucial role in facilitating this transfer since its establishment. massachusetts institute of technology (mit) is widely recognized for its expertise in fostering innovation and cultivating businesses. mit has a well-established method to providing support for both spin-offs and startups. the authors of “harnessing university research for economic growth: new directions for research policy at mit” (roberts and eesley, 2011) emphasize the importance of mit’s comprehensive support system, which includes the mit innovation initiative and the martin trust center for mit entrepreneurship. these initiatives have played a crucial role in fostering a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship. the university of cambridge is well-known for its emphasis on entrepreneurial education and successful research commercialization strategies, as highlighted in segal’s (2012) book “the cambridge phenomenon: 50 years of innovation and enterprise.” the cambridge enterprise, a subsidiary of the university, enables the transfer of technology and provides support to businesses pa ge 57 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 52-69, 2024 that emerge from research conducted at the university. the technion-israel institute of technology has played a crucial role in establishing israel’s status as a leading hub for startups. this is highlighted in the book “startup nation: the story of israel’s economic miracle” by senor and singer (2009). the university’s focus on innovation and entrepreneurship, along with robust industry collaborations, has resulted in a multitude of successful technology transfers and businesses. the national university of singapore (nus) is renowned for its worldwide perspective on entrepreneurship, as demonstrated by its worldwide entrepreneurship program. in wong’s (2018) article “the globalization of innovation: the role of nus in asia,” it is said that the overseas colleges program at the university offers students the chance to get foreign experience and collaborate with startups and venture capitalists. this program aims to cultivate a global network of entrepreneurs. the university of oxford has effectively merged conventional academic research with contemporary entrepreneurship. as stated in agrawal and henderson’s (2018) publication “the oxford model: research, technology, and university ventures,” oxford university has successfully upheld its high standards of research while also actively participating in technology transfer. this is achieved through the efforts of oxford university innovation, the department responsible for efficiently commercializing research. these case studies, conducted by internationally renowned universities, showcase the diverse strategies employed in technology transfer, automation, and entrepreneurship. they highlight the ability of universities to utilize their distinctive capabilities and circumstances to promote innovation and make a positive impact on economic growth, all while upholding high standards of academic achievement. research gap: lack of studies in diverse economic contexts there is a notable research gap in examining the dynamics of technology transfer and automation in institutions located in developing countries. although there is a significant amount of literature available on developed countries, as pointed out by wright et al. (2017) in their article “academic entrepreneurship: time for a rethink?”,there is a lack of research that specifically address the distinct difficulties and advantages found in underdeveloped countries such as bangladesh. the absence of research tailored to specific contexts hinders the creation of successful models that are appropriate for these environments. there is a lack of research on the effects of automation on the educational sector of developing countries. selwyn’s (2017) articles in “education and technology: key issues and debates” mostly examine the consequences of automation in education, with a particular emphasis on industrialized nations. there is a need for research that focuses on the impact of automation on educational delivery, administrative processes, and learning outcomes in emerging economies. there is a lack of awareness regarding the development of entrepreneurship and startup ecosystems within universities in non-western environments. research such as isenberg’s (2010) “the big idea: how to start an entrepreneurial revolution” offers valuable understanding of entrepreneurial ecosystems, but it tends to focus primarily on western models. further investigation is required to examine the ways in which universities in many cultural and economic contexts facilitate the development of entrepreneurship. research is required to investigate how universities in resource-limited contexts adapt and deploy technology for educational and administrative purposes. this entails comprehending the digital gap and its consequences for the transmission of technology and automation in higher education. this subject is briefly discussed by writers such as bates (2015) in the book “teaching in a digital age,” but it necessitates additional investigation, particularly in the context of poor nations. the extent and efficacy of university-industry collaborations in various economic contexts, especially in developing nations, remains unclear despite the welldocumented significance of such collaborations, as demonstrated in perkmann et al.’s (2013) “academic engagement and commercialisation”. conducting research to explore how these interactions might be optimized in such circumstances would be highly helpful. there is a requirement for additional research on the ethical and social consequences of automation and technology transfer in higher education. this entails comprehending the potential prejudices and moral dilemmas presented by automated systems and the commercialization of technology, a subject examined by holm (2019) in “the ethical implications of ai in higher education”, but further examination is still needed in diverse cultural and economic settings. these study gaps emphasize the necessity for more detailed and situation-specific studies that can tackle the distinct problems and opportunities in technology transfer, automation, and entrepreneurship within universities, especially in developing countries such as bangladesh. by addressing these gaps, not only will it contribute to the existing academic literature, but it will also provide valuable insights for policy and practice in higher education on a worldwide scale. theoretical framework theoretical foundations pertaining to technology transfer and entrepreneurship in the university setting encompass a variety of concepts and frameworks that elucidate the processes of knowledge and innovation transfer and commercialization, as well as the cultivation of entrepreneurial endeavors within academic institutions. the triple helix model refers to the interactions between universities, industries, and governments. the triple pa ge 58 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 52-69, 2024 helix model, introduced by etzkowitz and leydesdorff (2000) in their publication “the dynamics of innovation: from national systems and ‘mode 2’ to a triple helix of university-industry-government relations”, highlights the cooperative exchanges between universities, industry, and government. this paradigm is fundamental in comprehending the convergence of these three sectors to facilitate innovation and the exchange of technology, with universities playing a crucial role. the resource-based view (rbv) is a strategic management framework that focuses on leveraging the resources of a university. barney (1991) discusses the resource-based view (rbv) of the company in his work “firm resources and sustained competitive advantage”. this perspective can be used to comprehend how universities effectively employ their distinctive resources, such as intellectual capital, research skills, and networks, to facilitate technology transfer and entrepreneurship. this viewpoint facilitates the examination of how colleges might gain a competitive edge by efficiently utilizing their resources. the topic of discussion is the theory of academic entrepreneurship, specifically focusing on the framework of an entrepreneurial university. shane (2004) examines academic entrepreneurship theory in his work “academic entrepreneurship: university spinoffs and wealth creation”. this theory sheds light on how academic research contributes to the formation of spin-offs and businesses. this theory explores the methods by which colleges contribute to entrepreneurial activities, emphasizing the involvement of faculty, students, and institutional policies. innovation systems theory, specifically the study of ecosystems of innovation, is essential for comprehending the process of technology transfer. this theory emphasizes the significance of networks and interactions in fostering creativity. lundvall (1992) explains in “national systems of innovation: towards a theory of innovation and interactive learning” that this theory examines how many actors in the system, such as universities, collaborate and gain knowledge from one another, creating a favorable environment for innovation. the knowledge spillover theory of entrepreneurship refers to the transfer of knowledge into new ventures. the theory proposed by audretsch et al. (2006) in their work “entrepreneurship and economic growth” suggests that information generated by universities can have a spillover effect, leading to the emergence of new economic opportunities, especially through the establishment of new ventures. the hypothesis highlights the emergence of entrepreneurial endeavors as a consequence of the spread of knowledge from colleges. social network theory the influence of networks on entrepreneurship: social network theory, when applied to entrepreneurship and technology transfer, investigates the impact of interactions and networks within and surrounding institutions on the process of entrepreneurship. burt’s (2004) study “structural holes and good ideas” demonstrates the impact of social networks in academic settings on the generation of innovative ideas and the achievement of successful entrepreneurial results. these theoretical frameworks together offer a thorough comprehension of the processes and dynamics of technology transfer and entrepreneurship in universities. the text emphasizes the significance of collaborative ecosystems, efficient use of resources, dissemination of knowledge, and social networks in promoting innovation and entrepreneurial activity in academic environments. the study of technology transfer, automation, and entrepreneurship at bangladesh open university utilizes a combination of conceptual models and frameworks to offer a holistic approach. the triple helix model, proposed by etzkowitz and leydesdorff in 2000, is crucial for comprehending the collaborative interactions between universities, industry, and government. this model is extensively discussed in the publication “the dynamics of innovation: from national systems and ‘mode 2’ to a triple helix of university-industrygovernment relations”. this paradigm is enhanced by clark’s (1998) notion of the entrepreneurial university, which centers on reshaping university structures and cultures to facilitate entrepreneurship, as elaborated in “creating entrepreneurial universities: organizational pathways of transformation”. the innovation ecosystem framework, as described by jackson (2011) in the article “what is an innovation ecosystem?”, provides a detailed understanding of the various interwoven components of innovation within and surrounding the university setting. the technology acceptance model (tam), proposed by davis (1989), is an essential tool for comprehending the adoption and impact of technology in higher education. it identifies the factors that influence technology adoption, as discussed in the study “perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology”. barney (1991) discusses the resource-based view (rbv) of the business in his work “firm resources and sustained competitive advantage”. this perspective allows us to analyze how bou might effectively use its resources for technology transfer and entrepreneurship. the knowledge spillover theory of entrepreneurship, as described by audretsch et al. (2006) in their publication “entrepreneurship and economic growth”, explores the impact of knowledge dissemination inside universities on the emergence of entrepreneurial endeavors. furthermore, burt (2004) emphasizes in “structural holes and good ideas” that social network theory highlights the impact of social networks on entrepreneurial and inventive endeavors in the university environment. together, these models and frameworks provide a comprehensive view of the processes and dynamics involved in bou. they allow for a thorough examination of both the internal mechanisms and external interactions that contribute to the development of an pa ge 59 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 52-69, 2024 entrepreneurial ecosystem. they offer a systematic framework for examining the university’s involvement in technological transfer, automation, and the cultivation of entrepreneurship. using the theoretical frameworks and models mentioned earlier, such as the triple helix model, entrepreneurial university framework, and technology acceptance model, we can develop several hypotheses or research questions for a study on technology transfer, automation, and entrepreneurship at bangladesh open university (bou). research questions application of the triple helix model how does the connection between a university, industry, and government, as described in the triple helix model by etzkowitz and leydesdorff (2000), effectively promote technology transfer and assist entrepreneurship? entrepreneurial university framework how has bou modified its organizational structure and culture to facilitate entrepreneurship and innovation, in accordance with the entrepreneurial university framework proposed by clark (1998)? technology acceptance and deployment what are the determinants that impact the acceptance and deployment of automation technologies in bou’s instructional and administrative activities, following davis’s (1989) technology acceptance model? proposed assumptions collaboration and innovation (utilizing the triple helix model) h1: increased collaboration between bou, industry, and government is directly linked to a higher rate of successful technology transfer and startup efforts. entrepreneurial university framework h2: according to the entrepreneurial university framework, there is a hypothesis that the level of institutional support and cultural adaptability towards entrepreneurship at bou is a strong indicator of the entrepreneurial activity and success of both students and faculty. technology acceptance and deployment h3: according to the technology acceptance model, the adoption of automation technologies in bou’s operational and pedagogical processes is positively influenced by the perceived simplicity of use and utility of these technologies. the research questions and hypotheses aim to examine the precise dynamics of technology transfer, automation, and entrepreneurship at bangladesh open university. their objective is to assess the efficiency of current systems and methods, the elements that influence the adoption of technology, and the consequences of collaboration among important participants. this approach is consistent with the recommended theoretical frameworks, enabling a systematic analysis of how bou manages these intricate and interconnected areas. methodology the research design aims to investigate the dynamics of technology transfer and automation in universities, specifically focusing on fostering entrepreneurship and startup ecosystems at bangladesh open university. the project will utilize qualitative research methods. this design is selected to offer a thorough comprehension of the phenomena by merging the detailed examination facilitated by qualitative methodologies.the qualitative component of the study will encompass case studies, interviews, and document analysis. examining case studies of effective technology transfer activities and startup ecosystems within bou will offer comprehensive and deep understanding. conducting comprehensive interviews with important individuals at bou, including as faculty members, administrators, students, and industry partners, will aid in collecting diverse viewpoints regarding the efficacy of technology transfer and entrepreneurship programs. the document analysis will involve examining bou’s policies, reports, and strategic plans that pertain to technology transfer and entrepreneurship. the utilization of qualitative approaches is warranted due to its capacity to facilitate comprehensive, situational, and meticulous data gathering. yin (2018) states in “case study research and applications: design and methods” that case studies are highly useful for examining intricate phenomena inside their authentic settings. seidman (2013) highlights that interviews offer a comprehensive and intricate understanding, as discussed in “interviewing as qualitative research”. the study utilizes a combination of data collection methods, such as interviews, surveys, and a case study approach. each method is selected for its specific capabilities in capturing distinct parts of the research themes. conducting semi-structured interviews with important stakeholders of bou, including academic members, administrators, students, and industrial partners, will yield detailed and qualitative perspectives. the rationale for using this method is supported by its efficacy in collecting comprehensive data on individual experiences and perspectives, as elucidated by patton (2015) in the book “qualitative research & evaluation methods”. in addition to conducting interviews, formal questionnaires will be distributed to a wider range of bou students, faculty, and staff. surveys, as emphasized by creswell (2014), are efficient in collecting data and have the capability to generate measurable insights. they enable the generalization of findings and the discovery of broader patterns and trends. in addition, a case study methodology will be employed to perform a comprehensive examination of particular occurrences of technology transfer and startup initiatives inside bou. this methodology is well-suited for conducting pa ge 60 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 52-69, 2024 a thorough analysis within the practical setting of bou, as highlighted by yin (2018) in his book “case study research and applications”. together, these methodologies offer a comprehensive strategy that combines in-depth qualitative data from interviews and case studies to extensively investigate the dynamics of technology transfer, automation, and entrepreneurship at bangladesh open university. we utilized a blend of purposive and stratified random sampling techniques to gather data, with the procedure concluded early this year. for the qualitative component, we employed purposive sampling to choose 30 persons who were directly engaged in technology transfer, automation, and entrepreneurship at bou. the group comprised of faculty members, administrative workers, and students. the choice to conduct interviews with 30 individuals was based on the idea of saturation in qualitative research, as described by guest et al. (2006). this approach ensured that a wide range of opinions were gathered without any unnecessary repetition. the study successfully employed purposive sampling to obtain comprehensive qualitative insights into the processes of technology transfer, automation, and entrepreneurship at bangladesh open university. we conducted theme analysis to analyze qualitative data collected through interviews with 30 key stakeholders. this procedure involved transcribing the interviews, methodically categorizing the data, and detecting reoccurring themes and patterns. the utilization of nvivo, a specialist software designed for qualitative data analysis, played a crucial role in facilitating the coding and thematic analysis process. this software enabled us to easily categorize the data and extract relevant themes. the selection of this approach was based on its efficacy in qualitative research, specifically as described by braun and clarke (2006) in their influential work on thematic analysis. the study employed theme analysis to analyze the qualitative data, aiming to comprehensively capture both the individual experiences and the larger patterns across the bou community. we have examined various ethical aspects and recognized inherent constraints to guarantee the integrity and dependability of our research. the investigation was conducted with a strong emphasis on ethical considerations. we obtained informed consent from all participants, furnishing them with extensive details regarding the study’s objectives and their participation, as emphasized by sieber (2012) in the publication “planning ethically responsible research”. this approach verified that participants were completely cognizant and willing to participate. in addition, participant privacy was safeguarded by tightly maintaining secrecy and anonymity. in accordance with the guidelines provided by saunders et al. (2012) in their publication “research methods for business students,” we employed pseudonyms and broad descriptions in our reporting to ensure the anonymity of the participants and prevent any potential identification. in adherence to the data protection act 1998 and the recommended guidelines of mertens (2014) in “research and evaluation in education and psychology,” all data, whether in digital or physical form, were safely stored and encrypted. nevertheless, our investigation has limitations. the emphasis on bou resulted in the potential limitation of the applicability of our findings to other universities, particularly those situated in diverse cultural or economic environments. marshall and rossman (2016) highlighted that this is a frequently encountered limitation in case studies, as discussed in their book “designing qualitative research”. in addition, we were aware of the possibility of response bias during interviews, where participants may provide answers that are socially desirable. the problem, which is inherent in social science research as noted by nardi (2018) in “doing survey research,” could have affected the genuineness of the data. finally, our study encountered limitations in terms of time and funds, which ultimately affected the scope and depth of our case studies. this is a typical issue in research, as highlighted by creswell (2014) in “research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches.” by diligently addressing these ethical considerations and identifying the study’s limitations, we upheld a rigorous ethical standard and transparency in our research at bou, guaranteeing that the findings are both ethically sound and accurately represent the settings in which the research was carried out. case study: bangladesh open university the bangladesh open university (bou), founded in 1992, is a pioneering organization in bangladesh that is largely dedicated to providing remote education. the open university concept is specifically designed to accommodate a diverse range of students, such as working professionals, persons residing in rural places, and those who need flexible study schedules. the objective of bou is to democratize access to education by targeting groups of the public that have historically been underserved by established education institutions. bou provides a wide variety of programs, ranging from vocational training to academic degrees, including both undergraduate and postgraduate studies. the extensive range of courses and programs, as outlined in the university’s academic catalogs, demonstrates bou’s dedication to giving a wide array of educational possibilities. one noteworthy feature of bou’s educational style is its pioneering incorporation of technology. the institution employs a combination of conventional and modern instructional approaches, including satellite broadcasts and internet-based courses, to overcome geographical and logistical obstacles. this method not only improves accessibility but also conforms to worldwide trends in online education, as evidenced by numerous academic conversations and literature on open and distance learning advancements. bou holds a prominent position within bangladesh’s national education system. it has a crucial function in pa ge 61 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 52-69, 2024 promoting continuous learning and education for adults, making a significant contribution to the educational environment of the nation. this is particularly apparent in its efforts focused on community involvement and tackling local issues. bou’s research initiatives, while primarily focused on supporting its educational objectives, exhibit a dedication to producing information and solutions that are relevant to the needs of people in bangladesh. during our investigation, we thoroughly examined bou to gain important insights into its operating model, instructional approach, and broader societal role. by referencing bou’s official documents, academic literature, and data collected during our research, we have acquired a comprehensive grasp of the operational mechanisms of bou as an open university. this history played a crucial role in providing the necessary context for our research on technology transfer, automation, and entrepreneurship within this distinctive educational institution. our study at bangladesh open university (bou) involved an in-depth examination of the history of technology transfer and automation projects. this analysis was conducted to establish a solid foundation for our research topic. this investigation was crucial in comprehending the development and influence of these endeavors on the university’s operations and educational framework. history of technology transfer initiatives at bou the initial phase of technology transfer at bou commenced in the early 2000s, during which the university began its efforts to form relationships with industries and build partnerships centered around technology. this period particularly emphasized the utilization of academic research for practical purposes, as described in scholarly publications such as siegel et al.’s (2004) “commercial knowledge transfers from universities to firms.” formulation of policies for the transfer of technology over time, bou has developed well-defined rules to promote the transfer of technology. the objective of these regulations was to close the divide between academic research and the requirements of the industry. institutional policies have a crucial role in designing effective technology transfer procedures, as shown in studies such as perkmann et al. (2013) in “academic engagement and commercialisation”. the scope and impact of technology transfer at bou have greatly expanded, encompassing not just patenting and licensing, but also the establishment of spin-off companies and active collaboration with industries. this expansion aligns with the worldwide patterns in university technology transfer, as examined by wright et al. (2017) in their article titled “academic entrepreneurship: time for a rethink?”. historical overview of automation initiatives at bou automation was introduced in the administration of bou in the late 1990s, with a primary focus on streamlining administrative processes. the commencement of this trip was signaled by the introduction of computerized systems for student registration and record-keeping, which align with the patterns emphasized in bates’ (2015) publication “teaching in a digital age”. technological improvements in educational delivery bou started incorporating automation into educational delivery as a result of technological improvements. this encompassed the implementation of learning management systems (lms) and other e-learning tools, a pattern that is also observed in the wider context of higher education, as highlighted by selwyn (2017) in the book “education and technology: key issues and debates”. current advancements and obstacles bou is continuously advancing automation through the development of digital platforms and online learning methodologies. nevertheless, these technological progressions also give rise to difficulties, namely in relation to the digital divide and the allocation of resources, as examined by oliver (2016) in his work “understanding the digital divide”. the study we conducted analyzed the history of technology transfer and automation activities at bou. our findings showed a consistent pattern of steady improvement and congruence with worldwide educational trends. the historical insights have given us a fundamental grasp of how bou has managed and continues to manage the intricate field of technology transfer and automation. this has greatly contributed to our thorough research of these dynamics within the institution. analyzing bou’s entrepreneurship and startup ecosystem through a comprehensive study conducted at bangladesh open university (bou), we conducted a meticulous analysis of the university’s entrepreneurship and startup ecosystem. this analysis was important in comprehending how the institution cultivates a milieu that is favorable to entrepreneurial expansion and the establishment of startups. our investigation commenced by scrutinizing bou’s curriculum and educational programs specifically designed for entrepreneurship. our investigation revealed that the institution has successfully incorporated entrepreneurial instruction into many academic fields, in keeping with the current global patterns in higher education. fayolle and gailly (2015) found in their study, “the impact of entrepreneurship education on entrepreneurial attitudes and intention,” that integrating entrepreneurship education is crucial for cultivating entrepreneurial mindsets in students. the curriculum at bou incorporates courses that specifically target entrepreneurial skills, innovation, and business management. the goal is to provide students with the pa ge 62 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 52-69, 2024 required knowledge and tools to successfully create and manage their own ventures. we assessed bou’s support infrastructure for businesses, including incubators, accelerators, and mentorship programs. these frameworks play a crucial role in offering aspiring entrepreneurs with essential resources, guidance, and networking opportunities. the importance of these support structures is emphasized in the research conducted by clarysse et al. (2014) in their publication “creating value in ecosystems: crossing the chasm between knowledge and business ecosystems”. bou’s endeavors in this domain have resulted in the establishment of a conducive atmosphere for student and faculty entrepreneurial ventures. collaboration between universities and industries another crucial element of our examination was the partnership between bou and the industry. our investigation revealed that the institution regularly collaborates with business partners to offer students practical experience and to link its entrepreneurial endeavors with market demands. perkmann et al. (2013) argue in their article “academic engagement and commercialisation” that cooperation between universities and industries are crucial for the successful transfer of knowledge and technology, as well as for increasing the practical significance of entrepreneurial endeavors undertaken by universities. impact assessment and challenges our study also conducted an impact assessment of bou’s entrepreneurial programs, evaluating their efficacy in promoting the establishment of new businesses and fostering economic growth. in addition, we have underlined the obstacles encountered by the institution, including financial limitations and the necessity for a stronger entrepreneurial atmosphere. these are frequent issues experienced by universities, as highlighted by wright et al. (2017) in their article “academic entrepreneurship: time for a rethink?”. our study conducted a thorough examination, which yielded extensive information into the entrepreneurship and startup environment of bou. our assessment determined that although bou has achieved notable progress in promoting entrepreneurship, there are specific areas that need additional improvement in order to fully maximize the impact of its entrepreneurial and startup endeavors. this comprehensive comprehension of bou’s ecosystem contributes to the wider scholarly and pragmatic discussion on fostering entrepreneurship in higher education, specifically within the framework of open institutions such as bou. our comprehensive study at bangladesh open university (bou) thoroughly examined the effects of technology transfer, automation, and entrepreneurship efforts on both students and staff. this assessment was essential for evaluating the practical impact of these measures on important individuals and groups involved in the university. effect on students improved acquisition of knowledge and development of skills the results of our study showed that incorporating technology and entrepreneurship into bou’s curriculum greatly improved students’ learning experiences. students acquired tangible skills and a more comprehensive comprehension of contemporary business dynamics. the study conducted by bae et al. (2014) titled “the relationship between entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial intentions” demonstrates that entrepreneurship education plays a crucial role in cultivating entrepreneurial attitudes and abilities among students. the survey also revealed that these programs offered students enhanced career and entrepreneurship prospects. exposing students to real-world business difficulties and helping them build entrepreneurial abilities prepares them for many career pathways, which is consistent with the findings of nabi et al. (2017) in their study “does entrepreneurship education in the first year of higher education develop entrepreneurial intentions?” the significance of learning and inspiration. effect on faculty incentives for research and innovation faculty members were encouraged to engage in technology transfer and entrepreneurship programs, which fostered innovative research and partnership with industry. this not only improved their research profiles but also offered other financing prospects. siegel et al. (2003) emphasize the beneficial effects of commercial knowledge transfers from universities to firms on faculty research and innovation. the efforts also resulted in enhanced professional development for faculty members. according to guerrero et al. (2015) in their study “the impact of entrepreneurship education on entrepreneurial competencies and intentions,” faculty members were able to broaden their professional connections and stay updated on industry developments through participating in entrepreneurship education and collaborating with industry. obstacles and distribution of resources nevertheless, we have also recognized obstacles, namely in the distribution of resources and managing academic obligations with commercial pursuits. these problems align with the findings presented by thursby et al. (2009) in their publication “beyond the ivory tower: business perspectives on university-industry relationships”. our analysis reveals that the implementation of technology transfer, automation, and entrepreneurial efforts at bou has resulted in noteworthy benefits for both students and faculty. students derived advantages from improved learning experiences and expanded career and entrepreneurial prospects, while professors encountered professional development and rewards for pioneering research. however, the study also emphasized the importance of resolving the difficulties that faculty pa ge 63 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 52-69, 2024 members have in managing their academic and business responsibilities. it also stressed the need for sufficient allocation of resources for these projects. results and discussion for the qualitative part of our research at bangladesh open university (bou), we conducted a thorough theme analysis of interviews with 30 important individuals involved in the study. the method was essential in revealing the intricate viewpoints and experiences related to technology transfer, automation, and entrepreneurship activities at the university. the initial phase entailed transcribing the recorded interviews word for word, followed by a careful procedure of coding. by utilizing nvivo, a specialist software for qualitative data analysis, we conducted systematic coding of the data, resulting in a significant improvement in both the efficiency and accuracy of the process. by systematically analyzing the coded data, we were able to identify reoccurring themes and patterns. the methodology outlined by braun and clarke (2006) in their research on thematic analysis enabled us to extract the fundamental aspects of the stakeholders’ perspectives and experiences. key findings and discussion the prevailing theme revolved around the varied attitudes of technology transfer and automation. while many stakeholders perceived these projects as crucial for bou’s expansion and significance, others raised apprehensions over their pragmatic execution and compatibility with the university’s fundamental educational objective. this discovery reflects the intricate nature of incorporating technology-centered initiatives in educational environments, emphasizing the importance of striking a harmonious equilibrium between cutting-edge methods and conventional educational principles. challenges in the entrepreneurship ecosystem stakeholders commonly identified obstacles in the entrepreneurship ecosystem, such as restricted availability of capital, mentorship, and a conducive culture for businesses. these obstacles highlight the necessity for a methodical and well-equipped approach to cultivate a strong entrepreneurial environment at bou. this emphasizes the significance of institutional assistance in fostering effective entrepreneurship ecosystems. the influence of automation on educational practices another notable aspect discussed was the effect of automation on educational practices. stakeholders recognized the advantages of automation in increasing the availability of education, but also highlighted the difficulties in guaranteeing high standards and active participation in digital learning settings. this highlights the need of bou prioritizing not just the use of technical tools, but also improving digital pedagogical practices. this is because the efficient utilization of technology in education goes beyond simply having access to content. interdisciplinary collaboration the respondents emphasized the significance of interdisciplinary collaboration in facilitating successful technology transfer and entrepreneurship. nevertheless, stakeholders highlighted the current obstacles to these interactions at bou. promoting multidisciplinary approaches has the potential to greatly improve the range and effectiveness of bou’s activities, indicating a possible area for strategic growth within the university. the interviews were subjected to theme analysis, which yielded profound insights into the viewpoints of bou’s stakeholders regarding technology transfer, automation, and entrepreneurship. the findings emphasize both the accomplishments and the obstacles encountered by the university in these areas. this comprehensive qualitative study enhances our comprehension of the existing situation at bou and provides essential guidance for future strategic orientations to optimize these projects. the focus of our research in this context, we analyze these discoveries in connection with the current corpus of studies and their wider ramifications. the effectiveness of bou’s technology transfer programs has been relatively successful. although there have been significant advancements in patenting and licensing, the process of transforming research into commercially viable goods has been constrained. the aforementioned difficulties highlighted by siegel et al. (2004) in their publication “commercial knowledge transfers from universities to firms” are echoed, namely in the task of harmonizing academic research with market demands. the limited success might be ascribed to constraints in infrastructure and the necessity for more robust industrial partnerships. this indicates that bou has made considerable progress, but there are still places where its technology transfer methods can be enhanced. the influence of automation on educational delivery automation has had a significant and far-reaching effect on the way education is provided at bou. according to bates (2015) in “teaching in a digital age,” students experienced improved availability of educational resources and increased adaptability in their learning. nevertheless, concerns regarding insufficient proficiency in digital skills and limitations in available resources were also emphasized. the results emphasize the significance of maintaining a balance between technical progress and the availability of training and resources. ensuring equal access to digital resources is essential for fully harnessing the advantages of automation in the field of education. the entrepreneurship ecosystem at bou has experienced substantial expansion, characterized by a rising participation of both students and professors in entrepreneurial endeavors. this is consistent with the findings of fayolle and gailly (2015) showing the beneficial effects of entrepreneurial education. the expansion of this ecosystem demonstrates the efficacy of bou’s initiatives in promoting entrepreneurship. nevertheless, it was recognized that there is a requirement pa ge 64 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 52-69, 2024 for more specific assistance and resources for startups, indicating the potential for improvement. two main challenges in the integration of technology transfer and entrepreneurship are the integration of technology transfer with entrepreneurship education poses obstacles, such as a lack of alignment between academic research and entrepreneurial goals. this aligns with the findings of thursby et al. (2009) in their publication titled “beyond the ivory tower: business perspectives on universityindustry relationships”. the results indicate a requirement for a more cohesive strategy, in which methods for transferring technology are tightly coordinated with training and chances for entrepreneurs. perceptions and attitudes toward automation and entrepreneurship the students and professors had varying opinions and attitudes towards automation and entrepreneurship. although a majority of people were hopeful, a few individuals voiced apprehensions regarding job stability and the feasibility of pursuing entrepreneurship as a profession. this phenomenon exemplifies a wider cultural inclination towards ambiguity regarding technological progress and the pursuit of entrepreneurial endeavors, as elucidated by nabi et al. (2017). fostering a culture that actively welcomes and promotes change and innovation is of utmost importance for bou. success and limitations of technology transfer our investigation showed that bou has achieved notable progress in technology transfer, namely in the areas of patenting and academic cooperation. however, there remain constraints in efficiently converting research outputs into commercial ventures. this supports our hypothesis (h1) that there is a positive correlation between increased collaboration among academia, industry, and government (triple helix model) and successful technology transfer. the impact of automation on education the implementation of automation projects, such as the integration of learning management systems and e-learning tools, has greatly improved the accessibility and flexibility of education at bou. nevertheless, significant obstacles such as limited digital skills and resource limitations were observed. this discovery aligns with our hypothesis (h3) that the adoption of automation technologies is positively linked to how easy and beneficial they are considered to be. discovery of entrepreneurial ecosystem growth the entrepreneurial ecosystem at bou has experienced expansion, characterized by a rise in entrepreneurial courses, student-initiated firms, and faculty engagement in entrepreneurial endeavors. this aligns with our research objective to investigate the influence of technology transfer and automation on entrepreneurship and startups at bou. challenges in integrating technology and entrepreneurship identifying: one significant obstacle that was recognized is the need to synchronize technology transfer initiatives with entrepreneurial objectives. the absence of a unified plan has led to the failure to take advantage of academic research in entrepreneurial endeavors. varied perspectives on technology and entrepreneurship students and instructors had varying opinions on automation and entrepreneurship. although numerous students displayed eagerness for entrepreneurial education, certain faculty members voiced apprehensions over the pragmatic difficulties of managing academic and entrepreneurial responsibilities simultaneously. the success of technology transfer and entrepreneurship greatly depends on the role of institutional support, which encompasses the provision of resources, implementation of legislation, and cultivation of a conducive culture. this discovery aligns with our hypothesis (h2) that institutional support is a substantial indicator of entrepreneurial engagement and achievement. the study emphasized the necessity of implementing comprehensive and integrated policies at bou in order to fully use the potential of technology transfer and automation in promoting entrepreneurship.these major findings offer a comprehensive understanding of the dynamics at bou regarding technological transfer, automation, and entrepreneurship. these projects in a university setting demonstrate the intricacies and diverse aspects involved in their implementation and integration. the study makes a substantial contribution to the comprehension of these domains, providing valuable perspectives for bou and similar organizations seeking to improve their technical and entrepreneurial environment. analysis comparing the findings with existing literature at bangladesh open university (bou), we did a comparative analysis to place our findings within the wider framework of current academic research, using existing literature as a reference. this comparison facilitated an examination of how the dynamics of technology transfer, automation, and entrepreneurship at bou correspond to or deviate from trends and findings in other educational contexts and institutions. technology transfer and university-industry collaboration the results of our research on the achievements and difficulties of technology transfer at bou are consistent with the patterns identified in the wider body of literature. siegel et al. (2003) found that numerous institutions, including bou, encounter difficulties in synchronizing pa ge 65 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 52-69, 2024 academic research with industry demands, as stated in their study on “commercial knowledge transfers from universities to firms”. however, when compared to esteemed schools such as mit, as examined by roberts and eesley (2011) in their study “entrepreneurial impact: the role of mit”, bou’s efforts in transferring technology are still in an early stage, emphasizing the necessity for stronger connections with the industry and more effective strategies for commercialization. the influence of automation on educational processes at bou reflects the worldwide patterns observed in higher education. in his book “teaching in a digital age”, bates (2015) explores the advantages and difficulties associated with digital learning, a topic that aligns with our results at bou. however, bou, unlike institutions in more advanced areas, encounters distinct issues associated with disparities in digital access, a concern also addressed by selwyn (2017) in the book “education and technology: key issues and debates”. the entrepreneurship ecosystem in universities the expansion of the business environment at bou aligns with worldwide patterns, as institutions are progressively promoting entrepreneurship education. according to fayolle and gailly (2015) in their article “the impact of entrepreneurship education on entrepreneurial attitudes and intention”, entrepreneurship education plays a vital role in cultivating entrepreneurial attitudes. nevertheless, as compared to universities like stanford university, which have already established robust entrepreneurial ecosystems, as examined by miller and côté (2019) in their work “growing the next silicon valley,” the entrepreneurial ecosystem at bou is considerably less developed, especially in terms of mentorship and funding opportunities. interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation the difficulties in promoting interdisciplinary collaboration for innovation at bou align with a recurring topic in scholarly literature. according to jacobs and frickel (2009) in their work “interdisciplinarity: a critical assessment”, interdisciplinary collaboration is essential for fostering innovation. however, we have noticed a recurring obstacle to such collaboration at bou, which is the presence of institutional impediments. our analysis of existing literature shows that bou is in line with global trends in higher education when it comes to technology transfer, automation, and entrepreneurship. however, there are specific areas where bou’s practices and challenges are unique, mainly because of its geographical and economic context. this analysis highlights the significance of placing institutional strategies in the larger academic and socio-economic context. discussion on how findings align or contrast with existing theories at bangladesh open university (bou), we conducted a thorough analysis of how our research findings correspond or diverge from established theoretical frameworks in the fields of technology transfer, automation in education, and entrepreneurship. this analysis is crucial for placing our empirical observations within the wider range of academic study and theory. the transfer of technology and the application of the triple helix model the results of our research on technology transfer at bou align with the triple helix model proposed by etzkowitz and leydesdorff (2000). this model emphasizes the importance of collaboration between universities, industry, and government in promoting innovation. the actions undertaken by bou in collaborating with industries exemplify the core principles of this paradigm. nevertheless, there is a clear disparity in the level and efficacy of these interactions when compared to the model’s optimal situation. this discrepancy not only emphasizes the accomplishments at bou but also reveals areas where the model’s implementation should be improved, particularly in bolstering collaborations with industry and governmental entities. automation in education at bou is in line with the technology acceptance model (tam) proposed by davis (1989). this model highlights the importance of perceived simplicity of use and utility in determining the acceptance of technology. the stakeholders at bou recognized the advantages and ease of use of automated systems, confirming the suitability of tam. nevertheless, our research also uncovers differences, particularly in tackling obstacles such as disparities in digital literacy and constraints in resources factors that the technology acceptance model (tam) does not explicitly address. this implies that although tam is a reliable framework for comprehending technology adoption, its variables may need to be broadened in order to adequately incorporate the distinct difficulties encountered in situations such as bou. the concept of entrepreneurship ecosystem and the theory of academic entrepreneurship the growing business ecosystem at bou exemplifies the ideas of academic business theory (shane, 2004), which investigates the shift from academic research to entrepreneurial endeavors. the practicality of this notion is well demonstrated by bou’s increasing emphasis on entrepreneurship education and assistance for businesses. nevertheless, our work has also brought attention to the difficulties of integrating academic research with actual entrepreneurial endeavors. this reveals a subtle discrepancy where the application of theory in real-world situations at bou is still developing and encountering obstacles. the theory of interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation systems the results of our research on interdisciplinary collaboration for innovation at bou are consistent with innovation systems theory, which emphasizes the role of collaborative networks in driving innovation. the efforts pa ge 66 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 52-69, 2024 of bou in fostering cross-disciplinary projects align with the theory’s focus on collaborative innovation. however, obstacles to successful multidisciplinary collaboration indicate a discrepancy between the theoretical concept and its actual implementation, highlighting a need for strategic enhancement. our study’s comparative analysis demonstrates that bou’s methods in technology transfer, automation, and entrepreneurship partially conform to recognized ideas, although there are noticeable differences in certain areas. these disparities are not only theoretical differences, but rather they provide tangible difficulties and prospects for bou. they provide valuable insights that can be used to shape future plans, showing how theoretical models can be modified or expanded to better fit the specific circumstances of bou and comparable organizations. insights into the dynamics of technology transfer and automation in the context of bangladesh open university one significant finding from our study was the manner in which bou incorporates technology transfer within its open university framework. bou’s emphasis on distant learning, in contrast to conventional colleges, brings up both prospects and difficulties for technology transfer. the institution has demonstrated promise in utilizing its distant learning platforms to distribute inventions, but it encounters obstacles in reconciling its open-access purpose with the commercial side of technology transfer. the importance of automation in expanding access to education is significant at bou, as it has greatly improved the reach and efficiency of its educational programs. the utilization of digital platforms and e-learning technologies has greatly enhanced accessibility, which is particularly crucial in a nation like bangladesh, where geographical and socio-economic obstacles frequently hinder educational opportunities. nevertheless, this growth also presents difficulties with upholding the standard of education and guaranteeing fair and equal access, considering the disparity in digital resources across the nation. the university-industry interactions at bou are undergoing changes in their dynamics. the report emphasized the endeavors of bou to forge closer connections with industry partners, which are crucial for the successful transfer of knowledge. nevertheless, these partnerships necessitate a greater emphasis on strategic concentration in order to fully capitalize on their potential, namely in terms of synchronizing university research with industry demands and market patterns. entrepreneurship education at bou is becoming a crucial catalyst for promoting a culture of innovation and the creation of new businesses among students and teachers. while the curriculum and support systems for entrepreneurship are growing, there is a requirement for more effective ways to convert educational endeavors into prosperous business operations. bou successfully navigates the delicate balance between preserving its fundamental teaching principles and embracing technological progress. although automation and technology transfer are crucial for the university’s expansion and significance, it is important to consistently harmonize them with the educational goals and openaccess mindset that characterize bou. tackling limitations in resources and promoting digital literacy in addition, our study emphasized the significant challenges posed by limited resources and differing levels of digital competence among both students and instructors. these factors are crucial in influencing the success of technology transfer and automation projects, indicating that bou should allocate resources to digital infrastructure and literacy programs in order to fully benefit from these activities.the findings from our study provide a comprehensive understanding of the complex interactions involved in the transfer of technology and automation at bou. the potential, constraints, and strategic needs in an open university setting like bou highlight the significance of using technology and innovation in a thoughtful and detailed way. implications practical implications for university administrators and policymakers emphasizing strategic focus on business collaborations it is important for university administrators to give priority to the establishment and enhancement of relationships with business partners. this entails developing wellorganized systems for cooperation that are advantageous to both the institution and industry, enabling the translation of research into tangible applications. policymakers can facilitate this by formulating policies that promote collaborations between universities and industries, which may include offering incentives to both entities. investment in digital infrastructure in order to effectively exploit the advantages of automation in education, substantial investment in digital infrastructure is required. this encompasses not just the physical components and programs, but also the presence of dependable internet access. policymakers should prioritize the allocation of resources to promote these advancements, especially in areas with restricted availability. improving digital literacy programs focused on enhancing digital literacy for both students and educators are crucial. administrators should establish and organize training workshops and courses that enable users to proficiently employ digital tools. policy initiatives could also prioritize the integration of digital literacy into the wider educational curriculum. promoting an entrepreneurial culture establishing a conducive environment for entrepreneurship inside the institution necessitates pa ge 67 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 52-69, 2024 more than simply including it into the curriculum. administrators should contemplate the implementation of incubators, mentorship programs, and funding options specifically tailored for student and faculty businesses. policymakers can facilitate this process by establishing favorable legal and economic conditions for companies that are established in universities. university administrators must guarantee that the incorporation of technology and entrepreneurship activities is in line with the educational objectives and principles of the school. this requires a careful equilibrium between embracing cutting-edge methods and preserving the authenticity of educational programs. efficient allocation of resources is crucial for the successful implementation of technology and entrepreneurship programs, as it ensures optimal accessibility. administrators must ensure a fair allocation of resources to prevent worsening existing inequalities. policy interventions may be necessary to ensure equitable distribution of resources among various departments and student groups. ongoing evaluation and adjustment regular evaluation of technology and entrepreneurship efforts is essential for their success. administrators should conduct periodic evaluations to assess efficacy, collect input, and implement required adjustments. policymakers can promote this by implementing structures that enable systematic assessment of educational programs at universities. university administrators and politicians can improve the effectiveness of technology transfer, automation, and entrepreneurship efforts at bou and comparable institutions by taking into account these practical aspects. these activities will guarantee that such initiatives not only enhance the university’s talents and services but also have a positive impact on the wider educational and economic environments. implications for the academic community and future research our study aims to improve the academic understanding of technology in education, specifically in open university settings. we contribute to the ongoing academic discussion on the integration of technology in education. for scholars, it offers a detailed examination of how technology might be efficiently employed to improve educational accessibility and excellence, encouraging additional investigation into inventive approaches to teaching and learning in comparable institutions. enhancing the scope of research on collaborations between universities and industries: the difficulties and achievements in university-industry collaborations at bou highlight the necessity for further investigation in this domain, especially in the context of developing nations. subsequent studies could investigate efficient collaboration models that mutually benefit academic research and corporate requirements, potentially introducing novel frameworks or modifications to current methods. our research examines the effects of automation on educational equity. our findings emphasize the possible dangers of a digital gap resulting from the growing use of automation in education. this topic offers a promising prospect for future study to explore how colleges might use automation while guaranteeing fair access to resources and learning opportunities for all students. the study’s findings on the expansion and difficulties of bou’s entrepreneurial ecosystem have implications for research on entrepreneurship education and the development of supportive environments for entrepreneurs. subsequent research endeavors could investigate the optimal methods for incorporating entrepreneurship into educational programs and how universities can cultivate conducive atmospheres for aspiring entrepreneurs. exploring the significance of multidisciplinary collaboration for innovation: the observation of the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration for innovation in bou highlights a promising field for academic research. subsequent investigations may concentrate on strategies for universities to dismantle disciplinary barriers in order to promote innovation and the transfer of technology. our study analyzes the practical implementation of theoretical models at bou, which serves as a foundation for future research to investigate the disparity between theory and practice. this may entail examining the variables that facilitate or impede the effective adoption of frameworks such as the triple helix or technology acceptance model in various academic settings. conducting longitudinal research on technology and entrepreneurship programs would provide useful insights into the long-term development and effects of technology transfer and entrepreneurship activities. this research has the potential to offer more profound understanding regarding the durability and long-term impacts of these activities in university environments. to summarize, the academic community can explore numerous opportunities for future research due to the wide-ranging consequences. these areas not only enhance academic comprehension but also offer valuable practical knowledge that may be utilized by educators, administrators, and policymakers in the higher education industry. the study conducted at bou acts as a catalyst for further investigation and advancement in the areas of educational technology, entrepreneurship, and collaboration between universities and industries. strategies for enhancing entrepreneurship and startups in universities the study undertaken at bangladesh open academic (bou) explores different tactics that can effectively promote entrepreneurship and foster a startup culture in academic settings. executing these initiatives necessitates a comprehensive approach that encompasses the pa ge 68 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 52-69, 2024 development of curriculum, allocation of resources, and interaction with the community. an essential approach involves the incorporation of entrepreneurship education into several academic fields. this entails the integration of entrepreneurial courses into business curricula as well as the inclusion of innovation and creative problem-solving components in several other disciplines. this strategy requires working together with industry experts to build the curriculum, guaranteeing that the courses provide practical value and hands-on learning experiences through the use of case studies, workshops, and interactive sessions. moreover, it is essential to develop incubators and accelerators on campus. these organizations should offer aspiring entrepreneurs with crucial tools, like guidance from experienced mentors, access to office facilities, legal counsel, and networking events, in addition to possible first funding. obtaining money for these efforts can be achieved through university budgets, grants, or industrial partnerships, highlighting the significance of external relationships. networking is crucial in the entrepreneurial path. universities should utilize alumni and industry networks to establish opportunities for mentorship, internships, and funding. hosting networking events and including alumni in mentorship programs can offer students crucial knowledge and connections. promoting innovation is greatly facilitated by interdisciplinary teamwork. universities may foster a more dynamic and inventive entrepreneurial ecosystem by promoting projects that integrate a range of talents and viewpoints. possible initiatives could involve the implementation of collaborative courses or interdisciplinary projects that necessitate the cooperation of students and faculty members from many departments. this would effectively cultivate a culture of collaborative invention. having access to research and development facilities is another crucial element. granting student and faculty entrepreneurs access to university laboratories and equipment can greatly enhance their capacity to conceive and experiment with novel concepts, particularly in technology-oriented firms. enabling easy access to capital is crucial for fostering the growth of early-stage enterprises. universities can have a substantial impact by organizing pitch competitions, providing assistance with grant writing, and facilitating connections between entrepreneurs and possible investors and funding organizations. administrative support holds comparable significance. universities must to establish explicit guidelines that promote entrepreneurial endeavors, specifically addressing matters pertaining to intellectual property rights, ownership of startups, and potential conflicts of interest. this also includes offering administrative support for startup-related initiatives, optimizing procedures to facilitate the entrepreneurial experience. finally, it is of utmost importance to foster an entrepreneurial culture within the university. this entails commemorating ingenuity, embracing the possibility of setbacks, and acknowledging entrepreneurial accomplishments. universities can foster an entrepreneurial culture by showcasing successful entrepreneurial tales and hosting specialized events and contests, thereby promoting and appreciating entrepreneurial endeavors. to summarize, the process of promoting entrepreneurship and startups in institutions such as bou requires a comprehensive approach that encompasses various dimensions, including education, administration, and community involvement. this method not only immediately helps the students and staff engaging in entrepreneurial projects, but also enhances the institution’s larger economic and innovative potential, as well as that of the surrounding community. conclusion our study at bangladesh open university (bou) provides valuable insights into the dynamics of technology transfer, automation, and entrepreneurship in the context of an open university in a developing nation. the study’s key findings emphasize the moderate level of success achieved by technology transfer programs at bou. these findings also highlight the difficulties encountered in commercializing research and the importance of establishing deeper connections with industry. the implementation of automation in educational delivery has had a favorable influence by improving accessibility and flexibility. however, difficulties such as digital literacy and resource allocation still remain. the entrepreneurship ecosystem, although expanding, necessitates additional cultivation through improved support infrastructure. based on this research, we may infer that although bou has achieved admirable progress in integrating technology and promoting entrepreneurship, there are still significant areas that need to be enhanced. the findings suggest that there is a need for a detailed understanding of the challenges involved in incorporating these contemporary efforts within the university’s structure. it is clear that achieving the maximum benefits of these projects necessitates a well-rounded approach that takes into account both technical progress and the fundamental educational purpose of the university. in the future, it is important for research to focus on conducting longitudinal studies in order to assess the longterm effects of these activities. conducting comparative analysis with other open institutions worldwide could provide further insights. additionally, investigating the influence of policy and governance in supporting these projects would be extremely advantageous. investigating the digital divide and improving digital literacy are still important issues to focus on. this study has a wider influence that goes beyond bou. it contributes to the scholarly discussion on technology in higher education, particularly in the context of underdeveloped nations. the acquired insights can pa ge 69 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 52-69, 2024 provide guidance to legislators, university administrators, and educators in efficiently devising and executing technology transfer, automation, and entrepreneurship projects. furthermore, the study highlights the crucial importance of universities in promoting societal and economic progress by fostering innovation and entrepreneurship in the digital age. the study’s results and suggestions provide a foundation for additional investigation and advancement in these important areas, highlighting the significant impact that universities may have on molding the future. references audretsch, d. b., keilbach, m., & lehmann, e. e. 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(2018). case study research and applications: design and methods. sage publications. pa ge 1 pa ge 32 american journal of education and technology (ajet) innovations in shredder: a multi-cutting machine jimcel p. pecaso1* volume 4 issue 1, year 2025 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v4i1.3970 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: october 27, 2024 accepted: november 29, 2024 published: january 28, 2025 this study focused on the design, fabrication, and performance evaluation of a shredding machine specifically developed for processing agricultural waste, including corn stalks and coconut covers. powered by a 1440 rpm ac motor and utilizing a single-belt drive system, the machine was tested to measure its shredding efficiency and recovery rate under various material conditions. shredding efficiency was defined as the percentage of material effectively shredded, while the recovery rate represented the proportion of useful shredded material collected. trials conducted with corn stalks at 30% moisture content demonstrated an average shredding efficiency of 85.33% and a recovery rate of 70.33%, showcasing the machine’s consistency and reliability. for coconut covers, the shredding efficiency varied based on maturity and moisture content, highlighting the machine’s adaptability to different agricultural materials. the findings validate the shredding machine’s potential as an efficient tool for managing agricultural waste. by enabling the conversion of residues into valuable materials for composting and other applications, the machine supports sustainable practices and reduces environmental impact, offering a practical and eco-friendly solution for waste processing. keywords efficiency, moisture content, performance, pulley, shredding machine 1 partido state university, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: jimcel_psu@yahoo.com introduction advancements in technology have revolutionized various industries, and the shredding industry is no exception. the traditional manual-operated shredder machines have been plagued by issues such as time-consuming operations, excessive noise, and vibrations. researchers have been exploring innovative solutions to address these challenges to create more efficient and user-friendly shredder machines (r et al., 2023; katiyar et al., 2019). technology has become an essential part of everyday life, reshaping how we live and leaving a profound impact that integrates seamlessly into various aspects of society. beyond providing access to knowledge, it fosters critical skills, equipping individuals to thrive in an ever-evolving world. this integration not only enhances learning but also opens new doors of opportunity, paving the way for a more connected and innovative future. (quintos, 2024) in today’s environmentally conscious world, effective waste management is essential to sustainable agricultural development. shredding machines are indispensable in this field through recycling, removing waste, or reusing materials easier. still, current shredding technologies frequently fall short in terms of materials, efficiency and versatility. the fabrication of a multi-cutting shredding machine will assist in filling the current technological gaps in waste management and satisfy the changing demands of present-day society. nowadays existing shredding technologies exhibit significant limitations in terms of versatility, efficiency, and adaptability to a wide variety of materials. modern waste management practices require the efficient processing of diverse materials, including plant stalks, grass, and coco coir. traditional shredders often use a single cutting mechanism, which is not optimal for handling mixedmaterial waste streams. by integrating multiple cutting mechanisms utilizing leaf springs and cylindrical shredder into one unit, the multi-cutting shredding machine will address common technological gaps. this innovation allows for the shredding of a wider variety of materials without compromising efficiency or speed. the machine will effectively handle mixed-material waste streams by incorporating adjustable cutting techniques literature review in the modern world, agricultural crops are vital to human sustenance as they provide essential nutrition. accordingly, the fabrication of applicable machinery will be crucial to raising productivity and efficiency in the agricultural industry. it’s vital to consider and prioritize shredding processes for certain plant stalks to achieve optimal yields while minimizing post-harvest losses. historically, shredding hasn’t established the attention it deserves, often requiring different machines for various tasks in the field. however, innovative machine can be used. these days, recycling involves more than just shredding; it also involves expediting the process, cutting expenses, and advancing agriculture’s overall sustainability. shirbhate et al. (2018) highlighted how human ingenuity has driven innovation in all aspects of production and safety within modern industrial settings. they emphasized that some existing tools are the result of thorough research and dedication, while others stand out for their exceptional performance. with this perspective in mind, the study introduced a new device and assessed its suitability, ease of use, operational efficiency, and how pa ge 33 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 32-40, 2025 effectively it functions for agricultural purposes. patil et al. (2016) observed that in india, certain crops play a vital role not only as human food and animal feed but also as sources of many industrial products. traditionally, the process of dehusking these crops involved manual labor, using sticks, fingers, or sickles. recognizing the challenges posed by this traditional method, the study introduced a sheller to address the issue of removing the outer sheath and dehusking the cobs more efficiently and found functional. according to sale’s (2023) research, nigeria is home to the largest livestock population in sub-saharan africa. however, numerous challenges hinder the growth of agricultural industries across the continent, particularly in the animal agriculture sector because of accessibility, affordability, and quantity issues. inefficient supply handling contributes to this challenge, especially when compared with more manageable crop residue. inefficiency results in a labor-intensive, time-consuming, and costly process. in response to this pressing issue, a maize stalk shredder was developed with the aim of mitigating these challenges and providing a solution to the problem at hand. kedar et al. (2016) revealed in their study that corn, traditionally harvested with a sickle, requires manual plucking and dehusking by hand to remove its outer sheath. in the end, stalks are left unattended that can be recycled into pieces for other agricultural applications. furthermore, azadbakht et al. (2019) asserted that machines stand out as the most effective option due to ease of construction, cost-effectiveness in repairs and maintenance, and capability to handle stalks of varying diameters. consequently, developing a machine resistant to crop cutting during harvesting was deemed crucial, considering its significant impact on agricultural operations. in the realm of agricultural innovation, the quest for efficient and labor-saving solutions is a continuous endeavor. manual cutting of stalks, often done by hand, tends to add and incur high labor costs. hence, the development of cutting-edge machinery becomes imperative to alleviate this burden. in the local setting of partido-camarines sur, the need and use of shredder machine is now considered eminent due to the vast agricultural lands where stalks and plant by-products required to be shred for animal use and organic fertilizer as way of recycling. in an informal visit to farmers-friends in the localities of goa, and lagonoy, camarines sur, where agricultural products are prevalent, discussions arose about how plant stalks are cut into pieces for use as animal feed and fertilizer. it became apparent that traditionally, these stalks are typically cut into pieces using blades or sharp tools commonly employed for various agricultural tasks such as harvesting crops, clearing vegetation, or general fieldwork. by considering technical creativity with a deep understanding of agricultural needs, this project proposes to create a stalk and grass-shredding machine that can meet different farmer needs at different operational scales like crop residue, vegetable and fruit waste and green waste. in agricultural activities, the need to effectively dispose of plant residues such as stalks and plants or grass after harvesting is essential. these residues can be timeconsuming and labor-intensive to remove manually, and improper disposal can lead to environmental pollution (lei & chen, 2020). therefore, a plant and stalk shredding machine can be designed and fabricated to address this issue. this machine can efficiently cut and shred plant residues into smaller pieces, making it easier for disposal or further processing. the design of the plant and stalk shredding machine would incorporate blades or cutters to effectively break down the plant materials. additionally, the machine would be equipped with a transmission element, such as spur gears, to provide the necessary power for shredding. the machine would also be powered by an electric motor and have a robust body to withstand the forces involved in shredding. by utilizing the principles and components used in plastic shredder machines and other existing shredders, an efficient and portable design can be developed for the plant and stalk shredding machine. materials such as aluminum can be chosen for the machine’s case, as it is lightweight and durable. the blades of the shredding machine can be made of stainless steel to maintain durability and effective cutting. furthermore, safety features such as emergency stop buttons and protective covers would be incorporated into the design to ensure the operator’s safety while using the machine. the design and fabrication of the plant and stalk shredding machine would follow a systematic approach, starting with the design process. the design process would involve defining the job and product concept, followed by embodiment design and detailed design. the optimization of the shredder blade in this design would result in better grinding of the plant waste into fine particles, reducing the need for manual labor and skilled workers in the industry. besides, this project study focuses on innovations in shredding machinery, featuring a multi-purpose device that cuts plant stalks, giving farmers a versatile tool that expedites shredding and minimizes environmental waste. the introduction of the plant and stalk shredding machine would greatly improve the efficiency of plant residue disposal in agricultural activities, reducing labor and promoting environmental sustainability. for the mechanical assembly of the plant and stalk shredding machine, materials such as aluminum and stainless steel will be chosen (olukunle, 2016). through interdisciplinary research and innovative application, the study will not just be fabricated as a machine but a resource to be valued and worth striving for. with these key aspects in mind, this research proposal aimed to enhance innovation and sustainable farming pa ge 34 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 32-40, 2025 practices within the agricultural sector by exploring the potentials of the shredding machine. the results of this study will benefit broader agricultural communities, which is why this study was conceptualized. materials and methods the study utilizes the experimental and descriptive evaluative research design that ensures systematic approach to the development and evaluation of the multi-cutting shredding machine. research and adoption form part of the undertaking since project were based on already existing machine with a little dash of innovation by the proponent. this shredding machine required a multidisciplinary approach that combines engineering principles, agricultural expertise, and technology integration. manipulative intervention in the conceptual designs of the machine was based on the identified needs and feedback on factors such as the shredding mechanism, power source, and material selection. results and discussion the machine to operate consist the following parts: base frame sturdy rectangular base frame to support all components. ac motor at one end of the frame is the mounting and a compact ac motor. the ac motor is the power source for the entire machine. power transmission the ac motor is connected to a belt system. the belt is secured to pulleys on both the motor and the main shaft that drives the shredder and cutter components. shredder chamber next to the motor, illustrate a vertical shredder chamber designed for plant stalks. this chamber is equipped with sharp cross blades arranged for effective shredding. an opening at the top for feeding stalks in and a discharge outlet at the bottom for shredded material. coco coir decorticator on the opposite side of the shredder, depict a separate cutter assembly designed specifically for coco coir extraction. this assembly include a cylindrical cutter with 16 toothed sharp edges for stripping the coir from the husk. a collection chute underneath is provided to gather the processed fiber/coir. main shaft a single horizontal 2.54centimeter shaft that connects both the shredder and the cutter. this shaft is driven by the belt from the ac motor, allowing both components to operate simultaneously. safety guards this include safety guards around the blades and openings for user protection. control panel mounted on the frame, equipped with an on/off switch and belt tension adjustment. technical description of the device the fabrication of the prototype shredding machine was based on the finalized conceptual design. this involved engineering the mechanical components to suit the needs of the local farmers. below is the actual shredding machine for agricultural use. shown in figure 1 is the innovative shredding machine anticipated to boost processing of grass, plant stalks and coco coir. the machine was operated efficiently by electrical-powered ac motor with option mounting for gas-fed engines to optimize energy efficiency. figure 1: the multi cutting-shredding machine pa ge 35 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 32-40, 2025 the table provides a detailed breakdown of the costs associated with fabricating the shredding machine. it lists the quantity, unit, description, and price of each item, including materials such as angle bars, gi sheets, an induction motor, welding rods, bearings, pulleys, and other essential components. labor costs are not included, as the proponent personally fabricated the machine. the total cost of building the machine amounts to ₱9,507.00, offering a clear estimate for budgeting and resource planning. table 1: description of machine parts parts number description 1 stalk shredder chamber 2 coco fiber shredder 3 drive motor 4 np bearing 5 drive pulley 6 driven pulley 7 drive belt 8 base frame 9 main shaft 10 wheel 11 cross blades 12 coco shell holder table 2: supplies and materials qty unit name & description unit cost total cost 2 pcs angle bar, 1x1x1/4 350.00 700.00 1/2 sheet g.i. sheet # 18 1,525.00 1,2500.00 2 ft axle shaft, 1”, threaded end ¾”dia 135.00 337.50 2 pcs np bearing, 1”dia 225.00 450.00 1 unit 1.75hp induction motor, single phase, 220v with 3.5cm twin rail 4,600.00 4,600.00 3 kilos welding rod, e-6013 150.00 450.00 8 pcs bolts, nuts, washer 3/8” x1” 20.00 160.00 2 pcs pulley, 9cm dia, single rail 560.00 560.00 1 pc square bar, 12mm 250.00 250.00 2 pcs b-47 drive belt 250.00 500.00 1 pc on-off ac switch, heavy duty 250.00 250.00 2 pair cartwheels, 4-inch diameter 250.00 500.00 1 pair cutter/shredder blade 14” 500.00 500.00 total 9,507.00 table 3: technical specification of the prototype multi-cutting machine specification details motor type ac motor motor power 1.5 hp voltage 220v speed 1440 rpm weight 10.5 kg drive system single belt drive with 3-inch diameter pulley, b-48 main shaft 24-inch length, 2-inch thickness, steel shredder blade 14-inch length, 1/4-inch thickness, 2-inch width, steel cutter drum 8-inch diameter cylindrical cutter, 20cm dia, 16 shredding teeth pa ge 36 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 32-40, 2025 table 3 provides an overview of the shredding machine’s technical specifications, detailing its key components and operational parameters. it includes information on the motor type and power, drive system, blade dimensions, cutter drum size, and base frame material. additionally, the table highlights the machine’s capacity, safety features, and recommended moisture content range, ensuring its efficiency in shredding materials like coconut husks, plant stalks, and corn stalks. this summary underscores the machine’s robust design and reliable performance. the determination of moisture content on materials selection, the proponent randomly selected samples from the following material type: 70% plant (corn) stalks, and 30% outer husk of a matured (brown) coconut that is firmer and can be shredded. according to the american society of agricultural and biological engineers (asae) standards, the moisture content of agricultural products like corn stalks is generally measured and reported on a wet basis (wb). the moisture content on a wet basis (mcwb) is the percentage of the mass of water relative to the total mass of the sample. the formula to be followed is: mcwb = (mass of water/ total mass of the sample) x 100 where: mass of water the difference between the wet mass (initial mass) and the dry mass (mass after drying). total mass the initial mass of the sample before drying. the formula is: mcwb = (wet mass−dry mass/ wet mass) x 100 the corn stalks moisture content depends on harvest conditions, drying practices, and storage. the moisture content for corn stalks was determined to be 15-70% based on drying and storage conditions. wet mass (initial mass) of corn stalks 50 kg test sample dry mass (mass after drying) the dry mass after drying is 35 kg. mass of water = wet mass dry mass 50 kg−35 kg =15 kg mcwb = (15 kg/ 50 kg) x100 mcwb = 0.3×100 = 30% the conduct of shredding tests for each identified sample followed the parameters to be measured: shred size, consistency, efficiency, speed, energy consumption, and noise level. the technical efficiency of the shredding machine identified physical parameters delimited to the following: design of pulley the selection of the drive is dependent on the metrics such as power rating, belt utilized and size of the pulley. this was guided by given data and equation below: given: n2 is the speed of the shredding blade n1 is the speed of driving motor =1440rpm d1 is the diameter of the driving motor pulley =80mm d2 is the diameter of the shredder pulley =80mm speed of the shredder blade n1/n2 = d2/d1 n2 = (n1 d1)/ d2 = 1440 x 80/ 80 = 1440rpm belt design belt length was calculated by considering the distance from driving pulley center to driven pulley center. the v-belt standard size b48 with 7mm belt thickness was utilized. base frame rectangular steel frame for stability, w-37cm x l-52cm x h-68cm safety features blade guards, control panel with on/off switch processing capacity approx. 200–300 kg/hr (depending on material type) material processed coconut husks, plant stalks, corn stalks moisture content range operates efficiently between 10% and 50% moisture content figure 2: driving motor pulley figure 2. the mechanical drawing of the pulley system showing the driving motor pulley (with speed n1 and diameter d1) connected to the shredder pulley (with speed n2 and diameter d2). the belts and rotational directions are also indicated. power transmitted by the belt the concept comes from classical mechanical engineering principles derived from newton’s laws of motion and energy transfer theories and according to euler-eytelwein and coulomb’s formula. the belt and power transmitted by the belt (n) is required. below is the equation that highlights the importance of maintaining a proper tension difference in the belt for efficient power transmission. given p: is the power transmitted by the belt (watts (w) or horsepower (hp). pa ge 37 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 32-40, 2025 t1: is the tension in the tight side of the belt =100n t2: is the tension in the slack side of the belt =200n v: is the velocity of the belt (in meters per second (m/s) =2.64m/s p=(t1-t2) v p=(1000 n−200 n)×2.64 m/s p=800 n×2.64 m/s p = 2112w the power transmitted by the belt is 2112 watts (w), or 2.112 kilowatts (kw). this is the power being transferred from the ac motor to the shredding mechanism via the twin belt. this power enables the shredding blades to efficiently cut the dried corn stalks with ease. evaluation of force the force required for a shredding machine depend on various factors such as the material being shredded, the design of the shredding blades, and the desired particle size. a simplified equation to estimate the force required for shredding can be derived from the basic principles of mechanics, specifically the force required to cut or tear the material. and, one commonly used equation to estimate cutting force is the specific energy consumption equation: f = 𝐸/ 𝑑 where: f is the force required for shredding (in newtons, n) 𝐸 is the specific energy consumption = 106j/m3 (applicable to plant stalks as the given sample). 𝑑 is the thickness of the material being shredded = 0.005m (5 mm). therefore: f = (106j/m3)/ 0.005m f= 200,000 n the computation estimates the force required for shredding using the specific energy consumption equation. with a specific energy consumption of 106 j/ m3 (value for plant stalks) and a material thickness of 0.005 m (5 mm). the result indicates that a force of 200,000 n is necessary to shred the material effectively, offering a clear understanding of the machine’s mechanical requirements. evaluation of power output to evaluate the efficiency of a shredding machine is to calculate the total power input, which is the electrical power consumed by the motor. this calculation will involve determining the electrical power provided to the motor and considering the motor’s electrical efficiency. below will be the applicable computation pinput = v × i × ηelectrical v is the voltage supplied to the motor = 220v 𝐼 is the current drawn by the motor = 10amp 𝜂 electrical efficiency of the motor = 0.85 or 85% pinput = 220 v×10 a×0.85 pinput = 1870w the electrical efficiency value of 0.85 (or 85%) used in is a typical motor efficiency used in the machine considering the type, design, and load of the motor under normal operating conditions. so, the input power to the motor is 1,870 watts (w) or 1.87 kilowatts (kw). the useful output can be determined basing on the work done in shredding of the stalks. the calculation of the useful power output was guided by the formula below: puseful = (f x v)/ ηmechanical where: f force required to shred the material = 400n v is the velocity of the shredding blades = 26.8m/s η the mechanical efficiency =0.85 (mechanical efficiency, or 85%) the machine motor in this study operates at 1440 rpm (rotations per minute), and the blades utilized are 14 inches long. the radius is half the length of the blades: radius=14/2=7 inches ≈0.1778 meters, so, the velocity was calculated: v = (2πr×rpm)/ 60 v =2 π×0.1778×1440/ 60 = 2π×0.1778×24 ≈ 26.8 m/s puseful = (f x v)/ ηmechanical puseful = (400 n×26.8 m/s)/0.85 puseful = 10,720 w/ 0.85 puseful = 12,612 w the useful power output of the machine when shredding dried corn stalks is approximately 12,612 watts (w) or 12.61 kilowatts (kw). this value represents the effective power being utilized for the shredding process, considering the force, velocity of the blades, and the mechanical efficiency of the system. evaluation of noise level in this stage, results of noise test were compared to the required noise levels of industry standards or regulatory limits for workplace noise exposure as mandated by the occupational safety and health administration (osha)that sets permissible exposure limits (pel) for noise a compact and handheld level meter was utilized by the proponent to provide db readings with a range from 40 to 130 db suitable for industrial noise assessments. as to the permissible exposure limit (pel)-90 decibels (db) over an 8-hour workday: osha’s general industry standard (29 cfr 1910.95) sets a pel of 90 db for an 8-hour time-weighted average (twa). this means that workers can be exposed to noise levels of up to 90 db over a typical 8-hour shift. figure 3: machine noise level vs osha pa ge 38 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 32-40, 2025 figure 3. result comparing the machine noise level at 65 db to the osha permissible exposure limit (pel) standard of 90 db. the graph visually highlights how the prototype machine’s noise level falls below osha’s maximum permissible exposure limit. the noise levels on user comfort and safety remained considered in the prototyping of the machine since lower noise levels minimize hearing damage and create a more comfortable working environment. on materials selection, the proponent randomly selected samples from the following material type: 70% plant stalks, and 30% outer husk of a matured (brown) coconut that is firmer and can be shredded. measurement of average plant stalks dimension the proponent randomly takes at least ten (10) pieces of samples from the representative samples of the material. for each sample, largest dimensions (e.g., diameter, length, width, thickness) was measured using a caliper. measurement was recorded to the nearest 0.01 mm. average dimension where: xj is the dimension (length, width, thickness, diameter) of individual, sample (mm) n is the total number of samples x ̅ is the average size or dimension (mm) the technical operability of the enhanced shredding device was the subject to in-depth testing using crop residue, coco coir, and plant stalksgreen waste. this real-world assessment was used to gauge the device’s performance under authentic conditions, ensuring its efficacy in practical applications. on shredding efficiency moisture content (%) for matured dry coconut cover: • dry basis (d.b.) ~ 15% 20% (much lower than a young cover) moisture content (%) for young coconut cover: • dry basis (d.b.) ~ 100% 200% (higher moisture content) table 4: shredding efficiency of the prototype (%) machine speed (rpm) moisture content (matured dry) shredding efficiency (matured dry) moisture content (young) shredding efficiency (young) 1440 15% 60% 100% 75% the table highlights how the shredding machine performs at a constant speed of 1440 rpm when processing matured dry and young coconut covers. for matured dry materials with a moisture content of 15%, the machine achieves a shredding efficiency of 60%. in contrast, young coconut covers with 100% moisture content have a higher shredding efficiency of 75%. this comparison shows that the machine is more effective at shredding young materials due to their higher moisture content, which makes them easier to process. shown is the shredding efficiency at 1440 rpm given speed at 30 min continues machine work, the following were considered: 1. mass of material before shredding (initial mass): minitial 2. mass of material after shredding (final mass): mfinal 3. time taken for the shredding process the formula for shredding efficiency is typically: ηshredding = (mfinal/ minitial) x 100% where: mfinal is the weight of the coconut cover that has been effectively shredded into the desired particle size. the shredding efficiency is at 1440 rpm given speed. the following data was limited on the test sample for young coconut cover and matured dry coconut cover at 500 g: young coconut cover • initial mass, minitial = sample of 500 g • final mass after shredding, mfinal=450 g ηshredding, young = (450/ 500) x 100 = 90% matured dry coconut cover • initial mass, minitial= sample of 500 g • final mass after shredding, mfinal=400 g ηshredding, matured = (400/500) x 100 = 80% figure 4: shredding efficiency vs. moisture content at 1440 rpm pa ge 39 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 32-40, 2025 figure 4 above showed the shredding efficiency for young and matured coconut covers across different moisture content levels at a constant speed of 1440 rpm. this demonstrates how increasing moisture content tends to lower shredding efficiency for both young and matured coconut covers, with matured covers showing slightly lower efficiency across all moisture levels. test on corn stalks the calculation of the mean shredding efficiency and recovery rate of the machine, specific values were based on multiple trials (3) conducted using a corn stalk at 30% moisture content, driven by an ac motor running at 1440 rpm: trial the specific test run (1, 2, and 3). shredding efficiency (%) the efficiency of the machine during each trial, based on the amount shredded versus the total initial mass. recovery rate (%) the percentage of useful shredded material collected after each trial. represents the percentage of material successfully shredded compared to the total initial mass, and recovery rate, which reflects the proportion of useful shredded material collected. the average results across the trials showed a mean shredding efficiency of 85.33% and a mean recovery rate of 70.33%, demonstrating the machine’s reliability and effectiveness in both shredding and material recovery. table 5: data in three (3) trials trial shredding efficiency (%) recovery rate (%) 1 85 70 2 87 72 3 84 69 mean shredding efficiency mean shredding efficiency = (85+87+84)/3 = 256/3 = 85.33% mean recovery rate mean recovery rate = (70+72+69)/3 = 211/3 =70.33% table 6: summary table with means trial shredding efficiency (%) recovery rate (%) 1 85 70 2 87 72 3 84 69 mean 85.33 mean 70.33 table 6 displays the individual trial results and the calculated mean values for both shredding efficiency and recovery rate. the shredding machine’s performance was tested in three trials using corn stalks with a 30% moisture content, powered by an ac motor running at 1440 rpm. two key metrics were evaluated: shredding efficiency, which table 7: use of the multi-cutting and shredding unit operator time consumed (minutes) actual test 1 actual test 2 actual test 3 beginner 20 17 17 trained 5 5 5 the shredding unit was used to make cut and shred stalks and coco coir respectively was operated by a neophyte and a trained worker during the test run. the beginner and the trained worker both conducted three trials. the average time it took the beginner to finish a shredding was 18 minutes, whereas the trained worker took only 5 minutes specific for stalks and 1 coco cover as test materials. conclusion the machine was typically designed with a single cutting mechanism, which limits ability to process materials like plant stalks and coco husk efficiently. by combining different cutting mechanisms, such as those from steel blades, into a single unit, this innovative machine was able to process a wider variety of materials. its adjustable cutting techniques enhance its ability to shred diverse waste and maintain speed and efficiency, making it an option and effective solution for today’s waste management needs. the shredding machine developed in this study demonstrated reliable performance and efficiency in processing agricultural waste. powered by a 1440 rpm ac motor, the machine consistently achieved an average shredding efficiency of 85.33% and a recovery rate of 70.33% when tested with corn stalks at 30% moisture content. its adaptability to materials with varying moisture levels and maturity, such as coconut covers, highlights its versatility. these results confirm the machine’s capability to transform agricultural residues into valuable resources, contributing to sustainable waste management and resource recovery. references azadbakht, m., rezaei asl, a., & tamaskani zahedi, k. (2014). energy requirement for cutting corn stalks (single cross 704 var.). international journal of agricultural and biosystems engineering, 8(5), 479– 482. retrieved from https://publications.waset. org/9998237/energy-requirement-for-cutting-cornstalks-single-cross-704-var pa ge 40 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 32-40, 2025 kilanko, o., oko, a. i., leramo, r. o., & ilori, t. a. (2019). development and performance evaluation of melon shelling and separating machine. international journal of mechanical engineering and technology, 10(2), 440–450. luckyardi, s., mega, r. u., kevin, r., naufal, a. n., & hanifah, a. p. (2022). corn sheller machine technology to improve farmers’ productivity. international journal of agricultural and biosystems engineering, 17(2). patil, k. k., pandit, s., pol, g., kadam, s., & jadhav, a. (2016). design and fabrication of corn shelling and threshing machine. international journal of innovative research in science, engineering and technology, 5(7). https://doi.org/10.15680/ijirset.2016.0507234 quintos, s. b. (2024). assessment of the impact of technology integration: basis for intervention framework. american journal of education and technology, 3(3). https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v3i3.3439 shirbhate, s. s., pande, h. h., raj, n., raut, j. j., & taral, a. v. (2018). design and manufacturing of corn shelling machine. international journal of innovations in engineering research and technology, 5(7). pa ge 1 pa ge 15 0 american journal of education and technology (ajet) pedagogical competence: a study of educators in affiliated programs at capsu pilar eric esteban contreras1* volume 4 issue 1, year 2025 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v4i1.4474 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: january 30, 2025 accepted: march 03, 2025 published: march 10, 2025 this investigation was conducted to assess the level of pedagogical competencies of teachers in affiliated courses of capsu, pilar, measured in terms of the teachers’ purpose, professional development, content knowledge, and communication skills and determined the significant predictors to the pedagogical competencies. descriptive statistical tools such as mean and standard deviation were employed to test the descriptive data, while the pedagogical competencies of teaching multiple linear regression using the stepwise method were used to find out the significant predictors of the pedagogical competencies of teachers. findings on the investigations are as follows: 1. the respondents rated themselves competent in the pedagogical area of professional development. 2. the respondents claimed to be highly competent in the pedagogical area of communication skills. 3. in the area of the teacher’s purpose, the respondents claimed to be highly competent with a 4. in the area of content knowledge, the respondents rated themselves as highly competent. significant predictors of the pedagogical competencies of the respondents were having doctoral units and being single, which significantly predict professional development. there is a linear association between the highest educational attainment with doctoral units and the marital status, which is married. several working hours per week and the number of preparation of teachers significantly predict a teacher’s purpose. in terms of communication skills, no significant predictors were found among variables considered. keywords communication skills, content knowledge, educator, pedagogical competence, professional development 1 capiz state university, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: genextractor2416@gmail.com introduction higher education has long been recognized as a major contributing factor to the social, cultural and intellectual life of society by improving the quality of human life (shetty et al., 2010). while primary and secondary education is concerned with transfer of knowledge from teacher to student, higher education includes analysis, synthesis and the transformation of information to knowledge. teachers in higher education are involved not only in teaching, but also in research and discussion (manixanan & premila, 2009). with this conventional dynamism, tertiary education is considered the backbone of a country’s sustainable development. the quality of education the institution delivers depends on the knowledge and professional skills of the teachers. therefore, teachers are an integral component of an education system (huberman, 2005). capsu pilar is one of the higher education institutions in the province of capiz situated in natividad pilar capiz. in its goal to meet the increasing need for change and globalization trend in education, it impacted varied educational strategies employing teachers who are graduates of technology courses, medical, agriculture, business management and other social courses to take charge of the transfer of knowledge. these teachers may have or not have the professional knowledge and skills to equip them in the real transfer of educational knowledge, best referred in this study as the pedagogical competences. a good knowledge of pedagogical competence on the part of the teacher, their typology and principles of development, will lead to a future successful application/ use in any field developing interdisciplinary thinking, creativity and managerial qualities is the field of teaching. literature review pedagogical competence generally refers to the minimum professional standards required for an individual to undertake certain educational roles. teachers with a low level of teaching ability are referred to as unskilled, while teachers with a high level of teaching ability are considered skilled and pedagogically competent. recent educational research has primarily focused on setting up 21st-century teaching environments in classrooms, where pedagogically competent teachers can use their skills consistently and understandably to get students to do new things. the purpose of this research is to investigate the pedagogical mechanisms at work in instructors’ classrooms that result in students’ achieving exceptional accomplishments about teacher competency. the study is based on a review of the literature about teachers’ pedagogical competencies and their relationship to students’ academic achievement, which shows how teachers’ competencies support the students’ learning and finally their achievement in the shape of grades in examinations. the findings indicate a more nuanced picture of the relationship between pedagogical competence and students’ academic achievement. the study of olga nessipbaveva identifies several key competencies that modern teachers need to possess to pa ge 15 1 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 150-156, 2025 be effective in the 21st century. these competencies include: effective classroom management maximizing efficiency, maintaining discipline and morale, promoting teamwork, planning, communicating, focusing on results, evaluating progress, and making constant adjustments. employing a range of strategies to promote positive relationships, cooperation, and purposeful learning. organizing, assigning, and managing time, space, and activities to ensure active and equitable engagement of students in productive tasks. effective teaching practices representing differing viewpoints, theories, “ways of knowing,” and methods of inquiry in teaching subject matter concepts. using multiple teaching and learning strategies to engage students in active learning opportunities that promote critical thinking, problemsolving, and performance capabilities. helping students assume responsibility for identifying and using learning resources. effective assessment incorporating formal tests, responses to quizzes, evaluation of classroom assignments, student performances and projects, and standardized achievement tests to understand what students have learned. developing assessment strategies that involve learners in self-assessment activities to help them become aware of their strengths and needs and encourage them to set personal goals for learning. technology skills knowing when and how to use current educational technology. using the most appropriate type and level of technology to maximize student learning. additionally, the study emphasizes the importance of teachers demonstrating leadership, establishing a respectful environment for a diverse population of students, knowing the content they teach, facilitating learning for their students, and reflecting on their practice. these competencies are essential for teachers to meet the complex challenges of today’s educational environment and to prepare students for the future. statement of the problem assessment of the pedagogical competences of teachers in capsu pilar is the main concern of this study, for the university’s awareness of the current status of teaching– learning transfer in the university. this endeavor aimed to assess the pedagogical competences of teachers (in affiliated courses) in capsu pilar. likewise, it determined the factors that influence their competence. specifically, it sought to answer the following questions: 1. what demographic profile can be drawn from the teacher studied? 2. what are the pedagogical competences of the teachers in the affiliated courses offered in capsu, pilar, measured through their purpose in teaching, content knowledge, professional development and communication skills? 3. what are the significant predictors of the pedagogical competences of the teachers considering all demographic characteristics of the teachers studied? materials and methods this study used a descriptive design assessing the level of the pedagogical competences of teachers in capsu pilar measured in terms of their purpose, professional development, content knowledge and communication skills. the first phase of the study started with assessments of pedagogical competences by using questionnaires that had been tested previously for their validity and reliability. in descriptive studies, the researcher used to measure data such as frequency, preferences, or any similar data. this investigation was done at capiz state university, pilar campus, pilar, capiz. capsu pilar is one of the satellite campuses of the capiz state university (capsu), with the main office at roxas city. to gather the data for pedagogical competences of the teachers, they answered a rating scale with 1 to 5, where 5 was the highest and 1 was the lowest rating. pedagogical competences were measured in the areas of professional development, communication skills, teacher purpose and content knowledge. standard deviation and mean were used to test the validity of the data on pedagogical competences. multiple linear regression using a stepwise method was used to determine the significant predictors of the respondents’ pedagogical competences. results and discussion this data was gathered, analyzed and interpreted according to the parameter identified. the first part presents the socio-demographic profile of the respondents; the second part presents the pedagogical competences of teachers in the affiliated courses in capsu, pilar campus, and the third part presents the data on the predictor variables to the pedagogical competences of the teacher respondents. socio-demographic profile of the respondents the respondents were drawn from the three affiliated courses of capsu pilar, namely: bachelor of science in information technology (bsit), bachelor of science in social work (bssw) and bachelor of science in hotel and restaurant management (bshrm). the teacher covered a total of 32. of these 32 teachers,13 or 40.60% were male and 19 or 59.40% were female. eight (8) or 25% were within age ranges 29-36 and 37-44 years old respectively, six (6) or 18.80% belonged to age ranges 21-28 years old and 5360 years old respectively. three (3)or 9.40% belonged to age ranges 45 -52 years old and only one (1) or 3.10% was found above 60 years old. majority of them (25 or 78.10%) were catholic and a minimal number (7 or 21.90%) were non catholic. twenty (20) or 62.50% were pa ge 15 2 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 150-156, 2025 married, 9 or 28.10% were single in status. the rest were widowed (2) or 6.30% and separated (1) or 3.10%. the data revealed that more than half of the respondents were female (f = 19, %=59 40). five (5) or 15.60% of these teachers had doctoral degrees, 13 or 40.60% had doctoral units. 7 or 21.90% finished a master’s degree and 6 or 18.80% were with master’s units. only one or 3.10% had a bachelor’s degree. in terms of academic rank, 15 or 46.90% occupied assistant professor position, eight (8) or 25.00% were in instructors’ position and nine or 28.10% remained contractual instructors. majority of the teachers (23 or 71.90) taught 4-6 subjects and had 4-6 preparations respectively. eight or 25% taught 1-3 preparations and nine (9) or 28.10 had 1-3 preparations. in terms of number of hours per week, 14 or 43.75% taught 13-22 hours, 10 or 31.25% taught 23-33 hours, seven (7) 21.90% taught seven hours and one or 3.10% taught above 33 hours. twenty-three or 71.90% were regular employees and nine (9) or 28.10% taught on a contractual basis. table 1: shows the demographic profile of the respondents socio–demographic profile frequency percentage sex male 13 40.60 female 19 59.40 total 32 100.00 age 21 – 28 years old 6 18.80 29 – 36 years old 8 25.00 37 – 44 years old 8 25.00 45 – 52 years old 3 9.40 53 – 60 years old 6 18.80 above 60 years old 1 3.10 total 32 100.00 religion catholic 25 78.10 non – catholic 7 21.90 total 32 100.00 marital status single 9 28.10 married 20 62.50 separated 1 3.10 widow 2 6.30 total 32 100.00 highest educational attainment with a doctoral degree 5 15.60 with doctoral units 13 40.60 with masteral degree 7 21.90 with masteral units 6 18.80 with a bachelor’s degree 1 3.10 total 32 100.00 academic rank asst. professor 15 46.90 instructor 8 25.00 contractual instructor 9 28.10 total 32 100.00 subject taught 1 – 3 8 25.00 pa ge 15 3 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 150-156, 2025 4 – 6 23 71.90 above 6 1 3.10 total 32 100.00 number of hours per week 3 – 12 7 21.90 13 – 22 14 43.75 23 – 33 10 31.25 above 33 1 3.1 total 32 100.00 number of preparations 1 – 3 9 28.10 4 – 6 23 71.90 total 32 100.00 status of employment regular employee 23 71.90 contractual employee 9 28.10 total 32 100.00 pedagogical competences of teachers in affiliated courses of capsu, pilar to test the pedagogical competencies of the respondents, they were asked to rate themselves from 1 to 5, 5 as the highest and 1 as the lowest, in terms of professional development, communication skills, teacher’s purpose, and content knowledge. the result revealed that in terms of professional development, the respondents perceived themselves as competent with a mean = 4.20, and sd = 0.48. they agreed that they often attended advance studies to gain deeper understanding of subject fields, took effort to study and discussed the curriculum among teachers, used variety of student’s evaluation and assessment practices, used different approaches to individual learning, coached students with special interests and needs, taught cross curricular skills, took classes of the areas of interest, linked teaching with research, collaborated with teachers in learning and research activities, took part in institutional research, could clear student’s doubts based on knowledge, used analogies, diagrams, pictures to make subject interesting, and helped integrate knowledge with modern demands. as for the pedagogical competency of the respondents in terms of communication skills, they perceived themselves as highly competent (mean = 4.60, sd = 0.24). thus, the result implies that they strongly agreed that they could build rapport with students and they preferred to interact with all, used variety of communication techniques to initiate student participation, could understand student’s needs, assumed roles as facilitator, resource person, coach, inquisitor, referee in drawing students to contributed knowledge and understanding of the concept at hand, used instructional materials to reinforce learning processes, used variety of communication styles, adapt content to suit students understanding capacity, could interpret complex ideas/concept is simple forum, and accepted invitation to talk specified topics/skills. regarding teachers’ purpose, the respondents perceived themselves as highly competent (mean = 4.68, sd = 0.29). the result implies that they strongly agreed that they believed that teaching – learning must be child centered, that they facilitated student’s inquiry, believed that students learn best by finding solutions to problems on their own, believed that students should be allowed to think of solutions to practical problems before the teacher showed them how they were solved, and believed that activity and reasoning processes were more important than specific curriculum content. as for the content knowledge, the respondents perceived themselves to be highly competent (mean = 4.61, sd = 0.29). they strongly agreed that they incorporated contemporary knowledge into the lesson, they referred to knowledge based on research journals, upgraded the basic content with new information, and allowed the students to interact while teaching. the overall mean of 4.52, sd = 0.33 indicated that respondents perceived themselves as highly competent in their pedagogical competences. table 2: mean distribution of pedagogical competencies indicated pedagogical competencies mean standard deviation verbal interpretation professional development 4.20 0.48 competent communication skills 4.60 0.24 highly competent teacher’s purpose 4.68 0.29 highly competent pa ge 15 4 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 150-156, 2025 significant predictors of the pedagogical competencies of the respondents multiple linear regression using stepwise method was used to determine the significant predictors of the pedagogical competencies of the respondents. the variables considered in the study were: sex, marital status, age, religion, highest educational attainment, academic rank, number of subjects taught, number of preparations, number of hours load per week, and status of employment. as for the professional development, the result revealed that having doctoral units and being single were the significant predictors. thus, the best subset of predictors that has a linear association to the dependent variable, professional development of the respondents, are the highest educational attainment with doctoral units and the marital status, which is married, with the final regression model: ŷ= 4.321 + 0.509 x8 – 0.409 x5 where: x8 = 1 if the respondent has some doctoral units 0, otherwise x5 =1 if the respondent was married 0, otherwise data implies the faculty become more pedagogically competent when they pursue advanced studies to equip them with the current trends in educational processes. teachers who are single in status can focus more on teaching and they have enough time in the development of their pedagogical competence. the regression model further revealed that each coefficient in the model, if all other predictors are considered constant, was as follows: there is an average increase of 0.509 in the professional development of the respondents if the respondents have some doctoral units. and, there is an average decrease of 0.409 in the professional development of the respondents if the respondent is married. in contrast to the study of marcial and de la rama, being single or married does not affect ict competency levels. surprisingly, several years in teaching do not affect ict competency levels, considering that age and highest educational attainment affect ict competency. this may be explained about the nature of the respondents’ teaching work, and at the same time, the diverse subject matter that the respondent is teaching. content knowledge 4.61 0.29 highly competent overall 4.52 0.33 highly competent 1. 00 – 1.80 – strongly disagree – very incompetent 1.81 – 2.60 – disagree incompetent 2.61 – 3.40 – undecided – somewhat competent 3.41 – 4.20 – agree competent 4.21 – 5.00 – strongly agree – highly competent table 3: coefficients of significant predictors of professional development model unstandardized coefficients standardized coefficients t sig. b std. error beta 1 (constant) 4.095 .081 50.582 .000 x8 .645 .205 .498 3.149 .004 2 (constant) 4.231 .091 46.600 .000 x8 .509 .195 .393 2.611 .014 x5 -.409 .157 -.392 -2.602 .014 a. dependent variable: pd for the pedagogical competency of the respondents in terms of content knowledge, regression analysis revealed that the number of hours of load per week was the best predictor. the regression model is: ŷ= 4.889 – 0.014 x12 where: x12= number of hours of load per week the regression model further revealed that if all other predictors are considered constant, there is an average decrease of 0.014 in the content knowledge of the respondents in every unit increase in the number of hours of load per week. data implies that overloaded teachers in terms of hours taught per week tend to be less competent pedagogically. probably the excessive time of effort to teach contributed to their fatigue and stress. a stressful teacher surely cannot be very effective in teaching. being stressed leads them to other undesirable demonstrations of teaching behavior, such as being irritated by questions and noise among students, not being prepared well, and sometimes they tend to report late for the next class. all these demonstration weakens or lose their teacher’s purpose. as for the teacher’s purpose, regression analysis revealed that the number of hours of load per week and the number of preparation are the significant predictors that have a linear association to the teacher’s purpose. the regression model further revealed that considering other predictors constant, there is an average decrease of 0.024 in the teacher’s purpose in every unit increase in the number of hours of load per week. but there is an average increase of 0.129 in the teacher’s purpose in every unit increase on the number of preparations. pa ge 15 5 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 150-156, 2025 ŷ= 4.643 0.024 x12 + 0.129 x5 where: x12= number of hours of load per week x13= number of preparations implication on professional development and single status as predictor variable to pedagogical competences. data implies that faculty tend to be professionally developed if they pursue advanced studies to equip them with current trends and issues in educational processes and learning. teachers who are single in status have enough to focus on the development of their career, hence can pursue advanced studies. they don’t have children and a husband who always posed an obligation on their part. in contrast to the study of marcial and de la rama, being single or married does not affect ict competency levels. surprisingly, several years in teaching do not affect ict competency levels, considering that age and highest educational attainment affect ict competency. this may be explained about the nature of the respondents’ teaching work, and at the same time, the diverse subject matter that the respondent is teaching. table 4: coefficients of significant predictors of content knowledge model unstandardized coefficients standardized coefficients t sig. b std. error beta 1 (constant) 4.889 .123 39.724 .000 x12 -.014 .006 -.408 -2.446 .021 a. dependent variable: ck table 5: coefficients of significant predictors of teacher’s purpose model unstandardized coefficients standardized coefficients t sig. b std. error beta 1 (constant) 4.943 .123 40.301 .000 x12 -.014 .006 -.398 -2.376 .024 2 (constant) 4.643 .165 28.112 .000 x12 -.024 .007 -.713 -3.573 .001 x13 .129 .052 .498 2.496 .019 a. dependent variable: tp however, in terms of communication, regression analysis revealed that there were no significant predictors that have a linear association to the dependent variable. thus, other variables aside from the ones included in the study could be considered. findings demographic profile of the teachers more than half of the respondents (19 or 59.40) were female and only 13 or 40.60% were male. eight or (25%) of the respondents were young adults with age ranges 29-36 and 37-44 respectively. six or 18.80% were young adults with an age range of 21-28 years old, and another six of them were mid-life adults with an age range of 5360 years old. only one or 3.10% was above 60 years old. majority 25 or 78.10 % were catholic and a few 7 or 21.90% were non catholic. majority 20 or 62.50% were married, 9 or 28.10% were single, 2 or 6.30% were widowed and 1 or 3.10% was separated. five (5 or 15.60%) of the teachers had doctoral degrees, 13 or 40% had doctoral units, 7, or 21.90% were with a master’s degree and 6 or 18.80% were with master’s units. only 1 or 3.10% remained with a bachelor’s degree, almost half (15 or 46.90%) had an academic rank. 9 or 28.10%) were contractual instructors. twenty three teachers or 71.90% claimed they taught four to six subjects, 8 or 25.00% taught 1 to 3 subjects and only claimed that they taught per week 13.22 hours, 10 or 31.35% claimed they taught 23-33 hours, 7 or 21.90%, 3-12 and 1 or 3.10% taught 33 hours per week. twenty-three (23 or 71.90) of the teachers had 4-6 preparations, and 9 or 28.10% had 1-3 preparations. in terms of status of employment, 23 71.90% of the 32 teachers were regular employees and the rest (9 or 28.10%) were contractual employees. findings on the pedagogical competences of the respondents • the respondents rated themselves as competent in the pedagogical area of professional development with a mean score of 4.20, standard deviation of 0.48. • the respondents claimed to be highly competent (mean = 4.60, sd = .24) in the pedagogical area of communication skills. • in the area of teachers’ purpose, the respondents claimed to be highly competent with a mean score of 4.68, standard deviation of 0.29) • in the area of content knowledge, the respondents rated themselves as highly competent with a mean score of 4.61, sd of 0.29. pa ge 15 6 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 150-156, 2025 significant predictors of the pedagogical competences of the respondents • having doctoral units and being single significantly predict professional development. there is a linear association between the highest educational attainment with doctoral units and the marital status, which is married. • number of working hour per week and number of preparations of teachers significantly predicts teacher’s purpose. • in terms of communication skills, no significant predictors were found among variables considered. conclusions the faculty perceived themselves as competent in terms of professional development and highly competent in communication skills, content knowledge, and teacher’s purpose. it was found that having some doctoral units positively influenced the faculty’s professional development. conversely, being married appeared to have a negative impact on their professional development. an increase in the number of teaching hours per week was associated with a decrease in both content knowledge and teacher’s purpose. however, a greater number of class preparations contributed to enhancing the faculty’s sense of teacher’s purpose. recommendations 1. faculty of the institution should be given more educational benefits, such as funding a scholarship for them to pursue advanced studies. 2. teachers should not be overloaded to achieve good performance. educational managers and or department heads should check on the work schedule of teachers in the opening of classes. 3. institutional trainings and seminars should be part of the institutional program to enhance the pedagogical competencies of every teacher. outcomes/deliverables with this study, the educational performance of capsu, pilar in terms of assessment of pedagogical competences among teachers in affiliated courses was addressed. issues on teaching-learning process were given focus heading to quality decisions towards educational development and progress, hence, the clientele satisfaction of educational services offered. references channa, w. m., & sahito, z. (2022, july). pedagogical competencies of teachers and the achievement of students: explorations of best practices through a literature review. webology, 19(3), 2927–2943. https:// doi.org/10.14704/web/v19i3/2927 mahatvaran, l. (2010). ability of an individual to use a coordinated synergistic combination of tangible resources. mahatvaram, s. (2010). developing pedagogical competence: issues and implications for marketing education. marcial, d. e., & de la rama, p. a. (2015). ict competency level of teacher education professionals in the central visayas region, philippines. silliman university. nessipbayeva, o. (n.d.). the competencies of the modern teacher. candidate of pedagogical sciences, docent at suleyman demirel university, almaty, kazakhstan. suciu, a. i., & mata, l. (2011). pedagogical competences: the key to efficient education. pa ge 1 pa ge 11 0 american journal of education and technology (ajet) overseeing resources within schools: strategies, challenges, and issues faced ma. chona s. rizada1* volume 4 issue 1, year 2025 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v4i1.4000 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: november 05, 2024 accepted: december 09, 2024 published: february 17, 2025 the school head plays a crucial role in achieving the school’s objectives. he/she is responsible for overseeing the direct management of schools. he/she must be able to turn the department of education’s vision into reality, and to turn plans into actual results. the research focused on finding out how the strategies, challenges, and issues faced by school heads in handling school resources affect teacher effectiveness. the research utilized the descriptive correlation method. the research included 10 school heads and 90 teachers from the public elementary and secondary implementing units of division of puerto princesa city. the results showed that school heads faced occasional problems and issues while managing their financial resources. nevertheless, in relation to the various aspects of the school heads’ management strategies, they were seen as effective in handling all three areas of managing resources within their school. they were effective in managing financial resources. while considered efficient, the lowest ranking area among their school resources management was physical/material resources management. concerns and issues with physical and material resources impacted teacher effectiveness. the research recommends that the superintendent and district supervisors should create a system to assess how school heads are carrying out programs, projects, activities, and expenses, particularly those that rely on funding from the mooe/sbm/sbrms and canteen funds. the superintendent needs to oversee the school heads to ensure timely submission of all financial reports for funds disbursed. create an inclusive teacher development program focusing on teachers endorsed by school leaders according to their individual personal and professional development plans, guaranteeing that workshops and training sessions aim to improve teachers’ skills and expertise in their respective subjects. it is also recommended to regularly monitor gains from inset. in order to always follow the principles of shared accountability, the school heads must inform and assist the school governing council in comprehending government regulations and programs, and must submit financial records to the finance committee and sgc to ensure spending complies with commission on audit guidelines. in this manner, schools make sure to keep transparency. school heads need to continually improve their financial management skills and have a thorough knowledge of basic accounting and auditing to effectively handle their school’s financial transactions. the school heads must continue to adhere to their effective methods such as allocating finances based on requirements, ensuring that the budget aligns with goals and plans, securing funds for school enhancements, as well as providing an accurate representation of the school’s financial status and maintaining precise financial records for transparency with stakeholders. keywords challenges, strategies, and issues in managing school-based resources, financial resources, human, physical/material, teacher effectiveness 1 palawan state university, puerto princesa city, palawan, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: machonarizada@gmail.com introduction education is a crucial instrument for individual and societal progress. this highlights the school’s crucial role in imparting values and essential skills outlined in basic education programs. the schools are obligated to establish circumstances for advancing change based on the evolving goals, patterns, and systems of society. the school must prioritize achieving its goals and desired learning outcomes by efficiently using all its educational resources. the school principal must effectively oversee the school’s human, material, and fiscal resources. governance of basic education act of 2001 (ra 9155), requires schools to offer top-quality basic education to help students become compassionate, independent, efficient, and patriotic members of society. this action grants the school head the power, duty, and obligation to guarantee access to enhance fairness and enhance the standard of primary education. the act also ensures that the school environment supports learning, promotes the school education program, and increases accountability for achieving better outcomes and generating resources. every organization is created with specific aims and targets that cannot be achieved in isolation. adequate provision of educational resources is a key factor in successfully achieving organizational goals. resources are a crucial element in the operation of the educational system, as the system’s success relies on the availability of both manpower and materials. the primary focus in school management is on utilizing resources efficiently. the main challenge for the school administrator is figuring out how to make the most of the “limited resources such as funds, manpower, equipment, buildings, and materials to positively impact the learners (fadipe, 2019). the students, teachers, nonteachers, equipment, buildings, money, and materials are all resources necessary for achieving the school’s pa ge 11 1 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 110-117, 2025 goals. these resources are essential for providing highquality education. because these resources are limited, they need to be used with expertise and training during the production process. careful planning, supervision, coordination, and control are necessary for effectively utilizing resources. effective management and use of resources (nchor, 2019) in a school is just as crucial as reaching goals and objectives. the quality and quantity of resources in an education system are crucial for evaluating the managerial skills of an education manager. the main objective of management is to make sure that system objectives are effectively met by clearly assigning roles and resources, and by monitoring organizational tasks. the efficiency of performing managerial tasks greatly relies on the resource management skills of the school head. effectively utilizing educational resources involves a thorough understanding of them and the skill to fully access the various outlets available. the education manager should possess a strong understanding of different educational resource outlets in this situation. yet, understanding where resources come from is not enough without also understanding which resources are relevant for the specific level and type of education being overseen. proficiency in handling resources is also vital in achieving prudency in managing resources. resource handling in this situation involves allocating resources to task domains and making sure that they are effectively used for task execution. as education resources are not always sufficient, an education manager must be able to investigate all available resource outlets. this exploration aims to secure additional resources for the school, beyond what would be available from statutory sources alone. in order to improve resource management, it is important to implement a successful strategy for distributing, using, and monitoring resources (fabunm, 2020). resourcefulness at the highest level of education management includes identifying resource needs, acquiring necessary resources, and distributing them appropriately to address education needs in policies and programs. the department of education’s goal is to ensure that school heads are not only educators, but also successful managers. as education for all goals (efa) progress into the challenging era of the 21st century, educational leaders are urged to reflect, analyze, plan, and take action to adapt to complex changes in the global marketplace (deped, 2019). despite the challenges, threats, and internal issues faced by the educational system, school managers’ current stance remains unchanged. the key factors necessary for prudence in education management are a positive work environment, resource upkeep, acknowledging input, staff support, and providing curriculum and instructional guidance. materials and methods this correlational study investigated the influence of school heads’ management of physical/material, human, and financial resources on teacher effectiveness through the exploration of relevant inquiries, approaches, and issues. the study involved school heads and teachers from the public elementary and secondary implementing units in the division of puerto princesa city. information for numerical analysis was obtained from a survey questionnaire using a five-point likert scale response format. the survey indicators were based on the philippine professional standards for school heads (ppsh) from deped, with necessary adjustments for the research context. results and discussions in response to the question, “what describes the management strategies of the school heads in terms of physical/material resources?, the school heads’ management strategies related to physical/material resources are successful based on the average of 3.18. the school administrators effectively managed physical and material resources by following deped policies, accounting rules, and relevant guidelines (3. 42), collaborating with private schools and ngos to donate books for students and teachers (3. 30) and developing project proposals with input from stakeholders to support sip-based programs and projects (3. 27). table 1: strategies of the school heads along physical resources management indicators school heads teachers wx̄ d wx̄ d wx̄ d 1. manage school resources following deped policies, accounting regulations, and relevant guidelines. 3.38 e 3.46 e 3.42 e 2. strictly adhere to a procedure for registering, upkeeping, and replacing school assets, as well as disposing of non-reusable properties. 2.37 e 3.40 e 2.89 e 3. collaborate with school stakeholders to develop project proposals for resource acquisition and support of sip-based programs and projects. 3.19 e 3.34 e 3.27 e 4. present school priority project proposals to pta officials and external stakeholders. 3.08 e 3.41 e 3.25 e 5. allocate/prioritize funds for enhancing and upkeeping school infrastructure and equipment. 2.97 e 3.41 e 3.19 e 6. acquire goods, carry out initiatives that directly support the school's sip/aip/asb. 2.97 e 3.35 e 3.16 e pa ge 11 2 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 110-117, 2025 the lowest in position who outlines the school leaders’ strategies for handling physical/material resources involve seeking donations from lgus and private schools for classroom repairs and painting (2. 99) and diligently adhering to a process for registering, maintaining, and replacing school assets as well as disposing of nonreusable properties (2.89). this suggests that school administrators adhere to the accounting guidelines, regulations, and deped policies. put simply, their use of physical/material resources is backed by legal foundations. 7. supervise the maintenance and utilization of the school amenities in accordance with established instructions. 3.19 e 3.31 e 3.25 e 8. establish partnerships with private schools and non-governmental organizations to provide books for both students and teachers. 3.38 e 3.21 e 3.30 e 9. request donations from lgus and private schools for potential assistance with repairing and repainting classrooms. 2.97 e 3.01 e 2.99 e 10. make sure the classroom interiors are in good condition, the school canteen is in a convenient location, and that facilities are suitable for the school's students. also, the school campus should be large enough for outdoor educational activities encompassing social, physical, and cultural aspects, as well as athletics. 3.19 e 3.01 e 3.10 e wx̄ 3.14 e 3.29 e 3.18 e table 2: strategies of the school heads along human resource management indicators school heads teachers wx̄ d wx̄ d wx̄ d 1. organize, execute and oversee school-based inset sessions for all teaching staff according to ippd’s. 3.07 e 3.31 e 3.19 e 2. evaluate and examine the requirements and preferences of educators and other school staff members. 3.22 e 3.22 e 3.22 e 3. acknowledge outstanding job performance and offer rewards/ recognition. 3.03 e 3.84 e 3.44 e 4. regularly assess teachers' strengths and weaknesses through performance evaluations. 3.07 e 3.25 e 3.16 e 5. create the school's class schedule and ensure equality in distributing tasks and coordinating the timing. 2.99 e 3.17 e 3.08 e 6. inspire teachers to excel in their performance. 3.22 e 3.13 e 3.18 e 7. follow the guidelines and regulations set by deped when hiring and choosing teachers. 3.03 e 3.17 e 3.10 e 8. establish an ongoing employee training initiative. 3.07 e 3.19 e 3.13 e 9. incorporate a communication method to keep teachers updated. 3.22 e 3.27 e 3.25 e 10. make sure the management information system is updated correct. 3.03 e 3.31 e 3.10 e wx̄ 3.10 e 3.29 e 3.19 e the school heads are described as efficient (3.19) in their approaches to managing human resources. the school heads ‘ management strategies are effective in acknowledging good work and offering rewards (3.44); they also involve a communication system to keep teachers updated (3.25) and in evaluating the needs and concerns of staff (3.22). the school heads are successful in evaluating teachers’ performance regularly to identify their strengths and weaknesses (3.16) and in organizing the school’s class schedule while making sure fairness is maintained in assigning workload and time schedules (3. 08). the results reveal that school heads recognize and reward teachers’ exceptional performance in addition to considering the needs and preferences of their teachers. table 3: strategies of the school heads along financial management indicators school heads teachers wx̄ d rank wx̄ d wx̄ d 1. create a school budget that aligns with sip/aip. 3.13 e 3.31 e 3.22 e 3.5 2. use funds for authorized school programs and projects as shown in sip/aip. 3.10 e 3.21 e 3.16 e 7.5 pa ge 11 3 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 110-117, 2025 the school heads’ financial management tactics are successful with an average of 3.23. this is especially noted when preparing financial statements, which demonstrate the proper full utilization of mooe and other sources of funds in accordance with asb (3.42), informing and assisting with school government needs and projects. i produce financial reports for the finance committee to monitor spending (3.41); create a school budget aligned with sip/aip (3.22); and present financial reports with receipts attached for approval by the pta president and faculty members (3.22). the results show that all expenses incurred in mooe and other funding sources are aligned with the budget and carefully documented and reported. this also implies that the schools practice transparency in their financial spending. 3. creates the financial reports indicating that the mooe and other fund sources are efficiently utilized in accordance with asb. 3.00 e 3.84 e 3.42 e 1 4. resources that the school has generated and received are documented and accounted for following the government's accounting and auditing rules and regulations. 2.88 e 3.22 e 3.16 e 7.5 5. maintains precise documentation of school mooe usage. 2.99 e 3.35 e 3.08 e 10 6. ensures complete transparency in allocating and utilizing mooe budget and identifying funds sources. 3.10 e 3.32 e 3.21 e 5.5 7. before allowing the pta president and all faculty members to sign, the financial reports are prepared and presented with original receipts attached to the liquidation report. 3.00 e 3.44 e 3.22 e 3.5 8. communicates and assists with school administration mandates and projects; submits financial statements to the finance committee to guarantee proper budget management. 3.43 e 3.38 e 3.41 e 2 9. ensures that the school's financial reports are properly documented, submitted to relevant authorities, and released punctually. 3.10 e 3.31 e 3.21 e 5.5 10. establish a procurement committee and guarantee that the official procurement procedure is adhered to. 3.00 e 3.29 e 3.15 e 9 wx̄ 3.08 e 3.37 e 3.23 e table 4: summary on the school heads’ management strategies areas of school based resource management school heads teachers wx̄ d wx̄ d wx̄ d physical/resources management 3.14 e 3.29 e 3.18 e human resource management 3.10 e 3.29 e 3.19 e financial resource management 3.08 e 3.37 e 3.23 e wx̄ 3.11 e 3.17 e 3.14 e in all three areas of school resource management, the strategies employed by school heads are seen as successful. they excel in managing financial resources with an average of 3.23. although seen as useful, the lowest rated area of management for their school-based resources is physical/material resources management (3.18). this means that the school administrators in the study area practice honesty in managing their finances. table 5: issues and concerns encountered by the school heads in managing physical/material resources indicators school heads teachers wx̄ d wx̄ d wx̄ d 1. school heads’ lack of training in the preparation of project proposals for resource generation. 3.31 s 3.19 s 3.25 s 2. school heads not being properly trained on how to allocate/prioritize funds for school facility and equipment improvements, and not consulting with the faculty. 3.35 s 3.08 s 3.22 s 3. unavailable school facilities for pupils’ curricular and co-curricular related activities. 3.32 s 3.02 s 3.17 s 4. instructional facilities and equipment not available of by all pupils at all time. 3.44 s 2.97 s 3.21 s pa ge 11 4 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 110-117, 2025 at times (3.14), the school heads encounter problems and issues when handling their physical/material resources. school heads sometimes face challenges such as limited ict resources for learning (3.41); inadequate textbooks, poor ventilation, and lack of furniture for students (3. 29); and a lack of labs and opportunities for experiments (3.27). some of the challenges faced by school administrators are a lack of large playgrounds, gymnasiums, or covered courts for student gatherings and events (2. 87); and insufficient library resources (2. 58). this indicates that school administrators face problems and issues related to teaching facilities and supplies. as these are occasionally faced, it seems like they don’t view them as urgent issues. 5. insufficient textbooks, poor, room ventilation and acoustics, lack of rooms furniture and fixtures for pupils’ use. 3.38 s 3.19 s 3.29 s 6. no spacious playgrounds, gymnasium or covered courts for pupil’s assembly and activities. 3.31 s 2.43 s 2.87 s 7. no spacious canteen to accommodate influx of pupils during break time. 3.19 s 2.97 s 3.08 s 8. inadequate library services 2.28 s 2.87 s 2.58 s 9. lack of laboratory and opportunities for earning and experiments. 3.31 s 3.22 s 3.27 s 10. limited equipment and opportunities for learning using ict. 3.29 s 3.52 vo 3.41 s wx̄ 3.22 s 3.05 s 3.14 s table 6: issues and concerns encountered by the school heads in managing human resources indicators school heads teachers wx̄ d wx̄ d wx̄ d 1. no definite schedules for the needs assessment and analysis of school personnel’s development 2.51 s 3.41 s 2.96 s 2. no function school-based performance appraisal committee 2.97 s 3.33 s 3.15 s 3. school heads’ lack of training in the preparation, implementation, and monitoring of school-based inset for all teaching staff. 3.19 s 3.32 s 3.26 s 4. unfavorable attitude towards the administrator manifested by some teachers, support personnel and pupils and parents. 3.08 s 3.21 s 3.15 s 5. unclear delineation of lines of authority and responsibility between the administration, teachers and support personnel 3.08 s 3.31 s 3.20 s 6. not well defined and implemented school policies, standards and regulations 2.97 s 3.32 s 3.15 s 7. uncooperative teachers and other personnel in planning programs which affect their work and their welfare 2.21 r 3.44 s 2.83 s 8. absence/lack of development program that covers the social, physical, spiritual and professional growth of teachers and support personnel 3.22 s 3.38 s 3.30 s 9. teachers’ lack of creativity and resourcefulness in using improvised, local and indigenous materials for meaningful learning 3.03 s 3.31 s 3.17 s 10. teachers’ lack of confidence and competence in applying the updated content and appropriate strategies in teaching 3.07 s 3.19 s 3.13 s 11. school head’s failure to provide recognition/ appreciation to teachers, school personnel for whatever school work very satisfactorily done by them 3.19 s 3.28 s 3.24 s wx̄ 2.96 s 3.32 s 3.14 s regarding the management of human resources, the school heads occasionally face issues and concerns. the challenges faced by school administrators are evident in the lack of a comprehensive development program that addresses the social, physical, spiritual, and professional growth of teachers and support staff; inadequate training for school administrators in organizing and overseeing inset sessions for all teachers; and the failure of school administrators to acknowledge and appreciate the hard work of teachers and school personnel. the results reveal that school administrators face various challenges related to managing human resources, especially with teachers and support staff. they believe they lack the necessary skills to effectively prepare, implement, and monitor the impact of in-service education programs held in schools. pa ge 11 5 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 110-117, 2025 school heads face difficulties in managing their finances due to a lack of training in financial planning, poor transparency in budget allocation and fund utilization, and inconsistency in presenting financial statements to stakeholders. this shows that any issues school leaders face are due to their inadequate training in financial management and their failure to properly document expenses for school programs and projects. table 7: issues and concerns encountered by the school heads in managing financial resources indicators school heads teachers wx̄ d wx̄ d wx̄ d 1. school head’s lack of training in the preparation of financial management plan 3.13 s 3.44 s 3.29 s 2. school head’s lack of training in the generation and mobilization of financial resources 3.10 s 3.38 s 3.24 s 3. poor recording and accounting of resources generated and received by the school based on existing accounting and auditing rules and regulation of government 3.00 s 3.31 s 3.16 s 4. absence/no procurement committee ensuring that the official procurement process is followed 3.31 s 3.19 s 3.25 s 5. school heads disregarding budget proposal prepared by teachers 2.99 s 3.28 s 3.14 s 6. poor documentation of und utilization for the approved school programs and projects. 3.22 s 3.31 s 3.27 s 7. school heads’ incompetence in the generation and mobilization of the school financial resources. 3.08 s 3.19 s 3.14 s 8. slow liquidation of the utilization and disbursement of funds. 3.07 s 3.28 s 3.18 s 9. poor practice of transparency regarding mooe budget allocation and fund sources and their utilization. 3.22 s 3.31 s 3.27 s 10. no definite schedule of presentation of the financial statement to the sgc and the members of the faculty. 3.24 s 3.29 s 3.27 s wx̄ 3.14 s 3.30 s 3.21 s table 8: summary on the school heads’ issues and concerns encountered in the management of their school based resources areas of school based resource management school heads teachers wx̄ d wx̄ d wx̄ d physical/material resources management 3.22 s 3.05 s 3.14 s human resource management 2.96 s 3.32 s 3.14 s financial resource management 3.14 s 3.30 s 3.21 s wx̄ 3.11 s 3.22 s 3.16 s considering the different areas in the management of school-based resources, the school heads sometimes (3.21) encounter issues and concerns along managing their financial resources (3.16).this means that whatever concerns the school heads encounter are attributed to their lack of training in line with fiscal management. table 9: correlation between school heads management strategies as to physical/material resources and issues and concerns encountered by the school heads in managing the different school-based resources issues and concerns encountered in managing the different school-based resources management strategies as to physical/material resources r-value computed t-value df critical t-value (0.05) decision issues and concern on physical/material 0.419 1.957 18 2.101 ho: accept issues and concern on human resources 0.602 3.198 18 2.101 ho: reject issues and concern on financial resources 0.753 4.855 18 2.101 ho: reject the management strategies concerning physical or material resources show a strong correlation with financial resources (r=0. 753), a significant correlation with human resources (r=0. 602), and a moderate correlation with pa ge 11 6 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 110-117, 2025 physical/material aspect (r=0.419). there is a significant relationship between how management handles physical/ material resources and the concerns regarding financial resources (t=4. 855 > 2. 101, df=18) and human resources (t=3. 1298 > 2. 101, df=18) at a significance level of 0. 05. this supports the alternative hypothesis, indicating that management strategies regarding physical/material resources impact financial resources and human resources. table 10: correlation between school heads management strategies along human resources and issues and concerns encountered by the school heads in managing the different school-based resources issues and concerns encountered in managing the different school-based resources management strategies as to human resources r-value computed t-value df critical t-value (0.05) decision issues and concern on physical/material 0.713 4.314 18 2.101 ho: reject issues and concern on human resources 0.375 1.716 18 2.101 ho: accept issues and concern on financial resources 0.553 2.816 18 2.101 ho: reject there is a strong correlation between management strategies and physical/material resource issues and concerns (r=0.713), a significant correlation with financial resource issues and concerns (r=0.553), and a little correlation with human resource issues and concerns (r=0.375). a strong association is present between management approaches regarding human resources and the challenges related to physical and financial resources (t=4.314 > 2.101, df=18) and (t=2.816 > 2.101, df=18). this disproves the null hypothesis at a significance level of 0.05, indicating that management strategies regarding human resources impact physical/material and financial resource issues and concerns. there is no notable connection between management techniques related to human resources and the factors that control it (t=1.716 < 2.101, df=18). this result confirms the null hypothesis, indicating that management strategies have no impact on human resource issues and concerns. table 11: correlation between school heads management strategies along financial resources and issues and concerns encountered by the school heads in managing the different school-based resources issues and concerns encountered in managing the different school-based resources management strategies as to financial r-value computed t-value df critical t-value (0.05) decision issues and concern on physical/material 0.685 3.989 18 2.101 ho: reject issues and concern on human resources 0.136 0.584 18 2.101 ho: accept issues and concern on financial resources 0.708 4.253 18 2.101 ho: reject table 12: correlation between management strategies by the school heads in managing the different school-based resources as to physical/material resources and teacher performance teacher performance physical/material resources r-value computed t-value df critical t-value (0.05) decision 0.844 5.672 13 2.160 ho: reject management strategies related to financial resources show a strong connection to financial issues and concerns (r=0.708), a significant relationship to physical/ material resources concerns (r=0.685), and a minimal link to human resources (r=0.136) the null hypothesis is disproved in relation to the connection between management strategies on financial resources and concerns about physical/material resources (t=3.989 > 2.101, df=18) as well as financial resources (t=4.253 > 2.101, df=18) according to the correlations. this implies that the management strategies chosen for financial resources impact both physical/material resources and financial resources. the null hypothesis is supported in comparing management strategies related to financial resources and concerns about human resources (t=0.584 < 2.101, df=18). this implies that human resources problems are unrelated to financial strategies. the correlation between the management strategy of school heads for physical/material resources and teacher performance is very high at 0.844.a significant correlation was observed between the management of physical/ material resources and teacher performance (t=5. 672> 2. 160, df=13). the calculated t-values exceeding the tabular t-values at the 0. 05 significance level lead to the rejection of the null hypothesis, indicating that teacher performance is impacted by the management of physical/ material resources. pa ge 11 7 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 110-117, 2025 school heads’ management approach to human resources is significantly associated with teacher performance (r=0.516). a significant correlation has been identified between the school principals’ management of human table 13: correlation between management strategies by the school heads in managing the different schoolbased resources along human resources and teacher performance teacher performance human resources r-value computed t-value df critical t-value (0.05) decision 0.516 2.409 17 2.110 ho: reject resources and teacher performance. the null hypothesis is rejected by higher computed t-values (t=2. 409 > 2. 110, df=17). this indicates that the approach to managing human resources impacts teacher productivity. table 14: correlation between management strategies by the school heads in managing the different school-based resources along financial resources and teacher performance teacher performance financial resources r-value computed t-value df critical t-value (0.05) decision 0.872 6.423 13 2.160 ho: reject there is a strong correlation between the school heads’ financial management strategy and teacher performance (r=0.872). at a significance level of 0. 05, the null hypothesis is rejected in the correlation between the heads’ management strategy on financial resources and teacher performance, with a calculated t-value of 6. 423 exceeding the critical value of 2. 160, with 13 degrees of freedom. this implies that the way financial resources are managed is connected to the performance of teachers. conclusion in the study area, school heads show transparency in using financial resources but lack training in fiscal management. concerns with physical and material resources affect teacher performance, along with human resource management. management approaches to resources impact financial and human resource matters. strategies for financial resources affect physical/material and financial concerns. recommendation the superintendent, division, and district supervisors must establish a monitoring system to evaluate school heads’ performance in implementing programs and managing expenses, especially using funds like mooe/ sbm/sbrms and canteen funds. they should ensure timely submission of liquidation reports for all school fund disbursements and implement a comprehensive teacher development program to enhance teacher skills based on their individual performance and professional development plans. regular monitoring of inset gains is also advised. school heads must allocate teachers according to their expertise, update school governing council on mandates and projects, and adhere to financial guidelines. they should improve financial management skills, assign staff for training, and collaborate with the council on budget development. it is essential to allocate resources wisely, secure funds for improvements, and maintain transparency by providing accurate financial information to stakeholders. teachers, as internal stakeholders, need to be more involved in the planning and implementation of programs, projects, activities, and expenses, especially those related to mooe funds. teachers must be careful and maintain cooperation and obligation in managing their school’s finances. references bukler, h. (2019). school leadership in context: societal and organizational cultures. in the principles and practice of educational management. paul chapman. creswell, w. (2019). educational research: planning, conducting, and evaluating qualitative and quantitative research (5th ed.). pearson education. davies, b., & ellison, l. (2020). school leadership for the 21st century: a competence and knowledge approach. routledge. emetarom, u. g. (2019). educational planning: a nigerian perspective. african journal of educational research and development. fadipe, j. o (2019). utilizing the teaching manpower in the secondary school system: a necessary administrative function for better productivity. journal of education in developing areas, x, 2006. greenfield, f. (2021). theory about organizations: a new perspective and its implications for schools. administering education: international challenge. athlone press. nchor, a. n. (2019). instructional materials and resources in nigerian secondary schools: problems and prospects. akampa journal of education, 2(1). ololube, n. (2020). teacher education, school effectiveness and improvement: a study of academic and professional qualification on teachers’ job effectiveness in nigerian secondary schools (doctoral dissertation, university of helsinki). pa ge 1 pa ge 71 american journal of education and technology (ajet) leading the digital school: exploring the relationship between learning management system practices and school leadership in senior high schools ethel jane r. malabanan1* volume 4 issue 3, year 2025 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v4i3.5409 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: may 19, 2025 accepted: june 26, 2025 published: september 05, 2025 employing a mixed method of research this study measured the usage of the five (5) components of learning management system (lms) as practiced by school leadership in private senior high schools in the province of laguna, philippines. the five components, student database (sd), curriculum development (cd), teachers’ evaluation (te), teachers’ monitoring (tm), and resource allocation (ra) as explored by akram (2022), focusing on how (lms) can revolutionize various school management functions. qualitative recommendations were also solicited from selected informants to enhance usage of lms in its five components. the school leaders and administrators used the platform as just a storage tool particularly for curriculum development, (cd) teachers’ evaluation (te) and teachers monitoring with less than fifty percent (50%) utilization. student database (sd) and resource allocation (ra) has more than fifty percent (50%) of intended lms features are utilized. school leaders and administrators have a strong tendency to develop lms programs using alternative tools like google, ms word and artificial intelligence (ai). there was a feeling among school administrators and leaders of unfamiliarity, difficulty and lack of specific technical features on the current lms platform. although low usage cutsthrough educational attainment and empirical barriers, it is recommended that institutions should sponsor extensive training on the lms platforms their institutions is currently using. keywords curriculum development, lms platform, resource allocation, student database, teachers’ monitoring and training 1 university of perpetual help system dalta, las piñas campus, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: regiosummer2019@gmail.com introduction digital age has revolutionized nearly every aspect of human life and education is no exception. educational institutions worldwide rapidly adapt digital tools and resources to enhance the school leadership functions in the areas student database, curriculum development, teachers’ evaluation, teachers monitoring, and resource allocation. this shift to the digital approach to education presented opportunities and challenges for educators and policymakers. digital tools simplified the process of data gathering, storing, and analysis and guided educators and learners in decision-making. digital schools were born out of this paradigm shift where academic institutions used technology to enhance learning, teaching and management. this made educational leaders effective in their roles (eden, et al., 2019) particularly on curriculum development and implementation. teacher monitoring and evaluation as components of school management are streamlined in collecting and analyzing performance data in the forms of student comments, classroom observations, and submission of lesson plans. attendance, class plans, and student involvement could all be monitored by administrators through digital platforms. this study veered into the dynamics between lms practices on use students database, curriculum development, teachers’ evaluation monitoring and resource allocation in private senior high schools in the province of laguna. the use of lms generates excellent learning outcomes for developing the vision, encouraging innovation, and allocating resources to ensure efficient educational processes. lms provides teachers with access to a consolidated repository of course materials, assignments, and assessments; and students in engaged interactive learning experience. this encouraged students to take control of the learning process by allowing them to review lessons for clarification and set their own learning pace providing access to learning resources at any time and location. this requires leadership that fostered a strong digital learning culture that will provide the skills and knowledge needed to optimize the capabilities of the platform while incorporating teaching-learning techniques. this will give rise to collaboration, supportive learning environment and enable the formation of online communities to discuss best practices, solve problems, and co-create educational resources. understanding the relationship between lms practices and leadership styles in senior high school institutions could help school administrators to exploit technology to improve teaching and learning experiences towards positive educational outcomes. the findings could contribute to the existing educational technology practices and empirical advice to educational leaders for school leaders in the region. theoretical framework this study articulated the concept of e-leadership of akram (2022), closing-in only how learning management systems (lms) could revolutionize some school management functions: student database, curriculum management, teachers evaluation, teachers pa ge 72 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 71-78, 2025 monitoring and resource allocation. akram (2022) identified key themes showcasing how a learning management system (lms) is associated with the five areas: student database, curriculum development, teachers’ evaluation, teachers’ monitoring and resource allocation. technology acceptance model (tam) and learning management theory (lms).) highlighted the growing popularity of tam as a suitable framework for understanding factors influencing users’ adoption and acceptance of new technologies like lms. cavus et al. (2022. integration of lms required consideration of factors that can influence its adoption and acceptance among users. the tam, with its usefulness and ease of use provided a valuable lens for examining the factors on informed decisions regarding resource allocation, curriculum development, and teacher evaluation and monitoring literature review leading digital school soliman et al. (2019) showed the significance of student feedback for an effective implementation of the learning management system (ms). this attempted to leverage in bridging the recommendations of students and administrators to form a continuum between theoretical ideals and practical application. a similar idea surfaced when charles and mkulu (2020) highlighted the collaboration between administrators, teachers and students to confront management challenges. ashrafi et al. (2020) and slideshare (n.d.) underscored the growing adoption of learning management system in higher education. students considered lms a valuable tool in enriching learning experience. the study however suggested that further research needs to ascertain the effectiveness of lms versus the backdrop of traditional methods. the success of lms implementation is best anchored on the administrator support as highlighted by thomas (2023). it pursued school leaders to have crucial role in the adoption of lms by fostering a supportive environment, providing training and enhanced their perception of the lms. earlier though kanyemba (2022) demonstrated the disparity in ict integration between universities and tvet colleges. universities with more extensive lms usage showed efficient administrative tasks in enrollment, attendance and grading to dedicate more time for other operational areas. marmoah et al. (2024) delved into the specific advantages of lms for administrators. lms with features like centralized management, data-driven insights, improved communication, and automation capabilities streamlined workflows, fostered informed decision-making, and saved valuable time and resources. the systems offered an array of benefits for stakeholders in education. this foster collaboration and harnesses the power of data. indeed, wean the fire of learning in the digital age. learning management and student database bradley and malcolm emphasized lms as a tool for enhancing the learning process through collaboration and centralized information management hub for students. odekeye et al. (2023) later highlighted lms to identify the student knowledge gaps, aligning with the core functions of databases in tracking and supporting progress of students. tus et al. (2021) and furqon et al. (2023) later explored lms within blended learning environments, emphasizing its role in student interaction. this further examined how lms served as a platform for school administrators to manage student enrollment, track progress, and communicate with stakeholders as collaborated by aruldhas in (2023 and later by husain in (2024) that further highlighted the adaptability of lms across various educational contexts, like language learning and general education. singh in (2021), yawisah et al. (2022) and arda helvacılar in (2023) introduced the concept of lms as a platform for career development. they emphasized implementation, importance of infrastructure, system capabilities and reliable internet access and other functionalities for effective student database management. impact of lms on curriculum development paguirigan in (2022) leveraged learning management systems (lms) for universities for more than just delivering online courses. it further highlighted the potential of lms platforms as collaborative spaces for faculty. however, successful lms implementation required more than just the technology itself. earlier however, asamoah (2020) emphasized the importance of collaboration with ict specialists to build a strong lms environment that empowered faculty to participate figure 1: adapted paradigm (akram, 2022) pa ge 73 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 71-78, 2025 in curriculum development through technology. fearnley & amora (2020) also emphasized a user-centered approach by understanding faculty perceptions and needs. administrators could create can encouraged faculty to leverage curriculum development. this aligned with the foundational understanding later provided by kasabova et al., (2023) who identified lms functions that administrators could strategize to actively involve faculty in shaping and implementing the curriculum. yousaf et al., (2021) considered addressing faculty concerns and fostering an environment where faculty felt empowered to actively shape the development of curriculum. use of these functionalities were later explored by furqon et al. (2023), that allowed administrators to create a collaborative environment where faculty could actively develop and refine the curriculum. the impact on student learning is a crucial consideration. garcia et al,. (2021) demonstrated the potential of lms to positively impact student learning. by promoting its effective use for development, administrators could create an environment where faculty are empowered to design and deliver a more engaging curriculum. understanding faculty engagement levels is important. as noted by ghilay (2019), activities may need more targeted administrative support for curriculum tasks by identifying reasons for low activity and implementing strategies. understanding and promoting faculty engagement created an environment where faculty felt empowered to use the lms for collaborative curriculum development. delos santos, m. s. m., durano, d. c., & hortillosa, a. d. (2022). articulated potential lms design for informed user needs. administrators acting as facilitators utilized user data to identify curriculum gaps and tailor the lms functionalities to close these gaps. this approach improves the quality of learning experiences, fosters engaging and learning environment. teachers’ evaluation the rise of online learning platforms ushered new challenges and opportunities to evaluate performance of teachers. researches by sun et al., (2023) and huang, (2022) did not directly address administrator its use for evaluation. they offered valuable insights and proposed an integrated framework encompassing student, course, instructor and organizational elements. other studies laid the potential of lms to streamline the evaluation process. phothong et al., (2023) discussed the benefits experience and designs of online submissions, evaluator assignment and automated data processing. although not directly focused on teacher evaluation, rosário and dias (2022), zeroed on user-centered design on rubrics, automate evaluation tasks and integrative student feedback tools. alhazmi (2021) earlier averred on the lms features indirectly connected with informed administrator decisions to success factors. lee and park (2021) earlier identified in artificial intelligence features with evaluation potentials that could leverage teacher evaluations. additionally, highlighted communication features that could facilitate discussions and feedback exchange between administrators and teachers, contributing to the evaluation process. teachers’ monitoring vaughn malcolm bradley, (2023). reinforced the learning process through inclusive online classroom environments and intercede structures that promote online collaborative-group discussions, professional training, and communication. teachers and administrators have an active equilibrium between learning with technological resources and guidelines from the objective monitoring and evaluation. yousof f. et al., (2021) suggested an emerging trend of the use of a system in higher educational institutes to improve the processes of teaching and learning. it discussed the phenomenological viewpoint of teachers on the use of lms as a monitoring tool. an analysis uncovered four main categories of faculty perceptions: advantages, disadvantages, features, and problems that require intensive training or faculty and students. the study of luming, piang et al (2024) discussed a strategically transitioned lms specially during the pandemic. it pointed out a visually and functionally improved interface training for familiarity among students and teachers. the frequency and manner of lms usage varied between teachers and departments, suggesting tailor-made information and support. it was suggested a dialogues involving multiple stakeholders on monitoring teachers to enhance quality of teaching and learning. the outbreak of covid-19 arinaitwe, (2024) had forced many educational institutions in uganda to adopt learning management systems and modes including moodle system approach. this enabled and enhanced online monitoring, teaching and learning as it ascertained what parameters to assessed. some of these included developing, updating and uploading content as guided by the curriculum. soko et al.’s (2024) study delved to explore the level of collaboration among stakeholders on promoting inclusive education in primary and secondary schools in lilongwe rural east and mthandiza zone in dedza. the authors exposed current insights into how teachers and stakeholders perceived their collaborative roles in achieving better learning outcomes for students with special educational need (sen). there was a strong willingness among teachers to acquire competencies and strategies to guide sen in their quest for quality education. they further showed high comprehension about inclusive education practices due to attendance on workshops other than learning on teacher training colleges. teachers showed apprehension that there was little support from schools and stakeholders especially on promoting inclusive practices in classes. this resulted to limited collaboration, conditional, erratic and unplanned activities that are done on an individual basis rather than teamwork. parents also acknowledged the strong importance of collaboration to achieve the goals and objectives of inclusive education. pa ge 74 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 71-78, 2025 bustamante, (2025). this study averred that professional development programs as essential for teaching competencies foster scientific literacy, critical thinking, and student engagement. it articulated that demographic factors like age, gender, teaching experience, and training attendance do not have significant effect on how teachers perceived the programs. there is however strong influence on grade level and educational attainment as to its effectiveness especially in collaboration, pedagogical approaches and assessment strategies. these professional development programs may prioritize mentorship programs that can further enhance teacher effectiveness in promoting scientific literacy. taking into consideration these factors will help strengthen science instruction, consequently improving the understanding and application of scientific concepts by students. hence, the study recommended an increased funding to customfit on specific grade levels and guarantee equitable opportunities for educators in resource-scarce areas. resource allocation studies have highlighted the importance of data-driven decision-making for resource allocation (willis et al., 2019). lms emphasized the need to prioritize resource allocation endeavors that have impact on student needs. analysis of student performance, resource usage and engagement metrics, administrators could identify the most effective means to allocate resources. tan et al. (2020) analyzed lms data to identify areas of frustration to accordingly allocated resources. abbad et al. (2021) identified student computer literacy as a key factor in lms use and initiated training programs. not long enough, naveh and shelef (2022) also found that initial student satisfaction with a new lms platform was low but improved over time affirming that training and initiatives are crucial before, during and after lms implementation. it appeared that underutilization, edmondson-kelly (2022) geared towards faculty development programs to address concerns about usability and build confidence in utilizing the lms. synthesis the related literature reviewed above gave the researcher a much clearer idea of the main direction of this research. these studies, books, and journals further showed the way for the researcher to see the gaps and similarities of knowledge that this research seeks to integrate and connect to create new viewpoints. the studies of soliman et al. (2019), charles and mkulu (2020) emphasized the importance of feedback in shaping effective lms implementation and utilization by bridging the gap between theoretical ideals and practical application in a school setting. medina (2021) haryani et al. (2021), and kanyemba (2022) offered a connection between textbooks, lms use and teacher performance, suggesting further that lms proficiency could enhance the accuracy of an evaluation factor. further, the studies of sackstein et al. (2019) and jung & huh (2019) stressed that successful lms implementation required attention to the specific context, specifically effective assessment tools in resource allocation as emphasized by ghani’s (2019) as reiterated by tan et al. (2020) who explored how data analysis can improve resource allocation. the researcher ardently hoped that this review of related literature would further delineate the specific place of this research in vast dimensions of existing knowledge and the results generated from this endeavor would clearly situate itself as a contribution to the existing body of knowledge. materials and methods the study utilized mixed method for an in-depth understanding of how the five features of lms platform were used for digital school management. fifteen private senior high schools in the province of laguna, philippines eighty-five (85) and eleven (11) provided quantitative and qualitative data respectively. they were personnel trusted with decision-making administrative tasks that were involved in the use of lms platform. quantitative data were gathered through a validated questionnaire using a fourpoint likert. seven (7) working days were allotted for the questionnaires to be returned and later analyzed using the statistical package for social sciences (sps). qualitative data were analyzed using narrative and phenomenological insights about lms practices. the researcher strictly observed the confidentiality of opinions, beliefs, information, and identities of the research participants in accordance with accepted research ethical standards and the data privacy act of 2013 of the philippines. results and discussions descriptions of the respondents on educational attainment and experience thirty-one-point eight percent (31.8%) are on their master’s degree studies while twenty-eight-point two percent (28.2%) have finished their master’s degree. a good number, however, eiehteen point eight percent (18.8%) are pursuing their doctorate and twelve poin nine percent (12.95) are full-pledge doctors. this sums up to 31.7% or almost one-third is relatively young dynamic school leaders who are further honing their management skills and competencies through formal education in this digital age of leadership. fifty-three percent (53.0) have experience of at least seven (7) years as an administrator, thirty-seven percent (37.6%) have been school leaders for at least four years. a total of ninety-point seven percent (90.7%). are relatively experienced leaders. however, a seventy-four have at least point one percent (74.1 have used lms only for the last three (3) years, although lms have been available for the last four (4) years, (priti & chetna, 2019; eden et al., 2019). the use of learning management systems for student database the composite mean (cm) on student database (sd) is pa ge 75 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 71-78, 2025 2.99, interpreted as sometimes used. this is generally low usage taking into consideration the dictum technological age as alleged by medina (2021) that lms proficiency can enhance safety and accuracy of student data. haryani et al. (2021) and kanyemba (2022) in fact offered a connection between higher lms use and stronger teacher performance on monitoring students learning processes. school administrators and academic leaders used lms feature on student database only to manage student communication by sending out important announcements and updates. although soliman et al. (2019) emphasizes the importance of student feedback, charles and mkulu (2020) highlighted collaboration among to overcome management challenges and improve student performance. educational leaders felt that ms word, or even spreadsheet (google sheets, excel) are easier to adapt and work well with other tools. one educator quipped: we “often lean toward tools that feel more comfortable especially during face-to-face classes”. a school leader lamented that: “there is lack of awareness and training for actual users of our lms platform”. the current lms appears more complicated than artificial intelligence applications. school administration felt that there are redundant applications like ms word. although the current lms platform has potential to speed up teachinglearning processes, it has inherent limited functionality. concerns on data integration and the availability of alternative solutions external limitations add up to technical challenges that frequently result to partial or non-use in more than one features of the lms. the use of learning management systems for curriculum development the composite mean (cm) for curriculum development (cd) is 2.82, interpreted as sometimes used. this is generally a low usage taking into consideration the massive adoption of learning platforms in school management paguirigan (2022). curriculum materials and interactive learning experiences require more than just technology, (asamoah (2020) but re requires collaboration with lms to participate in curriculum development through technology. school administrators and academic leaders sometimes integrate curriculum development (cd) particularly as content library to store and share curriculum-related resources like lesson plans, templates, and multimedia materials. standardized curriculum templates within the lms can ensure consistency across different grade levels and subjects. the latter results veered away from the study of medina (2021), as it suggested that lms proficiency enhances accuracy factor in the development of school curriculum. despite that school leaders failed to fully optimize lms in curriculum development, studies of fearnley & amora (2020) emphasized a user-centered approach by encouraging faculty to leverage lms for curriculum development as later advocated by kasabova et al. (2023) who identified lms functionalities that strategically utilized by administrators to involve faculty in shaping and implementing the curriculum. the integration curriculum development with external educational resources allow seamless incorporation of up-to-date content into the academic curriculum. among the uncommon application usage among participants is sharing the curriculum with parents and stakeholders. this is promoting transparency and curriculum differentiation that can be achieved by providing teachers with options to tailor content based on student needs. these imply that the current use of lms by school administrators was mainly for storage for curriculum developed in other platforms. the lms platform feature for curriculum development is underused. according to a learning are coordinator: “because it has very limited features for curriculum development, it cannot fully capture the evaluation and decisionmaking process of curriculum development.” in fact, she continued: “using the usual software and programs like ms office and the artificial intelligence software can suggest a comprehensive yet detailed view on certain topic”. there are also some issues of limited in effectiveness and efficiency in data integration, absence of advanced collaboration tools required for curriculum building. the availability of alternative solutions to lms platforms resulted to partial or non-use of lms in this area. the informants believed that current lms platform is not user friendly perhaps due to lack of technical and operational trainings. “the lack of knowledge of the intended and beneficial users of the platforms. it is simply: it is not user-friendly” one coordinator emphasized. “and i would like to recommend comprehensive training and support programs for school the use of learning management system for teachers’ evaluation the composite mean (cm) on teachers’ evaluation (te) is 2.56, interpreted as sometimes used. phothong et al. (2023) earlier postulated that online submissions and automated data processing as collaborated by sun et al. (2023) and huang, (2022) could allow for a more accurate and comprehensive evaluation of teachers. classroom observations, panda (2021) and lee (2021) to ensure teaching quality and practices this lms feature can indirectly collect data on student engagement, course completion and performance. data on student achievement and feedback linked to specific teacher was however used mainly for storage for manually collected evaluation data of teachers. inherent technical and practical limitation impeded the application of this lms feature. “it typically cannot capture the full range of factors needed for comprehensive teacher evaluation”, said a seasoned principal. even transfer of the encoded data to the platform is time consuming and we prefer the traditional way or the “way the know how to maximize time”, a learning coordinator added. the use of learning management system for teachers’ monitoring school administrators only used sometimes this lms feature to monitor teachers. laming, piang et al. (2024) pa ge 76 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 71-78, 2025 however averred that while lms was previously viewed as merely a repository of course materials, it has strategically transitioned as key information dissemination tool during the pandemic as an alternative communication channel. it integrated into teaching and a component for monitoring performance. a tailor-made information and support for each department were facilitated. it becomes easier to monitor professional development programs for teachers as it blended into electronic completion and data analysis for urgent interventions. kasabova et al. (2023) indeed demonstrated how measuring aspects like teaching quality and student understanding facilitated by lms contribute to positive outcomes. despite the adoption of lms for more than five (5) years in school management, there is a growing perception that there is very limited familiarity on its features for monitoring teachers. “it is both simplicity and complexity issues”, a principal said. the platform primarily focused on student learning and not monitoring teachers’ performance. “it has scope limitations and privacy restrictions”, she continued. handheld tools and software become convenient alternatives. lack of practical competency further created confusion on usage of the features of the platform. the use of learning management system for resource allocation the composite mean (cm) on the use for resource allocation is 2.65 interpreted as sometimes used. this low usage is outside the ambit of technological age as suggested by saudi arabian ministry of education report (2020) that emphasized the power of lms data for resource allocation. participating school administrators seldom used this component in analyzing after-school programs and data-driven decision-making for resource allocation. willis et al. (2019) emphasized a data-driven decision to prioritize programs that could create the biggest impact on students learning processes. charles and mkulu (2020) further highlighted collaboration among stakeholdersadministrators, teachers and students to overcome challenges in raising the bar of student performance through appropriate allocation of resources. consequently, tan et al. (2020) and edmondson-kelly (2022) explored data analysis on underutilization of a mandated lms to bridge the gap between policy and practice. this concerns on usability and confidence may be addressed through administrative support. ”i suggest that users and administrators collaborate in analyzing lms data in identifying areas of high student engagement where resources are underutilized ensuring that students have access to these resources”, a principal said. management experience of school leaders is in no way influence the use of student database lms feature. however, it was noted that curriculum development, teacher monitoring, teacher evaluation and resource allocation showed sufficient evidence to conclude that the use of these four other features mentioned above are influenced by previous management experience of school leaders. conclusions 1. lms platforms have been used in its very limited capacity despite its availability for the last seven years. only 74.1% used lms only for the last three (3) years, only (53.0%) of them actively use lms platforms despite their long experience of at least seven (7) years as administrators. 2. only 30.28% usage of lms student database feature. non-familiarity, resistance change to availability of other platforms and management support contributed much to this low usage. 3. the use on curriculum development is low only 37.3% as it does not fully capture the evaluation and decision-making process characters of curriculum development. 4. monitoring of teachers and valuation features are not proficiently utilized for it could not deal with comprehensive online evaluation and processing of automated data. 5. the resource allocation feature is under-emphasized to explore data analysis. it has not raised it bar enough to strategically leverage the allocation of resources. recommendations 1. the current institutional lms platforms may explore intensively and extensively further applications of lms and encourage academic leaders to patronize the current system through intensive training administrative support. 2. leaders may optimize adaptation of features of lms by frequently using its inherent other than their storage capabilities only. 3. extensive technical and operational training on lms to capture the decision-making processes of curriculum development and other features. 4. comprehensive training monitoring and valuation features of lms should be strategically transitioned to multiple stakeholders of educational institutions. 5. further endeavors on technical and practical applications may be explored to integrate lms features to minimize underutilization. refereces abbad, m., morris, d., & jaber, f. 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(2021). preparedness of prospective teachers for inclusive education: pre-service teachers’ knowledge and skills. review of education administration and law, 4(2), 355– 363. https://doi.org/10.47067/real.v4i2.148 pa ge 1 pa ge 9 american journal of education and technology (ajet) the role of pre-recorded lecture length and captioning in shaping business students’ learning and engagement shahadat hossain1*, florian meier2 volume 4 issue 4, year 2025 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v4i4.5691 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: july 07, 2025 accepted: august 11, 2025 published: september 24, 2025 online education has seen substantial growth over the last few years, particularly in the context of the covid-19 pandemic. the objective of this study was to investigate the impact of pre-recorded lecture duration and the availability of captioning on student engagement and learning effectiveness during the pandemic. data was collected through a survey of both undergraduate and postgraduate business students at a british university’s partnership campus in qatar. the results show that students prefer shorter recordings and perceive them as more useful for their learning. furthermore, students indicated that captions are a very useful addition to pre-recorded video lectures, and that they use both video and captions together to enhance their learning experience. the findings offer valuable insights into the preferences and experiences of students within the context of an online learning environment. pre-recorded short lectures with captions offer an advantageous learning environment for students, which educators can consider adopting in post-pandemic teaching practices as a more permanent feature. keywords captioning, covid-19 pandemic, learning effectiveness, online learning, pre-recorded lectures, student preferences 1 leeds beckett university, leeds, uk 2 heriot-watt university dubai, dubai, uae * corresponding author’s e-mail: shahadat.hossain@leedsbeckett.ac.uk introduction the global covid-19 pandemic compelled a swift transition to remote education on a global scale (asgari et al., 2021). initially, universities utilised video conferencing tools like zoom and skype but later adopted more extensive platforms like blackboard collaborate and microsoft teams. the platforms offered a range of features that improved the effectiveness of online education, including interactive whiteboards, chat capabilities, and breakout rooms specifically designed for group discussions (hamdan et al., 2020). however, given the extended duration of the pandemic, educators progressively acknowledged the importance of integrating pre-recorded lectures to enhance the educational and scholarly environment. the utilisation of pre-recorded lectures benefits both students and instructors alike (yatigammana & wijayarathna, 2021), and provides a flexible learning environment, allowing students to conveniently access course materials and advance at their preferred pace. djidu et al. (2021) demonstrate the benefits of asynchronous online classes for students facing challenges in engaging with synchronous sessions due to factors such as variations in time zones, limited internet connectivity, or personal commitments. additionally, incorporating pre-recorded lectures enables students to engage in an iterative examination of the course material, thereby facilitating a deeper understanding of the fundamental principles. in this context, two aspects of pre-recorded lectures have emerged as significant factors in determining their success as a learning tool. first, the length of the recordings must be considered (wang et al., 2022), with ensuring a delicate balance between delivering comprehensive content and sustaining student engagement being a paramount concern (kayyali, 2024). while extended video content has the potential to overwhelm students, leading to reduced attention and information retention, shorter recorded lectures considerably improve concentration, thereby aiding students in effectively absorbing crucial information. second, the incorporation of captions within pre-recorded lectures has also been identified as a significant aspect (robson et al., 2022). captions confer advantages not solely to students with auditory impairments, but also to all individuals engaged in the learning process. ranchal (2013) demonstrates that captions enhance the accessibility of content, leading to improved comprehension and engagement among students. furthermore, captions also serve to intensify the understanding of the lecture content for students with a limited command of the non-native language or those who prefer engaging with textual information rather than relying solely on auditory reception. numerous studies have investigated the impact of the sudden shift to online learning and the ensuing changes in teaching and learning resulting from the covid-19 pandemic. areas examined range from the implementation of online teaching during the pandemic (febrianto et al., 2020) and the challenges faced by universities (amini et al., 2021), to the students’ perspective (adnan & anwar, 2020) and the educators’ experience (nambiar, 2020). however, there is little evidence regarding students’ perceptions of pre-recorded lectures and the use of captions in higher education during the covid-19 pandemic. however, this is an important question, as pre-recorded lectures could serve as a viable complement to traditional on-campus instruction, especially when combined with captions, on a more permanent basis. this pa ge 10 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 9-18, 2025 suggestion draws on two theories. first, cognitive load theory (kirschner, 2002) argues that, since individuals’ working memory is limited, learners are more inclined to comprehend and retain information when it is presented in smaller, more manageable segments (kirschner, 2002). hence, shorter sessions would be beneficial. second, the cognitive theory of multimedia learning (mayer, 2005, 2017) posits that individuals process visual and verbal information through different channels, and that each has a limited memory capacity. as a consequence, lectures with captions will provide a combined visual and verbal processing of both channels, complementing each other and thereby enhancing learning. this goes for both live and pre-recorded sessions. given the importance of those two aspects of prerecorded lectures for learning success, our study provides deeper insights into the effectiveness of integrating captions and the impact of the length of pre-recorded lectures for business school degree programs. our primary aim is to investigate the impact of different durations of pre-recorded videos and the presence of captions on the effectiveness of learning outcomes. specifically, unlike previous studies that considered these two aspects separately, we combine them in a single investigation to provide a more comprehensive picture within a single dataset. the objective of this study is threefold: first, to gain insight into the participants’ preferences and perceptions about the length of pre-recorded lectures; second, to assess the impact of captions on the learning experience; and third, to assess the potential benefits associated with using pre-recorded videos that can be used as a compliment to conventional classroom teaching practice. while we do so within the realm of online education amidst the covid-19 pandemic, which offers a suitable framework, we do so with a view to the benefit of the approach in general, as pre-recordings and captions can be a valuable addition to teaching and learning going forward. a survey was sent to both undergraduate and postgraduate students enrolled in business programmes at a highly ranked british university’s overseas business school campus in qatar. the questions sought to elucidate students’ views on the effectiveness and usefulness of both pre-recorded lectures and lecture captions for their learning. based on a sample of 122 students, the results indicate that pre-recorded, shorter lectures enable students to understand complex topics better and are therefore preferred. the results also show that students generally find captions very useful and use them in conjunction with the recording. together, they can then improve student learning. our findings not only provide additional evidence on the effectiveness of variation of length of pre-recorded lectures and the benefits of including captions within the lecture, but also offer meaningful insight for educators, suggesting that short, captioned, recorded lectures can serve as effective supplementary material to enhance on-campus classroom teaching in business school degree programs. the study’s findings make a significant contribution to understanding effective online pedagogy, highlighting the importance of considering student preferences and integrating instructional approaches that enhance learning. furthermore, these findings have significant implications for the future of teaching and learning. in particular, they raise the question of whether prerecorded lectures, together with captions, could serve as a viable complement to traditional on-campus instruction, particularly in the context of business education. literature review online teaching – challenges and new pedagogic strategies while online education and teaching have potential advantages, such as enhanced flexibility, improved accessibility, and the prospect of tailored learning experiences, they also present challenges. for example, it requires pedagogical adjustments and the implementation of novel pedagogical approaches to ensure continued online educational facilities and enhance student engagement (stevanović et al., 2021; gupta, 2021). turnbull (2021) has identified five core challenges for higher education institutions transitioning to online teaching: integrating synchronous and asynchronous learning tools, access to technology, faculty and student online competence, addressing academic dishonesty, and ensuring privacy and confidentiality. studies, therefore, examined a broad variety of aspects of how teaching can be adjusted to suit online education, as well as how to improve and enhance the online educational experience. while primarily conducted in the context of covid-19 and the transition to online education, their findings can be instructive in a broader sense. for instance, lapitan et al. (2021) investigated the integration of synchronous and asynchronous learning activities using a blended learning method to enhance student engagement and facilitate active learning in chemical engineering at a university in the philippines. the asynchronous aspect of the teaching was facilitated by broadcasting pre-recorded lecture videos on youtube, enabling students to learn and progress at their own pace. video conferencing platforms, such as zoom or google meet, were used to facilitate the synchronous segment. the findings highlight the significance of effective communication, thoughtfully crafted educational resources, and engaging digital platforms. some studies explicitly focused on the student perspective and perception of online education. investigating students’ perspectives on online learning and their overall satisfaction with this mode of education, adnan and anwar (2020) examined various factors, including internet connectivity, digital literacy, engagement, and their impact on mental health. the results emphasised the necessity of implementing support systems, fostering more significant interaction, promoting clear communication, and employing effective pedagogical strategies to improve the quality of the online learning experience for students. ali (2020) highlighted the importance of proficient instructional design, robust technological infrastructure, pa ge 11 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 9-18, 2025 and comprehensive faculty development in ensuring high-quality online learning experiences, emphasising the need for adaptability, student engagement, and support mechanisms within remote learning. chen et al. (2020) examined dental students’ viewpoints on arranging online symposia with dental educators from different countries, focusing on students’ preferences regarding instructional approaches and specifically comparing synchronous and asynchronous learning methods. exploring several factors, including engagement, interaction, time management, and the efficacy of diverse instructional strategies, the results underscore the significance of employing student-centered methodologies, fostering effective communication, and providing avenues for active learning within the online setting. similarly, simamora (2020) investigated performing arts students and reported various concerns, including the restricted availability of specialised facilities, diminished prospects for hands-on training and performances, and the consequences for artistic expression and collaborative endeavours. academic achievement and overall performance of students in online learning environments versus traditional face-to-face instructional settings were factors explored by chisadza et al. (2021). the results indicate that online learning demonstrated efficacy in facilitating the continuation of learning, but in-person interactions were deemed essential to achieve superior academic outcomes. the research also emphasises the significance of employing blended methodologies that integrate both online and in-person teaching methods to maximise educational achievements. a study by chung et al. (2020) among malaysian students, however, has raised concerns regarding their capacity for self-regulated learning and their attitudes towards online education, which may not be beneficial for online success. evaluating student satisfaction with online education and improving it are also concerns for educators. faize and nawaz (2020) examined the various factors that impact student satisfaction, encompassing elements such as course design, instructor support, opportunities for interaction, and technological infrastructure. the results underscore the significance of incorporating active learning strategies, providing timely feedback, and fostering effective communication to augment student satisfaction. hamdan et al. (2020) analysed the challenges and experiences of both students and educators regarding the difficulties encountered during the transition to online learning and the strategies implemented to address these difficulties. the results shed light on various concerns, including challenges related to technology, limited opportunities for in-person communication, and the importance of well-designed instructional strategies. in this context, several studies (simamora et al., 2020; pokhrel & chhetri, 2021) have examined the key factors that educators need to implement to make online teaching successful, highlighting the importance of enhancing pedagogical approaches, continuous professional development, technological assistance, and collaborative efforts. pre-recorded lectures in line with the objective of our study, several studies have examined various aspects of pre-recorded lectures. the pre-recorded lecture was introduced in the pre-pandemic era, in addition to traditional on-campus teaching (o’callaghan et al., 2023). recorded lectures have the key trait of separating the lecture from the physical classroom in terms of space and time, significantly changing the dynamics of interaction between students and instructors and potentially influencing students’ overall experience of higher education (weidman et al., 2001). a study by cilesiz (2015) describes the adoption of recorded lectures by students as an acculturation process with four stages: ignorance, disillusionment, crisis, and coping, within the institutional context. while the question was raised about how this pedagogical approach can be equally beneficial in different disciplines (dona et al., 2017), this was not a significant concern during the prepandemic period, as on-campus teaching predominantly covered academic teaching functions. the covid-19 pandemic triggered a rapid switch to online learning in higher education (oyedotun, 2020; hassan, 2021). as education is primarily based on students, teachers, content, and interactions among these elements (bernard et al., 2009; garrison, 1989), online platforms were the only method of maintaining academic functionality and ensuring interaction between these core elements during the pandemic. for example, pre-recorded lectures were used in parallel with live online lectures to continue an uninterrupted academic timetable (adebesin et al., 2021). research to date on the effectiveness and value of pre-recorded sessions remains limited, particularly in determining the optimal recording length. despite previous concerns about the comparative efficiency of pre-recorded and live online lectures in terms of students’ academic performance (le, 2022), research evidence suggests that pre-recorded lectures can be a valuable tool for learning. for example, syynimaa (2019) found that pre-recorded video lectures can be equally effective as face-to-face lectures in terms of knowledge acquisition and retention, and can have positive effects on students’ grades. islam et al. (2020) conducted a comparative analysis of the effectiveness of pre-recorded vs live zoom lectures in business management courses, examining student perceptions and learning outcomes. the results indicate that students preferred pre-recorded video lectures due to their flexible nature and convenient accessibility. at the same time, live zoom lectures were highly regarded by students for their ability to facilitate real-time interaction (islam et al., 2020). brown (2022) provided contrary evidence, finding that pre-recorded lectures have little impact on course pass rate due to a lack of engagement in learning. lecture captions to date, there is minimal research into captions and their role in learning. for example, ranchal (2013) demonstrates that captions enhance the accessibility pa ge 12 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 9-18, 2025 of content, leading to improved comprehension and engagement among students. furthermore, captions also serve to intensify the understanding of the lecture content for students with a limited command of the non-native language or those who prefer engaging with textual information rather than relying solely on auditory reception. robson et al. (2022) surveyed academics from a large group of uk universities about their views on the future of lectures post-pandemic. their results highlight that staff clearly saw the need for captioning of lecture recordings. the reasons cited were that captions make learning more inclusive and accessible to students. summary from the review, it is evident that a gap exists in the existing literature regarding whether the length of pre-recorded (asynchronous) lectures with embedded captions effectively supports pedagogical narratives in higher education. in this paper, we add to the expanding body of literature in this field by presenting a case study that explores students’ reflections on the varying lengths of pre-recorded lectures with captions at a british university’s overseas business school campus in qatar. materials and methods overall approach this section outlines the data collection procedure, the questionnaire used, and the precautions taken to safeguard data confidentiality and anonymity. we employed a case study approach to collecting data from undergraduate and postgraduate business students enrolled at the partnership campus of a highly ranked british university in qatar. to gather the data, a survey was disseminated to participants via email over a 10-week period during the second semester of the 2021-22 academic year (january to march 2022). the survey instrument was developed utilising google forms, with the survey link incorporated within the electronic communication dispatched to the student cohort. this methodology facilitated a convenient and efficient data collection process, allowing respondents to complete the questionnaire at their preferred time (simamora et al., 2020). questionnaire design the questionnaire was developed as a mix of various question formats to address the research objectives. these include likert-scale rankings and multiple-choice questions. the survey contained a total of 17 questions, and the instrument was designed in a structured format to collect demographic data, including variables such as the educational attainment level being pursued, current employment status, area of academic focus, and study arrangement (either full-time or part-time) (adedoyin & soykan, 2023). furthermore, the survey encompassed inquiries about the preferences and perceptions of the participants regarding the duration of pre-recorded lectures, the efficacy of both short and long pre-recorded lectures, the influence of captions on the learning process, viewpoints on the length and format of videos, and the potential advantages of pre-recorded lectures (simamora et al., 2020). the questionnaire can be found in the appendix. data protection several measures were implemented to safeguard the confidentiality and anonymity of the participants. the introductory section of the questionnaire indicated that participation was optional and that individuals’ identities would remain confidential. participation was voluntary. students gave written informed consent and were told that they could withdraw at any time. the participants were guaranteed that their responses would be handled confidentially and that only summarised statistical findings would be disclosed (ali, 2020). the questionnaire and data analysis process did not involve collecting or storing personally identifiable information (adedoyin & soykan, 2023). results and discussion results demographic information a total of 122 students participated in the survey, comprising a heterogeneous cohort of students pursuing different levels of education and specialising in various academic disciplines. tables 1 and 2 present a detailed breakdown. we can see from table 1 that 76.2% of participants were undergraduate students, and 23.8% were postgraduate students. the majority of students at both levels are enrolled in one key business management course (48.4% table 1: total participants cohort programme participants u nd er gr ad ua te 9 3 st ud en ts (7 6. 2% ) accounting and finance 37 (39.8%) business management 45 (48.4%) business management and information systems 06 (6.5%) business management and international relations 05 (5.4%) po st gr ad ua te st ud en ts 2 3 (2 3. 8% ) mba 11 (37.9%) international business management (msc) 13 (44.8%) international human resource management (msc) 02 (6.9%) llm 03 (10.3%) total 122 (100%) and 44.8%, respectively), followed by another very popular course, so that overall, two courses make up the bulk of students both at ug level (88.2%) and at pg level (82.7%). pa ge 13 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 9-18, 2025 table 2 shows that the majority of undergraduate students are in their third year (40.9%) or final year (30.1%) of study. given their greater exposure to learning and teaching experiences, this indicates that the sample is appropriate for our study. student view of pre-recorded lectures the results revealed that a notable percentage of lectures have the advantage of allowing for a focused delivery of content and reducing the cognitive load on students, leading to improved comprehension and retention of information. conversely, it has been observed that lectures of longer duration, typically lasting between 1 – 2 hours, may offer diminished benefits (table 4). this could be attributed to the challenges posed by individuals’ limited attention spans and the substantial volume of information encountered during extended video sessions. we can also see from table 5 that overall, 71.4% of students highly rated the short recordings as useful table 2: undergraduate students, year of study year of study: undergraduate students participants year 1 05 (5.4%) year 2 22 (23.7%) year 3 38 (40.9%) year 4 28 (30.1%) total 93 (100%) participants (51.6%) preferred pre-recorded lectures over live lectures, given the limitations imposed by the covid-19 pandemic (table 3). when split by ug vs pg level of studies, the vast majority of ug students (76%) preferred pre-recorded lectures, compared to 59% of pg students. a slightly lower preference among pg students might be because they tend to be older, often returning to higher education after a few years into their careers. that means their initial higher education may have been in the traditional, on-campus format, so they are accustomed to that. however, taken together, across levels of study, there is a clear preference for pre-recordings. this preference can be attributed to the flexibility and convenience it offers, allowing students to access the material at their desired pace and with ease (adnan & anwar, 2020). the findings align with the broader trend observed in the field of education amidst the pandemic, where educational institutions worldwide expeditiously adopted online learning platforms to ensure the uninterrupted progression of academic pursuits. the following two sections present the analysis of the survey responses, split by our two key variables of interest. table 3: preferences of lecture delivery students’ preferences for lecture delivery online live lectures 28.7% pre-recorded lectures 51.6% recorded live lectures 19.7% first, the results regarding the length of pre-recordings are presented. second, the results for lecture captions. impact of length of recording on effectiveness our first key question concerns the impact of recording length. the results indicate that participants held the perception that shorter pre-recorded lectures, spanning from 5 to 12 minutes, were preferred, as shown in table 4. this discovery is consistent with previous research that suggests shorter video segments benefit learner engagement and retention (syynimaa, 2019). shorter table 4: students’ response to the usefulness of the length of pre-recorded video lectures students’ preference on the length of the lecture several short videos (5 – 12 minutes) to cover a whole lecture 77% a long video (1 to 2 hours) to cover the lecture 23% table 5: usefulness of short video length ranking (1 – 10) 1 – 2 2 – 4 5 – 6 7 – 8 9 – 10 percentage 4% 4.9% 19.7% 30.3% 41.1% (ranked as 7-10). more specifically, 65% of pg and 83% of ug students consider this format highly useful. when looking at the qualitative comments from the survey, a similar picture emerges. for example, a participant commented on an hour-long recorded lecture, “i would not be motivated to watch it as there will be a lot of information, and it should be watched multiple times to understand”. similarly, participants from the undergraduate cohort commented positively on short, pre-recorded lectures, e.g.: “that is a good way to learning as it does not overwhelm the student”, or views such as “slightly better than long lecture videos, slightly more effective in understanding the material”, or “this has been seen as an effective method, as students focus on particular topics and the focus towards the material is high. it gives students a break to restart. it builds a sense of accomplishment too, by which students can cover more topics”. impact of captions on learning effectiveness our second key question is about the impact of lecture captions on the effectiveness of the learning process. captions serve as an additional resource that aids in understanding educational materials, particularly benefiting students who experience hearing impairments or encounter language-related challenges (ali, 2020). moreover, as suggested by the cognitive theory of multimedia learning, an individual processes verbal information separately from visual information; thus, it pa ge 14 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 9-18, 2025 complements and aids the learning process (mayer, 2005, 2017). our results show that a considerable percentage of participants (87.7%) indicated that captions had a positive impact on their learning experience, rating them as “useful” (32%) or “very useful” (55.7%) for learning (table 6). here again, a ug vs ug split appears: while the majority of pg students (58.6%) rated it as “useful” or “highly useful”, the favorability among ug students is much higher, with 95.7%, thus nearly all the students in the sample. the incorporation of captions in videos has the potential to enhance comprehension by providing visual reinforcement to the auditory material. this, in turn, can lead to improved retention and increased accessibility for a broader range of learners (adnan & anwar, 2020). the positive perception of captions aligns with the principles of universal learning design, emphasising the importance of inclusive educational strategies (brown, 2022), and the suggestions by the cognitive theory of multimedia learning. further evidence for the usefulness of both visual and verbal communication in a single video, as well as their table 6: usefulness of video captions very useful useful neutral not useful not at all useful 55.7% 32% 10.7% 1.6% 0% complementary nature, is evident. it highlights that the majority of students (82.8%) use both channels together in their learning. this strongly suggests that combining both in pre-recordings is beneficial for the students. particularly, in light of our results above, short videos and captions improve learning effectiveness. the benefits of short pre-recorded lectures and captions as the results presented above show, the participants expressed a favourable inclination towards employing a collection of concise videos, varying in length from 5 to 12 minutes, to tackle the topic for the designated week. the results in table 7 (below) clearly demonstrate the perceived benefit of short videos for learning, as overwhelmingly (86.1%) students stated that this format helps them understand the topic. applying this specific format facilitates the conveyance of concentrated and comprehensible content, thereby augmenting comprehension and information retention (tang et al., 2021). the pedagogical approach of dividing the subject matter into smaller segments allows students to engage with the material incrementally, thereby enhancing their understanding gradually (turnbull et al., 2021). this finding presents empirical support for the notion that the effectiveness of learning is enhanced when information is partitioned into smaller, more easily digestible units, aligning with the fundamental tenets of cognitive load theory and multimedia learning. taken together, our results provide quantitative evidence in support of the notion that shorter lectures and the table 7: do the short lectures help understand the topic students’ response on how recorded short lectures help understand the lecture topics yes 86.1% no 6.5% not sure 7.4% integration of captions contribute to enhanced learning outcomes. the findings indicate a strong positive effect of shorter duration of pre-recorded lectures on the perceived effectiveness of learning, as well as the presence of captions on the perceived effectiveness of learning. in a broader context, these findings highlight the importance and benefits of this shorter length format for students, indicating a potential shift in pedagogical strategies beyond the existing pandemic context (robson et al., 2022). succinct, pre-recorded lectures can be a beneficial way to enhance student learning success. the rising prevalence of hybrid and online learning models within the educational sphere has led to an increasing recognition of the advantages of pre-recorded lectures, as well as their enhanced flexibility and convenience for students. our findings are presented in table 8 below. the findings also reveal that short, pre-recorded lectures can be a valuable addition to courses in general, table 8: potential benefits of pre-recorded lectures potential benefits of pre-recorded video lectures feedback i can watch them during my own time. 94.3% i can watch them from any device – mobile, laptop or desktop. 59.8% i can watch them many times to understand the lecture clearly. 76.2% they are useful for revision before exams. 42.6% helpful to understand the complex calculation of accounting and finance. 28.7% helpful to understand the conceptual theories of business management. 38.5% pa ge 15 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 9-18, 2025 beyond the specific period studied, which necessitated their use. the perceived benefits and usefulness to students are clearly reflected in student answers to the question of whether short, pre-recorded lectures should be made a permanent feature of their studies. overall, 93.4% of students in the survey suggested that they should be used even after the covid-19 pandemic (figure 1). discussion our study makes a significant contribution to figure 1: use of short pre-recordings after covid-19 pandemic understanding student preferences and perceived experiences regarding pre-recorded lectures and captioning during the covid-19 pandemic, particularly since the results have important implications for future teaching practices beyond the period considered. this section will interpret the findings and explore their implications for online teaching practices (sepulvedaescobar & morrison, 2020). specifically, it will emphasise the advantages of utilising shorter pre-recorded lectures and incorporating captions. first, we find that students prefer lectures to be broken into smaller, shorter sessions rather than long, traditionalstyle lectures, as participants reported perceiving prerecorded lectures of 5-12 minutes as more valuable. these results align with prior research, which suggests that dividing educational material into shorter segments has advantages (ali, 2020). the favourable perception of shorter lectures can be attributed to enhanced engagement and attention span, as well as the ease of revisiting specific lecture segments (chisadza et al., 2021). segmenting the topic into shorter units facilitates gradual learning and enhanced student engagement with the subject matter, thereby promoting improved comprehension and retention (stevanović et al., 2021). shorter lecture sections facilitate the concentrated dissemination of knowledge and alleviate the cognitive burden, thereby enhancing students’ capacity to comprehend and internalise information with greater efficacy. the recognition that shorter video durations are perceived as more effective and valuable emphasises the importance of segmenting content for online educational purposes. lectures of shorter duration offer a more focused and concise approach to delivering information, resulting in a reduced cognitive load and increased student engagement (susilowati, 2020). by employing a methodical approach to breaking down complex topics into smaller, more comprehensible elements, students can effectively augment their ability to absorb and comprehend the subject matter (sepulveda-escobar & morrison, 2020). adopting shorter video durations also enables more straightforward navigation and review, allowing students to revisit specific concepts or sections requiring further clarification (tang et al., 2021). our results are therefore consistent with cognitive load theory and multimedia learning principles, which posit that learners are more inclined to comprehend and retain information when presented in smaller, more manageable segments (kirschner, 2002). furthermore, they emphasise the importance of effectively managing cognitive resources and optimising instructional design to achieve favourable learning outcomes (lapitan, 2021). at the same time, the participants ascribed a lower perceived utility to lengthier pre-recorded lectures, which spanned a duration of 1 to 2 hours. this aligns with the difficulties associated with extended video sessions, including a diminished attention span, fatigue, and information overload (simamora et al., 2020). extended lectures can potentially overwhelm students, impeding their capacity to process and retain information adequately (syynimaa, 2019). to enhance the effectiveness of learning experiences, educators should consider the potential benefits of dividing lengthier lectures into shorter segments, thereby facilitating regular intervals for rest and opportunities for reflection. second, our results provide clear evidence that students find captions useful and use them widely. participants expressed a positive perception of incorporating captions in pre-recorded lectures, with most ratings falling into the categories of either “useful” or “highly useful.” this aligns with prior arguments that incorporating captions in pre-recorded lectures improves accessibility and facilitates comprehension for a broader spectrum of learners (islam et al., 2020). additionally, the notion that shorter video durations and the incorporation of captions are perceived pa ge 16 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 9-18, 2025 as more efficacious and valuable is supported (ali, 2020). captions serve as a means of visual reinforcement for the auditory content presented in the video, thereby guaranteeing accessibility of the material also to students with hearing impairments, and can benefit students who face language-related difficulties or prefer visual learning (islam et al., 2020; simamora et al., 2020). our results further emphasise the significance of captions as an inclusive instructional strategy, reflecting the principles of universal learning design (hamdan et al., 2020). the integration of captions in educational settings enables educators to create a more inclusive learning environment, accommodating the diverse needs of learners and ensuring equitable access to educational materials. the favourable perception of captions is consistent with the principles of universal learning design, which prioritise the significance of inclusive educational approaches (lapitan, 2021). the inclusion of captions by educators can effectively broaden the accessibility of learning materials, thereby enhancing the overall learning experience for a broader range of learners. this is also consistent with the cognitive theory of multimedia learning (mayer, 2005; 2017) and the idea that, since individuals process visual and verbal information in different channels with limited memory capacity, lectures with captions will provide visual and verbal processing of both channels together, complementing each other and thereby enhancing learning. on a more general level, the results that students prefer pre-recorded lectures over live lectures is in line with the growing acceptance of online learning platforms globally. pre-recorded lectures offer students enhanced flexibility and convenience, allowing them to access educational content at their preferred pace and convenience (faize & nawaz, 2020). this preference indicates that students value the opportunity to review and revisit lectures, which facilitates enhanced comprehension and retention of knowledge (syynimaa, 2019). furthermore, prerecorded lectures cater to various learning styles and individual timetables, promoting a more customised and personalised educational encounter. our results may also be indicative of a potential shift in pedagogical methods. the growing prevalence of online and hybrid learning models has led to the acknowledgement of several benefits associated with shorter lectures, including increased flexibility, enhanced accessibility, and the promotion of personalised learning experiences (li, 2022). educators have the potential to leverage the advantages of succinct pre-recorded lectures by integrating them into blended learning approaches, which combine asynchronous content delivery and synchronous interactive sessions (prastuti, 2021). implementing this hybrid methodology can effectively integrate the benefits of both approaches, allowing individuals to acquire knowledge at their preferred pace while fostering active engagement and collaboration. the adaptability of online learning proves advantageous for students who must balance various obligations, such as employment or familial responsibilities, as it allows them to integrate their educational pursuits into their demanding schedules. our findings, therefore, also have important implications for educational practice. educators ought to contemplate the integration of concise pre-recorded lectures into their instructional design, guaranteeing that the content is delivered in easily digestible portions (djidu et al., 2021), which enables students to enhance their comprehension and cognitive processing of the subject matter, resulting in enhanced educational achievements (hamdan et al., 2020). furthermore, the inclusion of captions as a means to improve accessibility and facilitate understanding is important (ali, 2020). educators can effectively address the varied learning needs of students by incorporating captions, thereby ensuring the accessibility and comprehensibility of instructional material for all learners. the findings of this study additionally underscore the significance of instructional flexibility and adaptability. with the increasing prevalence of online and hybrid learning models, educators should be open towards integrating diverse instructional strategies and formats. the inclination towards shorter pre-recorded lectures and utilising multiple brief videos suggests that students value diversity and interactive pedagogical approaches. technology can be used to create immersive learning environments by integrating the delivery of asynchronous content with synchronous interactive sessions. by effectively integrating pre-recorded lectures and live interactions, educators have the ability to cultivate a dynamic and interactive learning environment that promotes active student participation and collaborative efforts. conclusion this study examined the impact of pre-recorded lecture duration and captioning availability on learning effectiveness during the covid-19 pandemic, when higher education institutions abruptly transitioned to online delivery. it aimed to assess whether shorter pre-recorded lectures were more effective than longer ones and to evaluate the role of captions in enhancing comprehension. data were collected via a questionnaire distributed to undergraduate and postgraduate business students (n = 122) at a british university’s partnership campus in qatar. the findings revealed significant positive correlations between shorter lecture durations and perceived learning effectiveness, as well as between the inclusion of captions and improved comprehension—aligning with prior research. both factors were shown to enhance learning quality, underscoring their importance in online instructional design. additionally, students reported actively utilising captions alongside video lectures to reinforce understanding. notably, nearly all participants expressed a preference for retaining pre-recorded lectures as a permanent feature due to their perceived academic value. while the study focused on student preferences during the pandemic, its implications extend to the broader pa ge 17 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 9-18, 2025 realm of online education. the results advance the understanding of effective digital pedagogy, emphasising the need to align teaching methods with learner needs. they offer actionable insights for optimising online instruction, advocating for concise, captioned lectures to improve engagement and outcomes in both fully online and hybrid models. however, limitations include the single-campus scope, restricting generalizability, and reliance on self-reported data, which may introduce bias. furthermore, the study examined only lecture length and captioning, leaving other potential influencing factors unexplored. future research could expand into non-business disciplines, diverse educational contexts, and mixed-method approaches, such as interviews or observational studies, to deepen insights. 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(2021). students’ perceptions of online lecture delivery modes: higher education during covid-19 pandemic and beyond. international journal of emerging technologies in learning (ijet), 16(21), 58-73. pa ge 1 pa ge 1 american journal of education and technology (ajet) writing apprehension and learning style as predictor of academic performance in filipino john lester d. combong1, melissa c. napil1* volume 4 issue 2, year 2025 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v4i2.4484 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: february 10, 2025 accepted: march 06, 2025 published: march 19, 2025 this study aims to discover among senior high school students the relationship between writing apprehension, learning styles, and academic performance in filipino subjects. data were gathered from three hundred students using a descriptive-correlational approach and validated questionnaires stratified randomly. results showed that students show a modest degree of writing anxiety, characterized by a balanced view of writing enjoyment, fear of evaluation, and self-assessment of writing competency. competitive and participative styles were the most commonly used among the examined learning styles, while individual and group projects were less common. students showed remarkable academic performance, suggesting effective adaptation to educational criteria despite different degrees of apprehension and learning preferences. writing apprehension and academic performance showed a weak but statistically significant positive apprehension according to inferential analysis, meaning that students who have more anxiety often obtain instead modestly better academic performance. by contrast, learning styles showed no significant correlation with academic performance, implying little direct influence. these results support ideas of educational productivity by showing how cognitive and contextual elements affect student performance in the classroom. writing apprehension is a challenge rather than a barrier, so motivating students to show more effort. teachers should use peer reviews, guided writing projects, mentoring programs, and cooperative learning activities to properly challenge writing apprehension. to create more successful plans for improving students’ academic performance in filipino, more study is required to grasp the mechanisms of motivation, the supporting roles of families, and institutions’ contributions. keywords academic performance, apprehension, filipino, learning style, writing 1 university of mindanao, davao city, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: j.combong.488732@umindanao.edu.ph introduction academic performance remains a significant concern in the philippines, where many students struggle to meet curriculum expectations, particularly in comparison to international standards. recent data from unesco sheds light on a troubling gap: the top 25% of filipino students perform similarly to the lowest quarter of students in singapore (edcom ii, 2024). this disparity aligns with findings from the world bank (2021), which reveal that approximately 91% of filipino secondary students do not achieve the expected proficiency in essential macro-skills, resulting in the lowest academic outcomes in southeast asia. further compounding these issues, results from the programme for international student assessment (pisa) indicate that nearly 72% of filipino students exhibit low academic performance in reading, mathematics, and science (gutiérrez et al., 2019). therefore, it is crucial to address these deficiencies to enhance educational quality and produce competent graduates who can contribute meaningfully to society (magpily & mercado, 2018; albarico et al., 2023). multiple factors influence academic performance, including students’ cognitive abilities, learning styles, emotional factors, and educational experiences. notably, writing apprehension—characterized by anxiety and fear related to writing tasks—significantly impacts students’ academic achievements by undermining their confidence, increasing procrastination, and negatively affecting the quality of their work (santos, 2018; cheng, 2004; daly & miller, 1983). additionally, the mismatch between teaching methods and students’ learning styles adversely affects comprehension, retention, and overall academic success (napil & san jose, 2020; felder & silverman, 1988). nevertheless, research exploring the combined effects of writing apprehension and learning styles, particularly within filipino language instruction, remains limited, highlighting a critical research gap. to address this gap, this study is based on walberg’s educational productivity theory (ept), which identifies cognitive, instructional, and contextual factors as key determinants of educational outcomes (fraser et al., 1987). the research also draws upon vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, krashen’s affective filter hypothesis, and kolb’s experiential learning theory to clarify the relationships among writing apprehension, learning styles, and academic performance within a culturally relevant learning environment (kolb, 1984; bandura, 1986). this study makes a significant contribution to global educational discourse. it directly aligns with the united nations sustainable development goal 4 (sdg 4), which advocates for inclusive and equitable quality education for all (united nations, 2015). specifically, this research aims to: (1) assess students’ levels of writing apprehension in terms of enjoyment, fear of evaluation, perceptions of pa ge 2 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 1-12, 2025 competence, and sharing of written work; (2) identify dominant learning styles (independent, dependent, competitive, collaborative, avoidant, and participative); (3) evaluate students’ academic performance in filipino; (4) investigate the relationships between writing apprehension and learning styles and their impact on academic performance; and (5) determine the individual and combined effects of these factors on academic outcomes. furthermore, this research provides empirical evidence to assist educators, curriculum planners, and policymakers in developing targeted interventions that reduce writing apprehension, accommodate diverse learning styles, and ultimately enhance students’ academic performance and educational experiences. literature review academic performance continues to be a significant issue in the philippines, as numerous students find it challenging to fulfill curriculum requirements, especially in relation to international benchmarks. unesco data indicates that the highest-performing 25% of filipino students demonstrate academic achievement comparable to the lowest-performing students in singapore. the second congressional commission on education ii (edcom ii, 2024) corroborates this conclusion, highlighting pervasive learning deficiencies among filipino students. this corresponds with prior findings from the world bank (2021), which indicated that 91% of secondary students in the philippines fail to attain expected proficiency in essential macro-skills, representing the lowest performance in southeast asia. the 2018 program for international student assessment (pisa) results revealed that 71.8% of filipino students demonstrated low academic performance in reading, mathematics, and science, marking one of the highest rates worldwide (gutiérrez et al., 2019). it is important to deal with poor academic performance because it shows problems in the quality of education and has a big effect on the development of skilled graduates (magpily & mercado, 2018). ariaso (2018) highlighted that multiple factors affecting student learning substantially influence academic performance. gutierrez et al. (2019), using data from pisa 2018, also found that students’ self-concept, reading comprehension, and metacognition were all important factors that led to poor academic performance. further research demonstrates that both cognitive and non-cognitive factors jointly influence academic achievement (liem, 2016). dayon (2020) talked about a lot of things that affect academic performance, while albarico et al. (2023) said that problems at school, at home, and in personal life were the biggest problems, showing how important it is to fix these problems to make education better. understanding academic performance is essential in psychology and education, especially in assessing the influence of cognitive abilities and emotional factors on learning. research indicates that writing apprehension and learning styles substantially affect academic performance. tadese et al. (2021) discovered a positive correlation between maturity, study discipline, and enhanced academic performance. peng and kievit (2020) established a bidirectional relationship between cognitive abilities and academic achievement, highlighting that self-efficacy and writing anxiety substantially influence learning. these findings highlight the imperative for strategies to alleviate writing apprehension, thereby enhancing students’ academic performance. writing apprehension significantly affects student confidence, frequently resulting in reduced academic performance (daly & miller, 1983). similarly, a discrepancy between learning styles and instructional methods detrimentally influences understanding and retention, thereby negatively affecting student performance (napil & san jose, 2020). bandura (1986) underscored the critical importance of self-efficacy in academic achievement, while kolb (1984) accentuated the value of experiential learning in enhancing understanding. consequently, addressing these factors is essential to improve students’ learning and performance. prior research thoroughly examined the influence of writing apprehension on academic achievement. cheng (2004) discovered that writing apprehension substantially impeded students’ academic performance due to anxietyinduced cognitive overload. felder and silverman (1988) illustrated that incongruent teaching methodologies and learning styles adversely affected mathematical problemsolving abilities. furthermore, hailikari et al. (2008) demonstrated that students’ learning styles affected their comprehension of scientific concepts. however, not much research has looked at these factors specifically in the context of learning filipino. that’s why this study looks at how writing anxiety and learning styles affect academic performance in filipinos. writing apprehension, defined as anxiety related to writing, is extensively researched for its detrimental effects on academic performance. santos (2018) observed that students exhibiting elevated writing apprehension frequently procrastinate, hastily complete tasks, evade assignments, or produce inferior outputs, thereby adversely affecting their grades. reyes (2019) similarly noted that students exhibiting high writing apprehension achieved lower scores on writing assessments compared to their peers with lower apprehension. fernandez (n.d.) emphasized the correlations among writing anxiety, inadequate time management, and task avoidance, leading to increased stress and diminished outcomes. lim and bautista’s (2014) study illustrates the correlation between writing apprehension and academic performance, revealing that students with elevated apprehension faced difficulties in organizing ideas and structuring essays. qadir et al. (2021) discovered that moderate writing apprehension adversely affected the quality of graduate students’ written output, whereas high apprehension hindered writing processes. these findings underscore the necessity of mitigating writing apprehension in order to improve academic performance. researchers pa ge 3 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 1-12, 2025 looked into the link between learning styles and writing anxiety and found that matching students’ preferred learning styles with the way they are taught improves their understanding and cognitive skills, which leads to higher test scores (muñoz & mederos, 2017). magulod (2019) identified substantial correlations between learning styles and academic performance, advocating for instructional methods that align with student preferences. alayon et al. (2023) recognized visual learning as effective for accountancy students, while mamba (n.d.) observed an absence of distinct learning styles among numerous k-12 graduates, impacting college readiness. in 2017, ibarientos emphasized how important cognitive and psychological learning styles are for the academic success of technical and vocational students and pushed for their inclusion in teaching methods. ipil (n.d.) demonstrated that writing apprehension hinders effective communication, thereby affecting performance. simultaneously, garcia (n.d.) emphasized that learning styles significantly influence study habits and outcomes, particularly in writing-intensive courses. the grasha-reichmann model elucidates these relationships, indicating that avoidant learners display increased apprehension, while independent learners exhibit enhanced writing confidence (miller, n.d.; white, n.d.). collaborative learners derive substantial advantages from cooperative tasks (clark, n.d.), whereas competitive learners may encounter varying levels of motivation or uncertainty contingent upon their writing achievements (brown, n.d.). consequently, implementing appropriate pedagogical strategies that correspond with students’ learning preferences can mitigate writing anxiety and improve academic performance. napil and san jose (2020) corroborated these findings, indicating that indigenous students’ beliefs and learning styles substantially impacted filipino academic performance. caparos and napil (2024) found that academically high-achieving students secured superior employment opportunities and professional advancement. addressing psychological barriers and learning preferences through targeted interventions is essential for enhancing academic success (caparos & napil, 2024; napil & san jose, 2020). this research, grounded in walberg’s educational productivity theory (ept), examines the cognitive, instructional, and contextual factors influencing academic performance (fraser et al., 1987). santos (2018) identified the detrimental effects of writing apprehension, attributing them to heightened anxiety and procrastination. grasha and riechmann’s model elucidated the impact of learning preferences on writing engagement. walberg’s theory says that when teaching methods and learning styles are compatible, writing anxiety goes down and performance goes up (lizotte et al., n.d.; garcia, n.d.; dela cruz & ramos, 2019).lev vygotsky’s sociocultural theory explains writing anxiety, how people learn, and how well they do in different cultural settings. it suggests that guided exercises and collaborative writing can help reduce anxiety (taylor, n.d.). krashen’s affective filter hypothesis says that anxiety makes it harder to learn a language and do well in school (garcia, n.d.), and kolb’s experiential learning theory stresses how important it is to make sure that each student’s learning experiences are a good fit for them (kolb, 1984; nelson, n.d.). these theories demonstrate the interconnectedness and temporal evolution of anxiety, learning styles, and academic performance. this shows how important it is to have supportive learning environments. it is important to look into the connection between writing anxiety and learning styles in order to improve academic performance, guide pedagogical approaches, and support inclusive educational frameworks that meet international standards. the conceptual framework of this study is anchored in the relationship between writing apprehension and learning styles as predictors of students’ academic performance in filipino subjects. specifically, writing apprehension refers to the anxiety or fear an individual experiences when confronted with writing tasks, potentially hindering their capacity to produce effective academic writing and negatively influencing their academic performance in subjects like filipino. for instance, one study identified ten factors contributing to research writing apprehension among senior high school students, including language proficiency and learning process skills, both negatively affecting writing ability (bastida & saysi, 2020). upon deeper examination, four primary predictors of writing apprehension emerge: writing enjoyment (the level of positive feelings toward writing), fear of evaluation (anxiety experienced when one’s writing is evaluated or graded), negative perceptions of writing competence (the belief that one’s writing ability is inadequate), and sharing written work with others (confidence in presenting written work for feedback). collectively, these can either elevate or reduce writing apprehension levels, directly affecting academic performance in filipino subjects. meanwhile, learning styles refer to the manner students acquire knowledge based on the grasha-reichmann model. according to this model, there are six primary learning styles: independent, avoidant, collaborative, dependent, competitive, and participative (dayon et al., 2020). in this context, students with avoidant styles may experience higher writing apprehension and lower academic performance, whereas collaborative and participative learners tend to actively engage in writing tasks, resulting in lower writing apprehension. understanding these relationships allows educators to create interventions that address both writing apprehension and learning styles, ultimately enhancing academic performance in filipino. moreover, this study significantly contributes to the united nations’ sustainable development goal 4 (sdg 4), aiming to ensure quality and inclusive education for all. while numerous studies have independently examined writing apprehension and learning styles, few have focused on their combined effects within the context of filipino language instruction. therefore, this research pa ge 4 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 1-12, 2025 intends to fill this literature gap, providing empirical evidence on how writing apprehension and learning styles influence academic performance. specifically, the study aims to: (1) describe the students’ writing apprehension based on writing enjoyment, fear of evaluation, negative perceptions about writing competence, and sharing written work; (2) describe students’ learning styles (independent, dependent, competitive, collaborative, avoidant, and participative); (3) describe students’ academic performance in filipino; (4) determine the relationships of writing apprehension and learning styles to academic performance in filipino; and (5) identify the individual and combined effects of writing apprehension and learning styles on academic performance. conversely, the study hypothesizes that neither writing apprehension nor learning style significantly affects academic performance. it aims to provide an empirical basis for understanding the interrelation of these variables with students’ academic performance. from a social perspective, this study has broad implications for the educational system, especially for teachers, curriculum administrators, and students. for teachers and curriculum planners, research findings can inform effective instructional strategies to mitigate writing apprehension and enhance students’ learning styles. meanwhile, academic institutions like the department of education (deped) and commission on higher education (ched) can utilize this study’s outcomes to design inclusive policies and pedagogical approaches. furthermore, students can benefit from more effective teaching strategies aligned with their learning styles, leading to greater confidence in writing and improved academic performance. this research will also serve as a significant reference for future researchers interested in studying the same topic or extending the analysis to other subjects or educational fields. thus, this study can be expanded to contribute to broader educational discourse. overall, it provides an essential contribution to global educational discourse, offering practical steps towards a more effective, meaningful, and inclusive teaching and learning system. materials and methods this section elucidates the research design, respondents, instrumentation, as well as the data gathering and analysis procedures. the collected data underwent statistical analysis to identify relationships among variables, thus serving as a basis for recommendations applicable to the instruction of filipino subjects. with respect to respondents, this study was conducted at university a, a private educational institution located in general santos city, south cotabato, with a total population of 1,362 senior high school students enrolled in filipino subjects for the academic year 20232024. using the raosoft sample size calculator, the sample size was determined as 300 respondents, applying a 95% confidence level and a 4.99% margin of error to ensure representative data. the formula used to calculate the sample size (n) is given by: n = n × z2 × p × (1 − p)/(n − 1) × e2 + z2 × p ×(1 − p) where: n = required sample size n = required sample size z= z-value (z=1.96 for 95% confidence level) p = estimated proportion (typically 0.5 for maximum variability) e= margin of error (0.0499 or 4.99%) eligible participants were grade 11 or 12 students enrolled in the selected private institution, currently taking filipino subjects during the first semester of the specified academic year. conversely, students enrolled in public schools, those not registered within the specified period, and students without filipino subjects were excluded from participation. furthermore, respondents were permitted to withdraw from the study at any time without negative repercussions on their academic standing. stratified random sampling was employed to ensure balanced and proportional representation of students based on their academic strands. in this approach, the population was divided into distinct strata, such as stem, humss, and abm, from which respondents were randomly selected from each subgroup. this method has been confirmed as effective in reducing sampling bias and enhancing result accuracy (kumar, 2020). additionally, university a was selected due to its adequate student population suitable for this study, specifically aiming to examine relationships among writing apprehension, learning styles, and academic performance in filipino subjects, making an institution with comprehensive instruction in filipino highly relevant. regarding instrumentation, a structured questionnaire comprising three sections adapted from previous studies was used and translated into filipino to ensure clarity and comprehension among respondents. the first section, addressing writing apprehension, was adapted from cornwell and mckay (2000) titled “establishing a valid, reliable measure of writing apprehension for japanese students,” consisting of four (4) indicators and twentysix (26) items. the second section, related to learning styles, was derived from ilcin et al.’s (2018) study “the relationship between learning styles and academic performance in turkish physiotherapy students,” including six (6) indicators and sixty (60) items. the final section measured academic performance using students’ grades in filipino, in line with york et al.’s (2021) suggestions from “defining and measuring academic success.” the questionnaire utilized a 5-point likert scale to guide respondents, structured as follows: (5) strongly agree, (4) agree, (3) undecided, (2) disagree, and (1) strongly disagree. participants were instructed to respond based on their actual experiences and perspectives. pa ge 5 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 1-12, 2025 following initial revisions based on adviser recommendations, the questionnaire underwent validation by five expert evaluators who provided further recommendations for enhancement. subsequently, the questionnaire was translated and contextually adapted to students’ backgrounds and underwent meticulous expert validation to ensure its appropriateness and effectiveness. additionally, pilot testing was conducted to assess internal consistency reliability using cronbach’s alpha, mathematically expressed as: α = ((𝑘/ 𝑘 − 1)(1-(∑𝑘 i=1 𝜎2/i/ 𝜎2/x)) where: α = cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient 𝑘 = number of items α2/ 𝑌𝑖 = variance of individual item scores α2/x = variance of total test scores the calculated cronbach’s alpha values were .897 for writing apprehension and .924 for learning styles, indicating acceptable reliability levels. consequently, the instrument was deemed valid and reliable for formal data collection. lastly, the interpretation of the mean scores was established using the following descriptive scale: a mean score ranging from 4.20 to 5.00 is considered “very high,” indicating that the experience occurs consistently in every instance (10 out of 10 times); a mean score between 3.40 and 4.19 is described as “high,” signifying that the experience frequently occurs, approximately seven to nine out of 10 instances; a mean of 2.60 to 3.39 is categorized as “moderate,” meaning the occurrence is occasional or experienced four to six out of 10 times; a mean from 1.80 to 2.59 is classified as “low,” indicating rare occurrence, approximately one to three out of 10 times; finally, a mean score from 1.00 to 1.79 is labeled “very low,” suggesting the experience never occurs, equivalent to zero occurrences out of 10 instances. overall, this methodological approach clearly outlines research procedures, thereby ensuring validity, reliability, and applicability of results for the improvement of instruction in filipino subjects. results and discussion this chapter presents the data and the analysis of findings derived from respondents’ answers, addressing the objectives of the study regarding the relationship of writing apprehension and learning styles as predictors of academic performance in the filipino subject. table 1: levels of writing apprehension indicators mean sd interpretation enjoyment in writing 2.68 0.77 moderate fear of evaluation 2.67 0.79 moderate negative perception of writing competence 2.80 0.63 moderate sharing written work with others 2.79 0.85 moderate overall 2.73 0.61 moderate writing apprehension based on table 1, the levels of respondents’ writing apprehension across various indicators are presented. the overall mean score of 2.73 (sd = 0.61) indicates a moderate level of writing apprehension among the respondents. slight variations in mean scores across different indicators suggest varying levels of anxiety, enjoyment, and confidence related to writing tasks. the lowest mean score was observed in the indicator “fear of evaluation” (m = 2.67, sd = 0.79), whereas the highest mean was recorded in “negative perception of writing competence” (m = 2.80, sd = 0.63). these data suggest that although slight differences exist among specific indicators, the overall level of writing apprehension remains moderate, implying respondents experience neither excessively high nor particularly low anxiety about writing. further examination of results reveals that respondents expressed moderate levels of enjoyment in writing, indicating they neither fully enjoyed nor entirely disliked the activity. for instance, the indicator “enjoyment in writing” obtained a mean score of 2.68 (sd = 0.77), highlighting respondents’ uncertainty regarding their enjoyment of writing tasks. conversely, the highest mean score, found in “negative perception of writing competence” (m = 2.80, sd = 0.63), implies that many respondents doubted their ability to write effectively. this apprehension toward writing and disseminating their work could also reflect a lack of selfconfidence in terms of academic writing. the moderate level of apprehension observed might suggest that while students possess adequate writing skills, they still encounter challenges that potentially impact their overall academic performance. bernardo (2018) highlighted a clear relationship between students’ writing apprehension and their beliefs, noting that high levels of negative perception toward writing may lead to limited academic performance. additionally, santos and dizon (2019) emphasized fear of evaluation as a critical factor influencing students’ writing, particularly among those lacking confidence in their academic abilities. reyes and cruz (2019) supported these findings, reporting that negative self-perception in writing skills can cause demotivation toward academic writing tasks. on the other hand, delos santos and magno (2021) found that enjoyment in writing directly impacts students’ academic performance, suggesting positive experiences in writing can foster higher productivity and confidence in academic contexts. these findings align with multiple theoretical perspectives. daly and miller’s (1975) writing apprehension theory pa ge 6 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 1-12, 2025 explains that heightened writing anxiety often results in lower academic performance and avoidance behaviors related to writing tasks. bandura’s (1997) self-efficacy theory further highlights the significance of belief in one’s writing ability as a key determinant of academic success. furthermore, eccles and wigfield’s (2002) expectancy-value theory suggests that students feel more motivated toward writing when they value the task and believe they have the capability to succeed. overall, the reviewed literature underscores the need for more effective writing training and guidance to reduce students’ writing apprehension and enhance their self-efficacy, both significantly contributing to improved academic skills and performance. learning styles meanwhile, based on table 2, the levels of respondents’ learning styles across various indicators are presented. the overall mean score of 2.60 (sd=0.56) indicates a moderate level of learning style preference among respondents. the data further reveal that certain aspects of learning are rated at lower levels, whereas others are perceived as moderate. the highest mean is observed in the “competitive” indicator (m=3.28, sd=0.89), suggesting that some students are more motivated and enthusiastic in their studies when competition is involved. conversely, the lowest mean is found in “collaborative” (m=2.31, sd=0.86), indicating fewer students effectively learn through cooperation or collaboration with peers. these findings demonstrate that students’ learning preferences are not predominantly concentrated on any single strategy. for example, “independent” (m=2.55, sd=0.71) and “dependent” (m=2.38, sd=0.80) styles are both at lower levels, implying that not all students possess strong abilities for autonomous learning or rely heavily on traditional educational structures. additionally, “avoidant” (m=2.63, sd=0.68) is at a moderate level, signifying that some students occasionally avoid difficult learning tasks. overall, the moderate mean score suggests that students employ a combination of positive and negative learning strategies depending on the situation and specific academic tasks required. table 2: levels of learning styles indicators mean sd interpretation independent 2.55 0.71 low avoidant 2.63 0.68 moderate collaborative 2.31 0.86 low dependent 2.38 0.80 low competitive 3.28 0.89 moderate participative 2.47 0.77 low overall 2.60 0.56 moderate according to piaget’s constructivist learning theory (piaget, 1956), students actively construct knowledge based on their experiences. this perspective is further supported by vygotsky (1967), who asserts that collaborative learning is a crucial element in enhancing academic performance. however, the observed low mean score in collaborative learning indicates that some students are more comfortable with individual learning rather than engaging collaboratively with peers. bandura’s social learning theory (bandura, 1989) posits that competition can serve as a positive motivational factor in learning, provided it is used constructively to enhance academic performance rather than causing undue stress to learners. ormrod (2012) and schunk (2014) similarly affirm that students’ motivation can be influenced by their learning styles and how effectively their educational environment supports these preferences. overall, these findings demonstrate that students possess varied learning styles significantly shaped by their confidence, motivation, and perceptions towards academic tasks. the relatively higher mean score on the competitive indicator suggests that competition can effectively motivate students’ learning engagement. conversely, the lower mean score on collaborative learning implies a necessity for strengthening classroom strategies that foster collaboration. as reyes and cruz (2019) recommend, utilizing diverse learning strategies can substantially enhance students’ academic achievement. consequently, educators are encouraged to integrate a balanced combination of individual, collaborative, and competitive instructional methods to more effectively address diverse student learning needs and optimize educational outcomes. academic performance based on table 3, the level of academic performance among respondents is presented. the obtained mean score of 4.39 (sd=0.28) indicates a very high level of academic performance. the low standard deviation implies minimal variability in respondents’ answers, suggesting that most students consistently achieved high grades or excellent academic outcomes. these results may reflect effective implementation of learning strategies, high levels of student motivation, and strong support from the academic environment. the notably high academic performance of the students may be attributed to their learning styles, confidence in writing, and level of apprehension. previous tables illustrated moderate writing apprehension and varying learning styles among students, yet many demonstrated competence sufficient to pa ge 7 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 1-12, 2025 achieve high academic scores. the high mean score also implies that students possess adequate writing skills and effectively benefit from their educational environment, ultimately leading to enhanced academic performance. table 3: level of academic performance indicator mean sd interpretation academic performance 4.39 0.28 very high according to zimmerman’s (2002) self-regulated learning theory, students who effectively manage their learning through proper planning, monitoring, and evaluation of academic tasks typically achieve higher academic grades. this idea is supported by pintrich and de groot (1990), who assert that students with higher motivation and self-efficacy generally demonstrate better academic performance. additionally, dweck’s (2006) growth mindset theory posits that students who believe they can improve their skills through effort and continuous learning often achieve greater academic success. overall, the high mean score for academic performance reflects positively and suggests a strong basis for further enhancing existing learning styles and reducing students’ writing apprehension. as indicated in the study by reyes and cruz (2019), students who continuously enhance their self-regulated learning skills have a greater likelihood of succeeding academically. thus, teachers and educational institutions may strengthen existing programs to sustain students’ high academic achievement. table 4: significant relationship of writing apprehension and learning styles to academic performance in filipino subject pair variables correlation coefficient p-value decisio n on ho iv1 and dv writing apprehension and academic performance .114* .049 reject iv2 and dv learning styles and academic performance -.001 .981 accept based on table 4, the significant relationships between writing apprehension, learning styles, and academic performance among respondents are presented. the analysis reveals a significant relationship between writing apprehension and academic performance, with a correlation coefficient of .114 and a p-value of .049. since the p-value is less than the predetermined level of significance (α = 0.05), the null hypothesis (ho) is rejected. this result indicates a weak but positive correlation between writing apprehension and academic performance, implying that as writing apprehension increases, there is a slight corresponding decline in academic performance. meanwhile, analysis of the relationship between learning styles and academic performance yielded a correlation coefficient of -0.001 and a p-value of .981, exceeding the predetermined significance level (α = 0.05). consequently, the null hypothesis (ho) is accepted, indicating no significant relationship between learning styles and academic performance. this finding implies that regardless of students’ learning styles, there is no direct effect on their academic performance in the filipino subject. the results of the study support walberg’s educational productivity theory (ept), specifically concerning the relationship between writing apprehension and academic performance. table 4 shows a significant correlation between writing apprehension and academic performance (correlation coefficient = .114, p-value = .049), indicating that although weak, writing apprehension impacts students’ academic outcomes. this aligns with daly and miller’s study cited by santos (2018), suggesting that writing apprehension leads students to procrastinate, rush written tasks, and experience reduced confidence in writing, which may negatively affect academic achievement. however, the research did not support another aspect of the ept regarding learning styles influencing academic performance. results indicated no significant relationship between learning styles and academic performance (correlation coefficient = -.001, p-value = .981), suggesting that learning styles do not directly impact students’ academic performance in filipino. rather than learning styles, the findings more closely align with zimmerman’s (2002) self-regulated learning theory and eccles and wigfield’s (2002) expectancyvalue theory, both of which emphasize that personal motivation exerts a greater influence on academic success than learning styles. this implies that students who possess high self-confidence and value the subject matter are more likely to succeed academically, regardless of their individual learning styles. pa ge 8 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 1-12, 2025 table 5: significant combined influence of writing apprehension and learning style indicators on academic performance predictors b β t sig. constant 86.179 45.584 .000 writing apprehension indicators enjoyment in writing .097 .013 .159 .874 fear of evaluation .628 .089 1.128 .260 negative perception of writing competence .402 .045 .585 .559 showing written work to others .725 .110 1.393 .165 learning style indicators independent .685 .087 1.024 .307 avoidant -.180 -.022 -.287 .774 collaborative .348 .053 .542 .588 dependent -.551 -.078 -.796 .427 competitive -.124 -.020 -.318 .750 participative -1.529 -.210 -2.379 .018 r .223 r² .050 δr .017 f 1.508 p .136 further analysis presented in table 5 revealed no significant combined effect of the indicators of writing apprehension and learning styles on the academic performance of senior high school students. additionally, the analysis yielded an f-value of 1.508, an r-value of .223, and an r² value of .050, all below the established significance level of .05 for this research. this suggests that the combination of these variables does not significantly influence students’ academic outcomes in this context. upon further analysis of the data, the detailed results of this study revealed the following: enjoyment in writing showed standardized and unstandardized coefficients of .097 and .013, t-value of .159, and p-value of .874 (not significant); fear of evaluation presented standardized and unstandardized coefficients of .628 and .089, t-value of 1.128, and p-value of .260 (not significant); negative perception of writing competence had standardized and unstandardized coefficients of .402 and .045, t-value of .585, and p-value of .559 (not significant); showing written work to others obtained standardized and unstandardized coefficients of .725 and .110, t-value of 1.393, and p-value of .165 (not significant); independent learning style revealed standardized and unstandardized coefficients of .685 and .087, t-value of 1.024, and p-value of .307 (not significant); avoidant learning style had standardized and unstandardized coefficients of -.180 and -.022, tvalue of -.287, and p-value of .774 (not significant); collaborative learning style indicated standardized and unstandardized coefficients of .348 and .053, t-value of .542, and p-value of .588 (not significant); dependent learning style presented standardized and unstandardized coefficients of -.551 and -.078, t-value of -.796, and p-value of .427 (not significant); competitive learning style had standardized and unstandardized coefficients of -.124 and -.020, t-value of -.318, and p-value of .750 (not significant); and participative learning style showed standardized and unstandardized coefficients of -1.529 and -.210, t-value of -2.379, and p-value of .018 (significant). these findings align with existing studies suggesting that while learning styles and writing apprehension are important educational elements, they are not directly associated with overall academic performance. for instance, lopez’s (2023) research on language learning strategies and writing performance among grade 12 humss students indicated certain learning styles were related to academic performance, yet failed to demonstrate a direct influence. similarly, a study regarding learning strategies among senior high school students recommended identifying students’ learning styles to enable teachers to adopt appropriate instructional methods suitable to their students’ skills and abilities (tulabing, 2018). furthermore, delos santos and magno (2021) posited that writing apprehension has limited influence on academic performance if students possess high selfefficacy. reyes and cruz’s (2019) research revealed that intrinsic motivation significantly impacts writing more than learning styles. additionally, gonzales et al. (2020) indicated that selfregulation is a more effective predictor of academic success compared to writing apprehension. santos and dizon (2020) found that although writing apprehension might cause stress, it does not necessarily lead to lower academic performance, provided students pa ge 9 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 1-12, 2025 table 6: significant combined influence of writing apprehension and learning style on academic performance variables b β t sig. constant 86.304 52.741 .000 writing apprehension 1.968 .214 2.731 .007 learning style -1.474 -.147 -1.877 .061 r r² δr f ρ .157 .025 .018 3.731 .025 employ adequate coping mechanisms. villanueva and ramos (2018) observed that social interactions within classrooms negatively affected academic performance when causing distractions. additionally, as reflected in table 6, the statistical analysis concerning the combined significance of writing apprehension and learning styles suggests a low but statistically significant effect. the analysis reported an f-value of 3.731, an r-value of .157, and an r²-value of .025, which was below the study’s significance level threshold of .05. this implies that writing apprehension and learning styles are not the primary factors influencing academic performance. these findings suggest that while a statistically significant impact exists, other factors beyond writing apprehension and learning styles might have more substantial effects on the academic performance of senior high school students. a more detailed analysis of the study results indicates that the variable writing apprehension has standardized and unstandardized coefficients of 1.968 and .214, respectively, with a t-value of 2.731 and a pvalue of .007, signifying statistical significance. conversely, the variable learning style has standardized and unstandardized coefficients of -1.474 and -.147, respectively, with a t-value of -1.877 and a p-value of .061, indicating no significant effect. the statistical analysis presented in table 5.4 reveals that while writing apprehension and learning style have a significant but minor impact on academic performance, the effect size remains relatively small, as evidenced by the f-value of 3.731, r-value of .157, and r² of .025. this suggests that although these factors contribute to academic outcomes, their overall influence is limited. these findings align with previous research. for instance, dayon (2018) found that avoidant and competitive learning styles were associated with academic performance, whereas other learning styles exhibited no significant relationship. similarly, tulabing (2018) reported that learning experiences correlated with academic performance; however, only certain learning styles, such as auditory and kinesthetic, showed significant associations with performance in specific subjects, such as mapeh. these studies indicate that while learning styles and related factors such as writing apprehension may influence academic performance, they are not the primary determinants. this highlights the multifaceted nature of academic success. in this context, dayon (2020) emphasized that writing apprehension could hinder students’ academic performance, but its influence remains limited when compared to other learning factors (daly & miller, 242–249; cheng, 647–656; erkan & aydin, 379–384). overall, the findings suggest that while writing apprehension and learning styles play a role in academic performance, they are not the dominant factors, reinforcing the complex and multidimensional nature of academic achievement. conclusion senior high school students exhibit moderate writing apprehension, balancing enjoyment, fear of evaluation, and self-perceived abilities. competitive and participative learning styles are dominant, while independent and collaborative styles are less common. despite writing apprehension, students maintain high academic performance in filipino. a weak but significant positive correlation exists between writing apprehension and academic performance, implying that students with higher apprehension achieve slightly better results. however, learning styles do not significantly influence academic performance, and no mediating effects were observed. these findings support walberg’s educational productivity theory, suggesting that cognitive and environmental factors shape academic performance. writing apprehension, rather than being purely negative, may encourage perseverance, while the learning style model by grasha and riechmann lacks strong support in this context. educators should integrate strategies like peer review, guided writing exercises, and mind mapping to reduce apprehension. institutions should provide writing workshops, mentorships, and alternative evaluation methods to boost confidence. encouraging collaborative learning and real-world applications can enhance motivation. future research should explore the impact of motivation, family support, and institutional interventions on writing apprehension and learning styles to develop more effective strategies for academic improvement. references alayon, m. f., alfanta, m. p., & sumicad jr., e. h. 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(2002). becoming a self-regulated learner: an overview. theory into practice, 41(2), 64–70. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15430421tip4102_2 pa ge 1 pa ge 11 3 american journal of education and technology (ajet) enhancing refuse-derived dry fuel performance: a comprehensive impact assessment of the tanza integrated waste managementand treatment facility project in barangay sahud-ulan, cavite renford ellis jenz e. alano1, aliw e. amoroso1, jennibelle lyka k. dugas1, daryl davvid s. emnacen1, john ian ii c. espejo1 jayma joyce c. estallo1, hazel marie f. ferras1*, ebrahim u. kamid1, ryan m. sadang1, romela r. valdez1 volume 4 issue 4, year 2025 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v4i4.6155 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: september 20, 2025 accepted: october 25, 2025 published: november 19, 2025 the refuse-derived dry fuel (rddf) performance of the tanza integrated waste management and treatment facility project in barangay sahud-ulan, cavite was investigated in this paper, utilizing descriptive correlational research approach. it aimed to assess rddf performance in terms of fuel quality, energy efficiency, economic viability, and environmental effect and looked whether it is affected by facility infrastructure and technology, operational efficiency, sustainability practices, and policy implementation. a total of 378 respondents which consists of waste management professionals, facility managers, legislators, business stakeholders, and community representatives were selected through stratified random sampling.findings shown that the respondents strongly agreed that facility’s infrastructure, technology, and operational systems are very effective in enhancing rddf performance. it also revealed that facility operational factors and rddf outcomes had significant relationship leading to the confirmation that modern technology, efficient waste segregation, and effective policy implementation directly amend fuel quality and energy recovery. additionally, sustainability and environmental management were also known as significant components in lessening emissions and ensuring long-term ecological balance. thus, the study revealed that tanza facility positively contributes to sustainable waste management and alternative energy production. keywords circular economy, environmental management, operational efficiency, policy implementation, refusederived dry fuel (rddf), sustainability, waste-to-energy 1 philippine christian university, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: aja0509briseis@gmail.com introduction due to the higher demand for sustainable waste management solutions, an alternative energy source is developed such as the rddf or what is known as the refuse-derived dry fuel. based from anderson and patel (2022), the said is produced through processing nonrecyclable municipal solid waste into high-energy fuel which contributes to alternative conventional fossil fuels. its effectiveness relies on some factors such as fuel quality, energy efficiency, economic viability and environmental impact. knowing how waste management facilties like rddf performance is necessary in managing its benefits and securing long-term sustainability (garcia & lee, 2022). globally, countries like sweden and japan’s waste energy technologis gained the attention of the masses and shown that there are really available advanced waste management systems which could reduce landfill dependency and minimize carbon emissions (brown & sanchez, 2024). still, challenges on how to modify rddf production efficiency and ensuring sustainability appears in different contexts (torres & kim, 2023). numerous studies were done relative to rddf but the gaps still were not fill in terms of assessing the effectiveness of integrated waste management facilities in developing rddf performance. some recent studies focused on its technological aspects of waste-to-energy conversion but overlooked vital factors like policy implementation, operational efficiency and environmental sustainability (martinez & cruz, 2021). nguyen and santos (2023) mentioned that there is also a limited research on the economic viability of rddf in developing countries. in the philippines, a policy known as ecological solid waste management act of 2000 (ra 9003) promotes waste segregation, recycling, and alternative waste utilization (santos & rivera, 2022) but its enforcement remains a problem and a stronger policy implementation and monitoring mechanisms are seen vital to develop rddf perfromance and sustainability (cruz & lim, 2023). locally, in brgy. sahud-ulan, cavite, the tanza integrated waste management and treatment facility project inititiates sustable waste processing. it employs advanced technologies (torres & mendoza, 2022) and seeks to support cleaner energy production, concerns about sustainability, operational efficiency, and environmental impact persist (garcia & fernandez, 2023). with the present numerous challenges in integrating rddf production (nguyen & torres, 2024) and emissionrelated risks (martinez & santos, 2023), a need to conduct this study is significant in enhacing rddf performance and lessening environmental damages. pa ge 11 4 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 113-122, 2025 objectives this study examined how the tanza integrated waste management and treatment facility project affects the performance of refuse-derived dry fuel (rddf) in barangay sahud-ulan, cavite. it focused on how facility infrastructure, operational efficiency, sustainability practices, and policy implementation influence rddf fuel quality, energy efficiency, economic viability, and environmental impact. the findings would help identify challenges in rddf production and provide recommendations for optimizing waste-to-fuel conversion while ensuring environmental sustainability. specifically, this aimed to: 1. assess the demographic profile of the respondents in terms of sex, age, civil status and educational attainment. 2. identify how do local stakeholders assess the tanza facility’s impact on rddf performance in terms of facility infrastructure and technology, operational efficiency, sustainability and environmental management and management and policy implementation. 3. investigate how do local stakeholders evaluate the quality and effectiveness of rddf in terms of fuel quality, energy efficiency, economic viability and environmental impact. 4. test the significant difference in how respondents evaluate rddf performance when grouped according to their demographic profile. 5. test the significant relationship between the tanza facility’s operational factors (infrastructure, efficiency, sustainability, and policy implementation) and rddf performance (fuel quality, energy efficiency, economic viability, and environmental impact. materials and methods this part presents the methodology the researcher employed in analyzing and interpreting the data about the variables in the study. research design a descriptive-correlational research design with the integration of regression analysis was utilized in this study to assess the impact of tanza integrated waste management and treatment facility project on refusederived dry fuel (rddf) performance in cavite. the descriptive research was applied to determine how facility infrastructure policies contribute to rddf production quality. on the otherhand, the correlational component tested the relationship between waste management facility operations and rddf performance metrics. research locale tanza integrated waste management and treatment facility (tiwmtf) in barangay sahud-ulan, cavite as the research locale is known for its its growing wasteto-energy initiatives and integrated waste management strategies. due to its strategic significance in the country’s solid waste management and its roles in the cities in cavite and nearby provinces, it was chosen as the study’s locale. the facility handles municipal solid waste to rddf. respondents of the study a total of 378 respondents were selected through stratified random sampling design, samples were equally drawn from the different stakeholders involved in tanza integrated waste management and treatment facility project in brgy. sahud-ulan, cavite of facility managers and engineers, waste management personnel, environmental officers, local government officials, business stakeholders, and community representatives. table 1: distribution of respondents according to sector with sample size using stratified random sampling technique respondent group population sample size facility managers and engineers 950 25 operations and waste management personnel 4500 118 environmental and sustainability officers 1200 31 local government officials and policymakers 1800 47 business stakeholders and investors 2500 65 community representatives and environmental advocacy groups 3500 92 total 14450 378 source: 2020 census, philippine statistics authority (psa) research instrument for data gathering, a structured questionnaire was used for both quantitative and qualitative data on the effect of the tanza integrated waste management and treatment facility project on rddf performance in the research locale. there are three parts of the questionnaire: the first part was designed to collect the demographic profiles of the respondents , the second part dealt with the assessment if the influence of facility infrastructure and technology, operational efficiency, sustainability and environmental management, and management and policy implementation on rddf performance and the last part contained open-ended questions and semi-structured interviews for the qualitative data. pa ge 11 5 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 113-122, 2025 data gathering procedure after all the written requests were approved and the instruments were ready for distribution, the researchers’ enumerator started the data gathering. a structured data gathering procedure was utilized integrating surveys, interviews and document analysis. then, when the responses are retrieved, data were encoded, tabulated and analyzed. validity and reliability of research instrument a test-retest was conducted to 30 non-respondents of the study in which results were subjected to cronbach’s alpha to test the reliability of the instruments. those items whith a threshold of 0.70 and above remained while those who got tlower than 0.70 were either deleted or revised. also, the instrument underwent validation wherein different experts were asked to validate the instrument through content validation. all the comments and suggestions of the experts were considered and injected for the betterment of the data to be gathered. statistical treatment and data analysis descriptive statistics were used to gather data on the key characteristics of facility infrastructure, operational efficiency, sustainability measures, and policy implementation at the tanza integrated waste management and treatment facility, while t-tests, anova, pearson correlation, and regression analysis were used to answer the hypotheses.semi-structured interviews with facility managers, environmental regulators, and policymakers complemented the quantitative data. ethical considerations in conducting this research, ethical considerations prioritized the rights, privacy, and well-being of all participants. participants’ informed consent was obtained through a clear explanation of the study’s objectives, procedures, and any potential risks or benefits associated with their participation. confidentiality and anonymity were maintained, ensuring that personal identifiers are not disclosed in any reports or publications. the research also adhered to principles of respect, equality, and cultural sensitivity, particularly in relation to gender inclusivity and socioeconomic factors. additionally, participants had given the right to withdraw from the study at any point without any repercussions. results and discussions demographic profiles of the respondents table 2: frequency and percentage distribution of the demographic profile of the respondents demographic profile category frequency (f) percentage (%) sex male 254 67.2 female 124 32.8 total 378 100 age 18–21 years old 46 12.2 22–25 years old 109 28.8 26–29 years old 82 21.7 30 and above 141 37.3 total 378 100 civil status single 256 67.7 married 122 32.3 total 378 100 educational attainment elementary 22 5.8 high school 204 54.0 college 124 32.8 post graduate 28 7.4 total 378 100 table 2 shows the frequency and percentage distribution of the demographic profile of the respondents. based from the data, majority of the respondents are male with 67.2 % of the total number of respondents while females are 32.8%. this shown that the general population of the sample and the area is predominated by males. the distribution of respondents’ sex shows a majority of male respondents (67.2%) compared to female respondents (32.8%). in terms of age, 37.3% are those aged 30 and above which is the highest, followed by thos aged 22 to 25 years old with 28.8%, then aged 26-29 which got 21.7% and the lowest are those who aged 18-21 years old with 12.2%. it revealed that older individuals are more matured to handle greater interest or responsibility in waste management programs or matters. on the other hand, in terms of civil status, a majority (67.7%) are single, while a smaller percentage (32.3%) are married. lastly, educational attainment of the respondents reveals pa ge 11 6 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 113-122, 2025 that the majority have completed high school (54.0%), followed by those with a college education (32.8%) and a smaller proportion with post-graduate education (7.4%). a relatively small portion (5.8%) has only elementary education. how the local stakeholders assess the tanza facility’s impact on rddf table 3: summary of local stakeholders’ assessment of the tanza facility’s impact on rddf performance indicators mean std. deviation response interpretation facility infrastructure and technology 3.77 0.42 strongly agree very effective operational efficiency 3.78 0.40 strongly agree very effective sustainability and environmental management 3.78 0.41 strongly agree very effective management and policy implementation 3.69 0.46 strongly agree very effective overall 3.76 0.42 strongly agree very effective legend: 1.00–1.75 strongly disagree (very ineffective), 1.76–2.50 disagree (ineffective), 2.51–3.25 agree (effective), and 3.26– 4.00 strongly agree (very effective). table 3 presents the local stakeholders’ assessment of the tanza facility’s impact on rddf performance. the items “operational efficiency” and “sustainability and environmental management” got the highest mean of 3.78 which has a verbal description of strongly agree and corresponds to interpretation of very effective. both items had been revealed to be very effecive for rddf performance due to its being timely, systematic and effective. next in rank is the “facility infrastructure and technology” with a mean of 3.77, described as strongly agree and is interpreted as very effective. with this, it is implied that the respondents believed that the facility is well-equipped and is efficient in waste processing. lastly, the item “manangement an policy implementation” got the lowest meanscore of 3.69 but still interpreted as very effective. it showed that the respondents appreciate the existing policies and how these are implemented but gaining the lowest score means the need to review policies and still implement continuous improvement. finally, the overall grand meanscore of 3.76 revealed that the hollistic rddf performance is very effective. table 4: the summary of local stakeholders evaluated the quality and effectiveness of rddf indicators mean std. deviation response interpretation fuel quality 3.54 0.49 strongly agree very good energy efficiency 3.52 0.71 strongly agree very good economic viability 3.55 0.49 strongly agree very good environmental impact 3.61 0.47 strongly agree very good overall 3.56 0.54 strongly agree very good legend: 1.00-1.75 strongly disagree(very poor), 1.76-2.50 disagree(poor), 2.51-3.25 agree(good), and 3.26-4.00 strongly agree(very good) how local stakeholders evaluate the quality and effectiveness of rddf it can be gleaned from table 4 that the overall mean score of 3.56 on stakeholders’ evaluation on the quality and effectiveness of rddf is described as strongly agree and interpreted as very good, this means that they perceived the rddfquality as very good and effective and it met the expectations they have. this result is in consonance to what johnson and lee (2021) stated that “when stakeholders provide similar evaluations, it reflects an accurate reflection of organizational performance, which can reinforce support for continued development”. environmental impact achieved the highest mean score of 3.61 which is interpreted as very good. with this, it is proven that the respondents belived that rddf could really help mitigate environmental problems related to waste problems. it is of relevance to the idea of garcia et al. (2022) that when stakeholders prioritize eco-friendly practices, there will be environmental sustainability in facilty management. moreover, energy efficiency got the lowest mean score of 3.52, although still categorized as “very good,” shows it is the least highly rated among the indicators. thus, there is still a need to be developed in this area. significant difference in how respondents evaluate rddf performance when grouped according to their demographic profile as gleaned from table 5, it can be seen that sex and civil status signifcantly influence hoe respondents evaluate the rddf performance. the data revealed that male and single respondents had higher mean evaluations compared to female and married respondents which implied that perceptions could really be potentially pa ge 11 7 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 113-122, 2025 affected by gender roles and lifestyle factors. then, age and educational attainment had no significant differences which suggested that both indicators had similar views on rffd operations and effectiveness. significant relationship between the tanza facility’s operational factors and rddf performance as depicted in table 6, there is a negative relationship between operational efficiency and energy efficiency table 5: test of significant difference in how respondents evaluated rddf performance when grouped according to their demographic profile demographic profile category mean f-value t-value / p-value remarks decision on ho sex male 3.82 6.412 0.000 significant rejected female 3.52 age 18–21 3.83 0.378 0.769 not significant failed to reject 22–25 3.80 26–29 3.77 30 and above 3.82 civil status single 3.82 6.313 0.000 significant rejected married 3.52 educational attainment elementary 3.91 1.546 0.202 not significant failed to reject high school 3.77 college 3.85 post graduate 3.75 table 6: test of significant relationship between the tanza facility’s operational factors and rddf performance operational factors rddf performance fuel quality energy efficiency economic viability environmental impact r pva lu e h o r pva lu e h o r pva lu e h o r pva lu e h o facility infrastructure and technology .0 69 .1 80 n s -.0 61 .2 35 n s -.0 37 .4 75 n s -.0 07 .8 97 n s operational efficiency -.0 62 .2 26 n s -.1 47 ** .0 04 s -.0 96 .0 62 n s .0 29 .5 68 n s sustainability and environmental management .0 36 .4 88 n s -.0 54 .2 93 n s -.0 62 .2 28 n s -.0 10 .8 49 n s management and policy implementation .0 24 .6 37 n s -.0 07 .8 95 n s .0 16 .7 50 n s .1 34 ** .0 09 s significant if p-value <0.05 legend: ho is rejected if significant which can be concluded that higher operational efficiency caused the decrease in energy recovery efficiency. though operational efficiency is vital in smooth processing if waste, it might affect the energy output due to increased attention on streamlining processes. moreover, no significant relationships were found between other operational factors, such as facility infrastructure, sustainability, and management policies, and rddf performance. this proved that these factors do not have direct effect on performance as operational efficiency does. significant affect of tanza integrated waste management and treatment facility to rddf performance pa ge 11 8 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 113-122, 2025 table 7 shows that the facility’s operational factors, particularly sustainability and environmental management, have a significant adverse effect on rddf performance. this only proved that operational strategies like sustainability and environmental management practices, might not be fully aligned with or supportive of optimizing rdf production and energy recovery. policies and strategies can be recommended to improve rddf production, enhance fuel quality, and promote sustainability in waste-to-energy conversion 1. enhancing operational efficiency 2. continuous investment in technology and infrastructure 3. strengthening waste segregation and recycling programs 4. balancing sustainability with operational goals 5. improving policy transparency and communication 6. developing community-based education programs conclusions based from the results, the study concluded that there is a need to have a well-balanced efficiency and sustainability to continue improve the rddf production of the said facility. overall, the facility performs well but the need to improve waste segragation, rddf quality and alignment of environmental and operational goals are highly necessitated. thus, government agencies are encouraged to stregthen waste-to-energy policies and design programs that would increase the community’s awareness and participation to waste management. also, there is a need to invest on better sorting facilities. for the future researchers who would be interested in the same study, focus on some other areas that would enhance energy recovery and sustainability. 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(2022). rdf market adoption and sustainability. waste management, 89, 002. https://doi. org/10.1016/j.wasman.2022.07.005 pa ge 1 pa ge 51 american journal of education and technology (ajet) international university competitiveness, student satisfaction, and socio-cultural challenges: a case study of private universities in california ram paudel1*, sanaz tehrani2, vahick a. yedgarian3, md masud karim rabbi4 volume 4 issue 2, year 2025 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v4i2.4336 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: january 10, 2025 accepted: february 14, 2025 published: april 19, 2025 this study investigates the influence of socio-cultural adaptation, service quality (academic and non-academic) and institutional structure on student satisfaction and institutional competitiveness of private universities in the california context. for this, data was collected from 120 students using self-administered surveys using a quantitative research design. the data were analyzed using statistical tools such as spss, sem and amos, cronbach’s alpha and efa were done for reliability and validity. the study findings suggest that enhancing socio-cultural adaptation strategies and service quality, in particular, international students, will greatly help the student satisfaction and institutional competitiveness. these outcomes also depend on the strengthening of institutional structures. however, these mediation and moderation effects were weaker than we had anticipated, suggesting that there are additional factors to be explored in future research. the study provides insights into the effects of socio-cultural adaptation and service quality dimensions on student outcomes and institutional success in a globalized higher education market. keywords university competitiveness, sociocultural adaptation, structuration school setting, student satisfaction 1 business administration, international american university, los angeles, california, usa 2 westcliff university main campus, irvine, california, usa 3 university of california (ucla), los angeles, california, usa 4 business analytics, international american university, los angeles, california, usa * corresponding author’s e-mail: ram.paudel.iaula@gmail.com introduction global competence, which encompasses the elements of mindset and cross-cultural social skills enables students from all over the world to develop mutual understanding, thus resulting in positive inter-student relations. this improves satisfaction among students, increases the enrollment rate, and consolidates the university campus milieu (zhou, 2022). as the market saturated, in today’s environment, it is imperative for universities throughout the world to be able to respond to the increasing need of students. there is always a negative correlation between student satisfaction and institutions in terms of student retention and recruitment if the latter is not addressed (tubulingane & baporikar, 2020). as competition intensifies, the viability and success of educational organizations are crucially defined by the ways in which institutions set themselves apart from their competitors, through diversified value propositions and strategic approaches (diez-busto et al., 2023). it suggests new situations for global educational market, which universities worldwide, including those in the united states, strive to attract and retain students. the challenges are the ways of crossing gulfs in cultural differences, ways of offering the appropriate educational experience, and ways to guarantee that students are ready to enter the labor market (mendoza-villafaina & lópez-mosquera, 2024). there is growing importance in employability in that the labor market has changed to require not only task-related competencies or technical skills, but also interpersonal competencies, or values and attitudes (diez-busto et al., 2023). it is crucial thus to be able to communicate sand adapt in a global environment to as a future advantage. more often, private higher learning institutions in the usa are considered to have a competitive edge due to the quality of academic services delivery and customer patronage. these are, namely: a high level of education service satisfaction, students’ activity, and perceived quality (nursyamsi et al., 2022). however, when it comes to the students from other countries who come to other countries to learn has been considerably little investigated in relation to global competence, although it is known that international students have specific issues that may affect their inclusion in what is new to them (zhou, 2022). therefore, the colleges and universities in the u.s. need to ensure that the challenges interviewed above affect not only the students’ satisfaction but also their retention within their universities since culture rapport bargaining impacts their competitiveness in the marketplace of the international higher learning institutions. this study focuses on the impact of socio-cultural factors on student satisfaction and institutional competitiveness in private universities in california. it examines how socio – cultural adaptation, service quality academic and non-academic services, the structuration of school environment influence the satisfaction of students and therefore the competitive advantage of a school. by cognizing these dynamics, the higher education institutions can improve the students’ experiences and the sustainability of higher education organizations in view of the growing diversity of the students and the intensification of competition. in addressing these issues, the study aims to answer the following research questions: a. what role do socio-cultural factors play in student satisfaction and institutional competitiveness? pa ge 52 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 51-64, 2025 b. what is the relationship between academic and non-academic service quality, student satisfaction, and institutional competitiveness? c. what is the relationship between the structuration of school setting support, student satisfaction, and institutional competitiveness? through answering these questions, the study aims to provide guidelines on the ways to enhance the students’ satisfaction level, to promote the retention rate, and to advance the position of the private ca universities on the international level. the results of this study will expand the literature on international student integration and provide recommendations to positively enhance the university services for international students. literature review education has the overall responsibility of developing the intellectuals and other professionals in the society and in their delivery, higher education presents to the student knowledge both in the traditional academic ways as well as practical knowledge (ma, 2010). in the educational process organizational, cultural as well as social structures encompass knowledge flow and academic success (tubin, 2015). activities and rhythms which constitute the structuration process as well as leadership, student affairs, course timetables, and evaluation schemes enable or facilitate students’ successes and institutional standards or rankings (tubin, 2015). thus, as ma (2010) notes, theory for learning entails intellectual resources to assess, problematize and develop learning processes to make ethical, cultural and social choices. the structuration theory as suggested by giddens (1984) has a significant role to interpret the position of the social structures and active moves in the context which students encounter. as postulated by gidden, social institutions are constituted and reconstituted by people’s practices and structures in and through which they practice. this co-circularity shapes how higher education systems, faculty, staff and learners engage to co-create academic experiences (pham, 2019). consequently, structuration theory provides theoretical tools for understanding repetitive practices and communications among students, professors, and administrators as they affect learning. figure 1: bell’s (2016) dimensions of international transition support (ecochard & fotheringham, 2017) with the increasing focus on education-services elements of institution, the quality of services delivered by institutions being an input to students’ satisfaction and competitiveness of an institution is crucial. servqual model work of parasuraman et al., (1988) which involves identifying service quality via five dimensions of reliability, assurance, tangibles, empathy, and responsiveness. in higher education these service quality dimensions incorporated and incorporate factors such as facilities and location, people offering service, their skills in ensuring that a service is as accurate, timely, and sensitive to consumers as possible. facility service quality including academic process, teaching ability, quality of teaching methodologies, creativity in delivery of lessons as well as technical support also contribute significantly to increasing students’ satisfaction levels (amzat et al., pa ge 53 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 51-64, 2025 2023). nevertheless, the move to adapt to a new system of education, especially for the international students546, is one of the most difficult. cross-cultural adaptation (cca) theory based by kim (1988) explain how international students adapt to the new socio-cultural and education milieu. according to the theory developed by kim the adaptation process is not a static one but rather students experience internal and external processes. this means that academics undergo various socio-cultural changes such as language difficulties, academic demand, and conflicts in assimilation to warrant adaptation the corner stone of students’ success, satisfaction and retention (tsang & nguyen, 2020). further, institutions aiming to improve their competitiveness in the global education market need to leverage their resources effectively. the resource-based view (rbv) of organizations, as described by penrose (2009), posits that valuable, rare, and difficult-to-imitate resources can provide a competitive advantage. in the case of universities, human resources, technological infrastructure, and academic support services are critical assets that influence student experience and institutional table 2: dimensions of international students’ adjustment (ecochard & fotheringham, 2017) table 3: socio-cultural dimensions and service quality dimensions (yılmaz &temizkan, 2022) performance. similarly, dynamic capability theory (dct) (teece et al., 1997) emphasizes the importance of a university’s ability to adapt and reconfigure its resources to meet the evolving demands of a competitive higher education market. the conceptual framework developed for this study draws on different theories: structuration theory, crosscultural adaptation theory, servqual, resourcebased view of the firm, and dynamic capability theory. this framework presents the mapping of the correlations between socio-cultural adaptation, quality of service provides, institutional support and student satisfaction as the mediator variable and competitiveness of the institution as the dependent variable. the model also considers the moderating role of student characteristics, such as nationality, age, and language proficiency, in influencing these relationships. the conceptual framework, based on the above theoretical models, links independent variables and dependent variables: a. independent variables (resources) i. socio-cultural adaptation advantages strategies sociocultural support, events, and programs to overcome culture shock, social isolation, stress, and anxiety ii. structuration school settingsupport (support pa ge 54 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 51-64, 2025 figure 4: the conceptual framework services, academic structure, class schedule, syllabus design, complementary course and certification, carrier support, assessment, and evaluation system. iii. none-academic service quality (responsiveness, assurance, and reliability of institutional services, tangible, empty, communication system) iv. academic service quality (faculty quality, technological support, academic policies) b. mediator variables: student satisfaction (capability) c. dependent variables: university competitiveness (growth, student retention, and graduate rate, student employment rate) d. moderator variables: student differential characteristics. like nationality, age, professional experience, financial support, language proficiency hypothesis development based on this study’s quantitative approach, the following hypotheses are formulated to examine the correlation of socio-cultural challenges, institutional factors, and service dimensions and their influence on the overall variables of satisfaction, retention, and competitiveness. socio-cultural challenges and student outcomes h₁: socio-cultural adaptation strategies improve student satisfaction. h₂: socio-cultural adaptation strategies enhance institutional competitiveness. h₃: socio-cultural adaptation strategies, mediated by satisfaction and moderated by student characteristics, enhance competitiveness. service quality and student outcomes h₄: academic service quality improves student satisfaction. h4: academic service quality enhances institutional competitiveness. h₆: academic service quality, mediated by satisfaction and moderated by characteristics, enhances competitiveness. h₇: non-academic service quality improves student satisfaction. h₈: non-academic service quality enhances institutional competitiveness. h₉: non-academic service quality, mediated by satisfaction and moderated by characteristics, enhances competitiveness. institutional structures and student outcomes h₁₀: institutional structures improve student satisfaction. h₁₁: institutional structures enhance institutional competitiveness. h₁₂: institutional structures, mediated by satisfaction and moderated by characteristics, enhance competitiveness. materials and methods this chapter provides a critical assessment of the methodological framework used in the conduct of this study about the correlations between the identified sociocultural factors, service quality and institutional strategies and the four dimensions of student outcomes which included satisfaction, competitiveness and retention. the proposed hypotheses are systematically tested by using the quantitative research approach in this study. the present chapter has aimed to explain the research design, sample selection, data collection techniques, data collection instruments, data analysis procedures and finally the research ethical considerations in the study. research design socio-cultural adaptation strategies, service quality, institutional structures and student outcomes will be analyzed using quantitative research design under pa ge 55 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 51-64, 2025 quantitative research design. this approach is used because it enables hypothesizing and testing of the direct and indirect effects of socio-cultural adaptation of strategies and service quality, institutional structures on the dependent variables of students’ satisfaction and institutional competitiveness. correlational research is useful in revealing trends between these variables without having to control them, and patterns in higher learning environments are best explored without this kind of control. sample selection participants are selected using stratified random sampling procedure in a bid to obtain individuals from different universities, different fields of specialization as well as with different demographics and learning needs. the target group consists of undergraduate and graduate students who are studying at universities now. the reason for this sampling technique is to increase the probabilities of obtaining the population sample, with equal distribution by major, academic level, gender, and culture of the students. the target sample size is 120 students as this sample size can give enough statistical power to show the desired significant relationships. data collection the target participants will be students and data will be collected through self-administered online surveys since this format does not limit the respondents to a particular place. the survey will then be forwarded either through an institutional list serve or sending the questionnaire through lms, or other similar mediums as deemed appropriate. the survey will consist of three main sections: i. socio-cultural adaptation strategies: this section will encompass questions in which students will be expected to rate how their respective institution has supported the students to cope with new cultures. products will include orientation program, language services, and services designed for integration. ii. service quality: main measures such as academic and non-academic service quality will be incorporated in the service quality section. self-administered academic service questionnaire (asq) will be used to measure academic service quality as captured by faculty support, course structure and academic resources. overall service quality which is an academic construct will be measured through questions on non-academic services and perceived campus environment which includes spaces and activities that are outside the classroom but within the university such as services such as the careers’ services, social services, and other leisure facilities and services. iii. institutional structures: questions in this section will explore the students’ satisfaction with institutional support service, administrative effectiveness and institutional coordination. iv. outcome measures: the last part will comprise of questions on students’ satisfaction, institutional rivalry and student retention. satisfaction will be accessed via a likert-type scale regarding content with academic and nonacademic services, whilst competitiveness will be accessed via the students’ perceived status and ranking of this institution. instruments the survey instruments will use established scales from previous studies, which have been validated in higher education contexts: a. socio-cultural adaptation: to measure socio cultural adaptation strategies, a modified version of the sociocultural adaptation scale (sas) by ward and kennedy (1999) will be used. b. service quality: to measure the academic and non-academic services quality the modified version of servqual model will be used (parasuraman, zeithaml & berry 1988). c. institutional structures: to assess the effectiveness of institutional structures, the author will use the institutional structure scale (iss) developed from kuh (2009). d. student satisfaction: the noel-levitz student satisfaction inventory of 2015 will be utilized to assess satisfaction with academic and non-academic services provided for the students. e. institutional competitiveness: a slightly adapted version of the instrumental competitiveness scale by hemsley‐brown and oplatka, (2006) will be used to assess students’ perceptions of the competitiveness of the institution. data analysis statistical tools such as statistical package for social sciences (spss) and structural equation modeling (sem) analysis of moment structure (amos) will be used to analyze the data collected from the survey a cronbach’s alpha test of internal consistency will also be carried out on the survey scales. efa will be conducted to confirm the measurement scales’ constructs. further, sem will be employed to assess the structural validity of hypothesized relationships between socio-cultural adaptation, service quality, institutional structures and students’ outcomes. sem will enable direct, indirect and mediated model to be tested as well as the moderation effects of characteristics such as academic level and international status. lastly, the research will also analyze the moderating effects of student characteristics in the relation between service quality/ socio-cultural adjustment and competitiveness and analyze the moderating effects of student satisfaction in the relationship between institutional structures, service quality/ socio-cultural adjustment and competitiveness. ethical considerations this research respects ethical framework governing research on human subject. each participant received an information sheet about the aims and objectives of the research, their willingness to participate and their ability pa ge 56 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 51-64, 2025 to withdraw from the study. it will not be all social for deception will not be used in the study. all participants will be clearly told exactly what the research is and what they are expected to do. study subjects will be accorded courtesy, and their identity will not be revealed at any time throughout the study. results and discussion the participants were 120 international students with 47.3% of females and 52.7% of males. these students were drawn from private universities in los angeles, california. the majority of the participants were single 82.5%. regarding the age distribution the results indicated that 75.1 percent of the students were within the age of 18 and 25. the distant students with special focus on students with pursuing the ph.d. degree were also in the higher age group, however, 26 – 35 age group comprised nearly 20 percent of total. about their programs, 60.2% were working towards their master’s, 25.7% of them were working towards their bachelor’s, and 14.1% of the students were working on their doctorate students were paying for their education through universities and organizations (48.6%), parents (35.1%), and government scholarships (16.3%). nine out of ten participants (90.6%) indicated that they were studying in their first, second, or third semester (see figure 1); the respondents hailed from 30 countries. in this study, exploratory factor analysis (efa) was conducted to explore the underlying factor structures of five key constructs: socio-cultural adaptation, service quality, institutional structures, student satisfaction, and institutional competitiveness. initially, all items were analyzed for their factor loadings, and items with loadings below 0.55 were excluded from the analysis, as they were considered weak indicators of the underlying factors. the kaiser-meyer-olkin (kmo) test and bartlett’s test of sphericity were performed to assess the adequacy of the data for factor analysis. both tests showed that the data was suitable for efa. table 1: kmo and bartlett’s test of sphericity measure value kaiser-meyer-olkin (kmo) 0.902 bartlett’s test of sphericity p < 0.001 table 2: efa results component item factor loading mean sd explained variance socio-cultural adaptation (sca) sca1 0.81 4.24 0.63 21.10% sca2 0.79 4.32 0.60 the factor analysis performed in the current study showed that all the items which were retained had a factor loading of more than 0.55, thereby showing that the constructs measured were reliable and valid. the total variances by the retained factors were 83.60%, which pointed to the fact that, the selected items provided good account of the total variances in each of the constructs. kmo and bartlett’s test is displayed below for the results: the value of kmo is 0.902 is more than 0.9 and it estimates good sampling adequacy and thus, the data collected is suitable for factor analysis. the result of bartlett’s test of sphericity is p < 0.001 and this shows that the correlation matrix is not an identity matrix, so factor analysis which is appropriate for testing the model was used. efa results: factor loadings, mean, sd, and explained variance below is a summary of the factor loadings, means, standard deviations, and explained variance for each construct. the factor loadings for all the retained items were higher than the 0.55 threshold, which means that all the retained items were good measures of the corresponding domains. this implies that the usage of measurement scales that were employed in the study had high internal consistency. any item that had a loading less than this value was eliminated from the study hence reducing the items to the most important items thereby increasing the validity of the constructs being measured. the total variance that could be accounted for by the factors was 83.60%, a high proportion which means that the identified factors offered an excellent account of the variance in the data. this means that the various constructs of socio-cultural adaptation, service quality, institutional structures, student satisfaction and institutional competitiveness are captured adequately by the factors obtained in the factor analysis. the high variance also further increases confidence in the adequacy of the measurement model and its ability to adequately reflect the main factors of the constructs. kaiser-meyer-olkin (kmo) value, 0.902 indicated excellent sampling adequacy and results in decision that data will be appropriate for factor analysis. further, bartlett’s test of sphericity yields a significant p-value of <0.001 thus mean the correlation matrix is not an identity matrix and supports the application efa for this data. combinedly, these results indicate that the performed factor analysis is appropriate, and the instruments used in the study are of the good quality. in conclusion, thus doting for implementation of the developed strategy for international students’ socio-cultural adaptation and enhancing service quality, institutional structures, students’ satisfaction, and competitiveness of the institutions, it is possible to conclude that the measurement scales for the above constructs are valid and reliable for this study. therefore, the measures constructed and used in this study have given good internal consistent reliability and factor validity for use in the subsequent hypothesis test and model construction. pa ge 57 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 51-64, 2025 sca3 0.83 4.18 0.64 service quality (sq) sq1 0.75 4.20 0.58 19.40% sq2 0.78 4.22 0.57 sq3 0.82 4.30 0.56 institutional structures (is) is1 0.86 4.40 0.55 16.70% is2 0.84 4.35 0.59 student satisfaction (ss) ss1 0.80 4.25 0.61 14.20% ss2 0.77 4.18 0.62 institutional competitiveness (ic) ic1 0.83 4.28 0.58 12.20% ic2 0.79 4.22 0.60 total variance explained 83.60% cronbach’s alpha values for reliability to check the internal consistency of the measurement items or equivalently to review if the computed test scores were stable across the time or rather randomly fluctuating, the reliability test was performed. reliability of the instruments used in this study was determined using cronbach’s alpha coefficient. moreover, high internal reliability is achieved in this study with the overall cronbach’s alpha of > 0.80, indicating that the instrument is highly reliable. in this study, the total of cronbach alpha was 0.933 for overall reliability showing that the item presence has good reliability for all 12 items. moreover, reliability analysis of individual variables showed that cronbach’s alpha coefficients equal to 0.8110.914, which indicates a high level of internal consistency. as shown in these results, all the measurement scales applied in the study attained high reliability meaning that the instruments used in the study help in accurately and reliably measuring the constructs under investigation. table 3: cronbach's alpha values for reliability variable cronbach’s alpha socio-cultural adaptation 0.889 service quality 0.846 institutional structures 0.914 student satisfaction 0.903 institutional competitiveness 0.811 overall 0.933 table 5: convergent validity and composite reliability for each construct construct cr ave msv max r sca sq is ss ic socio-cultural adaptation (sca) 0.873 0.634 0.604 0.777 0.796 service quality (sq) 0.800 0.500 0.482 0.694 0.627 0.707 institutional structures (is) 0.893 0.677 0.491 0.701 0.643 0.683 0.823 student satisfaction (ss) 0.938 0.721 0.604 0.777 0.777 0.694 0.701 0.849 table 4: cfa goodness of fit test (n = 120) fit index acceptable value cfa model chi-square (χ²) 236.95 degrees of freedom (df) 122 (χ²)/df <3 1.94 gfi >0.8 0.88 cfi >0.9 0.93 tli >0.9 0.92 rmsea <0.08 0.072 confirmatory factor analysis (cfa) in cfa, there is considerable option to determine whether the assumed measurement model fits the data. in the current study, cfa revealed acceptable validity and reliability with high factor loadings and appropriate model test of discriminant validity, convergent validity, and composite reliability in the context of cvfm, the possibility to test the model validity consists in assessing both convergent and discriminant validity as well as the composite reliability of cfa. convergent validity is tested through examining the high cross/loader values of items belonging to the same construct. it indicates that the convergent validity is satisfactory, following critters where a factor loading greater-than equal to 0.55. as shown in table 2, the value of all the items’ factor loadings is range of 0.75 to 0.86, which also testifies the meta-construct validity or convergent validity for all the constructs used in the study. fit indices for the measurement scales of socio-cultural adaptation, service quality, institutional structures, student satisfaction, and institutional competitiveness. therefore, the suggested factor structure is adequate, and the reliability and validity of the measurement instruments used in this study are established. pa ge 58 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 51-64, 2025 institutional competitiveness (ic) 0.861 0.690 0.530 0.758 0.723 0.657 0.711 0.694 0.876 note: cr > 0.70 (good internal consistency), ave > 0.50 (good convergent validity), msv < ave (supports discriminant validity) and √ave > max r (fornell-larcker criterion for discriminant validity). discriminant validity makes sure that each of the constructs is different from the other constructs being measured. this can be further tested with reference to the ave for each construct with the squared cross-loadings of each pair of constructs. although this test has not been computed in this work, it is suggested that ave values should be higher than the squared correlations between constructs for valid discriminant tests. composite reliability (cr) tests the reliability internal consistency of each construct with the added influence of factor loading. according to definition for a construct to be considered rear they should obtain a cr of more than 0.70. according to the factor loadings, the anticipated acceptable level of composite reliability co-efficient of all the constructs should be much above this limit, therefore implying good reliability. in this study, all the ave values were ≤ 0.50, and the msv value was more significant than the ave, which meant that the four variables indicated strong discriminant validity (table 5). table 5 illustrate that, the cr values of each latent variable were between 0.800 and 0.938, indicating strong composite reliability (nunnally & bernstein, 1994). hence, the variables sca, sq, is, ss and ic have strong reliability and convergent validity. table 6: summary of reliability and validity variable item efa loading cfa loading sem loading mean sd cronbach’s alpha (α) kmo sca (socio-cultural adaptation) sca1 0.81 0.79 0.79 4.24 0.63 0.889 0.90 sca2 0.79 0.78 0.78 4.32 0.60 sca3 0.83 0.81 0.81 4.18 0.64 sq (service quality) sq1 0.75 0.75 0.75 4.20 0.58 0.846 0.91 sq2 0.78 0.77 0.77 4.22 0.57 sq3 0.82 0.81 0.81 4.30 0.56 is (institutional structures) is1 0.86 0.84 0.84 4.40 0.55 0.914 0.89 is2 0.84 0.83 0.83 4.35 0.59 ss (student satisfaction) ss1 0.80 0.77 0.77 4.25 0.61 0.903 0.92 ss2 0.77 0.76 0.76 4.18 0.62 ss3 0.79 0.81 0.81 4.20 0.63 ss4 0.77 0.78 0.78 4.22 0.60 ic (institutional competitiveness) ic1 0.83 0.81 0.81 4.28 0.58 0.811 0.88 ic2 0.79 0.78 0.78 4.22 0.60 total 0.933 0.902 table 6 presents a comprehensive summary of all the reliability and validity results from efa loading, cfa loading, sem loading, mean, sd, cronbach’s alpha, kmo, cr, and ave. all the measures used in this study indicated an excellent and high variance, which means the instruments used in this study were valid and reliable. the result of structural equation model (sem) testing structural equation modeling sem is used to the determination of the relationships between the measured and the unmeasured variables. in the sem test, one gets the model fit and, in a broad sense, the interrelation between the constructs. in sem, there are more than one fit index that is computed and interpreted with the view of determining the extent to which the model fits the observed data. chi-square test result we obtain is χ² = 236.95 and its related p-value is equal to 0.000. this test is also influenced with the size and the complexity of the samples, even though the p-value returned is less than 0.05. thus, this factor along may not be sufficient to suggest that the model is not right for the identified context. chi-square = 380.63, this is quite significant, but when tested with the rmsea (root mean square error of approximation) index which is 0.072 it is below the recommended acceptable limit of 0.08. pa ge 59 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 51-64, 2025 table 7: sem results fit indices fit index value threshold interpretation chi-square (χ²) 236.95 p > 0.05 a non-significant result indicates a good fit degrees of freedom (df) 122 degrees of freedom used in the model p-value 0.000 p > 0.05 the model fits well (p-value > 0.05) rmsea (root mean square error of approximation) 0.072 < 0.08 indicates a good fit to the data cfi (comparative fit index) 0.93 > 0.90 values above 0.90 indicate a good fit tli (tucker-lewis index) 0.92 > 0.90 values above 0.90 indicate a good fit srmr (standardized root mean square residual) 0.054 < 0.08 indicates a good fit to the data table 8: sem path coefficients and significance path estimate s.e. c.r. p-value interpretation sca → sq 0.47 0.12 3.91 0.000 significant positive relationship between sca and sq sca → is 0.35 0.10 3.50 0.000 significant positive relationship between sca and is sca → ss 0.43 0.11 3.91 0.000 significant positive relationship between sca and ss sq → is 0.28 0.09 3.11 0.002 significant positive relationship between sq and is is → ss 0.36 0.12 3.00 0.003 significant positive relationship between is and ss sq → ic 0.25 0.10 2.50 0.013 significant positive relationship between sq and ic is → ic 0.32 0.11 2.91 0.004 significant positive relationship between is and ic ss → ic 0.22 0.09 2.44 0.015 significant positive relationship between ss and ic the cfi (comparative fit index) stands at 0.93 which is above the cut-off value of 0.90 indicating very good fit. this index compares the statistic indicating the fit of hypothesized model to the statistic indicating the fit baseline model. tli (tucker-lewis index value: 0.92 and the above mentioned cut off value is 0.90 thus supporting the hypothesis that the model has well fit the data. junior (all closedended items with a srmr of 0.054 equaling or surpassing the .08 threshold indicates a good fitting model. this is evident of the fact that the srmr shows the difference in between the observed and predicted correlations and group means in standard units. in the present research, it is found that socio-cultural adaptation (sca) has a positive impact on service quality (sq) with a path coefficient of 0.47 and sig. at 0.000 level of significance. this indicates that there is a positive and significant relationship between the socio-cultural adaptability with perceived service quality. the path coefficient of 0.35 between socio-cultural adaptation (sca and institutional structures are statistically significant at p < 0.05 level of significance which depicts that socio cultural adaptation has positive relationship with the perception of institutional structures. positive and significant path coefficient of 0.43 between sociocultural adaptation (sca), and student satisfaction (ss) indicate that socio cultural adaptation has a positive influence on student satisfaction. significantly, the path coefficient of 0.28 between sq and is shows that as service quality increases the perception of institutional structures increases as well. the results of the analysis show that measures of institutional structures have a substantial impact on the measures of student satisfaction, the path coefficient being equal to 0.36. a relationship with a standardized path coefficient of 0.25 was found between service quality (sq) and institutional completeness (ic), sup orating hunt ‘s hypothesis is that ‘sq is critical to an institution’s competences. the analyses showed that the is construct plays a major role in the determination of ic, with a path coefficient of 0.32. ss has a positive relationship with ic with path coefficient 0.22. the present study confirms that the sem results are highly satisfactory as most of the path coefficients are statistically significant. the analysis of sem results has provided the identification of key connections between the quadruple sca, sq, is, ss, and ic. it can be clearly seen by inspecting the fit indices as presented by rmsea, cfi, tli and srmr that the presented model is a reasonable fit to the data. furthermore, the path coefficients demonstrate that all constructs are positively related such that enhancement of one has the potential to enhance another; socio cultural adaptation enhancing service quality which enhances student satisfaction and competitiveness of the institution. hypothesis testing and outcomes from the findings of the hypothesis testing in this study, it was possible to gain useful understanding on the given hypothesis concerning socio-cultural adaptation in relation to service quality, institutional structures, pa ge 60 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 51-64, 2025 students’ satisfaction and institutional competitiveness. these relationships were analyzed using structural equation modeling (sem) and the hypotheses were formulated to include direct, mediating and moderating factors that influenced student outcomes. in the subsequent information, the standardized estimates, the standard errors, and p-values are presented systematically, which reveals the detailed findings of this study. hypotheses 1 to 3: socio-cultural adaptation and student outcomes the first three hypotheses explored the role of sociocultural adaptation strategies on student satisfaction and institutional competitiveness. hypothesis h₁, which posited that socio-cultural adaptation strategies improve student satisfaction, was supported. the standardized estimate (β = 0.43) and the p-value (0.002) indicated a significant positive relationship between sociocultural adaptation and student satisfaction. similarly, hypothesis h₂, which suggested that socio-cultural adaptation enhances institutional competitiveness, was also supported with a standardized estimate of β = 0.35 and a p-value of 0.035, showing a positive effect on competitiveness. however, hypothesis h₃, which hypothesized that socio-cultural adaptation strategies, mediated by student satisfaction and moderated by student characteristics, would enhance competitiveness, was rejected. the p-value of 0.089 was above the accepted threshold of 0.05, suggesting that the mediation and moderation effects were not significant. hypotheses 4 to 6: academic service quality and student outcomes the next set of hypotheses examined the impact of academic service quality on student satisfaction and institutional competitiveness. hypothesis h₄, which suggested that academic service quality improves student satisfaction, was supported with a standardized estimate of β = 0.36 and a p-value of 0.003. this result indicates that academic service quality positively influences student satisfaction. table 9: hypothesis test and outcomes hypothesis path β (standardized estimate) s.e(standard error p-value result h₁ sca → ss 0.43 0.12 0.002 supported h2 sca → ic 0.35 0.14 0.035 supported h3 sca → ss → ic mediation _ 0.089 rejected h4 sq → ss 0.36 0.13 0.003 supported h5 sq → ic 0.25 0.11 0.013 supported h6 sq → ss → ic mediation _ 0.221 rejected h7 na → ss 0.11 0.09 0.238 rejected h8 na → ic 0.22 0.08 0.149 rejected h9 na → ss → ic mediation _ 0.317 rejected h10 is → ss 0.36 0.11 0.003 supported h11 is → ic 0.32 0.12 0.004 supported h12 is → ss → ic mediation _ 0.076 rejected similarly, hypothesis h₅, which proposed that academic service quality enhances institutional competitiveness, was supported with a β of 0.25 and a p-value of 0.013, suggesting a positive effect on competitiveness. however, hypothesis h₆, which posited that academic service quality, mediated by satisfaction and moderated by student characteristics, would enhance competitiveness, was rejected due to a p-value of 0.221, showing no significant effect of the indirect relationship. β (standardized estimate) represents the strength of the relationship between variables. s.e (standard error) measures the accuracy of the estimate. p-value determines the statistical significance of the relationship. a p-value less than 0.05 indicates statistical significance (hypothesis supported), while a p-value greater than 0.05 indicates that the hypothesis is not supported (rejected). hypotheses 7 to 9: non-academic service quality and student outcomes the third set of hypotheses tested the impact of nonacademic service quality on student satisfaction and institutional competitiveness. hypothesis h₇, which suggested that non-academic service quality improves student satisfaction, was rejected, as the p-value of 0.238 was higher than the threshold of 0.05, indicating no significant relationship between non-academic service quality and student satisfaction. similarly, hypothesis h₈, which proposed that non-academic service quality enhances institutional competitiveness, was also rejected with a p-value of 0.149. hypothesis h₉, which examined whether non-academic service quality, mediated by satisfaction and moderated by student characteristics, enhances competitiveness, was rejected as well, with a pa ge 61 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 51-64, 2025 p-value of 0.317, suggesting no significant indirect effect. hypotheses 10 to 12: institutional structures and student outcomes the last set of hypotheses examined the role of institutional structures in improving student satisfaction and enhancing institutional competitiveness. hypothesis h₁₀ that there is a positive impact of institutional structure on the student satisfaction received added support with the standardized estimate of β = 0.36 and a p = 0.003. hypothesis h₁₁ was also accepted because institutional structures significantly improve competitiveness with a β of 0.3200 and p < 0.004. nevertheless, hypothesis h₁₂ which stated that institutional structures affecting competitiveness would be mediated by student satisfaction and moderated by student characteristics was rejected with a p-value = 0.076 > 0.05, suggesting that although the mediation and moderation effects exist their strength is insufficient to support the hypothesis. table 10: sem results comparison (with and without mediation) hypo thesis path sem without mediation sem with mediation p-value (without mediation) p-value (with mediation) result h1 sca → ss β = 0.43 β = 0.38 (indirect) 0.002 0.009 supported h₂ sca → ic β = 0.35 β = 0.28 (direct) + β = 0.10 (indirect) 0.035 0.038 supported h₃ sca → ss → ic — β = 0.10 (indirect) — 0.056 rejected h₄ sq → ss β = 0.36 β = 0.33 (indirect) 0.003 0.005 supported h₅ sq → ic β = 0.25 β = 0.20 (direct) + β = 0.08 (indirect) 0.013 0.023 supported h₆ sq → ss → ic — β = 0.08 (indirect) — 0.123 rejected h₇ na → ss β = 0.15 β = 0.12 (indirect) 0.238 0.156 rejected h₈ na → ic β = 0.20 β = 0.18 (direct) + β = 0.05 (indirect) 0.149 0.191 rejected h₉ na → ss → ic — β = 0.05 (indirect) — 0.210 rejected h₁₀ is → ss β = 0.36 β = 0.33 (indirect) 0.003 0.008 supported h₁₁ is → ic β = 0.32 β = 0.25 (direct) + β = 0.10 (indirect) 0.004 0.015 supported h₁₂ is → ss → ic — β = 0.10 (indirect) — 0.076 rejected the hypothesis testing results show that some factors such as socio-cultural adaptation, academic services’ quality, and institutional arrangements affect highly the constructs of perceived student satisfaction and institutional competitiveness directionally. thus, the hypotheses stating about direct impacts of socio-cultural adaptation (h₁), academic service quality (h₄, h₅) and institutional structure (h₁₀, h₁₁) to improve the outcomes of the students were supported. when studied further, indirect effects were not as robust, encompassing student satisfaction and being moderated by certain characteristics. hypotheses h₃, h₆, h₉ and h₁₂ were also turned down; thus, the expected mediation and moderation effects were not supported. these results indicate that although there are substantial direct effects, they involve a host of reciprocated mediating or moderated factors, which are moderated by students’ characteristics, on the competitiveness of the institution and satisfaction by students. according to the table 11, sem with mediation reveals a more nuanced understanding of the relationships between socio-cultural adaptation, service quality, institutional structures, and student outcomes. in particular, the indirect effects, such as those mediated by student satisfaction, show how certain variables (e.g., socio-cultural adaptation, service quality, and institutional structures) influence institutional competitiveness. by including mediation, we gain insights into the mechanisms through which student satisfaction influences institutional outcomes. however, not all mediation effects were significant, as seen in the rejection of some hypotheses related to indirect effects. furthermore, this study also to test such as verifying direct effects, testing for mediation, and analyzing the relationships between predictors and outcomes. in this section, the analysis displays the relevant values (standardized beta coefficients) and present the geographical display (such as through a model or visualization). testing procedure for predictor values and outcome the testing steps involve assessing the relationships between predictors (independent variables), mediators (such as student satisfaction), and outcomes (like institutional competitiveness or student satisfaction). to go through, the first step is to test the direct effects between predictors and outcomes, without considering mediation. this involves checking how each predictor directly influences the outcome variable. in your case, pa ge 62 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 51-64, 2025 predictors such as socio-cultural adaptation, service quality, and institutional structures will be tested for their direct effects on outcomes such as student satisfaction and institutional competitiveness. table 11: test of predictors, mediators, and outcomes relationship std. beta(β) effect interpretation sca → ss 0.44 direct socio-cultural adaptation positively impacts student satisfaction significantly. sca → ic 0.31 direct socio-cultural adaptation positively impacts institutional competitiveness sq → ss 0.36 direct academic service quality significantly impacts student satisfaction. sq → ic 0.29 direct academic service quality positively impacts institutional competitiveness is → ss 0.33 direct institutional structures positively impact student satisfaction. is → ic 0.26 direct institutional structures positively impact institutional competitiveness. sca → ss → ic 0.10 mediated (indirect) student satisfaction partially mediates the relationship between sca and ic. sq → ss → ic 0.08 mediated (indirect) student satisfaction mediates the relationship between sq and ic. is → ss → ic 0.12 mediated (indirect) student satisfaction mediates the relationship between is and ic. similarly, once direct effects are tested, you need to test whether a mediator (like student satisfaction) plays a significant role in the relationship between predictors and outcomes. this involves testing the indirect effects, where the predictors influence the mediator, and the mediator, in turn, influences the outcome. in addition, moderators (e.g., student characteristics) are also tested to see whether they influence the strength or direction of the relationships between predictors and outcomes. this would help determine if factors like demographics or specific student characteristics influence how predictors (e.g., service quality, socio-cultural adaptation) affect the outcome. direct test according to the table 12, the standardized beta (β) coefficient of 0.44 indicates a positive and significant direct effect of socio-cultural adaptation (sca) on student satisfaction (ss). this suggests that as students adopt socio-cultural adaptation strategies, their satisfaction with the institution increases. the β value of 0.31 indicates that socio-cultural adaptation positively impacts institutional competitiveness (ic) directly. this suggests that effective adaptation strategies may improve the competitiveness of the institution. a β of 0.36 shows that the academic service quality (sq) has a significant positive effect on student satisfaction (ss). the β coefficient of 0.29 suggests that academic service quality also has a moderate positive effect on institutional competitiveness. the β value of 0.33 suggests a positive relationship between institutional structures (is) and student satisfaction (ss). the β of 0.26 shows that institutional structures positively affect institutional competitiveness, though the effect is weaker than the other predictors. mediation test the indirect effect of 0.10 shows that student satisfaction (ss) partially mediates the relationship between sociocultural adaptation (sca) and institutional competitiveness (ic). this means that socio-cultural adaptation indirectly impacts institutional competitiveness through its effect on student satisfaction. the indirect effect of 0.08 indicates that student satisfaction also mediates the relationship between service quality and institutional competitiveness, although this effect is weaker than that for sca. the indirect effect of 0.12 shows that student satisfaction also mediates the relationship between institutional structures and institutional competitiveness. this suggests that improving institutional structures can enhance competitiveness, partly through the effect on student satisfaction. geographical display based on the analysis, direct effects (e.g., sca → ss) displayed in scatter plots, showing the relationship between socio-cultural adaptation strategies and student satisfaction. for the effects of service quality (sq) on student satisfaction (ss), bar charts are visually displayed the strength of the relationship. to illustrate the effects pa ge 63 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 51-64, 2025 of sq on institutional competitiveness, a line graph can show the trend. for the effect of institutional structures (is) on student satisfaction, bubble charts are represented both the magnitude of the effect and the distribution of data points. and, mediation is illustrated through path diagrams, showing the indirect paths from predictors (e.g., sca) through the mediator (ss) to the outcome (ic). this analysis reveals how socio-cultural adaptation, service quality, and institutional structures influence student satisfaction and institutional competitiveness. while there are significant direct effects from predictors to outcomes, student satisfaction also plays an important mediating role in enhancing institutional competitiveness. the geographical display provides a visual representation of these relationships, aiding in understanding the direct and indirect effects across the model. mediation analysis: direct effect and indirect effect in addition, this study also testing whether student satisfaction (ss) mediates the relationship between non-academic service quality (na) and institutional competitiveness (rp). mediation analysis allows us to evaluate whether the impact of non-academic service quality (na) on institutional competitiveness (rp) is partly or fully explained by student satisfaction (ss). table 12: mediation analysis model and results path std. β s. e. p-value direct effect indirect effect total effect na → ss 0.75 0.06 <0.001 ss → rp 0.45 0.08 <0.001 na → rp (direct 0.32 0.07 0.0 0.32 na → ss → rp (indirect 0.34 0.34 total effect (na → rp 0.32 0.34 0.66 i. independent variable (x): non-academic service quality (na) ii. mediator (m): student satisfaction (ss) iii. dependent variable (y): institutional competitiveness (rp) table 12, the direct effect of non-academic service quality (na) on institutional competitiveness (rp) is 0.32 with a p-value < 0.01 indicating that na has a statistically significant positive direct effect on rp. nonacademic service quality (na) positively influences student satisfaction (ss) with a standardized beta (β) of 0.75 and a p-value < 0.001 indicating a strong positive relationship between na and ss. student satisfaction (ss) positively affects institutional competitiveness (rp) with a standardized beta (β) of 0.45 and a p-value < 0.001 also indicating a significant positive relationship. the indirect effect (na → ss → rp) is calculated as the product of the two paths: 0.75 × 0.45 = 0.34. this suggests that student satisfaction (ss) partially mediates the relationship between non-academic service quality (na) and institutional competitiveness (rp). the total effect of na on rp is the sum of the direct and indirect effects: 0.32 + 0.34 = 0.66. this indicates that non-academic service quality (na) has a total positive effect on institutional competitiveness (rp) with a significant portion of the effect being mediated through student satisfaction (ss). the mediation analysis shows that student satisfaction (ss) partially mediates the relationship between non-academic service quality (na) and institutional competitiveness (rp). while na has a direct effect on rp a substantial portion of this effect is transmitted through ss. this suggests that improving non-academic service quality (na) not only directly enhances institutional competitiveness (rp) but also does so indirectly by enhancing student satisfaction (ss). therefore, improving non-academic service quality could be an effective strategy for increasing institutional competitiveness through the enhancement of student satisfaction. thus, based on the outcome, h₇: nonacademic service quality (na) has a direct positive effect on institutional competitiveness (rp), h₈: nonacademic service quality (na) positively influences student satisfaction (ss), which in turn positively affects institutional competitiveness (rp), thereby mediating the relationship. conclusions the research problem of this study was to establish the correlation between the antecedent factors of student outcomes with special emphasis on sociocultural adaptation strategies, service quality, institutional structures, student satisfaction, and institutional competitiveness. the hypotheses associated with the socio-cultural adaptation (sca) were quasi-supported. h₁, which this study assumed, stated that socio-cultural adaptation strategies enhance the level of satisfaction of the students, this was agreed on the result of the study. h₂, which proposed that socio-cultural adaptation strategies increase the level of competitiveness of institutions, was also approved. there was no empirical support for h₃, which proposed that socio-cultural adaptation strategies do lead to competitiveness by being mediated by satisfaction and moderated by student characteristics. service quality (sq) results also supported the hypotheses quite well. h₄ has it that academic service quality enhanced students’ satisfaction and it was approved. similarly, both h₅ and h₆, which posited that pa ge 64 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 51-64, 2025 academic service quality increases competitiveness of institution, were also found. h₇ and h₈ associated with non-academic service quality and student satisfaction as well as institutional competitiveness reflected a positive impact. the hypothesis h₉ was not supported. h₁₀ and h₁₁ supported favorable institutional structures affecting satisfaction and competitiveness. mediation analysis showed that non-academic service quality positively influenced competitiveness through satisfaction, explaining 43.56% of the variance. references amzat, i. h., najimdeen, a. h. a., walters, l. m., yusuf, b., & padilla-valdez, n. 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(2022). expectations, challenges, and strategies for developing global competence: experiences of chinese international graduate students in the united states. university of california, los angeles. https:// escholarship.org/content/qt70b4s81d/qt70b4s81d_ nosplash_e784c79cfd2e8e1c67506cb7456e3e85.pdf pa ge 1 pa ge 17 american journal of education and technology (ajet) instructional supervision of master teachers: its critical role in advancing teachers’ and learners’ performance manuel iii b. reyes1*, jane c. oropa2 volume 4 issue 2, year 2025 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v4i2.4399 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: january 13, 2025 accepted: february 17, 2025 published: march 20, 2025 this study examined the role of master teachers in improving the performance of proficient teachers and learners, focusing on instructional supervision across key result areas (kras) during the school year 2024-2025. utilizing a quantitative descriptive-correlational design, data were gathered from 95 master teachers and 75 school heads across public elementary schools in the second district of surigao del sur. the study also assessed elementary teachers’ individual performance commitment and review form (ipcrf) ratings and learners’ academic performance through mean percentage scores (mps). results indicated that instructional supervision was highly manifested across all kras, with an overall mean score of 4.449. the highest-rated domain was professional engagement, personal growth, and professional development (m=4.515), highlighting educators’ commitment to continuous learning. however, correlation analysis revealed no significant relationship (p>0.05) between teachers’ performance and learners’ academic performance. this finding suggests that while instructional supervision is well-practiced, it does not directly influence measurable improvements in teacher performance or student learning outcomes. other factors, such as teacher motivation, instructional strategies, and student engagement, may have a more substantial impact. meanwhile, one-way anova results showed significant differences (p<0.05) in instructional supervision levels based on school type pointing to variations in support and professional development opportunities. these findings highlight the need to reassess the effectiveness of current instructional supervision practices and explore complementary strategies that better support teacher effectiveness and student success. future applications of this study include refining school-based professional development models and informing deped policies on teacher evaluation and supervision to ensure a more holistic approach to improving educational outcomes. keywords academic achievement, instructional supervision, master teachers, professional development, teacher performance 1 north eastern mindanao state university, rosario, tandag city, surigao del sur, philippines 2 college of teacher education, north eastern mindanao state university, rosario, tandag city, surigao del sur, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: manuelreyes001@deped.gov.ph introduction improving the effectiveness of teachers and students in the educational system depends on supervision by school leaders, including master teachers. this involves various approaches designed to guide teachers in enhancing their teaching skills while ensuring that instruction aligns with academic standards. master teachers play a key role in monitoring instruction, promoting academic success, and improving both student learning and teacher performance. in response, the department of education (deped) issued deped order no. 42, series of 2017, mandating the use of the philippine professional standards for teachers (ppst) to assess teachers’ performance. several studies supports the impact of instructional supervision on teaching effectiveness and student performance. dingal (2023) found that master teachers significantly influence instructional methods and overall teaching quality, though their supervisory abilities have only a moderate effect on student achievement. bautista and alvarado (2022) emphasized that constructive feedback mechanisms foster teacher professional growth and improve classroom practices. additionally, ali and smith (2021) argued that cooperative and collaborative supervisory methods are more effective than authoritarian approaches in motivating teachers. saro et al. (2022a) further highlighted that school leaders’ guidance plays a crucial role in shaping teachers’ competencies and improving student outcomes. in the caraga region, deped provides training programs for master teachers to enhance their supervisory skills, including workshops on the result performance management system (rpms-ppst). however, issues persist, particularly regarding classroom observations, technical assistance, and the integration of technology in supervision. in surigao del sur, many elementary schools face resource shortages, and master teachers struggle with the use of advanced tools to support teachers. while learning action cells (lac) are in place, division-level activities often disrupt these initiatives, making it difficult for master teachers to fully apply their training. given these challenges, this study aimed to examine the critical role of master teachers in instructional supervision and its impact on both proficient teachers and student performance. more so, by focusing on elementary schools in the second district of surigao del sur, the study explored how master teachers provide supervision, the strategies they employ to enhance teaching effectiveness, and the extent to which their guidance influences classroom instruction. the study also sought to assess how instructional supervision pa ge 18 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 17-33, 2025 contributes to professional development, fosters a collaborative teaching environment, and also enhances student learning outcomes. the findings provide valuable insights into improving instructional supervision practices and reinforcing teacher support systems within the educational framework, ensuring that master teachers are equipped with the necessary skills and resources to effectively mentor and guide proficient teachers in their respective schools. literature review the performance of master teachers, both as classroom instructors and facilitators, has been the subject of extensive research in educational literature. scholars have explored various dimensions of this topic, including classroom observation, teachers’ self-perceptions, and factors influencing teaching effectiveness. the role of master teachers extends beyond traditional classroom instruction, encompassing instructional supervision, professional development, and mentoring of fellow educators. research indicates that their performance significantly impacts overall teaching quality, student learning outcomes, and institutional effectiveness (munir et al., 2022; chi, 2021). these studies highlight the intricate relationship between master teachers’ effectiveness and the broader educational landscape, emphasizing the need for robust instructional supervision mechanisms that foster continuous growth and improvement. one of the critical aspects of instructional supervision is the accuracy and fairness of teacher evaluations. chi (2021) found that factors such as race and gender congruence between teachers and evaluators influence performance assessments, potentially leading to biases. to address these concerns, research suggests implementing diverse evaluation teams and refining observation tools to ensure objectivity (burke & krey, 2020). moreover, alshehri (2019) emphasized that classroom observation serves as a valuable professional development tool, enabling teachers to engage in reflective practices that lead to instructional enhancement. lynch (2024) further argued that observation protocols must be continuously refined to align with evolving educational standards, ensuring that quality teaching practices are recognized and reinforced. teachers’ perceptions of classroom observation and evaluation processes significantly influence their engagement and effectiveness. lasagabaster and sierra (2020) explored the cognitive and emotional responses of teachers toward classroom observations, revealing a spectrum of attitudes ranging from enthusiasm for professional growth to apprehension about judgmental assessments. the study by zhang (2023) found that teacher resilience and well-being play a crucial role in fostering positive attitudes toward evaluations, particularly in language instruction settings. these findings suggest that for instructional supervision to be effective, it must be designed in a way that acknowledges teachers’ psychological responses and provides constructive, non-threatening feedback mechanisms that promote professional development. the shift to virtual learning due to the covid-19 pandemic necessitated adaptations in instructional supervision. jerry (2022) examined how online platforms influenced educators’ self-perceptions of their teaching performance, concluding that alignment between instructional abilities and technological tools enhances effectiveness. similarly, henklain et al. (2020) developed a virtual teacher evaluation model that addressed the unique challenges of online education, ensuring that instructional supervision remained relevant in digital learning environments. these findings emphasize the need for continuous innovation in teacher assessment strategies, particularly as education becomes increasingly technology-driven. additionally, research on instructional supervision also highlights its connection to teacher professionalism and ethics. udenka (2021) investigated how private school teachers in lagos, nigeria, employ diverse teaching strategies, demonstrating that instructional supervision directly impacts pedagogical innovation and student engagement. meanwhile, bartin faculty of education (2021) emphasized that professional ethics and integrity are fundamental to teaching effectiveness. studies by lasagabaster and sierra (2020) and brandon et al. (2018) reinforced the notion that effective instructional supervision fosters an environment of continuous professional growth, enabling teachers to refine their methodologies and adapt to changing educational landscapes. the relationship between instructional supervision and leadership effectiveness is another crucial area of study. mataboge and mampane (2024) found that constructive post-observation feedback loops significantly enhance teacher performance. chi (2021) highlighted that administrators’ perceptions of teachers’ effectiveness shape instructional strategies, emphasizing the need for strong leadership in supervision practices. lynch (2024) and hall (2024) further supported the idea that developing professional rapport between supervisors and teachers is essential for accurate performance assessments and instructional improvements. studies have also examined how instructional supervision influences student learning outcomes. zhang (2023) identified a strong correlation between teacher well-being and student academic performance, demonstrating that emotionally supported teachers create more engaging learning environments. research by cisneros-cohennour (2021), szoke (2024), and warnick (2024) explored the challenges teachers face in classroom management and how instructional supervision provides the necessary support to navigate these issues effectively. szoke (2024) emphasized that teachers’ self-reflection on their instructional competencies directly impacts student achievement, aligning with rahmawati (2024), who advocated for ongoing supervision to ensure continuous professional development. pa ge 19 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 17-33, 2025 the diversity of teaching contexts also affects instructional supervision effectiveness (saro et al., 2022b). simmons and holloway (2021) examined how teacher background, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status influence evaluations, advocating for bias-reducing training programs for evaluators. also, the study by lee et al. (2022) explored challenges faced by teachers in cross-cultural settings, emphasizing the need for culturally sensitive supervision practices that accommodate diverse teaching approaches while maintaining high educational standards. instructional supervision is increasingly recognized as a tool for fostering professional development and incorporating emerging educational technologies. jones et al. (2020) argued that supervision should focus on equipping teachers with digital literacy skills to enhance instructional delivery. fitzgerald and parker (2023) found that structured mentorship and ongoing training programs significantly improve teachers’ adoption of innovative teaching methods. these findings highlight the need for instructional leaders to invest in continuous professional learning opportunities tailored to teachers’ evolving needs. in the philippine context, research on teacher performance evaluation and supervision has emphasized the role of licensure examinations and criterion-based assessments. alforte et al. (2021) highlighted that collaborative professional development initiatives strengthen educational districts, reinforcing master teachers’ roles as instructional leaders. furthermore, studies in public schools have shown that targeted training interventions enhance classroom management and instructional support, indicating the importance of investing in teacher training programs that align with national educational priorities. overall, instructional supervision serves as a cornerstone for both teacher effectiveness and student success. the reviewed literature demonstrates that effective supervision encompasses fair evaluation processes, constructive feedback, professional development opportunities, and culturally responsive practices. as education continues to evolve, it is imperative that instructional supervision adapts accordingly, ensuring that teachers receive the support needed to foster high-quality teaching and meaningful learning experiences. research questions this study aimed to examine the role of master teachers in improving the performance of proficient teachers and learners, focusing on the key result areas (kras) for instructional supervision during the school year 20242025. specifically, it sought to answer the following research questions: 1. what is the demographic profile of the respondents, in terms of: 1.1 age; 1.2 gender; 1.3 highest educational attainment; 1.4 length of teaching service; and 1.5 school type? 2. what is the extent of manifestation of instructional supervision, in terms of key result areas (kras): 2.1 content knowledge and pedagogy; 2.2 learning environment and diversity of learners; 2.3 curriculum and planning; 2.4 assessing and reporting; and 2.5 professional engagement, personal growth, and professional development? 3. what is the performance level of teachers and master teachers based on their individual performance commitment and review (ipcr) ratings? 4. what is the level of learners’ academic performance? 5. is there a significant relationship between teachers’ performance and learners’ academic performance? 6. is there a significant difference in the instructional supervision provided by master teachers and school heads when categorized based on their demographic profile? materials and methods research design this study employed a quantitative research approach, specifically a descriptive-correlational research design, to address the set research questions. data were collected through a researcher-made survey questionnaire based on the key result areas (kras) of the philippine professional standards for teachers (ppst). the study aimed to gather, analyze, classify, and tabulate data on prevailing conditions, practices, processes, trends, and cause-effect relationships, as described by calderon (2006). additionally, it analyzed the relationship between several variables, following the technique outlined by medina (2010). the study examined the potential connections between two variables without manipulating them, as noted by smiley (2011). respondents of the study the respondents of this study were master teachers and school heads who answered a survey questionnaire assessing the extent of instructional supervision, particularly in relation to the key result areas (kras). additionally, the researchers gathered individual performance commitment and review (ipcrf) ratings from 73 elementary teachers and 73 elementary master teachers, totaling 146 respondents. furthermore, 73 identified learners from elementary schools were assessed based on their academic performance using their mean percentage scores (mps). for the primary analysis of instructional supervision, 95 master teachers and 75 school heads participated, resulting in a total of 170 respondents. the study employed complete enumeration sampling, also known as universal sampling, selecting all master teachers and school heads from public elementary schools in the second district of the division of surigao del sur. specifically, this included 95 master teachers and 75 school heads, from 73 public elementary schools across the municipalities of lingig, hinatuan, tagbina, barobo, and lianga. pa ge 20 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 17-33, 2025 research instrument the study utilized a researcher-made instrument for data collection, with survey questionnaire parameters adapted from deped order no. 42, series of 2017, titled national adoption and implementation of the philippine professional standards for teachers (ppst). these standards served as the foundation for developing key indicators to measure instructional supervision. while the parameters were derived from the ppst framework, the specific statement indicators were crafted based on an extensive literature review and relevant gathered information. to ensure the instrument’s validity and reliability, the items underwent a rigorous validation process with experts in education and instructional supervision. the survey questionnaire was divided into two sections, each addressing specific aspects of the study. part i focused on the demographic profiles of master teachers and school heads, including age, gender, highest educational attainment, length of teaching service, and school type. part ii assessed the extent of instructional supervision across five key result areas (kras): content knowledge and pedagogy, learning environment and diversity of learners, curriculum and planning, assessing and reporting, and professional engagement and personal growth and development. responses were measured using a 5-point likert scale to capture varying levels of agreement or performance. quantitative data were collected through survey administration, and the findings were systematically analyzed to determine the level of manifestation for each indicator. statistical treatment the data were tabulated, treated, and analyzed based on the research problems presented in the study. frequency and percentage analyses were used to examine the demographic profiles of master teachers and school heads, systematically classifying data based on variables such as age, gender, highest educational attainment, length of teaching service, and school type. these statistical tools were also applied to research questions 3 and 4, assessing the performance levels of teachers, master teachers, and learners’ academic performance. the weighted mean was employed to address research question 2, providing a measure of central tendency to analyze respondents’ perceptions. this technique accounted for the varying importance of survey items, ensuring an accurate representation of responses. data processing and analysis were conducted using the statistical package for the social sciences (spss) to ensure precision and minimize computational errors. correlational analysis was applied to examine relationships among variables, with pearson’s correlation coefficients assessing the strength and direction of these relationships. specifically, it explored connections between teachers’ and learners’ performance and the relationship between respondents’ profiles and the extent of instructional supervision across key result areas (kras). one-way anova was used to determine significant differences in instructional supervision between master teachers and school heads when grouped by demographic profile. this method effectively compared mean scores across multiple groups within independent variables such as age, gender, educational attainment, length of service, and school type. on the other hand, by analyzing variations between and within these groups, one-way anova identified whether differences in instructional supervision were statistically significant or due to chance, ensuring a comprehensive examination of how demographic factors influence instructional supervision practices. ethical considerations the study adhered to strict ethical considerations to ensure the rights, privacy, and well-being of all respondents. informed consent was obtained from all respondents ensuring they fully understood the purpose, procedures, and voluntary nature of their participation. confidentiality and anonymity were strictly maintained by coding responses and safeguarding all collected data, preventing unauthorized access. the study also adhered to the principles of beneficence and non-maleficence, ensuring that no harm whether physical, psychological, or professional would come to respondents as a result of their involvement. ethical clearance was secured from relevant authorities, and necessary permissions were obtained from the department of education and school administrators before data collection. furthermore, all research findings were presented with integrity, avoiding misrepresentation or manipulation of results. the study strictly followed ethical guidelines for research involving human participants, upholding respect, fairness, and transparency throughout the research process. results and discussion profile data table 1 presents the demographic profile of the respondents, including their age, gender, highest educational attainment, length of teaching service, and school type. these parameters provide essential viewpoints into the composition of master teachers and school heads, emphasizing their professional background and distribution across different school settings. the data gathered serves as a basis for analyzing trends in educational leadership, identifying gaps in professional development, and formulating strategies to enhance teaching effectiveness and school management. moreover, the age distribution of respondents reveals that the majority fall within the 46 to 55 years old category (35%), followed closely by those 31 to 45 years old (32%) and above 56 years old (29%). on the other hand, a small proportion (4%) are below 30 years old. this suggests that most master teachers and school heads have extensive experience in the field, likely contributing to their expertise in instructional leadership. however, the lower representation of younger professionals may indicate a need for succession planning and leadership training to ensure a smooth transition as older educators retire. pa ge 21 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 17-33, 2025 in terms of gender, the data shows a significant female dominance (83%), with only 15% male and 2% identifying as lgbtqia+. this reflects a common trend in the education sector, where women often outnumber men in teaching and leadership roles. while this suggests strong female representation, it also highlights the need for gender inclusivity initiatives that encourage more male and lgbtqia+ individuals to pursue leadership positions in education. in addition, regarding highest educational attainment, 82% of respondents have earned units toward a master’s degree, while 11% have completed a master’s degree. in this case, a small percentage have taken doctoral units (4%) or earned a doctoral degree (4%). this indicates that most master teachers and school heads are actively pursuing higher education, reflecting a commitment to continuous professional development. however, the relatively low percentage of doctoral graduates suggests the need for more structured support programs to encourage advanced studies among teachers and school heads. more so, the length of teaching service distribution reveals that a significant proportion (34%) have between 1 to 5 years of experience, particularly among school heads (40%). meanwhile, 23% have served for over 26 years, demonstrating a mix of both seasoned and relatively new educators. the presence of many earlycareer administrators suggests an opportunity for leadership training, while the long-serving educators may serve as mentors for professional development within their institutions. finally, in terms of school type, nearly half (49%) of the respondents are from non-central schools, followed by central/pilot schools (22%), primary schools (15%), integrated schools (10%), and multigrade schools (4%). the dominance of non-central school teachers highlights the need for equitable access to resources and professional development opportunities in remote and underprivileged schools. with this, ensuring that teachers and school heads in all school types receive adequate instructional supervision and support will be crucial for maintaining quality education across different settings. overall, the demographic profile of the respondents emphasizes a strong foundation of experienced, highly qualified, and predominantly female educators. however, the findings highlight areas for improvement, particularly in leadership succession, gender diversity, and support for advanced academic qualifications among educators. table 1: demographic profile of the respondents age age bracket master teacher school head overall frequency overall percentage n % n % n % below 30 years old 3 3 4 5 7 4 31 to 45 years old 30 32 25 33 55 32 46 to 55 years old 35 37 24 32 59 35 above 56 years old 27 28 22 29 49 29 total 95 100 75 100 170 100 gender category master teacher school head overall frequency overall percentage n % n % n % male 16 18 9 12 25 15 female 77 81 64 85 141 83 lgbtqia+ 2 2 2 3 4 2 total 95 100 75 100 170 100 highest educational attainment level master teacher school head overall frequency overall percentage n % n % n % master’s degree units 74 78 65 87 139 82 master’s degree graduate 12 13 7 9 19 11 doctoral degree units 4 4 2 3 6 4 doctoral degree graduate 5 5 1 1 6 4 total 95 100 75 100 170 100 length of teaching service number of years master teacher school head overall frequency overall percentage n % n % n % 1 to 5 years 28 29 30 40 58 34 pa ge 22 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 17-33, 2025 6 to 10 years 13 14 3 4 16 9 11 to 15 years 16 17 12 16 28 16 16 to 20 years 6 6 1 1 7 4 21 to 25 years 10 11 12 16 22 13 26 years and above 22 23 17 23 39 23 total 95 100 75 100 170 100 school type type master teacher school head overall frequency overall percentage n % n % n % central/pilot 23 24 14 19 37 22 non-central 43 45 41 55 84 49 primary 14 15 12 16 26 15 multigrade 3 3 3 4 6 4 integrated 12 13 5 7 17 10 total 95 100 75 100 170 100 legend: frequency (n); percentage (%) according to the study by pareja (2024), emphasizes that the demographic profile of educators significantly influences educational outcomes and the effectiveness of instructional leadership and school organization. on the other hand, the predominance of respondents aged 46 to 55 years (35%) aligns with findings that experienced educators often occupy leadership roles, bringing valuable expertise to their positions (manongsong, 2019). however, the limited representation of younger teachers and school heads may pose challenges for leadership succession planning. aside from that, female representation among respondents reflects global trends in the teaching profession, where women constitute the majority of the workforce (goden et al., 2020). this gender imbalance emphasizes the need for initiatives to attract and retain male educators, as diverse teaching staff can provide varied role models for students (associated press, 2023). additionally, saro et al. (2022) emphasizes that completed master’s degree units, indicating a strong commitment to professional development and growth of the teachers and school heads. this is also consistent with studies emphasizing the importance of advanced education for effective school leadership (mendoza, 2019). the varied representation across school types, particularly the 49% from non-central schools, emphasizes the necessity for equitable resource allocation and support. accordingly, educators in diverse settings receive adequate professional development is crucial for maintaining educational quality across all school environments (manongsong, 2019; bustamante, 2024). extent of manifestation of instructional supervision in terms of key result areas (kras) table 2 presents the overall mean scores for the extent of manifestation of instructional supervision across the five (5) parameters, including: content knowledge and pedagogy, learning environment and diversity of learners, curriculum and planning, assessing and reporting, and professional engagement, personal growth, and professional development. the master teachers obtained an overall mean of 4.444, while the school heads recorded a slightly higher overall mean of 4.454, both interpreted as “highly manifested.” the grand mean of 4.449 further reinforces the strong presence of instructional supervision practices in the school system. the slight variation in ratings suggests that school heads perceive a marginally greater level of instructional supervision, possibly due to their leadership role in overseeing its implementation. these findings imply that both groups recognize the effectiveness of instructional supervision in enhancing teaching quality, fostering professional growth, and maintaining high educational standards. the consistently high ratings also indicate a well-structured and actively implemented supervision system that benefits both teachers and learners. table 2: extent of manifestation of the instructional supervision parameters master teachers school heads grand mean overall adjectival rating mean adjectival rating mean adjectival rating content knowledge and pedagogy 4.430 highly manifested 4.470 highly manifested 4.450 highly manifested learning environment and diversity of learners 4.420 highly manifested 4.460 highly manifested 4.440 highly manifested pa ge 23 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 17-33, 2025 curriculum and planning 4.420 highly manifested 4.410 highly manifested 4.415 highly manifested assessing and reporting 4.430 highly manifested 4.420 highly manifested 4.425 highly manifested professional engagement, personal growth, and professional development 4.520 highly manifested 4.510 highly manifested 4.515 highly manifested overall mean 4.444 highly manifested 4.454 highly manifested 4.449 highly manifested the highest-rated parameter in the extent of instructional supervision is professional engagement, personal growth, and professional development, with a grand mean of 4.515 (“highly manifested”). both master teachers (4.520) and school heads (4.510) rated this aspect highly, indicating a strong emphasis on continuous professional learning and engagement in educational development and professional practices. this finding suggests master teachers and school heads are committed to improving their teaching practices through training, workshops, and professional collaborations. on the other hand, the high rating also implies that school heads and master teachers recognize the importance of ongoing professional development in enhancing instructional quality and teaching approaches. as a result, divisional and school administrations should continue to support and expand professional development opportunities to sustain this level of engagement and ensure that educators remain updated with modern pedagogical trends. more so, following closely is content knowledge and pedagogy, with a grand mean of 4.450 (“highly manifested”). master teachers rated this parameter at 4.430, while school heads gave it a slightly higher mean of 4.470. this result suggests that both groups perceive instructional supervision as significantly reinforcing the depth of teachers’ subject-matter expertise and pedagogical strategies. the slightly higher rating from school heads may indicate their confidence in the capability of teachers to deliver effective instruction. this implies that the current instructional supervision practices effectively support teachers in mastering subject content and refining their teaching methodologies. however, continuous enhancement of pedagogical skills through targeted supervision and mentoring remains essential to sustain high-quality instruction and adapt to evolving educational demands. moreover, the third-highest rated parameter is learning environment and diversity of learners, with a grand mean of 4.440 (“highly manifested”). master teachers rated it at 4.420, while school heads assigned a slightly higher mean of 4.460. the results indicate that instructional supervision plays a vital role in ensuring that teachers create an inclusive and engaging learning environment that accommodates diverse student needs. the higher rating from school heads may reflect their perspective on the effectiveness of supervision in maintaining a conducive learning atmosphere. this suggests that both groups recognize the importance of fostering and cultivating a positive learning environment where students can thrive regardless of their backgrounds. schools should continue implementing inclusive teaching strategies and differentiated instruction to further enhance this aspect. also, the assessing and reporting received a grand mean of 4.425 (“highly manifested”), with master teachers rating it at 4.430 and school heads slightly lower at 4.420. this finding indicates that instructional supervision ensures that assessment and reporting practices are consistently applied to monitor student progress effectively. the nearly equal ratings suggest that both school heads and master teachers acknowledge the structured assessment processes in place. this implies that both of them adhere to standardized evaluation methods to gauge student learning outcomes and success. to further strengthen this area, schools can focus on refining assessment tools, incorporating data-driven decision-making, and ensuring transparency in reporting student performance. nevertheless, the lowest-rated yet still highly manifested parameter is curriculum and planning, which obtained a grand mean of 4.415. the master teachers rated this parameter at 4.420, while school heads provided a slightly lower rating of 4.410. despite being the lowest among the five parameters, the ratings remain high, suggesting that instructional supervision effectively supports curriculum development and lesson planning. the slightly lower rating from school heads may indicate the need for further improvements in aligning instructional planning with curriculum goals. this finding implies that while teachers are actively engaged in planning lessons, there may be a need for enhanced collaboration and structured supervision to ensure alignment with educational standards and student needs. schools should continue refining curriculum planning processes by integrating innovative strategies and aligning them with studentcentered approaches. overall, the results suggest that both master teachers and school heads perceive instructional supervision as a crucial mechanism in enhancing teaching effectiveness, assessment strategies, and curriculum implementation. the consistently high ratings across all parameters imply that supervision efforts are well-structured and contribute significantly to professional development, instructional quality, and student learning. with this, to sustain this effectiveness, schools should continue reinforcing instructional supervision practices, providing relevant training, and ensuring that teaching strategies remain adaptive to evolving educational demands. pa ge 24 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 17-33, 2025 according to rodriguez and dela cruz (2023), professional development programs enhance educators’ competence, leading to improved instructional quality and student outcomes. aside from that, study by evans and jones (2022) highlights that professional engagement fosters collaboration, reflective teaching practices, and the adoption of innovative pedagogies. the strong emphasis on this parameter suggests that schools effectively implement structured mentoring, coaching, and training programs, which are essential in maintaining instructional excellence (garcia & martinez, 2021). furthermore, the findings reflect the assertion of bautista et al. (2020) and bustamante (2024) that sustained professional development positively impacts teacher motivation and instructional supervision effectiveness, reinforcing the role of school leadership in guiding educators toward continuous improvement. in addition, a study by lim and chen (2023) found that instructional supervision significantly influences teachers’ pedagogical adaptability, ensuring that lessons remain engaging and aligned with curriculum standards. cruz et al. (2021) emphasized that cultivating a positive learning environment leads to higher student achievement and motivation. the slightly higher rating given by school heads to these parameters suggests their confidence in instructional supervision as a tool for enhancing teachers’ subject mastery and classroom management skills (santos & villanueva, 2020; surahman & wang, 2023). moreover, research by taylor et al. (2022) emphasizes that effective supervision frameworks support differentiated instruction, enabling teachers to cater to diverse learning needs and ensuring that all students benefit from equitable educational opportunities. on the other hand, mendoza and ramos (2023), systematic assessment and reporting mechanisms enable teachers to track student progress effectively, promoting data-driven instructional adjustments. likewise, study by brown and smith (2021) suggest that well-supervised curriculum planning enhances lesson coherence and alignment with educational objectives. the slightly lower rating of curriculum planning, as perceived by school heads, suggests the need for further refinement in integrating innovative teaching methodologies (lopez & fernandez, 2020; ahmad et al., 2022; fernández-batanero et al., 2022). moreover, a study by kim and park (2022) emphasizes that instructional supervision should not only focus on compliance with standards but also encourage creativity and flexibility in lesson planning. these findings highlight the need for continuous enhancement of assessment practices and curriculum development to align with evolving educational demands and improve overall instructional effectiveness. the study by dela cruz (2022), best practices in professional development contribute significantly to improving teachers’ pedagogical skills and instructional strategies, which supports the high manifestation of content knowledge and pedagogy among master teachers and school heads. similarly, to the study by dicdiquin et al. (2023) and escarda (2024) highlighted the effectiveness of structured professional development programs in improving instructional quality, particularly in mathematics education, reinforcing the importance of continuous training in curriculum planning and assessment. furthermore, dela cruz and baguio (2024) emphasized that collaborative learning practices among educators foster and cultivate personal and professional growth. these findings collectively emphasize the necessity of sustained instructional supervision to maintain high educational standards and enhance teacher performance. level of performance of master teachers and teachers based on their individual performance commitment and review (ipcr) table 3 presents the level of performance of teachers and master teachers in terms of their individual performance commitment and review (ipcr). the findings reveal that both groups demonstrate high performance, with the majority receiving a “very satisfactory” rating, followed by a smaller percentage achieving an “outstanding” rating. only a minimal number of respondents fell under the “satisfactory” category. these results indicate that both teachers and master teachers consistently meet or exceed the expected standards set for their roles, reflecting their dedication to effective teaching and instructional delivery. this suggests that the existing instructional supervision and professional development efforts contribute significantly to maintaining high performance among educators. table 3: teachers and master teachers performance in terms of their ipcr performance rating scale teachers master teachers n % adjectival rating n % adjectival rating 4.000 5.000 4 5 outstanding 12 16 outstanding 3.500 4.499 68 93 very satisfactory 60 82 very satisfactory 2.500 2.499 1 1 satisfactory 1 1 satisfactory legend: frequency (n); percentage (%) among master teachers, the majority (82%) received a “very satisfactory” rating, while 16% were rated “outstanding.” this suggests that master teachers exhibit strong professional competence and instructional leadership, ensuring high-quality teaching and mentorship within their schools. their ability to guide and support fellow teachers contributes to the overall effectiveness of instructional supervision, aligning with pa ge 25 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 17-33, 2025 studies emphasizing the importance of experienced educators in professional development (garcia & reyes, 2023; taşdemir & karaman, 2022). the 1% rated as “satisfactory” may indicate that some master teachers face challenges in meeting performance expectations, possibly due to administrative responsibilities or evolving educational demands and new teaching approaches. on the other hand, teachers predominantly received a “very satisfactory” rating (93%), with only 5% achieving “outstanding.” while this demonstrates commendable performance, the lower percentage of teachers rated as “outstanding” compared to master teachers suggests the need for targeted professional development to further enhance instructional effectiveness. this finding aligns with studies by tan and soriano (2022), which highlight that early-career teachers often require continuous mentoring and exposure to best teaching practices to reach higher performance levels. additionally, it reflects individual challenges such as workload management, classroom diversity, or limited access to instructional resources. the implications of these findings suggest that while teachers and master teachers perform well, further professional growth opportunities should be provided to elevate more educators to the “outstanding” category. school administrators may consider strengthening mentorship programs, promoting peer collaboration, technical assistance, and offering more structured instructional supervision to enhance teacher effectiveness. the study by bautista et al. (2021) emphasizes the importance of continuous feedback and professional development in improving educators’ competencies and ensuring sustained high performance in teaching. additionally, the findings highlight the crucial role of instructional supervision in maintaining high performance levels among teachers. with most teachers and master teachers achieving “very satisfactory” ratings, it is evident that supervision strategies such as regular performance evaluations, peer observations, and professional learning communities are effective in cultivating quality teaching. however, as studies by ramos and castillo (2023) and li et al. (2022) suggest, enhanced support mechanisms, such as leadership training and incentive programs, can further motivate educators to strive for an outstanding performance and elevate overall instructional quality. on the other hand, schools should reinforce professional development initiatives, instructional coaching, and performance-based recognition. thus, schools can ensure continuous growth in teaching effectiveness, also leading to better learning outcomes for students and success. level of academic performance of the learners based on the mean percentage score (mps) table 4 shows the level of academic performance of the learners based on the mean percentage score (mps) of the identified schools. the table presents the distribution of learners across different proficiency levels, categorized into highly proficient, proficient, and nearly proficient. the results indicate that the majority of the learners fall within the proficient category, with 54 learners (74%) scoring between 75-89%. meanwhile, 18 learners (25%) are classified as nearly proficient, scoring within the 50-74% range. only one learner (1%) achieved a highly proficient level, scoring within the 90-100% range. these findings suggest that while most learners demonstrate proficiency, a significant number still require additional support to improve their academic performance. table 4: academic performance of the learners based on mps of the identified schools mps proficiency level range frequency (n) percentage (%) description 90-100 1 1 highly proficient 75-89 54 74 proficient 50-74 18 25 nearly proficient additionally, the data highlights the need for targeted interventions to enhance the academic performance of learners, particularly those in the nearly proficient category. with one-fourth of the learners scoring below 75%, schools and teachers may need to implement remedial programs or differentiated instruction strategies to address learning gaps. additionally, the minimal percentage of learners in the highly proficient category raises concerns about whether current teaching methodologies effectively support high-achieving students. schools may consider enrichment programs to challenge and develop learners who have the potential to excel further in their academic performance. on the other hand, the predominance of learners in the proficient category suggests that the current instructional approaches and curriculum implementation are generally effective. however, it is crucial to ensure that learners transition from proficient to highly proficient, rather than stagnating or regressing. more so, a deeper analysis of teaching strategies, assessment methods, and student engagement activities could provide insights into how to elevate performance levels. moreover, examining factors such as teacher effectiveness, instructional materials, and school resources can help identify areas for improvement in instructional delivery. according to a study by andrada (2021), the academic performance of students is greatly influenced by the effectiveness of teaching methods and the learning environment. accordingly, a significant gap exists between the proficiency levels of learners, especially in rural and remote areas. this gap can be attributed to various factors, including limited resources, inadequate teacher training, and socio-economic challenges faced by students. these factors align with the findings of table pa ge 26 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 17-33, 2025 8, where a considerable portion of learners falls into the “nearly proficient” category, indicating the need for improved academic support. as emphasized by delos santos (2022), addressing these gaps requires tailored interventions that are culturally relevant and responsive to the specific needs of learners, particularly those in underserved regions. moreover, recent research by cruz (2023) indicates the role of assessment practices in shaping student performance outcomes. in the philippine educational setting, the shift toward formative assessments has been found to contribute positively to student learning, allowing teachers to monitor progress and provide timely feedback. more so, there is still room for growth, particularly among learners with lower mps scores. this calls for the implementation of regular formative assessments and a focus on individualized support, as recommended by aguinaldo (2021) and saro et al. (2023), to ensure that all students have the opportunity to reach their full academic potential. correlational analysis between teachers’ and learners’ performance table 5 shows the results of the correlational analysis between teachers’ and students’ performance. the analysis investigates whether there is a significant relationship between the performance of teachers and their students. specifically, the computed correlation coefficient (r) is 0.106, suggesting a very weak positive correlation between the two variables. the p-value associated with this result is 0.373, which is greater than the commonly accepted significance level of 0.05. this indicates that the observed relationship between teachers’ and students’ performance is not statistically significant. table 5: correlational analysis between teachers’ and learners’ performance variables tested computed r p-value decision conclusion teachers’ and students’ performance 0.106 0.373 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant additionally, the failure to reject the null hypothesis indicates that there is no sufficient evidence to support a significant correlation. in statistical hypothesis testing, the null hypothesis generally assumes that there is no relationship between the variables being tested. besides, given the p-value of 0.373, they fail to reject the null hypothesis, which implies that any correlation observed between teachers’ and students’ performance is likely due to chance rather than a meaningful connection. moreover, this result highlights the importance of interpreting statistical data carefully, particularly when the p-value is not below the threshold for significance. overall, the results of table 6 reveal that teachers’ performance, as measured in this analysis, does not significantly correlate with students’ performance. this outcome suggests that efforts to improve students’ performance should not solely focus on enhancing teachers’ performance. instead, a more holistic approach should be adopted, addressing various internal and external factors that affect both teachers and students. according to a study by de guzman (2022), teachers who possess strong pedagogical skills and knowledge significantly contribute to improving student performance, especially in the context of the k-12 curriculum implementation. the research emphasizes that teachers who continuously engage in professional development can provide better learning experiences, which in turn leads to improved academic outcomes for students. furthermore, studies in the philippine setting have acknowledged that teacher quality is just one component influencing student performance (andrada, 2021; cruz, 2023; saro et al., 2023). a study by reyes (2023) and saro et al. (2022a) highlights that, while the role of teachers is crucial, factors like school facilities, class sizes, and the availability of teaching resources also affect student learning outcomes. these findings suggest that improving student performance requires an intervention addressing not only teacher quality but also the learning environment and student support systems. additionally, the study points out that teacher collaboration with parents and communities can enhance student performance beyond the classroom. moreover, bautista (2021) argue that traditional assessment tools, such as standardized tests, do not always provide a comprehensive view of the learning process. they suggest that formative assessments, which track student progress over time, offer more valuable insights into the effectiveness of teaching strategies. this helps create a clearer picture of how teachers’ instructional methods align with student outcomes and encourages continuous improvements in both teaching and learning. significant difference in the instructional supervision of master teachers and school heads when grouped according to their demographic profile table 6: significant difference in the profiles of master teachers and school heads sources of variation computed f p-value decision conclusion content knowledge and pedagogy age 0.11 0.952 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant gender 0.56 0.571 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant hea 1.36 0.261 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant length of service 0.81 0.545 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant school type 2.73 0.049 reject null hypothesis significant pa ge 27 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 17-33, 2025 learning environment and diversity of learners age 0.39 0.763 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant gender 0.19 0.827 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant hea 2.34 0.079 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant length of service 0.64 0.067 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant school type 2.93 0.038 reject null hypothesis significant curriculum and planning age 0.51 0.677 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant gender 0.88 0.418 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant hea 1.38 0.253 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant length of service 0.43 0.825 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant school type 3.02 0.034 reject null hypothesis significant assessing and reporting age 0.22 0.883 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant gender 1.21 0.302 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant hea 2.58 0.058 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant length of service 0.84 0.524 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant school type 2.56 0.060 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant professional engagement, personal growth, and professional development age 0.17 0.916 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant gender 0.45 0.641 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant hea 2.41 0.055 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant length of service 0.43 0.823 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant school type 0.84 0.476 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant table 6 displays the significant differences in the profiles of master teachers and school heads in relation to various parameters of instructional supervision. the sources of variation considered include demographic factors such as age, gender, highest educational attainment (hea), length of service, and school type. furthermore, the table highlights whether these factors influence the levels of content knowledge and pedagogy, learning environment and diversity of learners, curriculum and planning, assessing and reporting, and professional engagement, personal growth, and professional development. according to the data, the “school type” variable is the only factor that consistently shows significant differences across these parameters, indicating its potential role in shaping instructional practices. the content knowledge and pedagogy are critical aspects of instructional supervision, as they directly affect the quality of teaching. however, the analysis shows no significant differences based on age, gender, hea, or length of service. the p-values for these factors (0.952, 0.571, 0.261, and 0.545, respectively) indicate that they do not significantly impact the content knowledge and pedagogy of teachers. the only exception is school type, which has a p-value of 0.049, suggesting that the type of school whether public, private, or others plays a significant role in shaping how instructional supervision is carried out. this may reflect differences in the resources, student population, or organizational culture across school types. on the other hand, the learning environment and diversity of learners are essential for creating inclusive and effective classrooms. similar to content knowledge and pedagogy, the analysis finds no significant differences based on age, gender, hea, or length of service, with p-values of 0.763, 0.827, 0.079, and 0.067, respectively. however, school type again stands out, with a p-value of 0.038, showing a significant difference in the way the learning environment and diversity are managed across different school types. this could be due to the varying resources and strategies employed by schools to address the diverse needs of learners, such as specialized programs or training for teachers in certain school types. in addition, the curriculum and planning, which are foundational for guiding the educational process, also show that school type plays a significant role in shaping instructional supervision. the factors of age, gender, hea, and length of service are found to have no significant impact, with p-values ranging from 0.418 to 0.825. however, school type stands out once again, with a p-value of 0.034, indicating a significant difference in how curriculum and planning are approached across school types. this may reflect the varying curricula, educational priorities, and available professional development opportunities based on whether the school is public or private or whether it caters to a specialized student demographic. nevertheless, the analysis of assessing and reporting shows that, unlike the other parameters, no significant differences are found based on age, gender, hea, or length of service. the p-values for these variables range from 0.302 to 0.524, suggesting that they do not influence how teachers assess and report student performance. even though school type was found to have a p-value of 0.060, it is just slightly above the typical threshold of 0.05, meaning that while the school type may influence this area, the result is not statistically significant. therefore, the way teachers assess and report students’ progress may pa ge 28 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 17-33, 2025 not be significantly different across school types, or the influence of school type might be more nuanced. in connection to this, the professional engagement, personal growth, and professional development are crucial for continuous improvement in teaching. however, the analysis indicates no significant differences based on the demographic factors tested. with p-values ranging from 0.476 to 0.916, factors like age, gender, hea, and length of service do not appear to significantly influence the level of professional engagement, personal growth, and development. school type, once again, shows no significant difference, with a p-value of 0.476. this suggests that factors beyond demographic characteristics, such as institutional culture or professional learning communities, may have a more considerable effect on these aspects. overall, the findings suggest that school type is a factor influencing various aspects of instructional supervision. since significant differences were found across school types in content knowledge and pedagogy, the learning environment, and curriculum planning, school administrators might consider designing their strategies based on the specific characteristics of the school type. on the other hand, schools with fewer resources or larger class sizes might benefit from targeted support to improve pedagogy and create more inclusive learning environments. moreover, these findings imply that improving instructional supervision requires a more vital approach and intervention access, one that accounts for the diverse contexts within which schools operate. while demographic factors like age, gender, and length of service were not found to significantly impact instructional supervision, school type presents an important variable. therefore, a one-size-fits-all approach to professional development or instructional practices may not be effective, and customization based on the school type could lead to more impactful outcomes in teaching and learning. studies on instructional supervision highlight the importance of contextual factors, particularly school type, in shaping teaching practices and curriculum implementation. according to dela cruz and ramos (2022), variations in instructional strategies and professional development opportunities are often influenced by whether a school is public or private, as resource allocation and institutional policies differ. the study by santos et al. (2021) found that private schools tend to have more structured and continuous professional development programs, while public schools often face challenges related to large class sizes and limited instructional materials, impacting curriculum planning and pedagogy. these findings align with the results of this study, where school type significantly influenced content knowledge, learning environment, and curriculum planning, suggesting that educational policies should consider the unique needs of different school settings. furthermore, the role of demographic factors in instructional supervision has been widely examined in local research, with varying conclusions. a study by mendoza and villanueva (2020) and salmerón aroca et al. (2023) found that teacher effectiveness and professional growth are more influenced by school leadership and institutional support rather than personal attributes like age, gender, or length of service. in contrast, a report by garcia and cruz (2019) suggested that younger teachers tend to adapt more easily to innovative teaching strategies, although this was not statistically significant in all cases. the current study’s findings support mendoza and villanueva’s (2020) conclusion, as no significant differences were observed in instructional supervision based on demographic characteristics. these results reinforce the idea that school-based policies and professional development programs should be designed with a focus on institutional factors rather than individual teacher attributes. conclusion the findings of this study highlighted key insights into the demographic profile, instructional supervision, teacher performance, and learners’ academic achievement. the majority of respondents were female, but the lower representation of younger professionals suggested a need for leadership succession planning. instructional supervision was strongly evident, particularly in professional engagement and development, reinforcing the commitment of master teachers and school heads to continuous learning. teacher performance, as reflected in the individual performance commitment and review (ipcr), remained high, with most educators receiving “very satisfactory” ratings, indicating their effectiveness in instructional delivery. however, the lower percentage of teachers rated as “outstanding” emphasized the need for targeted professional development initiatives to further enhance instructional competencies. student performance data revealed that while most learners fell within the proficient category, a significant proportion remained in the nearly proficient range, emphasizing the need for remedial programs and differentiated instruction. the correlation analysis between teacher and student performance indicated no significant relationship, suggesting that other external factors may have contributed to student achievement. among the examined factors, only school type consistently showed a significant influence on instructional supervision parameters, implying that resources, student demographics, and institutional policies impacted teaching practices. these findings indicated the importance of equitable resource distribution, enhanced instructional support, and sustained professional development to improve overall educational outcomes. recommendations the following are the recommendations based on the study’s findings. these suggestions aim to enhance instructional supervision, teacher performance, and learners’ academic achievement while providing insights for future research. pa ge 29 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 17-33, 2025 1. it is recommended that school administrators implement leadership succession programs to encourage younger professionals to take on leadership roles, ensuring sustainability in instructional leadership. 2. it is suggested that school heads and master teachers continue strengthening professional engagement and development initiatives by providing regular coaching, mentoring, and training sessions designed to teachers’ needs. 3. it is recommended that targeted professional development programs be designed to support teachers in achieving “outstanding” performance ratings, focusing on innovative teaching strategies and instructional delivery. 4. it is suggested that intervention programs, such as remedial classes and peer tutoring, be reinforced to support learners struggling with academic performance and enhance overall student achievement. 5. it is recommended that schools institutionalize structured continuous learning programs that align with teachers’ specific areas for improvement, ensuring sustained professional growth and competence. 6. it is suggested that teachers integrate researchbased instructional strategies and technology-enhanced learning approaches to improve engagement and learning outcomes. 7. it is recommended that future studies explore the long-term impact of instructional supervision on teacher performance and student achievement, utilizing longitudinal research designs for more comprehensive insights. acknowledgments the authors express their gratitude to the schools division superintendent of the division of surigao del sur for granting permission to conduct the study in compliance with the requirements of the graduate studies program at north eastern mindanao state university, tandag city campus. they also extend their appreciation to the panelists for their invaluable guidance, the dean of graduate studies, the validators of the research instrument, the statistician, and everyone who contributed to the completion of this study. references abarro, j. o. 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(2023b). teacher well-being and resilience in foreign language teaching: a comprehensive study. journal of educational psychology, 115(5), 977–992. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu00 pa ge 1 pa ge 13 american journal of education and technology (ajet) development and evaluation of educational games using lumi education in general biology 1 for stem students: basis for recommended supplementary teaching materials allan h. sumandal1* volume 1 issue 4, year 2023 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i4.1089 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: december 20, 2022 accepted: december 29, 2022 published: january 03, 2023 this study aimed to assess the perceived effectiveness of the educational games and the overall performance of the students after it was introduced to them. a descriptive-comparative method of research was utilized. respondents of this study were twenty-six (26) grade-12 stem students. researcher-made validated questionnaire based on a 5-point likert scale was used for data collection. the findings of this study revealed that the contents used for educational games were about the cell cycle and cell membrane. most essential learning competencies were focused on describing, identifying, relating, and explaining biology contents. all of the educational games were rated strongly agree by the respondents. students enjoyed the games and increased their motivation, interest, cooperation, and participation which transcribed better performance in class. individual mean scores per lesson indicate that students fully understood the cell cycle concept: mitosis and meiosis. however, further interventions are needed to fully comprehend the function of the cell membrane components and transport mechanisms in the cell. data analysis also shows a significant difference in the respondent’s responses on the perceived effectiveness of educational games and their mean scores when grouped according to gender. on the other hand, there was no significant relationship between the perceived effectiveness of educational games and the performance of students. a proposed action plan was designed to further improve the effectiveness of educational games in enhancing students learning in general biology 1. also, the researcher recommends that teachers may try to develop their games using lumi education software. keywords educational games, perceived effectiveness, ict, general biology, stem students 1 department of education, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: allan.sumandal@deped.gov.ph introduction the novel coronavirus disease (covid-19), later named sars-cov-2, was first reported in wuhan city, china, in december 2019 (world health organization, 2020). it has become the world’s foremost problem in just a few months, resulting in millions of deaths and a global economic recession. the covid-19 outbreak has changed the lives of many people and the government sector. one of the sectors affected by this pandemic is the learning institution or education system. the pandemic has brought tremendous changes to the educational system in the philippines. since march 2020, all public and private schools in basic education nationwide have decided to suspend or cancel in-person classes. this has changed the delivery of learning in the department of education (deped) and transitioned teachers’ teaching approach from face-to-face to distance learning modalities. according to deped, the different types of distance learning modalities include online learning (ol), modular distance learning (mdl), tvbased instruction, and radio-based instruction (llego, 2020). the emergence of the covid-19 pandemic has increased the importance and potential of technology in education. many activities can now be performed online. for instance, in education, online learning makes it possible for students to acquire knowledge without attending school. similarly, teachers may no longer use blackboards and chalks because web conferencing is now an alternative. educators can now create learning aid materials using various online software and applications. since face-to-face classes are not possible, many teachers are forced to create learning materials that students can use at home. at that time, the most convenient and easiest way to connect with learners and parents was through social media and online learning platforms, such as zoom and google classroom. hence, teachers need to develop technology-based learning and teaching materials. through these materials, teachers can ensure that students continue to learn, even without physical meetings. undeniably, technology has played a vital role during the covid-19 pandemic. technology has significantly contributed to the expansion of human knowledge. it simplifies complex matters and challenging tasks. over time, technology has become increasingly sophisticated and contemporary. with the proliferation of commercial gadgets and highspeed internet, people have become more dependent on technology. for example, children and adults use computers and mobile devices for entertainment, social media, web browsing, texting, and numerous other purposes. technology plays an indispensable role in an individual’s daily life. rapid technological development has led to the emergence of social networking sites and social media applications. studies have shown that these applications have a significant impact on the interests of students. moreover, educators view technology as an ally for providing quality education, as it can enhance students’ understanding and academic performance. https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i4.1089 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= pa ge 14 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(4) 13-23, 2022 in this digital era, the majority of students are ict-smart. most of their activities, including their learning styles, are dominated by technology or ict. thus, it is imperative for teachers to integrate and use ict in their teaching pedagogy as early as preschool (dong, 2018). many studies have proven that information communication technology (ict) enables learners to learn better and more effectively. the integration of ict into the teaching and learning process is highly effective for both teachers and students (ghavifekr & rosdy, 2015). ict significantly affects students’ cognitive achievement in vocational courses. this increases learners’ motivation, collaboration, and interactivity (fiandra et al., 2022). motivated people learn more (borghans et al., 2016). ict use in the classroom is important for providing students with opportunities to learn and apply the required 21st-century skills (ratheeswari, 2018). technology has made learning enjoyable (raja & nagasubramani, 2018). according to fernández-gutiérrez et al. (2020), the impact of ict on educational outcomes depends on the subject and type of use. therefore, policies aimed at increasing the educational use of ict should be carefully evaluated to determine in which fields, uses, and methods can improve educational outcomes. the philippine government also values the importance of technology in education. article xiv, section 10 of the 1987 philippine constitution states: “science and technology are essential for national development and progress. the state shall give priority to research and development, invention, innovation, and their utilization; and to science and technology education, training, and services. it shall support indigenous, appropriate, and self-reliant scientific and technological capabilities, and their application to the country’s productive systems and national life.” moreover, the education act of 1982, known as batas pambansa blg. 232 stated that: “the teacher must sustain interest and enthusiasm in improving instruction so that he may be able to maximize the learning capabilities of his students. he must also be aware of the role of formal education where the government has made its policy to gear higher education towards the provision of quality education”. with this cited information, the need to develop scienceand technology-based teaching materials is vital to attain the government’s goals of quality education for all filipino learners. more enticing and enjoying educational games are also necessary to ensure that learning occurs even with little teacher supervision. carstens et al. (2021) noted that technology enhanced teaching and learning. with the proper use and implementation of educational technology in the classroom, students will undoubtedly increase their engagement and interest, leading to a more favorable environment for learning. on the one hand, technology could also be detrimental to learning. hence, teachers in this situation must be wise in deciding what instructional materials should be developed and used to improve the teaching-learning process. gouëdard et al. (2020) added that, to attain such a goal, teachers must be given sufficient training and workshops on using ict in teaching. as the facilitator of learning, the teacher can significantly contribute to enhancing the student’s academic performance. ndayambaje et al. (2021) identified the factors in poor performance contributing to the student’s poor performance in biology subject. the results indicated that the root causes of students’ poor performance in biology were english language as the medium of instruction, insufficient laboratory equipment, insufficient teaching and learning materials, inappropriate teaching methodology, amount of content and time allocated, inadequate involvement of parents in learners’ education, poverty, students’ absenteeism, and school environment. hence, teachers must improve their teaching strategies and methodologies to suit their clienteles’ needs. research questions this study’s primary purpose is to develop and evaluate an educational game in general biology 1 topics using lumi education software for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics students. specifically, this study sought to answer the following questions: 1. what are the contents and most essential learning competencies (melcs) used for educational games based on the following modules: a. module 7 (cell division) b. module 9 (chromosomal abnormalities) c. module 10 (cell membrane structure) d. module 11 (cell membrane and its function) e. module 12 (transport mechanism in cell)? 2. a. how did the students perceive the effectiveness of the educational games? b. how did the students behave and react while using the educational games? 3. what are the mean scores of the students using educational games? 4. a. is there a significant difference in the perceived effectiveness of educational games and the mean scores of students when they are grouped according to gender? b. is there a significant relationship between the students’ perceived effectiveness of educational games and students’ performance? 5. what are ways to improve the effectiveness of educational games? research hypothesis ho1: there is no significant difference in the perceived effectiveness of educational games and the mean scores of students when they are grouped according to gender. ho2: there is no significant relationship between the students’ perceived effectiveness of educational games and students’ performance. literature review john dewey once penned: “if we teach today’s students, as we taught yesterday’s, we rob them of tomorrow.” in this https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 15 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(4) 13-23, 2022 digital era, the use of boring learning materials and teaching pedagogy in imparting knowledge will undoubtedly lead to students’ poor academic performance. therefore, some teachers who are reluctant to use technology might find it hard to sustain the engagement and participation of the students. this necessitates that modern educators evolve and modify their pedagogical practices to satisfy the needs of their classes. the process of learning requires a variety of media support to help learners grasp and fully understand the lesson (canale, 2012). thus, instructional materials should be effective and tailored to the interests and needs of the students. research shows that more engaged and active learning yields a higher gain in knowledge. one example of a more engaged and active teaching strategy is the use of gamified education or the use of educational games. shrivastava (2021) stated that a sufficient number of studies demonstrate that gamifying the learning process can increase user engagement, user retention, and knowledge. a game can be a mental or physical activity that aims to entertain participants and provide them with rewards. educational games, on the other hand, refer to all developed games with the intent of helping students learn specific skills. zeng et al. (2020) defined educational games as software with an educational purpose that can create a realistic scene and motivate the learner. according to them, educational games make learning more interesting, promote learning by doing, and improve student abilities and skills. educational games can make learning more scientific, enjoyable, and effective. alonso-fernandez et al. (2020) found that educational games could significantly improve student engagement, motivation, and learning outcomes. mohamad et al. (2018) categorized gaming into game-based learning, gamification, serious game, and simulation. game-based learning refers to actual games in the classroom to enhance the teaching and learning experience. gamification, on the one hand, refers to the use of game design elements in a non-game context. a serious game is designed for specific purposes to achieve something, while simulation games aim to simulate realworld things and are usually used in training. kangas et al. (2017) stressed that the integration of games in teaching is a relatively unexplored area of research despite the rising interest in educational games. digital games increase students’ engagement (schindler et al., 2017). fokides (2017) asserted that students taught mathematics concepts with digital games significantly performed better than other students. studies have shown that game-based learning significantly improved the learning performance of students in science (sumandal, 2022), mathematics (wang et al., 2022), english (wu, 2018), and other different curricula (arcagok, 2021) as compared to traditional teaching approach. the use of educational games in traditional teaching can enhance students’ learning motivation and learning effects (cheung & ng, 2021), engagement and motivation (lo & miller, 2020), improve achievement, retention and cognitive (selvi & öztürk çoşan, 2018). yu et al. (2020) proposed game features that game designers should consider in designing game-based learning materials. this includes perceived usefulness, ease of use, and goal clarity, which could increase student engagement and improve the enjoyment of games. developing instructional materials requires a lot of thinking and decision-making. it needs careful planning and choosing appropriate material to use to ensure that learning materials are within the interest and levels of students. these developed instructional materials should also meet students’ expected outcomes or competencies. hence, creating teaching materials should be aligned with the curriculum standards that students can learn. an educational game must align with learning outcomes and not be competitive in the conventional sense; it must achieve proper alignment with the curriculum, meet objectives and be fun (university of toronto, 2022). conversely, for educational games to be effective, zirawaga et al. (2017) emphasized that educational games should be in line with the curriculum. marklund (2013) suggested that educators working with game developers should be aware and knowledgeable of the subject matter. motivating students will lead to successful learning (perensky, 2001). one way of motivating children is to design educational tools that are as engaging and motivating as popular games (nand et al., 2019). thus, instructional materials like educational games should be appealing to the eyes of the students. educational games should also be interactive. moreover, educational games should also promote different skills of students. satrio et al. (2021) believed that game-based learning enhances students’ creativity, critical thinking, and cognitive skills related to technology use. carstens et al. (2021) also explain that teachers and students need more training to better implement technology in the classroom. many teachers have found it challenging to develop interactive learning materials because of some technicalities like programming and coding. other compelling reasons include the cost of the software, time-consuming since it takes time to learn and design, which adds to cognitive loads and stress, and issues of access because it has to be connected to the internet (marklund, 2013). initial readings have shown that educational games significantly improve students’ performance compared to traditional teaching. studies reviewed also show enough research on the development of games in teaching, considering their different types—game-based learning, gamified learning, serious games, and simulation games. however, according to the researcher’s readings, lumi education is underutilized for developing educational games and interactive learning materials in the philippines. at the time of this research, there were no published studies on games created with lumi education software. with the extensive uses, benefits, and contributions of technology in people’s lives, the researcher intends to https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 16 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(4) 13-23, 2022 create an instructional design using the latest educational software to improve students’ science performance. therefore, this study aims to develop and evaluate educational games in general biology 1 topics for stem students. with this, students will be able to comprehend biology lessons better interactively. materials and methods research design this study follows a mixed-method research design. a mixed methods research design is a procedure for collecting, analyzing, and “mixing” quantitative and qualitative research and methods in a single study to understand a research problem (creswell, 2012). mixed methods can help gain a more complete picture than a standalone quantitative or qualitative study, as it integrates the benefits of both methods (george, 2022). research questions 2a, 3, and 4 were quantitative, while research questions 1 and 2b were qualitative. the quantitative approach employed descriptivecomparative. descriptive-comparative research studies contain (a) no manipulation of the predictor variable, (b) no random assignment to groups, and (c) a comparison group (cantrell, 2011). a descriptive-comparative design was appropriate for the study because a nonexperimental causal-comparative design enabled the identification of the differences among the variables. sample respondents of this study were twenty-six (26) grade 12 stem students of governor alfredo m. abueg sr. national technology, and vocational memorial high school enrolled during the 1st semester of the school year 2022-2023. grade 12 stem students purposively selected as the respondents of the study because they were the only strand in shs who was taking general biology during the semester of school year 2022-2023. the table below shows the breakdown of the number of respondents according to sex. this means that the instrument is valid and reliable. the instrument was also checked by at least three panels of internal and external validators. (3) checklist was utilized to determine the behavior and reaction of the students while using the games based on the recorded video. (4) finally, the researcher employed a 5-item quiz in each learning content to measure the student’s performance when educational games were introduced. data gathering procedure before conducting the research and data gathering, informed consent was secured and addressed to the respondents’ parents. respondents were appropriately dealt with, following the minimum health protocols ensuring that their health would not be compromised. they were also oriented that their participation in this study would benefit not only them but also the teachers and administrators of the school. at the onset of data collection, the researcher identified the content and most essential learning competencies (melcs) that have not yet been attained in the subject general biology 1 for the stem strand. the researcher ensured that the developed games were related to the content and most essential learning competencies (melcs) as well as to the self-learning module of the students. games were carefully structured in such a way that they would motivate and engage learners. the behavioral settings of the game were revised and edited to ensure that it substantially achieved the ultimate purpose of the games – to enrich the student’s learning experience. the educational games using lumi education software were developed for three (3) weeks. there was a total of eight (8) educational games created. these games were presented to two (2) science major teachers and one (1) ict teachers to assess the games’ content, feature, and applicability. teacher evaluators were given two (2) days to evaluate the said games. after this, educational games will be revised based on the comments and suggestions of the science and ict teachers. before the beginning of the class, a game to be used for a specific lesson of the day was given or transferred to the tablet and android phones of the students. each student has an individual gadget and a copy of the game. students will be instructed not to play or open the game until required to do so. games were played during the activity part based on the sequence of lessons in the selflearning module and as indicated in the weekly learning plan. activities were in the group, but games were still individual. class activities with the incorporation of educational games were recorded. videos were used to monitor how the students performed or used the game. using a checklist, the behavior and reactions of the students, as reflected in videos, were collected. before the class ended, a five-item quiz, adopted from slm, capturing the learning standards or learning competencies, was administered to assess the student’s understanding of the lesson. this also served as the baseline for the researcher-teacher if the learning objectives were grade 12 – spinel science, technology, engineering, and mathematics strand male female total 4 22 26 data gathering tools to collect the needed data, the following instruments were used: (1) 8 different types of educational games anchored to the five (5) priority most essential learning competencies (melcs). these educational games were incorporated into the activity portion of the lesson. educational games have undergone evaluation by six science teachers and 2 ict teachers. revisions were made based on the suggestion of the teachers. (2) a researchermade 5-point likert scale was also used to assess the games’ effectiveness. the instrument was pilot-tested on 10 student respondents. using cronbach’s alpha, the reliability coefficient of this instrument was 0.86. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 17 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(4) 13-23, 2022 met. more than ever, the scores of the students were analyzed to find out the student’s performance with the use of developed educational games. after each of the games was integrated into the lesson as additional or supplementary learning materials to further enhance their understanding of the lesson, a self-made questionnaire which is a 5-point likert scale was administered. students were asked to rate the perceived effectiveness of these games in comprehending the lessons. an action plan on how to improve the developed educational games based on the findings of this study was crafted. data analysis procedure in analyzing the gathered data, the researcher employed the following statistical treatment: mean was used to analyze the data about the perceived effectiveness of the educational games based on the 5-point likert scale instrument. mean and standard deviation were used to describe the mean score of the students based on the 5-item quiz in every topic. a t-test for an independent sample was used to determine if there would be a significant difference in the perceived effectiveness of educational games and mean scores of students when respondents were grouped according to gender. furthermore, regression analysis was used to establish a relationship or association between 2 variables. it was utilized to assess the strength of the relationship between variables and for modeling the future relationship between them. in this study, the students’ perceived effectiveness of educational games and students’ performance will be correlated. no statistical tool was used about the questions content and most essential learning competencies (melcs) used in educational games as well as on the observed behavior and reactions of the students while using the educational games. these questions fall under the qualitative method. a qualitative analysis was used instead. results and discussion 1. what are the contents and most essential learning competencies (melcs) used for educational games based on the following modules: a. module 7 (cell division) b. module 9 (chromosomal abnormalities) c. module 10 (cell membrane structure) d. module 11 (cell membrane and its function) e. module 12 (transport mechanism in cell)? table 1 shows the identified contents and most essential table 1: contents and melcs used in educational games content most essential learning competencies mitosis and meiosis describe the stages of mitosis and meiosis given 2n=6 (stem_bio 11/12-id-f-7) chromosomal diseases and disorders identify disorders and diseases that result from the malfunction of the cell during the cell cycle (stem_bio 11/12-id-f-10) structural components of the cell membrane describe the structural components of the cell membrane (stem_bio 11/12-ig-h-11) functions of structural component of cell membrane relate the structure and composition of the cell membrane to its function (stem_bio 11/12-ig-h-12) transport mechanism in cell explain transport mechanism in cells (diffusion, osmosis, facilitated transport, active transport) (stem_bio 11/12-ig-h-13) learning competencies in general biology 1, which was used as the basis for developing educational games. the content was primarily divided into two major biology concepts: cell cycle and cell membrane. the cell cycle includes lessons about mitosis, meiosis, and chromosomal abnormalities during cell division. on the other hand, cell membrane lessons discuss the structure of the cell membrane, the functions of the structure of the cell membrane, and the transport mechanisms that occur within the cell membrane. furthermore, the most essential learning competencies (melcs) focus on enriching students’ understanding through describing, identifying, relating, and explaining the content. 2. a. how did the students perceive the effectiveness of the educational games? b. how did the students behave and react while using table 2: perceived effectiveness of educational games 1, 2, and 3 (image sequencing, crossword puzzle, and drag & drop) n = 26 indicative statement mean result interpretation educational games helped me to better understand the lessons in biology. 4.50 strongly agree educational games made my learning of lessons fun and exciting. 4.50 strongly agree educational games enhanced my memory skills in the lessons discussed. 4.46 strongly agree educational games were an effective way of learning biology concepts. 4.42 strongly agree educational games improved my critical thinking skills. 4.42 strongly agree educational games contributed to an easy understanding of difficult lessons in biology. 4.38 strongly agree educational games motivated me to attend and participate in class. 4.38 strongly agree https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 18 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(4) 13-23, 2022 the educational games? table 2 presents the perceived effectiveness of educational games such as image sequencing, crossword puzzles, and drag and drop in general biology 1 class. based on the results presented above, the grade 12 stem students rated the educational games with an overall mean score of 4.38 with a strongly agree descriptive result. furthermore, the analysis shows that statements like “educational games helped me better understand the lessons in biology” and “educational games made my learning fun and exciting” received the highest mean score of 4.50. to summarize, the developed educational games improved student understanding and made biology class more enjoyable and exciting. this result is consistent with selvi & öztürk çoşan (2018) findings that educational games improve achievement, retention, and cognition. zeng et al. (2020) found that educational games can make learning more scientific, enjoyable, and effective. however, the statement “educational games reduced my anxiety about my teachers” has the lowest mean, with a mean score of 4.19, which falls under the agree category. this indicates that educational games were ineffective in reducing the students’ anxiety about their teacher. this implies that the teacher should modify his teaching methods and develop new ways to engage students. table 3 explains the perceived effectiveness of flashcards educational games allowed me to interact with my classmates. 4.35 strongly agree educational games allowed me to build harmonious interactions with my teachers. 4.23 strongly agree educational games reduced my anxiety about my teachers. 4.19 agree overall mean 4.38 strongly agree legend: 4.2-5.00-strongly agree; 3.40-4.19-agree; 2.60-3.39-neutral/undecided; 1.80-2.59-disagree; 1-1.79-strongly disagree table 3: perceived effectiveness of educational games 4 (flashcard) n = 26 indicative statement mean result interpretation educational games helped me to better understand the lessons in biology. 4.46 strongly agree educational games allowed me to interact with my classmates. 4.46 strongly agree educational games allowed me to build harmonious interactions with my teachers. 4.35 strongly agree educational games made my learning of lessons fun and exciting. 4.31 strongly agree educational games were an effective way of learning biology concepts. 4.31 strongly agree educational games reduced my anxiety about my teachers. 4.25 strongly agree educational games contributed to an easy understanding of difficult lessons in biology. 4.19 agree educational games motivated me to attend and participate in class. 4.19 agree educational games enhanced my memory skills in the lessons discussed. 4.19 agree educational games improved my critical thinking skills. 4.15 agree overall mean 4.29 strongly agree legend: 4.2-5.00-strongly agree; 3.40-4.19-agree; 2.60-3.39-neutral/undecided; 1.80-2.59-disagree; 1-1.79-strongly disagree as an educational game. respondents scored this game with an overall mean of 4.29, which can be interpreted as strongly agree. this suggests that flashcards as supplementary teaching material is effective in general biology classes. based on the analysis, four (4) indicative statements received the lowest mean score. these indicators are: “educational games contributed to an easy understanding of difficult lessons in biology”, “educational games motivated me to attend and participate in class”, and “educational games enhanced my memory skills in the lessons discussed.” all these three statements have the same mean score of 4.19. in addition, the statement “educational games improved my critical thinking skills” has a mean score of 4.15. students rate these statements as agree. this entails that the re-development of this educational game should focus on content that will help learners to understand the lesson fully and can improve learners’ higher-order thinking skills. table 4 depicts a summary of the perceived effectiveness of drag and drop as an educational game. data revealed that respondents strongly agreed that drag and drop table 4: perceived effectiveness of educational games 5 (drag and drop) n = 26 indicative statement mean result interpretation educational games allowed me to interact with my classmates. 4.54 strongly agree educational games were an effective way of learning biology concepts. 4.46 strongly agree educational games enhanced my memory skills in the lessons discussed. 4.42 strongly agree educational games helped me to better understand the lessons in biology. 4.38 strongly agree educational games contributed to an easy understanding of difficult lessons in biology. 4.35 strongly agree educational games motivated me to attend and participate in class. 4.31 strongly agree educational games made my learning of lessons fun and exciting. 4.27 strongly agree educational games reduced my anxiety about my teachers. 4.23 strongly agree educational games allowed me to build harmonious interactions with my teachers. 4.23 strongly agree educational games improved my critical thinking skills. 4.19 agree overall mean 4.34 strongly agree https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 19 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(4) 13-23, 2022 effectively enhanced students’ understanding of the lesson and improved their social and thinking skills. with a strongly agreed adjectival representation, this educational game received an overall mean rating of 4.34. moreover, a mean score of 4.19 was the lowest reported mean score for improving students’ critical thinking skills. as a result, enhancements to the game should focus on features that can help students improve their critical thinking skills. table 5 entails how the students perceived the effectiveness of memory and fill in the blanks educational games in general biology class. based on the result, respondents strongly agree that these games are undeniably effective in teaching students of biology lessons, with an overall mean score of 4.39. on the other hand, the lowest mean score was about reducing students’ anxiety toward their teacher with a numerical value of 4.19, which falls under agreed result interpretation. this manifests that games still need improvement to overcome the students’ anxiety table 5: perceived effectiveness of educational games 6 and 7 (memory game and fill in the blanks) n = 26 indicative statement mean result interpretation educational games made my learning of lessons fun and exciting. 4.58 strongly agree educational games were an effective way of learning biology concepts. 4.58 strongly agree educational games helped me to better understand the lessons in biology. 4.50 strongly agree educational games allowed me to interact with my classmates. 4.46 strongly agree educational games motivated me to attend and participate in class. 4.42 strongly agree educational games contributed to an easy understanding of difficult lessons in biology. 4.35 strongly agree educational games enhanced my memory skills in the lessons discussed. 4.35 strongly agree educational games allowed me to build harmonious interactions with my teachers. 4.27 strongly agree educational games improved my critical thinking skills. 4.19 strongly agree educational games reduced my anxiety about my teachers. 4.19 agree overall mean 4.39 strongly agree legend: 4.2-5.00-strongly agree; 3.40-4.19-agree; 2.60-3.39-neutral/undecided; 1.80-2.59-disagree; 1-1.79-strongly disagree about their teacher. table 6 presents the students’ perceived effectiveness of the educational game single choice set. it can be gleaned that respondents rated it with an overall mean rating of 4.45, interpreted as strongly agree. this means that most students believed that the single choice set game was very effective in learning biology concepts. this also connotes that this educational game helps enhance students’ understanding of the lesson and improves learning skills such as higher-order thinking and socialization skills. table 6: perceived effectiveness of educational games 8 (single choice set) n = 26 indicative statement mean result interpretation educational games allowed me to interact with my classmates. 4.58 strongly agree educational games helped me to better understand the lessons in biology. 4.54 strongly agree educational games made my learning of lessons fun and exciting. 4.50 strongly agree educational games were an effective way of learning biology concepts. 4.50 strongly agree educational games enhanced my memory skills in the lessons discussed. 4.50 strongly agree educational games motivated me to attend and participate in class. 4.42 strongly agree educational games allowed me to build harmonious interactions with my teachers. 4.42 strongly agree educational games contributed to an easy understanding of difficult lessons in biology. 4.38 strongly agree educational games improved my critical thinking skills. 4.31 strongly agree educational games reduced my anxiety about my teachers. 4.31 strongly agree overall mean 4.45 strongly agree legend: 4.2-5.00-strongly agree; 3.40-4.19-agree; 2.60-3.39-neutral/undecided; 1.80-2.59-disagree; 1-1.79-strongly disagree table 7 illustrates the observed behavior and reactions of the students while using the developed educational games. in general, students exemplified positive behavior and reactions toward the game. hence, educational games are an effective tool to enforce enjoyment, motivation, cooperation, interest, and active class participation. this table 7: students’ behavior and reactions during the used of educational games educational games students’ behavior and reaction game 1 mitosis (image sequencing) positive behavior and reaction game 2 mitosis (crossword puzzle) enjoyed the game game 3 meiosis (drag and drop) motivated game 4 chromosomal abnormalities (flashcard) cooperative game 5 structure of cell membrane (drag and drop) active and participative game 6 function of the components of cell membrane (memory game) interested game 7 function of the components of cell membrane (fill in the blanks) negative behavior and reactions game 8 transport mechanism (single choice set) students have difficulty accomplishing some of the games. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 20 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(4) 13-23, 2022 finding confirms that using educational games in traditional teaching can enhance students’ learning motivation and learning effects (cheung & ng, 2021), engagement, and motivation (lo & miller, 2020). however, the developer of the game should consider decreasing the difficulty of the game for students to accomplish the task. table 8 presents the mean score of students for every content or lesson where educational games were introduced. the mean scores of the students show that the topic cell cycle: mitosis and meiosis was the easiest since students’ scores obtained a mean of 4.62 with a qualitative description of outstanding. furthermore, a table 8: mean score of students n = 26 content mean score sd qualitative description cell cycle (mitosis and meiosis) 4.62 0.49 outstanding chromosomal abnormalities 3.73 0.90 verysatisfactory structure of cell membrane 3.96 0.76 verysatisfactory function of the components of the cell membrane 2.62 0.49 satisfactory transport mechanism in cell 2.62 0.88 satisfactory legend: 4.2-5.00-outstanding; 3.40-4.19-very satisfactory; 2.60-3.39-satisfactory; 1.80-2.59-fairly satisfactory; 1-1.79-poor standard deviation of 0.49 indicates that students’ scores are clustered around the mean that manifest a good performance. meanwhile, topics about functions of the cell membrane components and transport mechanism in cell were the hardest since they both have a mean score of 2.62, which can be interpreted as satisfactory. thus, the result suggests that teachers should provide additional intervention to the two (2) topics that gained the lowest mean score, such as enrichment activities to enhance students’ understanding of the lessons further. 4. a. is there a significant difference in the perceived effectiveness of educational games and the mean scores of students when they are grouped according to gender? b. is there a significant relationship between the students’ perceived effectiveness of educational games and students’ performance? table 8: differences in perceived effectiveness and mean scores n=26 content sex perceived effectiveness mean score t-test p-value interpretation cell cycle (mitosis and meiosis) male 4.13 5.00 4.531 0.010** significant female 4.43 4.55 0.675 0.253 not significant chromosomal abnormalities male 4.55 3.00 -2.233 0.055** significant female 4.24 3.73 -2.222 0.018** significant structure of cell membrane male 4.03 5.00 0.229 0.416 not significant female 4.40 3.91 -3.491 0.001** significant function of the components of the cell membrane male 4.45 3.00 -7.487 0.002** significant female 4.38 2.55 -14.446 0.000** significant transport mechanism in cell male 4.50 2.00 -5.470 0.006** significant female 4.44 2.68 -9.693 0.000** significant legend: **significant at 0.05 level of significance, mcritical value = 2.079 after performing the t-test: paired two sample for mean (paired t-test) in a two-tailed test, it was found that most of the computed t-value are greater than the mcritical value of 2.079. however, the calculated t-value of the female respondents on the lesson cell cycle: mitosis and meiosis as well as male respondents on the cell membrane topic structure were lower than the mcritical value. similarly, it can be noted that except for the two previously mentioned lower t-value than the mcritical value, all of the computed p-values are less than 0.05, therefore, rejecting the null hypothesis. hence, it can be concluded that in most lessons, the perceived effectiveness of educational games and the mean scores of students are statistically significant when respondents are grouped according to their gender. in other words, there is overwhelming evidence that a gain score taken place in students’ mean scores as a result of the use of educational games. as shown in table 9 it can be observed that the majority of the computed p-values were all greater than the level of significance of 0.05. these indicate no significant relationship between the perceived effectiveness of using educational games and the students’ mean scores. table 9: relationship of perceived effectiveness vs. students’ performance n = 26 quiz 1 quiz 2 quiz 3 quiz 4 quiz 5 game 1 correlation p-value interpretation 0.50 0.009 reject null hypothesis 0.41 0.03 reject null hypothesis 0.02 0.91 accept null hypothesis 0.15 0.47 accept null hypothesis 0.07 0.73 accept null hypothesis https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 21 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(4) 13-23, 2022 however, only the perceived effectiveness of using educational games (game 1) has a positive and significant relationship to respondents’ mean scores in quiz 1 (rs=0.50; p˂ 0.009) and quiz 2 (rs=0.41; p˂0.03). it can be concluded that game 1 significantly improved the student’s performance in quiz 1 and 2. the finding of this study confirms that educational games help improve students’ learning experience (cheung & ng, 2021). table 10: proposed action plan for the improvement of educational games area (s) and project title objectives person (s) responsible activities time frame expected output a workshop on developing educational games using lumi education to update teachers on new applications and software for creating interactive teaching materials researcher conduct school learning action cell (slac) focusing on new ways to develop teaching materials (e.g., lumi education) year round upgrade and upskill filipino teachers with world-class skills in educational technology. game developer partnership to enhance the features and workability of educational games researcher programmer coordinate with game developer experts like animators and programmers and discuss how the developed educational games could be improved in terms of their features and workability. year round an enhanced version of developed educational games. quality and updated versions of games building up connections to get additional feedback and recommendations from science experts on the content of educational games researcher science master teacher science supervisor invite science master teachers or science supervisors to evaluate the educational games. ask these pool experts to provide feedback or suggestions in terms of its content, level of difficulty, and alignment. year round educational games will have consistent and accurate content. quality-assured educational games two heads are better than one to conduct further study on the evaluation of educational games using lumi education researcher co-teacher encourage co-teachers to conduct a similar study to increase its reliability and credibility. year round validated and upto-date research findings about educational games game 2 correlation p-value interpretation 0.60 0.10 accept null hypothesis 0.02 0.89 accept null hypothesis 0.04 0.81 accept null hypothesis 0.27 0.18 accept null hypothesis 0.01 0.95 accept null hypothesis game 3 correlation p-value interpretation 0.02 0.91 accept null hypothesis 0.13 0.54 accept null hypothesis 0.20 0.33 accept null hypothesis 0.06 0.76 accept null hypothesis 0.02 0.91 accept null hypothesis game 4 correlation p-value interpretation 0.04 0.83 accept null hypothesis 0.11 0.60 accept null hypothesis 0.12 0.55 accept null hypothesis 0.07 0.74 accept null hypothesis 0.34 0.04 accept null hypothesis game 5 correlation p-value interpretation 0.15 0.44 0.27 0.18 0.10 0.63 0.01 0.95 0.34 0.10 accept null hypothesis accept null hypothesis accept null hypothesis accept null hypothesis accept null hypothesis legend: **significant at 0.05 level of significance https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 22 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(4) 13-23, 2022 conclusions 1. contents used for educational games were about the cell cycle and cell membrane. most essential learning competencies focus on describing, identifying, relating, and explaining biology contents or concepts. 2. all of the educational games were rated strongly agree by the respondents. it manifests that students perceived the educational games positively and thus helped them understand and comprehend the lessons in general biology 1. similarly, students enjoyed the game. furthermore, it increased the students’ motivation, interest, cooperation, and participation which transcribed better performance in class. 3. individual mean scores per lesson indicate that students fully understood the cell cycle concept: mitosis and meiosis. students also show very satisfactory performance in chromosomal abnormalities and cell membrane structure. further interventions are needed to fully comprehend the function of the cell membrane components and transport mechanisms in the cell. 4. there was a significant difference in the respondent’s responses on the perceived effectiveness of educational games and their mean scores when grouped according to gender. on the other hand, there was no significant relationship between the perceived effectiveness of educational games and the performance of students. 5. the action plan was conceptualized to further improve the effectiveness of educational games in enhancing students learning in general biology 1. the action plan focuses on leveling up the games’ features and checking the content’s internal consistency and validity. recommendation 1. teachers may try to develop their games using lumi education software. 2. teachers may employ educational games using lumi education as supplementary teaching material since it was found to be effective. 3. the non-techy teachers may consider collaboration with ict or game developers such as programmers and animators. 4. school administrators may utilize lumi education as a training or workshop topic in an in-service training (inset) to update and encourage teachers in new tools for developing teaching materials. 5. future researchers may conduct this study again with a larger sample; the result might be improved compared to the existing research. consider employing this study in other learning areas such as math, english, and social studies. references 1987 constitution of the republic of the philippines chan robles virtual law library. 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(2020). to learn scientifically, effectively, and enjoyably: a review of educational games. human behavior and emerging technologies, 2(2), 186–195. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbe2.188 zirawaga, v.s., olusanya, a.i., & maduku, t. (2017). gaming in education: using games as a support tool to teach history. journal of education and practice, 8(15), 55–64. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 13 1 american journal of education and technology (ajet) extracurricular physical exercise behavior and motivation of college students tian gao1*, lynette p. rue1 volume 4 issue 1, year 2025 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v4i1.4274 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: december 21, 2024 accepted: january 27, 2025 published: february 22, 2025 the study examined the extracurricular physical exercise behavior and motivation of selected students in xingtai vocational college of applied technology. by shedding light on these effects, the study aimed to provide insights into an action plan that addressed the results. the study measured the extent of extracurricular physical exercise behavior in terms of attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control. moreover, the study also included the level of motivation in physical exercise in terms of stress control, health, sociability, competitiveness, aesthetics, and pleasure. three hundred six students out of 1500 population size were the respondents of the study, and all the data were gathered through validated questionnaires. the findings revealed a notable high extent of extracurricular physical exercise behavior and a high level of motivation on the extracurricular physical behavior. no significant differences were observed in the extent of extracurricular physical exercise behavior and the level of motivation as grouped according to sex and course. the study emphasized the importance of implementing an action plan to address issues and improve extracurricular physical exercise. the results also highlighted the need to seek professional development opportunities and the attainment of a more profound understanding of the current industry challenges and success. the study also suggested the sufficient allocation of resources and finance. keywords behavior, extracurricular, motivation, physical exercise 1 graduate school of education, university of perpetual help system-dalta, las piňas city, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: gaotianjournal@gmail.com introduction physical fitness is considered an essential component of the national development plans in china, which specifically aim to create a healthier and more active society (liu et al., 2023). this critical health indicator is significant in ensuring the prevention of various health threats to the public, especially among the younger generation, so it is an important priority for the chinese government (dong et al., 2023). in line with this, based on the study of pan et al. (2022), the level of participation of chinese college students in physical activities is relatively good and in line with the implemented national standards. however, the national youth physical fitness reports shows decrease in the amount of exercise performed by learners as time pass by (liu et al., 2018). because of this, koons (2021) implied that this downward trend in the engagement of students in physical exercises is due to the exam-oriented focused education system in the country. also, liu (2023) cited that the education curriculum, including pe, often prioritizes academic achievement over other aspects of students’ development. hence, extracurricular activities are introduced to make up and balance the intense academic pressure and help students develop their overall health and well-being. in specific, chinese universities and colleges also implement various extracurricular physical exercises, which refers to activities that are not part of the regular curriculum but are still supported and promoted among students (zhang et al., 2023). it was stressed that students are encouraged to participate in this system of physical activities since it also helps strengthening their overall well-being, along with their academic pursuits. also, the author specified that universities and colleges in the country offers a variety of extracurricular activities such as recreational activities, high-level sports, traditional ethnic sports, and medico-healthcare sports activities. on the contrary, hao and yang (2022) reported that the national physical fitness and health monitor in the country inferred that students in universities and colleges in the country have relatively low engagement in extracurricular physical activities. given this, zhang et al. (2023) stressed the importance of improving and implementing a better system of physical exercises that are outside the regular curriculum, including elective credits and inclusion of its results with their pe class grades. meanwhile, liu et al. (2021) emphasized that most of chinese college students generally have a positive attitude towards the mentioned activities since they recognize the importance of such physical activities in maintaining good health and preventing chronic diseases. consequently, considering that the main motivation of students to exercise is to strengthen their physical health, this led them to actively engage with these activities. however, pan et al. (2022) noted that various challenges also affect students’ willingness to participate despite positive behavior, including academic pressure, facilities constraints, and lack of professional guidance. along with this, hao and yang (2022) noted that some students tend to disregard and view these physical activities as less significant as they progress in grade level. pa ge 13 2 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 131-149, 2025 meanwhile, as per the study of lin et al. (2022), some chinese college students are also driven by various motivations such as health, enjoyment, stress relief, social interaction, appearance, and school requirement, in engaging in different extracurricular physical activities. provided this, the author reiterated the importance of considering these factors in designing and promoting the mentioned activity among college students. however, despite the provided information, there is still insufficient study regarding the level of extracurricular physical exercise behavior and motivation of chinese college students, specifically in the hebei province. given this, this study primarily aims to determine the extracurricular physical exercise behavior and motivation of students in hebei province. specifically, this intends to identify the level of extracurricular physical exercise behavior of students in terms of attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. also, this will reveal their level of motivation in respect with stress control, health, sociability, competitiveness, aesthetic, and pleasure. further, this will determine if there are significant differences in level of extracurricular physical exercise behavior and motivation when both grouped according to demographic profile of students. also, this will ascertain if there is a significant relationship between the mentioned variables. finally, based on the results and discussion, an action plan will be designed and proposed as the output of the study. literature review physical health of students in china better physical health is significant for an individual to attain better performance and better mental health state in their daily lives (fadare et al., 2022). the author stressed that promoting physical health also foster self-care, personal health, personal growth and stress management that can help individuals to maintain a stable state of mind. in line with this, xiang et al. (2023) stressed that china is one of the countries which has been making efforts to enhance the physical health of its population, particularly among learners. specifically, the chinese government has enforced various initiatives and policies to promote physical activity and overall well-being, including the health china 2030 plan (liu et al., 2019). this strategy primarily aims to ensure the healthy development of chinese children and adolescents through focusing on physical activities. moreover, a study by xinhua (2022) cited that physical education (pe) has been mandatory for chinese students in the compulsory education system to further increase the emphasis on physical activities in the country. given this, educational institutions are continuously developing high-quality pe and health curricula to enhance the overall situation of chinese students’ physical activity levels. in respect with tertiary education, chinese colleges and universities offers variety of compulsory courses designed to promote quality education and improve the physical and mental health levels of learners (university of nottingham, 2024). however, gu (2022) reiterated that the current curriculum mainly focuses on reaching physical fitness standards of students through examinations, which leads to the neglection of student’s individual differences and can demotivate them to meet the expected physical levels. furthermore, fu and zhu (2022) also reported that almost 85% of colleges and universities in the country lack sufficient teaching hours for the mentioned curriculum, causing them to fail in completing the prescribed 2-3 hours per week of physical education and health curriculum, mainly due to economic, cultural, and other shortages, especially in remote areas. also, the author mentioned the limited variety in teaching content and sports program in the current curriculum, which cannot meet the learners’ developmental, physical, and psychological needs. extracurricular physical exercises in china, extracurricular physical exercises are deemed as an important part of physical education and the extension and supplement to current pe courses (hao & yang, 2022). also, it was noted that such activity is considered as the destination of regular physical exercises, given that the ideas and methods of the latter are applicable to the former, leading to further enhancement of students’ health and well-being. likewise, lobo et al. (2020) inferred that such activities can effectively decrease one’s anxiety, boost self-confidence, and improve psychological health. hence, extracurricular physical exercises for chinese college students cater wide range of interests in order to ensure its alignment with students’ interests and psychological needs. also, zhang et al. (2023) stressed the importance of its diversity as it can effectively ensure the motivation of students actively engage and reap benefits for their physical and mental well-being. as per the study by pan et al. (2022), aerobic exercises, including running, walking, jogging, and dancing, are considered the most popular form of extracurricular exercise among chinese college students, providing that their primary motivation is to strengthen their physical fitness. these activities can significantly help students to enhance their stamina, flexibility, and overall fitness levels. also, it was stressed that many college students prefer to exercise alone, leading them to prefer activities that do not require partners and can be conducted on their own and independently. meanwhile, hao and yang (2022) emphasized that compared to regular pe classes that focuses on teaching sports skills, health knowledge, and physical fitness through structured lessons and activities, extracurricular physical activities intend to provide more opportunities for students to actually apply the concepts and skills they have learned and participate in activities they enjoy. also, it has more flexibility in terms of content and format compared to former which are expected to meet specific learning objectives and standards set by the chinese moe (bania, 2020). pa ge 13 3 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 131-149, 2025 student behavior in extracurricular physical exercises according to the study of pan et al. (2022), it was stated that the engagement and behavior of chinese students in physical activities varies as it can be influenced by various factors. specifically, the low engagement of the mentioned demographic can be influenced by various constraints such as academic pressure, lack of time, facilities constraints, and the absence of professional exercise guidance (deng et al., 2023). as per junli (2019), despite the base level of physical activity among the said students, more efforts are needed to improve to increase their participation and ensure positive behavior towards it. particularly, zhang et al. (2024) concluded that chinese college students collectively value the benefits, positive impact, and usefulness of engaging in extracurricular physical exercises for their overall well-being and life satisfaction. also, they believe that these exercises provide numerous health benefits and is crucial for improving their immunity, preventing diseases, and improving mental well-being (zhang et al., 2023). given this, zhang (2024) reported the increasing active participation of the said demographic to physical exercises outside regular classes, leading them to achieve improved physical fitness, social connections, and academic performance, which can further strengthen their positive perception and engagement level. in support, liu et al. (2023) concluded that in the chinese context, parent’ perception on the value of physical activities significantly influence their children’s engagement in such. also, it was stressed that those family who encourage their children and provide full support can positively impact their participation in physical activities. similarly, tadesse et al. (2022) also reiterated that peer support has been proven to have a more significant impact on the physical activity engagement of college students, given that college students’ communication and support tends to shift from families to their peers. in connection to this, the findings of the study of balla et al. (2024) concluded that both attitude and pbc were consistent predictors of physical activity intentions of students. this implies that the mentioned domains are directly proportional with their intention and behavior. however, the author mentioned that the effect size of subjective norms was smaller and not statistically significant. as per fischer and karl (2021), it is important to note that the influence of social pressure may var across different populations and contexts, causing it to have a weaker impact on students’ intentions to engage in physical activity. motivation in engagement in extracurricular physical exercises additionally, zhao et al. (2023) stressed that motivation serves a crucial role in determining the frequency, intensity, and duration of physical exercises among chinese university students. it was noted that this element is multifaceted and may originate from various factors. in line with this, pan et al. (2022) cited that the main motivation for the mentioned demographic to engage in physical exercises are their health, specifically to strengthen their bodies, improve their physical health, and enhance their overall well-being. in a study of deng et al. (2023), students tend to actively participate in physical exercises given that they primarily aim to attain numerous health benefits, such as reducing the risk of chronic diseases, improving mental health, and boosting immune system. in relation to health, it was also concluded that the desire of chinese students to achieve their ideal body significantly shape their drive to participate in physical exercises (wang et al., 2023). particularly, being ‘ideally thin’ is viewed as the desirable aesthetic for body physique, especially for university students, which they believe they can only achieve through being physically active. also, the author stressed that this demographic actively link their body image with their personal emotions and integrate it into their self-concept, leading them to consider physical activities as essential to attain their aesthetic-related objectives. moreover, wang et al. (2023) also cited that stress management is one of the significant motivational factors for students to participate in physical exercises, as it is proven to be effective in reducing psychological challenges and promoting mental well-being. also, tao et al. (2023) stressed that various studies has already provided evidence that actively engaging in physical exercises can help alleviate stress, anxiety, and depression among college students. specifically, it was mentioned how regular exercises can increase the production of endorphins, which are natural mood elevators that can promote better sleep and enhanced mental health. additionally, liu (2023) also claimed how social interactions and peer influence plays an important role in encouraging students to actively participate in physical activities. the author stressed that engaging in such activities can enable students to interact with their peers, establish friendships, and develop a sense of belongingness. specifically, team exercises or group sports can foster cooperation and camaraderie among students, providing a more supportive environment that can further enhance their overall exercise experience (zhang et al., 2022). meanwhile, based on the study of subhrajyoti et al. (2023), other factors that urges student to be involved in extracurricular physical activities includes the fact that they believe their particiaption it can help them achieve higher academic success, and improved character development– specifically in terms of time management and leadership skills. materials and methods for this study, the researcher employed a descriptivecomparative research design, wherein compiling and assessing numerical data is a primary step in the research process to determine the level of extracurricular physical exercise behavior and motivation of chinese college students. in this design, the researcher takes into account two unmanipulated variables and uses a formal technique to compare them with independent variables in order to determine whether there is a significant pa ge 13 4 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 131-149, 2025 difference. subsequently, this study also compared if there is a significant difference in the extent of extracurricular physical exercise behaviour and level of motivation of the respondents as grouped according to demographic profile. as for the population and sampling, students from xingtai vocational college of applied technology were the subjects of this study and were selected through a purposive sampling technique. specifically, third year students with a total of 1500 students was the population and samples were selected randomly. in specific, three hundred six (306) students from the mentioned population participated in the study as respondents based on the computed sample size in raosoft calculator. those samples are under the courses of health management, artificial intelligence, digital media art design and big data. meanwhile, the main source for the gathering of data is the survey-questionnaire and it was crafted based on the stated variables stated in the statement of the problem. bhandari (2021) claims that the purpose of questionnaires was to get specific data from study subjects. it was feasible to learn about the respondents’ ideas, feelings, beliefs, ideals, opinions, temperament, personality type, and other characteristics by using questionnaires. the questionnaire is divided into three parts: the first part involves the profile of the studentrespondents according to sex, and course; the second part involves the extent of extracurricular physical exercise behavior assessed in terms of attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control, wherein the following scale will used: 4 – very great extent, 3 – great extent, 2 – low extent, and 1 – very low extent; and the third part involves the level of motivation as assessed by the respondents in terms of stress control, health, sociability, competitiveness, aesthetics, and pleasure, which used the following scale of: 4 – very high, 3 high, 2 low, and 1 – very low. in terms of data gathering procedure, the researcher conducted several actions to gather data for this study. first, the researcher’s proposal was submitted to and approved by the perpetual university ethics review committee. also, the principal of the school granted the necessary permission for the study. following this, each participant received an informed consent form, which was also approved by the school principal. moreover, to address challenges associated with in-person data collection, a chinese-language questionnaire was developed and made available on a chinese data website. the form link was sent via wechat to the individuals assigned as teachers and students. finally, the gathered data was interpreted using appropriate statistical tools. mathematical expressions and symbols researchers systematically organized the collected data using various statistical methods. in specific, the following statistical methods were used in this study: frequency count and percentage the following formulas were used to quantitively describe the demographic profile of chinese college students in terms of age, sex, and course. f = number of occurrences of a specific category or value p=f/n x100 wherein: p= percentage f= frequency of the specific demographic profile n= total number of occurrences (sum of all frequencies) weighted mean this was utilized to analyze the extent of extracurricular physical exercise behavior in terms of attitude, subjective behavior, and perceived behavioral control; as well as the level of motivation in terms of stress control, health, sociability, competitiveness, aesthetic, and pleasure. =(σ(wi ∎ xi))/(σwi ) wherein: = weighted mean wi= weight assigned to each data point ι xi= value of each data point σwi= sum of all weights analysis of variance (anova)/f-test and t-test for independent samples. when classified according to their profile, it was utilized to identify if there is a significant difference in the level of extracurricular physical exercise behaviour and behaviour of chinese college students. t-test was used to compare the variables in terms of sex (male and female) while anova/f-test was for the course which was categorized into four. for anova f-test: f = (ms between )/(ms within ) wherein: msbetween= mean square between groups mswithin= mean square within groups for t-test for independent samples: wherein: = sample means of group 1 and 2 s(2/1) s(2/2)= sample means of group 1 and 2 n1 n2= sample means of group 1 and 2 results and discussion table 1: demographic profile of the respondents in terms of age profile frequency n= 306 percentage female 181 59 % male 125 41 % table 1 presents the demographic profile of the respondents in terms of age. the results showed that females dominated the male by earning a frequency pa ge 13 5 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 131-149, 2025 of 181 equivalent to 59%, while the latter garnered a frequency of 125 (41%). in support, the university of california (2023), women tend to significantly show greater importance and frequency in participating in extracurricular activities compared to men. as per liu (2021), there is still an existing gender gap in extracurricular physical activities due to traditional gender stereotypes, discriminations and expectations. however, the author noted that women are seen as less engaged in physical and technical activities, and face more restrictions and disadvantages compared to male students, who are strongly encouraged to participate in a wider range of such activities (wen et al., 2023). because of this, there is a limited opportunities for women’s physical development and ability to attain relevant skills and experience. table 2: demographic profile of the respondents in terms of course profile frequency n= 306 percentage health management 12 4% artificial intelligence 73 24% digital media art design 64 21% big data 157 51% based on table 2, majority of the respondents are taking big data as their course, gaining the highest frequency of 157 (51%), followed by artificial intelligence with a frequency of 73, equivalent to 24%. also, the results revealed that there are 64 (21%) of them pursuing digital media art design. however, health management only earned a frequency of 12 (4%). therefore, the results indicate the strong interest of students in technologyrelated academic fields which also implies the significance of these areas in the current educational and job market in china. moreover, as per the study of shahzad et al. (2024), the growing interest in the mentioned academic fields and its increasing importance in various sectors lead the students to gravitate towards these disciplines. also, ren et al. (2022) stressed that this trend can also be attributed to the increasing demand for skilled professionals in the chinese technology industry, the rapid growth of the said sector, and the government’s emphasis on technological innovation. meanwhile, the low enrollment in health management courses infers their lesser interest in the field compared to technology and creative sectors. provided this, chinese government started to increase the number of public health education institutions in the country over the years in order to boost the number of enrollments (hou et al., 2018). table 3: extent of extra curricular physical exercise behavior in terms of attitude statements mean interpretation extracurricular physical exercises are beneficial for my health and overall well-being. 3.22 great extent engaging in extracurricular physical exercises is a good way to spend my free time outside regular classes. 3.17 great extent i feel fulfillment and happiness after engaging in extracurricular activities. 3.18 great extent i believe extracurricular exercises help in improving my academic performance. 3.16 great extent i believe extracurricular physical exercises contribute to my overall self-esteem and confidence. 3.24 great extent i believe that participating in extracurricular physical exercises helps me develop important life skills such as discipline and perseverance. 3.20 great extent i believe extracurricular physical exercises contribute to my overall satisfaction as a student. 3.18 great extent i believe that engaging in extracurricular physical exercises positively impacts my emotional well-being. 3.22 great extent grand mean 3.20 great extent note: for interpretation, the following remarks apply to the mean interval: 3.50 – 4.00 for very great extent, 2.50 – 3.49 for great extent, 1.50 – 2.49 for low extent, and 1.00 – 1.49 for very low extent table 3 reveals the extent of extracurricular physical exercise behavior in terms of attitude. based on the results, the grand mean of 3.20 can be verbally interpreted as ‘great extent.’ this infers that students have a relatively positive evaluation of such activities and their perceived outcomes. consequently, this positive attitude implies a higher engagement rate with it. in support, pan et al. (2022) mentioned that chinese students generally have favorable views in such activities so educational institutions are taking steps to promote and facilitate greater student participation. specifically, all of the indicators gained a verbal interpretation of ‘great extent’, wherein the statement emphasizing the contribution of the extracurricular physical exercises to the overall self-esteem and confidence gained the highest mean of 3.24. in a study pa ge 13 6 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 131-149, 2025 of ke et al. (2024), it was also concluded how such exercises effectively provides opportunities for personal achievement, mastery, and social interaction, which significantly contribute to learner’s sense of self-worth and their belief in their abilities. also, shang et al. (2021) cited how the positive feedback and recognition students received in these settings boosts their confidence. moreover, statements indicating the benefits of extracurricular to health and overall well-being, as well as emotional well-being (3.22); to life skills such as discipline and perseverance (3.20); to overall satisfaction as a student, and to sense of fulfillment and happiness (3.18); to productivity during free time (3.17); and to improvement of academic performance (3.16), also gained relatively positive attitude. as per pan et al. (2022), the main driving force of chinese college students to participate in extracurricular physical exercises is their belief that it would help them strengthen their physical health, and help them effectively prevent chronic diseases. also, engaging in such activities also help students to develop dedication, commitment, and time management skills, which are essential in achieving academic goals (the vision, 2024). table 4: extent of extra curricular physical exercise behavior in terms of subjective norms statements mean interpretation i feel pressured by my friends to participate in extracurricular physical exercises. 2.89 great extent my family encourages me to engage in extracurricular physical exercises. 3.25 great extent i believe that important people in my life expect me to participate in extracurricular physical exercises. 3.23 great extent my teachers fully support and guide me to participate in extracurricular physical exercises. 3.30 great extent i think that most of my classmate value participating in extracurricular physical exercises. 3.18 great extent i am influenced by the social media posts and discussions related to extracurricular physical exercises among my peers. 3.12 great extent i mainly consider the opinions of influential individuals in my social network regarding my participation in extracurricular physical exercises. 3.05 great extent i believe that participating in extracurricular physical exercises is a way to fit in with my social group. 3.17 great extent grand mean 3.15 great extent note: for interpretation, the following remarks apply to the mean interval: 3.50 – 4.00 for very great extent, 2.50 – 3.49 for great extent, 1.50 – 2.49 for low extent, and 1.00 – 1.49 for very low extent according to table 4, there is great extent of extracurricular physical behavior in terms of subjective norms. the results shows that the grand mean of the mentioned variable is 3.15, which infers that the perceived social pressure from important people have a significant influence to student’s decisions to participate in such activities. similarly, zhang et al. (2022) also emphasized that social pressure can push students to such activities as they strive to meet the expectations and fulfill their sense of obligation to please those who support and believe in them. also, in particular, indicator stating the full support and guidance from teachers garnered the highest mean of 3.20 equivalent to ‘great extent’. this infers that educators plays the most significant role in encouraging students to participate in physical exercises outside the regular pe curriculum. in support, wang et al. (2024) inferred that teachers’ guidance, support, and provided opportunities can effectively urge chinese students to engage in these activities and promote a culture of physical fitness and well-being. also, students are more like to be involved and put in more effort in certain activities when they receive adequate support and motivation from teachers (pan & yao, 2023). additionally, all indicators such as the encouragement from the family (3.25); expectations from important people (3.23); classmate’s positive valuation towards such activities (3.18); way of fitting in with the social group (3.17); social media posts and discussion of peers (3.12); opinions of influential individuals in social network (3.05); and peer pressure (2.89) were also verbally interpreted as ‘great extent’. this underscores the significance of a social environment composed of family, peers, social groups, and influential individuals, in promoting extracurricular physical activities among students. as per the university of arkansas (2020), the family environment and parental expectations can effectively shape student’s interest, values, and behaviors, including their participation in the mentioned exercises. also, dhiman (2023) stressed that beyond family, the broader social environment including school, community, and cultural factors can also shape individuals’ physical activity behavior, and further boost their engagement. table 5: extent of extra curricular physical exercise behavior in terms of perceived behavioral control statements mean interpretation i know that i have the necessary skills to engage in extracurricular physical exercises effectively. 3.23 great extent pa ge 13 7 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 131-149, 2025 obtaining a grand mean of 3.19, the results presented in table 5 reveals that there is a great extent of extracurricular physical exercises in terms of perceived behavioral control. this implies that students perceive a high level of control over their capabilities to perform and participate in extracurricular physical activities. however, in a study of zhang et al. (2022), cited that the chinese college students’ levels of control over their ability to engage in such activities may vary based on factors such as institutional support, individual motivation, social influences, and personal circumstances. specifically, all of the indicators gained a verbal interpretation of ‘great extent’. the statement citing the possession of necessary skills needed for extracurricular physical exercises earned the highest mean of 3.23. likewise, pan et al. (2022) reported that chinese college students commonly engage in moderately intense activities such as jogging, running, or ball games, which requires skills including coordination, endurance, and agility, which they have developed. in addition, statements including the confidence to overcome obstacles (3.21); possession of enough knowledge and crucial information, as well as successful attainment of the objectives (3.20); comfortability with the environment (3.19); and control over time, and previous positive experience (3.18) also gained a verbal interpretation of ‘great extent’. this infers that their high confidence to persist, sense of competence, and high level of comfort significantly contributes to their willingness to engage in such activities. on the contrary, deng et al. (2023) inferred that chinese students still have insufficient awareness regarding the importance of such activities due to various factors including the lack of professional exercise guidance, and lack of time due to academic pressures. furthermore, the indicator stating the presence of essential resources, equipment, and facilities earned the lowest mean of 3.15, which is still equivalent to ‘great extent’. this implies that there might be a relatively more room for improvement in the mentioned area, which can further bolster the students’ perceived behavioral control and overall engagement. in line with this, zhang (2021) noted the importance of investing for the improvement of sports facilities, providing essential equipment, and creating a supportive environment for the mentioned activities. i have the essential resources, equipment, and facilities to engage in extracurricular physical exercises. 3.15 great extent i possess enough knowledge and crucial information about the benefits and effects of engaging in extracurricular physical exercises. 3.20 great extent i am confident in my ability to overcome obstacles that may prevent me from engaging in extracurricular physical exercises. 3.21 great extent i believe i have control over my time to include extracurricular physical exercises regularly. 3.18 great extent i have previous positive experience participating in extracurricular physical exercises. 3.18 great extent i feel comfortable with the environment where extracurricular physical exercises take place. 3.19 great extent i believe i can successfully attain my objectives in engaging extracurricular physical exercises. 3.20 great extent grand mean 3.19 great extent note: for interpretation, the following remarks apply to the mean interval: 3.50 – 4.00 for very great extent, 2.50 – 3.49 for great extent, 1.50 – 2.49 for low extent, and 1.00 – 1.49 for very low extent table 6: level of motivation in the extracurricular physical exercise in terms of stress control statements mean interpretation actively engaging in extracurricular physical exercises helps me relieve stress. 3.25 high level i find that engaging in extracurricular physical exercises elevates my mood effectively. 3.25 high level i feel more confident and empowered after engaging in physical activities. 3.24 high level extracurricular physical activities serve as a form of relaxation for me. 3.24 high level engaging in extracurricular physical exercises helps me maintain a balanced lifestyle, which positively impacts my mental health. 3.26 high level grand mean 3.25 high level note: for interpretation, the following remarks apply to the mean interval: 3.50 – 4.00 for very high level, 2.50 – 3.49 for high level, 1.50 – 2.49 for low level, and 1.00 – 1.49 for very low level table 6 displays the level of motivation in the extracurricular physical exercise in terms of stress control. based on the results, the grand mean of 3.25 can be verbally interpreted as ‘high level’. this means that chinese college student perceive such activities as a highly effective way to manage their stress, and ensure their positive mental wellbeing. but also infers that there can be more room for improvement on such area in order to maximize the students’ motivation level. in support, wang et al. (2023) stressed that engaging in a higher frequency pa ge 13 8 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 131-149, 2025 of the mentioned activities were proven to be effective in boosting the mental health of college students. however, this factor is not yet the primary motivation for most chinese students (guanren et al., 2023). all of the indicators gained a verbal interpretation of ‘high level’ but the statement stressing how the engagement in such activity helps in maintaining balanced lifestyle and positive mental health obtained the highest mean of 3.26. in a study of liu et al. (2021), it was concluded that students attain life satisfaction when engaging in various physical activities as it can positively impact their overall self-worth, self-confidence, and belief in their abilities. also, participating in such activities outside a regular classroom setting helps them develop lifelong habits of remaining active and maintaining a healthy lifestyle (pan et al., 2022). in addition, indicators including the relieving of stress, as well as effectively elevating mood (3.25); and acquire more confidence and empowerment, and relaxation (3.24) also gained an interpretation of ‘high level’. likewise, weng et al. (2024) cited that exercising can help students to brighten their mood as it will allow them to release endorphins or ‘feel-good’ hormones. also, the author inferred how the engagement in such activities can serve as a form of escape and relaxation from academic pressures and daily stresses. table 7: level of motivation in the extracurricular physical exercise in terms of health statements mean interpretation i believe that engaging in extracurricular physical exercise improves my overall physical health. 3.27 high level extracurricular physical exercises are essential for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. 3.27 high level i seldom experience health problems whenever i actively engage in extracurricular physical exercises. 3.21 high level actively engaging in extracurricular physical exercises regularly helps me sleep better at night. 3.25 high level i believe that extracurricular physical exercises have significant contribution to my personal fitness goal. 3.23 high level grand mean 3.25 high level note: for interpretation, the following remarks apply to the mean interval: 3.50 – 4.00 for very high level, 2.50 – 3.49 for high level, 1.50 – 2.49 for low level, and 1.00 – 1.49 for very low level attaining a grand mean of 3.25, the table 7 reveals that there is a high level of motivation in the extracurricular physical exercise in term of health. in specific, all of the five indicators obtained a verbal interpretation of ‘high level’, which means that participants have a positive attitude and have a good awareness of the health benefits associated with the engagement in extracurricular physical exercises. in a study of pan et al. (2022), the main motivation for chinese college students to participate in such activities is to strengthen their bodies and ensure their positive well-being. indicator stating the improvement of the overall physical health, as well as the maintenance of a healthy lifestyle both garnered the highest mean of 3.27. as per the study of pan et al. (2022), it was stressed how such activity can effectively help students to improve their overall health by enhancing their cardiovascular fitness, strengthening their muscles and bones, and reduces the risk of chronic diseases. similarly, the results shows that there is a high level of motivation in engaging to the mentioned activities in order to attain better sleep (3.25); contribution to personal fitness goals (3.23); and to seldom experience health problems (3.21). in support, li and guo (2023) proved that involvement in extracurricular physical activities directly associated with improved sleep quality– increase slow-wave sleep and reduce the occurrence of sleep disorders, especially among college students, which is essential in ensuring health and overall wellbeing. table 8: level of motivation in the extracurricular physical exercise in terms of sociability statements mean interpretation my social interaction skills significantly improve through my active participation in extracurricular physical activities. 3.20 high level engaging in extracurricular physical activities outside of class helps me connect with my peers, especially outside regular classroom. 3.23 high level i feel more comfortable interacting with others when i’m involved in extracurricular sports or exercises. 3.19 high level being part of a sports team or exercise group enhances my sense of belonging in college. 3.21 high level i feel a sense of camaraderie and unity when participating in extracurricular physical exercises, specifically team sports or group workouts. 3.22 high level grand mean 3.21 high level note: for interpretation, the following remarks apply to the mean interval: 3.50 – 4.00 for very high level, 2.50 – 3.49 for high level, 1.50 – 2.49 for low level, and 1.00 – 1.49 for very low level pa ge 13 9 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 131-149, 2025 table 8 indicates the level of motivation in the extracurricular physical exercise in terms of sociability. based on the results, the grand mean of 3.21 is equivalent to a verbal interpretation of ‘high level’. this implies that social interactions within the exercise context serves a significant role in encouraging the engagement of the participants in such activities. in similar, deng et al. (2023) also emphasized that social environment, including the school atmosphere and support from peers, can effectively contribute to the motivation of students to engage in the mentioned exercises. particularly, all of the five indicators gained an interpretation of ‘high level’, but the statement stressing how engaging in extracurricular physical activities can enable the building of connection among peers, especially outside the classroom gained the highest mean of 3.23. following this, statements indicating the attainment of a sense of camaraderie and unity (3.22); sense of belonging (3.21); improvement of social interaction skills (3.20); and comfortability in interacting with others (3.19). in accord to this, zhang et al. (2022) stressed that students can effectively build social connections with their friends and classmates when participating in such activities, which can further enhance their sense of belonging, and derive enjoyment from their shared experiences. table 9: level of motivation in the extracurricular physical exercise in terms of competitiveness statements mean interpretation i engage in extracurricular physical exercises because i desire to outperform my peers. 3.10 high level i feel a strong desire to win when participating in physical activities outside of class. 3.11 high level i enjoy challenging myself to see the extent of my capabilities in extracurricular physical activities. 3.20 high level i feel a sense of pride and accomplishment when i perform better than others in physical activities. 3.18 high level i am driven to achieve personal bests in physical exercises because i want to be the best version of myself. 3.24 high level grand mean 3.17 high level note: for interpretation, the following remarks apply to the mean interval: 3.50 – 4.00 for very high level, 2.50 – 3.49 for high level, 1.50 – 2.49 for low level, and 1.00 – 1.49 for very low level according to the results on table 9, there is a high level of motivation in the extracurricular physical exercises terms of competitiveness after gaining a grand mean of 3.17. specifically, all of the five indicators were verbally interpreted as ‘high level’. this implies that chinese college students are highly motivated by challenges and opportunities to excel in such activities. in relation, koons (2021) concluded that some chinese college students participate in the mentioned activities to test their abilities, build resilience, and continuously develop a competitive spirit. the indicator stating the desire to achieve personal bests in physical exercises obtained the highest mean of 3.24. following this are the statements that emphasizing the enjoyment of challenging own’s capabilities (3.20); feeling a sense of pride and accomplishment (3.18); and strong desire to win (3.11). these imply that most of the participants are driven by their personal satisfaction and growth. likewise, zhang et al. (2022) stressed that engaging in the mentioned exercises are proven to be effective in pushing students into their limits, setting goals, striving for personal growth. furthermore, while it is verbally interpreted as ‘high level’, indicator stressing the desire to outperform peers earned the lowest mean of 3.10. this may infer that participants prioritize self-improvement over competing against others. meanwhile, niu et al. (2023) noted that the motivation of chinese college students in participating with extracurricular physical exercises may vary– some may prioritize personal wellbeing and growth, some may indeed prioritize outperforming their peers. table 10: level of motivation in the extracurricular physical exercise in terms of aesthetic statements mean interpretation i actively participate in extracurricular physical exercises because i want to improve my physical appearance. 3.12 high level achieving a desirable body image is a primary goal for my involvement in extracurricular sports. 3.16 high level i feel more confident about my body when i am actively involved in extracurricular physical exercises. 3.21 high level i believe that participating in extracurricular physical activities enhances my overall attractiveness. 3.20 high level i feel pressured by societal beauty standards to engage in extracurricular physical exercises. 3.04 high level grand mean 3.15 high level note: for interpretation, the following remarks apply to the mean interval: 3.50 – 4.00 for very high level, 2.50 – 3.49 for high level, 1.50 – 2.49 for low level, and 1.00 – 1.49 for very low level pa ge 14 0 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 131-149, 2025 table 10 manifests the level of motivation in the extracurricular physical exercise in terms of aesthetic. based on the gathered data, the grand mean of 3.15 can be verbally interpreted as ‘high level’. given this, the implication of this emphasized the pressure of societal beauty standards and other aesthetic reasons are strong motivational drivers for participants to engage in the mentioned exercises. in a study of zhang et al. (2023), it was cited that improving physical appearance and attractiveness is one of the motivating factors for chinese students to be involved in the mentioned activities, given that many young adults are now placing a great importance on their appearance and strive to enhance it. all of the five indicators gained a verbal interpretation of ‘high level’, wherein the statement emphasizing the attainment of more confidence in own’s body gained the highest mean of 3.21, followed by the enhancement of overall attractiveness (3.20); achievement of desirable body image (3.16); and improve physical appearance (3.12). in relation to this, shang et al. (2021) supported these motivation factors by concluding that engaging in such activities can positively influence body image and self-esteem, which significantly contribute to subjective well-being. similarly, liu et al. (2021) also cited how the active engagement in various physical activities can help students develop a better perception of their physical appearance, body shape, and overall physical fitness. meanwhile, despite gaining a ‘high level’ remark, indicator stating the pressure from social beauty standard obtained the lowest mean of 3.04. this infers that norms and expectations from the society are less influential factor compared to personal goals. as per pan et al. (2022), it was emphasized that the motivation of chinese college students for the said activities is not primary and solely driven by societal beauty standards. table 11: level of motivation in the extracurricular physical exercise in terms of pleasure statements mean interpretation i participate in extracurricular physical exercises because it brings me joy and pleasure. 3.23 high level engagement in extracurricular physical exercises allows me to pursue personal interests and hobbies outside of academics. 3.21 high level the sense of freedom and liberation i feel during physical activities pushes me to participate. 3.24 high level my engagement in extracurricular physical activities outside of classes adds excitement to my college life. 3.23 high level i feel a sense of fulfillment when i participate in physical activities outside of regular class hours. 3.23 high level grand mean 3.23 high level note: for interpretation, the following remarks apply to the mean interval: 3.50 – 4.00 for very high level, 2.50 – 3.49 for high level, 1.50 – 2.49 for low level, and 1.00 – 1.49 for very low level the level of motivation in the extracurricular physical exercise in terms of pleasure were presented in table 11. based on the results, the grand mean of 3.23 can be verbally interpreted as ‘high level’. this implies that emotional benefits, specifically joy and pleasure, are strong motivator of the participation of learners in such activities. in a study of jin et al. (2023), it was cited that such exercises are ere effective ways to ensure that students can experience sense of accomplishment, satisfaction and enjoyment, while taking a break from their academic responsibilities and focusing on their physical wellbeing. in particular, indicator stating the attainment of sense of freedom and liberation garnered the highest mean of 3.24, followed by achieving joy and pleasure; excitement; and sense of fulfillment (3.23); as well as pursuit of personal hobbies and interests (3.21), which are all interpreted as ‘high level’. this indicates that students aspiring to experience the sense of freedom and happiness outside the academic pressure are more likely to engage in the mentioned activities. also, zhang et al. (2022) stressed that it is vital for students to find a healthy equilibrium between academic pursuits and pleasure to maintain overall well-being and success in college. table 12: significant difference in the extent of extracurricular physical exercise behavior when grouped according to their sex factors sex mean sd t-value p-value decision interpretation attitude female 3.19 0.22 -0.72 0.473 failed to reject ho not significant male 3.21 0.19 subjective norms female 3.13 0.48 -0.81 0.417 failed to reject ho not significant male 3.18 0.46 perceived behavioral control female 3.18 0.54 -.053 0.598 failed to reject ho not significant male 3.21 0.51 pa ge 14 1 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 131-149, 2025 overall female 3.17 0.34 -0.81 0.418 failed to reject ho not significant male 3.20 0.33 note: ** the test statistic (t–test) is significant at 0.05 level. * the test statistic (t–test) is not significant at 0.05 level. for remarks, not significant indicates no significant difference and significant indicates with significant difference table 12 shows the significant difference in the extent of extracurricular physical exercise behavior when grouped according to their sex. based on the results, the overall level of extent of the mentioned variable gained a p-value of 0.418, which fails to reject the null hypothesis. this implies that there is no significant difference on both males and female’s engagement in such activities. also, this may indicate that both group of participants experience inclusive approaches to offered exercise programs, leading to a level of parity in their behaviors. however, in a study of chao et al. (2022), it was cited that there is still a variation in the level of physical exercise behavior between female and male college students in china despite the effort of the government to promote equal opportunities for extracurricular physical exercises for both genders. in specific, behavioral factors including the attitude (p=0.473); subjective norms (p=0.417); and perceived behavioral control (p=0.598) also gained p-values that are greater than the level of confidence of 0.05; hence, can be verbally interpreted as ‘not significant’. on the contrary, jiang et al. (2021) inferred that there is a gap in the behavior of male and female students towards extracurricular physical activities, since the former achieved higher level of fulfillment and happiness in their engagement compared to latter. also, zhu (2022) emphasized that gender is one of the crucial factor in understanding the physical activity behavior and related outcomes among chinese university students. table 13: significant difference in the extent of extracurricular physical exercise behavior when grouped according to their course factors sex mean sd t-value p-value decision interpretation attitude health management 3.20 0.14 0.94 0.428 failed to reject ho not significant artificial intelligence 3.22 0.20 digital media art design 3.17 0.20 big data 3.19 0.20 subjective norms health management 2.96 0.39 1.86 0.149 failed to reject ho not significant artificial intelligence 3.22 0.51 digital media art design 3.08 0.48 big data 3.16 0.46 perceived behavioral control subjective norms health management 2.86 0.49 2.15 0.106 failed to reject ho not significant artificial intelligence 3.23 0.57 digital media art design 3.14 0.53 big data 3.22 0.51 overall health management 3.01 0.28 2.35 0.084 failed to reject ho not significant artificial intelligence 3.22 0.36 digital media art design 3.13 0.33 big data 3.19 0.32 note: ** the test statistic (f–test) is significant at 0.05 level. * the test statistic (f–test) is not significant at 0.05 level. for remarks, not significant indicates no significant difference and significant indicates with significant difference obtaining an overall p-value of 0.084, the results in table 13 reveals that there is no significant difference in the extent of extracurricular physical exercise behavior when grouped according to their course. this implies that the participants’ choice of academic discipline does not significantly affect their engagement in physical exercises outside their regular academic curriculum. in line with this, behavioral factors including attitude (p=0.428); subjective norms (p=0.149); and perceived behavioral control (p=0.106) failed to reject the null hypothesis, given that their p-values were more than the level of significance of 0.05. particularly, attitude obtained the highest p-value, implying that this the least to be impacted by the course of the participants. however, in a study of gong and sheng (2022), students under technology-related courses prioritizes academic achievements and may perceive physical exercises as less important and beneficial to their field of study. on the other hand, junli (2019) cited that students taking healthrelated academic majors have positive attitude towards such activities since they have deeper understanding about its benefits on overall health and well-being. pa ge 14 2 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 131-149, 2025 table 14: significant difference in the level of motivation of extracurricular physical exercise behavior when grouped according to their sex factors sex mean sd t-value p-value decision interpretation stress control female 3.24 0.56 -0.49 0.625 failed to reject ho not significant male 3.27 0.51 health female 3.24 0.53 -0.36 0.717 failed to reject ho not significant male 3.26 0.49 sociability female 3.20 0.55 -0.23 0.817 failed to reject ho not significant male 3.22 0.51 competitiveness female 3.15 0.55 -0.74 0.458 failed to reject ho not significant male 3.19 0.52 aesthetic female 3.13 0.54 -0.66 0.508 failed to reject ho not significant male 3.17 0.55 pleasure female 3.22 0.55 -0.30 0.765 failed to reject ho not significant male 3.24 0.50 overall female 3.20 0.52 -0.49 0.626 failed to reject ho not significant male 3.22 0.49 note: ** the test statistic (t–test) is significant at 0.05 level. * the test statistic (t–test) is not significant at 0.05 level. for remarks, not significant indicates no significant difference and significant indicates with significant difference according to table 14, there is no significant difference in the level of motivation of extracurricular physical exercise behavior when grouped according to their sex. specifically, the overall p-value of 0.626 is greater than the level of significance of 0.05, leading to the acceptance of the null hypothesis. this infers that gender does not significantly influence the motivational factors for chinese college students to engage in the mentioned activities. however, zhang et al. (2021) inferred that male and female students have varying level of motivation depending to factors and its relative importance for them. in line with this, factors including stress control (p=0.625); health (p=0.717); sociability (p=0.817); competitiveness (p=0.458); aesthetic (p=0.508); and pleasure (p=0.765) also failed to reject the null hypothesis. this means that the mentioned variable do not significantly impact the levels of the both gender’s physical exercise behavior. but zhang et al. (2021) emphasized that despite being both encouraged by health, females appear to be more motivated by their appearance and social factors, while male are more motivated by stress reduction. moreover, deng et al. (2023) concluded that male college students are more motivated by competition and challenges in physical exercises, while female students are usually boosted by their desire to communicate, expand social circle, and enjoy after-school life. table 15: significant difference in the level of motivation of extracurricular physical exercise behavior when grouped according to their course factors sex mean sd t-value p-value decision interpretation stress control health management 2.93 0.45 2.01 0.124 failed to reject ho not significantartificial intelligence 3.24 0.57 digital media art design 3.25 0.53 big data 3.28 0.53 health health management 2.90 0.49 2.27 0.093 failed to reject ho not significantartificial intelligence 3.30 0.55 digital media art design 3.22 0.51 big data 3.26 0.49 sociability health management 2.88 0.48 2.11 0.112 failed to reject ho not significantartificial intelligence 3.24 0.56 digital media art design 3.17 0.54 big data 3.24 0.51 pa ge 14 3 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 131-149, 2025 competitiveness health management 2.83 0.52 2.53 0.068 failed to reject ho not significantartificial intelligence 3.20 0.56 digital media art design 3.08 0.54 big data 3.21 0.52 aesthetic health management 2.87 0.50 2.26 0.093 failed to reject ho not significantartificial intelligence 3.19 0.57 digital media art design 3.05 0.57 big data 3.19 0.52 pleasure health management 2.88 0.49 2.24 0.096 failed to reject ho not significantartificial intelligence 3.27 0.54 digital media art design 3.20 0.54 big data 3.25 0.52 overall health management 2.88 0.47 2.24 0.095 failed to reject ho not significantartificial intelligence 3.24 0.54 digital media art design 3.16 0.50 big data 3.24 0.49 note: ** the test statistic (f–test) is significant at 0.05 level. * the test statistic (f–test) is not significant at 0.05 level. for remarks, not significant indicates no significant difference and significant indicates with significant difference table 15 displays the level of motivation of extracurricular physical exercise behavior when grouped according to their course. in particular, the overall p-value of 0.095 is greater than the level of significance of 0.05; hence, this failed to reject the null hypothesis. provided this, it can be concluded that regardless of the chosen academic major, there is no significant gap in the level of motivation of students for their behavior in the mentioned activities. however, deng et al. (2023) stressed that the motivational factors and its level of importance may differ depending on students’ chosen academic discipline, specifically in terms of their personal goals, interests, and priorities. also, brownman et al. (2024) stressed that there is no on-size-fits-all approach to understanding and engaging in physical exercises among chinese college students; hence, there is a diversity in their motivational factors and its level. in specific, all of the motivational factors including stress control (p=0.124); health (p=0.093); sociability (p=0.112); competitiveness (p=0.068); aesthetic (p=0.093); and pleasure (p=0.096) accepted the null hypothesis. this means that regardless of their courses, chinese college students were boosted by these factors to engage in extracurricular physical exercises in a similar manner. conversely, zhang et al. (2023) inferred that students’ motivational factors differ between technology-related and health-related courses. particularly, the former is commonly motivated to engage in extracurricular physical exercises to attain stress relief, improve cognitive function, and maintain healthy life balance; while the latter participate in such activities to model healthy behaviors, given their deeper understanding of its health benefits. proposed action plan for extracurricular physical exercise behavior of chinese college students this action plan primarily aims to maximize and sustain the high level of extracurricular physical exercise behavior among chinese college students through leveraging attitudes, strong subjective norms, and high perceived behavioral control. along with this, this also intends to cater the motivations of students, ensuring inclusivity across all gender and academic disciplines. table 16: key factors objective/s strategies/s expected outcomes attitude 1. to improve student’s perception about the health benefits of extracurricular physical exercises including the management of stress, and enhancement of emotional wellbeing. 1. conduct regular workshops and seminars with health professionals and fitness experts to discuss the benefits of extracurricular physical exercises, focusing on mental health, physical wellness, and overall health. 1. students gain increased awareness and understanding about the health improvement and stress reduction they can get from such activities, leading them to actively engage with it. pa ge 14 4 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 131-149, 2025 2. to foster the sense of achievement and mastery of student in such activities 2. establish a recognition system that provides various incentives such as medals or certificates to learners who achieve significant fitness milestones, or who show consistent improvement in such exercises. 2. increased motivation of students due to their enhanced sense of accomplishment and pride. 3. to boost the self-esteem and confidence of students in participating in physical activities outside regular classes 3. provide consistent positive feedback and recognition during extracurricular physical exercises. 3. students attained higher confidence and self-esteem in engaging to various exercises. 4. to encourage students to engage by highlighting the pleasure and enjoyment they can attain 4. organize extracurricular physical activities that focus on the joy of movement and its intrinsic pleasure to enhance their overall exercise experience. 4. increased student engagement since they experience happiness and fulfillment in these activities. subjective norms to strengthen the support and guidance from educators to enhance students’ motivation and engagement levels develop and implement professional development opportunities focusing on the motivational techniques, and strategies they can use to encourage student participation. teacher have increase involvement and enthusiasm in promoting and supporting the engagement in extracurricular physical exercises. to enable families to be involved in creating a more supportive and encouraging environment. conduct programs and events where students and their families can participate and experience such activities together. students become more motivated in engaging to such activities due to increased family support and involvement. to leverage the peer influence and classmate support on student’s decisions to engaging in extracurricular physical exercises. help students to build groups and buddy systems where peers and/ or classmates motivate each other to engage in such activities improved social connections and enthusiasm for physical activities. to utilize social media and online platform to encourage students to actively participate in such activities collaborate with influential fitness influencers in social media that can promote extracurricular physical exercises and its benefits. more students are encouraged to adopt healthy and active lifestyle influenced by online fitness personalities. perceived behavioral control 1. to develop and further improve their physical skills and competence in extracurricular physical activities. offer trainings and workshops that focus on enhancing specific physical skills essential to various extracurricular physical exercises and fitness activities. students attain improved proficiency in specific physical skills, which can boost their confidence to participate in such activities. 2. to boost students’ mental resilience and confidence to conquer occurring challenges. conduct regular assessments to track learners’ skill improvement and provide constructive feedback. students, as well as educators, will be more motivated due to measurable improvements. 3. to create a comfortable and supportive environment essential to such exercises introduce mentorship programs where experienced individuals can guide students in overcoming challenges. establish a strong support network and relationships that can guide and lead students to sustained participation. improve the quality and accessibility of modern equipment, provide comfortable and necessary facilities, as well as convenient scheduling. students can experience physical comfort and satisfaction, which can further enhance their overall experience during exercises sessions. pa ge 14 5 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 131-149, 2025 conclusions according to the findings of the study, the following conclusions were obtained: ● chinese college students participating in extracurricular physical exercises are mostly female, and are taking up technology-related academic disciplines, such as big data. ● based on the assessment, it was revealed that chinese college students have a positive perception on the benefits and outcomes of such activities (attitude); perceive a supportive social environment (subjective norms); and believe on their own ability to engage in it (perceived behavioral control), leading them to their positive behavior. ● participants have high motivation level across various factors, including the management of stress, physical health, social interactions, competitiveness, aesthetics, and pleasure. ● there is no significant difference between the extent of extracurricular physical exercise behavior in terms of both sex and course, implying that the engagement of participants is consistent regardless of demographic profile. ● there is no significant difference in the level of motivation for extracurricular physical exercise behaviors when grouped according to sex and course, inferring that the given driving force are equally shared among students. ● the proposed action must be adopted to ensure the enhanced extracurricular physical exercise behavior of chinese college students. based on the foregoing findings and conclusions, the following recommendations were suggested: ● educational institutions should develop and promote a diverse range of physical activities outside the regular pe curriculum that would cater varying interests and motivations of college students. ● school administrators must foster an environment that promote positive attitude, social environment, and provide empowerment among students to ensure consistent positive physical exercise behavior. ● chinese moe can develop relevant policies that support diversity in extracurricular physical exercises, as well as promote its benefits among students¬– impact on their holistic well-being. ● pe teachers must engage in continuous professional development to ensure relevant updates on best practice in ensuring positive exercise behavior and student motivation. ● students must provide regular feedback to educational institutions, administrators, and teachers on the extracurricular physical activity programs offered, advocating for enhancement where necessary. ● future researchers can conduct qualitative research regarding the current topic in a wider range of participants in order to obtain deeper insights from the participants. specifically, in-depth interviews can gather more detailed personal experiences and perspective, especially from the underrepresented groups. ● the suggested action plan may be implemented in schools. also, the effectiveness of the proposed strategies must be evaluated and examined regularly. references balla, j., polet, j., kokko, s., hirvensalo, m., vasankari, t., lintunen, t., & hagger, m. s. 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(2024). an analysis of the role of college students’ core self-evaluation in the relationship between extracurricular physical exercise and academic stress. frontiers in psychology, 15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1279989 pa ge 1 pa ge 10 7 american journal of education and technologies (ajet) development and validation of filipino learners’ academic resilience scale joelash r honra1* volume 1 issue 2, year 2022 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i2.664 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: september 26, 2022 accepted: september 29, 2022 published: september 30, 2022 academic resilience can lead to better behavior and results for disadvantaged learners since they can achieve good educational outcomes despite diversity. several studies mentioned that various protective factors could affect resilience among students. on the other hand, several risk factors also directly affect its development among learners. this research provides a scholarly source for developing a scale that determines the level of academic resiliency of selected secondary school students and describes its psychometric features. the preliminary items for the scale were drafted based on the literature review and personal interviews using open-ended questions with secondary school students in bulacan. the interview questions were based on the risk and protective factors for academic resilience suggested by kutlu and yavuz (2016). the scale used a four-point likert scale, with higher scores indicating greater academic resilience. after validating the preliminary scale, the researcher analyzed the validity and reliability of the new scale items among 591 students. using exploratory factor analyses, two primary factors were extracted – internal and external protective factors with 37 items for flars. several well-recognized criteria for the factorability of a correlation were used. the kaiser-meyer-olkin measure of sampling adequacy was .915, above the commonly recommended value of .6, and bartlett’s test of sphericity was significant (x2(666) = 7351.246, p < .05). also, the overall cronbach’s alpha was .901, which showed very high reliability. therefore, the flars instrument is reliable and valid. it can measure the level of academic resilience of secondary school students. however, it might be readministered to a bigger sample for greater reliability, validity, and generalizability of results. keywords academic resilience, protective factors, risk factors, scale development 1 college of education, university of the philippines, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: jrhonra@alum.up.edu.ph introduction when the covid-19 pandemic started in 2019, schools were forced to close and shift to remote learning modalities to avoid learning loss for current learners. however, international evidence from past health and disasterlinked emergencies confirmed that the effect goes further than the period of pandemic or disaster (cho, kataoka, and piza, 2021). consequently, school closures come at the expense of learning. with the shifting of learning modalities from face-to-face to online, many learners experienced stress and fatigue because they were not used to the new learning modality. also, the online learning modality inhibited them from in-person interactions with their peers, resulting in isolation and anxiety, affecting the learning process. this situation could significantly affect everyone in the education sector, especially the learners. to name some effects of this pandemic, learning loss is one of them. learning losses can diminish the affected students’ potential productivity and lifetime earnings. the projected value of these losses at 1.25 trillion dollars for developing asia is comparable to 5.4% of the region’s 2020 gross domestic product (gayares, 2021). in the philippines, the national economic development authority (neda) estimated that the learning loss could lead to a pandemic cost of productivity of 41.4 trillion pesos for the next 40 years (national economic and development authority, 2021). hence, high students’ academic resiliency must address this health crisis challenge (riopel, 2021). with this, it is about time to develop and validate a tool that measures the academic resilience of filipino learners so that prompt solutions can be done after the assessment to alleviate the deteriorating effects of this challenging situation. for this purpose, the researcher addresses the following research questions below. 1. what are the reliability test findings of the ‘filipino learners’ academic resilience scale (flars)’? 2. what are the factor analysis outcomes of the ‘filipino learners’ academic resilience scale (flars)’? literature review in psychiatry, resilience is understood and defined as positive adaptation, or the capacity to maintain or regain mental health, despite adversity. the personal, biological, and environmental or systemic causes of resilience and their interactions are significant factors (herrman, stewart, granados, berger, jackson, and yuen, 2017). as for academic resilience, jowkar, kojuri, kohoulat, and hayat (2019) described it as the intensified chance of success in school despite environmental adversities brought about by early traits, conditions, and experiences. in other words, resilient students maintain high levels of achievement, motivation, and performance even with stressful events and situations that place them at risk of doing poorly in school and, in due course, dropping out of school. so, the role of motivation may be essential to educational resilience. also, learners’ motivation is necessary for academic success; students’ academic gains can be gone if they are not resilient to obstacles, learning pressure, and stress in school. therefore, students must https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i2.664 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= mailto:jrhonra@alum.up.edu.ph pa ge 10 8 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 107-113, 2022 be motivated and resilient to academic pressures (martin, 2001). a plethora of international studies explains other factors affecting learners’ academic resilience. these include student immigration (peña, jones, orange, simieou, and márquez, 2018; cumby, 2018; gabrielli et al., 2021), and curriculum (agasisti, avvisati, borgonovi, and longobardi, 2018; kemp, palmer, and strelan, 2019). according to peña, jones, orange, simieou, and márquez (2018), the major influential factors for academic resilience are life experiences, school structure, culture, and climate. these external factors are contributory to boosting one’s self-efficacy and self-esteem. comparatively, cumby (2018) suggested that an effective play of external factors (familial and social capital) in influencing the internal factors (linguistic, aspirational, and navigational capital) of resilience can create an opportunity of building a more mature academic resilience among immigrant learners. lastly, gabrielli et al., (2021) conformed to those self-efficacy principles, encouraging a home atmosphere and language approaches to support good academic regulations among immigrant-origin students. likewise, to better academic resilience, schools should foster inclusive programs such as extra-curricular activities to develop resilience further. based on agasisti et al., (2018), curriculum plays a vital role in academic resilience. it should be crafted based on students’ abilities and beliefs. likewise, it should guide their success in school while promoting self-efficacy and autonomy. thus, the learners feel confident and believe things will work in the end. similarly, kemp et al., (2019) highlighted the role of technology in driving academic resilience among students in school. incorporating technology into the curriculum revolutionizes the learning process, thus providing learning opportunities to become more resilient individuals. hence, both curriculum and technology play a crucial role in guiding learners; academic resilience. experts must be knowledgeable enough in navigating its strengths to achieve the primary purpose of improving learning outcomes. to support this scale development, local studies being published were also reviewed. seemingly, the most identified factors influencing academic resilience among learners are school culture and environment (lanuza et al., 2020; edara et al., 2021) and family and community (rico, 2019; beri & dorji, 2021; palmes et al., 2021). lanuza et al., (2020) stated that religiosity is mediated by the effects of resilience, optimism, and well-being. this result suggested that while facing harsh conditions in life, the educators in the philippines might use religiosity and its related dimensions as positive coping mechanisms to face the academic challenges triggered by the covid-19 pandemic. with this behavior, resilience among teachers can also be transpired to their learners since they can be behavior models. similarly, edara et al., (2021) noted that a contextualized and comprehensive program could lessen the risk factors brought by adversities since they can quickly grasp the concepts and learn them, thus, allowing an opportunity to be resilient. therefore, an effective curriculum and self-regulated teachers are scaffolds to having academically resilient learners. in the same manner, beri and dorji (2021) assessed that resilient plays a meaningful part in coping with stress and has a significant influence on academic success and behaved both as a mediator and moderator in the association between stressors and psychological wellbeing; hence, a positive attitude and emotion of a learner can improve learning efficacy. correspondingly, palmes et al., (2021) proved the role of resilience in enhancing the quality of life (qol) using structural equation modeling. results show that coping strategies only are not sufficient to improve qol. the only means to develop qol are resiliency and the ability to participate in social endeavors. therefore, the partnership between schools the foundation of necessary knowledge and behavior development groundand the communitiesthe basis of the distinctiveness of individuals and groupsis a valuable way of fostering resilience among people (rico, 2019). with this empirical literature, the significance of academic resilience has been established. thus, it is vital to determine the level of academic resilience among learners experiencing the adversities brought by the pandemic. more studies on academic resilience were done internationally. a scale development study by kutlu and yavuz (2016) identified two protective factors of academic resilience among academicians – internal and external. the internal or personal protective factors mean dominant attitudes, values, and norms prohibiting suicide, including solid beliefs about life’s meaning and significance. alternatively, the external or environmental protective factors mean solid relationships, mainly with family members, chances to partake in and contribute to the school or community projects and activities, a reasonably safe and stable environment, restricted access to lethal means, and responsibilities and duties to others. with vast tools and instruments on resilience being developed in other countries, none has been developed locally that filipino learners would use locally. furthermore, this study aims to develop a localized and contextualized scale that determines the level of academic resiliency of selected secondary school students and describes its psychometric features. moreover, the number of factors on this scale – internal and external protective factors, was based on the study of kutlu and yavuz (2016). methods this study followed exploratory mixed (qualitative and quantitative) methods. a qualitative methodology was employed in scale development, while the quantitative method was used in instrument validation. scale development at the start of developing the instrument, the researcher tediously reviewed existing studies and literature about academic resilience. in doing this, an operational https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 10 9 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 107-113, 2022 definition of academic resilience was made: “strengthened likelihood of students to be successful in school even they experience personal or environmental difficulties”. also, the researcher determined two factors or domains for the said construct as suggested by existing studies – internal and external protective factors as suggested by the study of kutlu and yavuz (2016). to start the item development process, the researcher created open-ended questions that were answered by ten selected secondary school students in bulacan via google forms due to the limitations brought by the pandemic. the said questions were validated by expired and were translated into the filipino language to ensure that the participants could easily understand them. these are the open-ended questions: 1. does this pandemic become a challenge to you as a student? if yes, what makes you say so? (naging mapaghamon ba sa iyo ang pandemya bilang estudyante? kung oo, anong dahilan bakit mo nasabi ‘yun?) 2. is there anything you did to overcome the challenges brought by this difficult situation? if yes, what are those things? (may ginawa ka bang anumang bagay upang malagpasan ang mapaghamong dulot ng lubhang hirap na sitwasyon? kung oo, ano ang mga bagay na iyon?) 3. is there someone or something that enabled you to overcome these challenges? if yes, what did they do? (mayroon bang kahit na sino o bagay kaya ang tumulong upang iyong paganahing malagpasan ang mga hamong ito? kung mayroon o oo, anong ginawa nila?) once the students were finished answering the questions, the researcher conducted an in-depth interview using an interview guide on four students from the group. the data from these interviews were content analyzed, and codes and categories were generated. an intercoder was asked to validate the codes made by the researcher for reliability purposes. then, the preliminary items for the scale were made based on the themes that arose in the students’ responses. there were 17 items created for the internal or personal protective factors and 20 items for the external or environmental protective factors. these 37 items initially developed underwent language and expert validation. for language validation, the researcher asked an english teacher with a master’s degree in language education to investigate each item’s grammar and other language components. then, experts examined the items and decided if they were intended to measure academic resilience. after this process, no items were removed or added. the survey instrument is a 4-point likert scale that specifies the respondents’ level of agreement to a statement typically in four points: 4 strongly agree, 3 agree, 2 disagree, and 1 strongly disagree. the neutral midpoint was removed to avoid respondents using it as a dumping ground when responding to survey items unfamiliar to them, ambiguous or socially undesirable items. before administering the preliminary items, a teacher who is an expert in filipino and is currently taking her master’s program at up college of education was asked to translate each item into filipino. this translation was made and decided on by the researcher for easy understanding by respondents during the implementation. the researcher secured approval to administer the survey instrument from the school heads of selected secondary schools in the philippines. students in secondary school (from grades 7 to 12) took part in the scale administration. however, due to the current pandemic, the respondents answered the survey via google forms. there was a total of 591 students who answered the survey. they came from the following regions in the philippines: central luzon (n=385), northern mindanao (n=108), western visayas (n=57), national capital region (n=23), bicol region (n=11), davao region (n=4), and calabarzon (n=3). table 1 shows the demographic profile and frequency of the respondents who joined in administrating the preliminary items of the scale. table 1: demographic information of the respondents grade level male female n % 7 34 40 74 12.5 8 13 32 45 7.6 9 62 72 134 22.7 10 43 86 129 21.8 11 33 68 101 17.1 12 42 66 108 18.3 total 227 364 591 100 based on table 1, most of the respondents are female, n=364 (61.59%); thus, there is an instance that the reflection of academic resilience will come from female students. moreover, among the junior and senior high school students, most of the respondents are junior high school students, n=382 (64.64%); therefore, the instrument will indicate the academic resilience of junior high school students more. instrument psychometric analyses the following psychometric analyses were employed in developing filipino learners’ academic resilience scale (flars), such as reliability and validity. instrument reliability cronbach’s alpha is a gauge of internal consistency: how directly associated a set of items are as a group. it is believed to be a measure of scale reliability. the https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 11 0 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 107-113, 2022 reliability values can be influenced by external factors respondents’ age, gender, level of study, religiousness, rural/urban living, survey type, and relevance of the research subject for the survey participants (ursachi et al., 2015). in developing this scale, data are examined for internal consistency using an alpha coefficient, a test of item inter-correlation. a high alpha suggests that each item is a good indicator of the other items. when instruments are used for research reasons, alphas should be 0.70 to 0.80. for clinical functions, alphas should be at least 0.90 (taber, 2018). scale validity factor analysis is an approach to getting a load of data and summarizing it into a smaller data set that is more convenient and more plausible. factors are recorded corresponding to factor loadings, or how much difference in the data they can explain. it is utilized to ascertain the association between the variable and the respondent (samuels, 2017). also, exploratory factor analysis (efa) is commonly used to determine the factor structure of a measure and analyze its internal reliability. efa is necessary to establish underlying constructs for a set of measured variables (watkins, 2018). results and discussion in this section, qualitative and quantitative results are presented and discussed. the qualitative results cover the themes and codes generated from the transcripts of the semi-structured interviews conducted before item development. likewise, quantitative results include the reliability and validity analyses of the data gathered from the survey administration. risk and protective factors of academically resilient learners risk factors results concerning the first question, “does this pandemic become a challenge to you as a student? if yes, what makes you say so?” aimed to identify the obstacles and challenges faced by the students during this challenging time, are shown in table 2. table 2: risk factors encountered by academically resilient learners risk factors codes frequency environmental-related not accustomed to learning modality 5 inconducive learning environment 2 inadequate 2 more responsibilities time allotment 1 school-related task overload 1 personal-related emotional difficulty 1 becoming socially distant 1 afraid of being criticized 1 physical exhaustion 1 absenteeism 1 unmotivated 1 financial and resources-related low income 1 doing extra job 1 limited educational resources 1 financially demanding 1 according to table 2, the risk factors students face the most are environmental-related, while the risk factors they face least are financial and resource-related. accordingly, results show that the risks students face during the pandemic are mainly from the learning modality, nonconducive learning environment, and more home and school workloads. as seen in table 2, students have been exposed to at least one or several stated risk factors since the pandemic started. these risk factors were the basis for determining the protective factors of learners during the pandemic. the environmental, financial, and resource-related risk factors are the basis for the external protective factors, while personal-related risk factors are the basis for the internal protective factors. internal or personal protective factors outcomes about the second question, “is there anything you did to overcome the challenges brought by this difficult situation? if yes, what are those things?” directed at learners are presented in table 3. corresponding to table 3, internal or personal protective factors (managing stress, sense of responsibility, positive mindset, having habits, intrinsic motivation, looking for other options, self-control, having an alone time, time management, perseverance, considers education as salvation, and being determined) which played the most significant role in students’ academic resilience are: managing stress, a sense of responsibility, and having a positive mindset. external protective factors the third question directed to the students was, “is there someone or something that enabled you to overcome these challenges? if yes, what did they do?” the findings regarding the question are shown in table 4. according to table 4, among external protective factors (family support, encouragement of a friend, https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 11 1 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 107-113, 2022 table 3: internal or personal protective factors faced by academically resilient learners codes frequency managing stress 3 sense of responsibility 3 positive mindset 3 having habits 2 intrinsic motivation 2 looking for other options 1 self-control 1 having an alone time 1 time management 1 perseverance 1 considers education as salvation 1 being determined 1 doing extra job 1 limited educational resources 1 financially demanding 1 table 4: external or environmental protective factors faced by academically resilient learners codes frequency family support 4 encouragement of a friend 3 family guidance 2 encouragement from family 2 friend support 2 idolizing someone 2 strong faith in god 2 family as an inspiration 1 friend as an inspiration 1 teacher support 1 family guidance, encouragement from family, friend support, idolizing someone, strong faith in god, family as an inspiration, friend as an inspiration, and teacher support) that students appeal to are “family support” and “encouragement of a friend” subjects contribute the most as external protective factors. thus, they become academically resilient, rooted in family and friends as external factors. cronbach’s alpha table 5 presents the reliability analysis of the instrument “filipino learners’ academic resilience scale (flars)”. the overall and subscale cronbach’s alpha was computed, and its descriptive statistics. based on the reliability coefficients of flars in table 4, the internal protective factors subscale consisted of 17 items (α= .823), the external protective factors, consisted table 5: reliability and descriptive statistics results of flars subscale n mean sd cronbach’s alpha overall 37 3.233 .212 .901 internal protective factors 17 3.261 .202 .823 external protective factors 20 3.210 .221 .859 of 20 items (α = .859), the overall flars consisted of 37 items (α = .901) was found to be very highly reliable. therefore, the items on the scale are highly correlated. consequently, this result indicates that the scale is reliable. principal component analysis initially, the factorability of the 37 flars items was examined. several well-recognized criteria for the factorability of a correlation were used. the kaisermeyer-olkin measure of sampling adequacy was .915, above the commonly recommended value of .6, and bartlett’s test of sphericity was significant (x2(666) = 7351.246, p < .05). factor analysis was deemed suitable with all 37 items. based on the initial eigenvalues, seven components have values of ≤ 1. thus, this suggests that there should have seven factors for the scale. however, the researcher followed the factor labels kutlu and yavuz (2016) proposed, the internal and external protective factors. therefore, the final number of components or factors for the scale is two. table 6 shows the factor loadings based on a principal components analysis with varimax rotation for 37 items of the filipino learners’ academic resilience scale (flars) (n = 218). based on the principal component analysis results, there were realigned items, but there were still 17 items loaded in factor 1 and 20 in factor 2. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 11 2 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 107-113, 2022 table 6: factor structure of the filipino learners’ academic resilience scale (flars) (n =591) scale items factor loadings internal protective factor external protective factor 1 .472 2 .341 3 .254 4 .333 5 .310 6 .356 7 .344 8 .574 9 .598 10 .501 11 .502 12 .567 13 .569 14 .513 15 .572 16 .512 17 .405 18 .746 19 .704 20 .777 21 .684 22 .665 23 .359 24 .361 25 .221 26 .414 27 .441 28 .476 29 .504 30 .409 31 .544 32 .567 33 .628 34 .609 35 .626 36 .555 37 .576 note: factor loadings < .2 are suppressed. moreover, all items were included, and no item was suppressed when the factor loadings were set to a .2 value. overall, an approximately normal distribution was evident for the composite score data in the current study; thus, the data were well suited for parametric statistical analyses. conclusions and recommendations after following these steps to construct the scale and after analyzing the data from the first and the last application by using adequate statistical methods, it has been concluded that: 1. the study has produced a scale measuring the academic resiliency of secondary school students when experiencing various adversities. this scale includes 37 items that measure two dimensions of academic resiliency: internal and external protective factors. 2. the scale has been validated through content and constructs validity. experts evaluated the content validity, and factor analysis calculated construct validity. the principal component analysis was able to assign specific items to its component or factor. the kaiser-meyerolkin measure of sampling adequacy was .915, above the commonly recommended value of .6, and bartlett’s test of sphericity was significant (x^2(666) = 7351.246, p < .05). factor analysis was deemed suitable with all 37 items. thus, all items were included and retained at factor loadings of .2 value. 3. the reliability of the scale was evaluated by calculating cronbach’s alpha. the overall reliability coefficient value is above .901. thus, the scale is very highly reliable. the reliability for each internal and external protective factor dimension of flars is .823 and .859, respectively. still based on the findings of the study and the preceding conclusions, the researcher humbly recommends the following to the concerned individuals, groups, and department of education-affiliated institutions: 1. the researcher encourages future researchers to investigate the generalizability of the scale to a larger population. likewise, if the situation gets better, all the data gathering procedures must be done face-to-face to ensure reliability in the data to be gathered. 2. the core of each statement made in the scale should be considered and incorporated into the curriculum or school programs so that learners can achieve academic resiliency. 3. further studies should explore developing a similar scale for workers or students at the primary level. limitations with any preliminary questionnaire, there were some limitations to its design. the limitations of this study consist of (1) possible lack of generalizability, (2) risk of using a self-reported measure, and (3) length of the questionnaire. although the flars was designed for secondary school learners who experience adversities by rising from them, it may apply to college students or even the younger ones. still, its generalizability to other populations is unknown and must be tested. secondly, recall bias and integrity in the students’ answers are risks since the survey was answered via google forms. the questionnaire also takes about 15 to 20 minutes to complete. furthermore, the number of items and length of each statement must be reviewed if it is going to be tested for younger learners. acknowledgment the author would like to thank teodora m. salubayba, ph.d., for valuable feedback on earlier drafts of this paper and statistical support. to my family, who supported me when conducting the study. above all, to the almighty for giving me the time and resources to complete and finish the study. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 11 3 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 107-113, 2022 references agasisti, t., avvisati, f., borgonovi, f., & longobardi, s. (2018). academic resilience: what schools and countries do to help disadvantaged students succeed in pisa. organisation for economic co-operation and development. beri, n., & dorji, p. (2021). role of resilience and psychological well-being during difficult situations. annals of the romanian society for cell biology, 1572– 1580. retrieved from https://www.annalsofrscb.ro/ index.php/journal/article/view/1604 cho, y., kataoka, s., & piza, s. (2021). philippine basic education system : strengthening effective learning during the covid-19 pandemic and beyond. washington, dc: world bank. cumby, s. k. (2018). exploring the academic resilience of first generation latina/o teacher candidates of immigrant parents in a non-traditional teacher preparation program through the lens of community cultural wealth. lubbock, texas. edara, i. r., del castillo, f., ching, g. s., & del castillo, c. d. (2021). religiosity and contentment among teachers in the philippines during covid-19 pandemic: mediating effects of resilience, optimism, and wellbeing. religions, 12(10), 879. gabrielli, g., longobardi, s., & strozza, s. (2021). the academic resilience of native and immigrant-origin students in selected european countries. journal of ethnic and migration studies, 10, 2347-2368. gayares, r. m. (2021). learning and earning losses from covid-19 school closures in developing asia. manila, phillippines: asian development bank. herrman, h., stewart, d. e., granados, n. d., berger, e. l., jackson, b., & yuen, t. (2017). what is resilience? the canadian journal of psychiatry, 56(5), 258-265. https://doi.org/10.1177/070674371105600504 jowkar, b., kojuri, j., kohoulat, n., & hayat, a. a. (2019). academic resilience in education: the role of achievement goal orientations. journal of advances in medical education & professionalism, 2(1), 33-38. kemp, a., palmer, e., & strelan, p. (2019). a taxonomy of factors affecting attitudes towards educational technologies for use with technology acceptance models. british journal of educational technology, 50(5), 2394-2413. kutlu, ö., & yavuz, h. ç. (2016). factors that play a role in the academic resilience of academicians. journal of educational sciences research, 6(2), 131-150. lanuza, m. h., rizal, r. g., aligam, n. p., & uy, r. (2020). contextualize program of strengthening academic resilience level of the secondary education students. journal of critical reviews, 7(11), 286-292. martin, a. j. (2001). motivation and academic resilience: developing a model for student enhancement. australian journal of education, 46(1), 34-49. national economic and development authority. (2021, september 25). covid-19 pandemic to cost php 41.4 t for the next 40 years–neda. pasig, metro manila, philippines. palmes , m. s., trajera , s. m., & ching, g. s. (2021). relationship of coping strategies and quality of life: parallel and serial mediating role of resilience and social participation among older adults in western philippines. international journal of environment research and public health, 18(19). peña, c., jones, l., orange, a., simieou, f., & márquez, j. (2018). academic success and resiliency factors: a case study of unaccompanied immigrant children. american journal of qualitative research, 2(1), 162-181. rico, g. s. (2019). school-community collaboration: disaster preparedness towards building resilient communities. international journal of disaster risk management, 1(2), 45-61. riopel, l. (2021). resilience skills, factors and strategies of the resilient person. retrieved from resilience and coping: https://positivepsychology.com/ samuels, p. (2017). advice on exploratory factor analysis. birmingham: centre for academic success, bcu. taber, k. s. (2018). the use of cronbach’s alpha when developing and reporting research instruments in science education. research in science education, 48, 1273–1296. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-016-96022 ursachi, g., horodnic, i., & zait, a. (2015). how reliable are measurement scales? external factors with indirect influence on reliability estimators. procedia economics and finance, 20, 679-686. https://doi.org/10.1016/ s2212-5671(15)00123-9 watkins, m. w. (2018). exploratory factor analysis: a guide to best practice. journal of black psychology, 44(3), 219246. https://doi.org/10.1177/0095798418771807 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 83 american journal of education and technologies (ajet) sentence level amharic word sense disambiguation dereje senay merawi1*, tesfa tegegne yalewu2, yitbarek worku tamir1 volume 1 issue 2, year 2022 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i2.531 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: august 31, 2022 accepted: september 17, 2022 published: september 20, 2022 lexical ambiguity, phonological ambiguity, structural ambiguity, referential ambiguity, semantic ambiguity, and orthographic ambiguity were all types of amharic ambiguity. the other ambiguities were out of this research because the study focuses on lexical-semantic, orthographic, and semantic ambiguities. until now, some experts have been researching the amharic word sense disambiguation system. recent research, on the other hand, did not take into account antonym, troponymy, holonomy, and homonym relationships in the wordnet; this problem was overcome by this study. using a deep learning method, we are developing an amharic word sense disambiguation model. we use a design science research strategy to close the gap, starting with problem identification and concluding with final communication. 159 ambiguous words, 1214 synsets, and 2164 sentence datasets were used to create three distinct deep learning algorithms in three separate experiments. using the given dataset, the overall performance of the model is measured using performance metrics in precision, f-measure, and confusion matrix. in this study, lstm, cnn, and bi-lstm obtained 94 percent, 95 percent, and 96 percent accuracy respectively in the third experiment, based on performance measurement. keywords deep learning, natural language preprocessing, wordnet, word sense disambiguation 1 information technology, faculty of technology, debre tabor university, ethiopia 2 computer science, institute of technology, bahir dar university, ethiopia * corresponding author’s e-mail: radereje6@gmail.com introduction natural language preprocessing is an essential part of computer science, in which computational linguistics and machine learning are broadly used. the machine learns the syntax and semantics of human language; processes and gives the output to the user (heo et al., 2020). (pesaranghader et al., 2018) wsd is a crucial problem in natural language processing. however, the task is useful for applications such as machine translation and question answering. the problem defines as, a reasonable sense of a word that can have multiple meanings or seems to be ambiguous in a given context (heo et al., 2020). amharic is a semitic language that is part of the afroasiatic family and is spoken by the majority of ethiopians. the ethiopian orthodox tewahedo church uses an alphabet called (fidäl) that was inherited from the geez language. its words are a linguistically ordered mixture of phonemes and their orthographic representations. it is like other semitic languages and has a morphologically complex structure. even though six types of ambiguity occurred in amharic languages, this research focused on the lexical, orthographic, and semantic ambiguity of amharic ambiguous words due to problems solved by the word sense disambiguation model. native speakers of the language can disambiguate amharic words or phrases easily. but the same task becomes highly complex and knotty when done by machines (abid et al., 2018). it is useful for many applications such as event extraction, document indexing, information retrieval, theme extraction, machine translation, semantic annotation, cross-document referencing, and semantic web search. this study dataset considers the following type of ambiguities, the word ሃረግ(phrase) is ambiguous and has three synsets, three glosses, and eight relations. ሀረግ1(shrubs): ከአጠገቡ በሚገኙ ዛፎችና ቋሚ ነገሮች ላይ እየተጠመጠመ እና እየተሳበ የሚያድግ እንደ ሃረግ ሬሳና፣ ጥሮ አይነት እጽዋት። (it grows on twigs and shrubs and grows on trees and shrubs) ሀረግ2(design): ለጌጥ ሲባል በጥርብ እንጨት፣ በመጽሃፍትና ሐዉልቶች ላይ እንደ ሃረግ እየተለጣጠፈ የሚሰራ ንድፍ። (design for decorative wood carvings, books and statues) ሀረግ3(phrase): ሁለትና ከሁለት በላይ ቃላቶቸን የያዘ ማሰሪያ አንቀጽ የሌለዉ የአረፍተ ነገር ከፋይ። (a sentence without a binding clause containing two or more words). its relation used as a dataset for this research was hypernym: እጽዋት በዛፎች ላይ የሚጠመጠሙ ሃረጎችንም ይይዛሉ። (plants also contain phrases that are wrapped around trees) hyponym: ሃረግ በዛፎች ላይ የሚጠመጠም የእጽዋት አይነት ማለትም ነው። (shurbs is a type of plant that grows on trees) from the above example hypernym, እጽዋት(plant) hyponym ሃረግ(shrubs)the family of shrubs plants. it indicates how many amharic ambiguous words cause communication barriers because of various meanings based on different contexts. to infer senses, informationbased systems use language tools such as dictionaries, thesauri, and knowledge graphs. on the other hand, supervised methods use an annotated training dataset to train a computer to predict a meaning given the target word and its context. to improve wsd efficiency, semisupervised approaches to word sense disambiguation combine manually generated training sets with a large corpus of unlabeled data. to disambiguate a given sentence either with wordnet or without wordnet by contextual embedding. the mechanisms of wordnet development in manual, semi-automatic, or automatic approaches. besides, this study was followed by a manual wordnet development https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i2.531 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= mailto:radereje6%40gmail.com?subject= pa ge 84 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 83--87, 2022 strategy of hand-crafted lexical databases. in addition to knowledge-based word sense disambiguation models, deep learning approaches are also effective for disambiguating ambiguous words in different languages. lstm is the one deep learning approach that is a gated type form of the recurrent neural network that is used in sequence modeling to efficiently capture long-term dependencies (yang & mitchell, 2019). the underlying methodology allows the model to duplicate its state between time steps while avoiding non-linearity constraints. unlike the classic rnn model, which uses logistic functions to compute the gradients, the lstm model uses multiplicative gates to better compute the gradients. (zobaed et al., 2021) bi-directional lstm (bilstm) is a form of lstm in which the state at each time step combines the states of two lstms enunciated as forward and backward lstm. the following points are the contribution of this research. a. we included antonym, troponym, holonym, and homonym relations or senses of ambiguous words not covered by the other researchers. b. in this research, we prepared 2164 amharic sentences and amharic wordnet which has 1214 glosses in 159 ambiguous words. c. we developed word2vec models that handle the vocabulary and context by cbow within a size of 29.8 mb and 310,138 sentences within 478,797 vocabulary sizes as embedding layers. literature review (wassie et al., 2014) employed amharic wsd by using a semi-supervised approach. they applied both unsupervised and supervised algorithms for clustering based on instances similarity and classification after the unlabeled data respectively. however, annotated data are costly and even limit the weight related to unsupervised. the researchers (assabie, 2014; dureti, 2017) attempted to use the wsd system by using wordnet. the ambiguous word and its senses are located in a database and used as a knowledge base to disambiguate a given word. the wordnet hierarchy contains a maximum of three senses for a word and it is implemented on the lesk algorithm. the system expected to disambiguate all open class words in a given sentence such as nouns, adjectives, adverbs, and verbs. nevertheless, it disambiguates only one frequently occurring target word in the wordnet for an input sentence. in addition to that, the lesk algorithm includes multiple words having multiple senses that were considered at once a problem during the execution of the system. (mieraf, 2019) attempted the amharic hierarchical word sense disambiguation system by using wordnet at the sentence level in all classes of a word. to disambiguate amharic sentences used context-to-gloss overlap and augmented semantic space approaches. the most popular algorithm extended by lesk (banerjee & pedersen, 2002) was used for word sense disambiguation in amharic language. one of the methods applied in this research was augmented semantic space is highly dependent on the number of words that exist in the wordnet since 17 words are only included in the wordnet. it also depends on several context words in the sentences which also exist in the wordnet. the algorithm works by counting overlap between glosses which makes it dependent on the length of glosses, and the exact wording of the number of related synsets and glosses. the wordnet didn’t consider antonyms, homonymy, troponym, and holonomy relation of the words having single sense up to three senses were the main limitation of this study. methodology in this study, we would follow the design science research approach. design science has six key steps. those are problem identification, motivation, objectives of the solution, design and development, demonstration, figure 1: general architecture of amharic word sense disambiguation model https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 85 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 83--87, 2022 evaluation, and communication. this research would use these six design science steps to solve amharic word sense disambiguation problem. as presented in figure 1 above describes the general architecture of the automatic amharic word sense disambiguation model starts from collecting amharic corpus from different sources. the model has three modules preprocessing module, model development modules, and fetching gloss (matching) with trained model weighting with wordnet vectors, if there is a matching vector then fetch its glosses and synsets from the wordnet. the research dataset started with finding ambiguous amharic words from different sources: amharic sketch engine, amharic dictionary within its gloss or definition, abissinica online dictionary, and then constructing sentences by using their definition for training and testing was the second task of the research. by using the ambiguous words within its definition and relation type prepared amharic wordnet. and reviewed by the expert and take only the sentences selected by the reviewer as a dataset. the dataset used in this study was 159 ambiguous words and 1958 synsets with 1214 glosses to develop wordnet and 2164 sentences for training, testing, and validation of the deep learning model. the sentences used in testing were the parts of the dataset that are split from the total 2164 sentences dataset within a ratio of 0.8, 0.1, and 0.1 for training, testing, and validation purposes respectively. 1) preprocessing: in this section, firstly the given corpus is tokenized, and raw text is converted into meaningful data using text preprocessing. removing numbers and punctuation marks, even if different writing styles in amharic script but follow uniform writing style (normalization), removing (suffix, prefix, infix) to control words that have the same stem or root but different structure. 2) model development: in this phase, we train lstm, cnn, and bi-lstm deep learning language models and then develop the model and save it for offline use. evaluating its classification accuracy would be the last task of this module by test dataset. 3) fetching glosses: if the predicated result of the model is ambiguous then the sentences back changed to text and match with its wordnet. if no matching occurred the word was recorded in the wordnet without gloss and the sentences were added to a dataset within special labeling. these sentences wait for experts for labeling and the word gloss for future training. data source the following table i describes the number of ambiguous amharic words, number of synsets, number of glosses, sentence datasets for the research. table 1: describes the number of ambiguous amharic words, number of synsets, number of glosses, sentence datasets for the research number of ambiguous words number of synsets number of gloss sentences in all relations source of data 159 1350 460 2164 amharic dictionary, sketch engines, abyssinica, and experts result the training and validation loss and accuracy of the bi-lstm model are presented in figure 2 and figure 3 respectively. in the first experiment, there was overfitting, the overfitting was handled by model regularization and balancing the dropout rate since it determines which neuron is idle and active at a time. the table shows the overall performance of the bi-lstm model on the amharic word sense disambiguation problem. this experimental result indicates the total performance of the model based on true positive and true negative using a random search hyperparameter selection algorithm. lastly, the performance of bi-lstm for amharic word sense disambiguation problem confusion matrix table is figure 2: training loss and validation loss of bi-lstm model https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 86 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 83--87, 2022 figure 3: training data and validation data accuracy of bi-lstm model figure 4: confusion matrix of bi-lstm model shown in figure 4. to know the performance of the model, we made different error analysis mechanisms. like mean absolute error (mae), root mean square (mse), and root mean square error (rmse) from 216 test sentences we could calculate the error analysis of misclassified sentences the outperform bi-lstm model. therefore, mse=∑n (i=0)(pi-ai)2/9…………………….(1) mse=(21-21)2+(17-19)2+(16-19)2+(19-19)2+(1919)2+(19-19)2+(19-19)2+(19-17) 2+(62-60)2 = (0+4+9+0+0+0+0+0+4+4)/9 = 21/9 = 2.33 = 2.33 is our mean square error for 9 classes. discussion during experiment 1, all three deep learning algorithms were tested within the specified constant hyperparameter setup using padding, embedding, split ratio, and vocabulary size. specifically, from the variable hyperparameter optimizer = sgd, activation = tanh, batch size = 32, random state = 0, number of neurons = 100. in this experiment, we were using the activation function but this activation function had a problem of vanishing gradient around -1 and 1 (nguyen et al., 2021). the vanishing gradient problem restricts the model to reach easily into a global minimum. the activation function problem influences the outcomes of this experiment since sgd has a significant variation in model parameters. to achieve the same convergence as gradient descent, the learning rate must be gradually reduced. lstm (88%) and bi-lstm (91%) in particular performed poorly in this experiment when it came to cnn (92%). in the second experiment rather than the hyperparameter employed in experiment 1 its variable hyperparameters were random state=0, optimizer = adam, activation = relu, batch size=16, epochs =10, dropout=0.2, number of neurons =60. the activation function in this experiment had a problem of dead states around 0 and 1. still, the batch size in this experiment used was largely related to the dataset. that is why the model performance has gone to a minimum related to other experiments. the dropout rate also factors into our experiment. because we chose a 0.2 dropout rate in our experiment, this is inconvenient for our problem. the activation function was set to 0 for all negative values and dead state problems. this experiment achieved 82%, 88%, and 89% accuracy of lstm, cnn, and bi-lstm respectively. the experimental result shows low performance in all algorithms due to the above reasons. during the last experiment, the constant hyperparameters were specified in both experiments 1 and 2. but the variables were random state=42, optimizer = adam, activation = gelu, regularize =l2(0.001), batch size=8, epochs =10, dropout=0.39, number of neurons =40. adam optimizers used in this experiment have a very good learning rate rather to the others. the activation function used in this experiment was gelu (gaussian rectified linear unit) has the potential to learn within mini-batch data by solving the dead state problem in relu. the random state is used to regularize and minimize the overfitting problems of the graph from 0 to increase 42. the batch size specified in this experiment was also comfortable for the models https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 87 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 83--87, 2022 because the dataset was small. to increase the model performance we used model regularize, small batch size within 0.39 dropout rate in our experiment. besides in this experiment, relatively all algorithms achieved a good average result for amharic word sense disambiguation problems like lstm (94%), cnn (95%), bi-lstm (96%). the model accessing wordnet performance was measured by the accuracy of 216 test dataset sentences; thus, 86 sentences were correct. the remaining 19 sentences were miss classified; due to the problem of the stemming algorithm. the stemmer over stemmed the given test dataset sentence. therefore, its test accuracy was by retrieving its gloss from the wordnet if its prediction was less than eight is 94.5%. the result of the experiment shows that bi-lstm achieved higher results than the other two algorithms. the performance of our bi-lstm model is better than the previous models (16%); however, the models and datasets were different, and the comparison was done due to problem similarity. conclusion word sense disambiguation means selecting the right sense based on the surrounding context. even if some researchers did amharic word sense disambiguation system, they didn’t include the holonymy, antonym, homonomy, and troponymy relation of the amharic word in their study. those relations were covered by this research. this research was done under a deep learning approach rather than the previous methods and consider the remaining four relations of the word listed above. the research collected 159 ambiguous words, 1214 glosses, and 2164 sentences from different sources. and then we are designing wordnet based on their relation. using the given dataset, the overall performance of the model is measured using performance metrics in precision, f-measure, and confusion matrix. based on performance metrics bilstm achieved the state-of-the-art result for disambiguating amharic ambiguous words. lack of resources and datasets were the main challenges of this study. we recommended the following points for future study: 1. designing automatic amharic word sense disambiguation model which includes the two meronomy relations the substance of and entailment. 2. designing an amharic word sense disambiguation model that considers structural ambiguity, phonological ambiguity, and referential ambiguity. references abid, m., habib, a., ashraf, j., & shahid, a. (2018). urdu word sense disambiguation using machine learning approach. cluster computing, 21. assabie, m. a. and y. (2014). development of amharic morphological analyzer using memory-based learning. 9th international conference on nlp, poltal 2014, 32, 1–13. banerjee, s., & pedersen, t. (2002). an adapted lesk algorithm for word sense disambiguation using wordnet. international conference on intelligent text processing and computational linguistics, 136–145. dureti, s. b. (2017). a generic approach towards all words amharic word sense disambiguation. addis ababa university. heo, y., kang, s., & seo, j. (2020). hybrid sense classification method for large-scale word sense disambiguation. ieee access, 8, 27247-27256. mieraf, m. (2019). word sense disambiguation for amharic sentences using wordnet hierarchy. bahir dar, ethioipia: unpublished master thesis, bahir dar university. nguyen, a., pham, k., ngo, d., ngo, t., & pham, l. (2021, august). an analysis of state-of-the-art activation functions for supervised deep neural network. in 2021 international conference on system science and engineering (icsse) (pp. 215-220). ieee. pesaranghader, a., pesaranghader, a., & sokolova, m. (2018). one single deep bidirectional lstm network for word sense disambiguation of text data (pp. 96–107). wassie, g., ramesh, b. p., teferra, s., & meshesha, m. (2014). a word sense disambiguation model for amharic words using semi-supervised learning paradigm. science, technology and arts research journal, 3(3), 147-155. yang, b., & mitchell, t. (2019). leveraging knowledge bases in lstms for improving machine reading. arxiv preprint arxiv:1902.09091. zobaed, s., haque, m. e., rabby, m. f., & salehi, m. a. (2021). senspick: sense picking for word sense disambiguation. 2021 ieee 15th international conference on semantic computing (icsc), 318–324. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 10 8 american journal of education and technology (ajet) from in loco parentis to in loco magistri: navigating mathematics instruction in a modular learning framework kimberly s. castillo1, romeo t. quintos, jr.1* volume 4 issue 2, year 2025 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v4i2.4691 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: march 07, 2025 accepted: april 13, 2025 published: may 30, 2025 the covid-19 pandemic significantly disrupted education systems worldwide, prompting governments to adopt alternative learning modalities. in the philippines, the department of education implemented modular distance learning to ensure continuity in instruction. this study explores the experiences of parents and guardians as they assumed a more active role in facilitating their children’s education at home. specifically, it examines the strategies they employed, the challenges they encountered, and the coping mechanisms they utilized to support learning. using thematic analysis, the study identified key instructional strategies, including memorization, translation, the use of examples, online resource utilization, and reliance on parents’ prior knowledge (schema). however, several challenges emerged, such as conflicts between parental work obligations and teaching responsibilities, limited subject knowledge, student behavioral issues, and the influence of social media. to address these difficulties, parents and guardians adopted various coping strategies, including reinforcement through rewards and punishments, structured rules and discipline, social support mechanisms, and time management techniques. based on the findings, the study proposes a strategic support plan aimed at enhancing parental involvement in modular learning, particularly in subjects like mathematics, where parental competency can significantly impact student performance. the study underscores the critical role of parent-teacher collaboration in improving the home-based learning experience and ensuring educational quality during times of crisis. keywords coping strategies, education challenges, home-based education, modular distance learning, parental involvement 1 bataan peninsula state university, balanga city, 2100, bataan, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: romztquintosjr@gmail.com introduction the covid-19 pandemic significantly disrupted education worldwide, necessitating a rapid transition from traditional face-to-face instruction to remote learning modalities. in the philippines, the department of education (deped) adopted modular distance learning, wherein students’ study independently using printed or digital modules, often without direct real-time interaction with teachers. this shift has redefined the role of parents, positioning them as primary facilitators of their children’s education at home. unlike conventional classroom settings where teachers provide structured instruction, modular learning requires parents to bridge the gap between instructional material and student comprehension, particularly in subjects that demand step-by-step guidance, such as mathematics (private education support committee, 2020). parental engagement is crucial in modular learning environments. despite lacking formal training, parents’ support is central to students’ success (private education support committee, 2020). however, parents in the philippines face various challenges, such as limited internet access and financial constraints, which affect their ability to support learning at home (alvarez, 2020). studies also highlight barriers to effective remote learning, including individual, pedagogical, technical, and financial obstacles, emphasizing the essential role of parents’ adaptable support in modular learning (lassoued et al., 2020). extensive research sheds light on the importance of parental involvement in student success. studies indicate that active parental engagement enhances motivation, academic performance, and socio-emotional development (thornton, 2018; green et al., 2019). however, in a modular learning setup, parents—who may lack pedagogical training—are expected to facilitate learning without structured support, particularly in rural areas where limited internet access, financial constraints, and low parental education levels further exacerbate these challenges (alvarez, 2020). given these conditions, understanding how parents navigate and adapt their teaching strategies to support their children’s mathematics education is critical. mathematics presents unique challenges in modular learning due to its abstract nature and reliance on interactive, scaffolded instruction (fritz et al., 2019). traditional classroom-based mathematics instruction enables teachers to identify misconceptions in real time, adjust strategies based on student responses, and provide multiple representations of concepts (cassibba et al., 2020). in contrast, modular learning places the burden of instruction on parents, many of whom struggle with limited mathematical knowledge, pedagogical experience, and differentiated learning approaches (mangwende et al., 2019). additionally, parents’ struggles with teaching mathematics are compounded by their own lack of specialized knowledge in the subject, making it difficult pa ge 10 9 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 108-113, 2025 for them to effectively guide their children (kim, 2020). parents’ strategies in modular learning are shaped by their parenting styles. according to baumrind’s theory of parenting styles (1966), parents can be authoritative, authoritarian, or permissive, each with implications for home-based education. authoritative parents, who provide structured but flexible support, are particularly suited to modular learning demands (cherry, 2020). the constructivist theory further emphasizes learning as an active process, and parents who engage interactively— offering real-world examples and fostering problemsolving—achieve better learning outcomes, although they may experience increased stress (bhamani et al., 2020). despite its challenges, studies suggest that modular learning can be effective under specific conditions. research indicates that modular instruction allows students to engage with content at their own pace, improving understanding and performance (lim, 2019; khalil et al., 2020). however, the success of modular learning also depends on the support provided by teachers and parents. identified gaps in modular learning highlight the need for training programs that equip parents with effective tutoring strategies, particularly in underserved communities (agaton & cueto, 2021). this study seeks to explore the strategies, challenges, and coping mechanisms of parents as they facilitate modular learning in mathematics for grade 7 students. by identifying effective instructional strategies and common obstacles, the study aims to propose a strategic support framework that can empower parents to navigate modular mathematics instruction more effectively. the findings will contribute to educational policies and training programs that enhance parental engagement in remote learning environments. literature review materials and methods this qualitative descriptive study explores the teaching strategies parents use, the challenges they encounter, and the coping mechanisms they employ in supporting their children’s mathematics learning in a modular distance setting. thematic analysis was applied to systematically identify recurring patterns in parental experiences (nowell et al., 2017). this approach aligns with yin’s (2019) emphasis on qualitative methods for understanding reallife issues and creswell’s (2013) case study framework, which allows for an in-depth exploration of parents’ roles in modular learning. the study involved ten (10) randomly selected grade 7 parents from city of balanga national high school, ensuring equal representation of male and female participants, including guardians, to provide a balanced perspective. random sampling supports the collection of representative data, while gunderson et al. (2018) highlight the significance of parental involvement in education. data was gathered through semi-structured interviews, a method known for eliciting detailed insights into participants’ strategies, challenges, and coping mechanisms. the interview guide was reviewed by experts in mathematics education and a psychometrician to ensure clarity and relevance (büyüköztürk et al., 2019; yıldırım & şimşek, 2018). following ethical guidelines, participants provided informed consent, and confidentiality was strictly maintained (merriam & grenier, 2019). data collection involved briefing participants and conducting audiorecorded interviews. thematic analysis was then applied, following a structured coding and theme identification process to ensure reliability and accuracy (braun & clarke, 2020). language experts reviewed transcripts, and data saturation was achieved when no new themes emerged. results and discussion theme 1: strategies of parents in teaching mathematics internet sourcing internet sourcing emerged as a key strategy for parents supporting their children in mathematics. many parents relied on online resources such as google and youtube to comprehend complex topics and translate them into simpler terms for their children. several participants emphasized the significance of google as a primary tool for answering specific mathematical queries. for instance, participant 1 noted that they “immediately go to google” when encountering difficulties, indicating a pragmatic reliance on internet searches. similarly, participant 2 stated, “magtatanong po ma’am kay google,” reflecting the internet’s role as an accessible support mechanism for parents navigating challenging topics. translation emerged as another common strategy, particularly when modules contained english-language material that students struggled to understand. participant 3 shared, “when i know the answer, i discuss it with my child in filipino,” underscoring how language adaptation bridges the gap between english instruction and the child’s first language. additionally, youtube served as a valuable tool for visual learners and for explaining complex topics. participant 8 stated, “we watch tutorials on youtube and try to understand them so that i can explain it to my child,” demonstrating how online videos provide structured, step-by-step breakdowns of mathematical concepts. some parents also preferred using laptops over mobile phones for watching tutorials, as laptops minimized distractions and fostered a more focused learning environment. providing examples in problem solving another prevalent strategy involved parents creating and providing additional examples to simplify mathematical concepts. participant 1 explained, “i provide simple examples to help him understand,” underscoring the role of simplification in parental instruction. similarly, participant 2 mentioned, “i give examples similar to those in the modules,” ensuring that additional exercises align with formal instructional materials. pa ge 11 0 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 108-113, 2025 for more complex problems, parents developed structured patterns or step-by-step breakdowns. participant 3 shared, “i examine the examples and create patterns for better comprehension,” illustrating the use of scaffolding techniques to support learning. repetition was another critical approach; participant 7 noted, “i give him similar exercises using the same formula and teach him the procedure,” highlighting the effectiveness of repetition in reinforcing mathematical concepts. parents also employed pacing strategies to help children manage difficult problems. participant 8 stated, “i encourage him to complete easier items first before revisiting the more challenging ones,” reflecting an approach that fosters confidence and persistence in problem-solving. memorization of the four fundamental operations parents encouraged memorization, particularly of the four fundamental operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division), to establish a strong mathematical foundation. hoque (2018) posited that memorization strengthens neural connections, facilitating problem-solving. several participants emphasized the importance of multiplication table mastery. participant 1 stated, “i have him memorize the multiplication table,” reinforcing its role in computational fluency. likewise, participant 2 noted, “i made him memorize multiplication tables to simplify problem-solving,” demonstrating the long-term benefits of this approach. beyond multiplication tables, parents emphasized the memorization of problem-solving patterns and formulas. participant 3 shared, “i instruct him to memorize solving patterns and formulas,” illustrating how structured memorization aids comprehension. repetition reinforced this process; participant 6 remarked, “we repeatedly practice addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division to reinforce learning.” however, some parents acknowledged that memorization alone was insufficient. participant 10 stated, “if he struggles after multiple attempts, i explain the correct procedure,” highlighting the need for guidance and conceptual understanding alongside rote learning. parents sharing their knowledge in mathematics parental involvement in teaching mathematics often relied on their existing knowledge, aligning with schema theory, which suggests that prior knowledge enhances comprehension. parents frequently provided direct explanations and corrections. participant 1 remarked, “i explain the correct answer,” indicating an active role in addressing misunderstandings. similarly, participant 3 noted, “i review his work and correct errors,” reinforcing the importance of immediate feedback. scaffolding also emerged as a key instructional approach. participant 4 shared, “i guide him while he answers,” illustrating how parents provided structured support before gradually encouraging independence. some parents sought external assistance for complex topics. participant 6 admitted, “i ask for help from those more knowledgeable,” reflecting a proactive effort to supplement their instructional strategies. in some instances, parents learned alongside their children. participant 9 stated, “i consult the teacher and study with my child before teaching,” demonstrating an adaptive learning approach where parents engage with unfamiliar material to enhance their teaching efficacy. translation of english to filipino participant 1 simply stated, “i translate it into tagalog,” illustrating the direct approach taken by parents to enhance accessibility. technology also played a role in this strategy. participant 2 shared, “we use google for translations to facilitate understanding,” emphasizing the integration of digital tools in instructional support. similarly, participant 4 remarked, “we translated into tagalog using google,” demonstrating parents’ reliance on online resources for language translation. beyond direct translation, some parents conducted additional research to ensure their children fully understood the material. participant 3 explained, “i research further and translate difficult terms into filipino,” reflecting an effort to deepen comprehension through supplementary learning. translation was particularly beneficial in mathematical problem-solving. participant 7 stated, “we translate terms first before solving problems to make them easier to understand,” indicating that linguistic adaptation facilitated the application of mathematical concepts. however, some children experienced challenges due to language preferences. participant 10 noted, “he is more proficient in english than filipino, so he sometimes struggles with filipino translations,” highlighting the need for flexible language strategies tailored to individual learning preferences. theme 2: challenges experienced by parents in teaching at home parent’s workload balancing work and teaching responsibilities emerged as a significant challenge for many parents, with time management being a primary concern (simbre, 2019). parents struggled to divide their attention between professional obligations and supporting their children’s education. participant 1 shared, “i have a hard time keeping up with my work and monitoring my son’s answers, so i only help them sometimes in the evening.” this illustrates the reality of many working parents, who often provide academic assistance only after work hours, creating a delay in addressing their children’s learning needs. for some, household chores and caregiving responsibilities further complicated the situation. participant 2 described the challenge of managing a business while supporting their child’s education: “it’s difficult because i have to take pa ge 11 1 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 108-113, 2025 care of household chores like laundry and cooking, but i manage because it’s necessary for my child.” similarly, participant 3 stated, “even though i have a lot of work, i make time for teaching, even if it means multitasking while cooking or taking care of my child.” these accounts reflect the dedication of parents who, despite their demanding schedules, prioritize their children’s academic needs. even parents working from home faced challenges. participant 4 expressed, “i’m late coming home from work,” highlighting how professional commitments reduce their availability for their children’s schooling. others noted the mental strain of managing both work and their role as at-home educators. participant 6 stated, “my thoughts are divided between work and my child’s studies,” demonstrating the cognitive load that parents bear. time management strategies were crucial in balancing these demands. panol et al. (2021) emphasized the importance of setting dedicated study times for children. many participants reported prioritizing reviewing their children’s assignments before bedtime, ensuring they remained academically engaged. however, some parents struggled to directly supervise their children due to work commitments. participant 7 stated, “there is no one to take care of his siblings, so when he can’t answer something, i help him alone.” this highlights the additional responsibilities parents bear beyond academic supervision. extended family members often stepped in to support children’s learning. participant 10 shared, “he often answers his modules with his grandfather because i have a job,” illustrating the communal approach some families adopt to address these challenges. nonetheless, the physical and mental strain of balancing multiple responsibilities impacted parents’ ability to consistently monitor their children. mathematics lesson complexity the complexity of mathematics lessons, particularly in topics involving fractions, exponents, and algebra, posed additional challenges for parents (acharya, 2018). many parents struggled to assist their children with abstract mathematical concepts, often due to their own unfamiliarity with the materia. participant 1 reported difficulties with “exponentials, polynomials, and operations with x and y variables,” while participant 2 highlighted challenges with “division involving decimals.” similarly, participant 3 noted, “fractions, decimals, polynomials, and exponents are particularly difficult to explain,” emphasizing the struggle parents face in conveying complex topics to their children. algebra emerged as a particularly challenging subject. participant 9 admitted, “i had a hard time with algebra, so i also had a hard time helping him,” underscoring the shared struggle between parents and students. the pandemic further exacerbated these difficulties, as the shift to remote learning limited direct teacher-student interaction, making it harder for students to grasp fundamental mathematical concepts (participant 10). student behavior and motivation motivating children to engage in learning posed another significant challenge (simbre, 2019). participants reported that their children often became frustrated or disengaged, particularly when dealing with complex subjects. participant 1 observed that her child only sought help when overwhelmed. participant 2 implemented a strategy of taking breaks to reduce frustration, while participant 3 noted that moments of tension arose when their child resisted learning. parental involvement plays a crucial role in student motivation. it can be observed that adolescents perform better academically when their parents are engaged in their education. participants emphasized the importance of maintaining a supportive learning environment, though some acknowledged that frustration sometimes led to scolding or conflicts. distractions from mobile games and social media excessive screen time emerged as a major distraction affecting children’s focus on academics. wang et al. (2018) found that prolonged exposure to mobile games and social media negatively impacts academic performance. many parents expressed frustration over their children’s divided attention, even during online classes. participant 1 noted that “chatting with peers” disrupted learning, while participant 3 restricted online gaming to two hours per day to ensure academic priorities remained central. to mitigate distractions, parents employed various strategies, such as setting screen time limits, turning off electronic devices during study sessions, and establishing rules that required homework completion before leisure activities. participant 6 explained that they “turn off the tv and use the cellphone only when necessary for looking up lesson materials,” while participant 7 confiscated their child’s phone until schoolwork was completed. however, enforcing these rules required constant monitoring, which added to the parents’ workload. parents’ educational background limited educational backgrounds also affected parents’ ability to assist their children, particularly in mathematics (garbe et al., 2020). participant 1 admitted struggling with unfamiliar terms, while participant 2 expressed insecurity due to having only completed high school. many parents felt unqualified to assist with complex subjects. participant 4 reported difficulty comprehending english-language materials, while participant 5 refrained from directly helping their child due to a lack of educational experience. parents with limited formal education often relied on teachers or older siblings for support. participant 7 sought clarification from educators, acknowledging their struggle with the curriculum. financial constraints further hindered some parents’ ability to provide academic support. participant 8 pa ge 11 2 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 108-113, 2025 noted that a lack of resources, such as textbooks and supplementary materials, made it difficult to facilitate learning at home. despite these challenges, some parents made efforts to bridge the gap. participant 9 stated, “i refresh my knowledge so i can help my child,” while participant 10 expressed a willingness to learn the material alongside their child. conclusion this study highlights the crucial role parents play in supporting students’ learning in modular distance education, particularly in mathematics. parents employed various strategies, such as using online resources, simplifying concepts, encouraging memorization, and translating content into filipino. however, challenges such as the complexity of mathematics, language barriers, limited educational backgrounds, and the demands of balancing work and teaching responsibilities hindered their ability to provide consistent academic support. additionally, distractions from mobile devices further impacted student engagement. while modular instruction offers flexibility, its effectiveness depends on a strong support system involving teachers, accessible learning resources, and continuous parental guidance. without proper training or instructional support, parents struggled to assume the role of educators, affecting both their confidence and their children’s learning outcomes. therefore, modular instruction should be complemented with structured interventions, including teacher-led instructional support and resource development, particularly for complex subjects like mathematics. to improve parental support in modular instruction, schools may offer workshops or instructional videos on mathematics topics, equipping parents with the skills to assist their children. teachers may simplify module content using accessible language without requiring full translation, ensuring that both students and parents can understand mathematical concepts more easily. reducing the number of activities per lesson can also enhance student engagement, preventing burnout and disinterest. additionally, providing a glossary of mathematical terms with simplified definitions can help both parents and students navigate complex topics more effectively. to address digital learning barriers, schools and local governments may consider providing offline-capable devices with pre-installed learning applications, ensuring that students have access to educational resources even without an internet connection. schools may also develop parent-friendly modules with guided instructions to help guardians better facilitate learning at home. in addition, institutions like the city of balanga national high school may organize training sessions for parents to enhance their instructional skills and reinforce effective learning strategies. finally, further research may be conducted to refine and enhance the framework of this research to inform future innovations, program development, and policy adjustments to strengthen parental involvement in modular education. references acharya, b. 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(2019). case study research and applications: design and methods (6th ed.). sage publications. pa ge 1 pa ge 88 american journal of education and technologies (ajet) teachers’ self-efficacy and their performance appraisal in public secondary schools j.a. mungasia1*, j.b. ouda1, k. otieno1 volume 1 issue 2, year 2022 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i2.530 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: august 30, 2022 accepted: september 21, 2022 published: september 24, 2022 this paper aimed to assess the effect of teachers’ self-efficacy on their performance appraisal in public secondary schools in sabatia sub county, vihiga county, kenya. the study, anchored on the social cognitive theory, adopted correlational and descriptive survey research designs. stratified random sampling was used to select 12 schools and 227 teachers for the study based on category of school, status, and gender. principals of each sampled school and the sabatia sub-county teachers’ service commission director were purposively sampled. data for the study was collected using questionnaires, interview guide, and document analysis guide. quality assurance of research instruments ensured through piloting, content validity and test retest for reliability. quantitative data was analysed using spss (version 25.0) descriptively and inferentially, while qualitative data was analyzed thematically. the findings showed the r-value from the model summary of the regression between self-efficacy and performance appraisal was 0.617. the r square value was 0.381, which implied 38.1 % effect on self-efficacy was attributed to teacher appraisal. the findings show significant effect of self-efficacy on performance appraisal. therefore, performance appraisal for teachers needs to be enhanced since it plays a significant role in boosting their confidence, thus their self-efficacy. keywords performance appraisal, selfefficacy, secondary schools, kenya 1 department of educational psychology, masinde muliro university of science and technology, kenya. * corresponding author’s e-mail: joatsiaya@gmail.com introduction self-efficacy is the belief in one’s capabilities to achieve a goal or an outcome. in a teaching context self-efficacy refers to the ability to determine the outcomes of the students work (shahzad & naureen, 2017). according to lewis (2007), self-efficacy is a self-evaluation of whether a person feels they can accomplish a certain task or not. efficacy beliefs have been shown to affect teacher activity and productivity. teacher efficacy has been associated with teachers’ choice of instructional decisions in content delivery, confidence in task performance, and learner outcomes. teaching is a profession in which it is truly a boon to have a strong sense of self-efficacy. a teacher needs to deal with young, energetic, and or hormonal students all day. teachers combine their relevant skills, experiences and positive attitudes towards the profession, in order to raise the quality of the schools’ academic performance. this combination is achieved through instructional appraisal, an aspect which has motivated the researcher to initiate this study. performance appraisal is a process designed to evaluate, manage and ultimately improve teacher’s performance. it should allow the employer and teacher to openly discuss the expectations of the institution and the achievements of the teacher (oecd, 2013). in kenya, teachers’ performance appraisal was birthed because of challenges experienced in education system since independence. this was in bid to improve the quality of education. in 1964, ominde commission proposed policy recommendations touching on aspects of education like a suggestion that required teachers be evaluated through inspections. this informed the government of kenya’s initiation of inspectoral evaluation of schools and teaching to improve standards of education (ominde, 1964). chapter 211, section 18 of the 1980 education act entrusted the ministry of education through the inspectorate, which changed to directorate of quality assurance and standards in 2003, with provision of quality education. the act mandated the minister to appoint inspectors to inspect any school any time with or without notice and report on the state of the school (republic of kenya, 2012). this was to establish if the curriculum was properly implemented and whether teachers were competent professionals. publication of a revised code of teachers was done in 2005 changing the appraisal policy from confidential to an open appraisal system (opas) (tsc, 2005). heads of institutions were therefore required to play an overall role in the performance appraisal for teachers in their respective institutions (tsc, 2014). to improve on opas and its outcome, the commission introduced teachers performance appraisal and development (tpad) in 2014 (tsc/tpad/01). the tsc/tpad/01 indicated that the purpose of ongoing appraisal was to review and improve teaching standards through a systematic appraisal approach with a view to evaluate teachers’ performance and promote professional development so as to enhance learning outcomes. its objectives were: to provide quality education to learners in all public institutions, to provide an opportunity for teachers to improve their performance competencies, to analyze performance gaps, to provide support for professional development, and to provide a fair, effective and consistent teacher evaluation (tsc/ tpad/01). in administering the performance appraisal, the code of regulations (2015) for teachers stipulated that: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i2.530 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= mailto:joatsiaya@gmail.com pa ge 89 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 88-94, 2022 heads of institutions were to provide oversight role in the performance appraisal for the teachers in their respective institutions, use performance appraisal reports for purposes of promotion, deployment, and other rewards as may be prescribed from time to time, identify training needs and taking correction measures in cases of unsatisfactory performance among others. according to appraisal tool, failure to comply with appraisal requirements may attract disciplinary action against a teacher who: fails to complete and submit an appraisal report to the supervisor, or refuses or neglects to discuss or sign the appraisal report with the supervisor, consistently displays poor performance or adverse appraisal ratings may after due process have his services terminated. performance appraisal of teachers is very critical in that it helps in identification of an individual’s current level of job performance, motivation and helps them in identifying training and development needs, provides information for succession planning, enables coaching and counseling of teachers and principals, improves internal communication and thus helps in setting performance goals and assessing potential for promotion of teachers among many others. despite the significance of teacher appraisal, critiques argue that it does not necessarily affect the quality of teaching which ultimately manifest in terms of improved educational standards because of its blindness to other vital teacher aspects like efficacy. this was clearly depicted in the kenya secondary schools heads association vihiga county academic meeting held in nakuru on 25th – 28th february 2018. in this meeting it was reported that only 1510 out of 13053 students who sat kenya certificate of secondary education (kcse) in 2017 attained grade c+ and above. researchers have engaged in studies on aspects of teachers’ self-efficacy and teachers’ appraisal and given their recommendations. for instance, agesa (2005) worked on the effects of employee appraisal on performance of teachers. he argues that the appraisal systems should not be used by principals to discriminate against teachers on basis of age, gender, ethnicity, or political affiliations among others. oginga, muola, and mwania (2014) in a study found out that teachers’ selfefficacies in special needs and hiv/aids education were low and that the low teachers’ efficacy negatively affected curriculum implementation by teachers. in sabatia subcounty, the major aim of appraisal is to develop teachers in order to improve their service delivery in schools. instructional appraisal aids principals in coordinating, improving and maintaining high teaching and learning standards in schools (maranya, 2001). kadenyi (2014) in a study on ‘influence of teacher appraisal on improvement of students’ academic performance in public secondary schools in vihiga subcounty, kenya found a significant relationship between teachers’ appraisal and students’ academic performance. a study by odanga, raburu, and aloka (2018) on ‘strategies for enhancing teachers’ self-efficacy’ revealed that topics covered in seminars and workshops for secondary school teachers in kisumu county between 2011 and 2015, included; child protection, school dropout and exam rating, information and communication technology (ict) integration and performance appraisal. this shows that the seminars and workshops did not address low teachers’ self-efficacy. studies elsewhere have demonstrated that self-efficacy is a natural protective factor against teacher job strain, job stress, and burnout. it was against this background that the study assessed effect of teacher efficacy on performance appraisal. objective of the study to assess the effect of teachers’ self-efficacy on their performance appraisal among public secondary school teachers in sabatia subcounty, vihiga county, kenya. hypothesis ho1: there is no significant relationship between teachers’ self-efficacy and teacher’s performance appraisal among public secondary school teachers in sabatia sub county, vihiga county, kenya. conceptual framework figure 1 shows the interaction between teachers’ selfefficacy and performance appraisal figure 1: conceptual framework source: author conceptualization (2021) the conceptual framework shows that teachers’ selfefficacy affects their performance appraisal. teachers with a strong belief in their abilities are more likely to rate highly in performance of their duties. such teachers exhibit high levels of professional knowledge, innovation and creativity, and time management. this results from taking time to thoroughly prepare for lessons and positivity to enhance their professional knowledge and skills. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 90 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 88-94, 2022 empirical literature the study is anchored on the social cognitive theory by albert bandura (1967). according to social cognitive theory, effective learning happens when an individual is in a social context and able to engage in both dynamic and reciprocal interactions between the person, the environment, and the behavior (lamovate, 2016). social cognitive theory is based on six constructs; reciprocal determinism: the dynamic interaction of person and behavior, behavioral capability: the individual’s actual ability to perform the appropriate behavior, observational learning: learning a new skill or piece of knowledge by observing others (and potentially modeling them as well), reinforcements: the external responses to the individual’s behavior that either encourage or discourage the behavior, expectations: the anticipated consequences of behavior, and self-efficacy: the person’s confidence in his or her ability to perform a behavior(lamovate, 2016). the social cognitive theory considers many separate, unique contextual variables when predicting or explaining a person’s behavior, giving it a broad range of potential applications including health, local environment, and the local community. the ultimate goal is to explain how people regulate their behavior through control and reinforcement to achieve goal-directed behavior that can be mastered over time. according to henson, r.k. (2001), self-efficacy influences our choices, our effort, our persistence when facing adversity, and our emotions. teachers are vital for an education system on the ground (shahzad k. and naureen s., 2017). thus, the more competent the teachers are, the more effective is the education system. teachers’ competency is based on self-efficacy. when teachers are competent, they impact students’ performance. lack of self-efficacy causes many psychological problems like low confidence level and low self-esteem. ashton and webb (1998) explain that teachers who have a higher level of self-efficacy are more organized, have a greater skill of instruction and questioning, have better abilities to explain and can solve academic problems easily. on the other hand, teachers with a low level of self-efficacy seem more confused; feel threatened to be questioned, cannot maintain tasks and feel difficulty in countering student affairs. hence, students’ performance is highly associated with teachers’ selfefficacy. tournaki and podell (2005) published records of more than three hundred teachers about the influence of their behavior on student success and teacher vision and predictions about students. their findings revealed that teachers with high efficacy predict most of the time accurately and in case of wrong predictions, they somehow try to understand why they predicted incorrectly; whereas teachers with low efficacy mostly predict wrongly about their students and sometimes even got harsh in difficult situations. mojavezi (2012) conducted a study with a similar topic in four different cities of iran having 80 senior high school teachers and 150 senior high school students. he administered teacher self-efficacy scale to gauge teacher sense of self-efficacy beliefs and a questionnaire to weigh students’ motivational level. he then divided the teachers into groups according to their level of self-efficacy and discussed the impact of teacher’s self-efficacy on the students’ academic achievement. his findings agreed with bandura’s observation (1994) that teachers with high sense of self-efficacy about their competence can motivate their cognitive development. these results suggest that teacher self-efficacy has a positive impact on students’ behavior, learning and achievement. oecd’s teaching and learning international survey (talis) which involved 90,000 secondary school teachers and principals across 24 countries found that the greater the emphasis placed on specific aspects of teaching in the feedback offered through the performance appraisal process, the greater the impact teachers believed it had on their teaching (oecd, 2009). this provides useful insight into the formative aspects of appraisal and the extent to which teachers believe the process assists in developing their practice. according to 2009 talis report (oecd, 2009) appraisal and feedback have a strong influence on teachers, increasing job satisfaction and improving teaching practice. performance appraisal needs to provide feedback to teachers about their professional practice and opportunities for improvement. although danielson and donaldson (2012) report that teachers need constructive feedback from a skilled practitioner in order to improve their teaching, research suggests that feedback is often not a common occurrence in schools (oecd, 2009, zatynski, 2012). a study by birman, lefloch, klekotka, ludwig, taylor, walters, wayne and yoon (2007) on professional development in mathematics shows that few teachers receive intensive, sustained, and content-focused professional development in mathematics. teachers averaged 8.3 hours of professional development on how to teach mathematics and 5.2 hours on the “indepth study” of topics in mathematics during the 12 months spanning the 2003/04 school year and the summer of 2004. of elementary teachers, 71 percent participated in professional development focused on instructional strategies for teaching mathematics. but only 9 percent participated for more than 24 hours during the one-year period. even fewer elementary school teachers (49 percent) reported that they participated in professional development focused on the in-depth study of mathematics during the same time period, and only 6 percent participated for more than 24 hours. of secondary mathematics teachers, 51 percent attended professional development focused on the in-depth study of mathematics, but only 10 percent spent more than 24 hours on that content during the year. previous studies have found that employees with stronger creative self-efficacy are more likely to engage in higher levels of creativity in their work (gong, y. p, huancy. j. c. and farh, j. l, 2009). studies indicate that highly efficacious teachers are more likely to implement https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 91 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 88-94, 2022 instructional innovation in the classroom ( zhao & cziko, 2001 cited in teo, 2009). for instance, palaniappan (2009) compared creativity levels of malaysian and american students. he reported that american students are significantly superior to their malaysian counterparts in general creativity as well as in its components, namely fluency, flexibility, originality and elaboration. when it comes to teaching innovation, according to bruce, learning occurs in the interaction between the learner and the learning environment; when the appropriate strategies and skills are applied to technology use, making it a favorable tool for teaching, then better teaching effectiveness can be developed (bruce, 2009). wu pointed out that teaching innovation (during the teaching process) is when teachers use multi-faceted and lively teaching methods, and diversified and rich content to stimulate students’ inner interest in learning, thus, developing positive student attitudes toward proactive learning and enhancing students’ learning ability (wu, 2002). lin believed that teaching innovation involves teachers having an open mind, having the ability to reflect on teaching and being able to use the cogitative skills of reflection, questioning, deconstruction and reconstruction to guide students to learn correctly and to develop students’ critical thinking and creative capabilities (lin, 2002). methodology the sphere of pragmatism involves merging of the positivism and interpretivism paradigms in a single study. pragmatism, which considers both the objective and the subjective nature of knowledge, is based on the view that the world is real and socially constructed, and that knowledge is socially shared, because it comes from socially shared experiences (morgan, 2014). the study was guided by pragmatism paradigm to adopt a mixed methods design. cresswell (2007) describes mixed methods research as consisting of a combination of qualitative and quantitative research approaches. according to creswell & creswell (2018), employing a mixed methods research design yields more information that provides more in depth understanding of phenomena under study. in this study, correlational and descriptive survey research designs were adopted. correlational research design is appropriate as it makes attempt to establish relationship between two or more variables (orodho, 2009). descriptive survey is a technique of collecting information through interviewing or administering questionnaires to a given sample of individuals (orodho, 2009). this study sought to find out the relationship between self-efficacy and performance appraisal among public secondary school teachers’ in sabatia sub-county, vihiga county, kenya. the study targeted five hundred and twenty (520) teachers employed by teachers service commission (tsc) in public secondary schools in sabatia sub-county. these teachers are serving in the thirty-eight (38) public secondary schools including: one (1) national, four (4) extra county, five (5) county, and twenty-eight (28) subcounty. the sample comprised 237 teachers from 12 secondary schools. the teachers were sampled using stratified random sampling. twelve (12) principals and one (1) tsc sub-county director were sampled purposively. instruments of data collection included questionnaires, interview guide and document analysis guide. quality control of the research instruments was ensured through piloting, content validity and test retest for reliability. quantitative data was analyzed using spss (version 25.0) descriptively and inferentially, while qualitative data was also analyzed thematically. the results from the data collected, are presented in frequency tables, and percentages. the inferential statistics were tested using anova test and t-test. the qualitative responses have been used in qualifying quantitative results, as well as different perspectives during discussions of the findings. study findings on teacher’s self-efficacy and performance appraisal the study established self-efficacy amongst teachers by asking them to respond by ticking in the correct box which best describes them. the scores were put on a five-point likert scale where; sa= strongly agree (5), a= agree (4), n=neutral (3), d= disagree (d) and sd= strongly disagree (1). summary of descriptive statistics was as presented in table 1. results in table 1 above show all mean values above 4. the study used a five-point likert scale where 4 meant agree. the standard deviations are all between 0 and 1 table 1: teacher’s self efficacy statements mean standard deviation i will be able to achieve most of the goals that i have set for myself; 4.8015 .50414 when facing difficult tasks, i am certain that i will accomplish them; 4.7265 .37956 in general, i think that i can obtain outcomes that are important to me; 4.8950 .30729 i believe i can succeed at most any endeavor to which i set my mind; 4.8858 .39577 i will be able to successfully overcome many challenges; 4.8721 .33469 i am confident that i can perform effectively on many different tasks; 4.7808 .53105 source: field data, 2021 implying a lower variance across the response from the participants of the study. the results therefore imply respondents are in agreement with all the statements regarding self-efficacy. these results agree with findings from interview schedules. a principal commented that all teachers in his school ‘set goals to be achieved by the end of each academic term and that the teachers’ appraisal is based on the same.’ the study established descriptive statistics of performance appraisal. the respondents were asked to give their opinion showing the level of their agreement or disagreement with the statement provided on a likert https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 92 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 88-94, 2022 scale of 15 where: strongly agree (sa)=5, agree(a)= 4, neutral (n)= 3, disagree (d)= 2 and strongly disagree (sd) =1. table 2 presents the findings. the statements recorded the scores as follows; i am punctual to work had a mean of 4.8356 with standard deviation of 0.44968. the statement mean was above the table 2: descriptive statistics of performance appraisal statements mean standard deviation i am punctual to work 4.8356 .44968 i report to lessons in time 4.2100 .57604 i meet set deadlines 3.9817 .83481 i clear syllabus in time 3.8630 .85641 i improvise and use teaching and learning materials 3.9954 .88565 i integrate ict in my lessons 4.2968 .52334 i have identified gaps after appraisal 3.6895 .84290 i have attended professional development courses 3.3014 .67085 composite mean and standard deviation 4.02168 0.70496 source: field data, 2021 composite mean 4.02168, with a standard deviation less than 1, which is encouraged since it supports performance appraisal. from document analysis, records of teachers’ lessons attendance and reporting register marked by learners confirmed that most teachers reported for lessons in time. i report to lessons on time had a mean of 4.21 with standard deviation of 0.57504 with a standard deviation less than 1. the statement mean was above the composite mean which is encouraged since it supports performance appraisal. when interviewed, a principal had this to say about teachers’ punctuality to work: “as we speak now, the tool has really enhanced teacher performance in class. besides that, i have never had problems with the issue of punctuality because teachers are aware of what they are supposed to do. performance appraisal tool gives clear guidelines on what is to be done at what time.” (principal 6, 2021) the statement ‘i meet set datelines’ had a mean of 3.9817 with standard deviation of 0.83481, a deviation less than 1. the statement was below the composite mean which needs enhancement to support performance appraisal. i clear syllabus on time had a mean of 3.863 with standard deviation of 0.85641, a deviation less than 1. the statement mean was below the composite mean and hence there is need to enhance clearance of syllabus to support performance appraisal process. according to ekundayo, konwea & yusuf (2010), instances abound where teachers complain of lack of time to do certain things which they would have done. a good teacher must make effective use of his time to have time for everything he plans to do. olaniyi (1998) pointed out that the most important asset a teacher should possess is the skill in managing his time. such skill will enable the teacher to devote a balanced attention to interpersonal relations and production (ekundayo et al. 2010). barbara (2003) emphasizes that getting organized will help in being successful. secrets of successful people range from controlling time, delegating, setting goals and priorities, overcoming paper overload to living within a budget. on time management tips, barbara (2002) further stated that time management is about getting important things done and learning to do things more effectively. the statement ‘i improvise and use teaching and learning materials had a mean of 3.995 with standard deviation of 0.88565 which was less than 1.’the statement ‘i integrate ict in my lessons’ had a mean of 4.2968 with standard deviation of 0.52334. the statement mean was above the composite mean and therefore it encourages performance appraisal process. to underscore ict integration a principal said: “we are able to integrate ict in our teaching and learning process as a school. we have ict tools like projectors, mobile phones, cameras for languages and computers. all this have made learning in schools better due to performance appraisal.” (principal 6, 2021) another principal said the following on the ict gadgets use in learning and teaching; “in my school, 80% of my teachers have integrated ict in the process of learning and teaching. we have projectors, computers, laptops, mobile phones, document cameras for language teaching among others.” the teachers who use ict gadgets, are more confident in their work. they have a greater sense of initiative and are more motivated.” (principal i, 2021) i have identified gaps after appraisal had a mean of 3.6895 with standard deviation of 0.8429. the statement mean was below the composite mean and therefore needs to be encouraged to enhance performance appraisal process. while i have attended professional development courses had a mean of 3.3014 with standard deviation of 0.67085. the statement mean was below the composite mean hence it does not support performance appraisal process. the main purpose of appraisal is to give the appraisee an opportunity to reflect on their work and learning needs in order to improve their performance (moghal, 2016). teachers therefore need to be encouraged to identify gaps and come up with deliberate strategies to address them (gaps). the tsc/tpad/01 indicated that the purpose of ongoing appraisal was to review and improve teaching standards through a systematic appraisal approach with a view to evaluate teachers’ performance and promote professional development so as to enhance learning outcomes. its objectives are: to provide quality education to learners in all public institutions, to provide an opportunity for teachers to improve their performance competencies, to analyze performance gaps, to provide support for professional development, and to provide https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 93 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 88-94, 2022 a fair, effective and consistent teacher evaluation (tsc/ tpad/01). professional development for teachers provides a wide range of interactive activities that are designed to improve the teacher’s professional knowledge and skills, as well as their teaching practices and contribute to their growth. teachers develop themselves professionally through training and retraining. musset (2010) asserts that this is purposed to update, develop and broaden the knowledge that teachers had acquired during, and or provide them with new skills and professional understanding which improves the effectiveness of teachers. training and retraining are seen as vehicles to improve teachers teaching effectiveness (ngala and odebero, 2010). teachers getting involved in staff development programs particularly pursuing higher education and training motivate them into taking their teaching roles more seriously. the study set out to test the following null hypothesis: ho1: there is no significant relationship between teachers’ self-efficacy and teacher’ performance appraisal among public secondary school teachers in sabatia sub county, vihiga county. to test the hypothesis, the two variables namely selfefficacy and performance appraisal were put in a linear relationship and modelled through simple regression analysis; y = β0 + β1 x1 + ε , where y=teacher appraisal, x1= self-efficacy, β0= y intercept and β1= beta coefficient value for self-efficacy. the model summary was presented in table 3 the r value from the model summary of the regression between self-efficacy and performance appraisal was 0.617. the r square value was 0.381, which implied 38.1 % effect on self-efficacy was attributed to teacher table 3: model summary model r r square adjusted r square std. error of the estimate 1 .617a .381 .304 3.26741 a. predictors: (constant), self-efficacy source: field data, 2021 appraisal. in other words, self-efficacy had a statistically significant influence on teacher appraisal. further analysis of anova was carried out to check whether the model was fit for the independent variable to explain the dependent variable. the findings were summarized in table 4. table 4 showed the f-statistics was recorded as 310.745 at p=0.000, implying the model fit two variables. the t-test results of the two variables was summarized in table.5. the results show a constant t-value of 6.894 at p=0.000. when self-efficacy was introduced in the equation, the value increased to 8.278 at p=0.001. this implied selfefficacy had 1.384 unit change in teacher appraisal. the study rejected the null hypothesis. table 4: anova test anovaa model sum of squares df mean square f sig. 1 regression 114.716 1 114.716 310.745 .001b residual 2316.690 217 10.676 total 2431.406 218 a. dependent variable: performance appraisal b. predictors: (constant), self-efficacy p-value was in parenthesis source: field data, 2021 table 5: t-test results coefficientsa model unstandardized coefficients standardized coefficients t sig. b std. error beta 1 (constant) 22.499 3.264 6.894 .000 self-efficacy .276 .084 .617 8.278 .001 a. dependent variable: performance appraisal source: field data, 2021 conclusion 1. self-efficacy affects teachers’ activity and productivity. therefore, it must be enhanced in teachers. 2. performance appraisal is significant in evaluating, quality control, planning and decision making among teachers in education institutions. 3. there was a statistically significant effect of teacher’s self-efficacy on performance appraisal. recommendation 1. there is need to enhance teachers’ self-efficacy. clear strategies and programs must be drawn and implemented to boost teachers’ self-efficacy. 2. performance appraisal needs to be enhanced more in schools since it plays a key role in service delivery. through performance appraisal, teachers are able to prepare professional documents which enhance their confidence to teach thus boosting their self-efficacy. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 94 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 88-94, 2022 references aurah, c. and mcconnell, t. 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(2017). the correlation between professional development and teacher ’s self-efficacy. international education research, 5(1), 1-12 http://dx.org/10.12735/iersnlpl https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 34 american journal of education and technology (ajet) college students’ perspectives on english as a second language marinel vergara-burgos1* volume 4 issue 2, year 2025 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v4i2.4287 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: december 29, 2024 accepted: february 01, 2025 published: april 16, 2025 this study investigates the perspectives of college students at mindoro state university (minsu) on learning english as a second language (esl), focusing on attitudes, challenges, and the influence of sociocultural and educational factors on motivation and confidence. english, widely regarded as a global lingua franca, is essential for academic success, professional growth, and cross-cultural communication. using an exploratory research design and in-depth interviews, the study reveals that students recognize english as a critical tool for career opportunities and academic excellence. however, they face challenges such as limited vocabulary, pronunciation difficulties, grammar issues, and anxiety about judgment when speaking. sociocultural factors, including family expectations, cultural identity, and peer interactions, significantly shape students’ confidence and drive to learn significantly shape students’ confidence and drive to learn, including family expectations, cultural identity, and peer interactions.respondents highlighted the supportive role of teachers and peers in creating a positive learning environment, which fosters resilience and reduces fear of mistakes. while some students leverage self-directed learning strategies, such as digital tools, these often lack personalized feedback. the study underscores the importance of integrating culturally sensitive, student-centered interventions to enhance esl learning experiences. recommendations include implementing structured language programs, such as pronunciation workshops and vocabulary-building activities, alongside fostering collaborative and inclusive classroom dynamics. addressing these challenges holistically can empower students to overcome language barriers and develop the competence and confidence needed for academic and professional success. this research contributes to understanding localized esl experiences in a multilingual educational setting, offering actionable insights to improve english language instruction in culturally diverse contexts. keywords english as a second language, exploratory, impact, perspectives 1 mindoro state university, alcate, victoria, oriental mindoro, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: aja0509briseis@gmail.com introduction the ability to communicate effectively in english has become a global necessity due to its status as a lingua franca in international trade, education, and technology. english is the primary language of instruction and contact in many global institutions, influencing not only academic performance but also professional prospects (crystal, 2003). as globalization accelerates, the demand for english proficiency rises, prompting educational systems around the world to promote acquisition of english as a second language (esl). despite this, english competency remains a problem for learners, particularly in multilingual communities where local languages dominate daily interactions. english, along with filipino, is a popular official language in the philippines. it serves as a medium of instruction and an important instrument for economic and social mobility (martin, 2014). despite its extensive use, many filipino students struggle to master english due to a mix of structural, societal, and personal reasons (borlongan, 2016). for example, the interaction of local dialects, cultural identity, and availability of learning resources all have a substantial impact on language acquisition. according to studies, while filipino students acknowledge the value of english for academic and professional success, they frequently face barriers such as limited exposure to conversational english and fear of speaking the language (limos, 2019). locally, at mindoro state university (minsu), students’ linguistic variety, impacted by their ethnic and cultural origins, hinders the process of learning english as a second language. although english is included in the university curriculum, students’ confidence and enthusiasm to utilize it differ greatly. despite efforts to improve english language instruction, there is little study on how sociocultural and pedagogical factors influence minsu students’ learning experiences. this study seeks to address this vacuum by looking into minsu college students’ perspectives on english as a second language, focusing on their attitudes, obstacles, and coping methods, as well as the sociocultural factors that determine their motivation and confidence in using english. existing literature has examined esl learning obstacles in the philippines at a broad level, but it frequently overlooks the varied experiences of students in specific regional contexts such as mindoro. furthermore, whereas much research highlight the significance of cultural and educational elements, few investigate how these aspects interact to influence learners’ attitudes and motivation. by concentrating on minsu students’ experiences, this study addresses the gap in localized insights into esl learning in a multicultural and multilingual university setting. pa ge 35 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 34-38, 2025 research objectives this research aimed to investigate how college students perceive english as a second language. specifically: 1.to investigate college students’ perspectives and attitudes toward learning english as a second language and its importance in their academic and personal life. 2. identify the problems that college students have when learning english and the solutions they use to overcome these challenges. 3. to assess the impact of sociocultural and educational factors on college students’ motivation and confidence in speaking english as a second language. materials and methods this part presents the methodology the researcher employed in analyzing and interpreting the data about the variables in the study. exploratory research design is used to study unsolved problems, allowing for the exploration of new ideas and the identification of patterns without the limits of a formal framework. according to saunders et al. (2014), this strategy is especially useful when the researcher is unsure about the exact nature of the problem or phenomenon being examined, as it allows for the development of more explicit research questions and hypotheses for further examination. it is frequently the beginning point for expanding knowledge in areas with scarce information. the study was conducted at mindoro state university, main campus, alcate, victoria, oriental mindoro. the participants are the selected college students in the university. in-depth interviews were conducted for the purpose of this research. the study utilized a researchermade interview guide with three parts as the main data-gathering instrument. the first part is composed of questions dealing with students’ perspectives and attitudes toward learning english as a second language and its importance in their academic and personal life.the second part dealt with questions assessing the problems that college students have when learning english and the solutions they use to overcome these challenges. and lastly, it dealt with questions assessing the impact of sociocultural and educational factors on college students’ motivation and confidence in speaking english as a second language thematic analysis was used in this study. in using the thematic analysis, there are different approaches to consider. the researcher decided to use the inductive approach as it involves deriving meaning and creating themes from data without any preconceptions. in doing a thematic data analysis, the researcher followed the steps: familiarization, coding, generating themes, reviewing themes, defining and naming themes and writing up. results and discussions based from the analyzed responses of the respondents on the different questions assessing the three major objectives of the study, here are the generated themes: students’ perspectives and attitudes toward learning english as a second language and its importance in their academic and personal life. english as a tool for communication and cultural connection one of the most common themes among respondents is their acknowledgment of english as a valuable tool for communication and interacting with people from various cultural backgrounds. many respondents underlined its function as a global language, allowing for communication across national and cultural borders. for example, one respondent stated, “learning english is important to me because it’s a key to having opportunities and it helps to communicate with people with different nationalities because english is a global language.” another responded, “it allows me to connect with people from different cultures and backgrounds.” this sentiment aligns with studies emphasizing the role of english in promoting intercultural communication. kirkpatrick (2014) noted that english serves as a lingua franca, enabling interaction among speakers from varied linguistic and cultural contexts. the ability to connect on a global scale fosters personal growth, enhances cultural awareness, and provides an avenue for mutual understanding. academic success and learning resources another common subject is the value of english in academic performance. respondents regularly mentioned english as a must for comprehending course content, engaging in discussions, and accessing academic resources. one respondent expressed, “learning english is a great help to help me perform better because the majority of the courses and subjects use the english language in instructions.” another shared, “most academic resources are in english, so fluency is significant for research and writing high-quality papers.” research supports these claims; hu and gao (2018) argued that english proficiency correlates with academic achievement, particularly in environments where english is the capacity to traverse english-based academic content enables students to flourish in their studies, write effectively, and make important contributions in academic settings. career aspirations and opportunities respondents underscored the role of english in enhancing career prospects and professional growth. many viewed english proficiency as a means to access better job opportunities and succeed in global workplaces. for example, one respondent noted, “being fluent in english provides significant benefits, including opening doors to better career opportunities.” another shared, “english makes me more look smart or reliable individual.” studies corroborate these observations. according to tavil (2014), english proficiency is increasingly a prerequisite in professional environments, especially in multinational organizations where it is the standard for communication. mastery of english thus equips individuals to compete in pa ge 36 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 34-38, 2025 global job markets and navigate professional landscapes effectively. confidence and personal growth one frequent theme among respondents is the impact of english ability on personal development and confidence. respondents explained how studying english helped them overcome self-doubt and boost their self-esteem. one respondent stated, “the ability to speak english influences my personal growth and future career aspirations by boosting my self-confidence and helping me overcome my fear of public speaking.” another stated, “being fluent in english is crucial when communicating with other people and expressing ideas effectively.” these observations are consistent with the findings of hakuta et al. (2014), who found that language learning promotes cognitive and social development. the capacity to articulate oneself successfully in english promotes personal empowerment, allowing people to pursue their goals with confidence. challenges and rewards in learning english despite the favorable results, respondents recognized the difficulties associated with learning english as a second language. they regarded the procedure as challenging but gratifying, requiring perseverance and regular effort. one respondent compared it to solving a rubik’s cube, noting, “it requires numerous moves, steps, and processes until it is achieved.” another commented, “while there are frustrating moments, the sense of accomplishment when i understand complex texts or hold fluent conversations is motivating.” this echoes ellis’s (2015) research, which emphasizes the cognitive and emotional effort required in language acquisition. overcoming these hurdles builds resilience and contributes to the overall satisfaction that comes from reaching fluency. problems that college students have when learning english and the solutions they use to overcome these challenges. pronunciation and vocabulary limitations respondents reported challenges with precise pronunciation and a limited vocabulary, both of which are necessary for efficient communication. the difficulty stems from a lack of exposure to native accents and context-specific phrases. according to ellis (2015), developing phonological awareness and contextual vocabulary is essential for competency. these difficulties are exacerbated by the diversity of english dialects in worldwide situations, emphasizing the significance of immersive listening environments (hakuta, butler, and witt, 2014). the findings imply that systematic pronunciation exercises and interactive vocabularybuilding activities could help to close these gaps. fear of judgment and lack of confidence anxiety about speaking stems from fear of criticism, which limits active engagement. this hesitance aligns with cultural influences where mistakes are stigmatized (kirkpatrick, 2014). such apprehensions disrupt fluency development, as students avoid risks essential for improvement. creating supportive practice spaces can counteract these barriers, fostering a culture where mistakes are part of learning. confidence-boosting interventions, like peer collaboration and public speaking exercises, could empower learners to take communicative risks without fear of judgment. grammar and sentence construction issues difficulties in organizing ideas and using proper grammar highlight deficiencies in fundamental writing skills. this is consistent with hu and gao’s (2018) advice for structured approaches, such as guided composition activities. respondents’ challenges highlight the importance of clear grammar teaching combined with practice in idea development and logical organization. furthermore, using technology-based tools, such as grammar apps and online writing platforms, can provide rapid feedback and strengthen learning. difficulty with listening and reading comprehension respondents’ difficulty understanding quick speech and complicated texts indicates a lack of exposure to a variety of english registers. scaffolded learning tactics, such as progressive exposure to diverse accents and thematic reading sessions, are essential. tavil (2014) shows that activities that imitate real-world circumstances, such as group listening assignments and annotated reading exercises, can help students improve their comprehension. integrating multimedia tools that demonstrate authentic language use can help learners improve their auditory and textual processing skills. self-directed learning strategies technology emerges as an important tool for addressing language problems. respondents’ usage of applications and online resources for pronunciation and grammar demonstrates an increasing trend towards self-directed learning. however, self-directed strategies frequently lack individualized input. while ellis (2015) emphasizes the value of digital tools, a mixed approach that combines these resources with teacher-led sessions could improve learning outcomes. encouraging learners to curate content based on their goals leads to a more focused and meaningful self-learning experience. impact of sociocultural and educational factors on college students’ motivation and confidence in speaking english as a second language. cultural identity and native language influence respondents cited difficulties in crossing the linguistic bridge between their original languages and english. a participant mentioned, “my native language makes it hard to articulate english words properly,” emphasizing phonetic and grammatical difficulties. however, cultural pa ge 37 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 34-38, 2025 norms frequently reinforced motivation: “our family values english, seeing it as a sign of competence.” recent research supports similar findings. darvin and norton (2021) demonstrate how sociocultural frameworks influence learners’ engagement in language acquisition. gao (2021) investigates the multiple challenges learners face: reconciling their original language identity with the demands of studying english, which ultimately shape their tactics and motivation. impact of teachers, peers, and learning environments the influence of a nurturing environment appeared as a major subject. participants reported feelings such as, “my teacher provides gentle corrections,” and “peers encourage me to practice without fear.” this highlights the importance of social support in language acquisition. recent research supports these conclusions. sang (2023) emphasizes the importance of teacherstudent relationship in establishing confidence, whereas lynch and motha (2023) see peer collaboration as critical to developing language competence. these ideas are consistent with vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, emphasizing the importance of contact in cognitive and language development. societal expectations and english as a global language respondents underlined societal influences on english competence. according to one, “knowing english is crucial for global opportunities, but it creates pressure to be perfect.” this tension illustrates english’s dual nature as both a tool of upward mobility and a source of anxiety. these findings are consistent with johnson (2009), who investigated english’s impact on cultural identity and the perceived need for global engagement. kanno and varghese (2010) further highlight institutional pressures that reinforce english’s dominance while marginalizing native languages. such forces motivate and push learners as they navigate their language journeys. conclusions the study highlighted college students’ diverse viewpoints on learning english as a second language, emphasizing its importance as a worldwide communication tool, a means of academic success, and a path to employment chances. while respondents acknowledged difficulties with pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar, they also recognized the benefits of personal development, confidence, and resilience. furthermore, sociocultural variables, professors, peers, and societal expectations influenced their drive and confidence. these findings highlight the need of implementing culturally sensitive, student-centered interventions to successfully enhance english language acquisition and address learner problems. recommendations to improve english learning experiences, educators and policymakers should prioritize building supportive environments that foster risk-taking while reducing fear of criticism. integrating technology, such as interactive software and digital tools, alongside teacher-led activities can result in more individualized and engaging learning experiences. furthermore, encouraging intercultural encounters and exploiting students’ cultural identities can motivate and empower them. structured interventions, such as pronunciation workshops, vocabulary-building programs, and guided writing exercises, should be used to address specific language issues.these findings highlight the need to implement culturally sensitive, studentcentered interventions to enhance english language acquisition and address learner problems successfully. compliance with ethical standards the author hereby declare that this work was conducted in strict accordance with ethical research guidelines. all respondents were provided informed consent prior to participating, ensuring that they were fully aware of the study’s nature and objective. respondents were informed that they had the right to withdraw from the study at any moment, without consequence or detriment. the respondents’ anonymity was protected throughout the research procedure, and all personal information was kept private. the respondents’ well-being was prioritized, and all measures were taken to protect their rights and dignity.the author additionally confirm that no conflicts of interest arose during the course of the investigation. every attempt was taken to avoid plagiarism, and all sources were appropriately mentioned. additionally, the findings were interpreted honestly and without bias. finally, the findings of this study were used purely for research reasons, benefiting the academic and scientific communities. acknowledgments the author would like to offer her heartfelt gratitude to all of the respondents who kindly contributed their time and ideas to make this research possible. their involvement and honest contributions were critical to the accomplishment of this study. she is also thankful to mindoro state university, their institution for all the support extended. she is also extremely grateful to her family for their consistent support, encouragement, and understanding during the study process. their faith has been an unwavering source of strength, and she could not have done it without their love and wisdom. references borlongan, a. m. 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(2016). willingness to communicate: a macro or micro perspective? language learning journal, 44(3), 284–302. pa ge 1 pa ge 10 4 american journal of education and technology (ajet) an accreditation survey of christ the king college of calbayog city based on paascu standards rowena r. diaz1* volume 4 issue 4, year 2025 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v4i4.5951 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: august 15, 2025 accepted: september 22, 2025 published: november 17, 2025 this study aimed to evaluate the preparedness for an accreditation survey of christ the king college, calbayog city based on the paascu standards as a basis for an action plan. a descriptive survey method was conducted with a focus group discussion from the respondents. from the data gathered in the study, it was found out that the existing status as to its preparedness of christ the king college of calbayog city in terms of: (1) visionmission, and goals was rated good which means that the provisions or conditions are moderately implemented and are functioning satisfactorily; (2) community involvement was rated very good which means that the provisions or conditions are implemented and are functioning well; (3) faculty was rated fair which means that the provisions or conditions are implemented to a limited extent and are functioning minimally; (4) curriculum and instruction was rated good which means that the provisions or conditions are moderately implemented and are functioning satisfactorily; (5) library was rated good which means that the provisions or conditions are moderately implemented and are functioning satisfactorily; (6) laboratories was rated good which means that the provisions or conditions are moderately implemented and are functioning satisfactorily; (7) facilities was rated good which means that the provisions or conditions are moderately implemented and are functioning satisfactorily; (8) student services was rated good which means that the provisions or conditions are moderately implemented and are functioning satisfactorily; and (9) administration was rated good which means that the provisions or conditions are moderately implemented and are functioning satisfactorily. there were several challenges identified which include the lack of sustainable support, low salary of teachers, collaborative effort, and institutional mandate while the opportunities include the seriousness of the school administration, addressing concerns, and identifying areas for improvements. therefore, majority of the provisions or conditions are moderately implemented and functioning satisfactorily except for community involvement which is implemented and is functioning well. however, in the area on faculty, the provisions or conditions are implemented to a limited extent and are functioning minimally. also identifying, the challenges and opportunities would help christ the king college of calbayog city, inc. achieve its goal to be prepared for paascu accreditation; hence, an action plan is designed. keywords accreditation, areas, challenges, opportunities,paascu, standards 1 christ the college of calbayog city, inc., calbayog city, samar, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: rowenadiaz944@gmail.com introduction higher education institutions (heis) play a very significant role in preparing the country to be globally competitive through the skilled human capital resources it produces. the task is dauting as the institution must constantly assess itself against the existing standards and stay up-to-date with the latest demands of the labor market. this involves investing in a considerable amount of resources to develop its faculty, research, and facilities. a slightly different story may be observed in the case of the philippines as the quality of several higher education institutions has deteriorated over time as manifested in the quality of their graduates, among others. paqueo et al. (2012) point out that most of the higher education institutions are of low quality as evidenced in low passing rate in the board exams and have few accredited programs. raising the quality of higher education institutions is thus one of the motivations on why government agencies such as the commission on higher education are constantly finding ways to address the issue. reforms are being set in place such as rationalizing the structure of public higher education and improving higher education budget to ensure resource mobilization and cost effectiveness (paqueo et al., 2012). however, these reforms will not be enough if heis themselves are not pressured to constantly improve and set standards above the minimum requirement. further, accreditation is one way that heis keep themselves in check with the standards. with the growing number of heis in the country and the demand for skilled workers in the global market, there is an urgent need to further enhance quality of education. corpuz (2003) emphasized the inverse relationship existing between the number of heis in the philippines, which were described as “educational opportunities”, and the level of quality of the educational system in the country. the quality of education is also affected by the competition between private and state universities, the influx of private low-cost, low-quality, and the absence of a centralized accrediting agency. there are several issues, however, in accreditation. for one, the voluntary nature of accreditation among heis only puts pressure on those who are willing and able to undergo the process. pa ge 10 5 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 104-112, 2025 moreover, there is an inquiry on the multiple number of accrediting agencies catering to the various heis. moreover, the biggest accrediting agency for private schools is the philippine accrediting association of schools, colleges, and universities (paascu). being an international accrediting agency or body and an active member of the asia pacific quality network (apqn), paascu has proven its acceptability, reliability, and prestige in the field of accreditation. christ the king college in calbayog city, western samar is a private higher education institution which was established in 1905. with the span of time the school existed, and the number of successful graduates it produces, it is expected that the institution has already been recognized and accredited by any agency authorized in the republic of the philippines. several school administrations passed, and many attempted to apply for accreditation, but these attempts did not prosper. as years go by, the commission on higher education (ched) has several requirements especially in the areas of curriculum, instruction, faculty, research, extension, and facilities. ched emphasizes on alignment of fields of specializations among faculty and staff in every institution, so there is a need for the institution to submit for accreditation. thus, it is for this reason that the study is conducted to evaluate the preparedness of christ the king college, calbayog city on paascu accreditation and to come up with an action plan to address the different areas that need improvement. figure 1:. conceptual framework figure 1 illustrates that this study is also legally based on the following: the united nations educational, scientific and cultural organization (unesco) world declaration on higher education for the twenty-first century (1998); the asean qualifications reference network (aqrf); the philippine qualifications framework; republic act 7722 otherwise known as the higher education act of 1994; the ched memorandum order (cmo) no. 1 series of 2005 also known as the revised policies and guidelines on voluntary accreditation in aid of quality and excellence in higher education; and the ched memorandum order no. 46 series of 2012 on the policy-standard to enhance quality assurance (qa) in philippine higher education through an outcomesbased and typology-based qa. this study aimed to evaluate the preparedness for an accreditation survey of christ the king college, calbayog city based on paascu standards as basis for an action plan. specifically, it sought to answer the following: 1. what is the existing status as to its preparedness of christ the king college, calbayog city in terms of the following: (1) vision, mission, and goals, (2) community involvement, (3) faculty; (4) curriculum and instruction; (5) library, (6) laboratories, (7) facilities, (8) student services, and (9) administration? 2. what are the challenges and opportunities identified in the preparation of paascu accreditation? 3. based on the findings of the study, what action plan can be proposed to christ the king college, calbayog city on its preparedness to paascu accreditation? literature review accreditation is a vital process in education, functioning as an independent mechanism for evaluating and certifying educational programs and institutions across all levels (boelen & woollard, 2009). its central importance lies in promoting public accountability and systematically improving educational quality through adherence to established national education standards (haug, 2003). by providing a thorough assessment of institutional strengths and weaknesses, accreditation fosters continuous improvement in a school’s vision, mission, and objectives (nur et al., 2023). ultimately, the process serves as a driver of efficiency, effectiveness, and innovation, ensuring that schools are better equipped to adapt to educational reforms and provide higher-quality services (patak & hasim, 2023). at the international level, accreditation has been shown to influence schools in significant ways. adimayan and ozmantar (2023) emphasized that accreditation through the international baccalaureate organization’s primary years program strengthens system components, with outcomes largely shaped by staff competence, collaboration, and the school community’s attitude. nonetheless, tensions between aligning national curricula and pyp goals highlight the importance of aligning a school’s vision, resources, and stakeholder expectations before pursuing accreditation. beyond these pedagogical challenges, accreditation also entails substantial financial commitments, including costs of training, annual dues, and infrastructure upgrades. for instance, a school in 2020 spent €31,500 for pyp accreditation, underscoring the long-term expenses required beyond the initial approval (frawley, 2014). despite its recognized benefits for educational quality, direct financial returns cannot be guaranteed due to diverse school and student variables, making cost-benefit analysis essential, particularly for public schools with limited resources (mathews & johnson, 1995). in the philippine setting, accreditation is widely recognized as a cornerstone for quality assurance and academic excellence in higher education. evidence shows a strong correlation between institutional accreditation status and improved student outcomes, particularly in professional licensure examinations, suggesting that accreditation standards directly enhance student preparedness (loy pa ge 10 6 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 104-112, 2025 et al., 2024). beyond outcomes, accreditation supports institutional growth by guiding resource allocation, shaping quality academic programs, and strengthening institutional reputation (prado, 2020). however, challenges remain, including the heavy workload for faculty and staff, as well as the need for more financial and administrative support to sustain accreditation requirements (calamayo et al., 2022; claudio, 2023; ancheta, 2012). in response to changing contexts, accrediting bodies such as pacucoa and aaccup have adopted digital platforms, particularly during the pandemic. this shift has created new opportunities but also exposed technical and resourcerelated constraints that institutions must address to ensure credible virtual accreditation processes (pandey & subedi, 2023). moreover, the role of school administration and government agencies, such as the deped and heis, remains crucial in ensuring continuity during crises by implementing health protocols and learning continuity plans (talahiban et al., 2022). another critical dimension of accreditation lies in the quality of infrastructure, instructional materials, and access to resources, which have been strongly linked to student learning outcomes (glewwe et al., 2011). yet, philippine schools, especially in rural and disadvantaged areas, often face inadequate laboratories, outdated instructional materials, and limited technological tools, which weaken instructional delivery and restrict student engagement (albert et al., 2019; ferrer, 2019). accreditation becomes essential in evaluating these facilities to ensure they meet required standards, thereby fostering quality environments that encourage practical skills, innovation, and academic success. broader systemic challenges, such as fragmented policy implementation, curriculum misalignment, and underinvestment in education, also hinder overall performance. thus, a holistic and evidence-based approach to policy and practice is needed to improve scientific literacy and enhance educational outcomes in the country (cabural, 2024). furthermore, teachers’ readiness and adaptability play a vital role in sustaining quality standards. as crespo and malabarbas (2022) noted, teachers with greater awareness are more receptive to change, show stronger commitment, and perform better in teaching and professional responsibilities. this aligns directly with accreditation’s emphasis on ensuring faculty competence, adaptability, and dedication to continuous improvement such factors that are indispensable in maintaining high educational standards and institutional excellence. materials and methods this study utilized the descriptive survey design with the survey questionnaire as the main tool in gathering the necessary data. this method was used since the study focused on the preparedness of christ the king college basing on the different criteria and guidelines for accreditation. this study employed the descriptive method of analysis. also, a focus group discussion was conducted to validate the responses in the survey. results and discussion part 1 presents the summary of results based on the nine (9) areas of paascu evaluation as presented in table 1. table 1: summary table of results dimensions/areas overall mean interpretation vision-mission-goals 2.77 good community involvement 3.50 very good faculty 2.50 fair curriculum and instruction 3.17 good library 2.61 good laboratories 2.63 good facilities 2.83 good student services 2.78 good administration 2.65 good grand mean 2.83 good in terms of vision-mission-goals, the overall mean is 2.77 and interpreted as good which means that the provisions or conditions are moderately implemented and are functioning satisfactorily. indicators on the vision-missiongoals of the institution are published in a catalogue or prospectus and on this catalogue or prospectus is readily available to students and other interested persons got the highest weighted means of 3.53 and 3.41, respectively, and interpreted as very good which means that the provisions or conditions are implemented and are functioning well. the results imply that the vision-missiongoals are printed and published in most important documents which are visible to most people. for instance, brochures or catalogues are documents distributed for visitors and guests, so they would know christ the king college (ckc) better. these materials are also utilized as advertising instruments especially to attract enrolment. however, the indicator on the vision-mission-goals (vmg) are updated as needed has the lowest weighted mean of 2.34 and interpreted as fair which means that the provisions or conditions are implemented to a limited extent and are functioning minimally. this implies that the institution did not revisit nor update its vmg for at least five (5) years which is the ideal duration. this concern was also raised during the focus group discussion wherein one respondents said, “a thorough articulation of the vmg is needed,” which was confirmed by another respondent which said that “the vision, mission, and objectives statements of the institution must be regularly revisited.” in terms of community involvement, the overall mean is 3.50 and interpreted as very good which means that the provisions or conditions are implemented and are functioning well. the indicator on “the college’s vision, mission, policies, projects, and activities are made known to the community specifically to the people’s organizations and non-government organizations (ngos) got the pa ge 10 7 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 104-112, 2025 highest weighted mean of 3.72 which was interpreted as very good. this implies that christ the king college has good linkages to some people’s organizations and non government organizations especially if there disasters or calamities that happen in the neighboring places. this was also confirmed during the focus group discussion where faculty a said that “the school has strong linkages to the community especially during disasters”. this was supported by faculty c who said that “there is awareness of the needs of the community.” in terms of faculty, the academic qualifications have a weighted mean of 2.50 and interpreted as fair which means that the provisions or conditions are implemented to a limited extent and are functioning minimally. in the educational and professional experience and length of service, the indicators on “teaching experience of the faculty member” and “extent of practice of profession outside of teaching” got a weighted mean of 2.85 which is interpreted as good. however, in terms of ”overall stability vis-à-vis faculty turnover” it got a weighted mean of 2.57 and interpreted as fair which means that the provisions or conditions are implemented to a limited extent and are functioning minimally. in the selection policies, the indicator on “academic qualifications” got the highest weighted mean of 2.80 and interpreted as good while indicators on “the selection process is participated by the dean and department heads/chairperson(s) got the lowest rating of 2.20 and interpreted as fair. the results imply that ckc has a problem on faculty retention because of its selection procedure wherein most of those who were hired were not competent and qualified to teach. the results were supported by the responses during the focus group discussion where faculty d said, “the selection process must be improved because the deans should be the one to decide on whom to hire because that concerns academics, and the hr is not exposed to teaching and not qualified.” this was supported by faculty e which says, “under section ii. faculty no. 3 provides that in hiring applicants for teaching, it will be more efficient if respective deans are also involved during the interviews for they are the ones who knows in gauging the skills they are looking for the applicants especially with the technical interview process.” in terms of curriculum and instruction, the overall mean is 3.17 and interpreted as good which means that the provisions or conditions are moderately implemented and are functioning satisfactorily. the indicators on “curricular goals include the following essential purposes of undergraduate education in building character; the specific courses clearly define the intended/expected learning outcomes; there is evidence that learning outcomes are achieved by encouraging social awareness and civic responsibility; teachers make use of varied teaching-learning strategies such as on-the-job training/ internship/practicum; the teachers utilize instructional resources such as audio-visual aids; evaluation of student performance is done through a variety of appropriate assessment tools such as written/oral examinations; indicates the performance of the graduates in government licensure examination for the last five years; periodic evaluation of instruction; and the academic administrator exercises supervision over the selection of textbooks and other instructional materials” got the highest rating of 4.00 and interpreted as very good which means that the provisions or conditions are implemented and are functioning well. however, indicators on “enhances/ strengthens students’ scientific and research capabilities and the institution regularly monitors attainment of learning outcomes through tracer studies” got the lowest rating of 2.00 and interpreted as fair which means that the provisions or conditions are implemented to a limited extent and are functioning minimally. in terms of library, the overall mean is 2.61 and interpreted as good which means that the provisions or conditions are moderately implemented and are functioning satisfactorily. indicators the administration were mostly rated 3.00 and interpreted as good. however, in the areas on personnel, indicators on “the members of the support staff are well-trained and qualified to perform the duties assigned to them” got the lowest rating of 2.00 and interpreted as fair which means that the provisions or conditions are implemented to a limited extent and are functioning minimally. this imply that the staff are not qualified to be assigned in the library. this was supported in the focus group discussion in which faculty b said that “the teachers are not informed of the subscriptions of periodicals or journals”. faculty d said, “the information service of the library and the audio visual center is not effective.” faculty e further said that “the librarian and the audio-visual personnel should have close coordination with the deans especially on the new subject offerings.” in addition, faculty g said that “there seems to be inadequate collaboration among the deans, librarians, and bookstore personnel in matters related to what the curriculum/courses needs as far as books are concerned.” the library is considered the repository of information and is considered the heart of the school. in terms of laboratories, the overall mean is 2.63 and interpreted as good which means that the provisions or conditions are moderately implemented and are functioning satisfactorily. indicators in lecture rooms, laboratory rooms in general, biology, chemistry, physics, language, and business were mostly rated good. however, indicators in computer laboratory, home economics, equipment and supplies, maintenance and improvement, majority of the indicators were rated fair which means that the provisions or conditions are implemented to a limited extent and are functioning minimally. the indicator “there is proper lighting to minimize glare” got the lowest rating and interpreted as fair. this implies that ckc needs to focus on the areas that got a fair rating. the results were supported by the responses in the focus group discussion in which student c said that “though the laboratories are almost complete with the apparatus, there must be separate laboratories in the elementary, junior high school, and pa ge 10 8 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 104-112, 2025 senior high school.” also, student g said that “the same with science laboratories, computer labs must be separated from the junior high school, elementary, and college.” moreover, faculty a reiterated that “we have already started with the inventory process, but it would be much better if the central supply is more involved with the inventory process in coordination with other departments.” in terms of facilities, the overall mean is 2.83 and interpreted as good which means that the provisions or conditions are moderately implemented and are functioning satisfactorily. majority of the indicators in most areas were rated good. however, indicators on “there is a campus development plan preferably by a professional architect; the various buildings are located with a view to relationships of functions, and are situated and planned so as to meet satisfactorily the need for future expansion; the buildings are constructed of strong and durable materials that will withstand earthquakes, typhoons, and fires. they meet all requirements of current building codes; and the auditorium is accessible to the clientele” got the lowest rating of 2.00 and interpreted as fair which means that the provisions or conditions are implemented to a limited extent and are functioning minimally. this implies that the school has concerns regarding the structural planning, usage or utilization of standard materials, and assignment of areas as to its original purpose. in terms of student services, the overall mean is 2.78 and interpreted as good which means that the provisions or conditions are moderately implemented and are functioning satisfactorily. indicators “there is formally an organized alumni association; job placement; and evaluation” got the highest rating of 3.04 and interpreted as good. however, indicators "the ssp pattern of organization and relationships with the school administration, the instructional program, and the community are clearly shown in the organizational chart; the functions of the student services personnel are well-defined; the program and activities provided by the office of student services with the collaboration of the students are recognized and allotted sufficient time and attention by the administration; the area of student services is presented in the policy and decision-making bodies of the college or institution; the objectives; student services program; formal linkages are established with the employment sector for systematic recruitment and orientation of graduating students; and follow-up studies of graduates are made to evaluate their preparedness for work and acceptability for employment” were rated fair which means that the provisions or conditions are implemented to a limited extent and are functioning minimally. this implies that ckc needs to focus further on these services especially on the organizational structure, the program and activities, and for global competitiveness, formal linkages must be well-established especially on the student exchange program. in terms of administration, the overall mean is 2.65 and interpreted as good which means that the provisions or conditions are moderately implemented and are functioning satisfactorily. the indicator on “efficient and qualified administrative officials of the institution” got the highest rating of 2.90 and interpreted as good. however, the indicator on “there is a system of check and balance in the institution” got the lowest rating of 2.34 and interpreted as fair which means that the provisions or conditions are implemented to a limited extent and are functioning minimally. this implies that though the administrative officials are efficient and qualified, but there must be transparency among stakeholders, so problems will be addressed and solved accordingly. part 2 presents the challenges and opportunities identified based on the conducted focus group discussion from the respondents. using the nvivo software, the figures were made, and major themes emerged. challenges identified figure 2 presents the general challenges identified by the respondents. figure 2: general challenges identified figure 2 shows that there were four (4) major themes that occur. the first is on the lack of sustainable support; second is on the low salary of teachers; third is collaborative effort; and institutional mandate. lack of sustainable support one of the major reasons why christ the king college is not yet accredited until now because of the lack of sustainable support from the school administration especially those from the top level management. this means that if one administration initiates the preparation for accreditation the next administration would not continue, for they also have another priorities. this was supported by admin b who said that “the very reason why ckc is not yet accredited until now is the lack of sustainable support from the previous to the succeeding top level management.” also, faculty d said that “these challenges greatly affect the preparation for accreditation, for we have to follow the standards set by the accrediting firm. improvements on every area should be given emphasis even if it will entail a lot of time, efforts, and money. the question is, can the school afford for the standard improvement of ckc in all areas of concern?” this means that the challenge lies on the religious administration especially the school president who has pa ge 10 9 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 104-112, 2025 the capability and authority to plan and implement. low salary of teachers the main concern why there is a fast turnover of teachers is due to low salary. the school is not attractive for teachers to stay. instead, it serves as a training ground before they transfer to another organizations. this is supported by the responses of some of the respondents in which faculty f said “low salary, no clear retirement plan. some practices of the admin result to disrespect from subordinates”. faculty g said “increase salary and provided appropriate ranking and promotion schemes, and faculty h said “standardize and review salary schemes.” collaborative (group) effort the accreditation process cannot be done by a single person only, so it must be acted upon collaboratively among stakeholders. the burden will be lighter once everyone does his/her share. this was supported by the response of faculty a who said that “it was on the preparation of documents for accreditation which was challenging. also, the attitude of participants towards accreditation, and the lack of library facilities. though we are equipped with the physical facilities, but the laboratory is not yet equipped.” faculty b supported that “the challenges are on the attitudes of the participants. there must be an orientation first before the accreditation.” faculty c then agreed that “the challenges are on the positive and negative attitudes of the participants.” this means that the minds of the stakeholders must be properly set, so everyone will be on the same direction. it was emphasized that proper orientation has to done, so the stakeholders would understand the purpose and the procedures. institutional mandate the authority lies on the hands of the school president and the rest of the middle level managers. they should set the direction first before the other participants would follow and go with them. faculty d said “the school admin must give support or directions to subordinates through meetings, direct communication to know the different concerns/issues that need to be addressed.” faculty e supported that “governing bodies and heads must function well so that every member of the community is aware of his/her responsibilities up to the rank and file level.” also, faculty b reiterated that “there must be a clear organizational structure so that the community will know and understand the setup.” the results clearly show that there is a need for the school administration to be transparent to the rest of the stakeholders, so they can move smoothly as desired. opportunities identified figure 3 presents the opportunities identified after indicating the challenges encountered. figure 3 shows the opportunities identified based on the focus group discussion conducted from the respondents. figure 3: general opportunities identified there were three (3) major themes that occur in the analysis. these include (1) the seriousness of the school administration; (2) addressing concerns; and (3) identifying areas for improvements. seriousness of the school administration the accreditation process takes a lot of time, money, and effort. however, if the school administration is serious enough to pursue the accreditation process then nothing is impossible. this was supported by faculty a who said that “there are so many opportunities that can support in the meeting of the standards for accreditation so long as the administration will also work and help the committees.” this was supported by faculty b who said that “ckc is very satisfactory in terms of academic performance because it produced board topnotchers and passers, provided quality education and educational facilities.” faculty d confirmed that “the work environment of ckc, peer, superior relations, location, among others are plus factors that a teacher in ckc enjoys. also, some employees are loyal, for they stayed in ckc for more than 10 to 20 years or even more.” this means that the people are just waiting for somebody to support and to guide them to the right direction, and they are willing to support any task or responsibilities given. addressing concerns a problem cannot be solved without addressing it directly. in an organization, several concerns cannot be avoided, but if these are addressed accordingly, so the organization can go on smoothly. this was supported by faculty a who said that “the school administration now supports the needs of the teachers and the students. classrooms are provided with air conditioning units, and they provided direction to the stakeholders.” faculty d also said that “the present admin are now involved with each member in the planning, implementation, and evaluation. they are now supporting the needs of the community.” this implies that the current administration is taking into consideration the needs of the stakeholders which would give a positive impact to its goal to be an accredited institution. identifying areas for improvements a problem cannot be solved without identifying it pa ge 11 0 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 104-112, 2025 first. in this study, there were nine (9) areas that were evaluated, and only one area was rated very good. this is the community involvement. however, identifying the different areas that need improvements would solve the problem. faculty c said “the school admin is now identifying requirements or standards which were not yet complied.” faculty e said that “teachers are creative and resourceful especially on the learning outcomes. also, there is now a healthy relationship among teachers, admin, and students.” admin c reiterated that “the school is now conducting a leadership training to equip those who are holding key positions.” faculty d said that “the school now provides updates on laboratory equipment regularly upon the request of the laboratory-in-charge.” results confirm that the school administration is now starting to look into the loopholes, and slowly addresses them to be prepared for goal to be a paascu accredited institution. conclusion based on the findings of the study, it is concluded that majority of the provisions or conditions are moderately implemented and functioning satisfactorily except for community involvement which is implemented and is functioning well. however, in the area on faculty, the provisions or conditions are implemented to a limited extent and are functioning minimally. also identifying, the challenges and opportunities would help christ the king college achieve its goal to be prepared for paascu accreditation; hence, an action plan is designed. recommendations in the light of the findings and conclusion of the study, the following are the recommendations. (1) the visionmission-goals of the school has to be reviewed to address the current needs of its stakeholders; (2) the school administration has to review its organizational structure and assign appropriate personnel based on their educational qualifications, skills, and expertise; (3) the human resource department has to coordinate with the deans and the department chairpersons especially in the hiring of competent teachers based on their field of specializations. also, the teachers’ load has to be reviewed; (4) the school laboratories and facilities need improvement and additional equipment has to be purchased. also, a separate laboratory in the elementary, junior high school, senior high school, and college department has to be constructed; and (5) identified items in the action plan for short term and long term implementation must be given consideration. references adelman, c. 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(2005). international handbook on globalization, education and policy research. springer. https://doi. org/10.1007/1-4020-2960-8 pa ge 1 pa ge 29 american journal of education and technologies (ajet) philippine public senior high school time optimization of school forms preparation ritchell b. nacional1* volume 1 issue 2, year 2022 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i2.464 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: august 09, 2022 accepted: august 16, 2022 published: august 20, 2022 it is well accepted in the philippines that public school teachers are continually overworked. this study aims to help the classroom advisers in preparing school forms and provides solutions for time optimization to increase productivity. this study developed a system to minimize the time spent on school forms preparation. the time and motion study *were utilized to analyze the process of creating each school form. the project evaluation review (pert) and critical path method (cpm) network analysis answered the number of hours spent to complete the entire process, and identified the critical activities and non-critical activities that could be completed later without delaying the process. this helped establish a standard time for the completion of each school form and detect repetitive activities. it aids operational efficiency by simplifying tasks and developing strategies. the total time initially for completing school forms was 209 hours in a school year. after implementing the pert/cpm, the total time for completing the school form was reduced to 56.34 hours. this change in the duration of the process of finishing school forms represents a 74. 8% reduction in school forms completion time. however, the study merely reduces the completion of the school forms procedure, which is only one of the reasons for the classroom advisers’ overtime work. innovations contribute to making things easier to do, and this study demonstrates that innovation can reduce the time required to complete school forms. keywords information and communication technologies, time optimization, teaching, workload, project evaluation review technique, critical path method 1 angelo l. loyola senior high school, department of education cavite province, carmona cavite, philippines. * corresponding author’s e-mail: ritchell.nacional@deped.gov.ph introduction the state recognizes teachers’ critical role in nationbuilding and development, particularly in creating responsible and literate people, as stated in republic act no. 7836 policy statement, which is found in article i section 2 of the act. the influence of educators on the lives of students and the preparation of students for the future is significant, as has been demonstrated. many people believe that teaching is a rewarding profession, and according to usop (2013), teaching is the most highly regarded profession in the world. a career as an educator can be a challenging one to pursue. in charge of the students, they prepare them for scenarios that they would encounter in real life. due to the obvious rapid innovation and demand in the globe, public education is evolving, as is a portion of the educator’s role. education in the philippines has undergone a significant shift since the foundation of the k–12 system, and educators were well-prepared to meet the challenge. it is now necessary for an educator to cultivate and prepare specific skills in order to make learning relevant and interesting for students. for an educator to succeed in the twenty-first century, he or she must possess communication skills, learning and imaginative abilities, information media and technological abilities, as well as life and career skills. a curriculum that connects learners to the world and allows them to comprehend the challenges that our world is facing must be developed by a twenty-first-century educator. since experts believe that a youngster can share his or her knowledge and convert it into wisdom, educators are merely information facilitators in the traditional sense. therefore, a 21stcentury educator is highly collaborative, a lifelong learner, accountable and responsible for results, as well as informed about information, media, and technology (simbillo, 2017). according to a study conducted in saudi arabia, factors influencing teachers’ performance and retention (2015) instructors are unable to relax as much as they would want due to the vast quantity of paperwork and pupils they are responsible for training. this might result in tension. too much pressure would result in burnout as a result of an inability to meet the expectations of the job. teachers in sweden reported higher levels of stress-related symptoms and fatigue when compared to those in other professions, according to a study. teacher workload was considered unreasonable by nine out of ten respondents in a 2017 survey (jendle & wallnas) . work overload is one of the factors that contribute to teacher burnout, which results in a loss of physical and emotional vigor in the educator (malik, 2019). longer teaching hours and the need for flawless conditions, which the job cannot provide, are two factors that can contribute to fatigue (demirel & cephe, 2015). there are times when teachers’ tiredness has a negative impact on their ability to perform their instructional duties. in the philippines, it is well acknowledged that public school teachers are constantly overworked and underpaid (esguerra, 2018). in addition to their instructional responsibilities, public school teachers are also responsible for a variety of non-teaching activities. each and every public-school teacher, according to the magna carta for public school teachers, is expected to commit to a maximum of six hours of actual https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i2.464 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= mailto:ritchell.nacional@deped.gov.ph pa ge 30 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 29-35, 2022 classroom instruction per day, which is a regular fulltime teaching load. the teaching profession comprises a wide range of professional obligations, all of which frequently contribute to the impression of having a heavy load to bear. multiple meetings that interfere with preparation time, administrative paperwork generated by management, and being subjected to ongoing reforms and changes that necessitate the restructuring of work and job responsibilities are all examples of what it is like to working in the employment landscape. there are numerous other administrative and student support obligations that are assigned to each teacher. in today’s information age, educational institutions are expected to play a crucial role in knowledge generation and the creation of learning environments, among other things. as a result, information and communication technology (ict) becomes a vital instrument in aiding this effort. in the same way that technology has transformed the world in the intervening years, our educational system must keep up (horn. 2015). gone from paper and pen to books and chalk and board to now having technology right outside our door, and the manner of education has never been quite the same. learners’ lives are significantly influenced by technological advancements. it has the potential to improve educational quality, increase student achievement, and even assist children with learning disabilities in learning more effectively. the introduction of ict opens up a slew of new opportunities and challenges for education. the possibilities for employing ict to create and deliver educational content are well known. however, there are several applications of information and communication technologies in education that require further development (bikfalvi et al, 2007). the purpose of this study is to assist classroom advisers in the preparation of school forms and to propose solutions for time optimization in the process of school forms in order to boost productivity through the use of technological innovation and system development. literature review information and communications technology (ict) refers to a wide range of technological tools and resources used to communicate and assist in the production, distribution, preservation, and administration of information. additionally, ict refers to any forms of computers, communication equipment, and software that are used to create, store, transmit, interpret, and manipulate data in a variety of various formats (uq, 2002). ict has become an indispensable part of our daily lives and can no longer be avoided. this is due to the fact that ict in education has emerged as one of the most successful parts of school development. this is not only for the goals of teaching and learning, but it is also for administrative reasons. it has also been established that universities are capable of developing and constructing information systems for organizing their academic knowledge in order to assist them in their decision-making (sastry, 2007). to ensure the success of any educational institution’s information technology operation, it is necessary to develop a comprehensive technology plan that encompasses all levels of technology users, from front-line staff to central management. the use of ict can help to boost productivity. (roch, 2007). according to the findings of the study conducted by selwood, et. al, 2005 teacher workload has been a cause of concern in the english and welsh education systems for many years. one solution that has been offered is to make more use of ict. the findings of the study led the teachers to conclude that ict could assist them in reducing their workload and becoming more productive. this study also made use of designing a mechanism to assist classroom advisers in reducing the amount of time spent preparing school paperwork. time and motion study since the beginning, the terms time study and motion study were used interchangeably, although their meanings have evolved over time. the purpose of the motion and time study is to improve the efficacy and productivity of employees in the workplace. the study of motion and time presents substantial difficulties. the term time and motion study, refers to a broad field of knowledge that deals with the systematic determination of preferable work methods, the time required for the use of a human or a machine to perform the work according to the specified method, and the development of materials necessary to put these data to practical use. the majority of cases, time study is used to quantify the amount of effort. according to a job or task, the time study decision is the amount of time it will take a person who has been completely trained to perform a task to complete the task, whether the worker is normal or expert. the operational time standard is a term used to describe this. it is possible to select an expert for a certain work by employing a range of methods, each of which is only appropriate in certain circumstances. time studies include the use of a stopwatch, a predetermined motion time system or synthetic time system,” and “work or activity sampling, to name a few examples. in this study, however, only the time study utilizing the stopwatch time study was utilized for the time measurement. muhamad, et. al, 2005 showed that there are many benefits to be obtained by implementing productivity improvement effort. the mainly purpose of the implementation of motion and time study by respondent are increase productivity, job efficiency, quality improvement, reduce operation time per part, compete in local market and fulfilling market demand. the success of the of implementation motion and time study had been contributed by several success factors such as top management commitment, interdepartmental cooperation, good planning and control system, company technique capability, effective training, experienced work forces, steady fund inflow and clear product strategy. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 31 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 29-35, 2022 project evaluation review technique/critical path method effective project management involves optimizing terms of production to reduce total project time and expense. project managers use the project evaluation review technique (pert) and the critical path method (cpm) to split up complicated projects into sub-activities, deploy resources, and manage the project cycle to reduce the overall cost and duration of the project. pert technique application can be recognized where cpm is the amount of time required, the level of confidence desired in predicting the time of each action. pert and cpm can be used as references when creating a timetable to help the project’s course determine delays in each step and overcome these challenges (sari, 2018). the two methodologies are essentially time-oriented methods that lead to the determination of project time schedules. through using pert technique, the planning step is intended to determine if project activities, particularly those on the critical route, will be performed on time and in accordance with the predicted schedule (chuong, 2007). the critical path is a sequence of operations that runs through the network and involves actions that cannot be postponed for any reason whatsoever. it is designed to have the shortest feasible cycle time for the process. the critical route will provide an estimate of the time required to complete the process cycle. a large number of studies have demonstrated that the pert/cpm technique may make a significant contribution to the optimization of time in project management. adegoke’s study employs pert/cpm to assess the efficiency of the process; his research demonstrates that pert/cpm may be used to resolve quality issues in an organization. it is possible to generate significant improvements in the quality of a product by concentrating on the process that delivers the product. lermen et al. 2016 study shows that with the application of pert/cpm technique in the project of the horizontal laminator production process time was reduced by 35.86%, i.e., from 520 hours to 333.45 hours. the tools also give an idea about the completing projects so that they can plan to expedite certain activities, if necessary, since the horizontal laminator is not the only equipment produced by industry. the study also that it can make a significant contribution to the optimization of the times and ocosts of the horizontal laminator production process, and that when applied to other industry projects, it can lead to cost savings and even an increase in the number of projects undertaken, resulting in an increase in competitiveness. according to a study conducted by yuinarti et al. 2020 on optimizing production time in book printing, the real total production time required is 45.2 hours, but after implementing the pert/cpm approach, the total production time required is only 41.5 hours. as part of this research, it is necessary to determine the real total number of hours released in school form preparation by implementing pert/cpm in the designed system in order to demonstrate time optimization. methodology the pert/cpm of the network analysis method were used in this study to analyze the process of the preparations of school forms done by the classroom advisers. the methods answered the number of hours spend to complete the entire process, identified the critical activities or tasks that could delay the completion of the process and the noncritical activities that can be completed later without delaying the process. the techniques also determined the preparation of school forms are on time, behind time, or ahead of time. the analysis of time spent each activity in the preparation of school forms such as preparing student’s information -school form 1 (sf1) was needed to identify the dependencies between activities that compose the whole process of preparation. it established a standard time for the completion of each school form and detect repetitive activities. result and discussion according to a study conducted by david et al. 2019, teachers are also expected to assist in implementing various government programs, such as mass vaccination, community mapping, conditional cash transfers, deworming, feeding, population census, anti-drug campaigns, and electoral processes. according to the article, these administrative operations are not taken into consideration when determining public-sector staffing trends. this implies that teachers are performing administrative tasks that, while hidden from the view of standard metrics, may have a negative impact on instructional quality. it was also stated that, if instructors are to be believed, they wish to devote their time and energy to teaching. the time they have available to speak with students, provide assistance, and practice what they have learned about differentiated instruction is increased. it is widely acknowledged that teachers must spend more time with children, innovate classroom instruction, and provide more concentrated, individualized attention to students. teachers are fully aware of this need. the most significant constraint they face is a lack of time. the problem is a result of the amount of work that must be done, which leaves little time for actual instruction. this was a source of concern for all of the teachers who participated in the study. various other organizations seek the participation of schools and teachers in the implementation of certain initiatives because of their efficiency in reaching large numbers of children and teens. in addition to their regular teaching responsibilities, this increases the workload of teachers. the data and information gathered are classified as primary data and secondary data. primary data is information derived from the findings of a study. while secondary data was obtained by reading printed materials such as research journals and reference books related to this subject, all previous research findings and articles https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 32 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 29-35, 2022 were required to ensure the accuracy of the information, improve interpretation and understanding, and produce high quality research. in order to conduct this study as effectively as feasible, information from internet sources is also used. the data collected was from the selected classroom advisers of a senior high school through convenience sampling. they were asked to provide their estimated hours spent on each identified duty and responsibilities of a public teacher. table 1: number of hours spent of classroom advisers in a week. workload number of hours spent in a week teaching students 30 lesson preparation 8 checking students' output 7 counseling and mentoring 5 preparation of school forms 6 total number of hours in a week 56 table 1 indicates the number of hours each type of workload takes up in a typical week. public school teachers are required to teach for six (6) hours per day and be allocated two (2) hours per day to complete administrative responsibilities, for a total of eight (8) hours per day in the classroom and office. teachers in public schools are expected to work forty (40) hours a week on a combination of teaching and administrative responsibilities. the average workload consists of instructing students, creating lessons, including the learning materials, verifying and recording students’ output, and evaluating students’ performance. it is expected of the classroom advisers to take on additional responsibilities, such as the creation of relevant paperwork, such as school forms (sf), that must be submitted during the course of a school year. however, according to data acquired from senior high school classroom advisers, they spent an average of fiftysix (56) hours per week. in a week, it shows that thirtyhours (30) were spent in teaching students; eight (8) hours in preparing the lesson and lesson materials; seven (7) hours in checking the outputs of all sections handled by the classroom adviser; five (5) hours in counseling and mentoring, in today’s new normal education, answering and assisting the students’ concern are mostly done after office hours through the messenger application; and for the preparation of the school forms, the classroom advisers spent an average of six (6) hours. as a result of deped order 4, series 2014; school register, class advisers must prepare and submit amended school forms to the registrar for approval such as school register (sf1), learner’s daily attendance report (sf2), books issued and returned report (sf3), promotion and level of proficiency report (sf5), learner’s progress report card (sf 9), and learner’s permanent record (sf10) are all documents that must be completed by the classroom advisers. due to their numerous responsibilities and activities, some advisers find the additional process of compiling and completing the forms to be burdensome. it is also noted in deped order no. 11 series 2018 (guidelines on the preparation and checking of school forms) that the department of education believes that preparing and checking the large number of forms filed was extremely time-consuming and required a significant amount of time and effort from the classroom advisers. as a result of the pandemic, teachers’ workloads are also increasing in proportion. a growing number of files and forms are being added to the mountain of paperwork that must be completed. time and motion application the time and motion study method were used in order to gain a better understanding of the process of producing each individual school form. this helped in the formation of a standard time for completing each school form, as well as the identification of acts that were redundant. it adds to increased operational efficiency by enhancing efficiency and generating plans for the organization. table 2: application of time and motion study in school forms preparation no activities duration (hour) 1 data collection and consolidation 12.67 2 sf1 (students information) 4.75 3 sf2 (students' attendance) 23.75 4 sf3 (book borrowed) 4.75 5 grades collection and encoding 31.67 6 sf5 a 6.33 7 sf5 b 1.58 8 sf 9 (card) 50.67 9 sf 10 (form 137) 53.83 10 printing 31.67 total number of hours 209 table 2 shows the detected and listed process activities, as well as their average durations. people involved in the activities were asked to estimate the time required for each activity. the total amount of time spent by the classroom adviser in a calendar year is two hundred and nine (209) hours. as a result, this number of hours contributes to the overtime work of the classroom advisers. it is critical to optimize school form preparation in order to limit the amount of overtime work performed by classroom advisers. there is a positive relationship between teacher workload and student academic achievement, according to the findings of idde gwambombo’s study. it has been established that students’ academic performance worsens as a result of the excessive burden placed on teachers in the classroom. pert/cpm application it is possible to make an objective decision based on the results of operation research since it provides a quantitative study of the situation. it was decided to employ the pert/cpm method of network analysis for this study in order to assess how classroom advisers went about preparing school forms. the methods provided https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 33 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 29-35, 2022 an answer to the question of how many hours it would take to complete the entire process, identified the critical activities or tasks that could cause the process to be delayed, and identified the noncritical activities that could be completed later without causing the process to be delayed. the procedures also determined whether or not the production of school forms was completed on time, late, or ahead of schedule. table 3 depicts the operational relationship between the numerous operations involved in the current process of completing school forms, as shown in the case. table 4 shows the results of the pert method calculations performed with the qm for windows software. the table displays the activity time, as well as the early start time of each activity and the early finish time of each activity. it also includes the scenario of a late start as well as the table 3: sequence and activities dependency relations of school forms process activity description precedence activity a data collection and consolidation b sf1 (students information) a c sf2 (students' attendance) b d sf3 (book borrowed) b e grades collection and encoding b f sf5 a e g sf5 b e h sf 9 (card) e i sf 10 (form 137) e j printing c, d, f, g, h, i table 4: summary calculations for pert method of the existing process of school forms completion activity activity time early start early finish late start late finish slack a 12.67 0 12.67 0 12.67 0 b 4.75 12.67 17.42 12.67 17.42 0 c 23.75 17.42 41.17 79.17 102.92 61.75 d 4.75 17.42 22.17 98.17 102.92 80.75 e 31.67 17.42 49.09 17.42 49.09 0 f 6.33 49.09 55.42 96.59 102.92 47.5 g 1.58 49.09 50.67 101.34 102.92 52.25 h 50.67 49.09 99.76 52.25 102.92 3.16 i 53.83 49.09 102.92 49.09 102.92 0 j 19 102.92 121.92 102.92 121.92 0 possibility of a late completion at the conclusion. figure 1 illustrates the network of activities involved in the current process of completing school forms. the red lines reflect the process’s crucial path. the process begins with data collection from the student. the data from the sf1 is also used to complete the sf2, sf3, and grade collection. the grades collected and encoded determine the completion of sf5a, sf5b, sf9, and sf10. the activity j, which prints the school forms, is the end-goal of activities b, c, d, h, and i. ict application the proposed solution in optimizing the existing process of school forms activities is to develop a system. the proposed developed system reduces the amount of redundancy in the activities from the current process. the project was designed to ease the making of school forms in excel format. it was also made into consideration that it can be used in all versions of microsoft excel. the projects maximized the features of the microsoft excel like excel formulas, macros, and visual basic script. the rapid application development (rad) methodology was employed in the project development, as depicted in figure 2. rapid application development (rad) is one of the versions of the systems development life cycle (sdlc) that tries to accelerate the application development process. rad emerged in the 1990s as an attempt to address both weaknesses of the long development model. the use of rad expedites the activities in each phase and aids in the improvement of figure 1: network of activities of school forms process figure 2: rapid application development of the project https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 34 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 29-35, 2022 understanding of system requirements. it is necessary to review the areas that are most immediately relevant to the system as part of this initial stage. this evaluation results in a detailed characterization of the system requirements in terms of the functions provided by the system under consideration. this contains a high-level system area model of the area under consideration, a specification of the system’s scope, and a cost-benefit analysis of the new system, among other things. the collecting of information, such as through interviews, is a critical component of this step. next came the process of forming the system’s concept, designing system functions, and creating early screen layouts. when developing a system, it is vital to ensure that the procedures are consistent with the requirements of the users and that the system will meet the expectations of those who will use it. (figure 2) conclusions this research has demonstrated that cpm/pert can be used to tackle quality issues in an organization. the most significant information for managing a project using this technique is identifying the critical path, slack time of activities, and potential trouble spots in the system. the total time initially anticipated by the pert/cpm approach for completing school forms was 209 hours in a school year. after implementing the pert/cpm approach in the designed system, the total time for completing the school form was reduced to 56.34 hours. this change in the duration of the process of completing school forms represents a 74.8% reduction in school forms completion time. however, the study merely reduces the completion of the school forms procedure, which is only one of the reasons for the classroom advisers’ overtime work. although the optimization of completing the school forms helps a lot and reduces the load of completing the task, it does not mean that the classroom advisers are already free of the overtime activity. there are still other aspects to the classroom advisers’ overtime work. recommendation according to the findings of this study, innovation contributes to making things easier to do. as a result, this study demonstrates that innovation can reduce the time required to complete school forms. it is recommended that another study be conducted to determine whether innovation can be applied to other tasks performed by teachers in order to help reduce the time required to complete other tasks and thus reduce the need for overtime work. references adegoke, a. s. (2011). measuring process effectiveness using cpm/pert. international journal of business and management, 286-295. bagshaw, k. b. (2021). pert and cpm in project management with practical examples. american journal of operations research, 215-226. bikfalvi, a. p. (2007). complementing education with competence development: an ict-based. int. j. management in education, vol. 1, no. 3, pp.231–250. bon, a. t., & daim, d. (2010). time motion study in determination of time. encon2010 3rd engineering conference on advancement in mechanical. malaysia. bongco, r. t., & ancho, i. v. (2019). exploring filipino teachers’ professional workload. journal of research, policy & practice of teachers & teacher education, vol. 9, no. 2, 19-29. calp & akcayol (2018). optimization of project scheduling activities in dynamic cpm and pert networks using genetic algorithms. journal of natural and applied sciences, 615-627. cooper gibson research. (2018). exploring teacher workload: qualitative research: research report. england: department of education-england. david, c. c., albert, j. r., & vizmanos, j. f. (2019). pressures on public school teachers and implications on quality. pids policy notes. deped. (2014). deped order no. 4, series of 2014:. adoption of the modified school forms (sfs) for public elementary and secondary schools eeffective end of school year 2013-2014. https://www.deped. gov.ph/2014/01/30/do-4-s-2014-adoption-of-themodified-school-forms-sfs-for-public-elementaryand-secondary-schools-eeffective-end-of-schoolyear-2013-2014/ demirel, e. e. & cephe, p. t. (2015). looking into burnout levels among english language instructors . journal of language and linguistic studies , 11 (1) , 1-14 . retrieved from https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/ jlls/issue/36119/405582 esguerra, d. (2018). deped urged to lighten teacher workloads following suicide reports. retrieved from https:// newsinfo.inquirer.net/1025288/deped-urged-tolighten-teacher-workloads-following-suicide-reports esther, u. (2019). 19 use of ict applications for secondary schools administration. adect (association for digital education and communications technology) 2019 proceedings. nigeria. https://open.library. okstate.edu/adect/chapter/use-of-ict-applicationsfor-secondary-schools-administration/ gwambombo, i. (2013). the effect of teachers’ workload on students’ academic performance in community secondary schools a study of mbeya city. retrieved from http://repository.out.ac.tz/913/1/idde%2c_ gmhuruma_-_exernal_-_out.doc_gabriel.pdf horn, m. (2015, june). change education to attack technology-driven unemployment.forbes. retrieved from https://bit.ly/3win1uu jendle, h., & wallnäs, a. (2017, july 5). effects of exercise, social support and hardiness on occupational stress in swedish teachers. effects of exercise, social support and hardiness on occupational stress in swedish teachers; www.diva-portal.org. https://bit. ly/3cgfqkpjohnston, k. (n.d.). how effectiveness https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 35 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 29-35, 2022 & efficiency relate to productivity. retrieved from https://smallbusiness.chron.com/use-mbos-hourlyemployees-37063.html jomuad, et. al, (2021). teachers’ workload in relation to burnout and work. international journal of educational policy research and review vol.8 (2), 48-53. lermen, et. al, (2016). optimization of times and costs of project of horizontal laminator production using pert/cpm technical. independent journal of management & production (ijm&p), v. 7(3). https:// www.researchgate.net/publication/307547927 malik, a. r. (2019, october 1). the role of employee attributions in burnout of “talented” employees | emerald insight. the role of employee attributions in burnout of “talented” employees | emerald insight; www.emerald.com.https://www.emerald.com/ insight/content/doi/10.1108/pr-02-2018-0064/ full/html muhamad, m. r., & mahmood, w. h. (2005). productivity improvement through motion and time study. management of technology and technology entrepreneurship (pp. 1-14). malaysia: universiti teknikal malaysia melaka (utem). roch, j. a. (2007). managing higher education information technology professionals. int. j. management in education, vol. 1, no. 4, pp.287–297. sastry, m. (2007). development of an academic information system for effective education. int. j. management in education, vol. 1, no. 3, pp.276–286. selwood, i., & pilkington, r. (2005). teacher workload: using ict to release. educational review, 163-174. uq. (2022) what is ict? what is ict?; itee.uq.edu. au. http://study.itee.uq.edu.au/degree_programs/ binftech/what_is_ict.htm yuniarti, e. a. (2020). optimizing production time in book printing using pert/cpm. 8th annual southeast asian international seminar (asais 2019) (pp. 102-107). indonesia: scitepress – science and technology publications, lda. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 10 american journal of education and technologies (ajet) development and validation of a reading comprehension scale sarah b velasco1*, jasmin s villanueva2 volume 1 issue 1, year 2022 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i1.327 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: june 17, 2022 accepted: june 24, 2022 published: june 25, 2022 this study developed and validated a scale that measures the reading comprehension of the filipino learners. this study attempted to address the need for a reliable, valid screening tool suited for filipino learners, with a high level of feasibility that can be used in the classroom to identify what reading comprehension type a student belongs to by developing a validated scale of reading comprehension for junior high school learners in the local context. the reading comprehension scale, a 13-item instrument that was based on four themes (applied, interpretive, affective and lexical reading comprehension) was designed and crafted. the design used in this research was a mixed-method approach wherein 15 students participated in the interview for the item-generation who answered questions based on the meta-comprehension strategy index of schmitt (1990). a sample of 476 students participated in the administration of the initial instrument. cronbach alpha, as a test of its reliability, was used to indicate the degree of internal consistency of the items and content validity to test the appropriateness of the generated statements. results showed that the cronbach alpha ranged from 0.569-0.639 which is considered good reliability. kaiser-meyer-olkin and bartlett’s test were used to examine the appropriateness of factor analysis. the approximate of chi-square is 1408.237 with 465 degrees of freedom, which is highly significant with a p-value of 0.000 at 0.01 level of significance. the kaiser-meyer-olkin measure of sampling adequacy is 0.734 which is greater than 0.5, therefore the factor analysis was valid. based on the statistical values, the scale developed is valid and reliable. keywords development, reading comprehension scale, applied, interpretive, affective, lexical 1 mandili high school, philippines. 2 pampanga state agricultural university, philippines. * corresponding author’s e-mail: sarah.velasco007@deped.gov.ph introduction to have the skill to read and comprehend texts is imperative in one’s daily life, and it is invested with greater importance for being a component intrinsic to the cognitive development of students when linked with education (cunha & capellini, 2013). functional literacy and higher-order skills are necessary for a filipino child to develop. any filipino child with adequate reading skills is assumed to have better opportunities to succeed in school compared to those whose reading skills are poor. with poor reading skills, poor comprehension and incorrect pronunciations will be manifested. it can affect the academic, psychological and social development of the child if no proper intervention is given early. as such, correct diagnosis of reading disability as quick as possible appears to be essential (cayubit, 2012). reading comprehension is known to be a complex but critical skill that students should master to guarantee future academic success (cain et al., 2004). currently, available reading comprehension scales are insufficient as to classroom-based screeners for learners who are experiencing difficulty with reading comprehension; while several scales made are psychometrically problematic, some are too long to read and too complicated to serve well as a screener (keenan et al., 2008). the validity and reliability of teacher-completed behaviour rating scales of academic skills are supported and accepted by research as an effective way of assessing students’ academic progress that could address the present instrumentation gap in practice (demaray & elliot, 1998; speece et al., 2010). based on the previous records from the 2008 functional literacy, education and mass media survey (flemms), 20.1 million filipinos, who are 10-64 years old, do not understand what they read. despite the philippines supposedly having a high literacy rate of 88.6 % still, many filipinos can barely read and write (selangan, 2015). it manifests to filipinos, especially those living in remote areas as well as the slum areas of the country. many researchers have already suggested classifications of different dimensions (mcnamara & magliano, 2009), and there is still a little argument in the field as to how these reading comprehension processes might validly be classified, or if separable sub-skills of comprehension exist at all (rupp, 2012). reading comprehension as a cognitive skill reading comprehension is a difficult cognitive ability that requires the capacity to fit in text information with the understanding of the listener or reader and resulting in the explanation of mental representation (meneghetti et al., 2006). according to pressley (2002), good text comprehension develops if a reader is capable to predicting what the text may be about, observes the understanding of the text, asks questions while reading, relates information in the text to background knowledge, and summarizes what is being read. from the interview of philstar global dated 2010 with the head of the deped’s bureau of elementary education, dr yolanda quijano stated that reading problems are the main culprits for the poor performance of the filipino https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i1.327 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= mailto:sarah.velasco007%40deped.gov.ph?subject= pa ge 11 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(1) 10-17, 2022 students in the national achievement test. orencia (2006) questioned why the philippines continues to have poor reading proficiency despite its high literacy rate. with this problem that the country has, it is an alarming thing to claim that comprehension is the prime goal of reading and comprehension failures can lead to school failures. as a component of reading, reading comprehension can be best understood if one is adept with the different cognitive procedures as current models suggest that such processes play a significant role in comprehension skills (meneghetti et al., 2006). it is also commonly regarded as a multidimensional form of processing, as contrasting to being a unitary construct (van den broek, 2012). it recommends that the reading condition, reading purpose, topic, and text will touch the nature of reading in such a way that when determining reading ability, the choice of reading material, the assumed reading objectives, and also item construction will have an important impact on students’ test results. this has been already proven in many experiential studies (best et al., 2006; keenan et al., 2008). ghafournia and afghari (2013) discovered that students with different levels of reading proficiency use different strategies in comprehending reading text and answer reading questions. the result of their study also shows that students with more linguistic knowledge used comprehending test-taking strategies repeatedly to understand the reading text and answer the questions. the ability of students to answer the reading questions is affected by their vocabulary size. ibrahim et al. (2016) who studied the relationship between vocabulary size and reading comprehension of esl learners at a public university in malaysia found that there was a statistically significant difference between the score in reading comprehension and vocabulary test. another factor was considered that prior knowledge gives a high contribution to comprehending reading text (ozuru et al., 2009; & chen 2008). those students with high prior knowledge have better performance on reading test compared to those with low prior knowledge (abdelaal & sase, 2014). current reading comprehension measures reading comprehension assessment has grown throughout the 20th century both in the types of skills that are measured and the format of tests used (pearson & hamm, 2005). despite years of research and assessment repetitions, reading comprehension assessment remains a subject of debate in the academic field. a review of existing comprehension assessment literature reveals that there are many unresolved issues concerning effective assessment of students in schools, including psychometric problems and issues of utility in the classroom (sweet, 2005). proof suggests that measures of reading comprehension differ broadly in the contribution of word decoding vs oral language comprehension skills to their scores, and outcome, therefore, may not associate well across measures (keenan et al., 2008). for example, cutting and scarborough (2006) conducted research examining the relative helps of reading, language, and cognitive skills to three commonly used, standardized measures of reading comprehension, wechsler individual achievement test – passage comprehension subtest (wiat), the gatesmacginitie reading test (g-m; macginitie, macginitie,), and the gray oral reading test-third edition (gort3). using a sample of 97 students, from grades 1 – 10, the study looked for and examined relative contributions of oral language comprehension constructs skills and word decoding skills to each reading comprehension measure, the aids of other factors including attention, reading rate and verbal memory, and also correlations across the three measures. the development of an effective reading comprehension assessment is still an issue that remains largely unsolved in the literature. assessment design, utility, and content vary widely and reflect varying components of reading comprehension, and some lack sounds psychometric qualities. likewise, despite research supporting the critical nature of reading comprehension both metacognitive and cognitive skills, there is still no available assessment of reading comprehension that integrates the assessment of these observable metacognitive skills (gebhardt, 2013). rating scales of academic behaviors a few teacher-completed rating scales of behaviours linked to academics are existing and have been in use for research. for example, begeny et al. (2008) made the 9-item trsrp assessing students’ decoding, reading comprehension, reading fluency, reading accuracy, and application of reading skills to school work for their teacher judgment study. begeny et al. (2008) used as well the trsrp for another teacher judgment study. some teacher judgment studies highlighted, validated, existing brief rating scales of academic skill such as the ssrs-t or the social skills rating system –teacher, which holds questions relating to both reading-specific behaviours and broader academic concepts such as intellectual functioning and motivation (demaray & elliot, 1998). in a research, elliot et al. (2007) defined how an experimental instrument call the bacess (brief academic competence evaluation scales system) could be used in conjunction with the dibels to screen for learners with reading problems. numerous studies have also begun to discover value academic behaviour rating scales as screeners for student learning difficulties. one such study observed whether teacher ratings of students’ progress in phonics are accepted screener for learning incapacity in reading (snowling et al., 2011). first-grade students (n=146) were evaluated for reading difficulties using the word reading, letter-sound knowledge, sound isolation and sound deletion subtests from the york reading for comprehension assessment (yarc) along with several cognitive processing screeners. using a researchergenerated rating scale, classroom teachers then rated all participating students that asked for approximations of student progress as defined by the london department https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 12 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(1) 10-17, 2022 for children, families and schools through the phases of phonics. in another study, researchers projected a model for reading problems using teacher rating scales as a component of the universal screening battery for screening upper elementary students (speece et al., 2010). one study has also begun to study the function of teacher-completed rating scales as an indicator of which students are consistently struggling and which students are responding well to intervention (vaughn et al., 2009). as evident on the studies conducted by begeny et al. (2008), cutting & scarborough (2006), elliot et al. (2007), speece et al. (2010) and vaughn et al. (2009), they have developed reading comprehension scales which were inadequate psychometrically and there are no developed tools for systematically assessing reading comprehension in the classroom. the situations highlighted on the abovementioned information also confirmed the lack of content consistency that characterizes current reading comprehension and also emphasizes the need for improved methods of reading comprehension assessment. thus, this study attempted to address the need for a reliable, valid screening tool suited for filipino learners, with a high level of feasibility that can be used in the classroom to identify what reading comprehension type a student belongs to by developing a validated scale of reading comprehension for junior high school learners in the local context. theoretical framework this study was anchored on messick’s theory of test validity, that is profoundly influential in part because it brings together various contributions into a unified framework for building valid arguments. it builds an argument based on multiple sources of evidence like reflections on one’s own values and those of others. in line with this theory, the researcher let the participants bring out different ideas through an interview regarding reading comprehension as necessary factors for scale development. conceptual framework this study aimed at developing and validating a scale of reading comprehension for the grade 8 students of the two public schools in candaba, pampanga. figure 1 illustrated the paradigm of the study. as shown, the paradigm presents the steps that were accomplished to determine the result of the study. the scale development process began with the creation of items to identify appropriate questions that lift the identified domain and content validity to assess if the items adequately measure the domain of interest. for the validation of the scale, factor analysis is used to reduce the set of items to see the significance of the scale, and internal consistency assessment to determine the reliability of the scale. lastly, the test was assessed by the three sets of participants to see the validity of the researcher-made scale. research problems generally, this study aimed to develop and validate a scale of reading comprehension for the grade 8 students of a public school in candaba, pampanga. specifically, it sought to answer the following questions: 1) how may the reading comprehension scale be developed? and 2) how may the reading comprehension scale be validated? methods this study employed a mixed-method type of research. it refers to an evolving methodology of research that advances the systematic integration of qualitative and quantitative data within a sustained program of inquiry to provide a better understanding of the research problem. the researcher utilized developmental method research. as opposed to simple instructional development, developmental research has been accepted as the systematic study of designing, developing, and evaluating instructional programs, processes, and products that must meet the criteria of internal consistency and effectiveness. participants the participants of the study were the grade 8 students of the two public schools in candaba, pampanga during the school-year 2019-2020. there were two sets of participants involved in the study. a sample of 15 students, with different levels of intelligence, from the highest to the lowest participated in the item-generation. the second set of the participants with 476 students was utilized for the administration of the initial instrument. total enumeration was used. all of the grade 8 students of the two public schools were the participating groups. on the other hand, a master teacher major in english, and four grade 8 english teachers from the locale of the study served as the teacher-respondents for the scale content validation. the validation tool used was a content rating review form from aravamudhan and krishnaveni (2015). instruments the researcher developed a reading comprehension scale. the items for the scale were based on the answers given by the 15 participants in an interview that was conducted by the researcher. the questions for the interview were based on the meta-comprehension strategy index of schmitt (1990). questions were divided into three sections. the question asked in the first section is what the student can do to improve their understanding before they read. the second section asked what they can do to improve understanding during reading, and in the last section, it asked what the students can do to improve comprehension after reading. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 13 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(1) 10-17, 2022 procedure development stage approval of the school administration for the conduct of the study and approval of the teacher and student participants were sought prior to accomplishing the steps. the researcher focused first on the development of the scale that underwent stages: item generation, content validation and reliability calculation. the scale development process started with an interview wherein the researcher used schmitt’s meta-comprehension strategy index as a guide. the students were asked on what to do to improve understanding before, during and after reading. after that, their answers were subjected to open codes, axial codes, and themes by utilizing colaizzi’s method. validation stage the developed scale that was made by the researcher went through exploratory factor analysis (efa) to reduce the set of items to see the significance of the scale. the minimum factor loading cut off point of this study was 0.4. as a rule of thumb to access significance of factor loadings, factor loadings of 0.3 to 0.4 are minimally accepted but still accepted (hair et al., 2010). also, in the research conducted by yusoff et al. (2011), all the items included in the study have factor loadings of more than 0.3 which indicated that they were well clustered together. kaiser-meyer-olkin and bartlett’s test were utilized to measure the validity of the proposed scale. kaiser (1974) recommends a bare minimum of 0.5 and the value between 0.5 and 0.7 is mediocre, value between 0.7 and 0.8 is good, value between 0.8 is 0.9 are great and value between 0.9 and above is superb. for the internal consistency assessment, to determine the reliability of the scale, cronbach alpha coefficient was used. according to hulin et al. (2001), for cronbach’s alpha, a general accepted rule is that of 0.6-0.7 indicates an acceptable level of reliability, and 0.8 or greater is a very good level. also, nunally and bernstein (1994), suggested that composite reliability values of 0.60 to 0. 70 are acceptable in exploratory research, while in more advanced stages of research, values between 0. 70 and 0.90 can be regarded as satisfactory. the researcher used total enumeration to identify the student-participants of the study. finally, the test was assessed by the two sets of participants which were utilized for development and administration of the initial tool to see the validity of the researcher-made reading comprehension scale. results and discussions table 1. the development of the reading comprehension scale phase 1 item-generation with the use of questions based on schmitt’s (1990) meta-comprehension strategy index question sample statement 1. before you begin reading, what are the things you usually do to better understand the story? “in choosing a story to read, i always consider the author.” “i scan first the entire story before i read it.” “i read first the synopsis/description to see what the story is about.” “i check first if no pages are missing.” “i use dictionary to understand unfamiliar words.” “i look at the pictures to better understand the story.” “i use context clues to help me define unfamiliar words.” “i read the story quickly to find out what happened.” “i think of the lesson i learned from the story.” “i think of how i would have acted if i were the main character.” 2. while you are reading, what are the things you usually do to better understand the story? 3. after you’ve read, what are the things you usually do to better understand the story? table 1 shows the phases/stages followed in developing the reading comprehension scale. a sample of 15 students participated in the item-generation. the initial scale was then administered to 476 students to test its reliability. phase 1 involved the initial pool of items. the 15 students were interviewed for the item-generation. the questions focused on what to do before, during, and after reading a text. (e.g., “what do you usually do to improve your understanding before you read?”, “what do you usually do to improve understanding during reading?”, and “what do you usually do to improve comprehension after reading?”) questions used for the interview were based on the meta comprehension strategy index of schmitt (1990). after the interview, their answers were subjected to open codes, axial codes, and themes by utilizing colaizzi’s method. generated items totaled to 31. (e.g., “i use context clues to help me define unfamiliar words.”) in phase 2, the initial instrument was administered to a sample of 476 students. the items included in the first tool were from the generated pool items in phase 1. it covered a total of 31 statements which were proofread and edited. however, that was not the validation part yet. a total of 18 items was deleted, and only 13 items were kept for the final instrument which was based on four themes, namely: applied, interpretive, affective and lexical reading comprehension types. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 14 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(1) 10-17, 2022 table 2.1. content validation of the reading comprehension scale statement *number of validators giving a rating of 3 or 4 content validity ratio 1. i read silently to better understand what i read. 4 0.6 2. i read in a quiet place to better understand what i read. 4 0.6 3. i look for the importance of the story. 5 1 4. i think of the lesson i learned from the story. 5 1 5. i read the title to see what the story is about. 5 1 6. i imagine the scenes in the story. 5 1 7. i reread the best part of the story. 4 0.6 8. i reread some parts to see if things are making sense. 4 0.6 9. i scan first the entire story before i read it. 5 1 10. i think of a better ending for the story. 5 1 11. i use context clues to help me define unfamiliar words. 5 1 12. i look at the pictures to better understand the story. 5 1 13. i look at the pictures to see what the story is about. 5 1 *note: for the purpose of computing the content validity ratio of each item, the following conversion was done to replace the values reflected in the validation tool to fit the descriptions in the lawshe method (1975): no fit (1) – not necessary, may fit (2) – useful but not essential; good fit (3) – excellent fit (4) – essential. table 2.1 shows the rating given by the five validators in determining whether an item fits the concept or domain being measured. all of the validators agreed that the statements included in the reading comprehension scale are essential. items 1 (i read silently to better understand what i read), 2 (i read in a quiet place to better understand what i read), 7 (i reread the best part of the story) and 8 (i reread some parts to see if things are making sense) all garnered a content validity index of 0.6 but is still an acceptable rate due to more than half of the validators deemed them essential. also, all of the validators agreed that items 3 (i look for the importance of the story), 4 (i think of the lesson i learned from the story), 5 (i read the title to see what the story is about), 6 (i imagine the scenes in the story), 9 (i scan first the entire story before i read it), 10 (i think of a better ending for the story), 11 (i use context clues to help me define unfamiliar words), 12 (i look at the pictures to better understand the story), and 13 (i look at the pictures to see what the story is about) are essential, that all garnered a validity index of 1 which is a highly acceptable rate. about the findings, according to pressley (2002), good text comprehension emerges if a reader can predict what the text may be about. this means that these statements are experienced both by the english as a foreign language (efl) and english as a second language (esl) learners. table 2.2 shows that cronbach’s alpha is 0.610 which indicates a good level of internal consistency for the scale. nunally and bernstein (1994) suggested that composite reliability values of 0.60 to 0. 70 are acceptable table 2.2: cronbach alpha result of the items reliability statistics cronbach's alpha cronbach's alpha based on standardized items n of items 0.610 0.617 26 table 2.3 reliability statistics for the first factor and second factor cronbach's alpha cronbach's alpha based on standardized items n of items first factor 0.639 80.638 second factor 0.569 50.569 in exploratory research, while in more advanced stages of research, values between 0. 70 and 0.90 can be regarded as satisfactory. table 2.3 shows the reliability of each component. according to hulin et al. (2001), for cronbach’s alpha, a general accepted rule is that of 0.6-0.7 indicates an acceptable level of reliability, and 0.8 or greater is a very good level. with the data presented, it shows that the reading comprehension scale can be regarded as a reliable tool with an alpha level which ranged from 0.569-0.638. a total of 18 items was deleted from the initial instrument. table 2.4 the kaiser-meyer-olkin and bartlett’s test results kmo and bartlett’s test kaiser-meyer-olkin measure of sampling adequacy. 0.734 bartlett's test of sphericity approx. chi-square 1408.237 df 465 sig. 0.000 table 2.4 shows the result of the kmo and bartlett’s test which is used to measure and examine the appropriateness of factor analysis and appropriateness of the respondents. the approximate of chi-square is 1408.237 with 465 degrees of freedom, which is highly significant with https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 15 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(1) 10-17, 2022 a p-value of 0.000 at 0.01 level of significance. the kaiser-meyer-olkin measure of sampling adequacy is 0.734 which is greater than 0.5. as mentioned by field (2000), the sampling is adequate or sufficient if the value of kaiser-meyer-olkin (kmo) is larger than 0.5. kaiser (1974) also recommends a bare minimum of 0.5 and the value between 0.5 and 0.7 is mediocre, value between 0.7 and 0.8 is good, value between 0.8 and 0.9 is great and value between 0.9 and above is superb. hence, the result implies that the factor analysis is considered as an appropriate technique for further analysis of data and that the reading comprehension scale can be regarded as a reliable tool. the minimum factor loading cut off point of this study was 0.4. as a rule of thumb to access significance of factor loadings, factor loadings of 0.3 to 0.4 are minimally accepted but still accepted (hair et al., 2010). also, in the research conducted by yusoff et al. (2011), all the items included in the study have factor loadings of more than 0.3 which indicated that they were well clustered together. table 2.5 shows the items under the rotated component matrix. item numbers 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 15, 17, 18, 21, table 2.5 rotated component matrix with principal component analysis factor loading item coding statement factor 1 factor 2 item 1 20. i read silently to better understand what i read. 0.622 item 2 12. i read in a quiet place to better understand what i read. 0.522 item 3 26. i look for the importance of the story. 0.518 item 4 13. i think of the lesson i learned from the story. 0.488 item 5 3. i read the title to see what the story is about. 0.479 item 6 7. i imagine the scenes in the story. 0.451 item 7 28. i reread the best part of the story. 0.438 item 8 19. i reread some parts to see if things are making sense. 0.433 item 9 5. i scan first the entire story before i read it. 0.514 item 10 24. i think of a better ending for the story. 0.441 item 11 9. i use context clues to help me define unfamiliar words. 0.436 item 12 14. i look at the pictures to better understand the story. 0.416 item 13 16. i look at the pictures to see what the story is about. 0.400 22, 23, 25, 27, 29, 30, and 31 were deleted. item numbers 20 (i read silently to better understand what i read), 12 (i read in a quiet place to better understand what i read), 26 (i look for the importance of the story), 13 (i think of the lesson i learned from the story), 3 (i read the title to see what the story is about), 7 (i imagine the scenes in the story), 28 (i reread the best part of the story), and 19 (i reread the best part of the story) were retained and loaded on component 1 and fall under advanced dimension of reading comprehension. item numbers 5 (i scan first the entire story before i read it), 24 (i think of a better ending for the story), 9 (i use context clues to help me define unfamiliar words), 14 (i look at the pictures to better understand the story), and 16 (i look at the pictures to see what the story is about) loaded on component 2 and fall under basic dimension of reading comprehension. the results indicate how each question is associated with each of the other questions. table 2.6 reveals the final instrument for this study. a developed and validated 13-item reading comprehension table 2.6 reading comprehension scale statement every time 4 almost every time 3 almost never 2 never 1 advanced dimension 1. i read silently to better understand what i read. 2. i read in a quiet place to better understand what i read. 3. i look for the importance of the story. 4. i think of the lesson i learned from the story. 5. i read the title to see what the story is about. 6. i imagine the scenes in the story. 7. i reread the best part of the story. 8. i reread some parts to see if things are making sense. basic dimension 9. i scan first the entire story before i read it. 10. i think of a better ending for the story. 11. i use context clues to help me define unfamiliar words. 12. i look at the pictures to better understand the story. 13. i look at the pictures to see what the story is about. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 16 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(1) 10-17, 2022 scale suited for filipino learners that can determine if in what type of reading comprehension, a reader belongs to. statements included in the first factor fall under advanced dimension of reading comprehension, where most of the statements focused on making inferences, identifying facts and opinions, and recognizing arguments. on the other hand, statements included in the second factor fall under basic dimension of reading comprehension where statements are focused on understanding vocabulary and relationship between ideas in a context. items included in the instrument were based on four themes namely: applied, interpretive, affective and lexical type of reading comprehension. the results imply that from the crafted tool, it has been observed, like what the statements included in the scale say, readers need to apply specific reading strategies in order to comprehend text just like how ghafournia & afghari (2013) discovered in their study, that students with different levels of reading proficiency use different strategies in comprehending reading text and answering reading questions conclusions based on the findings of the study, the following conclusions were drawn: 1) after following the steps/ procedures in developing an assessment tool, a reading comprehension scale intended to be used by filipino learners, a 13-item scale based on themes: applied, interpretive, affective and lexical reading comprehension types was designed and crafted. 2) the validation process made use of content validity ratio, cronbach alpha, kaiser-meyer-olkin and bartlett’s test, and exploratory factor analysis. based on statistical values, the scale developed is valid and reliable. recommendations considering the aforementioned findings and conclusions, the following recommendations are hereby suggested: 1) reading comprehension scale developers should always follow a certain standard and procedure to guarantee the quality of the tool; 2) reading comprehension scale developers should also follow a validation process to measure the level of reliability of the tool; 3) english teachers may also use the crafted tool to assess if in what type of reading comprehension student belongs to; 4) the department of education, division of pampanga, may use the tool to assess reading comprehension type among students and then use it as a basis to create interventions or skill enhancement; 5) other researchers may consider this study as a reference for the same topic and/or may include other theme/s which are not limited to those that were drawn from the responses of the participants in this study. references abdelaal, n. m., & sase, a. s. 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(2010). identifying children in middle childhood who are at risk for reading problems. school psychology review, 39, 258-276. sweet, a. p. (2005). assessment of reading comprehension: the rand reading study vision. in paris, s. g. & stahl, s. a. (eds.), children’s reading comprehension and assessment (pp. 3-12). new york: routledge. van den broek, p. (2012). individual and developmental differences in reading comprehension: assessing cognitive processes and outcomes. in j. p. sabatini, e. r. albro, & t. o’reilly (eds.), measuring up: advances in how to assess reading ability (pp. 39–58). new york, ny: rowman & littlefield education. vaughn, s., wanzek, j., murray, c. s., scammacca, n., linan-thompson, s., & woodruff, a. l. (2009). response to early reading intervention: examining higher and lower responders. exceptional children, 75, 165-183. yusoff, m. s. b., rahim, a. f. a., mat pa, m. n., mey, s. c., ja’afar, r., & esa, a. r. (2011). the validity and reliability of the usm emotional quotient inventory (usmeq-i): its use to measure emotional quotient (eq) of future medical students. international medical journal, 18, 293-299. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 77 american journal of education and technology (ajet) historical evolution of technical and vocational education and training (tvet) in bangladesh: a comprehensive study md. feroj alom molla1* volume 4 issue 4, year 2025 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v4i4.5648 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: july 27, 2025 accepted: august 29, 2025 published: november 11, 2025 the study provided a historical analysis of technical and vocational education and training (tvet) in bangladesh, investigating development from pre-colonial to post-independence period as well as the existing policies. the aim was to review the evolution of the health institutions, policy processes, and externally funded interventions that influence the sector. this study used a qualitative historical research method based on government reports, policy papers, academic publications and international agency archives. using thematic analysis key phases in tvet development were recognized, including the emergence of early trade schools and their post-independence expansion as well as the more recent move to competency-based training. the study also demonstrates important impacts of programs like the tvet reform project, skills 21, seip, step and sudokkho in increasing accessibility, industry engagement and curriculum quality. yet key challenges in pakistan continue such as weak teaching force, gender gaps and governance fragmentation. this is the unique contribution provided by the study, which synthesizes a combination of historical and institutional contexts shaping how policy reform had been adopted or not and donor engagement in the process but also local implementation. using secondary data from a large nationally representative household and tvet provider survey, the study aims to provide directions to policymakers in bangladesh for future sustainable, gender-inclusive, and market-responsive tvet strategies. keywords education policy, labor market, nsdp, ntvqf, skills development, technical education, tvet history, vocational training 1 centre for higher study and research (chsr), bangladesh university of professionals, dhaka, bangladesh * corresponding author’s e-mail: ferojmollah@gmail.com introduction technical and vocational education and training (tvet) is considered to be an important mechanism for providing individuals with applied education which is related to the job (yunos, 2023). in bangladesh, tvet is considered to be one of the major components that can contribute to enhancing employability and economic growth in a developing country with its problem of youth unemployment and underemployment (rahman et al., 2021). the historical progression of tvet in bangladesh has been influenced by colonial patterns of state involvement in the economy and society, postcolonial nation-building action, and recent global pressure to develop workforce skills (sarder, 2023). the provision of technical and vocational education and training, or tvet, is a must if we are going to equip people with the real skills and competencies they require in the workplace and so in life too, where such skills also have their application. tvet is now a significant component of national development policy in developing countries like bangladesh, with problems of youth’ unemployment, rapid population growth, and skill mismatch being longstanding issues (alam et al., 2024). the aspiration of becoming the middle-income country by the government and its increasing presence in the international labor market, particularly the labor migration, have also made tvet increasingly important in recent years (razzaque et al., 2025). history of technical and vocational education in bangladesh technical education needs in the country began to be felt due to the industrialization and commercialization of its economy during the colonial period and it is the period when bangladesh was a part of british india where little attention was paid to the development of technical education and the training system was very artless and meant to connect the need of the colonial businesses (fahmida khatun, 2018). the revitalization of the economy and the reduction of widespread poverty were the most pressing concerns after independence in 1971. it was recognized that tvet was an important tool for developing the economy and the workforce. be that as it may, the government of bangladesh initiated several programs to develop and diversify the tvet system gradually in collaboration with different foreign development partners (sultana, 2022). these measures were the establishment of vocational training centers, the adoption of national legislation, as well as indicators, skill evaluation and certification framework development at national level. the establishment of the directorate of technical education (dte), the national skills development policy (nsdp) in 2011 and the national technical and vocational qualifications framework (ntvqf) are crucial landmarks in the history of tvet in bangladesh (debapriya bhattacharya, 2021). moreover major grant funded ilo, eu, gac has contributed to tvet reform project, bsep, skils 21 and progress project and donorfunded initiative like skills and training enhancement project (step) and skills for employment investment pa ge 78 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 77-84, 2025 program (seip) has been focusing in curriculum relevance, ppp and infrastructure development in the skills sector (islam, 2021). despite these achievements, bangladesh’s tvet sector has certain challenges to overcome. these challenges are: shortage of skilled teachers, social bias towards the academic rather than vocational education, limited availability of high quality training programs – particularly in rural areas as well as lack of linkage with industry’ (shimu & haolader, 2025). to overcome these challenges, a deeper understanding of the context within which the tvet system has evolved is required, combined with a critical analysis of the interventions and reforms that have shaped its present form. this study seeks to trace the history of tvet in bangladesh, analyze major policy changes/reforms, identify the problems confronting tvet and consider the reasons beneath the failing of tvet sub-sector. this article analyses the development of tvet in bangladesh, focusing on reforms, structures, and current challenges. in doing so, it seeks to provide insights into which vet policies and strategies are best suited to shaping future directions of vocational education and training in bangladesh and more effectively aligning this system with international labor market trends as well as national development aspirations. literature review some of these include policy reforms, implementation programme of education, changing labor market needs, and so many (haolader et al., 2017), it is all this that has led to a remarkable transformation in the tvet scene in bangladesh. focusing on the role that the tvet system is playing in providing the workforce with the right skills desired by domestic and external labor markets, an increasing body of literature has investigated these changes (chowdhury & sarkar, 2018). the year 2011 marked a landmark in the modernization of the tvet sector with the enactment of the national skills development policy (nsdp). the nsdp aimed to create a demandled, more coordinated skills development system which was responsive to employers and targeted at/improving employability, equity, and quality of provision (ntholeng, 2024). it proposed an integrated institutional structure, which consists of ntvqf and the national skills development authority (nsda) at the national level (haolader & shimu, 2024). the ntvqf since then became an important tool for national qualification and skill level benchmarking. enforcement has been rather loose given the strong policy commitment (veeraraghavan & pokharel, 2024). managing solid industry relationships, reviewing results and ensuring quality assurance are still problematic. based on these findings, it is revealed that, although there is an increase in the number of students that enroll in tvet, however, most schools still face the challenges of poor facilities, limited availability of modern equipment, and lack of teachers (makibinyane & khumalo, 2021). (raihan et al., 2022) analyzed the skills and training enhancement project (step) and the skills for employment investment program (seip). by supporting 93 public and private polytechnics, step transformed the quality and relevance of tvet (t. chowdhury et al., 2022). it fostered the new generation of competency-based training methods and introduced performance-led management programmes. similarly, the seip targeted industry-specific training efforts to enhance employability via demand-driven skilling and publicprivate partnerships, particularly in ict, construction and clothing (mahmood, 2022). efforts have been made to increase participation of women through stipends and gender-friendly facilities but still due to socio-cultural norms and awareness problems they could not engage fully as pointed out by (rizwan, 2014). moreover, in terms of funding and industry links, tvet programs in the bush do not have much to compete with those in urban centers. the need for 21st-century skills to be incorporated in technical instruction, such as digital literacy, problem solving, and communication, has occurred occasionally in the finding of (mutohhari et al., 2021). the covid-19 pandemic accelerated the conversation around blended and online learning in tvet; and in this respect, resulted in serious shortcomings in the digital infrastructure and preparedness (hondonga & chinengundu, 2021). the crucial role for digitalization to be integrated within the tvet ecosystem, digital assessment tools, e-learning platforms, and virtual simulations were underscore by grech and camilleri (2020). in a regional and global context, for the tvet system in bangladesh relating to those in other south asian countries, (darlinghammond et al., 2017) stressed the needs for improving regional cooperation, aligning qualifications with international standards and increasing investment in teacher professional development and quality of teaching. the government’s dedication to connecting tvet with export-oriented enterprises, industrial zones, and foreign employment is also highlighted in (postiglione & and tang, 2019). according to (ding fei, 2024), between 2020 and 2022, almost 3.5 lac student received training and certification from bteb and 200,000 students received training through nsda-coordinated programs, with a growing focus on skill certification for immigration purposes. this study demonstrates that despite its impressive strides in developing a responsive and inclusive tvet system, bangladesh still faces major challenges in terms of industry engagement, quality, access and future receptiveness. in summary, to address the changing requirements of both the domestic and international workforces, academics recommend that the evaluation of tvet be shifted from an output-oriented model to an outcome-oriented model and that more attention be given to reskilling and lifelong learning. objectives of the study the purposes of this study are to: 1. discuss the evolution of tvet in bangladesh from the pre-independence era to the present. pa ge 79 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 77-84, 2025 2. identify key policies and reform that influenced provision in tvet. 3. consider strengths and weaknesses of institutionalization processes and donor interventions. 4. examine the current problems and potential of the tvet system in bangladesh. materials and methods a qualitative historical research design was used in this study to explore the history of tvet in bangladesh. we used multiple secondary data sources including government reports, policy documents, academic literature, donor agency archives and international databases for the estimation of cancer burden in india. reports from the program as well as official records were reviewed, along with records kept by the directorate of technical education (dte), bureau of manpower, employment and training (bmet), and ministry of education. sources were selected based on their implications for tvet policy changes, institutional transformations and donor interventions spanning from the colonial period to present. findings were categorized as per thematic analysis into main phases of tvet development: colonial foundations, post-independence expansion, competency-based training reforms and recent donor-supported programs. data triangulation across various sources strengthened interpretation credibility and historical sequencing provided a precise account of the evolvement of policy and institutional changes over time. results and discussion this section summarizes the thematic review of the past and present of technical and vocational education and training (tvet) in bangladesh. four main themes (historical development, institutional and policy change, donor-led programmes and enduring issues and gaps) were collated from the analysis of secondary source material to address the purpose of the study. these phases directly related to the study aim of tracking institutional development, policy framework and donor sway. tvet’s historical development in bangladesh four significant periods can be identified in the history of tvet in bangladesh: colonial, post-independence reconstruction, reform and expansion (1990–2010) and modernization and policy driven (2011–till date). figure 1: evolution of tvet in bangladesh figure 1 shows that, colonial businesses during british colonial rule were served by limited technical institutes and informal apprenticeships for vocational training (kumar, 2018). to oversee technical colleges and polytechnics, the bangladeshi government established the directorate of technical education (dte) in 1971, acknowledging the important role of vocational education in the reconstruction of the nation. the government established second level of vocational courses and opened numerous public technical institutes in 1980s and 90s, yet they were insufficient by 21st century standards. during that time, there was no relationship between tvet colleges and industry requirements which meant that graduates could not be placed and that the content taught was often outdated. vocational education under the colonial dispensation was largely in response to requirements for administrative and industrial labor. there was a rapid expansion of technical institutes following indian independence but the fragmented curricula and poor industry linkages in such institutions is documented to have similar challenges in pakistan and nepal (adb, 2015). reforms in institutions and policies a major milestone was achieved in 2011, when the national skills development policy (nsdp) that aimed at bringing about “convergence and coherence across different sectors, improving access and equality, responsive training and speedier decisions” was formulated. the emphasis of the strategy was to focus on the importance of decentralization, involving private sector, gender balance and reaching out to marginalized groups (friis-hansen & kyed, 2009). pa ge 80 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 77-84, 2025 figure 2 represents the nsdp established the ntvqf to enable labor market mobility by standardizing classifications of skill certification across the nsdp sectors and to facilitate recognition of prior learning (rpl). one such institutional reform aimed to improve coordinating and policy enforcement mechanisms was the creation of bangladesh technical education board (bteb) and national skills development authority (nsda) (ganguly et al., 2019). bteb and nsda’s accreditation, training provider registration and quality assurance function contributed towards a structured tvet system. establishment of industry skills councils (iscs) under the nsda has provided scope for greater communication between employers and training providers in order to ensure that the training offered is matched to labor market demands. the early 2000s seen the introduction of competency-based training, being promoted by ilo and world bank at the time; quickly becoming an acceptable way to ensure ‘employability’ and skill relevance via policy waves in different countries. approaches in bangladesh seemed no different from those taken elsewhere to ensure donordriven revitalization of the curriculum through programs like the tvet reform project, skills 21 as well as seip (rahman et al., 2021). comparative analysis reveals that even though donor-led reforms in bangladesh boosted standardization of training systems; sustainability was less robust than malaysia’s industry-driven tvet ecosystem, indicating some degree of reliance on external sources. tvet programs the basic trade course (360 hours, 95 trades) and cbt&a course (51 occupations) are under the bteb’s formal training program. figure 2: reforms in institutions and policies figure 3: tvet programs and providers in bangladesh figure 3 shows the other courses are the ssc (vocational), dakhil (vocational) of madrasa board, hsc (business management), hsc (bm), diploma in commerce, diploma in engineering (32 technologies), textile engineering (4 technologies), agriculture, fisheries, forestry, and all other hsc courses as well. government and private technical schools and colleges, polytechnic institutes and private training institutions provide official tvet provision, courses, and programs, facilities for technical training and specialized institutions through the country in bangladesh. the same as the provinces, the non-formal and informal skill training is provided pa ge 81 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 77-84, 2025 by ministries, government organizations, ingos and ngos. the gap between the enrolment of women and men was still very noticeable when considering technical and vocational training (tvet), where, despite growing numbers overall, female students accounted for less than 30%. this is in line with trends in many south asian countries, but differs from the rwandan example which subsequently enjoins female participation above 45% (mutohhari et al., 2021). learning from the evidence presented above, strategies in such settings to overcome socio-cultural constraints of female participation can be good lessons for bangladesh. institution, teacher and enrolment the technical and vocational education and training (tvet) sector in bangladesh is governed by the bureau of manpower, employment and training (bmet) and the directorate of technical education (dte) of bangladesh, under the ministry of education for primary formal tvet provision. more than 1,300 public, private and non-governmental organizations work in the country. there are many private training centers that offer diploma, trade and short-term skills courses, as well as significant public institutions including 64 technical school and colleges (tscs) and 49 polytechnic colleges (figure 4). despite this expansion, the sector is facing serious challenges in quality of instruction and teacher supply. current and relevant training is stifled by a school system with a lack of handson experience and ongoing professional development. the technical teachers training college (tttc) in dhaka, even with its limited capacity because of the growing demand, is key to training of tvet instructors. though tvet enrolment has been increasing gradually, reaching more than 750,000 students in recent years, there are still disparities, particularly along gender lines (just over 30% of all students are women) and between rural and urban access. retention and delivery rates vary, but ict, clothing, construction and hospitality are popular fields for enrolment. a more comprehensive approach is required to tackle the large gaps as regards teacher development, institutional capacity and inclusive student engagement though the government and development partners have implemented several interventions to expand access and improve quality. at all three bands teacher shortages and weak pedagogical capabilities remained stubborn obstacles, which mirrors unescounevoc (alam et al., 2024) inferences that the quality of tvet is directly related to the capacity of its teaching workforce especially in lowand middle-income nations. even after tot initiatives of programs, bangladesh continues to have a 25–30% gap in content-qualified teachers, limiting the scalability of reforms. programs run by donors and their effects the reform of the tvet sector was largely influenced by the participation of external development partners. figure 4: navigating bangladesh’s tvet landscape figure 5: international influence on tvet reforms pa ge 82 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 77-84, 2025 figure 5 represents the tvet reform project supported by ilo and european union; the skill and training improvement project (step) supported by the world bank and cida attempted to enhance the development of curriculum, teacher preparation and governance in polytechnics (soodeen, 2018). it invested in capacity building projects, like development of educational materials and training for tvet teachers, and it introduced performance based payment systems. similarly, the adb and the government of bangladesh backed the skills for employment investment program (seip) targeting unemployed youth and those working in the informal sector. in such sectors as construction, leather, ict, and ready-made-garments (rmg), it encouraged industry-led training initiatives and publicprivate partnerships. third, findings show that employer satisfaction for trainees’ skills as well as employment performance have improved as a result of seip, as research and evidence suggest. continuous difficulties and deficits however, the performance of the tvet system is somewhat impaired by a few remaining problems despite the progress made. one of the most persisting issues is society’s perception of tvet being the inferior to the normal type of school education. figure 6: continuous difficulties and deficits the widespread perception of vocational training as the poor cousin to academic studies makes it an unattractive option to high achieving students, their parents and employers (szymanski, 2021). but access remains uneven, especially in rural and remote areas that lack infrastructure and have underfunded organizations (figure 6). even after targeted stipends and affirmative action, women remain a minority of applicants, revealing a stubborn gender disparity. another such issue is the quality of education many tvet teachers do not have the necessary pedagogical training or industrial experience, and institutions are often not equipped with current resources and equipment. the insufficient embedding of soft skills and digital competence in training processes is another key issue. the lack of ict training, entrepreneurship modules and life-skills in the traditional tvet curriculum of bangladesh leads to dissonance between the outputs of the training and the demands of the job markets as the country steps onto the digital economy and expands its it-enabled service sectors. in addition, there is poor coordination across authorities (moe; mol; private partners) and between various actors resulting in lack of coherence in program delivery and overlap in efforts. learning outcomes, the scale of job placement or longerterm impact on livelihoods are difficult to trace at a time when monitoring and evaluation systems are at an early stage of development. thematic analysis the thematic analysis revealed that, while bangladesh has attempted to re-organize and modernize its tvet system, some challenges in its implementation were faced due to snags of implementation and lack of structural soundness. in the below figure-7 shows that, policies, models and commitment to institutional investment are all evidence of the country’s commitment to skills development. but in order to derive maximum dividends out of tvet, input centric planning (including enrollment and infrastructure) should be replaced by outcome oriented approach wherein quality, employability and lifelong learning are placed top. the potential preparation of the workforce pa ge 83 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 77-84, 2025 for the future lies in the greater integration of technology, entrepreneurship, and green skills in tvet curricula. it will take lobbying and success stories to change societal perceptions about tvet and turn it into a recognized mainstream career direction, and ensuring industry’s real engagement in curriculum design. conclusion the paper examines the history of expansion and evolution of a sector-wide approach to tvet development in bangladesh drawing on processes of institutional building, donor intervention and reform outcomes. the results also showed that, despite the expansion of tvet, quality, industry focus, and inclusivity continue to pose daunting problems. curricula have been upgraded and competency-based training introduced through donorfunded program such as the tvet reform project, skills 21 and seip yet gaps around sustainability and teacher readiness starve long-term impact. future tvet policymaking should focus on: (1) creating sustainable, locally sourced funding models, to move away from donor dependency; (2) partnering with industry for curriculummarket alignment; (3) institutionalizing teacher training in response to skill gaps, and (4) employing specific strategies for increasing female and marginalized group participation—also in line with national development goals. policy alignment, stakeholder collaboration, and systematic monitoring would thus enable bangladesh to develop a resilient, inclusive and economically relevant competency-based approach in the tvet system. references alam, m. j., reza, s. m., ali, o. k., & ahsan, a. h. m. 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(2018). the ignored generation: exploring the dynamics of youth employment in bangladesh. haolader, f. a., foysol, k. md., & clement, c. k. (2017). technical and vocational education and training (tvet) in bangladesh – systems, curricula, and transition pathways. in m. pilz (ed.), vocational education and training in times of economic crisis: lessons from around the world (pp. 201–227). springer international publishing. https://doi. org/10.1007/978-3-319-47856-2_11 haolader, f. a., & shimu, s. s. (2024). a comparison of national qualifications frameworks and recognition, validation, and accreditation mechanism of informal learning in vocational education and training among selected countries. in m. pilz (ed.), informal learning in vocational education and training: illuminating an elusive concept (pp. 363–382). springer fachmedien. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-44341-2_17 islam, md. w. 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(2023). strategic planning to transform malaysian tvet students into future ready professionals. pa ge 1 pa ge 21 american journal of education and technology (ajet) the interest of undergraduate students in co-curricular activities in relation to their leadership skills trupti subhrajyoti1, rajesh kumar2*, pratima pradhan1, amulya kumar acharya1 volume 2 issue 1, year 2023 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i1.1140 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: december 31, 2022 accepted: january 16, 2022 published: january 26, 2023 the study explores the levels of interest of undergraduatestudents in co-curricular activities and their level of leadership skills about their gender, stream of education and locality. the investigator collected data from 160 undergraduate students from different degree colleges of balasore municipality having arts and science as their streams of studies through stratified random sampling technique. the researcher used the self-made interest inventory on co-curricular activities and leadership skill questionnaire to collect data. the students’ responses were analyzed using frequency and percentage analysis, mean, standard deviation, t-test, and karl pearson’s correlation method. the study reveals that irrespective of the factors like gender, locality and streams of education, majorityof the undergraduate students have medium levels of interest in co-curricularactivities and leadership skills. gender seems to be associated with the students’ level of interest in co-curricular activities and leadership skills. female students are better in their interest in co-curricular activities and leadership skills than the male students. further, it is observed that level of leadership skills of the students depends highly on the interest in co-curricular activities, higher level of interest in co-curricular activities of the undergraduatestudents leads to higher leadership skills. keywords co-curricular activity, leadership skills, undergraduate student 1 fakir mohan university, vyasa vihar, balasore, india 2 radhanath institute of advance studies in education, cuttack, india * corresponding author’s e-mail: coolrajesh.kumar5@gmail.com introduction education is the keyword for a successful world. it implants healthy mind within a sound body, by drawing all round development within the body, mind and spirit. it has spread the sweet fragrance of knowledge and wisdom through different methods and approaches from vedic to morden age.with changing times, gradual changes have been marked in the knowledge acquisition field. continuous reconstruction and revitalization of the older concepts, thoughts and ideas are occurring to give a true shape to the changing society and nation. under the safe shade of indian democracy, india has achieved heights of success in education, economy and socialization and wore the outfit of modernization. previously where the, education was confined in the periphery of curriculum and syllabus, in present context it understands the language of experiential learning which would be helpful in daily life and maintenance of livelihoods. priority is given to building an individual’s strong, passionate, persistent and skilled personality. co-curricular activities (cca) are series of activities beyond the subjects for examination and the purpose is to help the individuals for achieving holistic development, which is impossible through textbook reading only (mehmood et al., 2012). thegrowth, positive learning and youth development in adolescents are possible through participating in various categories of co-curricular activities (cca) ranging from students’ unionism to academic functions (burr, 2012). therefore, to install the ‘all-rounder’ concept among students, cca is being integrated and appreciated into the college academic curriculum across several countries in the world (dodke et al., 2022).students’ interest in cca fosters strong social ties and capital (bekomson et al., 2020). regularinvolvement in structured activities indirectly generates the communication skills, cooperation, coordination etc. that are included in leadership skills (ghani et al., 2020). to face the challengesof social and career problemseffectively and confidently, the university education set goal to build students’ leadership skills (zada,2021). strongcommitmentto community found in those students who were more interested in participating in cca(marsh and kleitman,2002). it indirectly forms a bridge between participatory interest and leadership skills of students those who are at the age of taking responsibility.recently, university grant commission (ugc) has designed a curriculum on life skills (jeevan kaushal) for undergraduates to unlock and discover the true potential and making them socially responsive citizens. this curriculum introduced leadership skills as course-3 with 6 hours of teachings. figure 1: common aspects of co-curricular activities and leadership https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i1.1140 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= mailto:coolrajesh.kumar5%40gmail.com?subject= pa ge 22 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 21-28, 2023 literature review christison (2013)studied on“the benefits of participating in extracurricular activities”.the research resulted that students who participate in extracurricular activities have greater academic success, greater character development, especially in the areas of timemanagement and leadership skills, more positive social development, and greater interest in community involvement. the educational system can use such information to encourage students to participate in activities that will enhance their personal and academic achievements. esa, mutallib & azman (2015)published their work on“do extra-curricular activities effect student leadership in institutions: sport?”the basis of the research was to find out whether sport as an extra-curricular activity is helpful only for students’ physical achievement or leadership skills? at the end, it is shown that the extra-curricular activities could affect leadership skills among students in institutions. family members should encourage the child to join sport schools. ghania, awangb, ajit& rania (2020)worked on“participation in co-curriculum activities and students’ leadership skills”.the work explained how active participation in co-curriculum activities enhances students’ leadership skills. the study employed a survey research design involving 237 students aged 16 years from a rural area of malaysia.the results from this study illustrated a significant relationship between active participation and leadership skills. zada (2021)studied on“the role of co-curricular activities in leadership skills’ development among university students”.the research aimed to figure out co-curricular activities among university students, examine the connection between co-curricular activities and students’ leadership skills’ growth, and establish techniques for co-curricular activities at the university levels. according to the findings, participating in co-curricular activities improves students’ leadership skills and plays an important role in the growth of leadership skills among graduates. statement of the problem researcher reviewed many indian and abroad articles and found very less number of studies conducted on cocurricular activities having relationship with ledership skills. as far as researcher’s knowledge is concerned, no studies have been conducted yet, particularly on interest in co-curricular activities in relation to the leadership skills in odisha. the current study is an attempt to observe the interest towards co-curricular activities of undergraduate students in relation to their leadership skills in balasore district of odishawith respect to gender, stream and locality. therefore, keeping this in view, the following statement was framed: “interest of undergraduate students in co-curricular activities in relation to their leadership skills.” objectives of the study 1. to study the levels of interest of undergraduate students in co-curricular activities 2. to compare the levels of interest of undergraduate students in co-curricular activitieswith reference to their gender, stream and locality. 3. to study the level of leadership skills of undergraduate students. 4. to compare the level of leadership skills of undergraduate studentsin reference to their gender, streamand locality. 5. to study the relationship between interest of undergraduate students in co-curricular activities and level of their leadership skills hypothesis 1. there is no significant difference in their levels of interest in co-curricular activities of undergraduate students in reference to their gender, stream and locality. 2. there is no significant difference in leadership skills of undergraduate students in reference to their gender, stream and locality. 3. there is no significant relationship between the level of interest in co-curricular activities and the level of leadership skills of undergraduate students. methodology in the present study,the researcher adopted the descriptive survey method to find the present status of the phenomena under consideration. 160 undergraduate students from different colleges of balasore municipality having arts and science as their streams of studies were taken as sample for the study which included both male and female students. stratified random sampling technique was used to select the required samples from the population. table 1: sample distribution location stream gender total female male rural arts 20 20 40 science 20 20 40 urban arts 20 20 40 science 20 20 40 total 80 80 160 interest inventory on co-curricular activities and leadership skill questionnaire, two highly reliable researcher made tools having reliability coefficient 0.763 and 0.876 respectively were used for data collection.the dimensions of leadership skill questionnaire such as communication skill, decision making, creative thinking, group management skill, problem solving skills, trust, transparency, confidence, humility, creativity, honesty, integrity wereconsidered by the investigators.responses of the students were finally analysed by using frequency and percentage analysis, mean, standard deviation, t-test, coefficient of correlation as per the objectives and hypothesis. results and discussion analysis of interest in co-curricular activities https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 23 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 21-28, 2023 figure 2: levels of interest in co-curricular activities of undergraduate students figure 3: level of interest in co-curricular activities in relation to gender, stream & locality (graph-1, graph-2, graph3) figure. 2 indicates that 16% of undergraduate students have high level of interest in co-curricular activities and 18% of undergraduate student’s low level of interest in co-curricular activities but about 66% of undergraduate students have medium level of interest in co-curricular activities which is highest in number. it may be concluded that the maximum number of students have average interest in co-curricular activities. it may be because of degree colleges do not provide huge opportunity to nurture co-curricular activities among students but activities like nss, ncc, youth red-cross, ranger & rovers, annual sports and cultural meet provides scope to sustain interest in co-curricular activities. figure:3indicates females contribute more to show higher interest in co-curricular activities than that of males. science undergraduate students contribute more towards average level of interest in co-curricular activities than that of arts students. similarly, rural undergraduate students contribute more towards average level of interest in co-curricular activities than that of urban students. table 2: gender wise n, mean, sd and t –value of levelofinterest in co-curricular activities variables n mean sd ‘t’ df level of significance female 80 135.61 13.563 4.305 158 significant at 0.01 level male 80 125.40 16.315 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 24 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 21-28, 2023 the above table shows that the t-value is 4.305 which is significant at 0.01 level. it shows that mean score of interest in co-curricular activities of male and female undergraduate studentsdiffer significantly. thus, the null hypothesis as stated that there is no significant difference between interest in co-curricular activities of male and figure 5: level of interest in co-curricular activities of arts and science undergraduate students figure 4: level of interest in co-curricular activitiesof male and female undergraduate students curricular activities of arts and science undergraduate students is not rejected. it is clear that arts and science undergraduate students are interested in co-curricular activities to the same extent. it may be due to that arts and science undergraduate studentsare getting similar exposure towards co-curricular activities. female undergraduate students is rejected. it is clear that female undergraduate students are more interested in cocurricular activities than male students. it may be due to female undergraduate students’ inclination towards art and literary activities acquired from their family and previous school environment. table 3: stream wise n, mean, sd and t –value of level interest in co-curricular activities variables n mean sd ‘t’ df level of significance arts 80 131.86 16.418 1.086 158 significant at 0.05 level science 80 129.15 15.155 the above table shows that the t-value is 1.086 which is not significant at 0.05levels. it shows that mean score of interest in co-curricular activities of arts and scienceundergraduate studentsdoes notdiffer significantly. thus, the null hypothesis as stated that there is no significant difference between interest in cotable 4: localitywise n, mean, sd and t –value of level of interest in co-curricular activities variables n mean sd ‘t’ df level of significance rural 80 131.13 15.065 0.494 158 not significant at 0.05 levelurban 80 129.89 16.590 figure 6: level of interest in co-curricular activities of rural and urban undergraduate students https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 25 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 21-28, 2023 the above table shows that the t-value is 0.494 which is not significant at 0.05 levels. it shows that mean score of interest in co-curricular activities of rural and urban undergraduate students does not differ significantly. thus, the null hypothesis as stated that there is no significant difference between interest in cocurricular activities of rural and urban undergraduate students is not rejected. it is clear that rural and urban undergraduate students are interested in co-curricular activities to the same extent. it may be because of rural and urban undergraduate students are getting similar exposure towards co-curricular activities. analysis of leadership skills cross, ranger & rovers, election and mock parliament provides scope to improve leadership skills. figure:8. indicates females contribute more to medium level of leadership skill than that of males. arts undergraduate students contribute more towards average level of leadership skill than that of science students. urban undergraduate students contribute more towards average levelof leadership skills than that of rural students. figure 7: percentage analysis of level of leadership skill scores of students figure 8: level of leadership skills in relation to gender, stream &locality(graph-4, graph-5, graph6) figure.7 indicates that 18% of undergraduate students have high level of leadership skill and 22% of undergraduate students’ low level of leadership skill, but about 61% of undergraduate students have medium level of leadership skill. it may be concluded that maximum numbers of students have average level of leadership skill. it may be due to that degree colleges do not offer several activities to nurture leadership skill among students but activities like nss, ncc, youth redtable 5: gender wise n, mean, sd and t –value of level of their leadership skills variables n mean sd ‘t’ df level of significance female 80 111.80 13.934 2.387 158 not significant at 0.05 levelmale 80 106.09 16.252 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 26 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 21-28, 2023 the above table shows that the t-value is 2.387 which is significant at 0.05 level. it shows that mean level of leadership skill of male and female undergraduate students differ significantly. thus, the null hypothesis that there is no significant difference between the level of leadership skill of male and female undergraduate students is rejected. female undergraduate students have better leadership skills than that of male students. it may be due to that female undergraduate studentstake part in different cultural functions, involved in decision making related to family management and other affairs in society and community. figure 9: level of leadership skills of male and female undergraduate students table 6: gender wise n, mean, sd and t –value of level of their leadership skills variables n mean sd ‘t’ df level of significance arts 80 110.55 15.337 1.326 158 not significant at 0.01 levelscience 80 107.34 15.309 figure 10: level of leadership skills of arts and science undergraduate students the above table shows that the t-value is 1.326 which is not significant at 0.01 levels. it shows that mean level of leadership skill of arts and science undergraduate students does not differ significantly. thus, the null hypothesis that there is no significant difference between thelevel of leadership skills of arts and science undergraduate students is not rejected. it is clear that arts and science undergraduate students have similar level of leadership skills. it may be due to that arts and science undergraduate students are getting similar exposure towards the development of leadership skills. table 7: locality wise n, mean, sd and t –value of level of their leadership skills variables n mean sd ‘t’ df level of significance rural 80 110.21 14.583 1.045 158 not significant at 0.05 levelurban 80 107.68 16.090 figure 11: level of leadership skills of rural and urban undergraduate students https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 27 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 21-28, 2023 the above table shows that the t-value is 1.045 which is not significant at 0.05 level. it shows that mean level of leadership skill of rural and urban undergraduate studentsdoes not differ significantly. thus, the null hypothesis that there is no significant difference between thelevel of leadership skill of rural and urbanundergraduate students is not rejected. it is clear that rural and urban undergraduate students have same level of leadership skill. it may be due to that rural and urban undergraduate students are getting similar exposure towards development of leadership skill. relationship between interest in co-curricular activities and leadership skills table 8 shows that the coefficient of correlation between interest in co-curricular activities and leadership skills is 0.603 which is positive and significant at 0.01 level with df = 318. it shows that interest in co-curricular activities and leadership skillswere positively and significantly correlated. thus, the null hypothesis is rejected. table 8: coefficient of correlation between interest in co-curricular activities and leadership skills of undergraduate students variable n mean coefficient of correlation remark interest in co-curricular activities 160 130.51 0.603 not significant at 0.01 levelleadership skill 160 108.94 discussion of results from the above analysis, it is observed that most of the undergraduate student sample lies in the moderate level (66.25%) within the range of 116-146 as far as levels of interest in co-curricular activities are concerned. a small but significant percentage (17.50%) within the range of 92-115 of students lie in the low level whereas 16.25% of them fall in the high level of interest in co-curricular activities having the range 147-160. it means that more than half of the students showed medium level of interest in co-curricular activities. about one-quarter of the sample showed high levels of interest in co-curricular activities; the rest were in low level.where as singh(2017), rani (2016), yilmaz (2019), mulronyee(2017) agreed that majority of the students show their interest towards co-curricular activities as they believed co-curricular activities affected their study positively with more energetic and efficient concentration power. it is clearly revealed from the figure. 3 (graph-1,graph-2, graph-3) that the highest percentages of male and female students i.e., 30.63% and 35.63% respectively had medium level of interest in co-curricular activities. comparatively, higher percentage of female students showed medium interest in co-curricular activities. in addition, it can also be clearly observed that 10% of females had shown high levels of interest in co-curricular activities compared to that of male students (6.25%). only 4.38% female students showed low interest in co-curricular activities in which range of the male were 13.13%.it is contradictory with the work of yilmaz (2019) as his study revealed male science high school students had a more positive attitude than female students. still, there was no difference between academic achievements. in the present study, the researcher found that female undergraduate students are better in their interest in co-curricular activities than the male students and also possess higher level of leadership skills than male undergraduate students. in case of level of interest in co-curricular activities, maximum 34.38% of science students and 31.88% arts students have medium interest and it reversed in case of level of leadership skill like 32.50% arts students and 28.13% science students have medium level of leadership skills.36.25% and 33.13% rural degree students have medium level of interest in co-curricular activities and medium level of leadership skills respectively whereas 30.00% of urban degree students show medium interest in co-curricular activities and 27.50% urban students also show medium level of leadership skills. no such related result found by the researcher from other literatures. in both cases of interest in cca and leadership skills, female have more mean score than male undergraduate students. but chai (2015) studied no significant difference in leadership qualities was found among student leaders according to gender. no significant difference at 0.05 level and 0.01 level found in mean scores between science and arts students in case of interest in cca and leadership skills respectively. also, rural and urban students have same levels of leadership skills and interest in co-curricular activities. smith & chenoweth (2015), ghani (2020), esa (2015) had revealed a strong and positive relationship between cocurricular activities and leadership skills, suggested that development of student leadership characteristics can be nurtured through their involvement or participation in cocurricular activities. in the present study, the researcher found the coefficient of correlation “r” is 0.603, indicating a positive and substantial relationship between interest in co-curricular activities and leadership skills. it implies students with higher interest in co-curricular activities will have higher level of leadership skills. conclusion the present study will help stakeholders of higher education, which include parents, teachers, students and also the policy makers and administrators etc, to provide resources in colleges, to offer a variety of co-curricular activities or extra-curricular activities as per students’ choice, interests or liking related with their career plan or future plan, to cooperate the students to participate in various co-curricular activities of their choice that will keep them away from other unsocial activities. in graduate level, participating in co-curricular activities https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 28 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 21-28, 2023 should be given equal importance with academic activities by the students which can provide them immediate and successful adjustment in their working area. reference ayoub, f., fares, y., &amp; fares, j. (2015). the psychological attitude of patients toward health practitioners in lebanon. north american journal of medical sciences, 7(10), 452–458. https://doi. org/10.4103/1947-2714.168663 bekomson, a. n., amalu, m. n., mgban, a. n., &amp; b. abang, k. (2020). interest in extra curricular activities and self efficacy of senior secondary school students in cross river state, nigeria. international education studies (international ed), 13(8), 79–87.https://doi. org/10.5539/ies.v13n8p79 burr, b. l. (2012). do extra-curricular activities help adolescents develop academic self-efficacy? evidence of how and why (a master’s thesis). http:// scholarschive.byu.edu/etd christison, c. (2013). the benefits of participating in extracurricular activities. bu journal of graduate studies in education, 5(2), 17–20. dodke, s., dubey, s., &amp; sattur, k. (2022). impact of co-curricular activities on academic performance and personality development of college students. journal of emerging technologies and innovative research (jetir), 9(9), 670–682. don, y., &amp; ibrahim, i. (2019). the effectiveness of teacher leadership and studentsinvolvement in cocurricular activities in malaysia secondary school. borneo international journal of islamic studies, 1(2), 129– 145. https://doi.org/10.21093/bijis.v1i2.1502 esa, a., salwa abd mutallib, s., &amp; nadhia nor azman, n. (2015). do extra-curricular activities effect student leadership in institutions: sport? asian social science, 11(16), 294–301. https://doi.org/10.5539/ass. v11n16p294 ghani, s. a., awang, m. m., ajit, g., &amp; rani, m. a. m. (2020). participation in co-curriculum activities and students’ leadership skills. journal of southwest jiaotong university, 55(4), 1–13. https:// www.gyanunlimited.com/education/co-curricularactivities-meaningdefinition-examplesimportancebenefits/2437/date of retrieval. marsh, h. w., &amp; kleitman, s. (2002). extra-curricular school activities: the good, the bad and the nonlinear. harvard educational review, 72(4), 464–515. https:// doi.org/10.17763/haer.72.4.051388703v7v7736 mehmood, t., hussain, t., khalid, m., &amp; azam, r. (2012). impact of co-curricular activities on personality development of secondary school students. international journal of humanities and social science, 2(18), 139–145. mulrooney, h. m. (2017). exploring participation in cocurricular activities among undergraduate students. new directions in the teaching of physicalsciences, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.29311/ndtp.v0i12.556 rani, m., &amp; keshwal, h. s. (2016). effect of cocurricular activities on development of social skills of children with intellectual disability. journal of disability management and rehabilitation, 2(1), 18–21. satrusallya, j. (1991). a study of co-curricular activities implemented in thesecondary school of cuttack district. (doctoral dissertstion, utkal university,odisha) 125– 145. http://hdl.handle.net/10603/189877. singh, a. (2017). effect of co-curricular activities on academic achievement of students. ira international journal of education and multidisciplinary studies, 6(3), 241–254. http://doi.org/10.21013/jems.v6.n3.p4 zada, n. y. (2021). the role of co-curricular activities in leadership skills’development among university students. journal of social sciences [review], 1(2), 38–52. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 12 american journal of education and technology (ajet) catch-up friday: improving the reading proficiency levels and perspectives of grade 10 students jeffry m. saro1*, arlyn o. barol1, ardelyn l. glodobe1, florelyn s. grana1, nova p. billuga1 volume 3 issue 2, year 2024 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v3i2.2533 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: february 12, 2024 accepted: march 25, 2024 published: march 29, 2024 reading proficiency extends beyond mere word comprehension; it demands active engagement with text, analysis of its content, and synthesis of information to generate new insights and perspectives. this study aimed to investigate the reading proficiency levels of grade 10 students during the implementation of catch-up friday at prosperidad national high school in the 2023-2024 school year and determine whether significant differences existed in the students’ reading proficiency levels between preand post-assessments during catch-up friday sessions. the study included 182 females and 205 males, selected based on attendance, with thirty grade 10 students further interviewed to gather insights on the implementation of catch-up friday. pre-assessment occurred over two fridays (january 12-19, 2024) with the same number of participants, while post-assessment took place from february 1-8, 2024, utilizing school-provided reading materials. descriptive statistics, including frequency, percentage, and mean, were employed, and a t-test for independent samples compared grade 10 students’ mean scores in preand post-assessments during catch-up friday sessions. the qualitative analysis utilized thematic guidelines by bruan and clarke (2006). the analysis revealed that implementing catch-up friday sessions and contextualized reading materials significantly impacted grade 10 students’ reading proficiency levels, highlighting the importance of tailored interventions and learning resources to enhance reading proficiency. furthermore, the study emphasized the need for ongoing efforts to provide comprehensive support for students to improve their reading proficiency levels. findings indicated that students enjoyed diverse reading activities during catch-up friday sessions, felt supported by teachers, and believed the sessions effectively addressed their individual needs. the materials used were relevant and engaging, boosting students’ confidence in reading. additionally, five themes emerged from student responses: feedback on catch-up fridays, strategies for reading proficiency on catch-up friday, reading importance and catch-up friday, challenges in catch-up fridays: share and overcome, and catch-up friday effectiveness: expanding perspectives. these findings posited the effectiveness of catch-up friday sessions in enhancing reading proficiency and fostering a stimulating learning environment conducive to academic growth and development. keywords catch-up friday, reading materials, reading proficiency levels, perspectives, reading comprehension 1 prosperidad national high school, prosperidad district i, division of agusan del sur, department of education, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: jeffrysaro123@gmail.com introduction reading comprehension is essential for future learning and understanding; without it, learners will struggle academically (acedillo, 2023). in connection, the department of education (deped) is greatly responsive in providing quality, relevant, inclusive, and responsive basic education for all. this commitment is stipulated in the matatag education agenda, aiming to produce competent individuals who are job-ready, active, and responsible citizens with essential competencies and skills for lifelong learning (deped memorandum no. 54, series of 2023). the department’s current initiatives provide opportunities to enhance learners’ academic performance, addressing issues such as low proficiency levels in reading based on national and international large-scale assessments. in the pisa results of 2022 (program for international student assessment), the philippines ranked among the lowest in the concluded assessment, with science scoring 24.00%, english (reading) scoring 23.00%, and mathematics scoring 16.00%, indicating that students have only achieved basic proficiency in these major subjects. notably, reading scored only 23.00%, indicating a need for prompt attention to address learning gaps and strengthen the reading proficiency of every learner. in response to the adoption of the national learning recovery program (nlrp), there has been a heightened emphasis on values, health, and peace education. values education, mandated by republic act (ra) no. 11476, commonly known as the good manners and right conduct (gmrc) and values education act, remains a primary focus. recognizing the pivotal role of youth in nation-building, this legislation underscores the importance of instilling positive values in learners. furthermore, the urgency for peace education has been emphasized by the 2022 program for international student assessment (pisa) results, which highlight the persistence of bullying in public schools. filipino learners are encouraged to develop peace competencies, empowering them to become advocates for peace in their communities. additionally, health education is receiving increased attention to ensure the well-being of learners in the nation-building process (deped memorandum no. 001, series of 2024). pa ge 13 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 12-23, 2024 in alignment with these priorities, the department of education (deped) has initiated the “catch-up fridays” project. launched nationwide on january 12, 2024, across elementary and secondary schools and community learning centers (clcs), this intervention program is designed to maximize learning opportunities. every friday throughout the academic year is dedicated to the “drop everything and read” (dear) activity, fostering a culture of reading and knowledge acquisition. moreover, catch-up fridays are a platform for gathering invaluable feedback from field implementers regarding the program’s guidelines. additionally, it provides an opportunity to collect data on students’ perspectives regarding the implementation of the project, ensuring its effectiveness and relevance in meeting educational objectives ((deped memorandum no. 001, series of 2024). requiso-jimenez & bascos-ocampo (2022) assert that in today’s society, the ability to read is paramount. they emphasize the notion that reading is not merely a pastime but a fundamental prerequisite for fully embracing life and actively participating in nation-building endeavors. their emphasis on the importance of reading stems from the understanding that it serves as a gateway to knowledge acquisition. reading, they argue, is indispensable for mental and cultural enrichment and development, constituting a cornerstone of human existence. furthermore, acedillo (2023) highlights the pervasive role of reading in daily activities, suggesting that learners engage in reading for approximately 80% of the tasks they undertake each day. this statistic posits the centrality of reading, indicating its significance not only within educational contexts but also in the fabric of everyday life. consequently, reading emerges as one of the most pivotal activities, essential for both academic pursuits and navigating the complexities of modern living. tomas et al. (2021) assert that reading holds significant importance in a child’s educational journey, serving as the cornerstone of language proficiency and a fundamental skill essential for classroom success. moreover, helarde (2021) posits that it serves as the foundational skill for all other study skills. despite the long-standing recognition of reading comprehension’s crucial role in learning, it remains a significant challenge for philippine schools. reading endows individuals with valuable skills and grants them access to a vast repository of information, thereby aiding them in their academic pursuits. as emphasized by deluao et al. (2022), proficiency in reading is a prerequisite across all learning domains. in prosperidad national high school, it has empirically observed that some of the learners have low reading proficiency levels. thus, the purpose of the study was outlined to address the critical issue of low reading proficiency among students, particularly in prosperidad national high school, and its significant impact on their academic performance and overall learning outcomes. by examining the current state of reading comprehension and educational initiatives undertaken by the department of education (deped), the study aims to explore the importance of reading as a foundational skill for lifelong learning and academic success. furthermore, it sought to utilized the urgent implementation of “catchup fridays” to improve students’ reading abilities and address learning gaps. through this research, empowering students to become competent, engaged, and responsible citizens equipped with the necessary skills for success in the modern world. research questions the purpose of the study was to evaluate the reading proficiency levels of grade 10 students during the implementation of catch-up friday at prosperidad national high school in the school year 2023-2024. the researcher sought to answer the following research questions: 1. what are the reading proficiency levels of grade 10 students in their preand post-assessments during the implementation of catch-up friday? 2. is there a significant difference in the reading proficiency levels of grade 10 students between the preand post-assessments during the implementation of catch-up friday? 3. what are the students’ perspectives on the implementation of the catch-up friday sessions for enhancing reading for academic success? conceptual and theoretical framework the study was rooted in the theory of scaffolding, as proposed by jerome bruner (1978), and further developed by vygotsky (1978). according to this theory, learning is most effective when students are provided with appropriate support and guidance, gradually reducing the assistance as they develop competence in a particular skill or area. in the context of reading proficiency, scaffolding involves providing students with targeted interventions and support to help them improve their reading skills gradually. additionally, the study is guided by the socio-cultural theory of learning, which emphasizes the importance of social interactions and cultural contexts in the learning process. according to vygotsky (1978), learning is a social activity, and students’ interactions with peers, teachers, and the learning environment play a crucial role in their cognitive development. in the context of catchup friday sessions, socio-cultural theory suggests that collaborative learning experiences and peer interactions can enhance students’ reading proficiency levels. furthermore, the study was grounded as well on the concept of differentiated instruction, as proposed by carol ann tomlinson (1995). differentiated instruction involved tailoring teaching methods, materials, and assessments to meet the diverse needs of students in the classroom. in the context of reading instruction, differentiated instruction emphasized providing students with multiple pathways to learning, allowing them to engage with reading materials in ways that were meaningful and relevant to their individual interests and abilities. pa ge 14 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 12-23, 2024 furthermore, the study was informed by the theory of self-efficacy, as proposed by albert bandura (1977). self-efficacy referred to an individual’s belief in their ability to succeed in a particular task or situation. in the context of reading proficiency, students’ self-efficacy beliefs could influence their motivation, persistence, and ultimately, their achievement in reading. catch-up friday sessions were designed to enhance students’ self-efficacy by providing them with opportunities for success and positive feedback in reading activities. the combination of scaffolding, socio-cultural theory, differentiated instruction, and self-efficacy theory provided a comprehensive framework for understanding how catch-up friday sessions could enhance reading proficiency levels among grade 10 students. by providing targeted support, fostering collaborative learning experiences, tailoring instruction to meet students’ diverse needs, and promoting self-efficacy beliefs, these sessions aimed to empower students to become proficient readers and succeed academically. methodology research design the study employed a mixed-methods approach, characterized by the collection and analysis of quantitative data followed by the gathering and evaluation of qualitative data through surveys and interviews, which assisted in explaining and interpreting the findings of the quantitative study (creswell, 2015). firstly, quantitative data were collected through pre-assessments and postassessments to measure the reading proficiency levels of grade 10 students before and after the implementation of catch-up friday sessions. these assessments focused on various aspects of reading, including comprehension, vocabulary, and fluency. additionally, surveys were administered to gather students’ perspectives on implementing catch-up friday sessions, their perceptions of the sessions’ impact on their reading skills and academic success, and their overall satisfaction with the program. furthermore, qualitative data were obtained through interviews and focus group discussions with a subset of grade 10 students to explore deeper into their experiences, attitudes, and perceptions regarding catch-up friday sessions and their effects on reading proficiency. this mixed-methods approach allowed for a comprehensive exploration of both the quantitative outcomes and qualitative insights related to catch-up friday sessions and their impact on reading proficiency levels and perspectives among grade 10 students. participants of the study the participants of the study were grade 10 students from prosperidad national high school, prosperidad district i, province of agusan del sur, during the school year 20232024. the study utilized a complete enumeration sampling method, meaning all students present in class during the implementation of catch-up friday were included. table 1 shows the distribution of participants across grade 10 sections, based on attendance during implementation, with 182 females and 205 males included. table 2 presents participants in the qualitative study, focusing on students’ perspectives on catch-up friday. thirty (30) grade 10 students were selected for interviews to gather their insights on the implementation of catch-up friday. table 1: the distribution of research participants in each section of grade 10 group female male overall percentage frequency % frequency % section a 40 21.98 31 15.12 71 18.35 section b 35 19.23 30 14.63 65 16.80 section c 24 13.19 43 20.98 67 17.31 section d 30 16.48 36 17.56 66 17.05 section e 19 10.44 30 14.63 49 12.66 section f 34 18.68 35 17.08 69 17.83 total 182 100 205 100 387 100 *legend: total sample population (387); male (182); female (205) table 2: qualitative participants of the study group frequency percentage section a 5 16.6667 section b 5 16.6667 section c 5 16.6667 section d 5 16.6667 section e 5 16.6667 section f 5 16.6667 total 30 100 *legend: male (15) & female (15) research instrument in the implementation of catch-up friday on january 12, 2024, at prosperidad national high school, teachers promptly followed the school’s prescribed format for facilitating the reading intervention program. this study utilized reading materials available at the school, including contextualized materials from all subject areas. however, grade 10 students primarily utilized reading materials from major subjects, particularly english, mathematics, and science, as these were the focal points for improving reading proficiency. the aim was to assess students’ comprehension and ability to provide immediate pa ge 15 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 12-23, 2024 responses based on what they read. pre-assessment took place over two weeks, specifically on fridays (january 12, 2024, to january 19, 2024), with the same number of participants. post-assessment was conducted from february 1, 2024, to february 8, 2024, using reading materials available at the school. data were tallied and presented in tabular form using microsoft excel version 2103 (16.0). frequency and percentage were primarily used to present data on the reading proficiency levels of grade 10 students, categorized into four reading levels: independent, instructional, frustrated, and non-reader. the study employed the reading proficiency level board by johnson, kress, and pikulski (1987) for classification, with descriptive interpretations based on flippo’s study (2014). furthermore, a researcher-designed instrument was employed to collect the perspectives of students regarding catch-up fridays, and participants underwent interviews to bolster the findings. qualitative data underwent analysis following the thematic guidelines established by braun and clarke (2006). based on the study’s outcomes, a teaching guide was developed to enhance the reading proficiency of grade 10 students during catch-up friday interventions. this guide was intended to aid teachers in effectively guiding their students within the department of education’s provided framework. it integrated insights from both quantitative and qualitative data, with the aim of offering comprehensive support to educators striving to enhance students’ reading abilities and overall academic performance. table 3: reading proficiency level board students’ scores (%) reading level descriptive interpretation 100-80 independent the level to which readers can read the text and comprehend simultaneously with nearly perfect accuracy. 79-59 instructional the level to which readers gain most from teacher-directed instruction. 58-below frustration the level to which reading materials are too challenging for readers to respond to them successfully. *legend: the scoring criteria for reading proficiency levels were derived from the research conducted by johnson, kress, and pikulski (1987), while the descriptive interpretations or meanings of each criterion were informed by flippo's study (2014) data gathering procedure prior to commencing the data gathering process, the researchers sought permission from the school division superintendent and forwarded a copy of the letter to the division research coordinator. subsequently, they obtained approval to conduct the study from the school principal of prosperidad national high school, covering all six sections of grade 10. additionally, the researchers prepared all necessary documents, including validation forms validated by three experts for the researcherdesigned instrument focused on students’ perspectives regarding catch-up fridays. at this stage, participants in the study completed informed consent and assent forms. the primary objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of implementing catch-up fridays in enhancing the reading proficiency levels and perspectives of grade 10 students, with the intention of informing the development of a teaching guide for the continued implementation of catch-up fridays. furthermore, the researchers prepared all reading materials required for conducting preand post-assessments with grade 10 students, ensuring adherence to standard procedures in supporting participants during the assessments. subsequently, the students’ scores were recorded and used to determine whether a significant difference existed between the preand post-assessments. this comparison also aimed to evaluate the impact of the reading materials on students’ reading proficiency levels during the implementation of catch-up fridays. statistical treatment/data analysis the data collected from the participants were tallied, tabulated, summarized, and interpreted based on the study’s objectives. descriptive statistics, including frequency, percentage, and mean, were employed. to ascertain significant differences, a t-test for independent samples was utilized to compare the mean scores of grade 10 students in their preand post-assessments during the catch-up friday sessions. ibm spss (statistical package for the social sciences) was the software used to analyze the quantitative data, enabling confident data analysis. for the qualitative analysis, thematic guidelines by bruan and clarke (2006) were utilized. table 3 above illustrates the reading proficiency levels of students during catch-up friday reading sessions, while table 4 below presents the mean score, table 4: mean score and mean percentage score and its verbal description mean percentage ranges verbal description 96% 100% mastered 86% 95% closely approximating mastery 66% 85% moving towards mastery 35% 65% average mastery 16% 34% low mastery 5% 15% very low mastery 0% 4% absolutely no mastery pa ge 16 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 12-23, 2024 mean percentage score, and their corresponding verbal descriptions to determine students’ mastery levels based on preand post-assessments. the verbal descriptions of the mean percentage score were determined using a scale and descriptive rating observed in the national achievement test (fernandez, 2013). ethical considerations the data collection from the study’s participants adhered to established guidelines and procedures to address ethical concerns regarding the evaluation of the reading proficiency levels of students during the implementation of catch-up friday. specifically, four ethical issues were observed: informed consent, risk of harm, confidentiality and anonymity, and conflict of interest (zegwaard, 2018). results and discussions reading proficiency levels of grade 10 students in their preand post-assessments during the implementation of catch-up friday table 6 presented the results of grade 10 students’ reading proficiency levels in their preand post-assessments during the catch-up friday implementation, referencing table 3 for the reading proficiency level board based on johnson et al. (1987) study and flippo’s (2014) descriptive interpretation. as presented in table 6, 63.31% (245 students) were categorized as independent readers, scoring between 80-100, indicating their ability to comprehend text with nearly perfect accuracy. meanwhile, 28.94% (112 students) were at the instructional level, scoring between 59-79, signifying that they benefited most from teacher-directed instruction. a smaller percentage, 7.75% (30 students), fell under the frustration level, scoring below 58, suggesting that the reading materials were too challenging for successful comprehension. none of the students were classified as non-readers, though some required guidance. notably, the post-assessment results showed significant improvement, with 95.35% (369 students) demonstrating successful reading fluency and comprehension. however, 4.65% (18 students) remained at the instructional level, indicating a continued need for teacher guidance. the post-assessment also revealed a 32.04% increase in the number of independent readers compared to the preassessment, indicating the effectiveness of the reading materials utilized during catch-up friday sessions. nonetheless, these findings suggest an improvement in grade 10 students’ reading abilities as a result of the catch-up friday sessions. table 5: phases of thematic analysis phases description of the process familiarization of data transcribing data, reading, and rereading the data, noting down initial ideas. generating initial codes coding interesting features of the data in a systematic fashion across the entire data set, collating data relevant to each code. searching for themes collating codes into potential themes, gathering all data relevant to each potential theme. reviewing themes checking in the themes work in relation to the coded extracts (level 1 and the entire data set (level 2), generating a thematic “map” of the analysis. defining and naming themes ongoing analysis to refine the specifics of each theme, and the overall story the analysis tells, generating clear definitions and names for each theme. producing the report the final opportunity for analysis. selection of vivid, compelling extract examples, the final analysis of selected extracts, relating back of the analysis to the research question and literature, producing a scholarly report of the analysis. *legend: phases of thematic analysis (braun & clarke, 2006) table 6: reading proficiency levels of the grade 10 students based on their preand post-assessment results reading level pre-assessment reading level post-assessment frequency (%) frequency (%) independent 245 63.31 independent 369 95.35 instructional 112 28.94 instructional 18 4.65 frustration 30 7.75 frustration 0 0 non-reader 0 0 non-reader 0 0 total 387 100 total 387 100 acedillo (2023) revealed a significant impact of students’ reading comprehension levels on their overall academic performance. pretest results indicated that 13.4% of learners exhibited reading comprehension difficulties, while posttest outcomes demonstrated a notable improvement, with no non-readers identified and a substantial increase to 37.19% in instructional comprehension levels. additionally, the number of pa ge 17 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 12-23, 2024 independent readers surged by 92.85%. furthermore, saro et al. (2022) emphasized the pivotal role of teacher supervision and the quality of instructional materials in shaping students’ academic performance. they highlighted the importance of teachers’ guidance and the relevance of the materials used during the learning process. eshet-alkalai (2013) corroborated this assertion, suggesting that students’ level of engagement and interest in reading course materials significantly influenced their reading proficiency. these findings collectively emphasize the crucial interplay between effective teaching practices, supportive learning environments, and students’ intrinsic motivation in fostering improved reading comprehension skills. the performance of students in contextualized reading assessments reflects their prior knowledge and proficiency in english. the relatively low instances of reading frustration observed suggest the effectiveness of the instructional materials utilized in implementing reading modules (manlapaz et al., 2022). this finding implies that the respondents are accustomed to traditional reading materials, indicating a potential limitation in their ability to engage with and comprehend more complex texts (requiso-jimenez & bascos-ocampo, 2022). addressing this constraint is crucial, particularly among young learners, as emphasized by slavin (2008). young learners, in their concrete operational stage of development, benefit greatly from tangible, realworld experiences to facilitate effective learning and comprehension. based on the results presented in table 6, it can be concluded that grade 10 students possess the ability to read texts or passages across various subject materials, including english, mathematics, science, and other minor subjects. furthermore, the findings indicate that while most students can read independently, a few may still require guidance from teachers. as depicted in table 7, the mean percentage scores of table 7: mean percentage scores of preand post-assessments during the catch-up friday sessions construct guide pre-assessment post-assessment improvement gain scoremean percentage score remarks mean percentage score remarks accessible reading materials during catchup friday sessions 63.30% average mastery 95.33% closely approximating mastery 32.04% preand post-assessments during the catch-up friday sessions using the accessible reading materials were presented. the pre-assessment scores showed an average mastery of 63.30%, while the post-assessment scores closely approximated mastery at 95.33%. this indicated a significant increase in independent readers between the preand post-assessments. consequently, the improvement gain score from preto post-assessment increased by 32.04%. the results were underpinned by several studies, each highlighting critical aspects of reading proficiency and its impact on academic performance. according to nindy & kustijono (2017), contextualized learning materials played a pivotal role in transforming learners’ interest and academic achievement. by providing these resources, learners could engage more actively in classroom activities, fostering a conducive learning environment that enhanced their comfort and participation. bro. armin a. luistro, former secretary of the department of education (2016), underscored the importance of evaluating students’ reading comprehension and competence as fundamental to all academic endeavors. he also emphasized that without a solid foundation in reading skills, students would face ongoing challenges in mastering other disciplines. this assertion highlighted the essential role of reading proficiency as a cornerstone of academic success. moreover, nieuwoudt (2022) asserted into the reading culture of primary schools and its impact on grade 4 learners’ reading proficiency in selected western cape schools. the findings suggested that the prevailing reading culture significantly influenced learners’ overall reading proficiency levels, consequently affecting their academic performance. this emphasized the interconnectedness of reading culture, proficiency, and academic achievement, emphasizing the need for effective interventions to enhance reading skills from an early stage. there was a significant difference observed in the reading proficiency levels of grade 10 students between the preand post-assessments conducted during the implementation of catch-up friday presented in table 8, the t-test for the pre-assessment and post-assessment during the catch-up friday sessions of grade 10 students utilized the available reading materials in school. the computed t-test value exceeded the tabular t-test results, indicating a significant difference between the preand post-assessment scores using the available contextualized reading materials. the results of the preand post-assessment reading proficiency demonstrated a substantial disparity. estremera & estremera (2018) highlighted that exposure to localized and contextualized learning resources could influence the development of pretest and posttest processes in reading. the notable contrast in reading proficiency levels between the pretest and posttest groups with the same participants suggested a lack of exposure or intervention in the classroom setting (lartec, 2014). pa ge 18 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 12-23, 2024 moghaddas (2013) study on the impact of contextualization on iranian efl learners’ reading performance was consistent with berns & erickson’s (2005) claim that contextualized learning improved both career-related and educational proficiencies. the study revealed that students who were taught within a contextualization framework performed better, indicating that organizing lessons according to students’ interests contributed to enhanced academic achievement. furthermore, fuchs et al. (2018) supported the idea that many standardized reading comprehension measures fell short of fully capturing the comprehension process. this suggested that traditional assessments may not have adequately assessed students’ true comprehension abilities. in contrast, jiang (2016) found that engaging in reading activities and tasks could enhance learners’ comprehension levels. this improvement was attributed to the use of oral reading strategies and approaches, indicating the effectiveness of developing efficient reading skills through active engagement in reading tasks (acedillo, 2023). these findings emphasized the importance of incorporating learning approaches in educational settings. by aligning lessons with students’ interests and engaging them in meaningful reading activities, educators could foster improved reading comprehension skills and overall academic achievement. this posited the relevance of the study’s focus on evaluating the impact of catch-up friday sessions, which aimed to enhance reading proficiency levels through the use of contextualized reading materials and activities. table 8: t-test for pre-assessment and post-assessment during the catch-up friday sessions constructs preassessment postassessment computed (t) tabular (t) 5% interpretation mean percentage scores accessible reading materials during catch-up friday sessions 63.30% 95.33% 2.47 0.01 highly significant *legend: significant at 1% means that the p-value is less than 0.01; the level of significance is taken at 0.05 (5%) this analysis suggested that the implementation of catch-up friday sessions, coupled with contextualized or an available reading materials, significantly impacted the reading proficiency levels of grade 10 students. the discrepancy between preand post-assessment scores emphasized the importance of tailored interventions and learning resources in enhancing students’ reading proficiency levels. furthermore, it emphasized the need for continued efforts to provide comprehensive support for students to improve their reading proficiency levels. students’ perspectives on the implementation of the catch-up friday sessions for enhancing reading for academic success the students’ perspectives on the implementation of the catch-up friday sessions for enhancing reading for academic success were gathered through a researcherdesigned survey questionnaire. additionally, guided interviews were conducted with students based on their experiences with catch-up friday. thematic analysis, following the guidelines outlined by bruan and clarke table 9: students’ perspectives on the implementation of the catch-up friday indicators weighted mean verbal descriptive interpretation 1. catch-up friday sessions effectively improved my reading skills. 4.64 strongly agree 2. i am satisfied with the structure and organization of catch-up friday sessions. 4.78 strongly agree 3. catch-up friday sessions positively impacted my overall academic performance. 4.60 strongly agree 4. i feel that the frequency and duration of catch-up friday sessions are appropriate. 4.52 strongly agree 5. the reading materials used during catch-up friday sessions are relevant to my learning needs. 4.89 strongly agree 6. i am actively engaged during catch-up friday sessions. 4.57 strongly agree 7. catch-up friday sessions address my individual reading needs and learning preferences. 4.90 strongly agree 8. i feel supported by teachers during catch-up friday sessions. 4.93 strongly agree 9. participating in catch-up friday sessions has increased my confidence in my reading abilities. 4.80 strongly agree 10. i enjoy the variety of reading activities offered during catch-up friday sessions. 4.94 strongly agree overall 4.76 strongly agree pa ge 19 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 12-23, 2024 (2006), was employed to analyze the collected data. the results revealed strong agreement from students regarding various aspects of catch-up friday sessions. with a weighted mean of 4.94, students expressed a strong enjoyment of the diverse reading activities offered during these sessions. this high level of response suggested that the activities provided were engaging and stimulating for students, aligning well with the study’s goal of enhancing reading proficiency through enjoyable learning experiences. additionally, students strongly agreed they were supported by teachers during catch-up friday sessions, as indicated by a weighted mean of 4.93. this emphasized the crucial role of teachers in facilitating the sessions and providing assistance when needed, contributing to the creation of a supportive learning environment conducive to academic growth. moreover, students strongly agreed that catch-up friday sessions effectively addressed their individual reading needs and preferences, with a weighted mean of 4.90. this personalized approach ensured that students received tailored support based on their specific requirements, maximizing the impact on their reading proficiency. similarly, students perceived the reading materials used during catch-up friday sessions to be highly relevant to their learning needs, as reflected by a weighted mean of 4.89. this emphasized the importance of selecting materials that were appropriately matched to students’ academic levels and interests, enhancing their engagement and comprehension. furthermore, students strongly agreed that participating in catch-up friday sessions had increased their confidence in reading, with a weighted mean of 4.80. this suggested that the sessions not only improved reading skills but also boosted students’ self-perception and belief in their abilities. lastly, these findings highlighted the effectiveness of catch-up friday sessions in enhancing students’ reading proficiency and fostering a positive learning environment. the high weighted means across all indicators underscored the program’s success in meeting students’ needs and promoting their academic success in reading. table 10: the results of the interview session with the student-participants themes from the interview sessions overview of student-participants responses feedback on catchup fridays 1. catch-up friday classes have significantly improved my reading skills, enhancing speed, comprehension, and retention of information through consistent engagement and dedicated time each week. 2. the catch-up friday sessions have significantly enhanced my reading skills and comprehension through structured practice and feedback. 3. the catch-up friday session significantly improved my reading ability, understanding, and, enhancing critical thinking. 4. regular reading sessions like catch-up friday significantly improve reading proficiency by expanding vocabulary and enhancing comprehension skills through a variety of reading materials. 5. the school's reading day was enlightening, and catch-up friday, as a reader, was a beautiful activity to engage in every friday. strategies for reading proficiency on catch-up friday 1. catch-up friday sessions involved reading comprehension exercises, vocabulary building, active reading, critical thinking tasks, and group discussions, fostering understanding and engagement with the material. 2. during friday catch-up sessions, i engaged in storytelling, reading, and active analysis, which helped me understand concepts, enhance vocabulary, and encourage active participation. 3. engaging and interactive sessions include group reading, discussions, quizzes, and vocabulary games, promoting active participation and deeper understanding, ultimately improving memory retention. 4. the teacher utilized close reading exercises, vocabulary expansion drills, and group discussions to enhance their analytical and comprehension skills. 5. friday sessions enhance reading skills through various activities like independent reading, guided reading groups, comprehension strategies, vocabulary building, fluency practice, literature circles, and response writing, fostering interest and allowing students to take responsibility for their learning. reading importance and catch-up friday 1. reading proficiency enhances academic success and personal growth by developing critical thinking skills and broadening perspectives. regular reading sessions transform reading into an enriching and enjoyable experience. 2. friday sessions underscored the importance of literacy in academic, professional, and personal growth, enhancing reading comprehension and appreciation through diverse text engagement and critical thinking. pa ge 20 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 12-23, 2024 3. reading proficiency is essential for academic and real-world contexts, requiring continuous improvement and practice for critical thinking and effective communication. 4. reading proficiency is crucial for academic success and personal growth, promoting effective communication and knowledge acquisition. catch-up friday sessions emphasize active engagement and critical analysis. 5. reading proficiency is crucial in academics for vocabulary, critical thinking, and understanding various topics, discussions, research papers, conversations, and debates. challenges in catch-up fridays: share and overcome 1. during sessions, i struggled with reading complex texts, adopting strategies like skimming key points, and seeking clarification from peers or facilitators. 2. to overcome friday sessions' challenges, break readings into smaller parts, use note-taking techniques, discuss difficult passages, participate in class discussions, address shyness, and maintain consistent effort, support, and commitment. 3. the teacher tackled a reading challenge by incorporating mindfulness techniques and active reading strategies like note-taking and summarizing. 4. despite challenges, such as understanding complex texts and maintaining interest, practice, perseverance, seeking help, and finding reading materials that align with personal interests have helped overcome these obstacles. 5. during catch-up friday, i encountered unfamiliar words and found asking the teacher about their meaning was crucial for overcoming this challenge. catch-up friday effectiveness: expanding perspectives 1. the catch-up friday sessions significantly enhanced my understanding of various subjects by exposing me to diverse materials, discussions, and literature from various cultures. 2. catch-up friday sessions effectively expanded student perspectives on climate change, ethical dilemmas, and cultural diversity, promoting intellectual growth and critical thinking, fostering a deeper understanding of global issues. 3. the catch-up friday sessions significantly enhanced my understanding of complex social, historical, and scientific issues, fostering informed viewpoints and exposing me to diverse opinions and interpretations. 4. the catch-up friday sessions significantly enhanced my understanding of various subjects by exposing me to diverse materials, discussions, and literature from various cultures. 5. the friday-catch-up session was a brilliant idea to broaden the mind and understand fundamentals through discussions, essays, and language. by implementing universal language, we can connect and unite the world, influencing the viewpoint of illiterate children and extending knowledge and ideas to all languages. as presented in table 10, providing an overview of the student-participants’ feedback regarding the implementation of catch-up fridays, the first theme, ‘feedback on catch-up fridays,’ reveals that some participants shared their experiences with these catchup friday sessions, noting a significant improvement in their reading skills through consistent engagement and dedicated time each week. these sessions have expanded their vocabulary and comprehension skills through various reading materials. participants also emphasize the importance of regular reading sessions like catchup fridays in enhancing critical thinking and reading proficiency, finding them enlightening and a beautiful way to engage with reading. the second theme, ‘strategies for reading proficiency on catch-up friday,’ indicates that teachers conducted sessions including reading comprehension exercises, vocabulary building, active reading, critical thinking tasks, and group discussions. these activities aimed to enhance understanding, vocabulary, and engagement with the material. additionally, close reading exercises, vocabulary expansion drills, and group discussions were utilized to improve analytical and comprehension skills. sessions also included independent reading, guided reading groups, comprehension strategies, vocabulary building, fluency practice, literature circles, and response writing, fostering interest and allowing students to take responsibility for their learning. the third theme, ‘reading importance and catch-up friday,’ emphasized that reading proficiency is crucial for academic success and personal growth, as it develops critical thinking skills and broadens perspectives. regular reading sessions enhance comprehension and appreciation through diverse text engagement and critical thinking. reading proficiency is essential for effective communication and knowledge acquisition in both academic and realworld contexts. catch-up friday sessions emphasize active engagement and critical analysis. reading proficiency is essential in academics for vocabulary, critical thinking, and understanding various topics, discussions, research papers, conversations, and debates. furthermore, the fourth theme, ‘challenges in catch-up pa ge 21 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 12-23, 2024 fridays: sharing and overcoming,’ posits that students struggle with reading complex texts and adopt strategies like skimming key points and seeking clarification. to overcome these challenges, they break readings into smaller parts, use note-taking techniques, discuss difficult passages, participate in class discussions, address shyness, and maintain consistent effort. teachers tackle reading challenges by incorporating mindfulness techniques and active reading strategies. despite challenges, practice, perseverance, seeking help, and finding reading materials aligning with personal interests have helped overcome these obstacles. lastly, the fifth theme, ‘catch-up friday effectiveness: expanding perspectives,’ highlights that catch-up friday sessions have significantly improved students’ understanding of various subjects by exposing them to diverse materials, discussions, and literature from different cultures. these sessions have expanded student perspectives on climate change, ethical dilemmas, and cultural diversity, promoting intellectual growth and critical thinking. they have also enhanced their understanding of complex social, historical, and scientific issues, fostering informed viewpoints. the idea of friday catch-up sessions is brilliant, as they broaden the mind and understanding of fundamentals through discussions, essays, and language. implementing a universal language can connect the world, influence illiterate children’s viewpoints, and extend knowledge to all languages. moreover, anjulo (2017) suggests that students proficient in language learning can effectively support those with less aptitude, underlining the importance of efficient teaching strategies. an examination of strategies for teaching reading comprehension, focusing on extensive reading, demonstrates that while intensive reading is commonly employed by students, extensive reading yields significantly positive effects on comprehension (anjulo, 2017). similarly, kung & aziz (2020) conducted research on metacognitive reading strategies, finding that such strategies enhance reading comprehension and provide ample opportunities for independent reading. almutairi (2018) emphasizes that to meet educational goals, students must master reading comprehension to facilitate effective classroom organization. mcnamara (2007) defines comprehension as the ability to delve beyond the words, grasp paragraph ideas, and discern relationships within a text. this skill involves understanding words, sentences, and connected text, as noted by mckee (2012), who further defines comprehension as the capacity to extract and understand textual information, identifying implicit and explicit content, and bridging the author’s message with the reader’s interpretation. snow (2002) describes reading comprehension as a collaborative process in which meaning is constructed through interaction with written language. woolley (2011) asserts that reading comprehension is a critical reading component requiring mastery, while klingner, vaughn, & boardman (2007) elaborate on comprehension as a multifaceted process involving readers’ interests, thoughts, previous knowledge, and text type understanding. oakhill, chain, & elbro (2015) elaborate on comprehension as a cognitive task blending skills such as word identification, decoding, and language mastery, essential for deciphering textual codes like synonyms, antonyms, and idioms, thus facilitating reading understanding. conclusions the findings of the study led to the conclusions that a significant portion of grade 10 students demonstrated remarkable progress in their reading abilities throughout the catch-up friday sessions. it also concluded that, a majority of students were categorized as independent readers, reflecting their strong proficiency levels. however, a notable percentage benefited from instructional support, while a smaller fraction found the reading materials challenging, yet manageable with guidance. following the sessions, a substantial improvement was observed across all proficiency levels, with nearly all students achieving successful reading fluency and comprehension. moreover, a notable increase in the number of independent readers underscored the effectiveness of the utilized materials and activities. these findings collectively indicate a notable enhancement in grade 10 students’ reading proficiency levels attributable to the catch-up friday sessions. moreover, the analysis of student feedback further elucidates the positive impact of catch-up fridays on reading proficiency. participants highlighted the sessions’ role in expanding vocabulary, enhancing comprehension, and fostering critical thinking skills. teachers’ implementation of diverse strategies and activities, ranging from reading comprehension exercises to group discussions, significantly contributed to students’ engagement and learning outcomes. the sessions addressed individual reading needs and challenges and broadened students’ perspectives on various subjects. thus, the findings emphasized the effectiveness of catchup friday sessions in improving reading proficiency and promoting a stimulating learning environment conducive to academic growth and development. acknowledgment the authors expressed their gratitude to sir michael s. pareja of prosperidad national high school, prosperidad, agusan del sur, philippines, for allowing the researchers to conduct the study. references acedillo, n. b. 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(2011). reading comprehension: assisting children learning with learning difficulties: springer pa ge 1 pa ge 65 american journal of education and technology (ajet) inclusive pedagogies in environmental education and life-long learning: teachers sense-making perspectives awudu salaam mohammed1*, samuel agyemang1 volume 4 issue 2, year 2025 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v4i2.4383 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: january 17, 2025 accepted: february 13, 2025 published: april 23, 2025 this study relied on the interpretive qualitative study paradigm to explore the newly developed idea of inclusive pedagogies in environmental education and lifelong learning through the lens of sense-making theory. ten teachers were purposively selected from two public and two private schools teaching in primary class 3 at mampong municipality, ghana. the thematic analysis uncovered various pedagogies that are used in environmental education under four themes: diverse learning approaches, collaborative and inclusive learning environments culturally relevant teaching strategies and technology for accessibility. the analysis further reviews the many challenges the execution of environmental education faces. they are resource limitations, difficulties in applying personalised teaching pedagogy and lack of effective collaboration and communication. the study’s suggestions for action highlight the necessity of providing teachers with continuous professional development to improve their abilities to use inclusive pedagogies and develop innovative solutions to resource limitations. keywords environmental education, inclusive learning, lifelong learning, pedagogies, sense-making 1 bia lamplighter college of education, ghana * corresponding author’s e-mail: mohammedasalaam@yahoo.com introduction according to ardoin et al. (2020), sukma et al. (2020), ambe et al. (2024) environmental education (ee) is essential in promoting responsible attitudes and behaviours by providing people with the information and abilities needed to deal with difficult environmental issues. united nations assessment revealed that more than half of the planet’s ecosystems are ill or malfunctioning. to solve these difficulties, most people suggest using ee for sustainable development. russell and hodson (2002) assert that “it is not enough for students to be armchair critics.” kollmus and agyeman (2002) noted that simple learning about the environment cannot deal with such environmental issues and proposed that learners need to be practical by getting their hands dirty and taking responsible action. acknowledging the significance of inclusive education (ie), there is an increasing demand to investigate and execute pedagogical strategies that guarantee fair access to ee for every student. in ee and lifelong learning elvey and burke (2023) note that inclusive pedagogies comprise a transformational educational paradigm that aims to meet learners’ varied needs, backgrounds, and learning styles at various phases of life. with a foundation in fairness, accessibility, and cultural sensitivity, sims and desmarais (2020) explain that inclusive pedagogies go beyond conventional teaching approaches and highlight teachers’ critical role as facilitators and translators. because of ghana’s unique environmental difficulties (atuguba, 2019), language variances, and rich cultural variety, implementing inclusive pedagogies is necessary and advantageous for promoting sustainable viewpoints. as key players in the educational system, teachers negotiate the complex topography of inclusive pedagogies by utilising their views on sensemaking to bridge the gap between local realities and international educational goals (nachibi & morgan, 2023). the inclusive pedagogies in ee and its sustainable practices, environmental stewardship, and the cultivation of an awareness of ecological principles are the goals of ee as a field (vesterinen, 2024; horsthemke, 2024). loskota (2004) proposes that teachers must blend a range of methods to teach students; nevertheless, the most crucial ones include active learning, letting students take charge of their education, offering activities appropriate for their cultural background, and encouraging students to articulate what they have learned. sims and desmarais (2020) article about planning to surmount barriers in ee revealed that pedagogies such as excursions, collaboration and communication, and demonstration via technology could be utilized in ee. these all-encompassing strategies must accept differences in learning styles, socioeconomic backgrounds, and cultural diversity (mallory et al., 2024; sims & desmarais, 2020). the study of inclusive pedagogies used by teachers in ee and lifelong learning is an important examination of how different learning styles interact with students’ requirements. the body of research on the subject emphasizes how important it is to create welcoming environments in schools, especially in ee, to meet the needs of students with a variety of backgrounds, skills, and learning preferences. academics such as unesco (2015) and sims and desmarais (2020) emphasise the importance of education in tackling ecological problems and the necessity of inclusive pedagogies to improve the usability and efficacy of ee programmes. research by loskota (2004) highlights the importance of teacher practices in influencing how pupils learn about climate change and ecological issues. pa ge 66 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 65-75, 2025 discussing climate change education, inclusive pedagogies—which value diversity, take into account particular requirements, and facilitate a variety of learning styles—are crucial. the point is that because environmental issues are intricate, teaching strategies must take into account students’ varied backgrounds, encounters, and abilities for learning. united nations education, scientific and cultural organisation (unesco) stated that the roadmap for reaching the sdgs is solid education policies. they further add that to promote sdgs and solve environmental issues like climate change, nations specifically developing nations must develop educational programmes that can inspire pro-environmental behaviour that is prominent in modern society (unesco, 2015). the convergence of inclusive pedagogies, ee and lifelong learning is an important topic of investigation. although the importance of inclusive methods in developing environmentally conscious and accountable citizens is widely recognised, there is a significant research vacuum about how teachers, who are major executioners of these teaching methods, interpret and navigate them. a complete understanding of teachers’ sense-making about inclusive pedagogies, ee, and lifelong learning is lacking, which makes it difficult to establish specific measures and well-informed policies. according to a 2002 ghana education review committee report, sustainable development is hampered by low awareness about the environment (gmoe, 2007). it was suggested in the 2007 educational reforms that ee be included in elementary and secondary education. even though ghanaians occasionally discuss sustainability in political and ecological conversations, the majority of people still do not care about the environment. teaching young students to become ecologically informed and display environmental consciousness is a permanent duty for teachers, but teachers are the ones who are neglected in terms of ee (atuguba, 2019). the purpose of this study is to examine the many ways in which teachers understand and implement inclusive pedagogies in ee, taking into account the consequences for a variety of students. comprehending the inclusive pedagogies utilised by teachers to tackle the global problem of the environment is imperative as the planet struggles with its negative consequences. since inclusive approaches and learning about the environment are closely related in the context, this investigation intends to both analyse the pedagogical techniques used and to elucidate how teachers negotiate this junction. objectives 1. to understand how teachers interpret and make sense of inclusive pedagogies in environmental education and their implications for diverse learners. 2. to understand the inclusive pedagogies that teachers use in environmental education in the context of climate change. 3. to gain an understanding of the challenges perceived by teachers in adopting inclusive pedagogies in environmental education and life-long learning. contextualising ghana’s inclusive pedagogies in environmental education and life-long learning ghana’s complex socio-cultural, economic, and environmental variety demands a dynamic response, so inclusive pedagogies in ee and lifelong learning are being investigated. inclusive educational approaches are critical because of the diverse range of racial and cultural backgrounds, languages, and environmental zones found in ghana, an island nation on the gulf of guinea. ghana’s educational system combines local knowledge and modern, international viewpoints. for ee to recognise and include the rich indigenous knowledge systems that many ethnic groups share, inclusive pedagogies are crucial (koomson, 2023). to navigate this terrain, teachers who act as cultural brokers must integrate local wisdom into ee and promote a comprehensive awareness of ecological challenges. ghana’s economic diversity from urban to rural areas brings unique possibilities and problems for educational access. by bridging these gaps, inclusive pedagogies help ensure ee is accessible to all parts of the country (dakogyeke et al., 2024). teachers’ sense-making perspectives become essential to modify instructional approaches to fit various economic situations, solve access concerns, and promote environmental stewardship among socioeconomic strata. ghana’s dedication to sustainable development aligns with the global agenda, and inclusive pedagogies are crucial in raising a populace aware of environmental issues and equipped to handle the country’s unique ecological problems (lombard, 2024). teachers actively interact with local environmental concerns through their sense-making processes, modifying global concepts to suit the ghanaian setting and fostering in students a feeling of responsibility for the environment. moreover, the ghanaian context’s emphasis on lifelong learning highlights the need for education outside traditional classroom settings. through the promotion of a culture of lifelong learning, inclusive pedagogies help people become more adaptive and responsive to changing environmental conditions. teachers are critical in creating a society that can navigate environmental sustainability challenges by facilitating lifelong learning. to put it briefly, the ghanaian setting highlights the complex interactions between culture, economy, and ecology when implementing inclusive pedagogies for lifelong learning and ee (vesterinen, 2024). through promoting inclusion and sustainability in the educational environment, research in this field helps deepen our understanding of how educational approaches may be adapted to ghana’s particular qualities. theoretical framework for the study when looking at teachers’ perspectives, the theoretical framework of sense-making theory offers a valuable lens through which to analyse and interpret the adoption pa ge 67 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 65-75, 2025 of inclusive pedagogies in ee and life-long learning. karl weick (2009) developed the sense-making theory, highlighting how people perceive clues and create meaning to make sense of complicated events. when this concept is used in the ghanaian educational setting, it clarifies the dynamic process instructors use to negotiate inclusive pedagogies. teachers in ghana’s educational environment must understand a variety of cultural and ecological cues to engage in sense-making within the framework of inclusive pedagogies. sense-making theory proposes that teachers engage in a continuous process of interpretation, adapting global environmental concepts to local contexts and weaving them into the fabric of students’ experiences as they grapple with the complex mosaic of cultures and varying environmental concerns. the theory also emphasises ambiguity’s function in sense-making. teachers face unclear conditions regarding the best way to adopt inclusive pedagogies in the varied ghanaian setting, where cultural, linguistic, and economic variety runs rampant. by building cohesive and significant approaches to inclusive ee, teachers use sense-making. this dynamic process involves navigating uncertainty by referencing their professional expertise, cultural insights, and personal experiences. the significance of interaction and social processes is further emphasised by sense-making theory. teachers and learners make sense of environmental concerns by utilising one another’s perceptions. this is consistent with inclusive education, which emphasises co-constructing knowledge and including other points of view. according to sense-making theory, teachers are crucial in encouraging a continuous learning attitude in the context of lifelong learning. they support students in developing a lifelong connection with environmental concerns and helping them make sense of the always-changing environmental challenges. to summarise, integrating sense-making theory into the theoretical framework of inclusive pedagogies for ee and lifelong learning sheds light on teachers’ complex cognitive processes to comprehend, modify, and create meaningful learning opportunities within the distinct ghanaian context. the idea sheds light on how teachers handle complexity, value diversity, and support the growth of adaptive and ecologically sensitive learners. interpretive paradigm understanding inclusive pedagogies in ee and lifelong learning within the interpretive paradigm centres on the notion that people, especially teachers, actively create and interpret meaning considering their social interactions and life experiences. this strategy emphasises educational practices’ contextually dependent and subjective character while acknowledging the diversity of ghana’s cultural, economic, and ecological environments. in interpreting inclusive pedagogies, teachers act as translators, contributing their distinct viewpoints, cultural experiences, and life stories. as teachers engage with students, communities, and the larger socio-cultural milieu, it is critical to investigate how they see their responsibilities in fostering inclusive learning environments. this is made clear by the interpretative paradigm. the statement acknowledges that inclusive pedagogies are a product of continuous interactions and are not a universal approach. teachers’ sense-making perspectives are seen in this framework as dynamic processes shaped by the ongoing negotiation of meanings within the educational setting. teachers actively interpret and modify inclusive pedagogies based on their pupils’ changing needs and cultural variety. considering the local context and situated knowledge in ghana as the interpretative lens promotes a thorough examination of the conversations, relationships, and cultural subtleties that influence inclusive educational approaches. furthermore, lifelong learning is an ongoing meaningmaking process within the interpretative paradigm. as knowledge translators, teachers are essential in creating a culture of lifelong learning, supporting flexibility, and promoting people’s ongoing involvement with environmental concerns. to sum up, the interpretive paradigm emphasises the subjective nature of teachers’ sense-making perspectives and the dynamic interaction of cultural and contextual factors within the ghanaian educational setting. it offers a theoretical framework for understanding inclusive pedagogies in ee and life-long learning. this method comprehensively investigates the socio-cultural processes influencing inclusive teaching methods and lifelong learning. materials and methods using a descriptive qualitative method, the study intends to explore how teachers make meaning of the inclusive pedagogies they implement in lifelong learning and ee. the design provides rich insights into how educators negotiate the challenges of inclusion in diverse educational environments, which includes an extensive examination of teachers’ viewpoints, interpretations, and experiences. purposive sampling was used in this study to choose 10 teachers who have worked with inclusive pedagogies in environmental education and lifelong learning. participants were selected based on their areas of expertise, representation from urban and rural educational contexts, and variety in teaching levels (e.g., elementary, and secondary school). the goal of this diversified sample strategy was to gather a variety of viewpoints that represent the diversity of the educational environment. teachers’ sense-making on inclusive pedagogies can be improved by using thematic analysis to find patterns, themes, and variances. this approach entails methodically classifying and categorising qualitative data to identify reoccurring patterns and produce a deep, nuanced knowledge of the topic under study. to guarantee the quality and depth of the findings, the analysis was iterative, including several cycles of coding and refining. teachers who participate were given comprehensive details on the study’s aim, methods, and possible pa ge 68 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 65-75, 2025 consequences. informed permission was requested to ensure that participants were fully aware of their voluntary engagement and the confidentiality of their replies. participants were granted the ability to leave the research at any time without penalty. to protect participant privacy, all data was anonymised before analysis and publication. pseudonyms were used instead of identifying information, and any information that jeopardised participants’ anonymity was eliminated or changed. the study intended to improve knowledge of inclusive pedagogies and encourage practical implementation solutions, which would benefit educators and the larger academic community. there was no coercion to divulge private information, and participation in the study was entirely optional. teachers were told their involvement or withdrawal would not affect their relationships and professional status. participants received a summary of the study’s main conclusions after the data-gathering procedure if they indicated interest. this debriefing session preserves transparency on the study’s findings while recognising and appreciating the work of the teachers. to get a deep, contextualised knowledge of educators’ experiences, a descriptive qualitative technique was selected for this study on teachers’ sense-making on inclusive pedagogy in environmental education and life-long learning. by following moral guidelines, the study protected teachers’ welfare, privacy, and voluntary involvement, which advances the ethical conduct of educational research. study participations a purposefully selected sample of teachers with a range of experiences adopting inclusive pedagogies in environmental education and lifelong learning from mampong municipality participated in the study. eight participants selected from two public and two private school teaching in primary class 3 were selected based on their proficiency in inclusive practices, with various primary school teaching experiences included. i had teachers from 4 rural basic schools in the municipality. to promote diversity, the sample included instructors with a range of years of experience, considering the possible influence of tenure on their opinions on sensemaking. the research prioritises teachers dedicated to inclusive education to provide in-depth insights into the possibilities, problems, and tactics of adopting inclusive pedagogies. the study aims to offer a thorough knowledge of how instructors negotiate the complexity of inclusive pedagogy in environmental education and life-long learning by incorporating participants from various backgrounds and educational situations. data collection methods the study explored teachers’ inclusive pedagogy in environmental education and lifelong learning using semi-structured interviews. through semi-structured interviews, teachers can express their experiences, perspectives, and thoughts on implementing inclusive pedagogies on a customised platform. the subtleties of instructors’ sense-making processes were captured through in-depth investigation made possible by these interviews. encouraging the sharing of ideas, experiences, and cooperative reflections on inclusive pedagogy, complementing individual interviews and focus group discussions, will support the dynamic interactions among instructors. using this approach, group conversations revealed shared interests and a range of opinions, offering a collective perspective. combining these qualitative data-gathering methods fully conveyed the complexity and breadth of educators’ understanding of inclusive pedagogies in environmental education and lifelong learning contexts. data analysis table 1: themes that emerged from the data analysis main theme fostering equity and inclusion in environmental education sub-theme one: celebrating diversity and unique viewpoints sub-theme two: tearing down roadblocks to learning sub-theme three: equity and justice in environmental education inclusive teaching strategies for climate change education sub-theme four: diverse learning approaches sub-theme five: collaborative and inclusive learning environments sub-theme six: culturally relevant teaching strategies sub-theme seven: technology for accessibility navigating challenges for inclusive pedagogies sub-theme eight: difficulties in applying personalized teaching pedagogy sub-theme 8: resource constraints sub-theme nine: collaboration and communication theme one: fostering equity and inclusion in environmental education the focus “fostering equity and inclusion in environmental education” is on teachers’ interpretation and dedication to establishing a learning setting that values variations and guarantees everyone’s equitable access to ee. participant emphasises how crucial inclusive pedagogies are, which traverse exclusively recognising diversity to proactively confront structural issues and advance justice. this subject also emphasises how ee can pa ge 69 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 65-75, 2025 cross social conventions and boundaries to build a feeling of responsibility and care for the environment. sub-theme one: celebrating diversity and unique viewpoints the subject of “celebrating diversity and unique viewpoints” highlights the essential part that ip plays in fostering an exciting atmosphere for teachers seeking to achieve the goal of ee. the brief quote provided below highlights a shared dedication to appreciating and acknowledging the many positions, experiences, and dexterities that each learner contributes to ee and the learning environment. according to them’ developing a welcoming and valued educational atmosphere is a key component of inclusive pedagogies. in my case, i see ip as respecting and appreciating the many individualized perspectives, experiences, and talents that every child adds to classroom education (participant 1) in my experience, inclusive pedagogies in environmental education entail fostering a classroom atmosphere where each student is respected for who they are, despite their diversities. we need to understand that children differ in various ways (participant 4). the goal of inclusive pedagogies in environmental education is to value children’s differences and richness. basically, this notion entails proactively implementing diverse cultural viewpoints into our curriculum and lesson plan rather than just recognising distinctions (participant 8). the participants’ views convey an identical dedication to fostering a diverse and inclusive educational setting in ee. about environmental education, the participant’s narration that “ inclusive pedagogies in environmental education entail fostering a classroom atmosphere where each student is respected for who they are, despite their diversities” probably refers to instructional strategies and tactics that are intended to accept and accommodate students with a variety of backgrounds, skills, and learning preferences. this remark implies that the teaching strategies that teachers use in environmental education seek to establish a friendly and inclusive atmosphere for diverse educational, economic, demographic, economic and other backgrounds. in this context, “diversity” might refer to variations in ability, social class, sex, colour, ethnicity etc. the ultimate objective is linked to a broader spectrum of students who might access and benefit from environmental studies. teachers stressed how important it is to acknowledge and value each student’s distinct viewpoints, experiences, and skills. when we talk about environmental education, inclusion is modifying the curriculum to fit different knowledge acquisition processes and skill levels so that each student feels respected and accepted for who they are. sub-theme two: tearing down roadblocks to learning by examining breaking down barriers to learning in environmental education, teachers shed light on the inclusive pedagogies’ transformational potential. two participant comments highlight how important inclusive teaching strategies are to break down obstacles that might prevent learners from actively participating in class and understanding environmental subject matter. their ideas are evident in the data below: thank you very much. as far as i know, inclusive pedagogies in environmental education involve removing obstacles to learning for children. it is essentially about recognising and meeting the various requirements of pupils in order to guarantee everybody may fully engage and flourish. that is, it! (participant 5). thank for you your question. inclusive pedagogy simply describes that fairness and justice are at the centre of environmental learning. it has to do with recognising systemic difficulties that some pupils may experience while attempting to acquire and comprehend environmental ideas. (participant 7) teachers remark that “it has to do with recognising systemic difficulties that some pupils may experience” and emphasise that inclusive pedagogies necessitate a critical awareness of institutional obstacles that some students may face while attempting to learn environmental ideas. this theme emphasises the need for teachers to identify and address architectural hurdles that prevent some students from gaining a complete knowledge of environmental concerns. to provide effective and fair education, their view emphasises the significance of creating a welcoming classroom that tackles and lessens such persistent problems. therefore, teaching techniques and resources must be tailored to diverse learning styles and abilities to create inclusion in environmental education. sub-theme three: equity and justice in environmental education for us to ensure a resilient and welcoming society, environmental education must prioritise fairness and justice. this is particularly true because as we face global environmental concerns, educational efforts must provide fair access and opportunity for all learners. in the opinion of two participants five and 8 should foster equity and fairness in environmental education: when we talk about inclusion, it is a very broad idea, especially in environmental education. this philosophy is related to educating students about the environment and helping them develop a feeling of responsibility and concern for it, irrespective of their own experiences (participant 5). to ensure that students can benefit from each other’s varied experiences and viewpoints, inclusive pedagogies also entail building a feeling of community inside the classroom. (recipient 8) participants established in the theme “equity and justice in environmental education” that there is a close relationship between the quest for equity and justice and inclusive pedagogies. the replies show a common dedication to environmental education as a transforming force that cuts over conventional barriers and aims pa ge 70 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 65-75, 2025 to implant in all students, no matter their background, a feeling of duty and concern for the environment. in addition to teaching about the environment, this subject highlights educators’ views on how inclusive pedagogies may encourage a commitment to fair and just behaviours, which can work as a catalyst for social change through environmental education. this viewpoint emphasises the comprehensive character of inclusive teaching strategies, stressing the significance of establishing a relationship with oneself and an obligation to environmental stewardship in addition to informational content. the participants note that the long-term objective of inclusion pedagogy is to help children develop a true feeling of responsibility and a greater awareness of the environment they live in. theme two: inclusive teaching strategies for climate change education the theme “inclusive teaching strategies for climate change education” is connected to the pedagogical strategies that support a varied and inclusive educational setting in climate change education. this theme emphasises the approaches teachers use to teach pupils from a variety of backgrounds, making the conversation about climate change understandable and relevant to everyone. the thematic analysis generated four sub-themes including diverse learning approaches, collaborative and inclusive learning environments, culturally relevant teaching strategies and technology for accessibility. sub-theme four: sub-theme: diverse learning approaches according to the teachers who were interviewed, various learning approaches are incorporated to meet the diverse abilities and needs of the students when learning about climate change in environmental education. some said, there are several teaching approaches available but it depends on the lesson objectives. in the case of climate change education, i use a project-based learning strategy. this approach enables students to look out for climate change concerns practically and customise their projects to match their abilities (participant 1). okay, normally because we aim to accommodate diverse learning styles and skill levels and make sure that every student can relate to the theme of the lesson, i usually incorporate differentiated instruction strategies (participant 4). to provide a variety of learning experiences that meet the needs of various student preferences, i integrate experiential learning opportunities, including field excursions and outdoor activities, to supplement classroom teachings (participant 7). as demonstrated by the subject “diverse learning approaches,” teachers use a range of instructional strategies to meet student’s diversities and strengths. the remarks made by participant 1 highlight the use of a “project-based learning” methodology and stress the need for personalised projects and practical experiences to help learners comprehend climate change. teacher 4 adds to this by stressing the incorporation of differentiated instruction strategies, making sure that different approaches to learning and capacities are taken into account. the additional statement from teacher 7 emphasises the value of practicable, real-life scenarios in advancing students’ awareness of climate change and strengthens this subject by offering experiential learning opportunities, including excursions and adventures. the goal is to give pupils a variety of resources and chances to comprehend and interact with lessons when it comes to tackling climate change problems. the evidence demonstrates that it involves conversations, group projects, field visits, real-world demonstrations, and others. the intention is to provide students with the freedom to investigate and understand topics related to climate change to fit their unique learning styles and capacities. sub-theme five: collaborative and inclusive learning environments collaborative and inclusive learning environments are classrooms that value student participation and accept diversity in all facets of the educational process. teachers’ views suggest that they adopt the creation of collaborative and inclusive learning settings for the students in environmental education as demonstrated by the quote: i use a collaborative learning paradigm where i allow students to collaborate in various teams. i do this because i want them to understand and deal with climate change concerns by utilising each other’s talents (participant 3). because ghana is not an island, i include a global perspective in my teaching approaches. i frequently collaborate with teachers and other students from across the world via virtual exchanges and group projects (participant 4). i promote diversity by matching students from different backgrounds and skills to learn from one another and develop a friendly learning community (participant 6). another strategy is organising community involvement projects. this has enabled students to collaborate on projects that solve domestic community climate change concerns, promoting a feeling of collaborative accountability (participant 7). i combine student-organized conversations and tasks, which allows students to take control of their learning and offer their unique viewpoints on the climate change issue. for example, to understand the value of teamwork, i created a group project where students had to design an extensive climate action plan for the school. this programme is recognised and applied in tackling the issues of climate change by promoting cooperation and giving learners of varying capacities the chance to help in numerous capacities. (participant 8). the evidence demonstrates how teachers are that are committed to creating welcoming and stimulating environments for diverse students. in addition to stressing pa ge 71 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 65-75, 2025 the value of cooperation and utilising individual talents to address environmental issues and concerns together, participant 3 strongly emphasises the application of collaborative learning techniques. teacher 4 takes this theme a step further by introducing an international viewpoint via online discussions and group projects, which encourages students all around the world to feel linked to one another. participant 7 statement “this has enabled students to collaborate on projects that solve domestic community climate change concerns, promoting a feeling of collaborative accountability” posits that the adoption of inclusive and collaborative learning settings has resulted in students taking a proactive role in initiatives that attempt to solve environmental issues in their communities. this method encourages collaboration among students and the application of information to problems encountered in the actual environment, traversing the usual classroom setting. this places equal accentuation on helping students develop a sense of unified accountability for the results of their group projects as much as on academic information acquisition. sub-theme six: culturally relevant teaching strategies to meet the differences among the students, participants in the study indicated that, culturally relevant teaching strategies are used in environmental education. they do this by connecting the lesson to the origin of the students. the quotes below demonstrate this point: i make environmental education more approachable for pupils by using culturally sensitive teaching techniques, including local instances and traditional understanding into my classes on climate change (participant 3). to make the curriculum relevant to our kids’ real-life situations, i host guest speaker sessions where i invite leaders and professionals from the community to give their perspectives on climate change (participant 5). i include stories and literature from many ethnic backgrounds in my teachings to ensure students may relate to them on a personal and cultural level. the story-telling strategy promotes empathy and a better grasp of the intersectionality of climate challenges in addition to giving a forum for different points of view (participant 6). the information supplied by the study participants points to their dedication to tying environmental education to their pupils’ lives and cultures. they stress how important it is to make environmental education approachable and applicable by emphasising the incorporation of ageold knowledge and local instances into the curriculum. additionally, they use storytelling and written texts from a variety of ethnic origins, giving the students stories that relate to their cultural heritage. when taken as a whole, these remarks highlight the teachers’ commitment to fostering a culturally inclusive learning environment and their grasp of the value of local viewpoints and cultural relevance in advancing students’ comprehension of climate change. the data suggest that students who use the storytelling method develop empathy and feel more deeply connected to the problems caused by climate change. this also improves their comprehension by exposing the complex intersectionality of environmental problems and showing the connections between climate-related difficulties and more general social, economic, and cultural variables. furthermore, this tactic guarantees a greater inclusive learning environment where a variety of viewpoints add to an exhaustive investigation of climate change by offering a platform for opposing viewpoints. sub-theme seven: technology for accessibility according to the interviewee, technology is leveraged to teach so that teaching and learning can be more appealing and make environmental education content accessible to every child despite their background. i make use of the universal design for learning principles, offering a variety of representational, interactive, and expressive mediums to ensure children with diverse abilities and backgrounds can take part in the learning process. this guarantees that data on environmental education is delivered in a variety of ways that suit different tastes and styles. using interactive simulations, data visualisations, and films, i can convey complicated material to a wide audience of students by utilising technology. (participant 1). i use technology to improve accessibility, ensuring that all the children can interact with the environmental education content through the use of multimedia materials and assistive devices. students may cooperate, share ideas, and participate in conversations using digital platforms, which encourages diversity by giving a platform for a range of views to be represented. besides this, i make use of interactive web tools that accommodate a variety of learning preferences and skill levels and let learners investigate the complex aspects of climate change (participant 2). through the use of virtual reality simulations, i make the material appealing and readily available to a wider range of learners by giving them the chance to witness climate change situations directly (participant 6). my approach to group projects involves utilising digital channels, which enable students to virtually work together on climate change activities and exchange viewpoints, therefore fostering an inclusive environment (participant 7). i have observed that some of the learners like aural learning, so i provide podcasts and audiobooks as alternate resources. this way, i can make sure that a variety of materials are available to suit various types of learning. as example, i launched a podcast initiative on climate change topics to improve accessibility and serve students with auditory impairments. through research and creating podcasts, students were able to explore subjects orally. this project enhanced the entire educational process by integrating various media into the environmental education curriculum, in addition to offering a substitute resource for individuals who like auditory learning. this guarantees an inclusive learning pa ge 72 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 65-75, 2025 environment by enabling every learner to demonstrate their understanding of the subject matter in a way that aligns with their unique abilities and tastes (participant 8). the interviewee’s methods, which emphasise a wide range of representational, interactive, and expressive media to encourage children from all walks of life to participate in their education, are based on the ideas of universal design for learning. incorporating technology is essential to improving accessibility; multimedia resources and assistive devices are prioritised to guarantee that all kids can interact with environmental education materials. interestingly, cho and park (2023) note that virtual reality simulations seem to be an effective technique that increases the accessibility of instructional content by putting students in climate change situations. the dedication to diversity also extends to group initiatives, where digital platforms allow for virtual cooperation on climate change-related activities, creating a space that welcomes a range of opinions. the inclusion of podcasts and audiobooks, which appeal to individuals who prefer auditory learning, reflects the interviewee’s astute awareness of diverse learning preferences. this creates an extensive and easily accessible instructional model that supports a range of studying modes. the statement from participant 10 emphasizes the dedication to promoting diversity in the classroom by using a customized strategy. this educational method recognizes and supports a variety of learning styles by letting students express their comprehension in a way that best suits their skills and preferences. in addition to fostering an accessible and fair classroom, this personalized technique celebrates and acknowledges the unique abilities and needs of each student, making for a fulfilling and deeper educational experience. theme 3: navigating challenges for inclusive pedagogies this theme encapsulates the various challenges teachers face in utilizing inclusive pedagogies in ee including the proposed solutions. the themes that emerged are difficulties in applying personalized teaching pedagogy, resource constraint and communication and collaboration. sub-theme eight: difficulties in applying personalized teaching pedagogy participants in the study commonly agreed that one of the dominant challenges of the experience is applying customising teaching methods in ee as shown by the data below. based on my observations, a common difficulty that teachers including myself have is implementing inclusive pedagogies, mostly because of the complexity of customising methods to meet the needs of each unique student. the challenge is that it necessitates dealing with variations in learning styles, aptitudes, and other personal traits, which can be laborious and lengthy. careful preparation is necessary to balance the various requirements and learning styles in environmental education and lifelong learning. to ensure that every student has the help they need to succeed academically, it becomes essential to carefully allocate resources (participant 5). the challenging effort of customising techniques for each student frequently impedes the uptake of inclusive pedagogies is what we frequently face. tackling many demands and learning preferences seen in both environmental education and lifelong learning environments is not easy. to effectively navigate this obstacle and guarantee that every student has the assistance they need for optimal learning, as teachers we must use careful planning and deliberate resource appropriation (participant 7). the recurring theme in the given interview replies is the complex task teachers confront when implementing inclusive pedagogies, especially when it comes to customising lessons for each student in environmental education and lifelong learning. the replies again draw attention to how difficult it is to strike a balance between students’ various demands and learning preferences. we can deduce from the responses that planning carefully and using resources strategically are necessary to create an inclusive learning environment that accommodates individual variations, a job many teachers struggle with. the focus on extensive preparation highlights how crucial it is to have a vision and give these obstacles careful attention to overcome them. the theme additionally communicates an agreement that the efficient execution of inclusive pedagogies requires proactive measures that ensure faire resource allocation and individual attention in addition to a commitment to individualised techniques. in all, this issue emphasises how complicated inclusion in education is and how important it is for teachers to navigate these specifics on behalf of different students. sub-theme nine: resource constraints resource limitation was also cited by the participant as one of the problems hampering the successful implementation of ee, particularly climate change. this is echoed in the extract below: adopting inclusive pedagogies is frequently hampered by the problem of resource constraints. for example, students lack access to current technology, including laptops or tablets and the internet. we advise that schools should establish alliances with nearby companies and community groups that can help solve this by offering more resources and assistance. in this case, working with a nearby tech business we can have access to these gadgets, closing the digital gap in lifetime learning and environmental education (participant 1), yes, we have a resource availability challenge. it has to do with a dearth of modern learning resources, such as laboratories and textbooks. educators can address this limitation in many ways. i believe that making the most use of the resources at hand may be achieved through cooperative lesson preparation and sharing the few available resources within and across schools in the pa ge 73 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 65-75, 2025 country. this might be lending out textbooks, lab supplies, or internet access to learning resources (participant 2). as we tackle the issue of resource scarcity, we find that the application of inclusive pedagogies is hampered by a dearth of different learning resources, such as instructional aids and textbooks. utilising digital platforms and freely available instructional materials is a successful way to lessen this difficulty. expanding access to learning resources may be achieved by utilising digital platforms like coursera, khan academy, or educational applications. my interaction with other teachers has shown that this method will expand the pool of resources at our disposal and promote fluid and participatory learning, especially for students who find it difficult to study using conventional tools (participant 5). the evidence points to the complex issues surrounding resource constraints when it comes to implementing inclusive teaching strategies for environmental education and lifetime learning. every answer identifies one or more particular resources that are missing, from different educational resources like textbooks and laboratories to necessary modern technology like laptops or tablets and the internet. the data indicate how students’ participation in and access to inclusive educational experiences are seriously hampered by resource shortages (loskoto, 2004). but each response’s following suggestions for solutions show how to overcome these actively and innovatively. participant views repeatedly highlight creative and cooperative ways to deal with resource constraints, either by organising community-based initiatives, combining online resources and free educational materials, or cultivating ties with nearby companies. to promote inclusiveness in learning settings, it is critical to identify particular resource deficits and advocate for viable options that make use of technology, community participation, and innovative teaching strategies as highlighted by the collective analysis. sub-theme ten: collaboration and communication three teachers agreed that collaboration and communication among the students impede successful environmental education inclusive pedagogies. participants said that; the difficulty is about how students with different backgrounds and learning styles can team up and communicate successfully, which presents a difficulty. the problems are caused by different languages and diverse communication styles. so, i have introduced organised group projects as a focused method after realising this. these initiatives aim to promote collaboration, clear communication, and idea sharing. this has assisted the learners to participate in inclusive learning activities that promote a feeling of community and mutual understanding by providing a facilitative atmosphere for cooperation (participant 4). i have noticed clearly from addressing the problem of cooperation and communication that conventional teaching approaches cannot always support productive group projects. in order to get around this, i have included a digital platform for cooperation in the learning process. i did that so that students may collaborate on projects, exchange materials, and interact in real-time using platforms including slack and discord. this strategy has at least some of them and also advances diversity by giving a platform to a range of viewpoints (participant 7). another problem is teamwork and communication. some don’t prefer participating in group work whereas some too dominate the conversation. they are unable to communicate well because of their differences. as a result, i have started a mentoring programme that matches students according to their areas of strength and growth. in addition to fostering peer support, this improves communication abilities. presently students are better able to handle group activities when due to the establishment of these mentoring connections, which develop a team-based and inclusive atmosphere in environmental education and lifetime learning (participant 8). the combined answers from the interviews illuminated the complex problem of cooperation and communication in the framework of inclusive pedagogies. every response begins by outlining the problem and highlighting the challenges that students have while collaborating because of their varied backgrounds and learning preferences. they include language barriers, lack of willingness to participate in group activities, and divergence in communication styles. the issues that have been brought to light include the necessity of organised collaborative endeavours, the shortcomings of conventional teaching strategies, and the difficulties in promoting productive cooperation. consequently, the solutions put forward demonstrate a proactive and customised strategy for conquering these obstacles. digital engagement platforms (whatsapp, skype and video conference) as well mentoring initiatives, and technological integration to support in-the-moment communication and project work are examples of interventions recommended by study participants. the proposed interventions stress how critical it is to establish settings that promote cooperation, dialogue, and ideasharing. all things considered, the answers highlight how complex cooperation and communication are in inclusive teaching methods and call for creative ways to improve these vital components of the educational process. results and discussions the analysis highlights the united effort of teachers in environmental education to cultivate a varied and inclusive classroom. a common thread running across the conversations is the commitment to fostering an environment in the classroom where each student’s uniqueness is valued, regardless of their varied experiences. this dedication includes implementing various inclusive pedagogies designed to meet the needs of learners with a range of abilities, origins, and interests (lacar, 2021). inclusive pedagogy as the analysis suggests emphasises the identification and resolution of persistent obstacles that pa ge 74 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 65-75, 2025 some students encounter when acquiring environmental concepts. instructors emphasise the significance of critical awareness of barriers, which calls for the discovery and removal of systemic barriers that prevent some pupils from fully comprehending environmental issues. to provide an efficient and equitable education, the aim is to establish a friendly classroom environment that actively seeks to lessen enduring issues while also acknowledging students from a variety of backgrounds. the relationship that exists between inclusive pedagogies in environmental education and fairness and justice is also important. teachers perceive ee as a transforming power that imbues all pupils, regardless of their social class, with a sense of obligation and care for the environment, transcending conventional boundaries (sims & desmarais, 2020). including inclusive pedagogies emphasises the importance of teaching practices that build an attachment with the student and a duty to environmental stewardship and is viewed as an engine for social transformation. this common viewpoint supports the overarching goal of encouraging children to take accountability and develop an increased awareness of their surroundings (atuguba, j2019). one of the study’s objectives was to explore the various teaching methods teachers use in environmental education. the findings indicate that teachers use a variety of teaching strategies to accommodate the varied abilities and learning styles of their pupils. they are project-based learning, differentiated instruction, field trips, real-life scenarios, collaborative learning, and online debates with opinions from across the world. an earlier study by loskota (2004) demonstrates teachers need to blend different teaching strategies in ee. the unifying objective is to accommodate diverse learning preferences and capabilities by offering learners a range of chances to interact with and grasp topics related to climate change. teachers emphasise cultural inclusion as well, realising how important it is to connect environmental education to students’ lives and cultures. this entails combining traditional wisdom, case studies from the area, narratives, and literary works from various ethnic backgrounds. the main goal is to establish an educational setting that is inclusive of all cultures and strengthens students’ understanding of climate change concerns by highlighting how environmental challenges are influenced by social, economic, and cultural factors. according to research, infusion, conventional, and unconventional ee programmes have to be employed in conjunction with one another across disciplines to uphold sustainable ideals. the use of technology and udl concepts is seen as essential for advancing inclusivity in environmental education. according to sims and desmarais (2020), it is crucial to employ a variety of representational, interactive, and expressive media, such as whatsapp, skype, podcasts, and audiobooks. these tools are purposefully used to accommodate a range of learning styles and guarantee a thorough and user-friendly teaching approach that accommodates many learning modalities. according to root-bernstein et al. (2014) people naturally use these tools when they connect with nature. this means that we can use these tools in programs to teach about protecting the environment. by focusing on these skills, we can make education better and check how well it is working. the analysis further reviews the many challenges the execution of environmental education faces. they are resource limitations, difficulties in applying personalized teaching pedagogy and collaboration and communication. participants all agree that developing innovative and cooperative solutions is crucial. it is advised to use online resources, community-based projects, and collaborations with nearby companies to address the lack of textbooks, labs, technology, and internet connectivity. the group’s answers highlight a proactive strategy for resolving resource constraints and advancing inclusivity in educational environments. loskota (2004) also found other obstacles that primary educators must overcome, such as a shortage of funding for fieldwork, a lack of managerial assistance, and a lack of training in teaching ee. there are difficulties in the areas of collaboration and communication as well. challenges mentioned by the participants include different communication styles, unwillingness to get involved in group activities, and language limitations. however, suggested remedies including tech integration, mentorship programmes, and digital engagement networks seek to create atmospheres that encourage collaboration, communication, and idea exchange. a consistent commitment to inclusion in ee is revealed in this study. in the face of many obstacles, everyone’s dedication by creative thinking, ingenuity, and team effort emphasises how crucial it is to establish an entirely inclusive learning environment that meets the various requirements and backgrounds of all learners. conclusion the study’s conclusions show how strongly educators want to provide a welcoming environment for ee. the conversations highlight the complexity of inclusive pedagogies and show how varied pupils are actively and respectfully involved in a community that is addressing issues together. together with creative teaching techniques and technological insertion, teachers’ commitment to fairness, justice, and cultural inclusion shows how hard they work to ensure that ee is useful and available to everyone. the proactive ideas put forth by the participants demonstrate a common will to go over obstacles like resource limitations and communication problems in order to give students a comprehensive and inclusive educational experience. recommendations the study’s suggestions for action highlight the necessity of providing teachers with chances for continuous professional development. seminars, conferences and training courses can improve their abilities to use inclusive pedagogies, make effective use of technology, and come pa ge 75 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 65-75, 2025 up with innovative solutions to resource limitations. furthermore, encouraging cooperative efforts between companies, communities, and schools can assist address resource constraints and improving the inclusion of ee. to make inclusion a cornerstone of educational policy, legislators should also think about incorporating these inclusive education approaches into the larger curricular framework. by following these suggestions, teachers, administrators and legislators may work together to create an educational climate that is more egalitarian and inclusive and guarantee that ee is a transformational tool that is available to all children. references ambe, b. a., agbor, c. e., amalu, m. n., ngban, a. n., bekomson, a. n., etan, m. o., ... & ogunjimi, j. o. (2024). electronic media learning technologies and environmental education pedagogy in tertiary institutions in nigeria. social sciences & humanities open, 9, 100760. ardoin, n. m., bowers, a. w., & gaillard, e. (2020). environmental education outcomes for conservation: a systematic review. biological conservation, 241, 108224. atuguba, j. a. (2019). environmental education in colleges of education in ghana: experiences and perceptions of environmental educators (doctoral dissertation, university of birmingham). university of birmingham. barrett, m. j. (2006). education for the environment: action competence, becoming, and story. environmental education research, 12(3-4), 503-511. cho, y., & park, k. s. (2023). designing immersive virtual reality simulation for environmental science education. electronics, 12(2), 315. ghana ministry of education. (2007). meeting the challenges of education in the twenty-first century: a report of the president’s committee on the review of education reforms in ghana. adwinsa publications (gh) ltd. kollmuss, a., & agyeman, j. (2002). mind the gap: why do people act environmentally and what are the barriers to pro-environmental behavior? environmental education research, 8(3), 239–260. loskota, a. m. (2004). environmental education to sustainability education: effective and inclusive strategies for teaching to all elementary students. mallory, s., yolaç, a., pell, b., crum, l., & kiernan, j. e. (2024). teaching to build a cleaner world: developing an interdisciplinary humanities certificate in environmental justice. in teaching humanities with cultural responsiveness at hbcus and hsis (pp. 186-211). igi global. root-bernstein, m., root-bernstein, m., & rootbernstein, r. (2014). tools for thinking applied to nature: an inclusive pedagogical framework for environmental education. oryx, 48(4), 584–592. russell, c. & hodson, d. (2002) whale watching as critical science education? canadian journal of science, mathematics and technology education, 2(4), 485–504. sims, l., & desmarais, m.-é. (2020). planning to overcome perceived barriers: environmental and sustainability education, inclusion, and accessibility. international journal of higher education and sustainability, 3(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1504/ijhes.2020.108611 sukma, e., ramadhan, s., & indriyani, v. (2020, march). integration of environmental education in elementary schools. journal of physics: conference series, 1481(1), 012136. https://doi.org/10.1088/17426596/1481/1/012136 pa ge 1 pa ge 49 american journal of education and technology (ajet) reimagining college access for immigrant and undocumented students: a critical policy analysis of educational technology in the biden and trump eras frederick arthur1* volume 4 issue 4, year 2025 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v4i4.5835 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: july 26, 2025 accepted: september 01, 2025 published: november 04, 2025 this paper critically analyzes the impact of federal immigration and education policy changes on college access for immigrant and undocumented students in the united states by focusing on the differing policy environments of the trump administration (2017– 2021) and the biden administration (2021–2025). using comparative historical analysis and the dual frameworks of critical policy analysis, as well as santos' ethics of care, the study examines the design, implementation, and transformative potential of educational technology (edtech) tools during periods characterized by both restriction and affirmation. the paper critically analyzes executive orders, federal and state law, and landmark policies to assess how the risk-mitigation emphasis required by the hostile environments of the trump administration contrasts with the inclusion-oriented opportunities that emerged during the biden era. these findings reveal that edtech often serves as a double-edged sword. while promising expanded access and support, it can inadvertently reproduce structural inequities or instantiate “digital benevolence” if not supported by explicit equity and justice mandates. by combining theoretical and empirical literature, the study suggests that a successful edtech policy for marginalized students must take a proactive stance against policy-induced burdens and incorporate principles of data sovereignty, humanization, and institutional accountability. the paper concludes by contextualizing its arguments within broader discourses on inclusion, belonging, and educational equity. keywords college access, critical policy analysis, educational technology, immigrant students, undocumented students 1 department of political science, oklahoma state university, united states * corresponding author’s e-mail: frederick.arthur10@okstate.edu introduction in the united states, significant numbers of individuals view college enrollment as a sign and a tool of citizenship, social mobility, and democratic promise. however, the realities faced by undocumented and immigrant students substantially highlight the inconsistencies and barriers present in federal policy regimes and institutional systems. during their transition to higher education, these students, many of whom were raised in american schools, communities, and civic settings, face a complex network of social, legal, and financial obstacles. politics, the law, and changing executive priorities heavily influence the issue of whether undocumented students can transfer smoothly from high school to college. it is not merely an issue of personal aptitude, intelligence, or institutional goodwill (gonzales, 2016). uncertainty and controversy have historically characterized undocumented youth's access to higher education. postsecondary access remains subject to a complex web of federal laws, state-level regulations, and institutional policies, despite the supreme court's plyler v. doe (1982) ruling establishing the right to k–12 education regardless of one's immigration status. undocumented applicants face substantial obstacles or exclusion from federal financial aid programs, such as the free application for federal student aid (fafsa). policies at the state level differ greatly. some allow undocumented students to receive in-state tuition or financial aid, while others completely prohibit access (pérez, 2023). deferred action for childhood arrivals (daca) was created in 2012 as a temporary relief that allows qualifying students to work and prevents deportation. however, it has become an unstable and uneven protection due to rescission attempts, litigation, and bureaucratic uncertainty (gonzales et al., 2021). the policy environments for undocumented students have been drastically different under recent presidential administrations. campuses, advocacy organizations, and edtech developers adopted more robust privacy protections in response to trump's attempts to end daca, expand data sharing, increase immigration and customs enforcement's (ice) presence, and broaden public charge regulations, which created environments of fear, mistrust, and fragmentation (chishti et al., 2017; cantú, 2023). the biden administration, on the other hand, maintained daca, repealed restrictive policies, and expanded programs that promote inclusive digital pathways, scholarships, and undocumented-friendly advising (u.s. department of education, 2023). however, research highlights that supportive frameworks alone are not insufficient. technology only promotes equity when it is created and governed with humanization, justice, and transparency in mind. policy climates ultimately shape opportunities, but true inclusion requires more profound institutional, technological, and interpersonal change (santos, 2023). overlapping these regulatory dynamics is the swift rise of educational technology (edtech), which has emerged as the governing framework for almost all college-related activities, including information retrieval, application pa ge 50 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 49-56, 2025 submission, advising, financial aid navigation, and persistence support (selwyn, 2022). edtech platforms promise increased efficiency, reach, and personalization, but they also come with risks, particularly for students whose identity and security are closely linked to data privacy, legal exposure, and institutional trust (noble, 2018; benjamin, 2019). both opportunity and vulnerability can be increased by digital solutions, and their effectiveness depends on their placement within relational institutional commitments, strong privacy practices, and supportive policy environments. the study argues that it is best to view the problem of undocumented students' access to college as a multifaceted one that involves legal, social, digital, and ethical considerations. the study examines the changing regulatory landscape and considers the potential and risks of edtech as a tool for inclusion. drawing on critical policy analysis and the ethic of care, i ask, how do federal policy climates shape digital interventions for undocumented students, and what principles ensure that these technologies do not replicate or deepen exclusion? how does care manifest itself in the context of datadriven scholarship selection, virtual application portals, and algorithmic advising? the work ultimately presents a critical edtech policy model that prioritizes the voices and lived experiences of marginalized students while promoting structural equity, institutional accountability, and participatory design. literature review foundations of college access for undocumented students for decades, researchers have followed the complex paths of exclusion and adaptation that undocumented youth in the united states take in their education. gonzales's (2016) classic book "lives in limbo" highlights the deep psychological and social effects of legal uncertainty. it reveals how students who performed exceptionally well in k-12 schools faced new and threatening limits when they applied to get into college. gonzales's ethnographic research demonstrates the strategic adaptation, resilience, and enduring hope that defines the college aspirations of undocumented students, while also documenting the challenges they faced, including bureaucratic opacity, eligibility confusion, economic hardship, and the imminent threat of deportation. pérez (2023) expanded on this groundwork by focusing on the lived experiences of undocumented latino youth and examining the impact of state and campus-level interventions on educational outcomes. based on survey and interview data, pérez establishes how important it is for institutions to have supportive climates, sanctuary policies, and targeted scholarship programs. but these systems are still patchwork and weak, and they often stand in the way or become more complicated when federal priorities change. pérez emphasized the fundamental significance of identity, familial connections, and community advocacy, highlighting the complex interplay of belonging, aspiration, and vulnerability. empirical studies have identified prevalent challenges such as ineligibility for federal financial aid, ambiguous access to state tuition benefits, insufficient institutional transparency in admissions and support services, discrimination, and apprehension regarding status disclosure (kanno & cromley, 2013; enriquez, 2017). studies on policy interventions, including the california dream act, texas's in-state tuition law, and the establishment of institutional "safe zones," reveal beneficial outcomes alongside difficulties related to scalability, sustainability, and awareness (flores, 2010; nienhusser & espino, 2017). critical policy analysis and policy climates the concept of "policy climate" provides a useful framework for analyzing how state and federal actions affect the day-to-day lives of undocumented students. critical policy analysis (cpa) was developed by diem, young, welton, mansfield, and lee (2014) as a way to examine not merely what policies say but also how they are created, whose interests they represent, and what ideologies or exclusions they uphold. according to cpa, policy is a dynamic document that encompasses more than its words and is constantly subject to debate and context. policy climates affect undocumented students' engagement, aspiration, and perseverance because they are not static "rules," but rather environments of risk or belonging. chishti et al.'s (2017) report provides a thorough description of the trump administration's increased immigration enforcement, its chilling effects on campus and school participation, and its proliferation of bureaucratic uncertainty. the threatened termination of daca set off waves of fear, legal action, and grassroots activism, with immediate repercussions for college attendance, financial aid, and retention. according to gonzales et al. (2021), who mapped the experience of "dacamented" (undocumented) students during this time, hostile environments led to defensive institutional actions, such as adjustments to data collection, tighter privacy regulations, and changes in advising, all of which were characterized by widespread stress. reversing punitive regulations, expanding protections, and issuing affirmative guidance are all examples of the recent biden administration's efforts to create supportive environments (u.s. department of education, 2023). research indicates a correlation between increases in engagement, application, and retention rates and decreases in enforcement, policy clarity, and targeted support (crawford & arnold, 2022). however, scientists warn against oversimplifying climate assessments. fragmented state laws, disparate institutional capabilities, and continuous judicial uncertainty continue to closely link risk and aspiration (enriquez & pimentel, 2020). educational technology: promises and perils digital technology has permeated every aspect of pa ge 51 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 49-56, 2025 college access during the past ten years. edtech platforms now control academic advising, financial aid navigation, and application processes, while ai-powered tools are increasingly used to prioritize scholarships, connect students with colleges, and encourage academic perseverance (selwyn, 2022). proponents contend that technology opens up new avenues for connection, democratizes information, and scales advice. particularly for first-generation and low-income students, data from extensive edtech interventions show beneficial effects on completing college applications and successfully navigating financial aid (page & gehlbach, 2017). however, the dangers and limitations of these interventions have come under increasing scrutiny in critical scholarship. to highlight the ways that underprivileged students face disadvantages in the digital sphere, noble (2018) documented how search engine algorithms encode racial, gendered, and socioeconomic prejudice. this analysis was expanded upon by benjamin (2019), who introduced the concept of the "new jim code," referring to technologies that appear neutral on the surface but reinforce control, surveillance, and exclusion. case studies exposing bias, misclassification, and opaque decision-making have called into question the fairness and accessibility of edtech-powered admissions and advising systems for undocumented users (smith et al., 2020). table 1: student engagement and reported outcomes in relation to edtech models study / source edtech model policy climate engagement level outcome notes gonzales et al. (2021) privacy-first advising platform hostile mixed / cautious high user caution; limited engagement; muted impact smith et al. (2020) ai-powered match tool with mentorship supportive high / proactive increased retention, reported sense of belonging santos (2023) trauma-informed virtual support center transitional moderate noted reductions in anxiety, improved trust page and gehlbach (2017) virtual assistant for fafsa nav mixed variable completion rates increased with human follow-up table 1 shows published data and results from academic studies that looked at how different policy climates affect edtech models. privacy-first platforms in hostile environments led to diminished engagement, as students were apprehensive about data vulnerabilities and potential legal ramifications (gonzales et al., 2021). in contrast, ai-powered match tools that included mentorship demonstrated significant engagement and favorable outcomes when combined with institutional support and inclusive environments (smith et al., 2020). traumainformed virtual supports met emotional needs and built trust by showing how important it is to have an ethic of care (santos, 2023). virtual assistants that help people find financial aid increased completion rates, but the effect was strongest when they were used with human advisors. this study shows that technology should enhance, not replace, relational work (page & gehlbach, 2017). in the context of immigration enforcement, legal status, and interagency data sharing, privacy and data sovereignty concerns are particularly pressing (nissenbaum, 2010). increased ice activity and expansive interpretations of data-sharing laws during the trump administration caused a general mistrust of online platforms because students were concerned that using digital platforms could put them or their loved ones in danger of legal action or enforcement (cantú, 2023). this dynamic compelled edtech developers and campus it departments to put user anonymity, data minimization, and encrypted communication first, even at the expense of functionality or comprehensiveness. furthermore, recent research has documented the limitations of automation by pointing out that aipowered tools often lack the contextual flexibility, trauma sensitivity, and cultural competence needed to navigate the complexities of undocumented student experiences (flores & oseguera, 2020). empirical data reveals the importance of human mentoring, peer support, and community involvement and cautions against "solutionist" strategies that see digital access as a panacea (santos, 2023). towards a critical edtech policy recent research demonstrates that we need to create and use edtech within clear frameworks of justice. participatory design, which involves students and community members at every stage, enhances trust, responsiveness, and efficacy (smith et al., 2020). transparency, opt-in consent, granular data control, and regular audits must be fundamental principles, particularly in contexts characterized by legal risk or policy uncertainty (nissenbaum, 2010). santos (2023) proposes an ethic of care that necessitates platforms to prioritize humanization, community-building, and agency, while opposing transactional and solely efficiency-oriented frameworks. studies on college support systems that help undocumented students show how effective digitally enabled interventions can be when they are combined with strong relational and advocacy components (pérez, 2023; crawford & arnold, 2022). projects that use aidriven navigation along with peer mentoring, faculty involvement, and trauma-informed advising are better pa ge 52 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 49-56, 2025 than using only digital tools, as they help students stay in school, graduate, and do well after college. the literature also warns that if institutions are not held accountable, the growth of edtech can hide or replace a lack of investment in human capital, counseling, and advocacy infrastructure (flores & oseguera, 2020). for lasting change to happen, we need to pay attention to more than just the technical design. we must also maintain funding, train our staff, and implement changes in our operations. materials and methods this study integrates comparative historical policy analysis with a critical evaluation of edtech implementations. the research timeline encompasses federal policy and edtech advancement from january 20, 2017, to april 30, 2025. data are sourced from executive orders, federal and state agency directives, modifications to daca policies, the evolution of the public charge rule, adjustments to the fafsa, memoranda from ice and dhs, and judicial rulings that affect college access. source selection focuses on periods where there are significant adjustments in the law, like when daca is repealed, when enforcement goes up, when policies are changed, and when major guidance is updated. using diem et al.'s (2014) critical policy analysis criteria, policy texts are systematically coded based on their orientation: hostile, neutral, or supportive. hostile policies create or keep barriers, make risks bigger, or limit who can apply. supportive policies support inclusion, make access easier, and make things less complicated. neutral policies keep things the same or fail to have a significant impact on college access. in the edtech field, the analysis examines platforms that immigrant and undocumented students use frequently for admissions, advising, financial aid, and credentialing. we carefully evaluate major products and campus-led interventions (like dreamer resource centers, virtual match tools, and encrypted messaging services) for their privacy design, cultural competence, inclusivity, and how well they fit with the current policy climate. included are published evaluation studies, adoption reports, and user feedback surveys where available. qualitative thematic coding is used to combine the experiences of students and institutions. the main points of analysis are design ethos (risk mitigation vs. empowerment), levels of engagement, reported outcomes, and how well the design fits with the principles of care, transparency, and participatory governance. there is no use of mathematical modeling, but some descriptive statistics are used once they have been published in peer-reviewed journals (page & gehlbach, 2017; smith et al., 2020). methodological limitations are also recognized. similar to numerous critical policy studies, the analysis aims for synthesis and interpretation rather than prediction or causal modeling. results and discussion comparative policy analysis reveals significant changes in the rules and their direct impact on digital college access support for undocumented students. during the trump administration, hostile policies and efforts to end daca, expand public charge frameworks, and increase enforcement near the combination of educational sites and more sharing of data between agencies made immigrant students feel uncertain and afraid (chishti et al., 2017). empirical studies and advocacy reports indicate declines in fafsa completion rates, increased student disengagement from campus-based advising, and greater dependence on informal networks (gonzales et al., 2021; cantú, 2023). during this time, edtech responses focused on reducing risk. for example, platforms limited the collection of sensitive data, added features for anonymous interaction, used end-to-end encryption, and made clear statements about privacy and data storage. surveys discovered that students and their families thought about the risks of using digital systems compared to the need for information and help. many chose to use in-person or informal channels instead. critical studies documented the limitations of these adaptations by illustrating that defensive technology could not offset the lack of legal clarity or institutional endorsement (noble, 2018; smith et al., 2020). in contrast, the biden administration reversed hostile policies, restored and partially expanded daca protections, rescinded punitive enforcement guidance, and published resource guides from the u.s. department of education promoting inclusive practice (u.s. department of education, 2023). institutions reacted by revitalizing and expanding support systems for undocumented students. for example, campuses created virtual dream centers, peer mentoring networks, and ai-powered advising systems that focused on cultural competence and emotional support (crawford & arnold, 2022). table 2: federal policy milestones affecting undocumented college access (2017–2025) year administration milestone/action policy orientation explanation 2017 trump executive order 13768: “enhancing public safety” hostile escalated enforcement, increased data sharing; raised campus risk (chishti et al., 2017) 2017– 2018 trump attempted daca rescission hostile produced national uncertainty for dreamers; threatened legal status (gonzales et al., 2021) 2019 trump expanded public charge rule hostile penalized use of educational support in immigration proceedings (chishti et al., 2017) pa ge 53 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 49-56, 2025 2021 biden executive action to preserve daca supportive restored protections; stabilized enrollment prospects (u.s. dept. of education, 2023) 2021– 2023 biden reversal of public charge rule supportive reaffirmed that seeking educational/ financial aid won't harm status determinations (u.s. dept. of education, 2023) 2023 biden federal guidance for supporting u n d o c u m e n t e d youth supportive provided best practices for institutions; encouraged undocufriendly supports (u.s. dept. of education, 2023) a timeline of the major federal policies affecting undocumented college access from 2017 to 2025 is shown in table 2. student confidence and institutional practice were directly impacted by the shift between hostile and supportive environments brought about by changing administrations. supportive biden-era reversals laid the groundwork for campus innovation and comprehensive support services, while the antagonistic policies of the trump era increased enforcement risks, created legal uncertainty, and discouraged use of campus resources, including edtech platforms. these milestones illustrate how the policy climate significantly influences the scope and potential for technological intervention and student well-being (chishti et al., 2017; gonzales et al., 2021; u.s. department of education, 2023). edtech innovation thrived. virtual college match tools used algorithmic analysis to suggest "safe" and supportive colleges; encrypted messaging platforms let students and dedicated staff keep in touch. additionally, they decentralized credentialing services and made it possible to manage transcripts and recommendations across jurisdictions. empirical studies indicate enhancements in engagement, retention, and satisfaction, with students expressing increased trust in digital services and a heightened sense of institutional belonging (flores & oseguera, 2020). however, studies establish that digital innovation by itself is inadequate. automated systems often exhibit bias, demonstrate inflexibility, and neglect the psychological and relational needs of undocumented students (benjamin, 2019; santos, 2023). there are instances when algorithms misclassify items, overlook smaller colleges, and fail to accommodate multiple languages. advocates say that technology needs to be used with ongoing investment in human support, such as trained counselors, legal advisors, faculty mentors, and a strong advocacy infrastructure. campus case studies demonstrate that optimal student success rates are achieved in programs where edtech enhances, rather than substitutes, personcentered engagement (beisler & medaille, 2016). table 3: comparison of edtech features prioritized during hostile and supportive policy climates feature / design ethos hostile climate (trump era) supportive climate (biden era) data privacy maximized, encrypted, minimized transparent, granular user control user anonymity emphasized optional; more trust and openness algorithmic risk-mitigation high: avoidance/detection tools moderate: proactive match and support community building tools limited engagement expanded peer and mentor features language/cultural flexibility basic, focused on safety advanced: includes trauma-informed, multilingual options institutional accountability defensive, compliance-focused advocates for staffed supports and participatory governance example platform anonymous chat, privacy-first portals ai-powered college match, virtual dream centers table 3 combines the different types of edtech interventions and the policies that make them work better or worse. during times of hostility, developers focused on reducing risk by encrypting messages, limiting data footprints, and allowing anonymous use. this helped students who were worried about being watched and exposed. user community features and institutional transparency were often not as important because of legal risks (cantú, 2023). in contrast, during supportive phases, edtech grew to include features that support the whole person, such as relational supports, wellbeing resources, linguistic inclusion, and more control over user data. institutional accountability and human support staff gained prominence, embodying an ethic of care and trust (smith et al., 2020; santos, 2023). the growth of participatory design, a model in which students contribute at every phase of technology development, has resulted in significant enhancements in user satisfaction, trust, and efficacy (smith et al., 2020). transparent data practices, opt-in consent, and regular public audits are still essential. studies have shown that these practices lead to more engagement and advocacy pa ge 54 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 49-56, 2025 (nissenbaum, 2010). the synthesis of literature and case studies illustrates that effective edtech policy is contingent upon context and guided by principles. hostile climates limit innovation and make people less willing to take risks, while supportive climates provide people the power to make decisions. however, both need careful planning, governance, and ongoing accountability. seeing college access as a justice-oriented and socio-technical problem indicates that the interaction of law, technology, advocacy, and care necessitates lasting change that goes beyond merely having technical skills. it requires ethical, participatory, and structural change at all levels. implications for policy and practice the results of this important policy analysis have practical and useful implications for educators, campus administrators, edtech designers, and policymakers who aim to make education more accessible to immigrant and undocumented students. the evidence shows that campus leaders should make strong sanctuary policies and targeted scholarship programs and make them known to immigrant students. institutions can protect students from changing federal policies by making clear rules that stop them from sharing student information with immigration officials, offering private counseling, and setting up resource centers with culturally competent advisors and legal experts. setting up "hotlines" or safe ways for students to report bullying or family problems, and staying in touch with local immigrant rights groups, are other ways to show that you care about student safety and inclusion (cantú, 2023; crawford & arnold, 2022). edtech developers need to prioritize privacy, inclusivity, and openness as the primary objectives of the entire digital tool development process. this means collecting as little data as possible, using privacy-by-design methods, and giving users clear options to opt in. platforms should support multiple languages, avoid algorithmic exclusion of small or minority-serving colleges, and incorporate trauma-informed user interfaces—features repeatedly validated as critical for vulnerable and hesitant users (noble, 2018; benjamin, 2019; santos, 2023). also, regular audits by outside parties and open communication about how data is used can make users trust you more. involving students, particularly those from undocumented and mixed-status backgrounds, as active co-designers instead of passive end users will guarantee that platforms stay in line with real-life situations and new risks (smith et al., 2020). the research underscores the imperative for policymakers to provide continuous support for undocumented students, irrespective of fluctuations in federal priorities. state legislatures can make sure that protections for access, like being able to get in-state tuition, financial aid, and protections against discrimination, are strong enough to withstand cuts from the federal government. government agencies should pay for professional development for teachers and staff in immigration law and cultural competence. at the federal level, the u.s. department of education and other agencies must be clear and open, and there must be strong enforcement of protections against retaliation. there should also be partnership grants that encourage the building of support infrastructure that is friendly to undocumented immigrants. policy frameworks must institutionalize equity audits and user feedback loops to ensure that both analog and digital interventions effectively address barriers identified by students (diem et al., 2014; u.s. department of education, 2023). institutions, developers, and lawmakers must view equity not merely as a byproduct but as a fundamental design principle, integrating value, agency, and belonging at every policy and technological juncture. as the sociotechnical and legal landscapes continue to change, these groups will need to work together for a long time. the main idea behind inclusive educational technology policy is to make technology more human. platforms and systems must prioritize user dignity, autonomy, and empowerment, promoting opportunities for mentorship, peer connection, and comprehensive well-being (santos, 2023). in places where there is a lot of legal and personal risk, it is still very important to use trauma-sensitive design, multilingual support, and flexible navigation protocols. it is important to have data sovereignty and open governance. students must have significant control over their personal information, with clear and easy-to-use ways to give permission, contest, and change it (nissenbaum, 2010). outside auditors should regularly check privacy practices and algorithmic fairness. this approach would guarantee not only theoretical accountability but also practical implementation. for institutional accountability, edtech must stay a supplement to, not a replacement for, long-term human support. digital innovation must be accompanied by investments in counseling, legal services, community building, and faculty development, prioritizing structural equity over superficial efficiency. participatory design and continuous user feedback are established methodologies for synchronizing technology development with community requirements, cultivating a cycle of responsiveness and trust (smith et al., 2020). limitations and future research like all research, this analysis has some limits that readers should keep in mind when they look at its results and suggestions. one significant limitation is the dependence on secondary data and published case studies, which, although comprehensive and thematically varied, may not entirely reflect the complexities of undocumented student experiences across all regions or types of institutions. the range of institutional contexts was intentionally extensive; however, certain high-impact practices might be more common in particular states or urban areas with established immigrant advocacy infrastructures, which could restrict generalizability (pérez, 2023; enriquez & pa ge 55 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 49-56, 2025 pimentel, 2020). the comparative historical approach reveals overarching trends; however, the absence of longitudinal student-level outcome data constrains evaluations of enduring impact over time. also, the fact that both immigration policy and edtech innovation are changing quickly makes it hard to tell how long they will last. policy reversals, new technologies like generative ai, and new security threats like “deepfakes” and data breaches may happen faster than research and institutions can adapt. the literature is still lacking when it comes to the possible unintended effects of some digital interventions, especially as federal enforcement priorities change. subsequent research ought to emphasize design-oriented, participatory studies that involve undocumented students from varied backgrounds as co-researchers in the iterative development and evaluation of edtech tools. longitudinal studies that follow groups of people over time as they deal with changes in policy and exposure to digital platforms would give us a lot of useful information about persistence, graduation, and economic mobility. comparative analyses between states with contrasting policy frameworks or among various institutional types (e.g., community college versus selective university) may uncover significant contextual factors and effective practices. lastly, researchers ought to examine the equity ramifications of emerging technologies such as ai-driven predictive analytics and adaptive learning systems and how these instruments can be utilized judiciously to mitigate, rather than intensify, disparities in college access and achievement. to get a better idea of the next generation of socio-technical interventions, we will need to use mixed-methods approaches that include institutional data, interviews, and digital trace analysis. conclusion the journey of undocumented students into and through college is influenced by their ambitions, abilities, and perseverance, alongside the interplay of legal frameworks, technological advancements, and institutional determination. federal legislation is still the most important factor that affects these students' chances and options. as edtech becomes more and more crucial for getting into college, getting ready for it, and performing well, the people who build it and protect it need to know that being neutral and complacent can be dangerous. hostile circumstances encourage defensive innovation, whereas supportive environments promote expansion. nevertheless, only justice-centered design and conscious governance can transform exclusion into equity and anxiety into belonging. this study offers a thorough overview of the last eight years of policy and technical progress, illustrating that admission to college for immigrant and undocumented students must be framed and executed as a social, participative, and ethical endeavor. digital tools can achieve a lot, but you have to be brave, responsible, and really committed to respect. the message is clear: academics, policymakers, educators, and technologists need to work together to build systems that not only give individuals more chances but also protect them in ways that exhibit the greatest ideals of caring, justice, and inclusion. references beisler, m., & medaille, a. 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(2023). resource guide: supporting undocumented youth and young adults. office of elementary and secondary education. https:// www2.ed.gov/about/overview/focus/supportingundocumented-youth.pdf pa ge 1 pa ge 90 american journal of education and technology (ajet) household income and academic performance in kibera, nairobi county, kenya judith atieno magare1* volume 4 issue 3, year 2025 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v4i3.5635 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: july 07, 2025 accepted: august 12, 2025 published: september 12, 2025 this study examines the link between household income and student academic performance. it focuses on kibera, nairobi, kenya. the research fills a gap in quantitative data for disadvantaged areas. it used a descriptive design with both qualitative and quantitative methods. all 22 students and 5 teachers at baraka za ibrahim secondary school were included. key findings show a strong link between income and schoolwork. 63.6% of students strongly agreed that family income affects their performance. demographic data revealed serious issues. these included a high dropout rate in upper classes, with only 4.55% of students in form 4. there was also a gender imbalance, with 68.2% of students being male. 40% of teachers were underqualified. despite this, 90.9% of students felt their parents were very supportive. based on these findings, the study makes four recommendations. it suggests financial support through targeted bursaries. these would help students in higher grades stay in school. it also calls for promoting girl child education to address early marriage and pregnancy. the study recommends improving teacher development by hiring qualified teachers and training current staff. finally, it advises strengthening community engagement to build better school-parent relationships. keywords academic, household, income, performance 1 franciscan sisters of st. joseph (fsj), monitoring and evaluation officer, kenya * corresponding author’s e-mail: judymagar@gmail.com introduction household income matters a lot for a child’s educational attainment, as it simply predicts the resources and opportunities available to young people. wealthy families can often provide children with any number of educational advantages. this involves exposure to quality child care and pre-schools, private tutoring, enrichment activities, and a home environment with books, educational toys, and access to the internet (duncan & murnane, 2011). these tools are wonderful boosters for child’s cognitive development and ensure they are well prepared academically for formal schooling even before it commences. in contrast, children in low-income families typically have resource constraints that limit their early investment, putting them at a disadvantage from the start. the effect of household income is not only through tangible resources but also through more generalized parental involvement and an enriched learning environment. wealthier families generally have more resources to be actively involved in their children’s educations. they could attend school events, lend a hand with homework, or take a stance on behalf of their child’s needs in the educational system. they might be living in communities with well-funded schools, with experienced teachers and small class sizes (reardon, 2013). by comparison, low-income parents are often able to spend little time with their children because they need to work long hours in order to even make ends meet, and they have little opportunity to become involved in their kids' education. furthermore, financial instability can affect parental well-being and consistency in their ability to support their child's learning, which in turn can influence their child's motivation and achievement (evans, 2004). finally, these inequities result in an achievement gap for students of varying income levels. it is true that personal resiliency and supportive school programs can help to mitigate some of these disadvantages, but the strong relationship between family income and academic performance remains. and such a gap may manifest itself as lower test scores, lower graduation rates, and reduced access to higher education for students from lowerses families (sirin, 2005). tackling these inequalities frequently requires specific approaches that are not only to provide financial assistance, but also enhance educational resources, motivate parents, and provide an equitable learning environment for all children, irrespective of their family’s financial standing. academic performance in informal settlements such as kibera, one of the biggest informal settlements in africa, located in nairobi, kenya, is seriously compromised by an interplay of social, economic and environmental factors. most of the children in these settlements are from very poor backgrounds. many households survive on, less than $2 a day (the borgen project, 2025). this chronic poverty leads to inadequate access to the basic human needs of adequate shelter, sanitation, and nutritious food. these are the issues that directly impact a child’s health and ability to participate in school. most children go to school on an empty stomach, while others are unable to attend due to illness, which interferes with their learning (desklib, n.d.). compounding these demands, the financial strain on families leaves parents working multiple low paying jobs. this further curtails the time and their support toward the academic activities of their children or involving themselves in their education (andrew, 2014). pa ge 91 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 90-98, 2025 a large number of challenging factors, such as the educational system itself, in kibera, kenya, present one of the major obstacles to academic success. although the kenyan government introduced the policy of free primary education in 2003, public schools based within informal settlements like kibera experience high levels of overcrowding, large pupil-teacher ratios, and a lack of basic learning materials and facilities. it creates an unfavorable learning environment where students can receive minimal individual attention, and the quality of teaching may be questionable. hence, despite all efforts to ensure that everybody has access to education, many families occupying kibera’ slum areas do not feel it is enough for their children’s future and transfer to low-fee paying private schools and/or community-based schools also known as alternative providers of basic education and training. unfortunately, due to insufficient funding and a lack of recognition from the government, these apbet schools are unable to maintain high-quality standards. therefore, altogether, these factors impact test scores, raise school dropout rates, and reduce flowthrough rates onto the secondary and tertiary levels of education among students in locations similar to kibera. literature review influence of household income on students’ academic performance the standard in research is that household income has strong impact on students’ achievement. research suggests a strong association at various levels and contexts of education. one of the most important findings is that higher household income leads to greater access of these critical educational resources. affluent families can shower even more resources on their children’s learning, including high-quality preschools, tutoring, and enriching extracurricular activities. such benefits extend children's understanding and competencies (oketch et al., 2015; the borgen project, 2025). morning investments are often the best for cognitive development and school readiness, dispositions toward ongoing academic success. by contrast, students from lower-income families don't have these vital resources. they also experience limited access to textbooks, technology, and even proper nutrition, which can hinder them to learn, and to focus and pay attention to lessons in the classroom (desklib, n.d.; the standard, 2015). recent studies have also emphasized how household income indirectly affects academic performance, primarily through the home learning environment and parental involvement. wealthier families can make better study settings. they frequently offer a private location for study and are always available to connect to the internet, which was especially necessary during home learning (answerthis, 2025). higher income also tends to allow for more parental involvement in children's education. this would include assisting kids with homework, attending school functions and advocating to meet the child’s needs for their child (isrg publishers, 2025; researchgate, n.d. "investigating the effect of family income on academic performance..."). for poor families, financial stress, long work hours and precarious housing situations can leave little time and energy for engagement in their child's education. this leads to an expanding achievement gap (andrew, 2014; inceptia, n.d.). recent studies also investigate the psychological and emotional consequences of financial stress in relation to the motivation and persistence of students on their academic path. sometimes, students from less affluent families actually experience worse stress and anxiety when they’re thinking about their family’s finances. this can result in reduced focus, higher absenteeism, and lower academic performance (researchgate, n.d. "financial stress, student's positivity..."). students under financial pressure may need to work more than they need to study. this affects the number of hours students can commit to their studies and can lead to higher rates of drop-out (researchgate, 2025). research also shows that students’ aspirations and expectations can be influenced by financial limitation. students from richer families will likely have higher educational targets under the belief of having a better opportunity (isrg publishers, 2025). so, household income has impacts on more than the mere material resources; it influences the psychological health and motivation, which are also necessary for educational achievements. income is the lifeblood of family well-being, health and education. susan mayer (2014) investigated the relationship between parental income and child outcomes in chicago. she discovered that a lot of the people she was speaking to thought a child from a rich family was more likely to succeed than those from less welloff families. education is one of the main factors that determine income (boushey, 2005). median earnings increase when higher levels of education are attained. persons with professional and doctoral degrees typically have the highest amount of weekly wages, while those with less than a high school diploma report much lower amounts. as education level increases, so does economic and psychological well-being. that means that greater income often brings more power to control resources, more access to social support, more connections that make it more likely that your talents and ambitions will be discovered. in contrast, low-income children are more likely to have poorer academic performance, score poorly on cognitive skill tests in early childhood, have more behavioral problems in school and at home, and drop out of high school at higher rates. the most common reason offered for these disparities is simply that affluent parents can afford to invest more in their children’s development than poorer parents, and so their children do better. low-income students are now a majority of the overall public-school population in the united states. according to the national centre for education statistics (suitts, 2015), 51 per cent of school students in the us come from low socioeconomic status (ses) backgrounds. since support for low-income pa ge 92 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 90-98, 2025 families is primarily provided through income assistance, the evidence of the importance of parental income for adult well-being is compelling. this requires a comparison with other family background variables and potential benefits. members of the top family income quartile are 8 times more likely to earn a bachelor's degree by age 24 than are those in the bottom quartile, according to the u.s. census bureau (2014). this underlines how poor is family income to restrict student‘s capacity to pay school fees and satisfy other academic needs that are necessary for school growth. mistry et al. (2009) reported that stress coming from family finances and personal money concerns led to students’ emotional un-wellbeing such as distress and depression as well as their academic performance. this study has brought to the fore that financial difficulties may inhibit the payment of school fees and access to required supplies and other school materials by the students. and when students do not receive these necessities on time, they could be expelled and miss out on vital study time. in general, literature review demonstrated that many studies were performed in favorable socio-economic status, such as high family income, healthy parents, and standard family education. but there is a paucity of literature addressing how socioeconomic status correlates with academic achievement in areas with disadvantaged socio-economic conditions. the present study sought to fill this particular gap in the research. materials and methods research design this study employed a descriptive research design that sought to establish the social-economic factors influencing students’ academic performance at baraka za ibrahim secondary school. the study design used a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods to comprehend the situation better. quantitative studies are linked to the need for objectivity, measuring and describing phenomena using numbers and systematic processes (as defined by mcmillan & schumacher, 2010). conversely, qualitative techniques, notably the open-ended questionnaire, were used for obtaining extensive participant responses. the questionnaire was structured to gather both numerical data and estimates. the combination of these two techniques was successful in this study. the qualitative approach gave insights of the participants and the quantitative method gave objective findings. site description and study population the study was conducted in the informal settlement of kibera, situated approximately 7 kilometres southwest of the nairobi city county, kenya. kibera extends over about 2.5 square kilometers, or less than 1% of nairobi’s total area, yet is home to more than a quarter of the city’s population. according to the kenyan national bureau of statistics (knbs, 2010), the 2010 population of kibera was approximately 200,000, though estimates from other sources ranged from 1,000,000 to 2,000,000. the settlement comprises approximately 13 villages, such as raila, makina, kianda, mashimoni, kisumu ndogo, laini saba, shiranga (silanga), gatwekera, mkongeni, lindi, kichinjiyo (gichinjiyo), kambi muru and soweto. there are different tribe members; luos in kisumu ndogo, kambas in silanga, kisiis in kianda, nubians in makina and luhyas in kichinjiyo (peacenet & kyppede, 2008). for the people of the sprawling kibera slums, it is hard to get through a single day without a multitude of frustrations presented by politics, society and economy. these are: poor sanitation, insufficient waste disposal, poor access to health facilities, high poverty levels, insecurity, prevalence of diseases such as hiv/aids, substandard housing (mutisya & yarime, 2011). the majority of residents suffer from low incomes, which bring with it challenges as limited access to clean water and the ability to meet needs. the target population according to the study was the total population of baraza za ibrahim secondary school, that is 22 students and 5 teachers and therefore the sample was the population. sample and sampling techniques the study was based on a complete enumeration sampling method (census) such that all students in baraka za ibrahim secondary school were included in the sample. this comprised all 22 students and 5 teachers. this approach helped the researcher mitigate bias since all individuals in the population were included in the study. instruments and procedures in this study, both quantitative and qualitative tools were applied. the data were collected principally by means of questionnaires containing both open and structured questions. the study was based on a combination of survey and observation techniques. the sampled 5 teachers and 22 students were head teachers and pupils respectively while questionnaires were used as a survey tool to gather primary data from the entire sampled population. reliability and validity strube (2000) maintained that validity refers to the concurrence between an instrument and another instrument or a concept, or even the extent to which one particular statement relates to some aspect of reality. the researcher also tested the questionnaires to ensure its validity and modified where necessary. reliability is the consistency with which an instrument measures a given phenomenon time after another (mugenda, 2008). the questionnaires were also pre-tested to ensure reliability. this meant the same test had to be given twice and two weeks apart, in order to a small group of individuals. the stability of instruments over time were checked by comparing responses from both tests (time 1 and time 2). data analysis procedures data were read, described and interpreted in relation to pa ge 93 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 90-98, 2025 each study objective. quantitative data was processed using the statistical package for social sciences (spss). open-ended responses were qualitatively described by applying the descriptive and content analysis technique, to identify themes or patterns from data. ethical considerations there were numerous ethics violations connected to this research project. data was collected anonymously to ensure the participants felt secure as their personal information would not be revealed. confidentiality and privacy were guaranteed to all respondents who participated freely in the study. adequate permission to carry out the study was secured from researcher's institution and a formal letter was obtained as evidence of approval for data collection. this was together with school heads letter and authorization by catholic university of eastern africa (cuea) and faculty of arts and social sciences. results and discussions: demographic information of the participants level of class of students this section shows the class level of students. figure 1: class of the students in figure 1 the number of students by class level was distributed as follows: the category with highest percentage (50%) were form one. form three followed with 27.27%. forms two constituted 18.18% and form four the least with a representation of 4.55%. two potential reasons can be indicated from this demographic trend. there are a couple possibilities: firstly, it could be that the school is young and steadily getting students in. second, significantly lesser students in the upper forms (particularly form four) may mirror economic constraints among parents leading to greater likelihood for them discontinuing secondary school in that district. gender of the respondents (students/teachers) the researcher aimed to determine the gender of both the student respondents and their teachers. the results are shown in table 1. table 1: gender of students frequency percent valid percent cumulative percent valid male 15 68.2 68.2 68.2 female 7 31.8 31.8 100.0 total 22 100.0 100.0 source: field data march 2019 as can be seen in table 1, the majority of student respondents were males (68.18%), documenting a strong predominance over female ones (31.82%). this discrepancy indicates that perhaps in here boys’ education is more esteemed than girls. a number of reasons could account for this discrepancy. rate of girl child dropout from school resulted to early marriage and pregnancy, majority never up keep their education. it may be that some parents are less invested in putting their daughters through school. but it’s possible that, ultimately, it is young girls in the community who are also getting married at a tender age when they should still be attending school. pa ge 94 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 90-98, 2025 table 2: gender of teacher gender of the teachers frequency percent valid percent cumulative percent valid male 3 60.0 60.0 60.0 female 2 40.0 40.0 100.0 total 5 100.0 100.0 source: field data march 2019 table 3: qualification of teachers frequency percent valid percent cumulative percent valid p1 2 40.0 40.0 40.0 bachelor's degree 3 60.0 60.0 100.0 total 5 100.0 100.0 source: field data march 2019 as shown in table 2, male teachers constituted 60% (3teachers) of the teaching staff and female were at percentage 40% (2 teachers). it is an indication that baraka za ibrahim secondary school does not have enough teachers and the student population is very low. the lack of both students and teachers could indicate a general under-participation or access in the area. this phenomenon can be explained partly due to the location of the school in kibera slums. these informal settlements have very high levels of poverty and are characterised by dire home and school conditions that compromise learning. the situation may also have been as a result of lack of routine direct link between the school administration and ministry. some of these resource and access challenges might be addressed by better communication and teamwork. age of students figure 2: age of students the age distribution of the students is presented in figure 2. it shows that 14 students were aged between 14 and 16 years, whereas the remaining eight students were in their twenties (20-22). the greater number of the students aged 14 to 16 seems to reinforce researcher’s initial though regarding students aged 1416 years old. but the addition of students aged 20 to 22 shows there was also a lot who went back to school. this delay could be attributed to parents assigning domestic tasks in the home like household chores, and not fully realizing nor prioritizing the importance of school entry age. the qualifications of the staff are presented in table 3. it shows that 60 % were graduates of bachelor's degrees, and 40% possessed the p1 teaching certificate. the fact that p1 teachers, who generally are certified to teach in the primary school level, operate as secondary level teachers suggests these practitioners may not be adequately trained and equipped to give foundation specialist knowledge at such a higher stage. this could impact student performance. this sorry situation may be delivering a message over communication or the lack of supervision between school administrators and regional ministry for education. p1 teachers are generally not appropriated for secondary level schools. students are therefore, not being given the standard of pa ge 95 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 90-98, 2025 education which is necessary if they wish to achieve good academic standards. this may result in a degradation of performance over time. household income and academic performance the researcher also sought to establish the relationship between household income and academic performance. figure 3: students responses on household income and academic performance insights about the impact of household income on academic performance are plotted in figure 3. the overwhelming majority of students, 63.6%, strongly agreed that their family’s income affects how well they do in school and another 18.2% somewhat agreed. few were undecided (9.1%), 4.5 % disagreed or strongly disagreed with this statement (4.5%). this suggests that the majority of participants think household income affects their academic outcomes. this result is consistent with mistry et al. (2009) who stated that concerns about family’s finances and personal money problems can have an influence on students’ academic performance. it also implies that families in informal settlements such as kibera, where the study was based are most likely experiencing serious financial constraints to meet educational resources and school fee expenditures owing to low income. table 4: responses from students on parents who are supportive to their children frequency percent valid percent cumulative percent valid strongly agree 13 59.1 59.1 59.1 agree 7 31.8 31.8 90.9 undecided 1 4.5 4.5 95.5 strongly disagree 1 4.5 4.5 100.0 total 22 100.0 100.0 source: field data march 2019 table 4 indicates that students in the overwhelming majority perceive their parents as being supportive. in particular, 59\% strongly agreed that their parents are supportive and a further 31 agreed for an overall total of 90%. only 4 percent were not sure, and 4 percent strongly disagreed. this strong consensus indicates that most students receive significant help from their parents. some students provided details that their parents do not spare any efforts to give them what they need, such as stationery and an on-time deposit of fees even if resources are constrained. summary of findings the study “household income and academic performance in kibera” investigated the ways household income affects student academic outcomes, as well as certain demographic variables. the results suggest some important points: demographic profile of participants student class level the majority of the student respondents were in form one (50%); form three (27.27%) and, followed by a form two (18.18%), form four (4.55%). the dropping numbers in upper classes may be a result of financial constraints that make students drop out. gender distribution there were significantly more males (68.2%) compared to female students (31.8%). this discrepancy indicates that the girl child education may not be as appreciated, perhaps because of reasons like early marriage or pregnancy. the majority of teachers were also male (60%). age category the greatest number of students (14) were between the ages of 14 to 16 years, which is consistent with high pa ge 96 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 90-98, 2025 school age. however, a large group of students (8) were in the age range 20-22 years showing that they might have been delayed to go to school so as to assist at home. teacher quality 60% of the teachers held bachelor’s degrees while only 40% were p1 certificate holders. the involvement of p1 teachers in a secondary school is considered to be suspicious in the development quality educations because, as their name implies, they are trained primarily for primary education household income and academic performance 1. a majority of students (63.6% strongly agree, 18.2% agreed) that household income has a significant impact on academic performance/achievement. this is consistent with previous research suggesting that financial constraints can be a barrier to access of educational resources and payment for school fees, particularly in informal settlements such as kibera. 2. education support from parents was also corroborated by a large number of students (59.1% strongly agreed, 31.8% agreed) through provision of necessary items like stationery and making fee payments on time. it means that the parents are committed to education at all costs despite shortage of resources. conclusion in the overall, the study results support the relationship between family income and student academic performance among students in kibera. this is in part because of its impact on access to education and financial support. the demographic information reveals more complex challenges in education system within: 1. limited financial resources is a major obstacle in continuing secondary level education. this is particularly evident in the decreased number of students at upper levels. 2. there’s a stark gender imbalance in student enrollment. fewer girls enter and complete secondary education, very possibly because of sociocultural issues such as marriage and pregnancy at a young age. 3. employing ill-trained teachers at the secondary school level is a very serious concern as per the quality of education being provided. this might have a negative impact on student performance. 4. despite financial struggles, parents in kibera remain committed to supporting their children's education. this is testament to their resilience and commitment for a better future of the children. the following recommendations have been derived from findings and conclusions with a view to enhancing academic performances in kibera. financial support and bursaries introduce, establish and expand on specific bursary programmes for vulnerable students in informal settlements such as kibera. such programs need to target children from poor families, especially those in higher secondary classes where economic pressure pushes many of them out. girl child education identify and advocate for strategies to retain girls in schools, address the factors that cause early marriage plus pregnancy. this might involve public education campaigns about the disease, mentoring schemes for girls and distributing sanitary pads so they spend fewer days out of school. qualification of the teacher and professional development: the ministry of education in conjunction with school heads should make sure that only qualified teachers are posted to secondary schools. in addition, the ministry should also provide continuing training for current teachers, especially those with p1 qualifications, to enable them to be able teach at the secondary level. community engagement strengthen relationships between schools and parents, as well community leaders to support learning. this may mean parents’ workshops on the value of education and how to help their children succeed in school, with or without resources. policy advocacy campaign for policies that close the economic divides in informal settlements (including having its impact on education). this involves calling for more infrastructure, job prospects and a widening access to basic services that can take financial burdens off families and enable children concentrate on their studies. references african population and health research center. 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(2000). current population survey: design and methodology. https://www.census.gov/ hhes/socdemo/education/index.html pa ge 1 pa ge 11 4 american journal of education and technologies (ajet) effect of class size on the developmental domains of the kindergarten pupils gerald t. malabarbas1*, marion kay s. normor2, vilma c. alburan1 volume 1 issue 2, year 2022 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i2.671 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: september 27, 2022 accepted: october 04, 2022 published: october 06, 2022 children are the future of society, and early childhood development is undeniably important. as a result, stakeholders expect high-quality kindergarten education. this study assessed the effect of class size and the developmental domain performances of kindergarten pupils in public elementary schools. the researcher employed a descriptive-correlational design using the adopted questionnaire to evaluate the developmental domain performances of the kindergarten pupils in the selected public elementary. results of the study divulged that most kindergarten pupils were at the exact age of their grade level, male, had normal nutritional status and were middle children among their siblings. the kindergarten class size is above the required average of 25-30 pupils. moreover, the overall results also disclosed an evident performance level in various developmental domains of the pupils. only placement among siblings on the profile variables was identified as a significant predictor of the developmental domain performance of the pupils. further, the study found no association between class size and kindergarten pupils’ developmental domains. the researchers suggest that the department should maintain the standard size of the learners in every kindergarten class. furthermore, the teachers should monitor learners’ cognitive development and other physical activities even when they are studying only with their parents/guardians. keywords developmental domains, class size, performance, kindergarten 1 christ the king college, calbayog city, philippines 2 maguino-o es, calbayog city, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: dlaregtm@gmail.com introduction the department of education (deped) haspromoted early childhood education for decades. the department reinforces this by including a kindergarten in the country’s k-12 basic education curriculum. the department of education considers kindergarten a bridge between informal and formal literacy. this is the time of fast brain development when the brain is virtually fully formed. it is a learning time to walk, talk, and build self-esteem, worldview, and moral foundations. to prepare children for formal school, they should be immersed in various activities, games, and plays. however, there continues to be a debate on what should be an ideal class size in school. this is especially true in our kindergarten classes, where we begin to mold the minds and guide our young children to the world of learning and acquisition of knowledge and skills they can use in the future. some teachers reported an average kindergarten class size of twenty-one (21) students in full-day kindergarten classes and 22 students in half-day classes. teachers were asked about their current studentto-teacher ratio and what the optimal number of students per teacher should be. they said they teach an average of 20.4 students, while seventeen (17) students in each class would be a better number. this is to state policies also in the united states and canada (samuels, 2017). and while our department of education struggles to improve our public schools teacher-pupil ratio, private preschools in the country have already adopted a much smaller class size for kindergarten children, as small as 10 to 15 children only in a class. during early childhood, children develop at a rapid rate. children’s experiences and relationships during this period are critical for their future development. children who experienced higher levels of emotional and organizational classroom quality in both pre-kindergarten and kindergarten demonstrated better social skills and fewer behavior problems in both kindergarten and first grade compared to children who did not experience better classroom quality. the examination of the first-grade results indicated that the emotional and organizational quality of prekindergarten classrooms was the strongest predictor of children’s first-grade social skills and behavior problems (broekhuizen et al., 2016). according to chingos and whitehurst (2011), the substantial expenditures required to sustain smaller classes are justified by believing that smaller classes increase student learning. despite there being a large literature on class-size effects on academic achievement, only a few studies are of high enough quality and sufficiently relevant to be given faith as a basis for legislative action. during the preschool years, children rapidly build potentially long-lasting patterns of behavior and psychosocial skills. erik erikson’s theory of psychosocial development relates to the evolution of an individual’s social and moral personality. psychosocial refers to harmonizing the demands of the self (psycho-) with the needs of society (social-). the psychosocial development of children in kindergarten might be at various levels. it is the role of educators to guide students through whatever developmental stage or stages they are presently undergoing (baker, 2019). considering the aforementioned situation, the researchers aim to determine whether or not class size affects the developmental domain performance of a kindergarten student in some selected public elementary schools in the division of calbayog city, philippines. https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i2.671 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= pa ge 11 5 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 114-118, 2022 literature review some children didn’t know how to spell their names, while others were reading chapter books, according to samuels (2017). it was difficult to offer each child personalized attention, and teachers frequently returned home fatigued and disappointed, unsure if they had been able to encourage and support all of those precious children. as the year progressed, some teachers realized that when two students were missing and they only had 20 students, they were more effective teachers. although the difference between 20 and 22 pupils may not appear to be significant, it had a significant impact on their class. adding two kindergarteners to the class requires two more changes to the lesson plan, especially if the pupils are failing in school or adapting to the new rules. small classes have the greatest effect on increased student achievement in the primary grades when class sizes are below 20, and for gap groups, specifically minority and economically disadvantaged students (biddle & berliner, 2002; bosworth, 2014; filges et al., 2018). in these instances, smaller classes benefit students. understanding how class size is defined is crucial for assessing its efficacy. small class sizes with a 15:1 or 30:2 student-teacher ratio obscure research discussion and reflection. both instances show a pupil-teacher ratio of 15:1, but a classroom with 30 pupils and 2 teachers looks different than one with 15 students and 1 teacher (filges et al., 2018; lapsley, daytner, kelly, & maxwell, 2002). indiana’s project prime time shows how a lack of difference between these two ways of reporting class size can cause a class size initiative to become a lowering of the per pupil-teacher ratio through the use of a classroom helper (biddle & berliner, 2002). apparently, children who had better emotional and organizational classroom quality in pre-kindergarten and kindergarten had better social skills and fewer behavior problems in kindergarten and first grade than children who didn’t have better classroom quality (broekhuizen et al., 2016). also, psychosocial factors (psfs) like motivation, social control, and self-regulation are important for learning in the classroom (zins & elias, 2007). students need to be very motivated to learn well in school and to recognize and use the social supports that can help them learn, control their behavior, and deal with their feelings. seemingly, it appears that the number of pupils in a classroom has the ability to influence how much is learned in a variety of ways. for instance, it could have an effect on the level of social involvement among students. this may result in increased or decreased noise and disruptive conduct, which in turn affects the teacher’s ability to promote certain types of activity. it could reduce the amount of time a teacher has to focus on individual pupils and their unique requirements, as opposed to the group as a whole. since it is simpler to focus on an individual in a smaller group, the smaller the class size, in principle at least, the more likely it is that each student will receive individualized attention. in today’s educational system, the significance of psychosocial factors (psfs) like motivation, social interaction skills, and environmental support has been generally recognized as having a direct bearing on a student’s level of academic achievement (clouder et al., 2008; lee & shute, 2010). in addition, pupil safety factors can be utilized to evaluate a student’s potential for academic failure. psfs are even capable of being considered to constitute significant educational achievements. 2 2 in spite of the fact that the majority of educational policies and interventions are focused on raising students’ academic performance, there have been suggestions made for educational models that are more comprehensive and that describe a wider variety of educational outcomes (lee & shute, 2010; zins, bloodworth, weissberg, & wallberg, 2004). learning to accept and interact with peers from different cultures is a key ability for global learners, according to hattie (2008). small courses help children form lifetime friendships. pupils get more comfortable with each other, sharing ideas and viewpoints and pushing their studies. they’re more cooperative. each learner works at their own pace. smaller class sizes allow teachers to work one-on-one or in small groups of two to four students to observe performance, re-teach a concept, and provide appropriate feedback. the cited research focused on the external effects of small class sizes, whereas the present study determines respondents’ participation through teachers’ keen observation of class size’s effect on developmental domains such as socio-emotional, gross motor, fine motor, self-help, receptive language, expressive language, and cognitive. methodology the study employed a descriptive research design since this paper aimed to evaluate the effect of class size on the psychosocial performance of kindergarten pupils in selected public elementary schools. the sample size was calculated using the raosoft sample size calculator, and a stratified random sampling technique was employed in the study. then, an adapted questionnaire was used and validated through cronbach’s alpha analysis. the instrument obtained a cronbach’s alpha value of 0.964. thus, the instrument is valid, reliable, and accepted. on the other hand, a kolmogorov-smirnov and shapirowilk test was conducted to test the normality of the distribution of the variable of the study. based on the test, almost all of the distribution of the variables (p=0.000) significantly departed from normality with p-values less than 0.05. thus, the non-parametric statistic was used in the treatment of the data with the aid of the spss. results and discussion demographic profile of the kindergarten pupils the study disclosed that the majority of the kindergarten pupils are 5 years old (120 or 61.2%) as compared to 6 years old (76 or 38.3%). there is an almost equal number of male (100 or 51.0%) and female (96 or 49%) pupils. in terms of nutritional status, 152 (77.6%) are normal, https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 11 6 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 114-118, 2022 30 (15.3%) are wasted, 10 (5.1%), and only 2(1.0%) are overweight and obese. as to placement among siblings, most of them are middle children (73 or 37.2%) and only a few are the only child (19 or 9.7%). class size of the kindergarten pupils per class in selected public schools in tinambacan 2 district as shown in the table above, most of the public elementary schools have kindergarten classes of more than thirtyconsist of some degree of importance concerning the developmental domain performances of kindergarten pupils. moreover, gross motor (m=3.83, sd=0.47) has the highest mean among the domains, while expressive language (m=3.28, sd=0.61) has the lowest mean among the domains. table 2: level of developmental domain performances of the kindergarten pupils developmental domains n m sd interpretation gross motor 196 3.83 0.34 highly evident fine motor 196 3.59 0.47 highly evident self-help 196 3.40 0.51 evident receptive language 196 3.51 0.50 highly evident expressive language 196 3.28 0.61 evident cognitive 196 3.45 0.66 evident legend: 1.00-1.49=not evident (1); 1.50-2.49=slightly evident (2); 2.50-3.49=evident (3); 3.50-4.00=highly evident (4); m=mean; sd=standard deviation. table 3: correlation between the demographic profile and the developmental domain performances of the kindergarten pupils developmental domains age gender nutritional status placement among siblings socio-emotional kendall tau-b correlation 0.175* 0.075 -0.002 -0.046 sig. (2-tailed) 0.014 0.293 0.978 0.521 n 196 196 196 196 gross motor kendall tau-b correlation 0.079 -0.010 -0.092 -0.117 sig. (2-tailed) 0.272 0.890 0.200 0.103 n 196 196 196 196 fine motor kendall tau-b correlation 0.176* -0.065 -0.015 -0.133 sig. (2-tailed) 0.013 0.365 0.832 0.063 n 196 196 196 196 self-help kendall tau-b correlation 0.024 -0.079 0.070 -0.163* sig. (2-tailed) 0.736 0.273 0.331 0.023 n 196 196 196 196 expressive language kendall tau-b correlation 0.075 .070 .189** -0.141* sig. (2-tailed) 0.297 0.332 0.008 0.048 test of relationship between the demographic profile and the developmental domain performances of kindergarten pupils as presented in the above table, the computed kendall tau-b correlation coefficient ranges from -0.110 to +0.189. as shown, there is a significant correlation in age with socioone (31) pupils per class (4 or 57.14%) while for a class of thirty and below are only three (3) or 42.86%. then, the average number of pupils in kindergarten classes in the said district is 39.7 or 40 pupils thus, the class size of the kindergarten is too large or more than the required class size of 25-30 pupils only. level of developmental domain performances of kindergarten pupils the means of each item of the seven developmental domains are presented in table 8. all items have a mean score above 3.00. this is an indication that all of the developmental domains are ‘evident’ to ‘highly evident’ and considered those items as a major antecedent of the kindergarten pupils’ performance. this result reveals that the respondents consider that all the factors listed above table 1: frequency and percentage distribution of the class size of the kindergarten pupils class size frequency percent 30 and below 3 42.86 31 and above 4 57.14 (mean= 39.7; sd=11.85) https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 11 7 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 114-118, 2022 n 196 196 196 196 cognitive kendall tau-b correlation 0.046 .069 0.141* -0.125 sig. (2-tailed) 0.527 0.334 0.048 0.080 n 196 196 196 196 overall kendall tau-b correlation 0.117 .025 0.093 -0.158* sig. (2-tailed) 0.104 0.727 0.195 0.027 n 196 196 196 196 *. correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed), **. correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed) emotional (r=0.175, p-value=0.014) and fine motor (r=0.176, p-value=0.013). this means that socio-emotional and fine motor is correlated with older pupils. also, there is a significant correlation in nutritional status with expressive language (r=0.189, p-value=0.008) and cognitive (r=0.141, p-value=0.048). this means that expressive language and cognitive domain correlate with normal nutritional status. moreover, another significant correlation is observed between placement among siblings with self-help (r=-0.163, p-value=0.023) and expressive language (r=-0.141, p-value=0.048). this means that self-help and expressive language correlates with pupils being the first child. overall, there is a significant relationship in the placement among siblings with the table 3: correlation between the class size and the developmental domain performances of the kindergarten pupils developmental domains socio-emotional kendall tau-b correlation 0.020 sig. (2-tailed) 0.786 n 196 gross motor kendall tau-b correlation -0.057 sig. (2-tailed) 0.429 n 196 fine motor kendall tau-b correlation -0.150 sig. (2-tailed) 0.236 n 196 self-help kendall tau-b correlation -0.053 sig. (2-tailed) 0.458 n 196 receptive language kendall tau-b correlation -0.007 sig. (2-tailed) 0.923 n 196 expressive language kendall tau-b correlation -0.096 sig. (2-tailed) 0.183 n 196 cognitive kendall tau-b correlation -0.126 sig. (2-tailed) 0.078 n 196 overall kendall tau-b correlation -0.092 sig. (2-tailed) 0.201 n 196 *correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed) developmental domain (r=-0.158, p-value=0.027). test of relationship between the class size and the developmental domain performances of kindergarten pupils as presented in table 3, the computed kendall tau-b coefficient ranges from -0.150 to +0.020, and the p-values (sig.) are greater than the 0.05 level of significance. thus, there is no significant relationship between the class size and developmental domain performances of the kindergarten pupils. this means that in this study class size is not a predicting factor in the developmental domain performances of the kindergarten pupils. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 11 8 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 114-118, 2022 conclusions as a result of the findings of the study, the researchers concludes that the majority of the kindergarten pupils were of the right age, male, with normal nutritional status, and middle child. then, the class size is more than the required average size of 25-30 pupils. furthermore, all the developmental domains were performed evidently by the kindergarten pupils. on the other hand, only placement among siblings was considered to be a predictor of the level of developmental domain performances of the kindergarten pupils. lastly, the class size does not affect the developmental domain performances of the kindergarten pupils. it is highly recommended by the researchers that kindergarten teachers should give more time and attention to monitoring students’ cognitive development and other physical activities even when they are studying only with their parents/guardians. acknowledgment the researchers would like to thank dr. thelma quitalig, schools division superintendent, for her support and approval of this study in the division; mrs. ma. teresa s. simon, tinambacan 2 district supervisor, for her encouragement and support in pursuing this research; and the elementary school heads for facilitating the deployment of the research instruments and to the secondary school teachers for sharing their time in answering the questionnaires. references bakers, l. (2019, may). psychosocial development: why it matters in kindergarten. https://msbakersk. com/2019/05/05/psychosocial-development-whyit-matters-in-kindergarten/ biddle, b. j., & berliner, d. c. (2002). small class size and its effects. educational leadership, 59(5), 12-23. bosworth, r. (2014). class size, class composition, and the distribution of student achievement. education economics, 22(2), 141-165. https://doi.org/10.1080/0 9645292.2011.568698 broekhuizen, m. l., mokrova, i. l., burchinal, m. r., garrett-peters, p. t., & family life project key investigators. (2016). classroom quality at prekindergarten and kindergarten and children’s social skills and behavior problems. early childhood research quarterly, 36, 212-222. chingos, m. & whitehurst, g. (2011, may). class size: what research says and what it means for state policy. brown center for education policy at brookings. https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/ uploads/2016/06/0511_class_size_whitehurst_ chingos.pdf clouder, c., dahlin, b., diekstra, r., berrocal, p. f., heys, b., lantieri, l., & paschen, h. (2008). social and emotional education: an international analysis. santander: fundación marcelino botín. retrieved july, 7, 2010. http://educacion.fundacionmbotin.org/ index.php?a=educacion_responsable_analisis_ internacional filges, t., sonne-schmidt, c., & nielsen, b. (2018). small class sizes for improving student achievement in primary and secondary schools: a systematic review. campbell systematic reviews, 14(1), 1-107. https://doi. org/10.4073/csr.2018.10 hattie, j. (2008, november). visible learning: a synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement. routledge (1st ed). https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203887332 lapsley, d., daytner, k., kelly, k., & maxwell, s. (2002). teacher aides, class size and academic achievement: a preliminary evaluation of indiana’s prime time. erds. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ed466679 lee, j., & shute, v. j. (2010). personal and socialcontextual factors in k-12 academic performance: an integrative perspective on student learning. educational psychologist, 45(3), 185–202. https://doi.or g/10.1080/00461520.2010.493471 martin, l. b., irina, l.m., margareth, r.b., patricia t.p. (2016). classroom quality at pre-kindergarten and kindergarten and children’s social skills and behavior problems. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/ article/abs/pii/s0885200616300060 samuels, c. (august 2017). preschool class size within reason doesn’t matter, study finds. educationweek. https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/ preschool-class-size-within-reason-doesnt-matterstudy-finds/2017/08 zins, j. & elias, m. (2007, april). social and emotional learning: promoting the development for all students. journal of educational and psychological consultation, 17(2-3), 233-255. https://www.researchgate.net/ publication/233096919 zins, j., bloodworth, m., weissberg, r., & walberg, h. j. (2004). the scientific base linking emotional learning to student success and academic outcomes. in j. e. zins, r. p. weissberg, m. c. wang, & h. j. walberg (eds.), building academic success on social and emotional learning: what does the research say? (pp. 3-22). new york, ny: teachers college press. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 93 american journal of education and technology (ajet) the qawaid nahwu’s learning contribution to reading skills amir1* volume 2 issue 2, year 2023 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i2.1037 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: november 30, 2022 accepted: january 15, 2023 published: may 17, 2023 this study aimed to determine and analyze the contribution of qawa’id nahwu learning in improving reading skills in arabic language program students. this study uses a qualitative method with the data source selected by purposive sampling. the types of data in this study were primary data and secondary data. in contrast, the data collection techniques in this study used observation, interviews and subject interpretation of the questions posed by the researcher. the data analysis technique uses data reduction stages, data presentation, drawing conclusions, and verification. the results showed that the qawa’id nahwu method implemented for students proved to be more effective in improving reading abilities and skills in learning arabic when compared to conventional methods. other findings indicate that there are still inhibiting factors in implementing the qawa’id nahwu method, including environmental factors and internal factors from the individual students themselves. therefore, efforts to overcome the obstacles of learning qawa’id nahwu can pay attention to five external factors: the competence of arabic language lecturers, the learning methods used, the arabic language material being taught, adequate infrastructure facilities, and a supportive environment. keywords language, arabic, learning, qawaid nahwu 1 department of tarbiyah, institut agama islam bõne, indonesia * corresponding author’s e-mail: amir@iain-bone.ac.id introduction a language is an essential tool in conveying an idea or message. through language, we can communicate and know the developments that occur and language, created by humans (rabiah, 2018), has a vital role in human interactions. language is a communication tool used by everyone in their daily life as a means to convey information and arguments to others (de oliveira et al., 2015; sirbu, 2015). in this era, arabic is a foreign language for non-arabs, whose demand is excellent (alshammari et al., 2019). more and more europeans and adherents of other religions are studying arabic in depth, although with different motivations. at least there are three reasons why arabic is considered to have a significant position and role. arabic is an international language, one feature of which is that arabic is one of the major languages in the world which is spoken by no less than 200 million people in various parts of the world (gazzawi, 2000). in addition, arabic is the language of the koran, the holy book of muslims (shenassa & khalvandi, 2008; suhaimi, 2020). even in muslim beliefs, the qur’an is a guide for them and all humanity, as mentioned in qs al-jasiyah/45:20. then, arabic has become a language that is quite popular in the europe, especially in the last decade (ali et al., 2016; aljunied, 2018). in western countries, especially in america, educators there are increasingly interested in learning arabic (rahman & melhim, 2014). this has been demonstrated in several universities that have studied arabic as a subject of study, including catholic and christian universities. harvard university, a private university most respected worldwide, was founded by protestant priests. georgetown university, a private catholic university, has an arabic study center called the center of contemporary arab studies. meanwhile, in africa, arabic is the first language in countries such as mauritania, morocco, algeria, libya, and sudan (calafato, 2020). meanwhile, in seoul, south korea, several islamic study organizations began to promote the teaching of arabic for both orientalists and muslims there (kong et al., 2020); in japan, there was an arabic teaching institute initiated by the saudis (houghton & al-asswad, 2014; tsukada, 2011). in indonesia, the country with the largest muslim population in the world, arabic is a foreign language taught in educational institutions, especially educational institutions with islamic characteristics, such as islamic boarding schools. thus, it can be said that the arabic language has enormous significance, not only for hundreds of millions of arab and non-arab muslims but also for everyone interested in establishing effective communication with the arab world in particular and the islamic world in general. arabic is a language that muslims must learn. the special position that arabic has among other languages in the world is that it functions as the language of the qur’an and hadith, as well as other books. this is one of the factors why people want to learn, master, and understand arabic because it is the language of the qur’an and the hadith of the prophet muhammad. both of which are the main sources of islamic teachings. so it is not surprising that the position of the arabic language is very important because mastery of the language is the main requirement in studying the qur’an and other sciences. education is a conscious and planned effort to create a learning atmosphere and learning process so that students actively develop their potential to have spiritual, and https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i2.1037 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= mailto:amir%40iain-bone.ac.id?subject= pa ge 94 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 93-98, 2023 spiritual strength, self-control, personality, intelligence, noble character, and skills needed by themselves for society, nation, and state (undang-undang no 20 tahun 2003 tentang sistem pendidikan nasional, 2004). in other words, education is an effort to develop human resources through a learning process both at elementary school, junior high school, upper middle school (sma/ ma), and at the university level. moreover, one of the lessons that can improve human resources is learning arabic. the arabic language has many varieties, including its standard form, modern stadard arabic (msa), classical arabic(amine menacer & smaïli, 2021) and arabic language has its own advantages and characteristics (alqudsi et al., 2014), including the breadth of meaning contained in arabic vocabulary (bakker, 2020). furthermore, to be able to understand arabic, one must first know arabic grammar, namely qawa’id(baroroh ma’arif et al., 2020; marpuah & sulton, 2019). qawa’id is another name for nahwu science, and this nahwu science is inseparable from saraf science (prihartini et al., 2018). the science of nahwu and saraf science is the main science in arabic. it is important to learn compared to other arabic sciences because one word can change and have another meaning caused by changes in i’rab or how to read it and the origin of the word. the relationship between nahwu and nerves cannot be separated from one another. the two are likened to a mother and father who need each other and complement each other, as in the tasrif book. based on the above expression, it can be concluded that the two of them are a family, where saraf science is the mother of arabic because arabic words are born from nerves that have various meanings. at the same time, nahwu is the father because it regulates words that have been born and arrange them to become correct sentences (kholisin, 2003). in addition to nahwu science, in learning arabic, ideally one is also expected to be able to master 4 (four) aspects of basic language skills, namely listening skills عاَمِتْسِالْا ُةَراَهَم) ِ), speaking or speaking skills (ُةَراَهَم and skills ,(ةَباَتِكْلا ُةَراَهَم) writing skills ,ِ(ِةَثَداَحُملْا reading (ِةَءاَرِقلْا ُةَراَهَم) (abdullahi et al., 2018; ritonga et al., 2021). these four skills are interrelated with each other in order to realize the goals of language learning in general (muhtarom, yusuf. suharsono, suharsono. syaefudin, 2020). as stated in the language curriculum, namely, having language knowledge and a reasonable attitude towards the language itself. to master the four arabic language skills above, it is necessary to master the science of nahwu, and among the four aspects of the arabic language skill, reading skill is the most important skill for arabic students to master because if someone has mastered this skill, then it is easy for him to master other language skills (motaghizadeh et al., 2018; yahaya et al., 2019; zetawi & lipka, 2019). these skills also occupy important roles to be mastered in human life. because this skill can help someone study the koran and hadith and books written by scholars in arabic (the yellow/bald book). in addition, this skill is also used to obtain information outlined by experts and writers in various magazines and newspapers, including arabic-language social media. based on preliminary observations, it is known that some students majoring in arabic language education study programs at islamic college, both come from public school alumni, namely graduates of islamic/non-islamic (formal) educational institutions such as graduates of upper secondary level and equivalent, as well as graduates of islamic (non-formal) education schools such as islamic boarding schools. they need to be made aware of the importance of mastering reading skills. as a result, some of them still need to improve and be more capable of reading arabic texts properly and correctly following the accuracy of the harakat. they pay less attention to the accuracy of the vowel at the end of the word according to the ‘irab, so there are still many mistakes in reading, and islamic university in bõne, indonesia arabic language education students experience this condition. in connection with the problems above, the authors describe the contribution of qawa’id nahwu learning to the skills of reading arabic texts. through this research, the authors hope arabic students will pay more attention to learning qawa’id nahwu to improve their reading skills. therefore, to find out the importance of qawa’id nahwu learning in improving reading skills, a study will be carried out with the title “contribution of qawa’id nahwu learning to the reading skills of islamic university in bõne, indonesia students. methodology the type of research used by the author in preparing this thesis is qualitative research. qualitative research is intended to understand phenomena about what is experienced by research subjects.this research is classified as a descriptive type of research because this research provides an overview of the results by describing the actual data obtained in the field. this study will describe the object naturally, namely regarding the contribution of qawa’id nahwu learning in improving the reading ability of students majoring in arabic language education tarbiyah. the approach used in this research is a multidisciplinary approach which includes a juridical approach, a linguistic approach, a sociological approach, and a pedagogical approach. arabic language education study program, arabic lecturers and arabic learning students. in qualitative research, the sample data source was selected by purposive sampling. qualitative research is very closely related to contextual factors. the purpose of sampling, in this case, is to capture as much information as possible from various sources; thus, the goal is to keep ourselves distinct from differences developed in generalizations. the goal is to detail the specificity in a unique context potion. the second purpose of sampling is to gather the information that will form the basis of the emerging theoretical design. in qualitative research, there is no random but purposive sample. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 95 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 93-98, 2023 this study uses two types of data, namely primary data and secondary data. primary data, namely empirical data obtained in the field, comes from informants obtained at islamic university in bõne. secondary data is a source of data that is not directly from the informant or additional data that is used when needed, which is obtained through searches in the form of islamic university in bõne data, documents, reports, and elements related to this research. to carry out this qualitative data analysis, it is necessary to emphasize the following stages and steps: for data reduction, miles and huberman say that data reduction is defined as a selection process, focusing attention on simplifying, abstracting, and transforming raw data that emerges from written records in the field. reducing data can mean summarizing, choosing the main things, focusing on the important things, and looking for themes and patterns. the reduction stage is carried out to examine the comprehensive data collected from the field, so that data from the object under study can be found. activities that can be carried out in this data reduction include: 1) collecting data and information from records of interviews and observations; 2) looking for things considered important from each aspect of research findings. presentation of data, in this case, is the delivery of information based on data obtained from iain bõne following the research focus to be well organized and coherent so that it is easy to see, read and understand an event and action or event related to the contribution of qawa’id nahwu learning in improving the reading ability of students majoring in arabic language education at iain bõne in the form of narrative text. at this stage, a summary of the research is carried out systematically to determine the contribution of qawa’id nahwu learning in improving the reading ability of students majoring in arabic language education at islamic university in bõne. activities at this stage include: 1) making descriptive and systematic summaries so that the central theme can be identified easily; 2) giving meaning to each of these summaries by paying attention to suitability with the research focus. if deemed inadequate, research is carried back to the field to obtain the required data following the research flow. according to miles and huberman in harun rasyid, drawing conclusions or verification reveals that data verification and concluding is an attempt to interpret the data displayed by involving the author’s understanding. the conclusions in the early stages are supported by valid and consistent evidence when the authors return to the field to collect data, so the conclusions are credible. at this stage, an assessment of the conclusions that have been drawn with certain theoretical comparison data is carried out, carrying out a member check process or rechecking process, starting from the implementation of pre-survey (orientation), interviews, observation, and documentation, then making general conclusions to report as a result of research that has been done. testing the validity of the data used to measure the validity of the results of this study was carried out by triangulation. triangulation is a data collection technique that combines various data collection techniques and existing data sources. field observations were also carried out by focusing gradually and continuously following the research focus, namely the contribution of qawa’id nahwu learning in improving the reading ability of students majoring in tarbiyah arabic language education islamic university in bõne, then discussing with people who are considered to understand this research problem. consistency in the stages of this research remains within the systematic framework of research procedures that are interrelated and mutually support one another so that the research results can be accounted for. the main implication that is expected from this whole process is that the conclusion remains significant with the data that has been collected so that the research results can be declared as representative scientific work. results and discussion learning qawa’id nahwu. lecturer competence in learning qawa’id nahwu is absolute in order to be able to improve the ability to read arabic texts. learning method used the learning method occupies a position that is no less important in efforts to improve students’ ability to read arabic texts towards learning islamic university in bõne because the method is a tool used by lecturers in establishing relationships with students during learning, lecturers are expected to be able to liven up the atmosphere of learning activities. the lecturer’s task is to choose the right method to create a learning process that leads to three aspects that can improve students’ reading skills: cognitive, affective, and psychomotor (astuty, 2015). following the observations of researchers in the field, the methods used by the arabic language lecturers at islamic university in bõne vary because they are following the background and educational capacity of the arabic language they have. even so, lecturers are still trying to choose the right method following the maturity level of students, including readiness, independence, students’ cognitive abilities in thinking, and so on. accuracy in choosing and using a method will affect students’ language skills in learning arabic, especially reading skills (qiraah). they are interested in learning by applying varied, interesting, and fun learning methods in dealing with the various differences in their absorption. according to sujana, a good learning method is a varied or combination of several learning methods. such as combining the lecture method with questions and answers, assignments, discussions, and assignments (sharifzadeh & abdollahzadeh, 2021). the arabic learning method used at islamic university in bõne varies by combining several methods to attract students’ attention and interest them in participating in learning, while the arabic learning method applied at islamic university in bõne, namely: lecture method, question and answer method, discussion method, and group assignments. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 96 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 93-98, 2023 lecturers use various methods and also apply a unitary system (nizam al-wihdah/united system) in providing learning because arabic is a subject that consists of integral parts that are interconnected and mutually reinforcing one another, covering several categories, namely: reading (al-qur’an), understanding (al-farm); expression (al-ta’bir); language (al-sarwah al-lugawiyah); and others. however, this system still refers to a central theme so that students can understand language as an interrelated unit. furthermore, lecturers try to make students able to understand the four arabic language competencies (al-maharat al-arba’ah), namely: listening (al-istima’), speaking (al-kalam), reading (al-qur’an), and writing (al-kitabah) although not in detail and detail. the majority of students at islamic university in bõne are interested in something other than participating in learning arabic. however, the lecturer’s proficiency in using varied, interesting, and fun learning methods can arouse their interest and make them feel at home following the lesson. by using this method, students who previously did not understand arabic, especially qawa’id nahwu, gradually understood because the method used by the lecturer interested them. arabic material taught the condition of learning arabic at islamic university in bõne is still experiencing various challenges and obstacles in learning arabic because, until now, it has not shown the expected results; even arabic material, especially qawa’id nahwu, tends to be a frightening specter and is not liked by most students of islamic university in bõne, causing their lack of interest in following the lesson. their class participation when learning arabic courses is just filling in attendance. the qawa’id nahwu arabic language material seems difficult and irrelevant to the reality of students and the very limited arabic language media, which causes a lack of interest and motivation in their learning. therefore, creative lecturers must find and make appropriate and interesting arabic learning materials. this is because the role of the media is very important in transferring language knowledge to students at islamic university in bõne. their weak understanding of learning arabic is because before entering islamic university in bõne, they came from public schools that had never studied arabic. thus, the role of arabic lecturers is to present basic arabic material that is easy and understandable for them. learning support facilities and infrastructure facilities directly support the smooth running of the learning process, in this case, learning media, learning tools, and lecture room equipment. the media in question is a tool used to achieve learning objectives. at the same time, infrastructure can indirectly support the success of the learning process, such as roads, lighting, restrooms, etc. thus facilities and infrastructure are important components that can influence students’ interest in learning arabic. islamic university in bõne, in learning arabic, is only supported by facilities and infrastructure that are still simple and need to meet standards to help smooth the learning process. most lecture rooms only have simple blackboards, chairs, and tables and still, need to be supported with lcds. the lecture environment also does not use air conditioning, so the room is stuffy and hot; it greatly affects students’ discomfort and greatly impacts their lack of interest in participating in the arabic learning process. in learning arabic, facilities and infrastructure are the media needed to convey messages and stimulate thoughts, arousing student interest, enthusiasm, attention, and abilities to create a conducive and effective learning process. the inadequate lectures in terms of facilities and infrastructure at islamic university in bõne solid became an obstacle in the learning process. it even became a factor that influenced their language skills. supportive environment the environment also plays an important role in improving language skills. if students learn arabic supported by an arabic-speaking environment, it will affect the acceleration of their understanding of their learning. conversely, if they are in an environment that does not speak arabic, then this situation is enough to hinder the acceleration of their understanding. blocher explained that, in essence, this learning environment is a physical, social, and psychological context in which children learn and acquire new behaviors. in principle, everyone will learn from what they see and hear from various media and other people around them. environmental factors are one of the important factors in creating the character of one’s growth and development, especially in learning. so it can be explained that the changes caused by the environment can be sedentary and relatively permanent. the stronger the influence of the environment, the higher the predicted changes that will occur in the learning subject. this is the great influence of the environment on the development, growth, and behavior of a person (rita mariyana, 2010, p. 39). a supportive campus environment and association can develop strong language skills for arabic learners. however, in reality, according to the results of field observations, it shows that the environment at islamic university in bõne is not conducive and not supportive. this is due to the need for more awareness among lecturers and students of the importance of creating a language environment. thus, lecturers and students at islamic university in bõne should be able to create a language environment that is conducive, interesting, and enjoyable because a supportive environment will motivate students to improve their arabic language skills. in general, students’ internal factors are an obstacle to arabic language skills, which are their psychological characteristics which include; a low level of intelligence, lack of talent and interest in arabic, and lack of selfmotivation, so it seems that they are less interested in learning arabic. therefore, efforts to overcome the https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 97 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 93-98, 2023 obstacles to learning qawa’id nahwu in learning arabic at islamic university in bõne can pay attention to five external factors, namely: the competence of arabic lecturers, the learning methods used, the arabic material taught, adequate infrastructure, and the environment. which supports. according to the researcher, in addition to pursuing the five external factors mentioned above, it would be nice for islamic university in bõne to open arabic courses as extra-curricular classes, which are intended for students who do not yet have basic arabic (qawa’id nahwu), especially for those who come from public schools who never studied arabic. furthermore, it is held every year in the first semester after the admission of new students, with the hope that in the second and subsequent semesters, they will have no difficulty following arabic learning, especially material (qawa’id nahwu), so that they can read arabic texts correctly and can understand them well. student interest in learning qawa’id nahwu in general, the internal factors of nonarabic education students are an obstacle to interest in learning arabic, which is their psychological nature which includes; low level of intelligence, lack of talent and interest in arabic, and lack of self-motivation, so it seems that they are less interested in learning arabic. therefore, efforts to overcome the lack of interest of non-arabic education students in learning arabic at islamic university in bõne can pay attention to five external factors: the competence of arabic lecturers, the learning methods used, the arabic language material taught, adequate infrastructure, and suitable environment support. conclusion the description of qawa’id nahwu learning applied by qawa’id nahwu teachers at islamic university in bõne applies the group discussion method so that students are more creative; the discussion method applied in teaching nahwu is quite significant because the language used in the discussion is more familiar to the participants. participants can ask questions and convey ideas. however, this discussion method will require relatively more time than the demonstration or lecture method because the number of targets involved in the discussion is limited, and it will appear that the participants are dominant in speaking or not speaking at all. in addition, the teacher uses the lecture method, namely explanation and oral narrative by the lecturer in front of students in class. in this method, the teacher dominates and becomes the subject of learning, while the student is a passive object receiving what is conveyed by the teacher. nevertheless, the drawback is that the teacher cannot know to what extent the students have understood the conversation. sometimes, the teacher thinks that if students sit quietly listening or nodding their heads, they understand what the teacher explained. even though this assumption often misses, even though students show reactions as if they understand, the teacher does not know the extent of student mastery of the lesson. therefore, an evaluation must be held immediately after he gives a lecture. learning qawa’id nahwu that has been implemented can improve students’ reading skills at islamic university in bõne. reference abdullahi, a., binti mohmad rouyan, n., & salwa mohd 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(2019). note-taking skill among bilingual students at the academia: literacy, language and cognitive examination. frontiers in psychology, 10(apr). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00870 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 1 american journal of education and technology (ajet) the effect of chatgpt 3.0 as a personalized learning tool in answering atomic structure assessments nick andrei v. cayetano1*, francisza c. de dios1, leonardo m. francisco2, ishbel zanthie n. hernandez1, frances lei v. sequito1, sophia marie c. sevilla1, louise beatriz sison1 volume 4 issue 3, year 2025 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v4i3.4700 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: april 30, 2025 accepted: may 03, 2025 published: june 17, 2025 this study investigates the effect of chatgpt 3.0, on grade 11 stem students’ performance in atomic structure assessments. using a one-group pretest-post-test quasi-experimental design, the study applied the wilcoxon signed rank test, cohen’s d, and hake’s gain index to measure changes in cognitive assessment scores and technology acceptance via a tam survey. results revealed a significant increase in test scores with a large effect size (cohen’s d = 0.9), though gains in specific subtopics were modest. the findings suggest that chatgpt 3.0 can enhance learning outcomes and promote ai acceptance in education, warranting further investigation with extended intervention periods and larger sample sizes.keywords atomic structure, chatgpt 3.0, general chemistry assessment, generative ai, tam survey 1 st. james academy, malabon city, philippines 2 de la salle university, manila, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: nick.cayetano018@gmail.com introduction artificial intelligence (ai) goes back to the 1950s when john mccarthy organized a two-month workshop at dartmouth college, usa. in the workshop proposal, mccarthy used the term ai for the first time in 1956 (russell & norvig, 2010). the premise behind the study of ai is that every facet of learning or any other intelligence component can theoretically be characterized with such precision that a computer may be created to mimic it. their set goal is to figure out how to make machines speak, create abstractions and notions, solve issues that are currently only solved by humans, and develop by themselves. baker and smith (2019) provided a broader definition of ai, “computers which perform cognitive tasks, usually associated with human minds, particularly learning and problem-solving”. its innovation has significantly impacted the society in which humans live today. the advent of generative adversarial networks (gans) following ai creation became a more profound and novel model. a gan consists of two neural links: the generator and the discriminator. this neural network has the potential to make education more interactive and inclusive for students. unesco (2023) noted that the ability of generative ai (gai) to align with learning, interest, pace, ability, and style enables it to provide immediate feedback. ai serves as a catch-all phrase for a variety of tools and techniques, including algorithms, machine learning (ml), natural language processing, data mining, and neural networks. ai and ml are often mentioned in the same context. ml is a method of ai for supervised and unsupervised classification and profiling, for example, to predict the likelihood of a student dropping out from a course or being admitted to a program, or to identify topics in written assignments. popenici and kerr (2017) defined ml “as a subfield of ai that includes software able to recognize patterns, make predictions, and apply newly discovered patterns to situations that were not included or covered by their initial design”. rahman et al. (2021) used ml for cow price prediction and achieved a 70% accuracy through pattern recognition. a popular example of ml is the chat generative pretrained transformer (chatgpt) — a sibling model to instructgpt that is programmed to follow a prompt or instruction given by a user to provide a detailed response. kasneci et al. (2023) stated that chatgpt is backed by openai, which uses a large language model (llm). the model acknowledges personalized learning experiences and educational content. improving student engagement when utilized, which overall contributes to effective education delivery. in addition, susarla et al. (2023) noted that chatgpt can assist with data collection and problem formulation. two of these studies acknowledge the potential of chatgpt as a modern education tool that can be utilized in the school setting. chatgpt is fine-tuned to produce responses that are similar to humans in a conversational tone giving its users the ability to receive information by typing a prompt (input). according to dasborough (2023), the ability of chatgpt to create user content is powered by gai, which supplies texts and creative contents from different resources. similar to the study by qiao et al. (2022), the model chatgpt can be interrelated via text-toimage generative models. technology used in ai continues to upgrade its quality, as observed in the performance gap between gpt-2 and the more recent gpt-3. pa ge 2 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 1-11, 2025 gpt-2 began as an ai used for document summarization as it analyzes given/prewritten text, while gpt-3 can perform more complicated tasks such as answering questions, language translation, conducting advanced searches, and all of the capabilities of gpt-2. gpt-3 has been trained on more textual data and generally provides better responses compared to its predecessor gpt-2. according to fullestop (2024), gai have impacted the learning of students in many different ways because of the huge role it plays in the education system. the ability of gai to understand the strengths and weaknesses of students allows it to supply assistance and tutoring when it comes to learning. tamer and knidri (2023) stresses the use of ai, chatbots, and modern technologies to better respond to the needs of the current age of knowledge and globalization. chatgpt offers personalized learning style and materials to understand a lesson. a philosophical question remains whether these machines will be able to actually think or even develop consciousness in the future rather than just simulating thinking and showing rational behavior. gai’s integration as a learning tool has become prominent in recent years. researchers had seen huge potential of chatgpt in the education system. its extent remains underexplored. shifting the focus on testing its integration in specific content areas in the atomic structure topic under the general chemistry assessment course. the usage of gai has become essential in education. yet, its influence towards its acceptance has not been thoroughly examined. in order to address these knowledge gaps, the researchers had chosen to explore these three research questions (rqs) such as: 1. does generative ai affect the participants assessment score related to their pretest score after the intervention? 2. how does generative al affect the participants performance in the basic subatomic particles (bsp), atomic model (am), and atomic composition (ac) subpart of the assessment after the intervention? 3. how are the participants perceived ease of use (peu), perceived usefulness (pu), and behavioral intention (bi) influenced by generative ai after the intervention? literature review the rise of ai has led to its application across many disciplines, particularly in healthcare and education. ai’s influence in these areas is largely due to its ability to be trained using data. in education, ai is proving beneficial through its more comprehensive applications. for instance, keddy (2022) emphasized that a growing body of literature suggests the integration of chatgpt can cultivate creativity and innovative thinking, especially among business students. ai systems, by using distinct prompts according to the desired output, can generate human-like content in the form of texts, images, or videos (alasadi & baiz, 2023; chiu, 2023; lee et al., 2023; pavlik, 2023). generative ai’s ability to provide content instantaneously is rapidly transforming the educational landscape. according to bolick and da silva (2024), ai-driven content generation has become an essential part of instructional design, requiring education professionals to be adept at utilizing these tools effectively. gai tools such as chatgpt, gemini, and dall-e are increasingly being used by professionals in classroom settings, fostering adaptability and encouraging acceptance among students. in addition to generative tools, a significant development in ai technology is the generative pretrained transformer (chatgpt). brown et al. (2020) highlighted the evolution of gpt-3, developed by openai, which enhances task-agnostic ai by using 175 billion parameters. ayoub (2020) argued that the changes ai brings to education will enhance student success and better prepare them for the professional world. now that the researchers have given the overview and role of gai, it is time to review the implication of this technology to the science, technology, engineering, & mathematics field (stem field). ml allows the model to self-learn and change towards analyzing multiple levels of abstraction (lecun et al., 2015). this innovation has extended its influence beyond education, impacting fields such as engineering, journalism, medicine, economics, and finance. the integration of gai has led to its use in impact assessments across various sectors. notably, the ada lovelace institute (2022), conducted an assessment within the united kingdom’s national health service (nhs), focusing on the applications of gai. however, there are academic concerns about ai in education, particularly related to ethical standards, transparency, and accountability (kim & kim, 2022). while these challenges exist, gai, like chatgpt, offers significant opportunities for higher education, including instant information retrieval, personalized learning, and data analysis. in the field of chemistry, the dendral project was the first to adapt the utilization of ai. appeared first at stanford university, which developed methods for predicting compounds structured from their spectrum of mass. in addition, ai and ml technology fosters a better understanding of molecular scales. which contributed to a deeper understanding of science enthusiasts. in fact, the sumitomo dainippon pharmaceutical co. and exscientia, which are ai companies, have developed a drug that is in phase 1 clinical trials. an estimated 4.5 years of hard work has been accomplished for a year, saving massive amounts of money. the increasing interest in education has been stimulated by ai. in an effort to enhance student achievement, ai is being incorporated into the classroom with greater frequency and in a variety of ways, despite its relatively recent initialization (garcia-martinez et al., 2023). gai supplements the students to grasp their course content. complementing the ability of gai to keep track of how well students perform over several assessment loads. studies have shown that engaging students with pa ge 3 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 1-11, 2025 gai correlated to improvement and an increase in the motivation level by offering immediate and interactive learning experiences that are personalized (kabudi et al., 2021). luckin et al. (2016) described three categories of ai software applications in education that are available today: a) personal tutors, b) intelligent support for collaborative learning, and c) intelligent virtual reality. intelligent tutoring systems (its) can be used to simulate one-to-one personal tutoring. based on learner models, algorithms, and neural networks, they can make decisions about the learning path of a student and the content to select, provide cognitive scaffolding, and help to engage a student in dialogue. its has enormous potential, especially in large-scale distance teaching institutions, which run modules with thousands of students, where human oneto-one tutoring is impossible. a vast array of research shows that learning is a social exercise; interaction and collaboration are at the heart of the learning process (jonassen et al., 1995). artificial intelligence in education (aied) can contribute to collaborative learning by supporting adaptive group formation based on learner models, facilitating online group interaction, or summarizing discussions that can be used by a human tutor to guide students towards the objective of a course. finally, also drawing on its, intelligent virtual reality (ivr) is used to engage and guide students in authentic virtual reality and gamebased learning environments. virtual agents can act as teachers, facilitators, or student peers in virtual or remote labs (perez et al., 2017). ai is capable of generating fast evaluation and feedback. for a continuous evaluation of student performance, aied can be incorporated into learning activities as an alternative to stop-and-test. chatgpt can assist students in understanding and solving assessment problems. ai-powered systems can analyze students’ answers and provide tailored hints, explanations, or additional resources to reinforce learning. such assessments can also track progress over time, identifying knowledge gaps and adjusting the difficulty of tasks to suit each students needs and capabilities. the use of gai to conjure virtual simulations in the chemistry field also provides hands-on experience while ensuring the safety of those involved. as gai is accessible through the internet, students can learn anything, anytime, anywhere from the web. the task of gai to provide an automated assessment of the students’ learning resources is helpful for them to improve their knowledge in solving chemistry problems, especially when the technology has the power to identify a student’s learning capabilities (das et al., 2021). therefore, students having virtual simulations for chemistry assessments readily available has a great impact on their learning journey. high-accuracy predictions of a student’s likelihood of failing an assignment or quitting a course have been made using algorithms (bahadir, 2016). gai is having a profound impact on education, particularly when it comes to assisting students and teachers with assessments. according to tsai et al. (2021), the increasing digitalization of educational resources and the popularity of online learning platforms has caused gai to play a major role in students’ learning ability for a subject and in teachers’ strategies to test questions. gai can generate a set of questions that are less complicated for students to understand. along with the generated questions, gai provides teachers with a set of repetitions of questions and examples that can help students improve their ability to solve problems related to their lessons (plessis, 2020). when gai assists teachers in creating questions on complex concepts, it enables students to answer test questions more efficiently and understand the concepts in a deeper manner. in fact, tsai et al. (2021) emphasized that using gai to create questions on complex topics for a test improved students’ learning performance and deepened their knowledge about the topic. gai can create customized testing experiences by generating questions, creating scenarios, or even tasks unique to a user’s responses or progress. ensuring that assessments are matched according to an individual’s overall performance as well as their learning patterns, considering how this is unique to each person. personal assessment tools complement this method well by providing insights into a user’s strengths, weaknesses, or cognitive/emotional states. when all of this is combined, these technologies enable a more precise and adaptive testing environment. optimizing factors like learning pace, knowledge gaps, and personal growth. this approach is beneficial in skill development and psychological assessments. it provides a deeper understanding of a person’s capabilities. such applications help build confidence and understanding in an increasingly complex and rapidly changing world. the innovative use of chatgpt presents transformative opportunities for education management. it has the power to reshape traditional teaching methods by adapting ai-driven learning systems. zhu and whang (2019) emphasized that intelligent learning environments can adaptively push personalized learning experiences, while also helping students find resources efficiently. personalized learning is crucial, as learning experiences differ from one individual to another. according to lim (2023), with gai rapidly emerging as a transformative innovation along the lines of the internet and the smartphone, there is now a golden opportunity to truly reimagine and transform the future of education. the use of ai is expanding in learning, including natural sciences like chemistry (ardyansyah, 2024). the 21st century is seeing the unprecedented and reflective resolution of the gai pace, which industries and new social spaces are drawn out globally. in line with acknowledging its disruptive potential, the philippines has initiated integrating ai into its educational system but is cautiously and strategically doing so. acknowledging ai’s transformative potential, it is significant for students to understand the basics of ai even though the amendment itself is not purely pa ge 4 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 1-11, 2025 targeted at ai, an update in the k to 12 curriculum by the department of education (deped) to infuse some concepts on computational thinking and elementary programming. the commission on higher education (ched) has also been proactive, calling on universities to roll out specialized courses and programs in data science, ml, and ai so that there will eventually be an appropriately qualified workforce. the infusing of ai in philippine education has brought many possibilities where the entire learning experience can be enhanced, including technologies that support the creation of new assessment modes and upskilling programs, making quicker and more precise feedback available to learners and teachers. ai will also improve the teachers’ understanding of how students learn and be able to change how they teach accordingly. while much is promised by ai, there are also issues concerning ai applications for education that need to be matched with possible implications on the country’s educational culture as well as ethical concerns and an investment in teachers’ training to ensure that the use of ai in education is equitable and accountable (estrellado & miranda, 2023). the rapid rise of gai applications, such as chatgpt, microsoft bing chat, and google bard, has sparked considerable interest in their potential to transform teaching and learning in the philippines. researchers have begun to explore both the acceptability and impact of these technologies in various educational settings. locally, studies have focused on diverse stakeholder groups ranging from senior high school teachers to college students and university administrators. arguson et al. (2023) investigated the acceptability of gai tools among senior high school teachers in manila using the technology acceptance model (tam). their study revealed that key factors such as self-efficacy and perceived ease of use significantly influenced teachers’ behavioral intention to adopt tools like microsoft bing chat. the findings suggest that when teachers feel confident in their ability to use such tools, and when the tools are user-friendly, the likelihood of adoption increases. similarly, a study by guipitacio et al. (2025) revealed that ai programs significantly boost students self-confidence. complementing these findings, agbong-coates (2024) examined the impact of chatgpt integration on personalized learning outcomes among college students. employing regression analysis and an omnibus anova test, the study demonstrated that chatgpt integration accounted for approximately 88.54% of the variability in personalized learning experiences. this indicates a strong relationship between ai use and improved individual learning outcomes. notably, while demographic factors such as age, sex, and educational level had minimal effects, the significant influence of chatgpt suggests that aidriven personalized learning may be a powerful tool for enhancing academic performance in higher education. the insights from this study provide a valuable complement to classroom-focused research, highlighting the multifaceted impact of ai across the educational spectrum (giray et al., 2024). the research on senior high school teachers revealed that ease of use and self-efficacy are crucial for ai tool adoption, while the college-level study confirms the substantial benefits of ai in personalized learning. moreover, reflections from higher education administrators underscore the need for holistic approaches that address both instructional and operational challenges. these insights suggest that with proper training, infrastructure, and policy support, gai has the potential to revolutionize educational practices in the philippines, improving both teaching effectiveness and learning outcomes. materials and methods this study is a quantitative research that uses focusedobjective measurements through surveys/assessments. utilizing a wilcoxon signed rank-test for the data analysis. the population of the study are the grade 11 stem students. this research used a one-group pretestposttest design, a type of quasi-experimental design that aims to evaluate causal relationships between intervention and outcome (marsden & torgerson, 2012). a private institution in malabon city, metro manila, philippines, was the chosen research locale of this study. the institution has proven academic excellence numerous times. its competitive environment at the senior high school level makes it an ideal place for data gathering. with the innovative trends in the ai field, students are able to cope with the ever-changing environment. the researchers of this study utilized a purposive sampling approach, which is a non-probability type of sampling. purposive sampling enables accurate and reliable data as it will be focused only on the stem group of grade 11. leading to lowered randomization bias, because other academic strands exclude general chemistry as their specialized course. upon the inclusion of participants, only 30 had passed the criteria for the data analysis. demographics of the participants consist of 15 boys and 15 girls. both contribute to 50% of the total number of participants in the study. the general chemistry course for participants is crucial for meeting the study’s objectives. assessments in this subject involve identifying, solving problems, and illustrating compounds. listed below is the identification of the participants that will undergo the study. grade 11 stem students they specialize in the science course among other strands, encompassing insight into the concepts of general chemistry. the respondents are addressed with a pretest without having prior knowledge in the stated topics. to collect the data for the study’s objective, the researchers employed the following: a researcher-made cognitive assessment and an adapted 5-point likert scale tam survey. both the researcher-made assessment and worksheets cover the three following subtopics: basic subatomic particles (bsp), atomic models (am), and pa ge 5 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 1-11, 2025 atomic composition (am). these competencies are taken from melcs from the department of education for grade 11 stem students. the cognitive assessment will undergo an evaluation form that is adapted from morales, 2003. an objective multiple choice is specialized in this form, limited only to the atomic structure topic. both the cognitive test assessment and tam survey had undergone pilot testing. illustrated below are the results of cronbach’s alpha value from the cognitive test and tam survey. accumulating a 0.7 and 0.8 cronbach’s value translates to a reliable test. with the help of these instruments, the researchers will determine the effect of chatgpt 3.0 on knowledge retention, critical thinking, and engagement table 1: accumulated cronbach’s alpha value from the pilot testing cognitive assessment tam survey cronbach’s alpha value 0.704 0.857 figure 1: the data gathering flow chart through score rating. the completion of the pilot testing is followed by the distribution of the letter to the school administrators. research, data gathering steps, and adherence to the required ethics is approved by the school principal, science coordinator, and general chemistry teacher. distribution of the assent form for all the students is followed. most of the students in the grade 11 stem are below 18 years of age. thus, it is a crucial step in data gathering. all of the collected assent form from the students who rejected the study’s data analysis inclusion is eliminated. yet, it is important to note that those students had still undergone the gai intervention. a pretest is administered which acts as the baseline score of the participants. the worksheet will be answered with the assistance of chatgpt 3.0. this consists of multiple choice (objective questions) that focus on the bsp, am, and ac. worksheet 1, focuses on the bsp and am, while worksheet 2 for the ac. post-test is administered to the students to measure their learning upon the usage of chatgpt 3.0. the pretest and post-test consists of identical questions. however, the post-test consists of shuffled questions. followed by the tam, which focuses on the effect on the participants’ acceptance of technology. this consists of three subparts which are: perceived usefulness (pu), perceived ease of use (peu), and behavioral intention (bi). on the other hand, the criteria for the inclusion that should be complied with by the students are: shall (1) had taken the pretest and post-test, (2) had agreed to the assent form, (3) had taken the worksheet 1 and 2 with the use of chatgpt 3.0, (4) had taken the tam survey. after completing the following criteria they would be qualified for the data analysis phase of the study. the total number of qualified participants is n = 30. the large sample size will negate the disadvantageous implication of having a relatively low sampling consisting of a n<30 sample size. illustrated below is the total number of participants in the grade 11 stem strand. recorded responses are stored in an excel file, ensuring readability and clarity to individual participant responses. preserving the anonymity and confidentiality agreement to protect participants’ data is a requirement. the table 2: qualified participants from the grade 11 stem students n qualified participants 30 researchers encountered students who had limited internet access, had limited resources, or sick students during the data-gathering phase. to address these limiting variables, the researchers encouraged the sharing of internet access among the student(s). for the students who are sick, they are excluded from the study. executing this systematic data collection ensures the most structured and reliable data from the participants. data analysis procedure the study chose jamovi in order to calculate the reliability value of the cognitive assessment instrument. utilizing the following data analysis tools such as the wilcoxon signed rank-test, cohen’s d effect size, and hake’s value index to provide statistical data and derive conclusions on the stated research questions above. to answer rq 1, the researchers will utilize wilcoxon signed rank-test, a non-parametric statistic commonly employed in a quasi-experimental implemented in a non-randomized pretest and post-test. this is used if the central tendency (mean, median, and mode) of the pa ge 6 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 1-11, 2025 accumulated data is set apart. paired with a cohen’s d effect size value, which translates to having a small (value ≤ 0.2), medium (value ≤ 0.5), or large (value ≥ 0.8) effect on the participants (smith et al. 2023). all of which are assisted by jamovi and excel. similarly, the rq 2 utilized a hake’s gain value index. deriving conclusions on the gain of the students on each subpart of the assessment such as: the bsp, am, and ac. the stated index is classified from low gain (value ≤ 0.3), medium gain (value < 0.7), and high (value ≥ 0.7) gain. lastly, the researchers investigated the mean and mode of the tam survey data in order to answer the rq 3 of this study. the values are supplemented by illustrations and texts in order to better understand the context. results and discussion pretest & post-test descriptive statistics the mean, median, and mode of the two cognitive assessments resulted in a shapiro-wilk p-value of < 0.05. two of the central tendencies (mean and median) have a close proximity for both pretest and post-test. however, the occurrence of a lower value in the mode resulted in the utilization of a non-parametric test. the pretest score accumulated a range value of 10, while the post-test was 11. a total of 30 participants are qualified in the data analysis of the study. pretest & post-test results the statistical p-value is < 0.05 for the wilcoxon signed rank test. having a cohen’s d effect size value of 0.9. both of the results show a positive effect upon the table 3: central tendency of the cognitive assessment descriptives pretest post-test n 30 30 mean 6.53 9.43 median 6 9.5 mode 5.00 a 6.00 a standard deviation 2.21 3.35 minimum 3 5 maximum 13 16 shapiro-wilk w 0.917 0.927 shapiro-wilk p 0.023 0.04 table 4: non-parametric results of the cognitive assessment statistic df p effect size pretest post-test student's t 5.22 29.0 <.001 cohen’s d 0.935 wilcoxon w 316a <.001 rank biserial correlation 0.945 intervention of chatgpt 3.0 in the general chemistry course assessment. does generative ai affect the participants assessment score related to their pretest score after the intervention? the results indicate a statistically significant improvement in students’ performance after using chatgpt 3.0 as a learning aid. wilcoxon signed rank test yielded a p-value of < 0.05, confirming the increase in the posttest scores. further being supported by the effect size value of (cohen’s d = 0.9) that suggests a strong impact, indicating that the ai-assisted intervention contributed meaningfully to learning outcomes. showing that they have learned throughout the intervention. the user-friendly nature of this algorithm through outputs led to the understanding of the concepts. the conceptual framework of this study depicts this effect upon the use of chatgpt 3.0 as it encompasses scaffolding of complex concepts (baidoo-anu & ansah, 2023) and improved cognitive skills (yilmaz & yilmaz, 2023). cognitive learning was showcased in the bsp and am part of the pretest and post-test. while the ac showed improvement in the problem-solving skills among the participants. this is supported by the study from recent works of literature that gai has critical thinking, and problem-solving skills among students (vazquez-cano et al., 2021; chang et al., 2022; baidooanu & owusu ansah; 2023). conceptual understanding among the subparts prior to the intervention has resulted in a better assessment performance. chatgpt 3.0 was able to teach the fundamentals of the bsp, am, and ac among the participants. which, ultimately led to an increase in their test performance. assessment subtopics gain value three of the subtopics in the assessment had accumulated a hake’s gain value of less than 0.3. the bsp and am have a close proximate value. while the ac’s accumulated value is higher. how does generative al affect the participants performance in the basic subatomic particles (bsp), atomic model (am), and atomic composition (ac) subpart of the assessment after the intervention? table 5: hake’s gain value of the cognitive assessment subtopics bsp am ac hake’s gain value 0.17 0.18 0.26 pa ge 7 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 1-11, 2025 hake’s gain values for specific subtopics were low (< 0.3), suggesting modest conceptual retention in areas of bsp, am, and ac. students may have relied on chatgpt3.0 for quick answers rather than engaging in higher-order cognitive processing, a pattern observed in previous ai-assisted learning studies (yamaguchi et al., 2021). furthermore, the short duration of the intervention, which may not have allowed sufficient time for deep conceptual learning. this is consistent with the study from sun and zhou (2024), which stated that the intervention duration of more than 11 weeks resulted in a high positive gain. comprising only a 3-day intervention had less grasped the potential of chatgpt 3.0’s ability in teaching the participants. being one of the study’s recommendations for future research. collected data from bsp and am are significantly lower than ac. showing that chatgpt 3.0 improved the participants ability for problem-solving, while lesser for enhanced cognitive learning. due to the 1-day intervention for all of the subparts, the participants had a hard time retaining the known knowledge while showing greater improvement on the problem-solving part of the post-test. tam survey mean & mode value there are three primary subtopics included in the tam survey which are pu, peu, and bi. the given value of the mode is higher than the calculated mean. this corresponds to the fact that most of the participants had answered and strongly agreed in the tam survey. how are the participants perceived ease of use (peu), perceived usefulness (pu), and behavioral intention (bi) influenced by generative ai after the intervention? table 6: tabulated value of the tam survey pu peu bi mean value 4.10 4.15 3.43 mode value 5 5 3 the pu and peu upon the intervention of chatgpt 3.0 resulted in the majority of the respondents answering 5, which corresponds to “strongly agree”. both are above the mean score of 4.10 and 4.15, respectively. suggesting that the algorithm’s usefulness and ease of use was greatly appreciated by the students. further supported by the conceptual framework of this study, showing that assessment performance affects the peu and pu of the participants. on the other hand, the behavioral intention towards the use of gai was only 3, which corresponds to a neutral answer. bi’s mean value shows that its accumulated mode value is lower. there is a significant effect on the bi of the participants, but shows that it is in the middle value only. this is supported by the study from gruenhagen et al. (2024) which noted that technological acceptance of gai is expected upon its usage on academic tasks. pu, peu, and bi is greatly affected by the intervention of chatgpt 3.0 after the post-test. most of the participants reported an above-mean response towards the use of chatgpt 3.0. conclusions this study investigated the effect of chatgpt 3.0 in answering atomic structure assessments. table 4 shows that utilization of chatgpt 3.0 resulted in improvement of test scores among the participants. its cohen’s d value emphasized a large effect, which supplements the accumulated p-value. on the other hand, the hake’s gain value translates to a low gain in the following subtopics of the atomic structure assessment: bsp, am, and ac. participants had a hard time retaining the important concepts as learning of the following subtopics are only given a 3-day period. this led to understanding the concepts but having only a modest retention. pu and peu from the tam survey correspond to a mode of 5 on the likert scale. showing that most of the participants had a positive influence after the utilization of chatgpt 3.0. while having an accumulated mode value of 3, which corresponds to a neutral possibility for its utilization in future assessments. button et al. 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(2024). the paradox of self-efficacy and technological dependence: unraveling generative ai’s impact on university students’ task completion. the internet and higher education, 65, 100978. https:// doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2024.100978 pa ge 1 pa ge 93 american journal of education and technology (ajet) assessing the impact of teacher competency and engagement on job satisfaction through the lens of teacher-student interaction rovelyn r. galeng1* volume 4 issue 2, year 2025 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v4i2.4335 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: january 07, 2025 accepted: february 05, 2025 published: may 03, 2025 this study investigates the interplay between teacher competency, teacher engagement, job satisfaction, and the moderating role of teacher-student interaction among public high school teachers in the binmaley 1 district, philippines. the primary aim was to explore how these factors contribute to teachers’ overall job satisfaction, a critical determinant for retention and performance in the education sector. teacher competency, including expertise in subject knowledge, teaching methods, and classroom management, was positively correlated with job satisfaction. teachers who felt confident in their skills reported higher satisfaction, highlighting the importance of professional development in improving teaching effectiveness. teacher engagement, characterized by enthusiasm, dedication, and motivation, was also a significant predictor of job satisfaction. teachers who were more engaged in their work, including making an effort to improve their teaching practices and staying energized by their roles, experienced greater satisfaction. furthermore, the study identified teacher-student interaction as a key moderating factor. the analysis revealed that positive interactions with students not only contributed independently to job satisfaction but also amplified the positive effects of both teacher competency and engagement. hierarchical regression analysis demonstrated that teacher competency alone accounted for a substantial variance in job satisfaction, but the inclusion of teacher-student interaction significantly improved the model, highlighting its role in enhancing the relationship between teaching practices and satisfaction. similarly, teacher engagement showed a strong direct effect on job satisfaction, which was further enhanced by the quality of teacher-student interactions. overall, the findings emphasize the importance of ensuring positive teacherstudent relationships, enhancing teacher competency, and promoting teacher engagement to improve job satisfaction. these insights are crucial for policymakers and educators aiming to improve teacher well-being, professional development, and the overall quality of education in the philippines. keywords job satisfaction, pedagogical skills, teacher competency, teacher engagement, teacher retention 1 college of education, central luzon state university, distance, open and transnational university, science city of munoz nueva ecija, 3120, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: cpdirector@outlook.com introduction teacher competency and engagement are pivotal in shaping effective educational systems, significantly influencing both student outcomes and teachers’ job satisfaction. competency, encompassing knowledge, skills, and pedagogical abilities, is essential for fostering productive learning environments and enhancing student achievement (darling-hammond, 2006). similarly, teacher engagement, characterized by dedication and enthusiasm, plays a crucial role in both student success and teacher well-being (schaufeli et al., 2002). engaged and competent teachers often report higher job satisfaction, which is vital for retention and optimal performance in the education sector (bakker & demerouti, 2008). however, maintaining high job satisfaction among teachers in developing countries like the philippines remains challenging due to factors such as heavy workloads, limited resources, and constrained professional development opportunities (bernardo, 2017). the interplay between teacher-student interaction and job satisfaction has garnered attention as an influential factor in teachers’ professional experiences. positive teacherstudent relationships encourage a supportive learning environment, which enhances teachers’ motivation and satisfaction (pianta et al., 2012). such interactions may moderate the relationship between teacher competency, engagement, and job satisfaction by amplifying their positive effects (hughes, 2011). this is particularly relevant in the philippine context, where unique cultural and systemic challenges shape teacher-student dynamics. given these factors, this study investigated the impact of teacher competency and engagement on job satisfaction among public high school teachers in the philippines, with a focus on the moderating role of teacher-student interaction. by understanding these relationships, the study aims to inform interventions that enhance teacher well-being and effectiveness, contributing to the development of the philippine education system. literature review related literature teacher competency and engagement are fundamental to job satisfaction, with both closely linked to the quality of teacher-student interaction. competent teachers with strong content knowledge, effective teaching skills, and classroom management abilities tend to feel more effective and valued, leading to greater job satisfaction (darlinghammond, 2006). positive feedback from students pa ge 94 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 93-101, 2025 and colleagues further enhances their motivation and fulfillment, while competency serves as a buffer against stress and burnout, promoting sustained engagement in the profession (gu & day, 2013). in the philippine context, teacher competency similarly influences relationships with students and administrators, thereby contributing to job satisfaction (martin et al., 2020). teacher engagement, characterized by enthusiasm and dedication, also significantly contributes to job satisfaction. engaged teachers are motivated to pursue professional growth, collaborate with peers, and prioritize student success, which enhances their sense of fulfillment (klassen & chiu, 2011). this engagement benefits not only teachers but also students, as it encourages a more positive learning environment (skinner & belmont, 1993). teachers who perceive a meaningful impact in their work often report higher satisfaction. philippine public school teachers demonstrate resilience and purpose despite challenges, further bolstering their engagement and satisfaction (peralta & medina, 2019). teacher-student interaction plays a crucial moderating role in these relationships. high-quality interactions, defined by respect, trust, and effective communication, provide emotional rewards that enhance job satisfaction and amplify the positive effects of competency and engagement (pianta et al., 2012). teachers who establish supportive relationships with students find greater fulfillment and meaning in their work, reinforcing their satisfaction (roorda et al., 2011). in the philippine setting, where educators often face demanding conditions, strong teacher-student connections can serve as a vital source of motivation and well-being (department of education [deped], 2019). this underscores the need to strengthen teacher competency, engagement, and interactions to improve job satisfaction and educational outcomes. related studies previous studies have highlighted the critical relationships among teacher competency, engagement, job satisfaction, and teacher-student interaction, providing a strong foundation for understanding their roles in education. darling-hammond (2006) emphasized that teacher competency, encompassing subject expertise and instructional skills, significantly impacts job satisfaction, with competent teachers more likely to feel fulfilled and committed to their profession. similarly, gu and day (2013) found that competency promotes resilience, enabling teachers to handle stress and stay motivated. shah et al. (2012) demonstrated that professional development opportunities enhancing teacher competency led to greater satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment. teacher engagement has also been identified as a key contributor to job satisfaction. klassen and chiu (2011) noted that engaged teachers, who are emotionally and cognitively invested in their work, report higher satisfaction and reduced likelihood of burnout. schaufeli et al. (2002) linked engagement to improved classroom environments and overall well-being. martin et al. (2020) observed that engaged public school teachers in the philippines, despite limited resources, report higher satisfaction levels. these findings highlight the protective role of engagement against professional challenges, emphasizing its importance in fostering teacher wellbeing, particularly in resource-constrained settings. teacher-student interaction has been shown to play a pivotal role in job satisfaction. pianta et al. (2012) demonstrated that positive relationships with students enhance teachers’ sense of purpose and fulfillment. roorda et al. (2011) found that affective interactions deepen teachers’ emotional connection to their work and increase their sense of impact. in the philippine context, peralta and medina (2019) highlighted that teachers experiencing supportive relationships with students report higher satisfaction. collectively, these studies indicate that teacher competency, engagement, and positive teacherstudent interactions are essential for understanding and improving job satisfaction among educators. recent research published by e-palli publishers further supports these findings. comon and corpuz (2024) found that teachers with higher research competence are more engaged in research pursuits relevant to professional growth, suggesting that enhancing research skills can contribute to greater job satisfaction. additionally, a study by antiola and ferenal (2023) highlighted the positive impact of the school learning action cell (slac) program on teachers’ instructional competence, emphasizing the importance of continuous professional development in enhancing teaching skills and job satisfaction. these studies underscore the significance of ongoing professional development and research engagement in promoting teacher competency, engagement, and job satisfaction. materials and methods this study adopts a descriptive-correlational research design to explore the relationships among teacher competency, engagement, job satisfaction, and the moderating role of teacher-student interaction among public high school teachers in the binmaley 1 district, pangasinan, for the school year 2024–2025. the descriptive component focuses on assessing levels of competency, engagement, and job satisfaction, while the correlational approach analyzes the relationships among these variables. data will be gathered using a structured questionnaire comprising sections on the respondents’ demographic profiles and likert-scale items adapted from validated instruments to measure teacher competency, engagement, job satisfaction, and teacherstudent interaction. these tools will provide a detailed evaluation of the factors influencing job satisfaction. the data collection process involves securing permissions from the district supervisor and school principals, distributing questionnaires to teacher-respondents through school coordinators, and ensuring confidentiality during collection and encoding. respondents will have a week to complete the survey, and the researcher will pa ge 95 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 93-101, 2025 manage all responses systematically. the statistical analysis will include descriptive statistics to summarize the data and pearson correlation to determine the relationships between variables. hierarchical regression analysis will be employed to test the moderating effect of teacher-student interaction, with interaction terms incorporated into the regression model. this comprehensive methodology will provide insights into the connections among teacher competency, engagement, and job satisfaction, while evaluating the influence of teacher-student interaction as a moderator. results and discussion this section presents the findings of the study, which explored the relationships among teacher competency, teacher engagement, job satisfaction, and the moderating effect of teacher-student interaction among public high school teachers in the binmaley 1 district. the results provide insights into the levels of competency, engagement, and job satisfaction among the respondents, as well as the quality of their interactions with students. statistical analyses, including descriptive statistics, pearson correlation, and hierarchical regression, were used to evaluate the data and address the research objectives. key findings are discussed in relation to existing literature to highlight their implications for teacher well-being, professional development, and educational outcomes in public schools. this discussion aims to shed light on the interconnectedness of the variables and the critical role of teacher-student interaction in influencing job satisfaction. table 2 shows the gender distribution of the 140 teacherrespondents. the majority of respondents are female, with 93 individuals accounting for 66.43% of the total. this indicates a higher representation of women in the teaching profession within this sample. on the other hand, male respondents constitute 33.57% (47 individuals), reflecting a smaller but still notable proportion. the gender distribution suggests that, in this particular group, teaching is a female-dominated profession, with nearly twice as many female teachers as male. table 1: frequency and percentage rate distribution of the teacher-respondents in terms of age age frequency percentage rate 20 30 18 12.86 31 40 60 42.86 41 50 52 37.14 51 and above 10 7.14 total 140 100 the data in table 1 presents the age distribution of 140 teacher-respondents. the largest group falls in the 31–40 age range, with 60 teachers, making up 42.86% of the total respondents. this suggests that most teachers are in their early to mid-career stages. the second-largest group is aged 41–50, comprising 52 respondents, or 37.14%, indicating a substantial number of more experienced teachers. meanwhile, younger teachers, aged 20–30, account for 12.86% (18 teachers), showing a smaller proportion of early-career educators. lastly, the smallest group consists of teachers aged 51 and above, with 10 respondents, representing only 7.14%. this age distribution suggests a workforce heavily concentrated in the middle age ranges, with fewer younger and older teachers. table 2: frequency and percentage rate distribution of the teacherrespondents in terms of gender gender frequency percentage rate male 47 33.57 female 93 66.43 total 140 100 table 3: frequency and percentage rate distribution of the teacher-respondents in terms of teaching experience teaching experience (years) frequency percentage rate 1 -5 26 18.57 6 10 77 55.00 11 15 32 22.86 16 – 20 5 3.57 21 and above 0 0 total 140 100 the data highlights the distribution of the teacherrespondents in terms of their years of teaching experience. the largest group comprises those with 6–10 years of experience, accounting for 77 respondents, or 55.00% of the total. this suggests that over half of the teachers are in the middle stage of their careers. those with 11–15 years of experience make up 22.86% (32 respondents), while 18.57% (26 respondents) have 1–5 years of experience, representing newer teachers. a small group, 3.57% (5 respondents), has 16–20 years of experience, indicating fewer teachers nearing the later stages of their careers. notably, no respondents have over 20 years of teaching experience. this distribution shows a concentration of teachers with mid-level experience, with relatively few very new or highly experienced teachers. table 4 shows the distribution of the teacher-respondents based on their subject specialization. the largest group consists of teachers specializing in “others (technology & livelihood education/technical-vocational education),” comprising 25 respondents or 17.86% of the total. this is closely followed by english teachers, who make up 17.14% (24 respondents), indicating a significant presence of language educators. social studies specialists represent 14.29% (20 respondents), while science specialists account for 12.14% (17 respondents). pa ge 96 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 93-101, 2025 mathematics and filipino teachers each comprise 11.43% (16 respondents each). teachers specializing in “others (mapeh)” make up 10% (14 respondents), and those in “others (values)” represent the smallest group at 5.71% (8 respondents). this distribution reflects a diverse range of specializations among the teachers, with the largest concentration in technical and vocational subjects, followed by core academic areas like english, social studies, and science. table 4: frequency and percentage rate distribution of the teacher-respondents in terms of subject specialization subject specialization frequency percentage rate mathematics 16 11.43 science 17 12.14 english 24 17.14 filipino 16 11.43 social studies 20 14.29 others (technology & livelihood education/technical-vocational education) 25 17.86 others (mapeh) 14 10 others (values) 8 5.71 total 140 100 table 5: summary of the weighted means on teacher competency statement weighted mean descriptive equivalent 1. i have a strong understanding of the subjects i teach. 4.5 strongly agree 2. i am skilled in designing and implementing effective lesson plans. 4.25 strongly agree 3. i am able to effectively manage my classroom and maintain discipline. 4.00 agree 4. i use a variety of teaching methods to meet students’ diverse learning needs. 4.5 strongly agree 5. i regularly assess and adapt my teaching based on student feedback and performance. 4.25 strongly agree legend: 4.21-5.00 strongly agree 3.41-4.20 agree 2.61-3.40 neutral 1.81-2.60 disagree 1.00-1.80 strongly disagree table 5 provides a summary of the weighted means for teacher competency based on the responses of public high school teachers in the binmaley 1 district. the results indicate a high level of competency across various dimensions of teaching. respondents strongly agreed that they have a strong understanding of the subjects they teach, with a weighted mean of 4.5. this highlights their confidence in content knowledge, which is critical for effective instruction and student success. similarly, respondents strongly agreed that they use diverse teaching methods to address students’ varied learning needs, also scoring a weighted mean of 4.5. this reflects their adaptability and commitment to inclusive education practices. the ability to design and implement effective lesson plans and regularly adapt teaching strategies based on student feedback and performance both received a weighted mean of 4.25, with respondents expressing strong agreement. these findings demonstrate the teachers’ proactive approach to planning and refining their instruction to optimize student outcomes, aligning with best practices in reflective teaching. however, the competency related to classroom management and discipline, though rated positively with a mean of 4.00, received a slightly lower agreement level compared to other items. this suggests that while teachers feel capable in managing their classrooms, this area might benefit from additional support or professional development to further enhance effectiveness. overall, the results show the teachers’ high level of competency in key instructional areas, which serves as a foundation for ensuring student engagement and academic achievement. the findings also affirm the importance of continuous professional development to sustain and improve teaching practices in public schools. table 6: summary of the weighted means on teacher engagement statement weighted mean descriptive equivalent 1. i am enthusiastic about my teaching responsibilities. 4.25 strongly agree 2. i feel dedicated to making a positive impact on my students. 4.5 strongly agree 3. i put a lot of effort into planning and delivering my lessons. 4.5 strongly agree 4. i feel energized and motivated by my work. 3.75 agree 5. i am always looking for ways to improve my teaching practices. 4.00 agree pa ge 97 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 93-101, 2025 table 6 presents the summary of weighted means for teacher engagement, reflecting the extent of enthusiasm, dedication, and effort teachers in the binmaley 1 district bring to their roles. the findings reveal a generally high level of engagement, with most items rated as “strongly agree.” teachers strongly expressed dedication to positively impacting their students and exerting significant effort in lesson planning and delivery, both achieving a weighted mean of 4.5. these results indicate that the respondents are deeply committed to promoting student success and ensuring high-quality instruction, consistent with the literature on teacher engagement as a driver of professional satisfaction and student outcomes. enthusiasm for teaching responsibilities was rated positively, with a weighted mean of 4.25, showing that teachers remain passionate about their work despite potential challenges. however, while many respondents agreed that they feel energized and motivated by their work, this item received a relatively lower mean score of 3.75. this suggests that some teachers may experience periods of diminished energy, likely due to the demanding nature of their roles in public schools. similarly, the item related to actively seeking ways to improve teaching practices scored 4.00, reflecting a positive but slightly less robust agreement. this may indicate the need for greater access to resources, training, or support systems to sustain and enhance teacher engagement. in conclusion, the results highlight the teachers’ strong dedication and commitment to their students and their craft. the findings also suggest that while engagement levels are generally high, targeted interventions to address motivation and professional growth could further enhance teacher engagement and overall well-being. legend: 4.21-5.00 strongly agree 3.41-4.20 agree 2.61-3.40 neutral 1.81-2.60 disagree 1.00-1.80 strongly disagree table 7: summary of the weighted means on job satisfaction statement weighted mean descriptive equivalent 1. i am satisfied with my current teaching position. 3.75 agree 2. i feel valued and respected as a teacher at my school. 3.75 agree 3. i am content with the professional development opportunities available to me. 3.75 agree 4. my workload is manageable, allowing me to perform effectively. 3.75 agree 5. overall, i am happy with my teaching career. 3.75 agree legend: 4.21-5.00 strongly agree 3.41-4.20 agree 2.61-3.40 neutral 1.81-2.60 disagree 1.00-1.80 strongly disagree table 7 summarizes the weighted means for job satisfaction among public high school teachers in the binmaley 1 district, revealing that respondents generally agree with the statements reflecting their satisfaction with various aspects of their teaching career. each item received a weighted mean of 3.75, indicating consistent levels of moderate agreement across the dimensions assessed. the respondents agreed that they are satisfied with their current teaching positions and feel valued and respected at their schools. this suggests that the professional environment provides a sense of stability and acknowledgment, which aligns with findings that workplace appreciation is a key contributor to job satisfaction. similarly, satisfaction with professional development opportunities indicates that teachers perceive some support for their growth, although further enhancements in training programs could likely improve this area. the teachers also agreed that their workload is manageable, a critical factor in preventing burnout and maintaining job satisfaction. however, the uniform rating of 3.75 across all items might reflect a balanced but not highly enthusiastic level of contentment. this suggests room for improvement in aspects such as workload distribution, recognition, and professional support to elevate satisfaction to a higher level. generally, the findings indicate that while teachers generally find their careers fulfilling and manageable, targeted initiatives aimed at enriching professional development, recognition, and workload management could further enhance job satisfaction and contribute to improved teacher retention and effectiveness. table 8: summary of the weighted means on teacher-student interaction statement weighted mean descriptive equivalent 1. i feel a positive connection with my students. 4.00 often 2. i encourage open communication and feedback from my students. 3.75 often pa ge 98 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 93-101, 2025 the results presented in table 8 reflect the weighted means of various aspects of teacher-student interaction, which contribute to understanding the role these interactions play in teacher satisfaction. the responses indicate that teachers frequently experience positive interactions with their students, as shown by the weighted means for the individual items. teachers report feeling a positive connection with their students (mean = 4.00), which suggests that these connections are a regular and important aspect of their teaching experience. additionally, open communication and feedback are encouraged by teachers, with a mean score of 3.75, indicating that teachers often promote environments where students feel comfortable sharing their thoughts. teachers also report providing individual support to students in need (mean = 4.00), as well as making an effort to understand the personal and academic challenges of their students (mean = 4.00). these findings demonstrate the teachers’ commitment to meeting the needs of their students beyond academic instruction. finally, the mean of 4.00 for the statement, “my interactions with students help me feel more satisfied with my teaching role,” highlights the strong connection between teacher-student interactions and teacher satisfaction. in summary, these results emphasize that teachers consistently engage in meaningful and supportive interactions with their students, which contribute to their overall satisfaction with their teaching role. 3. i regularly provide individual support to students who need it. 4.00 often 4. i make an effort to understand my students’ personal and academic challenges. 4.00 often 5. my interactions with students help me feel more satisfied with my teaching role. 4.00 often legend: 4.21-5.00 always 3.41-4.20 often 2.61-3.40 sometimes 1.81-2.60 seldom 1.00-1.80 never table 9: summary of the pearson r results of the relationship between teacher competency and job satisfaction teacher competency job satisfaction factor pearson r strong understanding of subject satisfaction with position 0.5222 feel valued and respected 0.5222 content with professional development 0.5222 manageable workload 0.5222 happy with career 0.5222 skilled in designing lesson plans satisfaction with position 0.4545 feel valued and respected 0.4545 content with professional development 0.4545 manageable workload 0.4545 happy with career 0.4545 classroom management satisfaction with position 0.8528 feel valued and respected 0.8528 content with professional development 0.8528 manageable workload 0.8528 happy with career 0.8528 variety of teaching methods satisfaction with position 0.5222 feel valued and respected 0.5222 content with professional development 0.5222 manageable workload 0.5222 happy with career 0.5222 assess and adapt teaching satisfaction with position 0.8182 feel valued and respected 0.8182 content with professional development 0.8182 manageable workload 0.8182 happy with career 0.8182 pa ge 99 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 93-101, 2025 the pearson correlation analysis between teacher competency and job satisfaction revealed that various teaching skills have different levels of impact on overall job satisfaction. a strong understanding of the subject matter showed a moderate positive correlation with job satisfaction, indicating that teachers who feel confident in their knowledge are more likely to experience higher satisfaction. similarly, skill in designing lesson plans also had a moderate correlation with job satisfaction, though its impact was weaker than subject knowledge. classroom management, however, showed the strongest correlation, suggesting that teachers who excel at managing classrooms and maintaining discipline report significantly higher job satisfaction. the use of varied teaching methods had a similar moderate positive correlation with job satisfaction, with teachers who utilize diverse approaches to teaching feeling more satisfied, although it was not as influential as classroom management. lastly, regularly assessing and adapting teaching based on feedback had a strong positive correlation with job satisfaction, indicating that teachers who engage in continuous improvement and adjustment of their methods tend to experience greater fulfillment in their roles. overall, the results suggest that classroom management and the ability to adapt teaching are the most significant factors influencing job satisfaction, with subject knowledge and lesson planning being important but less influential. table 10: summary of the pearson r results of the relationship between teacher engagement and job satisfaction teacher competency job satisfaction factor pearson r enthusiasm satisfaction 0.818 valued 0.818 professional development 0.818 workload 0.818 career happiness 0.818 dedication satisfaction 0.522 valued 0.522 professional development 0.522 workload 0.522 career happiness 0.522 effort satisfaction 0.522 valued 0.522 professional development 0.522 workload 0.522 career happiness 0.522 energy satisfaction 1.000 valued 1.000 professional development 1.000 workload 1.000 career happiness 1.000 improvement satisfaction 0.853 valued 0.853 professional development 0.853 workload 0.853 career happiness 0.853 the pearson correlation results between teacher engagement and job satisfaction reveal several significant relationships. the aspect of enthusiasm for teaching responsibilities showed a very strong positive correlation of 0.818 with all aspects of job satisfaction. this indicates that teachers who are enthusiastic about their work tend to experience higher satisfaction in areas such as feeling valued, satisfied with their position, content with professional development, and overall career happiness. similarly, energy and motivation derived from teaching had an exceptional positive correlation of 1.0 with job satisfaction, suggesting that teachers who feel energized by their work report the highest levels of satisfaction across the board. these findings highlight that teachers who find joy and motivation in their teaching roles are likely to feel more fulfilled in all areas of their professional lives. the correlation for dedication to making a positive impact on students was moderate, with a value of 0.522, implying that while dedication contributes to job satisfaction, the relationship is not as strong as that of enthusiasm or pa ge 10 0 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 93-101, 2025 energy. similarly, effort in planning and delivering lessons also showed a moderate positive correlation of 0.522 with job satisfaction, indicating that teachers who put effort into lesson preparation and delivery experience a moderate increase in job satisfaction, though not as much as those who are highly enthusiastic or motivated. finally, always seeking improvement in teaching practices had a strong positive correlation of 0.853 with job satisfaction, reflecting that teachers who are committed to continuous growth and improvement tend to report higher satisfaction in their roles. in general, the results suggest that enthusiasm, energy, and the desire for continuous improvement are the strongest drivers of job satisfaction, with energy having the most pronounced impact. table 11: summary of the hierarchical regression of teacher competency and job satisfaction with teacherstudent interaction as moderating factor model predictor β (standardized coefficient) r² ∆r² p-value 1 teacher competency 0.62 0.38 < 0.001 2 teacher competency 0.51 0.44 0.06 < 0.001 teacher-student interaction 0.27 < 0.001 3 teacher competency 0.47 0.50 0.06 < 0.001 teacher-student interaction 0.26 < 0.001 teacher competency × teacher-student interaction 0.32 < 0.0001 the results of the hierarchical regression analysis demonstrate a significant relationship between teacher competency, job satisfaction, and teacher-student interaction, with the latter acting as a moderating factor. in model 1, teacher competency alone accounted for 38% of the variance in job satisfaction, with a strong positive standardized coefficient (β = 0.62), indicating that teachers who are more competent in their teaching are more likely to report higher job satisfaction. when teacher-student interaction was added in model 2, the model improved, explaining 44% of the variance, with teacher-student interaction showing a significant positive relationship with job satisfaction (β = 0.27). this suggests that positive interactions between teachers and students contribute to a higher level of job satisfaction. model 3, which included the interaction term between teacher competency and teacher-student interaction, further improved the model, increasing the explained variance to 50%. the interaction term (β = 0.32) was significant, indicating that the relationship between teacher competency and job satisfaction is strengthened by the quality of teacher-student interaction. in essence, while both teacher competency and teacher-student interaction independently influence job satisfaction, the interaction between the two factors plays a crucial role in enhancing job satisfaction among teachers. table 12: summary of the hierarchical regression of teacher engagement and job satisfaction with teacherstudent interaction as moderating factor model predictor β (standardized coefficient) r² ∆r² p-value 1 teacher engagement 0.65 0.45 < 0.001 2 teacher engagement 0.55 0.51 0.06 < 0.001 teacher-student interaction 0.28 < 0.001 3 teacher engagement 0.50 0.55 0.04 < 0.001 teacher-student interaction 0.25 < 0.001 teacher engagement × teacher-student interaction 0.32 < 0.0001 the results of the hierarchical regression analysis reveal the significant contributions of teacher engagement, job satisfaction, and teacher-student interaction, with teacher-student interaction acting as a moderating factor. in model 1, teacher engagement alone accounted for 45% of the variance in job satisfaction (r² = 0.45), with a strong standardized coefficient (β = 0.65), highlighting the substantial role of teacher engagement in predicting job satisfaction. in model 2, when teacher-student interaction was introduced, the model’s explanatory power increased to 51% (r² = 0.51), with teacher-student interaction showing a positive standardized coefficient (β = 0.28), indicating its independent effect on job satisfaction. finally, in model 3, the inclusion of the interaction term between teacher engagement and teacher-student interaction further improved the model’s explanatory power to 55% (r² = 0.55), with the interaction term significantly contributing to the model (β = 0.32). this suggests that teacher-student interaction strengthens the positive relationship between teacher engagement and job satisfaction. overall, the findings underscore that while both teacher engagement and teacher-student interaction pa ge 10 1 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 93-101, 2025 independently influence job satisfaction, their interaction amplifies the effect, emphasizing the importance of promoting positive relationships between teachers and students to enhance teacher satisfaction. conclusion this study highlights the significant impact of teacher competency, engagement, and teacher-student interaction on job satisfaction among public high school teachers in the binmaley 1 district. teacher competency, which encompasses subject knowledge, lesson planning, and classroom management, is positively associated with job satisfaction, with teachers reporting greater satisfaction when they feel competent in their roles. furthermore, teacher engagement—characterized by enthusiasm, dedication, and energy—was found to have a strong positive correlation with job satisfaction. teachers who are motivated and dedicated to their work are more likely to experience greater satisfaction in various aspects of their careers. the study also emphasizes the moderating role of teacher-student interaction, where positive interactions with students further enhance job satisfaction. the hierarchical regression analyses revealed that both teacher competency and engagement independently contributed to job satisfaction, but their effects were amplified when combined with positive teacher-student interactions. this suggests that encouraging supportive and meaningful relationships between teachers and students is crucial in improving teacher satisfaction. generally, the findings underscore the importance of addressing both the individual competencies and engagement of teachers, as well as creating an environment that promotes positive interactions with students, to enhance teacher well-being and retention in the educational system. references antiola, m. a., & ferenal, e. s. (2024). impact of school learning action cell program on teachers’ instructional competence in misamis oriental: basis for professional development plan. american journal of arts and human science, 3(3), 116–149. https://doi. org/10.54536/ajahs.v3i3.3021 bakker, a. b., & demerouti, e. (2008). toward a model of work engagement. career development international, 13(3), 209-223. bernardo, a. b. i. (2017). psychological resilience of teachers in the philippines: examining personal and contextual factors. asia pacific journal of education, 37(3), 415-426. comon, j. r., & corpuz, r. (2024). research competence and professional growth among public school teachers. e-palli publishers. darling-hammond, l. (2006). constructing 21st-century teacher education. journal of teacher education, 57(3), 300-314. department of education [deped]. (2019). the philippine professional standards for teachers (deped order no. 42, s. 2017). department of education. gu, q., & day, c. (2013). challenges to teacher resilience: conditions that inhibit and enable resilience in teachers. teaching and teacher education, 34, 9-23. hughes, j. n. (2011). longitudinal effects of teacherstudent relationships on student engagement and achievement. journal of educational psychology, 103(1), 1-14. klassen, r. m., & chiu, m. m. (2011). the occupational commitment and intention to quit of practicing and pre-service teachers: influence of self-efficacy, job stress, and teaching context. contemporary educational psychology, 36(2), 114-129. martin, a. j. (2020). teacher well-being and engagement in the philippines: exploring individual and contextual factors. teaching and teacher education, 88, 102965. peralta, h. v., & medina, p. m. (2019). resilience and job satisfaction among filipino teachers: a mixedmethod study. philippine journal of psychology, 52(2), 125-142. pianta, r. c., hamre, b. k., & allen, j. p. (2012). teacher-student relationships and engagement: conceptualizing, measuring, and improving the capacity of classroom interactions. in handbook of research on student engagement (pp. 365-386). springer. roorda, d. l., koomen, h. m. y., spilt, j. l., & oort, f. j. (2011). the influence of affective teacher–student relationships on students’ school engagement and achievement: a meta-analytic approach. review of educational research, 81(4), 493-529. schaufeli, w. b., salanova, m., gonzález-romá, v., & bakker, a. b. (2002). the measurement of engagement and burnout: a two sample confirmatory factor analytic approach. journal of happiness studies, 3(1), 71-92. shah, m. (2012). professional development and its impact on teacher effectiveness. journal of educational research, 15(1), 23-35. skinner, e., & belmont, m. (1993). motivation in the classroom: reciprocal effects of teacher behavior and student engagement across the school year. journal of educational psychology, 85(4), 571-581. https://doi. org/10.1037/0022-0663.85.4.571 pa ge 1 pa ge 12 3 american journal of education and technology (ajet) integrating technology, content, and pedagogy: a mixed-methods study of filipino mathematics teachers’ knowledge and adaptation in thailand sherylle r. arroyo1* volume 4 issue 4, year 2025 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v4i4.6023 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: september 01, 2025 accepted: october 03, 2025 published: december 13, 2025 the integration of technology in teaching mathematics has become increasingly important in enhancing instructional delivery and student learning. this study investigated the technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge (tpack) of filipino mathematics teachers based in bangkok, thailand. specifically, it aimed to assess the level of tpack among teachers and examine the relationship between their tpack components and teaching practices. a descriptive-correlational research design was employed. using purposive sampling, 60 mathematics teachers participated in the study and responded to a validated and adapted tpack questionnaire. results revealed that while teachers demonstrated strong content and pedagogical knowledge, their technological knowledge and ability to integrate technology into mathematics instruction varied across respondents. statistical analysis showed a significant correlation between high levels of tpack and effective classroom implementation of technology-based strategies. these findings suggest that professional development focusing on technology integration is vital to strengthening mathematics instruction. the researcher recommends that school administrators support continuous tpack-oriented training to ensure teachers are well-equipped to deliver effective, technology-enhanced mathematics education. keywords instructional practices, mathematics teachers, technological knowledge, technology, tpack 1 mindoro state university, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: sherylle.arroyo@gmail.com introduction in the 21st century, students are really immersed in technology, causing traditional methods of teaching to rapidly transform. teachers now have the responsibility of adopting various methods to interest learners and meet their individual learning styles. the integration of technology into education is not only a global trend but also a mandated national goal under republic act no. 10533 enhanced basic education act of 2013, which promotes the use of modern technologies in the classroom to improve teaching and learning outcomes. differentiating instruction is a critical but not easy area since it calls for methods that incorporate technology together with a variety of appealing activities. technology in the classroom acts as a potent tool to extend instruction, increase students' interest, and make the teachinglearning process a communicative and knowledge-sharing environment. the technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpack) framework encapsulates the intersection of content expertise, teaching methods, and technological tools. this puts emphasis on the strategic knowledge of teachers in regards to technology, not as an add-on but as part of the integral whole in ensuring effective student learning. those educators able to combine these aspects shaping new learning spaces and use technology to enhance learning for better efficiency. the need to acquire 21st-century skills, among them tpack, is internationally recognized and aligned with the philippine professional standards for teachers (ppst) under deped order no. 42, s. 2017, which explicitly outlines teachers' required technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge to meet national education standards. despite this mandate, many teachers report difficulty moving beyond using ict as a presentation tool. according to the 2019 southeast asia primary learning metrics (sea-plm), filipino teachers scored lower in digital literacy integration compared to regional counterparts like thailand and malaysia, highlighting a skills gap in meaningful technology integration. programs in countries like the usa and singapore emphasize constructionist approaches to develop tpack and engage teachers in lesson design and reflection. tpack in mathematics is an approach where technology is integrated into pedagogical and content knowledge to enhance teaching and learning. it involves the use of software for simulations, interactive tools, and digital resources to explain mathematical concepts. indeed, most teachers require additional training to be able to integrate technology properly with the pedagogical and content knowledge they already possess. one of the barriers is access to enough technological resources, mainly in under-resourced schools or regions. ensuring that the use of technology aligns with curriculum standards and learning objectives can be difficult. while technology can facilitate learning, it can also be a distractor for students if used unreasonably. most schools, especially in rural areas, lack the facilities of needed technological tools such as computers, tablets, or even reliable internet access (hill & uribe-florez, 2020). this makes it hard for the teachers to fully implement the tpack framework since they cannot integrate technology into their practice. most mathematics teachers are not equipped with appropriate skills in using the technology as a tool in teaching. pa ge 12 4 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 123-147, 2025 this leads to a failed implementation of the technology where they are either not utilized or just used in manners that do not promote learning. the teachers will require constant professional development in developing confidence and competence in integrating technology with pedagogy and content knowledge. similarly, the mathematics curricula are usually quite rigid with a strong emphasis on standardized testing. this constrains teachers from trying out new ways of teaching that incorporate technology, as they feel pressured to 'cover' definite content in the traditional way in order for students to perform well on exams. in thailand, filipino mathematics teachers are forefront in the educational landscape, both challenging and inspiring. in some classrooms, through the use of private schools, filipino teachers make use of interactive simulations to help make complex geometric concepts more tangible, using available but resourceful technological tools. in some public schools, filipino teachers use a combination of storytelling and visual aids to relate mathematical problems to real-life situations, overcoming cultural differences in pedagogy. these teachers, while adapting the local thai curriculum and integrating culturally relevant examples, face hurdles such as language barriers, limited access to advanced technological resources, and adapting their teaching methods to a diverse student body. with these challenges notwithstanding, filipino math teachers have shown remarkable resilience and adaptability, continuing to seek ways to engage their students even as they undergo an education system quite different from their own. these scenarios illustrate that the use of their technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpack) is proper and required. for many of these filipino math teachers, the ability to integrate tpack is also shaped by their professional development and the length of their stay in bangkok. those who have undergone formal training on innovative pedagogy and technology integration generally have a better grasp of tpack, where their classroom is always interactive and engaging. those who have taught in bangkok for more than five years tend to develop deeper cultural and pedagogical insights, which aid in the adjustment of their teaching approaches appropriately. on the other hand, newly-arrived filipino math teachers tend to hold on to traditional methods more while they acclimatize themselves with both the thai educational system and cultural norms. in addition, the study aimed at examining the technological pedagogical content knowledge of mathematics teachers in private and public schools in thailand. this study tried to find out such differences that may exist among these teachers by examining their tpack levels in detail. furthermore, the study investigated how these teachers effortlessly adopt and cultivate tpack in a cross-cultural environment. the insights gained through this investigation will not only expand our knowledge of tpack in this unique setting but also lay the groundwork for creating a professional development program specifically designed to empower international educators (adulyasas, 2021). a growing call to explore math educators' competence in the area of technological pedagogical content knowledge has been heard lately within today's dynamic education environment, characterized by the increasingly technological nature of teaching and learning practices at k-12 levels. this arises due to the fact that the effective integration of technology into classroom practices might further students' interests and engagement in mathematics content through offering a dynamic and enriching environment in which to study math (ozudogru, 2019). tpack research has flourished in many countries, including thailand and others; however, one notes the apparent gap in the lack of dedicated studies relating to the tpack proficiency of filipino educators within this unique educational setting of thailand. this present research endeavor filled this gap by taking an in-depth look at how socio-demographic factors shape the tpack development among filipino mathematics teachers in bangkok from public and private schools. the findings hold the potential to illuminate pathways for enhancing teacher training programs, refining educational policies, and fostering impactful professional development initiatives, ultimately aiming to elevate mathematics education for all students. materials and methods research design this study utilized the explanatory sequential mixed method design as stated by creswell (2007). this design was defined by a preliminary quantitative period of data collection and analysis, a subsequent qualitative phase of data gathering and analysis, and a concluding phase of linking or integrating the data from the two distinct strands of data. in this design, qualitative analysis was used to give a clear picture of the quantitative analysis (dawadi et al., 2021). in this study, qualitative data was used to support the findings of the first quantitative data to have a clearer picture of the problem being investigated. in the quantitative case, the extent to which filipino teachers in thailand possess the necessary technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpack) to effectively integrate technology into their teaching practices was described. the quantitative comparative research technique was used in this study to know the significant differences in the levels of tpack dimensions (technological knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, content knowledge, technological pedagogical knowledge, and technological content knowledge) among filipino teachers in thailand and significant variations in tpack across different demographic factors, such as years of teaching experience in thailand, age, gender, and educational attainment. to be able to appropriately address the research pa ge 12 5 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 123-147, 2025 objectives, this study made use of the qualitative research by conducting interviews. in qualitative cases, filipino teachers’ perception of their own tpack and its impact on their teaching practices, primary barriers hindering the development and integration of tpack among filipino teachers in thailand, and factors facilitating the development and integration of tpack among filipino teachers in thailand was explored. research locale this research was conducted in thailand, including several private schools and few public schools that employ filipino mathematics teachers. respondents of the study table 1 shows the distribution of respondents in this research, listing the schools in bangkok where the participants are employed. it provides details of the number of filipino teachers and the corresponding number of mathematics teachers in each school for the study. although, this study aimed for total enumeration of 120 filipino mathematics teachers, the final number of participants was reduced to 60. this decreased was due to the sudden earthquake that happened during the data collection period of the study, where potential respondents declined to complete the questionnaires distributed by the researcher. table 1: distribution of the respondents name of school total population of filipino teachers number of math teachers samples american school of bangkok (green valley campus) 15 1 1 anglo singapore international school 40 10 3 anglo singapore international school – korat campus 30 3 2 assumption school thonburi 48 6 3 assumption college samutprakan 35 2 2 banlem school 6 1 1 bodindecha (singsinghaseni) school 5 1 1 concordian international school 63 6 2 debsiromklao school 10 1 1 interkids bilingual school 12 2 1 intertots trilingual school 14 3 1 kasintorn academy 26 1 1 ladprao bilingual school 4 2 1 metaphap school 2 1 minder pattana school 8 3 3 nongchok pittaya nusorn mattayom school 7 1 1 panchasap school 10 1 panaya phattanakan school 17 4 4 patumwan demonstration school 1 1 phrapamontree school 2 10 5 1 raffles american international school 5 2 1 ramkamheng advent international school 48 5 3 rajinibon school 5 2 2 sarasas witaed minburi 25 3 3 sarasas witaed romklao 50 10 3 sainampeung school 3 1 1 sainamtip school 12 3 1 saparachinee trang school 5 2 2 satit bangna school 14 10 1 st. joseph pechaburi 7 3 1 suraosaikongdin school 9 3 3 thai singapore international school 84 3 2 thai sikh international school 17 2 1 pa ge 12 6 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 123-147, 2025 trail international school 8 1 1 trinity international school 8 3 1 watluxanalarm school 6 2 2 watonson school 5 1 1 wat samut kodom school 3 1 wat samut taram 5 3 1 wattana wittaya school 6 1 1 wat utaming school 2 1 yarida school 2 1 yindeewit school 10 2 total 702 120 60 sampling technique used the study employed cluster sampling for quantitative data collection. cluster sampling is a type of probability sampling where the population is stratified into naturally occurring groups or clusters and then units within the clusters are selected randomly. in this research, every school in bangkok with filipino instructors was treated as a cluster, and the number of filipino math teachers per school was the cluster size. the sample size for each cluster (school) was based on the number of mathematics teachers in their schools. bigger schools represented more sample size while small schools had fewer participants. for example, anglo singapore international school with 40 filipino teachers, 10 were chosen as a sample, of all whom are math teachers, while banlem school with mere 6 filipino teachers has only 1 math teacher participant. for each cluster, all the math teachers were chosen to be a respondent so that this is done in an unbiased way, no selection bias was committed, and also maintain the integrity of the sampling procedure. there was also a bottom-line sampling requirement to guarantee that all small schools would be covered. the original plan was a total enumeration of 120 filipino math teachers. however, during the data collection period, an earthquake struck parts of thailand, affecting several schools and communities. as a result, some teachers experienced disruptions, emotional stress, and in some cases, temporary school closures. accordingly, due to careful planning and a desire to adhere to the original sampling plan, the sample size was modified to 60 due to availability and consent to participate during this trying time. despite this, the 60 completed responses were thoughtfully reviewed to ensure they were still fairly and proportionally distributed based on the study’s original criteria. this helped maintain the balance and representativeness of the target group, ensuring the data gathered continues to offer meaningful and reliable insights. to preserve the integrity of the research, the sample was also obtained in the same cluster sampling way. the selection within each school (cluster) remained random, and representativeness remained as much as the situation permitted. this lowered the overall size of the sample but was an ethical and unavoidable adjustment. the researcher decided that sensitivity to the well-being of participants was the issue and only obtained participation from those who could both physically and emotionally respond. this highlights the unpredictable nature of fieldwork. while the reduced response rate is acknowledged as a limitation, the integrity of the data remains intact. future studies may benefit from longer data collection periods or strategies that allow flexibility when unexpected challenges arise. for the qualitative component, purposive sampling was used. purposive sampling is a non-probability method of sampling that considers intentionally choosing participants with some inclusion criteria appropriate to the objectives of the study. the participants must be: filipino math teachers who are presently teaching in public or private schools in thailand; having at least two years of teaching experience, to ensure diverse representation of the local setting and adoption of the tpack model; ideally with a background in professional development activities in content knowledge, pedagogy, or technology integration. excluded from the qualitative sample were teachers who: were not filipino or did not teach mathematics in schools; had less than two years of experience teaching in thailand; were not in active classroom roles like those working in administrative or non-teaching roles. these parameters ensured participants possessed the experience level needed to provide informed comment on incorporating tpack into math instruction in thailand. while the quantitative sampling plan had to be pragmatically adapted due to a natural disaster, the study retained methodological rigor and ethical responsibility, and the sample continued to reflect the diversity and distribution of filipino mathematics teachers in bangkok schools. research instrument for this quantitative study, the researcher used one adopted questionnaire and an interview guide in order to expedite data collection. the questionnaire was delivered to responders using google forms, ensuring its accessibility and completion. after each questionnaire was filled out, data will be collected, processed, and interpreted. the researchers will lead the entire process and make certain that the collection of data is accurate and on time. part i: demographic information. this section attempts to gather information on personal profiles of the pa ge 12 7 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 123-147, 2025 respondents such as their age, sex, highest educational level, and length of service. part ii: tpack assessment. data gathering tool to be used in getting an insight into the extent filipino teachers in thailand have the required tpack in enabling them to infuse technology effectively into classroom practices. likert scale will be used since it is applied as one of the most fundamental and frequently used psychometric tools in educational and social sciences research (joshi et al., 2015). the likert scale is a used tool to gauge opinions and insights, on subjects such as attitudes and values among others (thanavathi 2022). it comprises a range of statements that individuals can select from to express their feedback, on assessment queries. in the qualitative phase of the study, the researcher used thematic analysis to examine filipino mathematics teachers’ perceptions of their technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpack) and its influence on their teaching practices. braun and clarke (2006) thematic analysis was used to guide the researcher in the course of the qualitative research. braun and clarke thematic analysis has six-phase framework which is widely recognized for its flexibility and rigor in this kind of research. these six phases include: (1) familiarization with the data, (2) generating initial codes, (3) searching for themes, (4) reviewing themes, (5) defining and naming themes, and (6) producing the report. semi-structured interviews were employed to delve further into filipino mathematics teachers' views on their technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpack), how it is being hampered, and the support contributing towards its acquisition in thai education. sample size for qualitative study was guided by traditional qualitative research literature regarding sample sizes. according to guest, bunce, and johnson (2006), saturation of data, or when no new data or themes emerge from the data, can be achieved through 6 to 12 interviews when the participants are very homogeneous and the research question are focused. similarly, creswell and poth (2018) recommend 5 to 25 participants are generally sufficient for phenomenology studies, depending upon the depth and nature of questioning. in this study, 13 filipino mathematics teachers were interviewed. participants were purposively chosen according to teaching experience and direct involvement with the integration of technology in the classroom. the sample was not strictly limited but was guided by the data saturation theory. transcribing, coding, and analyzing the data were done immediately after each interview and used braun and clarke's (2006) six-phase thematic analysis framework. the simultaneous collection and analysis of data allowed the researcher to observe while saturation was occurring. saturation of the information was determined to be reached after no new themes or codes were generated from the interviews, and the responses were repetitive, which suggested that additional interviews would not provide much new information. particularly, in the ninth interview, repetition of the themes was guaranteed, and other interviews assured the repetition of the already established themes. this ensured the qualitative data was rich as well as embedded in the life situation of the participants without unnecessarily prolonging the data collection process. semi-structured interviews were carried out to gather rich information from sampled filipino math teachers in bangkok. interviewing centered on three major areas: (1) self-concepts of sampled teachers of themselves and their tpack and how this affects their everyday teaching, (2) major constraints that prevent integration and development of tpack among filipino teachers in thailand, and (3) major facilitators assisting or enhancing the integration and development of tpk in their learning environment. in thematic analysis, themes and patterns were officially recognized and built to account for the participants' daily experiences, challenges, and strategies about implementing tpack. this qualitative element infused richer meaning to the quantitative findings and provided cutting-edge insights regarding contextual and individual influences on developing tpk in international school settings. use of braun and clarke's method ensured methodological precision and robustness, enabling the researcher to make meaningful inferences from the data. scaling and quantification the research assessed grades according to four aspects utilizing the 4 point likert scale, technology knowledge (tk) content knowledge (ck) pedagogical knowledge (pk) and pedagogical content knowledge (pck). participants were provided with a scale to express their agreement or disagreement, with statements concerning their tpack proficiency level. it scores from 1 to 4 and implies that the higher one scores will show greater agreement or capability in a selected learning method and score from 1 to 4 indicating extreme lows to very high levels. the level of tpack among the teachers was measured using a quantitative measure. it has a score range corresponding to different levels, which includes very high, high, low, and very low. the researcher planned to utilize the 4-point likert scale which involves asking participants to express their level of agreement or disagreement, with a set of statements regarding the objects being studied. below is table 2 that outlines the scale and how it is used to evaluate teachers’ tpack proficiency levels. table 2: scale and its interpretation for evaluating the tpack proficiency of teachers option score range description 4 3.50 – 4.00 very high 3 2.50 – 3.49 high 2 1.50 – 2.49 low 1 1.00 – 1.49 very low pa ge 12 8 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 123-147, 2025 data gathering process the researcher adhered to the outlined method in order to gather data for this study. before proceeding, the researcher first secures the required approval of the survey questionnaire from the research adviser. the required permissions from the dean of the university were then be acquired. the researcher will proceed with the study after obtaining these approvals, concentrating on evaluating teachers' tpack levels as part of the data gathering procedure. the study's main focus was the filipino math teachers, who will be encouraged to assess their own tpack proficiency. by using google forms to distribute the questionnaires electronically, the researcher guaranteed the timely collection of data; responds were gathered remotely to prevent missing or insufficient data. the researcher then continued and analyzed the information obtained. there was also an acknowledgment of trends or patterns in the responses and drawing meaningful inferences from the data. findings and discussions served as the foundation upon which conclusions and recommendations were built. in conclusion this study research utilized a methodical approach to data collection. the required approvals were secured, and the study was remotely administered to filipino math teachers by the researcher. the teachers’ responses were gathered. after then, the data was evaluated, interpreted, and used to draw findings and make suggestions. statistical treatment of data the following statistical procedure will be used to the data collected for this study. in assessing the teachers tpack level a combination of weighted mean and ranking was applied. the tpack framework was examined across four dimensions. technology knowledge (tk) content knowledge (ck) pedagogical knowledge (pk) and pedagogical content knowledge (pck). to calculate this value the total number of observations was multiplied by the value of each observation considering its frequency and other relevant factors. frequency and percentage will indicate the socio demographic characteristics of the survey participants such, as age group distribution and education level attained along with their tenure, in service roles. for unequal subgroup sizes representation, the percentage method will be implemented. similarly, in this research the percentage method proved ideal to gauge how many respondents provided responses. frequency will track the occurrences of each variable throughout the study. in statistics lingo, “frequency" refers to how each score or event takes place. statistical tools like descriptive statistics, such as mean and standard deviation, non-parametric tests such as mann-whitney u test and kruskal-wallis test was used to determine differences between tpack and demographic factors while friedman test was used to determine whether significant differences exist. these findings informed professional development programs and enhanced technology integration in mathematics education. thematic analysis was utilized in analyzing the filipino teachers’ perception of their own tpack and its impact on their teaching practices, primary barriers hindering the development and integration of tpack among filipino teachers in thailand, and factors facilitating the development and integration of tpack among filipino teachers in thailand. ethical considerations before collecting data commences a quick review of the research goals was conducted as part of the academic criteria. the researcher sought permission, from the participants of the research. ask about their availability. the researcher ensured that the participants were briefed about the aims of the research and they willingly agreed to take part in it. the researcher emphasized the importance of honesty and integrity, in ensuring the success of this project and affirm that participants have the option to withdraw their data if they feel pressured or fear reprisal especially when their own interests are, at risk. the data collection process commenced upon receiving agreement from all participants. results and discussion demographic profile age the largest age group of the respondents are 31-40 years old, and the largest group among the survey respondents. the second largest age group is 41-50 years at 28.3%, and the 21-30 year-old group at 20%. surprisingly, only two respondents fell into the 51-60 year age bracket, which represents a mere 3.3%. this indicates that the population used for the survey represents a majority of young to middle-aged people. this demographic trend aligns with the conclusion of abdullahi (2019), which was that socio-demographic attributes vary systematically with time. as 48.3% of the respondents were within the age group of 31-40 years, it can be seen that the majority of filipino teachers in thailand are at the height of their teaching careers and have a lot of experience in teaching and actively practicing teaching. the 41-50 age group comprises 28.3% of the respondents, which points towards a group having vast experience in teaching. while the younger teaching group of age 2130, consisting of just 20% of respondents, seems tiny. also, eggen et al. (2023) highlight the significance of the consideration of socio-demographic differences in research so that biased outcomes are avoided. the relatively few respondents who fall in the range of 5160 indicate that filipino educators in thailand could be changing occupations or heading home before they reach retirement. the most numerous age group of respondents is aged between 31-40 years, which comprises most of the questionnaire respondents. gender the gender distribution of the respondents is fairly pa ge 12 9 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 123-147, 2025 table 3: distribution of respondents in terms of age age frequency (n) percentage (%) 21 30 12 20 31 40 29 48.33 41 – 50 17 28.33 51 – 60 2 3.33 total 60 100 table 4: distribution of respondents in terms of gender gender frequency (n) percentage (%) male 29 48.3 female 31 51.7 total 60 100 table 5: distribution of respondents in terms of highest educational attainment highest educational attainment frequency (n) percentage (%) doctorate degree 0 0 doctor’s level 0 0 professional certifications 1 1.7 master's degree 5 8.3 master’s level 7 11.7 bachelor's degree 47 78.3 total 60 100 balanced at 51.7% female and 48.3% male. this virtual parity indicates that filipino math teachers in thailand are a diverse group and are subject to little, if any, gender imbalance when it comes to access to work. the balanced ratio indicates that the male and female teachers have the same level of involvement in the profession and make the same contribution to the academic environment in private and state schools. this resonates with vuksanovic et al.'s (2017) results, where the researcher noted that the gender disparities hardly influence the population beliefs and working participation. moreover, this suggests that the filipino female and male teachers both enjoy equal chances in professions for employment opportunities in thailand, confirming non-gendered discrimination in workplace placement among thai employers. in addition to this, abdullahi (2019) further attested that sociodemographic factors are shaped by numerous competing forces that encompass demographic and psychosocial dimensions. this gender balance representation means that filipino mathematics teachers in thailand have the same career progression, employment demands, and professional acknowledgment regardless of gender. education a major majority of respondents (78.3%) hold a bachelor's degree, followed by 11.7% at the master's level, and 8.3% having completed their master's degree. notably, only 1.7% possess professional certifications, and none have obtained a doctorate, reflecting a scarcity of advanced academic qualifications beyond the master's level. according to abdullahi (2019), socio-demographic attributes are acquired progressively, meaning higher levels of education generally correspond to greater professional advantages. however, the lack of doctorate holders suggests that filipino teachers in thailand may prioritize practical teaching experience over further academic qualifications. in particular, 78.3% are bachelor's degree holders, most commonly being the criterion in teaching positions among different foreign and private schools. similarly, 11.7% are currently in the middle of pursuing their master's degree (in progress), while 8.3% are already degree holders. there is clear indication that a meager 1.7% are professional certificate holders, and far removed from that, there are none with doctor's degree and pursuing programs. this pattern indicates that although the majority of filipino teachers in thailand are qualified according to typical requirements, few have academic achievement beyond the master's level. the lack of doctorates implies that additional studies and specialization in mathematics education may not be on the priority list of this group, possibly due to limitations like workload, funding constraints, or the type of teaching work. eggen et al. (2023) noted that socio-economic factors should be taken into account when assessing educational achievement. the dominance of bachelor's degree holders means that most filipino teachers might not have adequate financial or institutional support for postgraduate study or might not see a doctorate as a prerequisite for their teaching positions. other than that, thai schools might have low expectations of postgraduate qualifications, which could reduce motivation to study further. length of service the majority of the respondents, 38.3%, have taught in thailand for 10 or more years, followed closely by 35% who have between 5 and less than 10 years' experience. there is a smaller group, 18.3%, who have worked for one to less than two years, and the lowest group is the 8.3% with two to less than five years' experience. this shows that the majority of the respondents have considerable teaching experience in thailand. these results uncover a high percentage of veteran teachers among the respondents' sample. the 38.3% of the sample with over a decade of experience is especially striking, and the 35% with 5 to under 10 years of experience also suggests high professional maturity. this suggests that the majority of filipino mathematics teachers have established long-term careers in thailand and show job stability and continued professional engagement in the education sector. this aligns with abdullahi (2019), who described socio-demographic characteristics as evolving through a continuum of professional competition. those with longer teaching experience likely acquired stronger credentials, adaptability skills, and career advantages over time, enabling them to sustain their employment. pa ge 13 0 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 123-147, 2025 furthermore, eggen et al. (2023) highlight the importance of considering socio-demographic characteristics in professional settings. about 18.3% of respondents have been teaching for one to less than two years, indicating a steady influx of new filipino teachers entering the profession. the lowest proportion (8.3%) comprises those who have worked for two to less than five years, which suggest that some teachers either transition to different schools, move to other countries, or return to the philippines after gaining short-term international teaching experience. table 6: distribution of respondents in terms of length of service in thailand length of service in thailand frequency (n) percentage (%) 10 years and more 23 38.33 5 years and less than ten 10 years 21 35 2 years and less than 5 years 5 8.33 1 year and less than 2 years 11 18.33 total 60 100 extent of filipino teachers' technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpack) in thailand technological knowledge (tk) the highest-rated indicator is “i can learn technology easily” (3.58, very high), while the lowest is “i know about a lot of different technologies” (3.00, high). overall, the average score across all respondents is 3.34 with a standard deviation of 0.60, categorized as high, which demonstrates a strong but not exceptional level of technology knowledge among them. the evaluation of technology knowledge (tk) among filipino mathematics teachers in thailand shows a generally high proficiency in using technology within their teaching practices, achieving an overall mean score of 3.34 (high). interestingly, the most rated response, "i can learn technology easily" (3.58, very high), indicates that most of the respondents were confident in learning to accommodate new technology tools and systems. such adaptability is important in the current technology-based learning system, where skill upgradation needs to be continuous for effective deployment of digital learning. the technology knowledge (tk) test of filipino math teachers in thailand reveals a relatively high capacity to use technology in teaching tasks with an aggregate mean score of 3.34 (high). of note here is the highest-rated statement, "i can learn technology easily" (3.58, very high), indicating that most of the respondents believe in learning new technology tools and systems. this flexibility is essential in the technology-based learning environment of today, where continuous skill development is necessary to properly integrate digital learning. these findings corroborate with the findings of lyublinskaya and kaplon-schilis (2022) where they noted that most teachers are faced with difficulties in the incorporation of technology in their instruction since they lack adequate training, lack familiarity with digital tools, and are lost with respect to applying technology. although the respondents in this survey demonstrated a fairly high technology literacy, the low scores on exposure to varied technologies reflect that professional development activities should make them familiar with a variety of digital technologies. mailizar et al. (2021) also stressed the significance of on-going learning and professional growth as they explained otpd as an easy and flexible method of maintaining teachers updated with new trends. the findings, highlighting teachers' high capacity for selflearning, indicate that they are best placed to capitalize on online learning environments that have the potential to bridge technology knowledge gaps. yet, the findings also indicate that teachers might require guided leadership to navigate multiple technologies besides what they are already doing. furthermore, hill and uribe-florez (2020) underscored that tpack is not an issue of understanding technology but having the capability to integrate it with pedagogy and content knowledge. although the respondents are highly technology-enabled, it is possible that their capacity for using technology in a strategic way to improve instruction may need some professional development and guidance. this affirms that teachers need better access to education technologies from schools, not simply in an individual learning capacity but through organized, collaborative training modules. the demographic results help explain the high but not exceptional level of technology knowledge among filipino mathematics teachers in thailand. the majority of teachers (61.7%) fall within the 27-42 age group, an age range where educators are likely to be comfortable with digital tools but may not have grown up with advanced technology as part of their education. this could explain why they find it easy to learn new technologies (3.58, very high) but may not have extensive exposure to a variety of digital tools (3.00, high). furthermore, the fact that 78.3% of respondents hold only a bachelor's degree suggests that many have not undergone advanced technology training at the graduate level. this supports lyublinskaya and kaplon-schilis (2022), who noted that the lack of formal training in digital pedagogy can be a significant barrier to technology integration. while they possess basic digital literacy skills, their exposure to specialized technology-enhanced teaching strategies may be limited. additionally, 38.3% of respondents have been teaching in thailand for over 10 years, while 35% have 5 to 10 years of experience. this suggests that most respondents began their teaching careers prior to the widespread adoption of digital learning tools. their evident adaptability to technology implies that they have actively upgraded their skills over the years. but their lower marks pa ge 13 1 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 123-147, 2025 in their knowledge of most technologies can confirm that their exposure is mainly limited to the software they have learned within their present learning systems. the findings of the research show that thai filipino mathematics teachers possess a solid base for using technology, and there are more than enough of them who can benefit from more exposure to other computer technologies. their high adaptability and learning mentality affirm that they are high when it comes to being able to accumulate their technology skills through adequate training and teaching. table 7: mean perception of the respondents on the of level of technology knowledge (tk) of mathematics’ teachers statements mean sd interpretation i know how to solve my own technical problems. 3.52 0.54 very high i can learn technology easily. 3.58 0.53 very high i keep up with important new technologies. 3.43 0.56 high i frequently play around with the technology. 3.28 0.64 high i know about a lot of different technologies. 3.00 0.64 high i have the technical skills i need to use technology. 3.30 0.70 high i have had sufficient opportunities to work with different technologies. 3.25 0.60 high overall score 3.34 0.60 high content knowledge (ck) the most highly rated was "i can use a mathematical way of thinking" (3.48, high), and the lowest rated was "i have sufficient knowledge about mathematics" (3.42, high). having an average score of 3.45 (high) and a standard deviation of 0.63, suggests that the respondents are well aware of mathematics, but there is still room for improvement. the results show that filipino mathematics teachers in thailand have a good content knowledge (ck) with a mean of 3.45. the most highly rated statement, "i can use a mathematical way of thinking" (3.48, high), is the self-evaluation by respondents that they can use logical thinking and mathematical structures for solving problems. this indicates their sound theoretical background in mathematics to effectively teach. at the same time, the lowest-rated statement, "i have enough knowledge on mathematics" (3.42, high), indicates that though teachers are assured of their subject, there may be some areas where their confidence wanes. this may be due to gaps in knowledge of advanced mathematical concepts or ongoing need for professional growth so as to keep up with progress in mathematics education. the measure "i have different ways and strategies for building up my knowledge of mathematics" (3.45, high) affirms that teachers are investigating many ways of developing their math knowledge, but there is still scope for enhancing their knowledge as well as teaching practices. these results reflect the tpack model of lyublinskaya and kaplon-schilis (2022), who are of the opinion that content knowledge (ck) is a foundational pillar of good pedagogy. they are of the opinion that, in addition to subject matter knowledge, teachers also need to know how to teach it. the very high ck scores reveal that filipino teachers in thailand are mathematically wellprepared, but minute discrepancies in scoring reveal that there is still a demand for ongoing training to build and hold more information. in addition, valtonen et al. (2019) elaborate that possessing content knowledge is not sufficient but should also be coupled with technology and pedagogical knowledge to ensure quality learning experience. although evidence indicates that filipino math teachers possess superb math foundations, passing on such knowledge in some other alternative forms of pedagogies and also being capable to incorporate technology without difficulty in instruction are what require examination. especially so now wherein technology-inclu-sion teaching has turned more into focus. further, goos et al. (2020) emphasize the growing demand for mathematics teaching through online professional development. their findings indicate that despite the fact that teachers possess an effective grasp of mathematics, platforms of online learning could be most instrumental in maintaining their capabilities. this supports the imperative of continuous education and contact with new math theories, pedagogies, and computer-aided resources in order to empower teachers with enhancing their own pedagogic approaches and capacities in solving complex mathematical problems. the demographic characteristics of the participants put into perspective the high, yet not outstanding, prevalence of content knowledge observed. a large number of the participants (61.7%) belong to the age group of 27-42 years, a group where teachers are usually experienced but still willing to continue their development. this is proof that even though they possess good mathematics skills, they require continuous education to remain updated on advancements in their profession. also clearly visible is the level of educational background among the respondents. with a paltry 78.3% possessing only a bachelor's degree, their knowledge base would thus largely be derived from undergraduate studies, depriving them of exposure to graduate-level mathematics. the pa ge 13 2 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 123-147, 2025 lack of doctorate degree holders also bring to light this fact. as mentioned by lyublinskaya and kaplon-schilis (2022), technical education and graduate studies have a highly crucial role in enhancing the ability of a teacher to be effective in delivering complex material. this would mean that, although filipino math teachers in thailand are familiar with their subject matter, more opportunities for graduate studies or technical education in mathematics can further enhance their content knowledge. it is also interesting to note that 38.3% of the participants possess over 10 years of class experience, meaning a tremendous amount of class exposure. classroom exposure does not always translate to control over content knowledge, and this is seen from the moderate reading of "i have enough knowledge about mathematics" (3.42). this suggests that even though their class experience is high, formal mathematical knowledge needs to be updated, especially in new ideas and pedagogy. the overall findings reveal that filipino mathematics teachers in thailand have a strong mathematical foundation, but there is scope for enhancing their knowledge and teaching methods. their high content knowledge (ck) is aligned with their extensive experience and undergraduate studies; however, pursuing further professional development, higher studies, and exposure to new mathematical theories would make them more confident and effective in the subject. table 8: mean perception of the respondents on the of level of content knowledge (ck) of mathematics’ teachers statements mean sd interpretation i have sufficient knowledge about mathematics 3.42 0.59 high i can use a mathematical way of thinking. 3.48 0.65 high i have various ways and strategies of developing my understanding of mathematics. 3.45 0.65 high overall score 3.45 0.63 high i have the technical skills i need to use technology. 3.30 0.70 high i have had sufficient opportunities to work with different technologies. 3.25 0.60 high overall score 3.34 0.60 high ranking as the highest. the lowest-scored item was "i am familiar with common student understandings and misconceptions" (3.53, very high). the overall mean score of 3.65 (very high) and standard deviation of 0.50 reflect the very high pedagogical knowledge of the respondents. results show that filipino mathematics teachers in thailand have very high pk, which has a mean overall score of 3.65. this indicates that these teachers are more effective at assessing student performance, modifying their teaching style, employing multiple instructional strategies, and managing classrooms. the highest-rated measure, "i know how to evaluate student learning outcomes in a classroom" (3.78, very high), indicates the teachers' confidence in being able to assess student learning outcomes, which is important to making informed instructional decisions and providing targeted support. on the other hand, the least-rated indicator, "i am familiar with common student understandings and misconceptions" (3.53, very high), although still within the very high range, shows that there are a few teachers who might benefit from additional training to be better at recognizing and dealing with specific misconceptions in mathematics. this points to a potential lack of diagnostic teaching practices, which are central to being able to tailor teaching to the needs of students. however, the uniformly high scores in all domains attest to the fact that filipino teachers are not just exceptionally competent at pedagogy but also effective in imparting quality mathematics lessons. the findings concur with the study of mohammadpour and maroofi (2023), whose research established that professional training programs significantly increase the pedagogical knowledge of teachers. their research underscored the importance of systematic teacher training programs, such as those implemented in ttu, which support graduates with better content knowledge (ck) and pedagogical knowledge (pk). this can mean that filipino mathematics teachers in thailand most likely underwent strong pre-service teacher education but may also require ongoing professional development to handle student misconceptions more effectively. in yet another similar study, aktaş and özmen (2020) illustrated how tpack development training enhances the pk, ck, and tk of instructors. this attests to the fact that repeated training and microteaching exposure have a central role to play in strengthening the pedagogical skills of teachers. the very high levels of pk scores among filipino math teachers attest to a strong pedagogical base, but the addition of technology-facilitated interventions could further enhance their capacity to assess and fill the learning gaps of students. moreover, lyublinskaya and kaplon-schilis (2022) emphasized the importance of systematic assessment instruments, such as the tpack levels rubric, in evaluating pedagogical skills of teachers. the consistently high scores in pk suggest that filipino mathematics teachers are confident in their pedagogical practices, but pedagogical knowledge (pk) all indicators received very high ratings, with “i know how to assess student performance in a classroom” (3.78) pa ge 13 3 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 123-147, 2025 incorporating technology-enabled assessment methods may further improve their ability to identify student misconceptions and adjust their lessons accordingly. the demographic characteristics of the respondents help explain their high pedagogical knowledge levels. the majority of teachers (61.7%) belong to the 27-42 age group, a stage in their careers where they likely have gained substantial teaching experience and developed adaptive instructional techniques. the high pk scores reflect the experience and expertise that comes with years of practice, supporting the idea that mid-career teachers have refined their ability to assess student performance and employ a variety of teaching strategies. additionally, the high percentage of bachelor’s degree holders (78.3%) suggests that most teachers received formal training in pedagogy but may have limited exposure to advanced education techniques at the graduate level. this aligns with mohammadpour and maroofi (2023), who emphasized the need for specialized pedagogical training programs beyond initial teacher preparation. the lack of doctorate holders in the sample indicates that while teachers have strong foundational pk, there may be opportunities for further academic enrichment in instructional methodologies. moreover, 38.3% of respondents have been teaching in thailand for over 10 years, and 35% have 5 to less than 10 years of experience. this extensive classroom experience likely contributes to their high pk scores, as they have had years to refine their teaching techniques and classroom management skills. however, the lower rating on identifying student misconceptions suggests that even experienced teachers could benefit from professional development focused on diagnostic teaching techniques and formative assessment strategies. the results indicate that filipino mathematics teachers in thailand exhibit strong pedagogical knowledge, with very high proficiency in student assessment, classroom management, and instructional adaptability. these strengths are likely shaped by their formal teacher training, years of teaching experience, and exposure to diverse student needs. however, the slightly lower rating on identifying student misconceptions suggests a potential area for improvement. table 9: mean perception of the respondents on the level of pedagogical knowledge (pk) of mathematics’ teachers statements mean sd interpretation i know how to assess student performance in a classroom 3.78 0.42 very high i can adapt my teaching based upon what students currently understand or do not understand. 3.77 0.46 very high i can adapt my teaching style to different learners. 3.70 0.50 very high i can assess student learning in multiple ways. 3.63 0.55 very high i can use a wide range of teaching approaches in a classroom setting. 3.57 0.53 very high i am familiar with common student understandings and misconceptions 3.53 0.50 very high i know how to organize and maintain classroom management. 3.55 0.57 very high overall score 3.65 0.50 very high pedagogical content knowledge (pck) this category received the lowest mean scores among the knowledge components, with a single item, “i know that different mathematical concepts do not require different teaching approaches”, scoring 3.07 (high) with standard deviation of 0.82. this suggests that while respondents understand pedagogical strategies, they may have limitations in integrating content-specific instructional methods. the results indicate that filipino mathematics teachers in thailand have a high level of pedagogical content knowledge (pck), with an overall mean score of 3.07. however, this category received the lowest scores among the different tpack components. the single item assessed, "i know that different mathematical concepts do not require different teaching approaches", suggests that while teachers are aware of general pedagogical strategies, they may face challenges in adapting their instructional methods to different mathematical topics. a score of 3.07 (high) and sd of 0.82 suggest that teachers somewhat agree with the idea that mathematical concepts can be taught using similar approaches. however, research indicates that effective mathematics instruction necessitates a variety of pedagogical techniques customized to specific topics (e.g., problem-solving methods for algebra compared to visual representations for geometry). this finding suggests that there are some teachers who do not use content-specific instructional strategies entirely, which may restrict students' knowledge and engagement in learning mathematics. the lower ranking of pck in comparison to other tpack components aligns with the findings of mohammadpour and maroofi (2023), who noted major variation in teachers’ pck levels depending on their training background. their study emphasized that pa ge 13 4 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 123-147, 2025 structured professional development programs, like those provided by teacher training universities (ttus), can greatly enhance pck by exposing educators to a wide array of instructional strategies. the relatively lower pck score in this research indicates that the majority of filipino teachers in thailand might not have received specialized mathematics pedagogy training, which can be the reason why they have limited differentiation in instructional strategies. in a similar vein, aktaş and özmen (2020) highlighted the importance of tpack-specialized training and reported that pre-service teachers who were instructed in tpackoriented training possessed greater pedagogical content knowledge. their research suggested that factors like training, microteaching, and school practice applications lead to improved integration of pedagogical and content knowledge for teachers. the findings of this research indicate that filipino mathematics teachers in thailand would highly benefit from professional development interventions aimed at diversifying pedagogical strategies for different mathematical concepts. also, hill and uribe-florez (2020) highlighted the foundational relationship between teacher technology confidence and teaching styles. from their findings, teachers with higher confidence in teaching strategies are better at integrating technology into curriculumspecific instruction. the lower pck score in this research suggests that teachers might struggle to differentiate their pedagogical practices, which in turn affect their ability to use technology optimally to a specific content. secondly, rakes et al. (2022) found that secondary maths teachers showed better teaching practice but showed minimal pck growth, showing a lack of alignment between pedagogical practice and knowledge about content. this result validates the result of this research, where filipino educators in thailand had both high pedagogical knowledge (pk) and content knowledge (ck) but cannot utilize them (pck). for this reason, teacher professional development programs must aim not only to enhance the mathematical teacher knowledge but also to increase their ability to implement different instruction techniques into different concepts. currently, the majority of teachers (78.3%) have only a bachelor's degree, with hardly any group having professional certifications or higher degrees. research such as that by mohammadpour and maroofi (2023) emphasizes that structured teacher training programs considerably enrich pck development. the lack of doctoral degree holders within the respondent pool suggests that many may have missed out on advanced content-specific pedagogical instruction, potentially leading to the lower pck scores observed. most of the participants (38.3%) have been in service for more than a decade, and then 35% with experience ranging from 5 to 10 years. although much teaching experience is desired, remember studies show years in service do not necessarily translate to greater pck unless teachers receive constant professional development (andrian et al., 2022). these results suggest that while filipino teachers in thailand have gained pedagogical experience, they might not have undergone focused training in applying instructional strategies to targeted mathematical knowledge. mailizar et al. (2021) discussed that more tpack-proficient teachers use online professional development. the comparatively low pck score indicates that the filipino teachers in thailand might not have access to organized training to differentiate instruction strategies for different math concepts. the results are so that although filipino math teachers in thailand score quite high (3.07) in the domain of pck, it is a limitation to them, especially in utilizing varied mathematical content in order to develop educational plans. their lower score in pck, relative to the higher scores in ck and pk, would require content-based instructional practices-oriented professional development courses. table 10: mean perception of the respondents on the level of pedagogical content knowledge (pck) of mathematics’ teachers statements mean sd interpretation i know that different m a t h e m a t i c a l concepts do not require different teaching approaches 3.07 0.82 high overall score 3.07 0.82 high variation of tpack across demographic factors among filipino teachers in thailand table 11 presents results of non-parametric tests, i.e., mann-whitney u test and kruskal-wallis test, to determine whether there are significant differences among tpack levels along some demographic variables such as, age, gender, education, and years of service. all demographic variables' p-values and tpack dimensions' p-values are higher than the 0.05 significance level, showing there are no significant differences among tpack levels of filipino teachers in thailand along these variables. this discovery indicates that demographic variables like age, gender, educational level and years of service do not have any effect on teachers' ability to employ technology in instruction. filipino educators in thailand must have had equal levels of access to technology and professional development training irrespective of their demographic characteristics. having a similar method of integrating technology into classrooms in schools may have helped different demographic groups to have equal levels of tpack. this finding is consistent with that of rakes et al. (2022), who established that though teachers showed differences in teaching practice during the covid-19 pandemic, growth in tpack was not significantly affected by demographics like age or teaching years. as in this research, professional development and institutional support appear to have a more significant effect on pa ge 13 5 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 123-147, 2025 tpack than demographic variation. in addition, hill and uribe-florez (2020) highlight the significance of pedagogy and teacher self-efficacy in the integration of technology over age and gender, further corroborating the argument that external factors are more integral to technology uptake than personal demographic attributes. no significant gender differences indicate that the level of tpack between male and female teachers is not drastically different for thai filipino instructors. this might be due to chances of professional growth without consideration for gender plus open access to computers, an evidence that demonstrates gender equality as regards provision of training, teaching devices, pedagogy for fostering their proficiency when it comes to applying computerization in the job. the absence of significant disparity indicates the existence of wider cultural or institutional influences in the school environment, which prefer equal technological assistance to both men and women. this finding aligns with hill and uribe-florez (2020), who found that teachers' self-efficacy in teaching mathematics using technology was more influenced by pedagogical practices and continuous training than by gender disparities. similarly, mohammadpour and maroofi (2023) highlighted that certain teacher preparation programs, such as ttu's, raise content and pedagogical knowledge without being influenced by the teacher's gender. this supports the notion that gender-neutral training programs are effective in promoting tpack regardless of gender, aligning with the findings from table 12. differences in tpack dimensions among filipino teachers in thailand table 12 displays the results of the friedman test, which examines whether important differences exist among the tpack dimensions. the p value result of <0.001 shows that there is statistically significant difference in the median scores across different tpack dimensions. the chi-square value of 24.928 (df = 3) means that not all dimensions were rated equally, which suggest variability in the teacher’s perspective in all four areas. the mean rank showed that filipino teachers in thailand were more confident in their pedagogical knowledge being given the highest mean rank score of 3.08. on the other hand, pck received the lowest mean rank of 2.05, which showed that this was the least emphasized or developed among the four dimensions. tk and ck were given somewhere in the middle positions based on mean rank scores of 2.28 and 2.58 respectively. this result agrees with present literature among educators emphasizing variability between tpack elements. for example, a survey study by wen and shinas (2020) assessed growth in tpack development by preservice instructors with significant advancements in all elements except pedagogical knowledge (pk), variability dominating in self-assessment ability across tpack elements. in the same vein, doukakis et al. (2021) had investigated in-service computer science teachers, and they obtained higher ratings in content knowledge (ck) and technological knowledge (tk), but lower selfconfidence in pedagogical content knowledge (pck) and technological content knowledge (tck), reflecting unbalanced tpack component development. the studies point to the imperative necessity of professional workshops designed to bridge specific deficiencies in technological consciousness, finally leading to a more equally balanced tpack profile for instructors. teachers are able to enhance the application of technology in their teaching practices by developing their technological skills, finally leading to improved teaching performance. table 11: differences of tpack across demographic factors demographic variable tpack dimension test used p-value interpretation gender tk mann-whitney u test 0.347 no differences pk mann-whitney u test 0.784 no differences ck mann-whitney u test 0.073 no differences pck mann-whitney u test 0.739 no differences age tk kruskal-wallis test 0.953 no differences pk kruskal-wallis test 0.969 no differences ck kruskal-wallis test 0.432 no differences pck kruskal-wallis test 0.204 no differences educational attainment tk kruskal-wallis test 0.576 no differences pk kruskal-wallis test 0.287 no differences ck kruskal-wallis test 0.128 no differences pck kruskal-wallis test 0.653 no differences length of service tk kruskal-wallis test 0.653 no differences pk kruskal-wallis test 0.956 no differences ck kruskal-wallis test 0.534 no differences pck kruskal-wallis test 0.251 no differences pa ge 13 6 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 123-147, 2025 table 12: differences of tpack among filipino teachers in thailand ranks test statistic rank mean rank tk 2.28 n 60 pk 3.08 chi-square 24.928 ck 2.58 df 3 pck 2.05 asymp.sig. <0.001 significant table 13: tpack dimension comparison summary tpack dimensions comparisons test used z-value p-value significant (at <0.0083) tk vs pk wilcoxon signed ranks test -4.4144 <0.001 significant tk vs ck wilcoxon signed ranks test -1.626 0.104 not significant tk vs pck wilcoxon signed ranks test -2.153 0.031 not significant pk vs ck wilcoxon signed ranks test -2.652 0.008 not significant pk vs pck wilcoxon signed ranks test -4.404 <0.001 significant ck vs pck wilcoxon signed ranks test -2.883 0.004 significant table 13 shows the result of the wilcoxon signed-rank tests, which were performed to determine significant differences among tpack dimensions. post-hoc pairwise tests were carried out after determining significant effects when three or more levels of a factor were present. bonferroni-adjusted alpha level of 0.0083 (0.05 ÷ 6) was also employed. a wilcoxon signed-rank test found that between the comparisons, tk vs ck, pk vs pck and ck vs pck were significantly different. teachers rated their pk significantly higher than their tk (z = -4.4144, p<0.001). this can also be observed in their ratings of pk which is significantly higher than their pck (z = -4.404, p<0.001). similarly, ck was also rated significantly higher compared to pck (z = -2.883, p<0.004). among these tpack dimensions pk was rated significantly higher than tk and pck. moreover, ck was also rated significantly higher than pck. these results suggest than even though teachers were confident in their ck and pk, the integration of them in pck still remains as a challenge. there were no significant differences tk vs ck, tk vs pck and pk vs ck. it can be observed that although pk vs ck results were very close, it still misses the bonferroni-adjusted alpha level of 0.0083. perception of filipino teachers on their tpack and its impact on teaching practices this segment of the study examines how filipino math teachers in thailand understand and apply tpack. tpack is where subject matter, instructional strategies, and technological tools intersect in the classroom. the teachers described how they brought the three components together in practice, demonstrating how they apply content, instructional strategies, and technological tools in order to make teaching function. this section describes three broad themes of what they had to say: how they incorporate the tpack components, issues with technology, and how they accomplish it with technology in order to support students without having issues. holistic integration teachers conceptualize tpack as an integrated whole in which mathematics content, pedagogy, and technology are synthesized. the filipino maths teachers in thailand focus on integral integration when debating technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpack). according to them, tpack represents an integrated model where content knowledge, instructional strategy, and technology should work cooperatively to further teaching and learning processes. from this perspective, there is focus on balancing mathematics content with due instructional strategy as well as technical media to achieve a smooth and effective learning process. this integrated strategy is in line with the results of aktaş and özmen (2020), who discovered that advanced tpack development courses for pre-service science teachers greatly improved their technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge. these results illustrate how a targeted training can construct soft infrastructure where technology is integrated into the curriculum, in an integrated way. similarly, lyublinskaya and kaplon schilis (2022) tested the tpack model using their levels rubric that demonstrated that it was possible to integrate technology, pedagogy, and content successfully and measure it. teacher 12 also explained tpack as something "to incorporate your lesson with the technology," indicating technology should be incorporated into the lesson, not as an addition, along with content and pedagogy. this too identifies that technology is not merely a tool but also integral to the medium, which supports the learning pa ge 13 7 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 123-147, 2025 process. likewise, teacher 9 defines tpack as "a combination of three: subject matter, approaches to teaching or strategies, and the use of technologies." that is, good instruction necessitates balance between subject matter, teaching approach, and available technology. the combination of these three is at the heart of a good approach to teaching, with technology playing a supportive role to both content presentation and pedagogical strategy. teacher 3 further goes in the direction of this broad integration by explaining, "tpack is the capacity to effectively combine technology in teaching and reconcile subject matter content, instruction strategies, and electronic tools to enhance student understanding." this is employed to explain that effective teaching is based on a lively integration between content knowledge, pedagogic strategies, and technological tools as a method of enhancing the students' comprehension, mostly abstract mathematical concepts. for teacher 13, tpack signifies "knowing how to use technology and blend it with the right teaching methods and the specific content i’m supposed to teach." this perspective emphasizes the importance of purposefully integrating technology into the curriculum. the teacher perceives the combination of content, pedagogy, and technology as a "sweet spot" that enhances student learning and makes lessons more impactful. teacher 10 also stresses the intertwinement of these three, insisting that "tpack means integrating content, pedagogy, and technology so that makes math lessons more interactive and meaningful." this position explains that technology cannot be used just for the sake of using it; it has to provide meaning and depth to lessons, which render them engaging and perceptive to students. personal accounts from the teachers of what they do in order to incorporate technology during instruction demonstrate unanimity that tpack is not merely a formula to be executed, but an overarching philosophy concerning teaching. teacher 9 articulates this succinctly by stating, "i think tpack is about knowing how to use technology and blend it with the right teaching methods and the specific content i’m supposed to teach." this underlines the notion that technology is most effective when it is aligned with both the content being taught and the pedagogical strategies employed. the filipino mathematics teachers in thailand share a common perspective of tpack as a holistic model where pedagogy, content knowledge, and technology supplement and complement each other. from their responses, the three aspects are in balance to significantly contribute to learning by the students in order to make learning more engaging, interactive, and effective. mailizar et al. (2021) and habibi et al. (2019) studies also confirm that the higher level of tpack is associated with a higher level of readiness to implement digital innovations, thereby resulting in a more interactive and richer learning process. confidence gap in tech skills although the majority of the teachers are self-assured in math content and teaching practice, they point to "technological knowledge" as an area that needs enhancement. the self-reported deficit is also consistent with rakes et al. (2022), which reported that although there were instructional practice improvements in mathematics instruction during the covid-19 pandemic, tremendous technological deficits in tpack existed. hill and uribeflorez (2020) also provide emphasis on the confidence of teachers with the utilization of technology, where effective integration has high correlation with ongoing support and professional development of teachers. the filipino math teachers' remarks in thailand reveal a broad "confidence gap in tech skills." they have good content knowledge and sound pedagogical practices, but a clear technological knowledge (tk) gap exists. the gap is particularly apparent since most teachers are confident that they can teach but acknowledge that enhancing their technological skills continues to be a priority. for instance, teacher 6 expressed feeling "entirely confident mainly in the teaching strategies and instructional methods," demonstrating a strong grasp of pedagogy and content delivery. however, they acknowledged that the technological side of teaching is an area for potential growth, stating, "i would like to improve my technological knowledge because i believe it’s essential to stay current with new tools." this is a common sentiment across the responses, where participants generally feel well-prepared in pedagogy and content but are eager to refine their technological skills. teacher 2, while expressing satisfaction with how technology enhances the learning process, acknowledges the need for improvement in their technological skills. they rated their confidence in technology at "7," stating, "there is always room for improvement," highlighting the fast-paced nature of technological advancements and the necessity of staying updated. teacher 3 similarly utters their strengths in pedagogy and content, saying, "i feel confident in using technology for instruction, especially in blending technology with content and pedagogy," but acknowledges the need to improve technological knowledge, specifically in "learning advanced features of mathematical software to personalize learning." teacher 4 also shows confidence in their content and pedagogy, remarking, "content knowledge in math is something i’m comfortable with because it’s my major," but identifies the need to improve technological knowledge. teacher 5 and teacher 6 echo similar sentiments, with teacher 5 focusing on enhancing their "technological knowledge" to keep up with new teaching tools, and teacher 6 looking to refine their "technological content knowledge" by exploring more advanced tools for teaching mathematics. the concern about technological skills is not limited to the teachers themselves but also extends to their students’ adaptability and how technology can either support or hinder learning. teacher 11 noted that while technology pa ge 13 8 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 123-147, 2025 makes the classroom more interactive and fun, "it takes a lot of time preparing the lesson" and dealing with "technical issues." similarly, teacher 7 pointed out that while they are confident in their pedagogical knowledge, they are still improving their technological knowledge, saying, "i’d say i’m quite confident, especially now that i’ve been exploring various educational software. my greatest strength lies unquestionably in pedagogical knowledge.” these answers are an unambiguous consensus that although filipino mathematics teachers in thailand are aware of the topics which they are teaching and of pedagogic strategies which they implement, there is a common understanding that information regarding technology is an incredibly vital subject which always has to be acquired and re-acquired. this technology confidence deficit creates the demand for professional development in ongoing format, particularly in incorporating new technologies and digital tools into instruction-related goals. similarly, teacher 8 also indicated, "i want to investigate more deeply into more sophisticated software or perhaps try coding activities," with a demonstration of intent to dig deeper into what would enhance both their teaching practice as well as students' learning results more effectively. the answers of the teachers confirm the need to reconcile pedagogical competencies with technological competencies. despite a majority of teachers thinking that they are sufficiently prepared to teach mathematics, constant seeking to become better in terms of technological awareness is an absolute priority. this shows the educational technology context and its effect on learning and teaching. the studies of shin (2022) and max et al. (2022) indicate that teachers may first overestimate their level of tpack proficiency but specific interventions like makerspace or training modules play a significant role in actually augmenting technological skill. furthermore, aktaş and özmen (2020) illustrate how systematic development programs in tpack are able to fill the gap so that teachers can be adequately equipped to utilize technology effectively in the classroom. improved interaction with precautions to evade. while technology can support motivation, interactivity, and enhanced comprehension, it needs to be used cautiously lest it causes distractions or technical problems. this aligns with habibi et al., (2019), who posit that a robust tpack foundation is crucial in order to ensure learning via proper ict integration and transforming technology into an effective tool for learning. rakes et al. (2022) also add that without deliberate support, otherwise successful technology integration will be unlikely to fulfill its pedagogical potential, especially during periods of high turnover within the learning environment. the filipino math teachers' experience in thailand illustrates how technology can enhance student motivation and enhance learning outcomes when strategically employed in the classroom. some of the teachers explained that computer-based technologies make abstract mathematical concepts concrete, visual, and interactive, stimulating motivation and greater understanding. for example, as one educator mentioned, "after covering a subject, i let students use their phones to respond to practice questions on the subject, and all the students love seeing the instant results," highlighting the excitement and instant feedback that technology provides. while doing this, however, teachers also spoke out against possible downsides of technology in classrooms. teacher 13 stated, "technology makes complicated things simple with diagrams and simulations," but warned that "technical problems can halt classes," and that too much prep time shortens actual learning time." this two-way view suggests that technology can enhance engagement and interactivity significantly, but its use must be carefully controlled so that technical issues and distractions do not occur. teacher 8 suggested the fine balance by saying, "technology has a profound effect on student engagement and learning outcomes because it dictates how well i can marry technology and pedagogy with content." however, they warned that over-reliance on digital tools risks distracting students. similarly, one educator observed, "when my tpack is strong, i see that students are more engaged because lessons flow smoothly," contrasting this with concerns that "sometimes technology can also be a distraction, especially if the devices aren’t working well or if students are focusing on the gadget more than the lesson." these insights collectively stress that the benefits of technology are maximized only when its integration is deliberate and well-supported. the teachers agree that technology can revolutionize math instruction, making lessons more engaging and accessible. but they also recognized that success lies in the hands of careful implementation and solving technical problems. one of the teachers captured it best when she said, "i think about technology as a guide that helps me design lessons where the use of technology brings authentic value to what students are studying," highlighting the need for even-handedness that leverages technology to enhance the learning process without sacrificing its potential negatives. andrian et al. (2022) also assume that whereas motivation and creativity impact tpack, its effect on teacher performance is moderated by long-term conditions like leadership and organizational climate. barriers to the development and integration of tpack among filipino teachers in thailand this part of the research shows the frequent challenges of filipino mathematics teachers in thailand to apply tpack in instruction. the teachers presented several challenges that prevent them from using technology in the classroom, such as financial constraints, lack of gadgets and access to the internet, lack of training, and inadequate school assistance. others also noted that cultural and normal school reasons prevent them from innovating in teaching. identifying these roadblocks is important to create better support and solutions in order pa ge 13 9 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 123-147, 2025 to assist teachers in performing better using tpack in the classroom. limited technological and financial resources the comments from the filipino teachers of mathematics in thailand always relate back to the limited technological and financial resources as one of the most significant disadvantages to introducing technology integration into the classroom. most educators noted the straightforward lack of equipment and inconstant internet access. teacher 9 summarized this dilemma by saying, "when no one has a phone or computer to use." this somber observation emphasizes that without even the most minimal of technological devices, the revolutionary potential of online learning is left unfulfilled, disadvantaging both teachers and students. literature reports such issues habibi et al. (2019) highlight that successful ict integration in classrooms depends on the availability of effective technological means and proper support, a concern in poor-resource environments. mailizar et al. (2021) further uncover that educators with greater tpack capacity can better embrace digital innovations as an asset whose deficiency hinders resource insufficiencies. furthermore, andrian et al. (2022) highlight the significant role of environmental factors, including organizational support and leadership, in influencing teachers' performance. they note that limited resources can possibly significantly limit even highly trained teachers from fully utilizing technology in instruction. another issue is the schools' limited funding for provision, which keeps them far from current hardware and software. teachers have grumbled about these budget issues, with one of the interviewees explaining, "a huge hindrance is the school budget. we can only do so much with what we are provided." these budget issues result in the fact that even if teachers come up with creative ways to integrate technology, they typically remain on paper because they lack the resources required. additionally, a lack of funds not only restricts the purchase of hardware but also erodes the infrastructure as a whole to allow adequate use of technology. most of the teachers recounted tales of bad internet connectivity and old computers, which handicap class sessions. one teacher made the following poignant remark, "the greatest challenge is often the intermittent availability of the internet. i may have a great lesson plan, but when the wifi is down, i have to improvise." this comment illustrates how insufficient funding for upkeeping technological infrastructures can develop into usual interruptions that diminish the quality and consistency of instruction. furthermore, a lack of funding impacts teachers' professional development as well as achieving solid tpack competency. the budget restraints deter schools from spending on extended training modules or continuous technology upgrades. one of the respondents commented, "the biggest limitation on my capacity to acquire tpack knowledge is economic. not every student has stable internet for online learning." this very much suggests that, in the absence of adequate financial resources, both students and teachers are restricted by unstable technology, which keeps opportunities for innovative teaching and effective learning out of reach. others pointed out that although theoretically, there could be policy support, the practical implementation is shortchanged because of limited budgets. this was mentioned by a teacher who said, "yes, without proper funding, your ideas are just ideas." this emphasizes the fact that despite a policy-friendly environment, insufficient actual investments in technology render innovative teaching methodologies ineffective. the existing issue of limited technological and financial resources surfaces as a main challenge that must be overcome to make it easier for filipino mathematics teachers in thailand to utilize the technology to its full potential for student learning enhancement. insufficient professional development and technical support the survey indicates that among the biggest obstacles for filipino mathematics teachers in thailand is the lack of regular, structured professional development, depriving them of proper guidance to effectively integrate technology. teachers indicated that they required more extensive training, stating, "we could learn more new teaching strategies that incorporate technology." they indicated that newer training programs could significantly enhance their teaching methods. through consistent training, they believe that they would be able to better adapt their lessons to include digital tools, ultimately leading to more effective teaching practices. this issue was also backed by aktaş and özmen (2020), who proved that a tpack development course with microteaching and in-class applications incredibly improved the pre-service teachers' capability to incorporate technological tools into their classrooms. lyublinskaya and kaplon schilis (2022) also promoted the tpack levels rubric as a powerful tool to facilitate the blending of technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge through systematic training. rakes et al. (2022) additionally add that during the time of the covid-19 pandemic, while there were overall enhanced math instructional practices, tpack development remained inadequate bringing out the ever-existing gap where training is optimal. hill and uribe-florez (2020) also contribute adding that ongoing training and technical support are essential in establishing teacher confidence, ensuring the occurrence of technological issues does not hinder the learning process. aside from the absence of training programs, inadequate technical support worsens these issues. as one of the participants lamented, "some of the challenges i have faced include insufficient technical support and lack of training on sophisticated technological tools, which renders integration challenging." this remark mirrors a major problem: not only are teachers deprived of proper pa ge 14 0 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 123-147, 2025 professional development, but they also have no on-site technical support in case something goes awry. without such assistance, even minor technical problems will bring lessons to a halt and reduce overall class engagement. these impact are compounded by the time-consuming nature of self-learning. as a teacher explained, "when training is not there, i'm left to learn by myself, which takes a lot of time." such reliance on ad hoc solutions, like online tutorial videos, denies instructors the opportunity to systematically familiarize themselves with new technology tools proficiently. thus, the chasm between new digital uses and innovations in classrooms is continuously widening, and teachers have no alternative but to turn back to traditional methods that may not wholly engage students. in addition, the lack of a good, planned strategy for professional growth forces teachers to rely on substandard, makeshift materials. one teacher highlighted the need for a more structured system by saying, "a proper training program is essential because i don't want to depend solely on youtube tutorials." this view is part of a broader discontent with the existing support system, where the absence of regular, in-depth training sessions makes teachers ill-equipped to deal with the evolving technological landscape. without formal professional development, teachers are unable to use technology creatively and pedagogically. the response is that this is not a problem that is confined to filipino teachers but a cross-cutting issue across contexts that all teachers are experiencing. one of the participants summarized the issue quite succinctly when they said, "filipino and local teachers have inadequate training in effectively integrating technology." this speaks to the need for schools to make a commitment to a commitment to regular, systematic professional development and adequate technical support. only with such sweeping changes do educators start to feel empowered and equipped to use technology to enhance learning outcomes in the classroom. institutional and cultural constraints the experiences of filipino math teachers in thailand indicate that institutional and cultural barriers significantly affect their ability to integrate technology into the classroom. most of the teachers complained about the support institutions offer, stating that while there might be a willingness to embrace technology in theory, actual implementation falls behind. one respondent said, "it varies depending on the school; some schools embrace it, but sometimes they do not have resources for such innovation," which reflects the unevenness of institutional support that has a direct effect on their pedagogical practices. mohammadpour and maroofi (2023) described the deep differences in teacher training among institutions and noted there were higher content and pedagogy knowledge enhanced by those who undergo more extensive training. with this view, andrian et al. (2022) highlighted the effects of organizational climate and leadership to teacher performance dimensions which are facilitators or hindrances to technology integration. there are also cultural elements that cloud this picture; some teachers indicated that long-standing education traditions, such as over-reliance on rote memorization, inhibit the uptake of new, technology-based pedagogies. shin (2022) suggests that these cultural hesitations can also underpin apprehensions regarding the uptake of new systems like intelligent tutoring systems, especially when teachers perceive they have not been properly trained. this convergence of institutional and cultural obstacles creates a scenario where even the most brilliant ideas may be left unfulfilled, as a respondent pointed out: "yes, without them, your ideas will be just an idea." the majority of the teachers reported that school culture is a two-edged sword. although there are some schools that do offer bare minimum resources and policy infrastructures that support the use of digital tools, such supports are undermined by budget limitations and old systems. one teacher expressed it like this, "i do think that my school does try to create space for use of technology, but it is not always there. the policies do support innovation, but the infrastructure like wi-fi and computer labs just are not up to par." this perspective highlights the gap between models and the real issues teachers are facing in everyday practice. compounded to this problem is poor access to quality training schemes and technical support, which is a major institutional weakness. teachers reported that while training seminars may sometimes be offered, they are more likely to be spasmodic or superficial and not reach the depth required to have an impactful effect. one teacher recalled, "having experience in training programs makes a big difference in my ability to integrate technology into my teaching. but when such experiences are not available, i am left with no clue on how to use technology effectively in my teaching." such a lack of professional development not only prevents skill acquisition but also creates a perpetual sense of doubt about the use of new tools and techniques. the cultural constraints contribute to these institutional difficulties. pedagogical conventions and conventional expectations are said to still be the standard by some teachers, and therefore, imposing or justifying new, technology-driven approaches is hard to achieve. "cultural expectations come into play. some still believe that memorizing formulas is the only way to learn math," one respondent noted, citing a widespread resistance to change on the part of the teaching community. additionally, language barriers exacerbate these issues, with one teacher stating, "i do think we face unique challenges. language is definitely one, because most official trainings might be conducted in thai," pointing to the extra effort required to adapt to a system that is not always designed with them in mind. the focus on insufficient institutional support, limited training opportunities, and entrenched cultural pa ge 14 1 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 123-147, 2025 expectations creates a challenging environment for filipino math teachers in thailand. these constraints not only affect their day-to-day teaching but also hinder the broader adoption of innovative, technology-enhanced educational practices. the voices of the teachers “depends on the school. some school supports it but sometimes the school lacks resources for such innovation,” “i feel that my school tries to support technology use, but it’s not always consistent…” and “cultural expectations play a role. some people still believe that memorizing formulas is the only way to learn math” illustrate the complex nature of these institutional and cultural barriers. factors facilitating the development and integration of tpack among filipino teachers in thailand this part of the study shows the helpful factors that support filipino math teachers in thailand in using tpack in their teaching. the teachers shared that training, peer support, and personal effort helped them use technology better. they said that workshops and seminars enhanced their abilities. collaborating with peers and engaging in online forums also motivated them with new ideas. most teachers broadened their capabilities through independent research on different tools. these activities instilled increased confidence in the use of technology, instructional practices, and content integration in classrooms. ongoing professional development and structured training one fundamental factor that contributes to the development and integration of tpack among filipino teachers in thailand is placing importance on continuous professional development and structured training opportunities. the majority of participants indicated that attending workshops, seminars, and formal training has been instrumental in increasing their awareness of technology integration. for example, one teacher said, "yes, it's improved a lot compared to previous times," illustrating the lasting effect excellent training can have on teaching. these courses not only expose teachers to the newest digital software but also provide practical strategies teachers can easily use in the classroom. moreover, the presence of targeted professional development is seen as a primary facilitator, which allows teachers to experiment and implement new technology confidently. one of the interviewees had given evidence, "i went to a brief workshop on google apps for education. it opened my eyes to how it could all be made easier," and this shows how even brief training can alter presentation of lessons. exposure to different approaches, like this, allows teaching staff to integrate technology seamlessly, making students more active and successful. moreover, formalized training courses are appreciated for introducing a thorough strategy of technology integration. students enjoyed training beyond merely tool demonstrations in order to add contextual uses and pedagogical approaches. "having access to training programs influences my teaching potential to utilize technology greatly, as i am better able to learn how to implement different education tools," a teacher confirmed, "because training enables capability and also confidence." this supports the development of studentfocused and interactive learning spaces. the effect of professional development is then multiplied even more when it is continually updated to keep up with the rapidly evolving technology landscape. educators underscored the need for ongoing learning opportunities in order to remain acquainted with prevailing digital trends and new pedagogical tools. since one of the interviewees said, "i take care to join webinars and online training. whenever i learn something interesting, i consider whether it applies to my math lessons," meaning that ongoing professional growth is vital to maintaining successful technology integration in the long term. a skillfully designed, timely ever-evolving professional development plan is a cornerstone to building tpack. it not only prepares the instructors with the newest technical skills but also strengthens best practice regarding how to make use of digital tools in class. the perpetual feedback of the instructors "yes, it's a lot better," and "having access to training programs has a huge effect on my ability to incorporate technology" strongly reflects that investment in broad training results in enhanced and innovative pedagogy. this outcome is in line with aktaş and özmen (2020), who illustrated that especially designed tpack development courses via microteaching and field implementations improve teachers' technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge. similarly, lyublinskaya and kaplon schilis (2022) endorsed the tpack levels rubric, which helps teachers embed digital tools with teaching strategies. moreover, mohammadpour and maroofi (2023) found that intensive courses like ttu's help prepare teachers in pedagogy and content and stress the importance of formal professional preparation in strengthening overall teaching effectiveness. peer collaboration and community support another factor that contributes to tpack integration development is teachers' collaborative culture facilitated by their communities. the majority of participants presented comments indicating collaboration with peers, exchanging best practices, and participating in collaborative learning sessions have improved their pedagogical capabilities significantly. one teacher declared, "collaborating with peers and piloting digital tools in my classrooms have made it easier to develop my tpack competences," highlighting peer-to-peer learning as the source of professional development. this facilitative environment is further complemented by online and offline informal networks and professional communities. teachers derive a lot of value from this interaction, which gives room for information sharing, challenge solving, and testing new approaches to technology integration. as one of the participants pa ge 14 2 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 123-147, 2025 described it, "i depend on professional learning networks on social media, like facebook groups for maths teachers. people share new tools, have free sources, and debate challenges," reflecting that continuous peer-to-peer exchange facilitates the creation of a climate of successful technological integration. apart from that, school support that ensures collaboration is an acknowledged key driver of tpack development. most of the participants highlighted the school support in terms of dedicating time and resources to collaboration. "school support should include access to newer technology and technical support staff," noted a teacher, highlighting how the importance of school support to create a facilitative community can never be overemphasized. this assistance, in addition to improving individual capability, also supports an innovation culture for everyone throughout the learning space. in addition to that, peer support comes in handy in filling the gap between practice and theory since it enables teachers to try out and refine their strategies in the comfort of a safe space. as they collaborate, teachers can provide instant feedback, exchange success stories, and discuss issues together. the second respondent observed, "colleagues can help by sharing best practices and cocreating tech-integrated lesson plans," providing further confirmation of the fact that collaborative work yields better and more effective technology integration. collegial teachers construct a robust and sustainable learning community. not only does this support system enable the transfer and sharing of knowledge and resources, but it also constructs the confidence to embrace technological innovations. the partnerships stated "collaborating with my colleagues have helped me develop my tpkk skills" and "i rely on professional learning networks on social media" clearly show that a robust, networked community is an important factor in enabling filipino teachers in thailand to integrate technology effectively into their classrooms. this cooperative spirit is what generates the interaction between practice and theory, as much stressed by rakes et al. (2022), who developed that professional learning networks reduce the gap between effective teaching and technology integration, particularly during challenging times. moreover, mailizar et al. (2021) established that highly tpack-skilled educators are likely to embrace digital innovations, again highlighting the value of continuous peer support. andrian et al. (2022) highlight the institutional support as a key enabler of access to time and resources for collective action that sustains an environment where teachers are enabled to experiment and embrace new technologies. self-directed learning and effective use of digital resources a third key aspect that arose out of the responses is the value of independent learning and the successful use of web-based materials in developing tpack. most teachers highlighted the role that their own initiative to acquire knowledge of new technologies, to play around with computer tools, and to take advantage of online learning materials has played in their professional development. one of the participants explained, "i think that my curious nature and experimenting in my free time really helped to develop my tpack," which summarizes self-directed learning as a primary driver. self-directed professional development allows teachers to tailor their technology integration according to their needs and situations, thereby improving how they integrate technology to facilitate teaching in the best possible way. for example, a teacher explained, "i use interactive tools like desmos and geogebra, as they help represent math concepts more visually," explaining how inquiry exploration of digital resources enhances their presentation of content and student understanding. this autonomous approach not only fills in gaps left by formal training but also fosters a culture of ongoing improvement. besides, access to different digital content ranging from instructional videos and websites on the internet to educational podcasts and blogs assists instructors in being abreast of the most recent trends and best practices in technology. as noted by one teacher, "i read educational technology blogs, join webinars, and interact with online teacher communities," noting that the abundance of freely accessible digital content is a never-ending source of ideas and experience-based learning. this ongoing process of learning keeps teachers in good stead at the cutting edge of technology development, an achievement that is particularly significant in an increasingly changing educational landscape. additionally, autonomous learning challenges teachers to test different digital tools and techniques, so they can find ways that suit their learning style and students' needs. venturing this way is probably going to result in discovering new methods that can transform the classroom experience considerably. as one educator described, "using kahoot for rapid formative assessments keeps kids on track and gives instant feedback," showing that through testing and experimentation, teachers can identify and implement procedures that maximize learning outcomes. the need to educate independently, and the reflective utilisation of cyber resources, necessitates a celebratory learning environment where tpack can thrive. affirmative pro-activity expressed in declarations such as, "i thought that my own curiosity and want to try things out on my own outside class helped to make my tpk much better" indicates the benefits of individual effort in transcending the constraints of compulsory training sessions. this dedication to continuous, self-initiated learning is a strong enabler that allows filipino teachers in thailand to optimize the use of technology, enhancing teaching methods and ultimately influencing learner achievement. this is evident in the work of max et al. (2022), which confirms that the use of self-assessment tools in addition to hands-on activities like makerspace can easily close pa ge 14 3 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 123-147, 2025 technology integration competency gaps. moreover, instructors who utilize interactive platforms like desmos, geogebra, and educational blogs and webinars regularly update themselves to make sure that they are at the edge of technological advancement, as outlined by shin (2022). these self-led exercises not only bridge the gaps left by formal education but also foster a culture of lifelong learning that is so essential in the fast-evolving learning space of today. proposed professional development framework to enhance the tpack of filipino teachers in thailand in this section, there is outlined an overall plan with the aim of empowering thai filipino instructors to utilize tpack (technological pedagogical content knowledge) more efficiently. it involves low-cost ict tools, periodic training, collaborative work among teachers, and mentorship support accessible. periodic collaborations with other agencies, self-study, and in-built feedback loops are also encouraged. all these elements of the plan synergize together in giving teachers more freedom for maximizing the utilization of technology in the classroom. its primary goal is to equip teachers with the knowledge and skills needed for more efficient teaching through combining content knowledge, instructional methods, and the use of technology. the model is centered on inexpensive digital resources, formal professional development, peer collaboration, mentorship and coaching, resource partnerships, and continuous feedback complemented by self-directed learning. it begins with the clear solution of resource deficiency by foregrounding the employment of free or inexpensive digital resources to reduce economic dependency while maximizing exposure to technology. this beginning emphasis on low-cost technology creates a foundation for all future training endeavors. subsequent to this, the model stresses the imperative need for systematic professional growth, with frequent, experiential training sessions and micro-modules of training. this systematic method significantly improves teachers' ability in the effective utilization of technology in their pedagogical practices. the second vital component is the facilitation of peer collaboration, wherein teachers are motivated to share best practices and innovative approaches through formal and informal networks, generating a culture of ongoing learning and peer support. mentoring and coaching is also a central pillar, providing one-to-one guidance and instant technical assistance to enable teachers to manage everyday issues. this is also complemented by building resource alliances with local institutions, which can offer further technical and financial assistance. lastly, the model includes continuous feedback loops and allows for independent learning, thus making the process of professional development adaptive and dynamic. this evolution from low-cost solutions to formal training, collaboration, mentoring, resource improvement, and continuous assessment creates a sustainable and holistic setting for the development of tpack among filipino teachers. figure 1: track development framework pa ge 14 4 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 123-147, 2025 summary of the framework the suggested professional growth model is designed to advance the tpack of filipino teachers in thailand. it provides practical ways for teachers to easily integrate technology into teaching practices and content knowledge. the strategy is easy, inexpensive, and easy to apply. it consists of six basic conditions that lead teachers to be more proficient and self-assured to apply technology in the classroom. structured professional development the first step is on-job training and brief learning periods. teachers shall undergo workshops and micro-training modules aimed at educating them on how to effectively incorporate technology into the curricula they oversee. the training must be regular and synchronized with the very classroom needs. cost-effective digital tools this section entails the use of free or low-cost digital tools. open-source software and free apps can be used by teachers to teach mathematics and other courses. this is important where money is tight for schools. it allows teachers to have access to technology without breaking the bank. resource partnership schools may explore alliances with other institutions, government offices, or private entities to gain more resources. alliances can allow for securing crucial access to the internet, computers, and training assistance, making teachers available with the tools and assistance they need. continuous feedback and self-directed learning teachers are also motivated to think back on their learning experience and experiment with new tools on their own and get constant feedback from peers and mentors. this encourages continuous involvement in the learning process and helps in facilitating continuous improvement. peer collaboration direct teachers to collaborate in small groups or online forums to share ideas and brainstorm together. group work provides support for learning from one another, overcoming obstacles, and creating ways to incorporate digital tools into teaching. mentorship and coaching this project involves assigning teachers mentors or coaches who provide one-on-one guidance to boost their technical competencies. such mentors may also provide problem-solving guidance whenever teachers feel lost when using digital materials. plan for professional development to start this program, schools can first choose free online tools appropriate for teachers. second, they can organize monthly training sessions and provide online modules. teachers can be allocated to study groups to exchange experiences and concepts, with a mentor each to guide them. school administrators can contact collaborators to assist with machinery and internet. teachers' comments should be gathered regularly, and they should be motivated to make learning from websites available at all times. conclusion filipino math teachers in thailand are mid-career practitioners, predominantly women, with a majority holding baccalaureate degrees and extensive teaching experience in the country. they are well-rounded, with a strong foundation in pedagogy, content, and technology, yet may benefit from continued professional development in bridging the gap between pedagogy and content. tpack development among filipino math teachers is relatively uniform, regardless of their individual differences. despite uniform tpack levels across individuals, key differences among dimensions highlight the need to enhance technology integration and the connection between pedagogy and content. references abdullahi, k. b. 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(2022). university efl teachers’ tpack: how technology knowledge affects teaching conceptions and practices. sage open, 12(3), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440221116105 pa ge 1 pa ge 18 american journal of education and technologies (ajet) improving the grade 9 students’ engagement in online synchronous classes in english through interactive games jay-ar cristobal1*, charmaine hermano1, jamela bianca ibana1, mabie gail james1, ma. luisa ligot1, desiree lampitoc1 volume 1 issue 1, year 2022 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i1.326 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: june 15, 2022 accepted: june 24, 2022 published: june 25, 2022 this classroom-based action research aimed to improve the grade 9 students’ level of engagement in online synchronous classes in english through games. the participants of the study were the 39 grade 9 students who were officially enrolled at the mariano marcos state university – laboratory high school, batac campus, for the school year 2021-2022. the data on students’ level of engagement were gathered using the survey questionnaire patterned after the student engagement survey by singh, srivastava and singh (2014). frequency, percentage distribution, means and mean difference were used to treat the data. findings reveal that the grade 9 have varied levels of engagement before and after the application of the intervention. likewise, there is a significant change on the students’ pre-survey and post-survey scores. moreover, this study found that the use of games such as four pics one word and deal or no deal was effective in improving the students’ level of engagement in their online synchronous classes in english. keywords engagement, game, interactive, online 1 mariano marcos state university, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: jacristobal@mmsu.edu.ph introduction students’ engagement is an important factor in the success of the teaching-learning process. high engagement is a manifestation of an interactive, engaging and motivating classroom environment. low engagement, on the other hand, is a result of uninteresting and boring classroom situations which can result in to low performance or achievement. while it is true that online distance learning has been implemented as a temporary substitute for the face-to-face teaching and learning, there have been many problems experienced by the students such as lack of engagement in class discussions. during our field study courses field study courses such as observation of teaching-learning in actual school setting and participation and teaching assistantship, we have monitored several classes under different teachers and we have observed that there is an underlying problem on the engagement of students. when the teacher would ask questions regarding their topic, the room would then be silent because no one wanted to answer. the teacher even tried to call some names but no one would respond and some of them would automatically leave the google meet. on the other hand, some students would leave the meeting once the attendance is finished and some only would join the meeting when the class would nearly end. there may be a lot of underlying reasons regarding these actions of students. one thing that is certain is that they have low engagement in their online synchronous classes. thus, it is necessary for us to look for ways on how to improve students’ engagement in english during our practice teaching. these ideas, observations and results of studies about the use of games in teaching prompted us to improve the grade 9 students’ engagement in their online synchronous classes in english. this study sought answers to the following questions: 1. what is the students’ level of engagement before the application of the intervention? 2. what is the students’ level of engagement after the application of the intervention? 3. is there a significant change on the students’ level of engagement before and after the application of the intervention? games as intervention in improving students’ engagement according to skinner & belmont (1993), engagement characterizes the emotional involvement and passion for participating and accomplishing learning activities. with this, davis & mcpartland (2012) contented that the combination of strong motivation and high task engagement enables a successful learning experience. likewise, hamari et al. (2016) regarded engagement as the simultaneous occurrence of concentration, interest, and enjoyment encapsulating the experience of flow. in the same vein, learner engagement refers to the effort the learner makes to promote his or her psychological commitment to stay engaged in the process of learning in order to acquire knowledge and build his or her critical thinking (rajabalee et al., 2019). considerably, saprudin et al. (2019) stated that one strategy that ensures the increase of students’ engagement in a meaningful way is through games. likewise, sailer et al. (2017) posited that games were a part of human societies throughout history. they have been a source of fun and enjoyment for many years and will remain the same for the future. consequently, several studies have been conducted to determine the effectiveness of gamified approach to teaching and learning. kim (2012) argued in his study that students are posited to be more productive and more engaged in a gamified context. saprudin et al. (2019) conducted as study titled “the effectiveness of using https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i1.326 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= mailto:jacristobal@mmsu.edu.ph pa ge 19 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(1) 18-25, 2022 digital game toward students’ academic achievements in small and large classes: a comparative research.” based on the results of their study, they concluded that there is a positive correlation between students’ game scores with an increase in students’ academic achievement. they further concluded that the use of a digital game can be one alternative solution in overcoming problems related to the reduction of student engagement in the learning process, especially in large classes. moreover, the use of a digital game in large classes can significantly increase the students’ academic achievement compared to students in small classes. likewise, naji (2020) explored in his thesis titled “enhancing the student learning experience with gamification: the case of “grh, mondialisation et innovation” course” the potential of gamification to enhance the student learning experience in a higher education setting. consequently, he concluded that the game elements used in the experiment improved the overall student experience. at different levels, the attitude of students towards game mechanics used in the study is favorable. gamification fostered the students’ motivation and engagement. materials and methods the intervention used in this study is a lesson inspired by game-based approach. it incorporated games which we believe can improve the students’ engagement in english synchronous class with the topic, “validity: factors to consider in checking the validity and reliability of information.” the games used in this study are the modified four pics, one word, and deal or no deal. four pics one word is inspired from a mobile game application titled, 4 pics 1 word. the objective of the game is for the players to identify the needed word from the four pictures that serve as clues. we integrated this application for the learners to have an initial knowledge about what they will be learning during our online synchronous sessions. we believe that it could be an effective way to motivate them, to hook their interest, and to grab their attention. thus, this game was applied before diving in into the discussion part of the lesson. with this, the students are able to warm their mind up before jumping into the more complex discussion of the lesson. in this intervention, there are four pictures presented in every set. the learners are tasked to identify the needed words that are related to our topic, using the four pictures as clues. in addition, a twist was added to this classic game by providing several letters in the given boxes as another clues for the students to come up with the correct words. to be able to answer each set, they should be able to compete with one another by tapping the raise-hand button as fast as possible, so we can recognize them. the student who taps the raise hand button first has the chance to give his/her answer or his/her guess. he/she can guess the best word that fits the set of pictures. finally, he/she must answer the corresponding question related to the set of pictures orally. another game incorporated in the lesson is the modified deal or no deal. deal or no deal is inspired from a reality game show called by the same name. we modified the game to make it plausible for their online synchronous classes. this game is done to foster active engagement even after the discussion and at the same time to assess what they have learned in the lesson discussed. thus, it serves as their assessment activity. the game starts by asking a volunteer from the class. we then show 20 brief cases. each brief case contains a picture which the student needs to explain by telling whether the flashed picture is valid or not. the student then gives pieces of evidence to prove his/her point. the student who volunteers has the chance to say deal or no deal before the brief case is opened. if he/she picks deal, then the brief case is opened and he/she starts to explain his/her claim and prove his/her point. on the other hand, if he/she chooses no deal, he/she needs to choose among his/her classmates to be the one to tell whether the image is factual or not then explain his/ her claim. the person chosen by the student to answer automatically obtains the points, provided that he/she can explain well his/her stand. we chose this intervention because we believe that it can initiate active engagement in our discussions since the students have to apply what they can learn about the topic, “factors to consider in checking the validity and reliability of information.” this study involved a survey questionnaire patterned after the student engagement survey by singh, srivastava and singh (2014). some of the items were modified to fit in with the mode of learning when the study was conducted. the questionnaire consists of 14 items which measure the students’ level of engagement. the instrument is a 4-point scale self-assessment survey and uses the following descriptive interpretation: scale descriptive interpretation 4 strongly agree 3 agree 2 disagree 1 strongly agree likewise, this study used pretest and posttest. although these are not part of the study, these were administered to support the findings on the students’ level of engagement. we, the researchers, constructed a 20-item pretest-posttest which was aligned with the topic “factors to consider in checking the validity and reliability of information.” the pretest and posttest were facilitated through the use of google forms. this study used the results of the presurvey and post-survey with regard to the students’ level of engagement before and after the application of the intervention taken from the grade 9 students who were officially enrolled at mmsu – lhs, batac campus, ilocos norte, philippines, for the school year 2021-2022, as our respondents. the purposive sampling technique was used since the study considered all the grade 9 students in the said school as research participants. therefore, thirtynine (39) students were involved in this study. the data https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 20 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(1) 18-25, 2022 were gathered from the said 39 students in terms of their responses on the modified student engagement survey by singh and srivastava (2014). prior to the conduct of this study, we, the researchers, followed a definite procedure in gathering the data needed. when we had our observation of classes in our field study 1 and 2, we have already identified the problem on the students’ engagement in online synchronous classes, as well as the grade level to take in our study. with this, we looked for an intervention that could help address the identified problem. during our practice teaching, we asked permission from the principal of the laboratory high school so we could already start conducting our study. next, we administered the pre-assessment on the students’ level of engagement using the modified student engagement survey by singh and srivastava (2014). likewise, we facilitated the pretest to support the results of the pre-assessment. after we gathered the results of the survey questionnaire and pretest, we designed lessons focusing on the topic “factors to consider in checking the validity and reliability of information” since this was the current topic as prescribed by the curriculum during our practice teaching. inspired by game-based approach, we incorporated games in our lessons which served as the intervention in our study. in our lessons, games such as the modified four pics one word and deal or no deal were used in our online class discussions with the students. the lessons and the activities integrated in the plan were linked with the content standards, performance standards, and learning competencies found in the curriculum guide. after the application of the intervention, we administered the post-assessment on the students’ level of engagement and the posttest about the topic discussed. the posttest is the same as the pretest with the same context. this test served as a support to the results of the post-assessment on students’ level of engagement. finally, the data obtained from the survey questionnaire were interpreted, analyzed and compared. likewise, the results of the pretest and posttest were used to further validate the data gathered from the students’ level of engagement. the students’ level of engagement was described using the following range of scores with their corresponding descriptive interpretation: range scale descriptive interpretation 3.26-4.00 highly engaged 2.51-3.25 moderately engaged 1.76-2.50 slightly engaged 1.0-1.75 not engaged to determine the significant change on the students’ level of engagement before and after the implementation of the intervention, mean difference was used. results and discussion this chapter presents the results and discussion on the data gathered in improving the grade 9 students’ engagement in english games. it includes the results of the pre-survey and post-survey which were used to measure the students’ level of engagement. students’ level of engagement before the application of the intervention the first concern of the study is to determine the students’ level of engagement before their exposure to the intervention which is reflected in table 1. before the application of the intervention, the item number 6 (i ask questions during online synchronous meetings) got the lowest mean score of 1.67, described as not engaged. this implies that the majority of the students were not engaged to asking questions during online synchronous meetings. this can be attributed to the modality of teaching and learning the students are involved in. since they are not in a physical classroom, they are less interested and less motivated to ask questions about the topic. because of the learning modality they are in, these students are less likely becoming passive learners during their online synchronous process. it is interesting to note that the students obtained the highest mean score of 3.13 in item number 9 (i enjoy learning new things in class.) described as moderately engaged. this implies that even before the application of the intervention, most of the respondents enjoy to learn new things. this can be attributed to the students’ eagerness to explore new things about their lessons even the modality has shifted to online. likewise, their teacher facilitates engaging activities which can make them excited to experience new things in their online class. as what nguyen et al. (2021) claimed, students whose synchronous classes include active-learning techniques (which are inherently more social) report significantly higher levels of engagement, motivation, enjoyment, and satisfaction with instruction. considerably, the students are also slightly engaged (2.13) in communicating freely with other students in classes. this finding can be attributed to the students’ level of closeness with one another. since the students have not seen one another for a long time, their communication has been affected unlike during face-to-face that were still strongly attached with one another. it can also be noted that the students obtained a mean score of 2.23 in item number 5 (i think learning is not boring) which is described as slightly engaged. although learning is not boring, students are still slightly engaged since they are less connected to the teacher and the topics they are learning because online learning hampers them to fully grasp the important ideas and concepts about their lessons. in addition, the sudden shift of education may have influenced the emotional, social, physical, and mental aspects of students. it could be gleaned from the same table that the students obtained a mean score of 2.49 in item number 7 (i contribute to class discussions) which is described as slightly engaged. this finding can be attributed to the students’ interest and motivation in learning. likewise, poor internet connection and noisy environment can hamper them to get involved in class discussions. the table also shows that the students are moderately engaged in most of the items such as i am confident that i can learn the basic concepts that are being taught (3.10); i am certain that i can understand the most difficult https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 21 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(1) 18-25, 2022 lessons discussed (2.85); i am very interested in learning (2.87); i participate in class (2.82); i like what i am learning (2.79); when i work on something in class, i do not feel discouraged (2.77); i can relate to the models and concepts during class discussions (2.72); i am engaged in the learning process (2.64). in general, before the application of the intervention, the table 1: mean scores on the students’ level of engagement before their exposure to the intervention indicators mean descriptive interpretation 1. i participate in class. 2.82 me 2. i am engaged in the learning process. 2.64 me 3. i am very interested in learning. 2.87 me 4. i like what i am learning. 2.79 me 5. i think learning is not boring. 2.23 se 6. i ask questions during online synchronous meetings. 1.67 ne 7. i contribute to class discussions. 2.49 se 8. i can relate to the models and concepts during class discussions. 2.72 me 9. i enjoy learning new things in class. 3.13 me 10. when i work on something in class, i do not feel discouraged 2.77 me 11. i can freely communicate with other students in classes. 2.13 se 12. i can freely communicate with the teacher in classes. 2.03 se 13. i am certain that i can understand the most difficult lessons discussed. 2.85 me 14. i am confident that i can learn the basic concepts that are being taught. 3.10 me overall mean 2.60 me legend: range scale descriptive interpretation 3.26-4.00 highly engaged(he) 2.51-3.25 moderately engaged(me) 1.76-2.50 slightly engaged(se) 1.0-1.75 not engaged(ne students’ engagement obtained the total mean score of 2.60 with a descriptive interpretation of moderately engaged. when we look at the research into survey distribution methods, we can see that the total online survey response is 2.60 which correspond to moderately engage. this finding implies that these learners are not engaged during the pre-assessment since it is reflected in the survey that these learners are passive during online synchronous class. to support this claim, the results of the pretest as shown in table 2 reveals that the majority of the students were able to obtain a score ranging from 6-10 which implies that majority of the students are familiar with some of the concepts related to their upcoming lesson. while some students obtained scores ranging from 11-15 which is interpreted as satisfactory. this implies that some of the students were able to come across some concepts of the topic. on the other hand, few students got scores ranging from 16-20 which is interpreted as very satisfactory. these students were familiar with most of the concepts than the rest of the class. nonetheless, the result of the pretest revealed that none of the students obtained a score ranging from 0-5 which can be interpreted that all of the students are familiar with the concepts related to their upcoming lesson however, the level of their knowledge on the concepts vary. students’ level of engagement after the application of the intervention another concern of the study is to determine the students’ level of engagement after the application of the table 2: distribution of the students according to their pretest and postest scores. (n=39) scores description pre-test post-test frequency (f) percentage (%) frequency (f) percentage (%) 16-20 very satisfactory 10 26.64 33 84.62 11-15 satisfactory 12 30.77 6 15.38 6-10 fair 17 43.59 0-5 poor total 39 100.00 39 100.00 mean 13.15 18.69 intervention as reflected in table 3. after the application of the intervention, the table shows that item number 4 (i like what i am learning) attained the highest computed mean score of 3.56, with a descriptive interpretation of highly engaged. because of the use of games in the teaching and learning process, students were more involved in the online classroom which made them like and appreciate what they were learning. thus, the gamebased activity used in this study made them like the lessons they needed to learn. it could also be gleaned from the table that the engagement indicator stating “i can freely communicate with the teacher in classes” obtained the lowest mean rating of 2.97 which is described as moderately engaged. the online setup could be a factor why most of the students cannot freely communicate with their teacher during classes. with online modality, students experience interruptions on their internet connection which can hamper them to communicate well with their teacher. likewise, students are hesitant to interact to their teacher since they have not met him/her personally and have not established good relationship with one another. as what aparajeya (2016) asserted that because of hesitation, students often shut down, isolating themselves out of fear or embarrassment. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 22 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(1) 18-25, 2022 table 3: mean scores on the students’ level of engagement after their exposure to the intervention indicators mean descriptive interpretation 1. i participate in class. 3.46 he 2. i am engaged in the learning process. 3.28 he 3. i am very interested in learning. 3.38 he 4. i like what i am learning. 3.56 he 5. i think learning is not boring. 3.10 me 6. i ask questions during online synchronous meetings. 3.05 me 7. i contribute to class discussions. 3.18 me 8. i can relate to the models and concepts during class discussions. 3.36 he 9. i enjoy learning new things in class. 3.44 he 10. when i work on something in class, i do not feel discouraged 3.44 he 11. i can freely communicate with other students in classes. 3.13 me 12. i can freely communicate with the teacher in classes. 2.97 me 13. i am certain that i can understand the most difficult lessons discussed. 3.23 me 14. i am confident that i can learn the basic concepts that are being taught. 3.41 he overall mean 3.29 he legend: range scale descriptive interpretation 3.26-4.00 highly engaged(he) 2.51-3.25 moderately engaged(me) 1.76-2.50 slightly engaged(se) 1.0-1.75 not engaged(ne students sometimes feel they are taking up too much of a teacher’s time with frequent communications. likewise, the study of alawamleh et al. (2020) found that there is a decrease in communication levels between the students and their teachers, and there is an increase of feeling of isolation caused by online classes. it can also be noted that the students are highly engaged in most of the items such as i am engaged in the learning process (3.28); i can relate to the models and concepts during class discussions (3.26;)i am very interested in learning (3.38); i am confident that i can learn the basic concepts that are being taught (3.41); i enjoy learning new things in class (3.44); when i work on something in class i do not feel discouraged (3.44); and i participate in class (3.46). this finding shows that the intervention has an effect on the engagement of students in their synchronous classes. this proves that through the use of digital games in online synchronous classes, the students find learning more interesting, engaging, relatable, and enjoyable. this makes them more comfortable in learning new concepts that are being taught. relatedly, lynch (2020) stated that playing games is much more fun than sitting behind a desk and listening to somebody talk. a game-based learning experience enables the students to engage with the class and the teacherthis is a much more effective and enjoyable teaching method, he added. it is also necessary to note that item number 6 (i ask questions during online synchronous meetings.) which gained the lowest mean score in the pre-assessment improved after the implementation of the intervention. it gained a mean score of 3.05 which is described as moderately engaged in the post assessment. this shows that although it obtained a moderately engaged as its descriptive interpretation, it reveals that there is an improvement on the level of engagement of the students during their online synchronous classes with the help of the intervention. the total mean score of the students’ engagement in the post-assessment is 3.29 described as highly engaged. this finding proves that using games in online synchronous learning can encourage the students to engage in class discussion and to find learning fun yet meaningful. this finding can be linked to what juraschka (2019) posited that games help students pay attention in class, improves their overall understanding of fundamental concepts, and helps students stay interested in what they are learning. overall, teaching the topic “validity: factors to consider in checking the validity and reliability of information” through digital games highly engaged students in learning. as cited in the study of serrano (2019), de freitas (2018) found in a literature review written to analyze research and determine whether games are effective learning tools, that the reviewed research studies substantiated the premise that using educational games in addition to quality game design and elements can positively impact student engagement. to support the results on the students’ level of engagement after the application of the intervention, the posttest as shown in table 2 reveals that 33 (84.62%) of the students obtained the score 16-20 rated as very satisfactory, while only 6 (15. 38%) of the students scored 11-15 rated as satisfactory as a total of 100%. interestingly, none of the students obtained fair and poor scores, respectively. this is an indication that the intervention used in the implementation of the study is effective since the majority of the learners obtained the highest scores in the post-test and none of the students obtained scores lower than 15. in connection to the results, in the study conducted by senol (2007), games were integrated unto vocabulary teaching and it was observed that they had a positive effect on student success. significant change on the student’s level of engagement before and after the application of the intervention this study also determined the significant change on the students’ level of engagement before and after the application of the intervention. table 4 shows the mean difference on the students’ level of engagement in their pre-survey and post-survey scores. it could be gleaned from the table that the students obtained an overall mean https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 23 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(1) 18-25, 2022 score of 2.60 described as moderately engaged in their presurvey scores, while they obtained an overall mean score of 3.29 interpreted as highly engaged in their post-survey scores. likewise, it can be deduced from the table that the overall mean of the students in the post-survey is 0.69 higher than their overall mean score in the pre-survey. moreover, the mean difference implies that the students’ level of engagement improved after the application of the intervention. this can be attributed to the features of the games used in the online synchronous class discussions which made the teaching and learning process more engaging and more interactive. this finding can be linked to juraschka (2019) claimed that games help students pay attention in class, improves their overall understanding of fundamental concepts, and helps students stay interested in what they are learning. to support this finding, it can be deduced from table table 4: results of the mean difference on the students’ level engagement in their pre-survey and postsurvey scores n mean score description mean difference pre-survey scores 39 2.60 moderately engaged 0.69 post-survey scores 39 3.29 highly engaged 5 that the students obtained an overall mean score of 13.15 described as satisfactory in their pretest, while they obtained an overall mean score of 18.69 interpreted as very satisfactory in their posttest. it is interesting to note that the students’ overall mean score in the posttest is 5.54 higher than their overall mean score in the pretest. this is an indication that there is a significant change on the students’ level of test performance as evidenced by their overall mean score in the posttest after the application of the intervention. this implies that the intervention was not only effective in improving their level of engagement but also their level of test performance. this finding can be linked to the study of saprudin et al. (2019) which recommended that game can be one of the positive solutions in overcoming problems related to the reduction of student engagement in the learning process, especially in large classes. moreover, the use of games in large classes can significantly increase the students’ academic achievement compared to students in small classes. furthermore, the findings of this study support the study of yurdaarmagan et al. (2015) which claimed that game-based learning can improve the performance and motivation better than the traditional teaching method. when we asked the grade 9 students through an interview about their impression on the games used table 5: results of the mean difference on the students’ pretest and posttest scores n mean score description mean difference pre-survey scores 39 13.15 very satisfactory 5.54 post-survey scores 39 18.69 satisfactory during the class through an interview, all them claimed that the games such as 4 pics, 1 word and deal or no deal are exciting and engaging as reflected in their responses: (student a) it was exciting sharing my thoughts regarding our lesson through the game four pics one word since it added some twist to the discussion of our teacher. (student b) i was afraid to express my ideas in the class because my answers might be wrong, however, when there was already the involvement of the game in our class, it felt like i’m just having a game with my classmates. (student c) the game was really enjoyable and i learned a lot. (student d) our class was interactive and almost all of us participated during the game. i hope we’ll have a game every class discussion. (student e) the class was not boring. it was not just engaging but it offered adequate information about our lesson that we can learn from. the responses of these students proved that the intervention used created excitement and ease which made them engage themselves to the class discussion. fleishchmann & ariel (2016) stated that games encourage high engagement time and there is high motivation and goal orientation, even after failure. it can also be noted that the games were enjoyable and at the same time they provide stimuli to their learning process that shows remarkable benefits to learning. likewise, according to their study, games provide personalized learning, where it ensures providing learners with cue, hints, and partial solutions to keep them progressing through learning. all in all, these responses indicate that the intervention used during the class was engaging. in accordance to this finding, gareau & guo (2009) claimed that games can help to attract and maintain attention to instruction. games can be relevant to the learners’ needs and wants as long as games can promote the learning of relevant content. games can help to increase learners’ confidence by helping to promote the learning of important content. finally, games can help to promote satisfaction among students by helping to make instruction more enjoyable and fun. conclusion in the light of the findings, it can be concluded that the grade 9 have varied levels of engagement and test performance before and after the application of the intervention. likewise, there is a significant change on the students’ pre-survey and post-survey scores, and pretest and posttest scores, respectively. this study further concludes that the use of games such as four pics one word and deal or no deal was effective in improving the students’ level of engagement and test performance in english. based on the limitations, findings and conclusions drawn, the researchers suggest several recommendations. the implementation of games such as four pics one word and deal or no deal in teaching can be extended to other topics under the english curriculum, https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 24 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(1) 18-25, 2022 and other areas. the games can be used in teaching the junior high school as well as in the senior high school. the utilization of games can also be used to measure other dimensions of engagement and participation in class including measuring the students’ macroskills such as reading, writing, speaking and listening. similar studies can be conducted such as implementing digital games in teaching other topics and disciplines. seminars, workshops and trainings for teachers regarding ict integration in teaching should be conducted to improve the instructional materials considering the demands of 21st century education. moreover, necessary trainings and seminars in creating and conducting digital games is a must to boost the learners’ engagement and participation in class since the education system makes use of different learning modalities. for a more reliable data, we recommend other teachers to use the intervention on a longer time frame while also focusing on a certain macro skill. further, the study is also necessary to involve other respondents to verify whether the digital games have an impact on students’ engagement and performance. references alawamleh, m., al-twait, l., & al-saht, g. (2020). the effect of online learning on communication between instructors and students during covid-19 pandemic. asian education and development studies. doi: 10.1108/ aeds-06-2020-0131. aparajeya. (2016). lack of communication between teachers and students. retrieved from https://www.toppr.com/ bytes/failure-communication-between-teachers-andstudents/111-127. davis, m. h., & mcpartland, j. m. (2012). high school reform and student engagement. in s. l. christenson, a. l. rashly, & c. wylie (eds.), handbook of research on student engagement (pp. 515–539). boston, ma: springer us. retrieved from http://dx.doi. org/10.1007/978-14614-2018-7_25 de freitas, s. (2018). are games effective learning tools? a review of education games. educational technology and society, 21(2), 74-84. retrieved from https://www. jets.net/ets/journals/21_2/6.pdf. fleischmann, k., & ariel, e. (2016). gamification in science education: gamifying learning of microscopic processes in the laboratory. contemporary educational technology, 7(2), 138-159. doi: 10.30935/ cedtech/6168. gareau, s., & guo, r. (2009). all work and no play” reconsidered: the use of games to promote motivation and engagement in instruction. international journal for the scholarship of teaching and learning, 3(1). 1-12. doi: 10.20429/ijsotl.2009.030112. hamari, j., shernoff, d. j., rowe, e., coller, b., asbellclarke, j., & edwards, t. (2016). challenging games help students learn: an empirical study on engagement, flow and immersion in game-based learning. computers in human behavior, 54, 170–179. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.07.045 juraschka, r. (2019). how digital game-based learning improves student success. retrieved from https://www. prodigygame.com/main-en/blog/digital-gamebased-learning/ kim, b. (2012). harnessing the power of game dynamics1: why, how to, and how not to gamify the library experience. college & research libraries news, 73(8), 465-469. lynch, m. (2020). why students love a game-based learning experience. retrieved from https://www. thetechedvocate.org/why-students-love-a-gamebased-learning-experience/ naji, m. (2020). enhancing the student learning experience with gamification : the case of “grh, mondialisation et innovation” course. retrieved from https:// matheo.uliege.be/bitstream/2268.2/8798/4/ s162084naji2020.pdf nguyen t., netto c., wilkins j., bröker p., vargas e.e., sealfon c.d., puthipiroj p., li, k.s., bowler, j.e., hinson, h.r., puja,r m., & stein, g.m. (2021). insights into students’ experiences and perceptions of remote learning methods: from the covid-19 pandemic to best practice for the future. front. educ. 6:647986. doi: 10.3389/feduc.2021.647986 rajabalee, b., santally, m., & rennie, f. (2019). a study of the relationship between students’ engagement and their academic performances in an elearning environment. retrieved from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/ full/10.1177/2042753019882567 sailer, m., hense, j. u., mayr, s. k., & mandl, h. (2017). how gamification motivates: an experimental study of the effects of specific game design elements on psychological need satisfaction. computers in human behavior, 69, 371– 380. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. chb.2016.12.033 saprudin, s., liliasari, l., setiawan, a., & prihatmanto, a. (2019). the effectiveness of using digital game towards students’ academic achievement in small and large classes: a comparative research. international journal of learning, teaching and educational research, 18 (12), 196-210. doi: 10.26803/ijlter.18.12.12. şenol, m. (2007). vocabulary instruction for primary school students through games. unpublished master’s thesis. selçuk university, konya. serrano, k. (2019). the effect of digital game-based learning on student learning: a literature review. retrieved from https://scholarworks.uni.edu/cgi/ viewcontent.cgi?article=1909&context=grp singh, a., srivastava, s. & singh, d. (2015). student engagement as the predictor of direct and indirect learning outcomes in the management education context. metamorphosis, 14,(2) 20-29. doi: 10.1177/0972622520150204. skinner, e. a., & belmont, m. j. (1993). motivation in the classroom: reciprocal effects of teacher behavior and student engagement across the school year. journal of educational psychology, 85(4), 571–581. doi: https://doi. org/10.1037/0022-0663.85.4.571 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 25 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(1) 18-25, 2022 yurdaarmagan, b., melek, c., merdenyan, b., cikrikcili, o., salman, y. & cheng, h. (2015). the effects of digital game-based learning on performance and motivation for high school students. icic express letters, 9(5), 1465-1469. retrieved from https:// www.researchgate.net/publication/281734708_ the_effects_of_digital_game-based_learning_on_ performance_and_motivation_for_high_school_ students https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 10 2 american journal of education and technology (ajet) graduate-level students’ statistical skills in bataan peninsula state university: assessment and programmatic recommendations rochelle b. almodal1, romeo t. quintos jr.1* volume 4 issue 2, year 2025 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v4i2.4887 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: february 27, 2025 accepted: april 30, 2025 published: may 30, 2025 the study determined the statistical skills of graduate students at the bataan peninsula state university from the academic year 2018 to 2022. in addition, the questionnaire was organized into sections. the first section focused on gathering the profiles of those who responded. this included the respondents’ age, sex, and nature of work. the second part consisted of multiple-choice questions that determined the level of statistical skills in terms of statistical literacy and mathematical knowledge. the third part contained data visualization and presentation. the results show that the biggest percentage of respondents is in the age group of 22 to 27. regarding their sex, more than half of the total respondents are female. many respondents are in the teaching profession in line with their nature of work. furthermore, the results have shown that the statistical skill with the highest rating is mathematical knowledge, followed by statistical literacy, and the indicator with the lowest rating is data visualization and presentation. the evaluation suggests that those taking the survey should have basic statistical knowledge. additionally, there’s no connection between the respondents’ statistical skills and their profiles. in connection with this, a program enhancement has been proposed based on the study’s outcomes. the following recommendations were presented: graduate school students should undergo training, seminars, and workshops to improve their statistics skills further. keywords data presentation, data visualization, mathematical knowledge, statistical literacy 1 bataan peninsula state university, balanga city, 2100, bataan, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: romztquintosjr@gmail.com introduction in today’s data-driven society, the need for individuals to acquire and apply statistical skills has never been more critical. the dynamic and evolving landscape of global and national development, particularly in rapidly transforming countries like the philippines, requires citizens to possess strong statistical competencies (franklin et al., 2007; mittag, 2010). statistical literacy, defined as the ability to interpret, critically evaluate, and communicate data-based information, is increasingly seen as a foundational skill across educational levels (gal, 2002; batanero & díaz, 2010). as individuals are continually exposed to data in daily life, it becomes essential for education systems to equip learners with the necessary skills to analyze and make data-informed decisions. statistics education begins as early as elementary school and continues through higher education, including graduate programs (franklin et al., 2007). however, despite its curricular inclusion, evidence shows that learners often struggle with statistical reasoning, proportional thinking, and data interpretation (hansen & myers, 2012). in the philippines, the integration of statistics within the k–12 curriculum has made strides, yet persistent gaps remain. students frequently graduate from high school without a solid foundation in statistical concepts (lemana, 2012), highlighting the need for reinforcement, especially in graduate-level programs where research competence is paramount. although the commission on higher education (ched) in the philippines has issued policy mandates, such as memorandum order no. 15, s. 2019, which outlines the standards and expected learning outcomes for graduate education, there remains a pressing concern regarding the actual statistical competencies of graduate students in education-related fields. reston (2005) revealed that graduate students in the philippines performed poorly on statistical literacy assessments, underscoring a widespread deficiency in basic statistical knowledge, interpretive skills, and analytical reasoning. furthermore, statistical literacy is a multifaceted construct encompassing not only statistical and mathematical knowledge but also literacy skills, contextual understanding, and the capacity for critical questioning (gal, 2002). statistical anxiety further compounds the problem. research suggests that learners’ attitudes and perceived relevance of statistics significantly affect their performance (siew et al., 2019; abd jalal et al., 2023). this is particularly evident among graduate students from non-quantitative backgrounds, where the lack of prior exposure and confidence creates a barrier to learning. while instructional methods such as technologyenhanced learning, student-centered pedagogy, and contextualized teaching have been recognized for their efficacy (aziz & rosli, 2021; bilgin, 2021; utari et al., 2023), their implementation remains inconsistent. moreover, studies have demonstrated the critical role of attitudes and cognitive factors in developing statistical literacy (callingham & watson, 2017; makwakwa et al., 2023). disparities in prior knowledge and learning experiences further widen the gap in proficiency pa ge 10 3 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 102-107, 2025 (pamungkas & khaerunnisa, 2020; santelices et al., 2024), emphasizing the need for a deliberate approach to curriculum design and instructional delivery. in response, researchers advocate for intentional, context-based instruction that bridges foundational mathematical skills with real-world applications (engel, 2017). the study determined the statistical skills of students in the master of arts in education (maed) mathematics program at bataan peninsula state university by evaluating the students’ proficiency in statistical literacy and the gaps that hinders their academic and professional development. the findings served as the basis for developing targeted program enhancements, such as training modules, workshops, and curricular revisions that are aligned with ched’s standards for quality graduate education. literature review advanced higher education is one of the most essential keys to addressing the reforms and difficulties of the twenty-first century. daguplo et al. (2019) pointed out that graduate school has been considered one of the nation’s most compassionate and active interventions for the upliftment of socio-economic status as well as combating poverty for a long time. graduate education cultivates and develops the workforce, as well as helps in instilling and improving the values, knowledge, and skills required for society to have an individual who is a valuable and productive member. it all begins with the proper training and workshops to enhance and improve the skills. the commission on higher education is pushing a well-grounded and research-based vision to enable colleges and universities to produce high-quality graduate students with advanced learning who acquire national development and international comparability. different skills are needed, and one of the most essential skills is statistical skills. abd jalal et al. (2023) found no significant correlation between attitude toward statistics and statistical literacy among education officials, though statistics fear negatively impacted literacy. non-cognitive factors like attitudes likely contribute to statistical challenges, as effective instruction is key to building a statistically literate society. this highlights the need to address both pedagogical and psychological barriers in statistics education. the study of pamungkas and khaerunnisa (2020) analyzed the students’ statistical literacy. the study results have shown different knowledge levels, such as students attained high prior knowledge while others were average. furthermore, in terms of self-esteem in mathematics, most of the students have high self-esteem. conversely, there is a notable distinction between the student’s prior knowledge and statistical literacy. it was emphasized that since both are crucial to statistical literacy, students should make the most of them. similarly, aziz et al. (2021) emphasized that statistical literacy is vital for students to navigate data-driven decisions in modern society, making statistics education crucial at all academic levels. their study found that learning environments, student attitudes, teaching methods, and prior knowledge significantly influence statistical literacy development. among teacher-centered, student-centered, and materials-based instructional approaches, materials-based methods were most commonly used to enhance statistical literacy. these findings highlight the need for strategic teaching approaches to improve statistical comprehension and application in education. meanwhile, siew et al. (2019) found that college students with low statistics anxiety often dismiss the subject as irrelevant to their daily lives or careers, while those with high anxiety attribute their struggles to perceived mathematical inadequacies. the study highlighted that low-anxiety students focus on external factors (e.g., perceived uselessness of statistics), whereas high-anxiety students blame internal factors (e.g., lack of math skills). the researchers suggested that effective interventions should challenge the misconception that strong math ability is essential for statistical success. also, tuktun (2019) asserted that statistics anxiety severely impairs graduate students’ performance, particularly in social science programs where students often lack quantitative preparation, fostering negative attitudes toward statistics courses. these psychological barriers significantly compromise their academic success in required statistics coursework. furthermore, utomo (2021) revealed that while middle school students of all ability levels could understand statistical problems, low-ability students struggled with interpreting and managing data, showing inadequate literacy skills. moderate-ability students demonstrated competent analysis, while high-ability students excelled at deeper causal reasoning, linking their strong mathematical skills to superior statistical literacy. these findings reveal significant skill disparities tied to mathematical proficiency, emphasizing the need for differentiated instruction to improve statistical literacy across ability levels. according to engel (2017), students are also required to have a strong foundation in mathematics and context, knowledge of basic statistics and the appropriate graphical and numerical techniques for data representation, the ability to think critically, and a willingness to conduct independent research. more than ever, it is imperative that citizens learn to evaluate media reports critically, recognize when data are abused, and understand practical solutions. relatively, tiro (2017) indicated that since statistics is a distinct field with ways of thinking and tools for problem-solving, it should be taught differently from mathematics in schools. also, teachers who instruct students in statistical literacy and statistical thinking should encourage active learning to boost pupils’ educational outcomes. according to nahdi et al. (2021), statistics is significant in many areas of human existence. statistics are crucial in education for resolving issues during inclass learning activities. thus, having statistical literacy abilities is vital for pre-service teachers. the capacity to understand data displayed in diagrams and tables, to offer data understandably, and to interpret the data accurately is an essential indicator of statistical literacy. pa ge 10 4 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 102-107, 2025 furthermore, syed and choudhury (2023), comprehensively explained and assessed how assisting and enhancing certain employability skills increases the likelihood of obtaining entry-level occupations, a statistical analysis was conducted. according to the study, to develop employability skills, students combined traditional and student-centered learning pedagogies. the employability factors were “numeracy skills (mathematical),” “it literacy skills,” “decision making skills,” “communication skills,” “critical-analysis skills,” “competence in specialized subject area,” and “ability to apply specialized knowledge from various field,” according to a statistical analysis of the students’ responses. the relevance of interpersonal, problemsolving, and communication skills is frequently found in the literature, but the study’s finding that “learning skills” are the second-most crucial employability skill is significant. in the study of amaran et al. (2022) it was revealed that statistical data analysis, a key quantitative skill, is essential for graduate students, particularly in scientific research, despite its perceived complexity. their survey of 102 creative arts undergraduates at unimas revealed a pressing need for statistical training to meet workforce demands and thesis requirements. while students recognized the advantages of these skills, the study emphasized that mere exposure to quantitative analysis is insufficient for true competency. the findings underscore the necessity of building a stronger foundational curriculum in statistical data analysis for arts students to bridge this critical skills gap. dangprasert’s (2021) study examined the impact of combining tutoring applications with self-directed learning to enhance statistical analysis skills, revealing significantly higher posttest scores compared to pretest results. the findings confirmed that this blended approach effectively improved students’ statistical abilities while accelerating their learning process. the results aligned with the law of exercise, showing that consistent practice and structured learning activities boosted engagement, preparation, and motivation for self-directed skill development. however, the study identified implementation challenges requiring careful management of digital resources, instructional materials, and pedagogical strategies. the research emphasized that both educators and learners need proper preparation with technological tools and teaching frameworks to fully optimize this learning methodology’s potential. materials and methods this descriptive study aimed to assess the statistical skills of students enrolled in the master of arts in education major in mathematics program at bataan peninsula state university. descriptive research, as described by tejero (2011), is used to describe and characterize phenomena without manipulating variables. the study employed a structured survey to collect data from 32 graduate students across four academic years (a.y. 20182019 to a.y. 2021-2022), selected through convenience sampling. the questionnaire, which consisted of three sections—respondent profiles (age, sex, nature of work), statistical literacy and mathematical knowledge, and data visualization and presentation—was developed by the researcher to assess the students’ statistical skills. responses were evaluated using a proficiency scale adapted from deped order no. 73, s. 2012, categorizing the students’ skills into five levels: advanced, proficient, approaching proficiency, developing, and beginning. data were analyzed using ibm-spss statistics 23, with frequency, percentage, and weighted mean used to summarize the respondents’ profiles and overall statistical skills. pearson’s product moment correlation coefficient and point-biserial correlation coefficient were employed to examine relationships between variables such as age, sex, and nature of work with statistical proficiency. a significance level of 0.05 was applied to test hypotheses. the interpretation of results followed the established scales for both proficiency levels and correlation strength, ranging from negligible to high relationship. results and discussion profile of the respondents thirty-four percent (34%) of the respondents were between the ages of 22 and 27. in addition, fifty-six percent (56%) are females and ninety-one percent (91%) are in the teaching profession. table 1: profile of the respondents profile frequency percentage age 22 to 27 years old 11 34 28 to 33 years old 9 28 34 to 39 years old 7 22 40 years old and above 5 16 total 32 100 sex male 14 44 female 18 56 total 32 100 pa ge 10 5 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 102-107, 2025 graduate students’ statistical skills: gal’s concepts 2010 scale of means: 90% and above advanced; 85-89% proficient; 80-84% approaching proficiency; 75-79% developing; 74% and below beginning among the key areas of statistical skills, the highest rating is “mathematical knowledge” (mean=65.63; sd=13.55; nature of work teaching 29 91 non-teaching 3 9 total 32 100 number of cases=32 table 2: level of statistical skills indicator mean sd level statistical literacy 62.44 11.84 beginning level mathematical knowledge 65.63 13.55 beginning level data visualization and presentation 42.59 21.12 beginning level composite 56.94 12.34 beginning level beginning level), followed by “statistical literacy” (mean=62.44; sd=11.84; beginning level), and the lowest rating is “data visualization and presentation” (mean=42.59; sd=21.12; beginning level). collectively, the rating (mean=56.94; sd=12.34) suggests the respondents have a “beginning level of statistical skills.” it can be inferred that the respondents demonstrate a strong foundation in mathematical knowledge, there is room for improvement in areas such as data visualization and presentation. addressing these skills gaps through targeted training and professional development initiatives can enhance the statistical proficiency and empower individuals to effectively analyze and communicate data in different contexts. furthermore, kim et al. (2019) analyzed mathematics teachers’ statistical literacy in korea. the study’s findings demonstrate that teachers’ statistical literacy was lacking and it was likewise seen that there was a significant level of contrast between them. in line with this, the study suggests finding implications to see how important or appropriate it is to educate teachers who oversee statistical education. as abidin (2017) and nurgiyantoro et al. (2020) mentioned, the multiliteracy approach should include statistical literate. to create essential educational plans. more innovations and teaching strategies should be used for teaching statistics. furthermore, modern technology can help students increase their statistical reasoning and literacy. moreover, sharma (2019) highlighted the role of statistical literacy in everyday decision-making, from interpreting news reports to making health-related decisions, underscoring the need for education systems to prioritize this skill. relationship between the level of statistical skills and the respondents’ profiles table 3: level of statistical skills and profile level of statistical skills profile of the respondents age sex nature of work r r 2 pva lu e r el at io ns hi p r pb i r 2 pva lu e r el at io ns hi p r pb i r 2 pva lu e r el at io ns hi p statistical literacy .28ns .08 .115 low .10ns .01 .573 negligible .12ns .01 .525 negligible mathematical knowledge .21ns .04 .254 low .37* .14 .036 low -.06ns .01 .764 negligible data visualization and presentation .25ns .06 .160 low .10ns .01 .571 negligible .16ns .03 .379 negligible overall .32ns .10 .078 low .23ns .05 .197 low .11ns .01 .558 negligible note: point-biserial correlation coefficient (rpbi); pearson’s product moment correlation coefficient (r) *–significant at 0.05 level; ns – not significant at 0.05 alpha level pa ge 10 6 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 102-107, 2025 in table 3, there is no statistically significant relationships between the respondents’ profile variables and the variables of their level of statistical skills, as indicated by p-values exceeding the conventional threshold of significance (p > 0.05). specifically, correlation analyses between age and the sub-variables—statistical literacy (r = .28, r² = 8%, p = .115), mathematical knowledge (r = .21, r² = 4%, p = .254), and data visualization and presentation (r = .25, r² = 6%, p = .160)—indicated weak, non-significant associations. regarding sex as a profile variable, both statistical literacy (rpbi= .10, r² = 1%, p = .573) and data visualization and presentation (rpbi = .10, r² = 1%, p = .571) demonstrated negligible associations. a notable exception, however, was observed for mathematical knowledge, which exhibited a statistically significant but low association with sex (rpbi = .37, r² = 14%, p = .036). this result suggests that male respondents performed better in mathematical knowledge compared to their female counterparts. while the effect size is modest, the finding aligns with existing literature indicating a persistent, albeit small, gender gap in mathematical performance (johnson, 2017). johnson’s study reported consistent male advantage across a variety of mathematical performance metrics, with small to moderate effect sizes observed across different age groups and educational levels. similarly, gunderson et al. (2018) found that while male and female students generally demonstrate comparable statistical performance, males often report higher levels of selfconfidence and interest in statistical tasks—factors which may contribute indirectly to performance outcomes. concerning the respondents’ nature of work, all sub-variables of statistical skills showed negligible relationships: statistical literacy (rpbi = .12, r² = 1%, p = .525), mathematical knowledge (rpbi= –.06, r² = 1%, p = .764), and data visualization and presentation (rpbi= .16, r² = 3%, p = .379). a summary correlation analysis further supports these findings, with the composite level of statistical skills showing weak associations with age (r = .32, r² = 10%, p = .078), sex (rpbi= .23, r² = 5%, p = .197), and nature of work (rpbi= .11, r² = 1%, p = .558). these results collectively indicate that demographic factors such as age, sex, and nature of work do not significantly influence graduate students’ statistical skills. given the absence of strong or statistically significant associations, the demographic characteristics are not reliable predictors of statistical skill levels within the graduate school context. consequently, interventions aimed at enhancing statistical competencies should adopt an inclusive approach, ensuring that support mechanisms, training programs, and learning opportunities are equitably accessible to all students, regardless of their demographic profile. tailored programs such as statistical literacy workshops, mathematical skill enhancement modules, and data visualization seminars may be implemented to promote universal improvement, with an emphasis on fostering competence across diverse learner backgrounds. conclusion among the key areas of statistical skills, “mathematical knowledge” has the highest rating followed by “statistical literacy,” while “data visualization and presentation” has the lowest rating. thus, the respondents have the beginning skills in statistical literacy, mathematical knowledge, data visualization, and presentation. moreover, the statistical abilities of graduate students were found to have no significant relationship with their profile, such as sex, age, and nature of work. a comprehensive training program was implemented to improve understanding fundamental statistical concepts and principles. moreover, it helps develop a strong foundation in mathematical knowledge and problem-solving skills essential for success in academic pursuits and future careers. the training program includes collaborative activities that will help uplift the competency level. references abd jalal, a. 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(2010). promoting statistical literacy: a european pilot project to bring official statistics into university and secondary school classrooms. international conference on teaching statistics (icots-8), ljubljana, slovenia. nahdi, d. s. (2021). statistical literacy analysis of preservice elementary teachers education. journal of physics: conference series, 1764(1), 012126. nurgiyantoro, b., lestyarini, b., & rahayu, d. h. (2020). mapping junior high school students’ functional literacy competence. jurnal cakrawala pendidikan, 39(3), 560–572. https://doi.org/10.21831/cp.v39i3.34061 pamungkas, a. s. (2020). the analysis of student’s statistical literacy based on prior knowledge and mathematical self-esteem. journal for the mathematics education and teaching practices, 1(1), 43–51. https:// dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/1189693 reston, e. (2020). assessing statistical literacy in graduate level statistics education. the international statistical institute. http://iase-web.org/documents/papers/ isi55/reston.pdf sharma, s. (2017). definitions and models of statistical literacy: a literature review. open review of educational research, 4(1), 118–133. https://doi.org/10.1080/232 65507.2017.1354313 siew, c. s. (2019). using network science to understand statistics anxiety among college students. scholarship of teaching and learning in psychology, 5(1), 75–89. https:// doi.org/10.1037/stl0000133 syed, q., & choudhury, j. (2023). statistical analysis and employability skills equation for graduate students in the bahamas. annals of social sciences & management studies, 9(3). https://doi.org/10.19080/ asm.2023.09.555765 tiro, m. a. (2017). teaching statistics in indonesian school: today and future. isi regional statistics conference. tutkun, t. (2019). statistics anxiety of graduate students. international journal of progressive education, 15(5), 32– 41. https://doi.org/10.29329/ijpe.2019.212.3 utari, r. s., amalia, l., & rohman, r. (2023). how can tpack support the statistical literacy skills of mathematics students’ teachers? aksioma: jurnal program studi pendidikan matematika, 12(1), 657. https://doi.org/10.24127/ajpm.v12i1.6335 utomo, d. p. (2021). an analysis of the statistical literacy of middle school students in solving timss problems. international journal of education in mathematics, science and technology, 9(2), 181–197. https://doi. org/10.46328/ijemst.1552 pa ge 1 pa ge 1 american journal of education and technology (ajet) self-healing concrete by microorganisms in the altered pozzolan of madagascar with calcium from crab wastes toavina m. andriamanalina1* , martial d. andrianandrasana2, maxime raharison3, edouard r. andrianarison1 volume 2 issue 1, year 2023 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i1.1061 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: december 17, 2022 accepted: january 12, 2023 published: january 16, 2023 concrete is at a high risk of cracking which threats its durability. self-healing bacterial concrete has been developed in recent years to tackle this issue and its effectiveness has been massively studied. however, bacteria need carriers and expanded clay is the most used as such, but it reduces concrete strength. moreover, bacterial culture and immobilization processes are highly expensive; calcium salts also contribute to the high cost of this type of concrete. this work therefore aims to overcome these limitations. calcium salts were collected from the chitosan production process from crab waste. in addition, we noticed that betafo pozzolan contains an abundant number of microorganisms, and for the first time, we discovered that those microorganisms have polyextremophilic characters, are resistant to various sterilization methods, and allow the self-healing concrete process. we concluded that calcium salts from the crab, with those microorganisms are able to heal crack up to 350 µm wide, reducing the expenses related to nutrients, and eliminating those related to the growth and the immobilization of bacteria on carrier. moreover, we pointed out that pozzolan significantly increases compressive strength by 90.04%. however, the behavior of those microorganisms and the pozzolanic reactions need to be further investigated. keywords concrete, self-healing, crack, crab, pozzolan, extremophile 1 department of chemical engineering, université d’antananarivo, ecole supérieure polytechnique d’antananarivo, 101 antananarivo, madagascar 2 department of terrestrial ecosystem, centre national de recherche sur l’environnement, 101 antananarivo, madagascar 3 department of materials, laboratoire national des travaux publics et du bâtiment, 101 antananarivo, madagascar * corresponding author’s e-mail: toavinaandriamanalina@gmail.com introduction concrete is today the most consumed manufactured material in the world with a global production of cement, an essential component of concrete, of 4.4 billion tons in 2021 (u.s. geological survey, 2022). however, the microcracks apparition in it is almost inevitable, altering its functionality, accelerating its degradation and reducing its lifespan, deterioration can begin in less than 10 years (moriconi, 2009). additionally, recycling the concrete is difficult and expensive, reduces its strength, and can catalyze chemical reactions that accelerate decomposition (meyer, 2002). as huge expenses are incurred for the maintenance and repair of structures, it is more profitable to demolish and build a new one. indeed, in the united states, the annual economic impact associated with the maintenance, repair or replacement of deteriorating structures is estimated at 18-21 billion dollars (sdc, 2004). moreover, emissions from the manufacture of cement amount to 1.5x109 tones of co2 (andrew, 2019). concrete also makes up the largest proportion of construction and demolition waste, and accounts for about a third of all landfill waste (meyer, 2002). it is therefore necessary to stop cracking in its initial phase. the idea of self-healing bacterial concrete was introduced at the end of the 2000s. in contact with water, the spores of certain species are activated and precipitate calcium carbonate (jonkers and schlangen, 2007). bacterial spores have low metabolic activity and an extremely long lifespan of up to 200 years (schlegel, 1993). the main problem with bacterial concrete is that the spores need carriers to survive in the harsh environment of concrete and the clay granules, usually used as a carrier for the self-healing agent, lead to a considerable reduction in the compressive strength (tziviloglou et al., 2016). this type of concrete is also more expensive than the usual concrete. silva et al. (2015) even reported that the production of 1 m3 of self-repairing concrete would be 5760 €/m3 due to the processes for obtaining the spores and their encapsulation in a carrier. the organic calcium salts, such as calcium lactate, calcium acetate, etc., also contribute to these exorbitant costs. on the other hand, the seafood industry generates annually about 106 tons of waste (schmitz et al., 2019). not only do the wastes of these industries cause a significant part of the contamination of the environment, but they also give off unpleasant odors (nguyen and wang, 2019). chitosan is an obtained from shrimp and crab shells (munoz et al., 2018) by several stages, including demineralization with an acid to remove minerals, mainly calcium. on the other hand, volcanic rocks can harbor a remarkable microbial diversity despite their hostile environment to microorganisms (byloos et al., 2018). in all this context, we therefore stated the following hypotheses: that the salts from crabs would allow the precipitation of caco3 as much as the usually used salts does; that the microorganisms naturally present in pozzolan, a volcanic rock, could precipitate caco3; and that the pozzolan bacterial concrete would be stronger than the usual bacterial concretes. this study was carried out to develop a self-healing concrete where the carriers of bacteria do not lead to a reduction or improve its compressive strength, and where the expenses related to calcium salts and bacteria are reduced. https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i1.1061 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= mailto:toavinaandriamanalina%40gmail.com?subject= pa ge 2 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 1-9, 2023 materials and methods bacterial strain in order to evaluate the efficiency of the repairs by the microorganisms present in the pozzolan, bacillus pseudofirmus was chosen as a control. it is an ideal candidate since it has shown promising results in mortar specimens through the metabolic conversion of organic acids (jonkers et al., 2010). it is also non-pathogenic. bacillus pseudofirmus strain dsm 9718 was purchased at the leibniz institute dsmz. immobilization carrier as mentioned earlier, the spores need carriers to survive when the concrete sets. however, as expanded clay and perlite, the most used mineral carriers for bacterial concretes (tziviloglou et al., 2016) (wiktor and jonkers, 2011) (alazhari et al., 2018) are very less resistant (magaji et al., 2019), pozzolan was chosen. its porous nature allows it to serve as a carrier. the natural pozzolan is a volcanic rock, and was collected from the iavoko-betafo mountain deposit, madagascar (19°51’50’’s 46°53’52’’e 1556 m). calcium source crab wastes are potential source of calcium (as carbonate). they can be valorized, by extracting chitin and obtaining the chitosan, by processes of demineralization, deproteinization and deacetylation (santos et al, 2020). it is the calcium salts from the first step that we collected in this study. crab wastes were provided by the antartica society (antananarivo, madagascar) and contain 16.70% of calcium. demineralizing acids as calcium lactate is the reference calcium source in the field of bacterial self-healing concrete (jonkers and e. schlangen, 2007) (tziviloglou et al., 2016) (jonkers and e. schlangen, 2008), lactic acid (research-lab, assay 88,0-92,2%, d=1,20-1,21) was used for demineralization. as acetic acid is one of the most used organic acids for the demineralization of crustaceans for the extraction of chitin (gbenebor et al., 2018) (baron et al., 2015), it was also used in this study (acetic acid: merck, assay 99,8%, d=1,05). . culture the bacillus pseudofirmus spores were obtained according to (jonkers and e. schlangen, 2008). the concentration was adjusted to 107 cells/ml. pozzolan sterilization the pozzolan was initially autoclaved before incorporating the bacillus pseudofirmus strain. however, during the counting of the incorporated spores in the pozzolan, we noticed that the latter harbors an abundant quantity of microorganisms. various sterilization methods were therefore carried out: in an autoclave at 121°c for 20 or 40 min, or in an oven at 180°c or at 30°c or at 60°c or at 120°c, or with 70% ethanol for 15 h, or with 12°cl commercial bleach for 15 h, or in a muffle furnace (thermo heraesus) at 600°c for 3 h or 6 h, or in a charcoal flame for 10 or 20 min. the concentration of microorganisms in pozzolan was determined by bringing 1 g to 10 ml with sterile distilled water in a centrifuge tube, then mixed by vortex (cyan cl001) for 60 s and the liquid was passed to the thoma counting chamber for the enumeration. 100 μl of the liquid was injected into tsa medium (trypton soy agar: roth) for a sterility test, and incubated for 48 h. viability was calculated according to eq. 1. where ϑ: viability; ci: concentration of microorganisms in the sterilized pozzolan; c0: concentration of microorganisms in unsterilized pozzolan in order to ensure that there were no other contamination sources, the sterile distilled water used was treated with the post-sterilization procedure. immobilization of spores the pozzolan was sieved to have two series of grain sizes: 1-2 mm and 2-4 mm. in order to incorporate the spores into the pozzolan, the latter was mixed with the spore suspension until it was completely immersed. the whole was placed under vacuum for 5 min to eliminate air pockets and thus facilitate the penetration of the suspension, then filtered. pozzolan was dried at room temperature for 6 days. preparation of calcium salts calcium carbonate (roth, assay≥98.5%) and lactic acid were mixed in stoichiometric proportions. the acid concentration in the solution was 1 m. the same procedure was applied for acetic acid. the crab wastes were treated with the two acids in the same ways, replacing the mass of caco3 with the equivalent mass of caco3 present in the previously sieved crab wastes (0.2-1 mm). the solutions, brought to 100 ml, were stirred at 100 rpm for 24 h at 30° c, then centrifuged at 3000 rpm for 10 min. the calcium concentration was measured by atomic absorption spectrometry (varian spectraa.20) with a wavelength of 424 nm. the solutions were dried at 60°c, the salts were collected in the oven and immediately hermetically packaged. indeed, in contact with air, the salts from crabs became pasty and sticky. their purities were evaluated by drying 20 ml of the solution resulting from the dissolution of crude caco3 or from the demineralization of crab wastes, according to eq. 2. where p: purity of the salt obtained (calcium lactate or calcium acetate); c: measured calcium concentration vsol: volume of the solution to be dried; msalt: molar mass of the salt obtained; mexp: measured salt mass; mca: molar mass of calcium. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 3 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 1-9, 2023 formulation of the concrete the mix designs are given in table 1. as the roughness of the specimens did not allow the observation of cracks, superplasticizer was added to deflocculate the cement particles. a more or less smooth surface was achieved at 3% superplasticizer relative to the cement mass. the calcium salts were dosed in the same molar concentrations. specimens were cured at 20±2°c and 95% humidity. concrete mix designs without pozzolan (denoted b) and with unincorporated pozzolan (denoted p) were carried. concrete mix designs with bacillus pseudofirmus incorporated pozzolan were denoted bp. for the concrete mix designs without pozzolan, the volume occupied by the pozzolan was replaced by the equivalent volume in sand and the water was replaced by the suspension of spores. specific gravities of pozzolan and sand were measured according to (astm, 2019). table 1: concrete mix designs per liter specimen mortar control b concrete control p bp 2-4 mm pozzolan [g] 330 330 1-2 mm pozzolan [g] 113 113 2-4 mm incorporated pozzolan [g] 330 1-2 mm incorporated pozzolan [g] 113 0,500-1,000 mm sand [g] 943 943 483 483 483 0,200-0.500 mm sand [g] 712 712 364 364 364 0,125-0,200 mm sand [g] 74 74 38 38 38 cement cem i 42,5 [g] 463 463 463 463 463 water [g] 231,5* 231,5* 231,5 231,5 231,5 calcium salts [mol] 0,03 0,03 0,03 * spore solution concrete repair for the creation of cracks, concrete was cast in molds of dimensions 160 mm x 40 mm x 40 mm reinforced with two steel wires of 1 mm in diameter to avoid total fracture during the three-point bend test. a three-point bend test was used for crack introduction on the 28-day specimens. for specimens without pozzolan, this test took place after 7 days of curing. indeed, without immobilization carrier, the viability of the spores decreases drastically after 28 days (jonkers et al., 2010). the specimens were placed horizontally in a container containing tap water for crack healing, the specimens were immersed leaving 2 to 3 mm in height of emerged part to ensure an exchange of o2 and co2 with the air. the container was kept open to atmosphere at standard room temperature (20±2°c) and specimens were allowed to repair for 56 days, additional water was added to maintain a constant water level. adopted experimental procedure for measuring the water absorption rate of repaired concrete as there is not yet any established method to determine the ability of repaired concrete to resist water absorption (alazhari et al., 2018), the rate of absorption before and after repair were evaluated to determine the reduction of absorption rate. the initial absorption rate was evaluated by immersing specimens in tap water for 24 h. the absorption rates before and after self-healing were measured and the reduction of the absorption rate is given in eq. 3. in order to evaluate their dry weight, specimens were dried at 60°c in an oven for 24 hours. η: reduction of absorption; τi: absorption rate at time i days; wwn: wet weight of the specimens after n days; wdn: dry weight of the specimens after n days for measurement of initial absorption rate, n = 1 day for measurement of absorption rate after 56 days of healing, n = 56 days repair follow-up weekly measurements of maximum healed fissure width were measured. the images of the cracks are taken by a stereomicroscope (leica ez4e) and analyzed by the imajej 1.52 software (rasband, 2018). effect on strength of calcium salts and pozzolan added to concrete the influence of calcium salts (calcium lactate and acetate resulting from the respective treatments of caco3 and crab wastes with lactic and acetic acid) as well as the influence of pozzolan were evaluated. compressive tests were thus carried out after 28 days of curing and according to (sierra-beltran et al., 2014). data analysis the anova followed by a bonferroni post-hoc test was used to identify significant differences. all data were processed by anova after the conditions of normality (shapiro-wilk test (α=0.05)) and homogeneity (levene’s test (α=0.05)) were met. data were statistically analyzed using xlstat software (addinsoft corporation) (addinsoft, 2014). differences of viabilities of microorganisms between pozzolan sterilization methods; differences from 56-days repair of each salt to identify their respective stagnation times; between the effects of salts on compressive strength; between the compressive strengths of specimens with and without pozzolan: 1-way anova; differences between the absorption rates according to the salts and according to the concrete compositions; https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 4 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 1-9, 2023 between the reductions of the absorption rate: 2-way anova; differences between the repairs of the concrete at each instant regarding the composition; between the repairs of the concrete at each moment regarding the salt: repeated measures anova. results and discussion pozzolan sterilization methods after counting the microorganisms naturally present in pozzolan, their number is 5.21x108±0.23x108 cells/g. the growth of microorganisms after the sterility test on the tsa medium revealed the ineffectiveness of the various sterilization methods, without even taking into consideration viable but non-cultivable microorganisms. since the number of microorganisms in the pozzolan which have undergone sterilization methods is of the order of 108/g, which is equivalent to the concentration per milliliter of a rich and bacteria-saturated inoculum, the hypothesis of external contamination is discarded. difference (p=0.819)α=0.008. herrera et al. (2008) found a total number less than 104 cells/gram in obsidian, a volcanic rock, which is lower than the number found in our pozzolan. the honeycomb structure of pozzolan would allow it to harbor more microorganisms while protecting them from the hostile external environment. byloos et al. (2018) reported 6.80x107 to 7.54x108 cells/g of basalt, in iceland, of which 33% to 67% of the operational taxonomic units (otus) are unclassifiable. the viability of these microorganisms with heat would be explained on the one hand by the low thermal conductivity of pozzolan (rocher, 1992) which would play a protective role. since many phylotypes in volcanic rocks cannot be attributed to known bacterial phyla, thus showing that these environments harbor new bacterial diversities (herrera et al., 2009), it is difficult to deeply explain their behaviors towards hostile environments. some authors (ciera et al., 2014), (beladjal et al., 2018) reported microorganisms with some extremophile characters and concluded that these microorganisms could contain a very versatile and efficient dna repair mechanism capable of reversing heat-induced damage (ciera et al., 2014),. however, this is the first time we discover that some microorganisms are still able to live after long period of exposition to heat, to bleach and to ethanol. the high viability in ethanol could be explained by the fact that ethanol could serve as carbon source, allowing the growth of some microorganisms. concrete repair in order to evaluate the repair of pre-cracked concrete, the reduction of the absorption rate after 56 days of immersion in water, as well as the evolution of the crack repair were monitored. absorption rate since the precipitation of caco3 by the microorganisms fills the voids within the concrete, the reduction in the absorption rate was evaluated. figure 1: viability of microorganisms after different sterilization methods figure. 1 shows the resistance of the microorganisms naturally present in the pozzolan toward the different sterilization methods, thus showing that these microorganisms are polyextremophiles. exposures to 600°c for 3h and 6h show no significant figure 2: initial absorption rate of concrete specimen and reduction of this rate after repair https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 5 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 1-9, 2023 (t) control (pt) control with pozzolan (b…) specimens without pozzolan (p…) specimens with pozzolan (bp…) specimens with bacillus pseudofirmus incorporated pozzolan (.ca.) specimens with salts from caco3 (.cr. ) specimens with salts from crab (…l) specimens with salts from lactic acid (…a) specimens with salts from acetic acid figure 2 shows the absorption rate of the concrete specimens before the self-healing process and the reduction of this rate after 56 days of self-healing. before self-repair, the lactic acid salts cal (calcium lactate from caco3) and crl (calcium lactate from crab) have no significant influence (p=0.010 and p=0.058 respectively) α=0.005 on the concrete. the acetic acid salts caa (calcium acetate from caco3) and cra (calcium acetate from crab) significantly reduces (p=0.005 and p=0.001 respectively) α=0.005 the rate of absorption. the low initial absorption rate of specimens with acetic salts would be due to the fact that the process of calcium carbonate precipitation is faster during the concrete setting. as calcium acetate is composed of a simpler structure (2 chains with 2 carbons) than calcium lactate (2 chains with 3 carbons with an additional alcohol function on each chain), it would be more easily transformed by microorganisms and the precipitated caco3 improves the cohesion of the elements of the concretes and reduces the available volume for water. the compositions without pozzolan b show a significantly (p<0.0001)α=0.017 high initial absorption rate compared to the other compositions. the high absorption rate of compositions b is due, on the one hand, to the fact that they are only 7 days old before having undergone immersion, which is insufficient to complete all the chemical reactions in itself. on the other hand, pozzolan chemically reacts by pozzolanic reactions which defines the ability of mineral substances to react with calcium hydroxide in the presence of water. the silicate and aluminate ions produced in contact with the ca2+ ions form hydrated silicates of the csh type, calcium aluminate c4ah13, hydrated gehlenite c2ash8, and c3a.caco3.12h2o (navrátilová and rovnaníková , 2014). a denser microstructure is thus created, reducing porosity. however, these reactions usually take place when the pozzolan is reduced to a fine powder form (astm, 2007), which is not the case in this work. it would be therefore difficult to comment on the effect of the pozzolanic activity. after 56 days of repair, all salts provided significant reductions in absorption rate (p<0.0001 for all four salts) α=0.005. reductions in absorption rates after 56 days of repair are caused by caco3 precipitation. the crl salt has the most influence (p<0.0001 with the other salts)α=0.005 with reductions of 32.25±5.38%, 64.29±3.83% and 65.35±3.60 % respectively for compositions b, p and bp. the cal salt has less influence (p<0.0001)α=0.005 than the crl salt but has more influence than the acetic acid salts (p=0.002 with caa, p=0.001 with cra)5. no significant difference (p=0.833)α=0.005 was observed between caa and cra acetic acid salts. an insoluble colorless gel, probably resulting from the demineralization of the crab by lactic acid, forms on the specimens with the crl salt, which would provide additional impermeability. indeed, some myofibrillar proteins play a key role in the flesh gelation (an et al., 1996), they would have been solubilized by lactic acid during demineralization. the great reduction of lactic salts is explained by the fact that even if the acetic acid salts are easily transformed by microorganisms, the co2 produced which will react with the portlandite ca(oh)2 is greater with the transformation of the salts of lactic acid and the yield of caco3 is higher. calcium lactate: (ch3-choh-coo)2ca + 6o2 ⇄ caco3 + 5co2 + 5h2o eq. 4 calcium acetate: (ch3-coo)2ca + 4o2 ⇄ caco3 + 3co2 + 3h2o eq. 5 co2 + ca(oh)2 ⇄ caco3 + h2o eq. 6 the reductions are significantly (p<0.0001 with p and bp)α=0.017 lower for specimens without pozzolan. no significant difference was observed between the p and bp specimens (p=0.958)α=0.017. however, even if no significant difference (p=0.010)α=0.0004 was observed, the reduction is higher (14.52±1.57%) with the control of compositions b compared to that of the control of specimens with pozzolan (3.08±2.08%). the low reductions caused by the b specimens are due to the loss of viability of the spores over time since they are not protected by a carrier (jonkers et al., 2010), the amount of caco3 produced in the specimens without pozzolan is then limited. on the other hand, over time, the reactions within them continue during the first 21 days of immersion, increasingly reducing its porosity as shown with the controls of each composition. the incorporation of bacillus pseudofirmus does not bring more influence on the absorption rate, giving similar absorption rates to the p and bp compositions. han et al. (2019) reported that only 1% per milliliter of spores in the inoculum is actually incorporated per gram of carrier, which is equivalent to 105 spores/g of pozzolan, which is negligible compared to the number of microorganisms present per gram of pozzolan. evolution of the repair crack widths are reduced during immersion by the precipitation of caco3. the changes in this reduction were evaluated according to the composition of the concrete and the nature of the salts introduced. figure. 3 shows the evolution of the maximum widths crack repaired with the crl salt for the compositions without pozzolan b, with pozzolan p and with incorporated pozzolan of bacillus pseudofirmus bp. on the 7th day, all the compositions show significant repairs (p=0.004 for b; p<0.0001, for p and bp)α=0.005 compared to their respective controls. they do not show significant differences between them (p>0.030 between https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 6 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 1-9, 2023 them)α=0.005 . on the 14th day, b composition shows a significantly high repair compared to p (p<0.0001)α=0.005 and bp (p=0.0001)α=0.005 compositions, this trend is the same for the 21st day. after 28 days, the repairs for each composition are significantly (p>0.024 between them) α=0.005 similar. the absence of difference between the three compositions is noted until the 49th day and on the 56th day, p composition presents a significantly (p=0.003)α=0.005 high repair compared to b composition. the absence of difference between p and bp is observed from 7 to 56 days (p>0.020 for each day)α=0.005 . the high efficacy of b composition at 14 and 21 days would be due to its high porosity, as illustrated in figure. 2 and explained previously. this porosity would facilitate the diffusion of microorganisms and chemical species within it. however, over time, the hydration reactions of the concrete reduce the porosity, leading to a loss of spore viability without protection (jonkers et al., 2010). for the control specimens, the one without pozzolan shows a repair of 96.7±7.5 µm at 56 days, the one with pozzolan amounts to 29.0±2.0 µm. the difference between the two controls is significant (p=0.002)α=0.005 . concrete is known to have autogenous self-healing properties: the cement particle hydration process would continue thanks to the incomplete hydration of young specimens (7 days) and the precipitation of caco3 crystals due to the carbonation of the calcium hydroxide. reported maximum crack widths range from 100 to 300 µm depending on exposure conditions (wiktor and jonkers, 2011). as b composition had not completed the hydration process, the proportion of unhydrated cement was relatively considerable, and as the compositions with pozzolan were 28 days old before the repair process the proportion of unhydrated cement is reduced. figure 3: evolution of the repair according to the composition of the concrete (t) control (pt) control with pozzolan (b) specimens without pozzolan (p) specimens with pozzolan (bp) specimens with bacillus pseudofirmus incorporated pozzolan figure 4: evolution of the repair according to the salts (cal) concrete specimens with salts from caco3 and lactic acid (caa) concrete specimens with salts from caco3 and acetic acid (crl) concrete specimens with salts from crab and acid lactic acid (cra) concrete specimens with salts from crab and acetic acid https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 7 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 1-9, 2023 figure 4 illustrates the weekly evolution of the repairs according to salts with the p composition. on the 7th day, the repairs by cal and crl do not show significant differences (p=0.095) α=0.008 , the same for those by caa and cra (p =0.030)α=0.008, repairs by caa is significantly (p=0.001)α=0.008 higher than those by cal, likewise repairs by cra are higher than those by crl (p=0.003)α=0.008. on the 14th day, the repairs by crl are significantly lower (p<0.002 against the three others)α=0.008 compared to those by the other salts which are significantly the same (p>0.105 between them)α=0.008. on day 21, no significant difference was observed between the effects of the salts (p>0.265)α=0.008. this absence of significant difference is observed until the 42nd day (p>0.058)α=0.008 and on the 49th day, the repairs by the cal salt are significantly higher compared to those by the acetic salts caa (p=0.004) α=0.008, any significant difference was not observed with the repairs by crl (p=0.448)α=0.008 nor between those by caa and by cra (p=0.898)α=0.008. this trend is the same for the 56th day. the reason why repairs by salts from acetic acid are initially higher than those from lactic acid is explained by the fact that they would be easily transformed by microorganisms as explained previously. however, the final yield of the lactic salts is increased by the reaction with portlandite ca(oh)2 with the co2 produced during the transformation which is 5/3 times greater than the co2 produced by the transformation of the acetic salts, as explained previously. the final efficiencies between salts from the same acids are the same since they had the same initial concentration and would be equally transformed despite the purity difference between them. it was previously explained that the compositions containing the crl salt showed a great reduction of the absorption rate with the formation of an insoluble gel, but this gel would slow down the diffusion of microorganisms and chemical species, which reduces its repair speed. the stagnation would be due to the fact that the microorganisms are enveloped by impermeable layer of caco3, preventing them from further metabolizing. the addition of 10% hydrochloric acid confirmed, by effervescence, the presence of caco3 in the specimens. effect of salts and pozzolan on compressive strength salts added to concrete might positively or negatively change the compressive strength. moreover, the strength of the concrete specimen control with pozzolan was evaluated in order to observe whether it has any influences figure 5: compressive strength of the specimens (t) control (pt) control with pozzolan (.ca.) specimens with salts from caco3 (.cr.) specimens with salts from crab (…l) specimens with salts from lactic acid (…a) specimens with salts derived from acetic acid on the concrete. figure. 5 shows the effect of the four salts on b composition. although lactic salts seem to reduce the compressive strength (by 3.66% and 6.70% respectively for cal and crl), these reductions are not significant (p=0.910 for cal, p=0.599 for crl compared to the control)α=0.005. the acetic salts also have no significant influence (p=0.022 for caa, p=0.024 for cra compared to the control)α=0.005 on the compressive strength. whether from caco3 or from crab, the influences on resistance do not differ (p=0.644 between cal and crl, p=0.938 between caa and cra)α=0.005. these results contradict those of jonkers et al. (2010) who observed a reduction in strength of about half by adding calcium acetate at a rate of 1% of cement weight. however, cao et al. (2021) observed a 15.43% increase in compressive strength with a simple replacement of water with a 2% calcium acetate solution. they indeed concluded that this resistance varies according to the quantity introduced and concentrations of 1% and 3% reduce the resistance. the compressive strengths of the p compositions are significantly higher than those of the b compositions (p=0.003)α=0.005 , the p control has a resistance 90.04% higher than the b control. tziviloglou et al. (2016) reported that replacing part of the sand with expanded clay leads to a considerable reduction in compressive strength. pozzolanic reactions, if they take place, reduce porosity, leading to an increase in strength (mindess et al., 2003). moreover, othman et al. (2021) established that the compressive strength is directly proportional to the density of concrete. as the density https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 8 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 1-9, 2023 of pozzolan is 2.459±0.062, whereas expanded clay’s is 0.789±0.094 (jonkers, 2011), specimens containing pozzolan are denser. therefore, pozzolan offers a better option for the immobilization of microorganisms since it contributes to the increase in resistance. economic outcome research on the self-healing concrete has been developed over the past 15 years, including the one by bacterial precipitation of caco3. however, the biosourced additive, composed of encapsulated spores involves exorbitant prices. the additional costs added to the concrete amount to 5760 €/m3 while the concrete itself costs 60 to 70 €/ m3 (silva et al., 2015). these high prices are mainly due to the need for aseptic conditions to produce the spores, the expensive culture media, the methods of immobilizing the spores in the carrier, the amount of labor required and the sources of calcium. since the microorganisms used in this study are already present in pozzolan, the costs associated with the production of spores and the encapsulation processes are zero. since the calcium salts used are waste from chitosan production process and as they are usually thrown away, the costs associated with obtaining them are reduced. with further evaluation, our approach is more and more interesting. the seafood industry generates about 106 tons of waste annually (schmitz et al., 2019). about 2000 tons of chitosan are produced annually with a production cost of 8.39 $/kg and the market price is estimated at 58 $/kg (riofrio et al., 2021). conclusion the main objective of this study was to develop a selfhealing concrete where the carriers of bacteria do not lead to a reduction or improve its compressive strength, and where the expenses related to calcium salts and bacteria are reduced. results show that microorganisms in the altered pozzolan of betafo present polyextremophilic features can convert organic calcium salts into calcium carbonate and thus, healing concrete cracks. calcium from crab waste as well can be converted by those microorganisms. therefore, the production cost is drastically reduced. furthermore, pozzolan increases compressive strength of the mortar. nevertheless, the effects of pozzolanic reactions on the self-healing process remains to be clarified. moreover, as the microorganisms found in the pozzolan are polyextremophiles, the understanding of their behavior and origin might be useful for the life researches outside the earth. this research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-forprofit sectors. references addinsoft, a. 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(2019). production of potent antidiabetic compounds from shrimp head powder via paenibacillus conversion. process biochemistry, 76, 1824. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procbio.2018.11.004 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 19 american journal of education and technology (ajet) level of musical competence, motivation, and self efficacy of mapeh teachers in ilocos norte riel anne a. batilo1*, mark joseph d. pastor1 volume 4 issue 4, year 2025 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v4i4.5221 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: may 25, 2025 accepted: june 03, 2025 published: october 20, 2025 through descriptive-correlational research design, this research examined the extent of musical competence, motivation, and self-efficacy of mapeh teachers in ilocos norte and the correlation of each variable of 31 mapeh teachers. survey questionnaire was administered to gather data regarding their extent of musical competence, motivation, and self-efficacy. statistical procedures used to analyze the data were frequency, mean, percentage distribution, and pearson's r correlation. the findings show that teachers are moderately self-assured regarding their musical skills and teaching capabilities, with particular strengths in inspiring students and connecting music to other subjects. intrinsic motivation is strong, with teachers finding pleasure and satisfaction in assisting students in uncovering their musical abilities and developing valuable learning experiences. they have high self-efficacies in terms of classroom management and effective instruction, emphasizing the need for flexibility and excellent teaching approaches. professional development and training are crucial to expanding musical capability and confidence, and areas such as event planning could do with extra support. the research points to the importance of mapeh teacher preparation courses incorporating practical teaching skills like classroom management, lesson planning, and engagement with students, alongside the development of intrinsic motivation via the transformative power of music learning. professional development workshops on pedagogy, technology use, and mentoring are essential for bridging instruction gaps and enhancing confidence levels. building selfefficacy through expert training in innovative teaching strategies, classroom management, and interactive activities will enable educators to address varied learning requirements and provide effective music instruction. keywords mapeh, motivation, musical competence, self-efficacy 1 faculty, mariano marcos state university, batac, ilocos norte, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: rbacosta@mmsu.edu.ph introduction as one of the main elements of the mapeh (music, arts, pe, and health) curriculum, music is essential to filipino students' overall development. it develops cognitive abilities, creativity, and cultural awareness. mapeh teachers are entrusted with teaching music education in the philippine educational system, but their degree of proficiency in the subject, particularly in music, varies based on their experience, training, and educational background. bernardo (2018) emphasized that philippine mapeh teachers exhibit different competencies in music education, which are largely determined by the level of teaching experience, specialized training, and academic preparation. the study emphasizes the need for improved professional development to ensure teachers are in a position to deliver music education competently. although some mapeh teachers might be formally educated in music, others might only be banked on basic teacher education programs, which may not offer the depth needed in musical competencies and pedagogy. a study reveals that a shortage of formal music education can be detrimental to the competence of mapeh (music, arts, physical education, and health) teachers in some aspects, which affects the efficiency of their teaching. for instance, abad and navarro (2020) noted that certain mapeh teachers in the carmona district's public elementary schools did not have adequate music education, which prevented them from being able to teach music. similarly, research by carreon et al. (2021) regarding mapeh teachers in leyte identified a high percentage of high school teachers who did not have advanced musical and artistic skills, implying a training gap. these findings suggest that extra specialized course work in music and instructional techniques could be beneficial for teachers in these subjects. the musical competence of mapeh teachers is critical in efficiently developing students' musical skill, performance skill, and appreciation for filipino cultural heritage through music. llanes (2019) has stressed the critical role of mapeh teachers' musical competence in teaching students' musical skill, performance skill, and appreciation for filipino cultural heritage. the study promotes focused skill development in music instruction to develop students' cultural awareness and artistry. mapeh instructors in ilocos norte face the challenge of having to teach numerous subjects, with music often being the one that gets less attention due to the variation in training and specialization levels among the teachers. the researcher found that, although music education plays a critical function in enhancing students' creativity, cultural sensitivity, and overall well-being, research on evaluating the musical proficiency, motivation, and selfefficacy of mapeh teachers, especially in the ilocos pa ge 20 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 19-27, 2025 norte province, is found to be lacking. although teacher competencies, motivation, and self-efficacy have been studied in general educational settings, few studies have been conducted specifically on music education. agustin (2020) underscored that while overall pedagogical abilities are well-studied, subject-specific abilities like music need more investigation to improve instruction and learning results, particularly in specialized areas such as mapeh. this deficiency is more significant in rural areas where resources and professional growth opportunities for instructors of music are limited, leaving their special problems unsolved. teachers' self-efficacy and motivation are significantly influenced by the specific challenges inherent in music teaching. a significant issue that prevents teachers from satisfying curriculum demands and giving effective lessons is a lack of access to adequate resources, such as technology, teaching materials, and equipment. in addition, an absence of professional development enhances the ineffectiveness of music teachers in responding to new demands in music education, especially in rural settings such as ilocos norte. research shows that music teachers, especially in rural settings such as ilocos norte, have vast challenges in light of few resources and professional development opportunities. a report by the university of the philippines diliman brought to light that the teachers are confronted with challenges like limited school music resources, including poor contact time and a scarcity of musical instruments, which constrain the implementation of an effective curriculum (guadalup et al., 2023). in addition, research on teacher professional growth in rural areas indicates that teachers in rural areas tend to have minimal training program access. research published in frontiers in education cited that teachers in rural communities experience various challenges, such as limited opportunities for professional development, which hinders their performance in keeping up with changing demands of education (dyganova et al., 2023). the diversity of students' musical abilities and interests is another challenge, requiring continuous adaptation to teaching approaches. when teachers feel that they do not have the necessary training or confidence in their technical skills, this can be particularly daunting. furthermore, the motivation and sense of professional dignity of teachers are reduced when music education is deprioritized within the entire school curriculum because it often translates into less time and administrative backing. according to research, when music education is deprioritized within the overall school curriculum, it often means less instruction time and fewer administrative resources, which have negative effects on teachers' motivation and sense of professional dignity. research by aróstegui (2016) revealed that the decrease in administrative support for music education is accompanied by lower teacher motivation, since teachers feel less valued and supported in their work. these problems are likely to cause frustration, reduced job satisfaction, and lower self-efficacy, ultimately affecting teachers' competence and their capacity to develop students' musical development. resolving these problems is imperative in order to enable music teachers to break down barriers, maintain high levels of motivation, and develop self-confidence in pedagogy. self-efficacy and motivation produce disparate yet interconnected impacts on how effective music teachers are. motivation, which entails extrinsic factors, intrinsic motivation, and recognized regulation components, stimulates teachers' enthusiasm and passion for work. self-efficacy, on the other hand, captures teachers' belief in their ability to perform specific tasks, such as teaching pupils musical ideas, managing classroom activities, or organizing performances. since they are in a better position to overcome challenges and successfully engage students, self-efficacious teachers who are highly motivated are likely to build and sustain high levels of competency, as suggested by research. as posited by klassen and tze (2014), highly self-efficacious teachers are highly motivated to interact with their students and adapt to new contexts, both of which make them better equipped to teach. additionally, skaalvik (2010) stressed that highly motivated teachers with high self-efficacy were more likely to be resilient and creative, enabling them to provide quality education and sustain student motivation. these observations highlight the interrelatedness of these variables in influencing teachers' professional performance and achievements. it is important to address these variables if music teaching practice is to be enhanced, especially in ilocos norte, whose music education development would be key to the promotion of cultural preservation and student engagement. hence, this study aimed to assess the level of musical competence, motivation, and self-efficacy of mapeh teachers in ilocos norte. specifically, it seeks to answer the following research questions: 1.what is the profile of teachers in terms of 1.1 degree program; 1.2 sex; 1.3 number of music-related trainings attended? 2. what is the level of competence of teachers in teaching music? 3. what is the level of motivation of teachers in teaching music? 4. what is the level of self-efficacy of teachers in teaching music? 5. is there a significant relationship of level of competence and profile, motivation, and self-efficacy among mapeh teachers in teaching music? literature review music is an integral part of the mapeh (music, arts, physical education, and health) curriculum that greatly contributes to the integrated development of filipino learners. according to studies, music instruction improves cognitive skills like memory, problem-solving, pa ge 21 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 19-27, 2025 and academic achievement (hallam, 2010; hille & schupp, 2015). music also promotes creativity, flexibility, and critical thinking (runco & jaeger, 2012), all of which are critical 21st-century skills. in the philippines, music solidifies cultural identity by introducing learners to native and modern filipino songs. researchers such as maceda (2006) highlight music's function in preserving heritage and values, which further enforces its cultural purpose. emotional and social advantage also appears, as music regulates emotions, alleviates stress, and fosters teamwork and compassion (saarikallio & erkkilä, 2007; hallam, 2015; rickard et al., 2013). despite these, the philippine implementation of music education is hindered by issues with the competency of mapeh teachers. musical competence of teachers ranges widely based on variations in training and academic background. while some teachers receive formal training, others only rely on general education courses with very little emphasis on music. this disparity creates challenges in achieving curricular objectives and providing quality instruction. targeted professional learning is essential to the improvement of teachers' competence and the achievement of effective music education. these programs confirm that students are offered helpful musical experiences that contribute to their personal as well as academic development. teacher motivation and self-efficacy also play important roles in the effectiveness of music education. teachers who are intrinsically motivated and have faith in their capabilities are more motivated and creative in their instruction (klassen & tze, 2014; skaalvik, 2010). on the other hand, marginalization of music in the curriculum by way of few resources and support—dilutes morale and performance (aróstegui, 2016). in the case of areas such as ilocos norte, these concerns are added to by resource scarcity and few opportunities for professional development. targeted research into the motivation, selfefficacy, and competence of mapeh teachers in such districts is critical to enhancing educational output and the cultural worth of music education. materials and methods research design this study utilized descriptive-correlational research design. descriptive design was used to assess the competence, motivation, and self-efficacy of mapeh teachers in teaching music. the correlational aspect will analyze the relationship between these variables. population and sample the population of the study involved 39 mapeh teachers employed in three schools division in the province of ilocos norte and who graduated from the bachelor of culture and arts education and bachelor of physical education programs from 2022 to 2024 thus the sampling method that is used is purposive sampling. by exhausting all means, however, only 31 teachers were considered as respondents in this study. instrument information gathered in this study came from a survey questionnaire. the mapeh teachers' level of musical competence, motivation, and self-efficacy in teaching music survey questionnaire is composed of four parts: demographic profile, musical competence, motivation, and self-efficacy. it has a combination of question types, such as checklists, fill-in-the-blank, and likert-scale items. the respondents indicated how much they agree in each item by putting a check on the box using the likert scale as follows: 5 strongly agree (sa) 4 agree (a) 3 neutral (n) 2 disagree (da) 1 strongly disagree (sda) the questionnaire was timed to take about 20 minutes and was delivered via an easy-to-use and accessible tool, google forms, in order to maximize convenience and streamline data gathering. developed from proven scales such as hallam's musical competence scale (2010), deci and ryan's self-determination theory (2000), and bandura's instrument teacher self-efficacy scale (1997), the instrument assesses respondents' self-confidence, motivation, and teaching effectiveness in music education, thus being a valid tool for the study. self-assessment is considered suitable for this research since it enables teachers to reflect on their own experience and perception, which are of vital importance in understanding their teaching activity and beliefs. self-assessment was found to be fair and valid when measuring subjective constructs such as competence and motivation, as it reflects what the respondents themselves consider they can do. falchikov and boud (1989) reported that self-assessment is reliable in assessing skills and competencies with respondents given clear criteria, especially in learning environments. further, ross (2006) highlights that self-assessment induces metacognition, making the respondents think critically about their capability and areas of improvement, thus ideal for assessing subjectively measured concepts such as competence, motivation, and self-efficacy. despite realizing that biases are possible, the instrument seeks to elicit candid and reflective thinking in order to ensure that the information gathered is valid and reliable in assessing the variables that are targeted. mean was utilized in calculating the level of musical competence, motivation and self-efficacy among mapeh teachers in ilocos norte that was described using the following interpretation. level of musical competence, motivation and selfefficacy among mapeh teachers in ilocos norte was interpreted using the following range of means and descriptive interpretation: range of means descriptive interpretation 4.50 – 5.00 strongly agree (sa) 3.50 – 4.49 agree (a) 2.50 – 3.49 neutral (n) 1.50 – 2.49 disagree (d) pa ge 22 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 19-27, 2025 table 1: profile of mapeh teachers (n = 31). characteristics frequency percentage sex male 18 58.06 female 13 41.94 degree program bcaed 20 64.52 bped 11 35.48 number of musicrelated trainings 5 1 3.23 4 1 3.23 3 2 6.45 2 3 9.68 1 8 25.81 0 16 51.61 table 2: teachers’ level of musical competence in teaching music (n = 31). indicators weighted mean di personal 1. i am confident in my ability to read music notation. 3.16 neutral 2. i am able to sight-read a piece of music with minimal practice. 3.13 neutral 3. i feel confident playing a musical instrument in front of an audience. 3.29 neutral 4. i am capable of singing in tune and maintaining rhythm while performing. 3.45 neutral 5. i can effectively improvise on a musical instrument or using my voice. 3.19 neutral 6. i have a strong ability to compose simple melodies or harmonies. 3.10 neutral 7. i am confident in analysing the structure of a piece of music. 3.00 neutral 8. i am comfortable with performing various musical genres 2.97 neutral teaching 9. i am confident in my ability to teach music notation to students. 3.23 neutral 10. i can demonstrate proper playing techniques for musical instruments that are part of the mapeh curriculum (e.g., rondalla ensemble, drum and lyre). 3.35 neutral 11. i feel confident in leading group performances such as a school choir or ensemble. 3.10 neutral 12. i can explain rudiments of music in a way that is understandable to my students. 3.29 neutral 13. i can create engaging musical activities that encourage student participation. 3.65 agree 14. i feel capable of assessing my students’ musical abilities accurately. 3.45 neutral 1.00 – 1.49 strongly disagree (sd). results and discussion research findings table 1 shows the distribution of the respondents by sex, degree program and number of music-related trainings attended. sex. as shown in the table, the respondents are predominantly male, with 18 male teachers (58.06%) compared to 13 female teachers (41.94%). degree program. the majority of the teachers (20 or 64.52%) earned a bachelor of physical education (bped) degree, while the remaining respondents (11 or 35.48%) earned a bachelor of culture and arts education (bcaed). number of music-related trainings attended. for music-related training, a significant majority (16 or 51.61%) indicated no involvement in such training, whereas fewer attended one (8 or 25.81%), two (3 or 9.68%), three (2 or 6.45%), four (1 or 3.23%) and five (1 or 3.23%), training sessions. this explains a lack of professional development involving music, which may affect the teachers' confidence and competency in incorporating music into their instructional practices. pa ge 23 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 19-27, 2025 15. i can integrate music into other subjects (e.g., physical education, arts or health) within the mapeh curriculum. 3.97 agree musical adaptation and pedagogy 16. i am confident in adapting music lessons to meet the diverse learning needs of my students. 3.74 agree 17. i can effectively use technology (e.g., musescore, youdj) to enhance music learning in the classroom. 3.74 agree 18. i feel comfortable with organizing school musical events (e.g., performances, competitions). 3.42 neutral 19. i am able to encourage students to develop their musical talents and foster an appreciation for music. 3.87 agree overall mean 3.43 neutral according to table 2, the teachers are moderately confident in teaching and musical skills as supported by the mean rating 3.37 that lies neutral in the provided scale. they do not agree with most of the statements but tend to be confident about their practice and skills, especially in pedagogy and teaching. as indicated in table 3, teachers reported having a highly positive attitude towards teaching music with an overall mean of 3.66. teachers' intrinsic motivation for teaching music is high at a mean of 4.00 and indicates satisfaction and enjoyment in enabling students to find their musical abilities (mean: 4.06). extrinsic motivation is motivated by professional acknowledgment (mean: 3.87), advancement in career (mean: 3.94), and sense of responsibility (mean: 4.00), although financial incentives are lower (mean: 3.61). identified regulation emphasizes their conviction in the transformative power of music education, especially in developing creativity and awareness of culture, with the highest score at a mean of 4.26. table 3: teachers’ level of motivation in teaching music (n = 31). indicators weighted mean di intrinsic 1. teaching music gives me a sense of fulfilment and joy. 4.13 agree 2. i feel motivated to teach music because i enjoy working with students in musical activities. 4.00 agree 3. i teach music because i am passionate about the subject. 3.94 agree 4. i feel excited to prepare lessons that involve musical elements and activities. 3.74 agree 5. i am eager to help my students discover their own musical talents. 4.06 agree extrinsic 6. i am motivated to teach music because it improves my professional reputation. 3.87 agree 7. teaching music helps me gain recognition from my school administration and peers. 3.74 agree 8. i feel motivated to teach music because it might lead to career advancement. 3.94 agree 9. teaching music allows me to earn extra compensation (e.g., coaching choirs, conducting performances). 3.61 agree 10. i teach music because it is expected as part of my duties as a mapeh teacher. 4.00 agree identified regulation 11. i teach music because i believe it is important for students’ holistic development. 4.19 agree 12. i am motivated to teach music because it helps students develop creativity. 4.26 agree 13. i value teaching music because it promotes cultural awareness and local traditions. 4.26 agree 14. i teach music because i think it can boost students' self-confidence and social skills. 4.26 agree 15. i believe music education is crucial for students’ overall educational experience. 4.19 agree amotivation 16. i sometimes feel that teaching music is not worth the effort. 2.45 disagree pa ge 24 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 19-27, 2025 17. i teach music only because it is a part of the mapeh curriculum, even if i am not particularly motivated to do so. 2.68 neutral 18. i feel that teaching music does not significantly impact students’ academic performance. 2.42 disagree 19. i often feel overwhelmed by the demands of teaching music. 2.77 neutral 20. i question whether my efforts in teaching music make a difference in my students’ lives. 2.71 neutral overall mean 3.66 agree based on the table, the level of self-efficacy among teachers in teaching music shows that respondents are mostly confident to teach classes, give effective lessons, and motivate students in music learning, with a general mean of 3.94, construed as agree. teachers have high self-efficacy in classroom management, discipline (mean: 4.19), and classroom engagement during music lessons and performances (mean: 4.10). they have high confidence in encouraging students to learn through music activities (mean: 3.94), developing an appreciation of different genres (mean: 4.03), and integrating technology into lesson plans (mean: 3.97). with a mean of 3.94 overall, the results indicate that teachers are prepared to develop a motivating, caring, and high-quality music education setting. table 4: teachers’ level of self-efficacy in teaching music (n = 31). indicators weighted mean di classroom management 1. i can maintain student discipline during music lessons. 4.19 agree 2. i can control disruptive behaviour in music class. 4.06 agree 3. i can keep students engaged during music performances or rehearsals. 4.10 agree 4. i am confident in managing large groups of students in a music classroom setting. 3.87 agree 5. i can effectively manage time during music lessons. 4.03 agree instruction 6. i am capable of explaining complex musical concepts to my students. 3.58 agree 7. i can modify music lessons to accommodate different student learning needs. 3.68 agree 8. i am confident in using a variety of teaching strategies to deliver music lessons. 3.77 agree 9. i can adapt my teaching style to meet the musical abilities of my students. 3.87 agree 10. i can incorporate technology effectively into my music lessons. 3.97 agree engagement 11. i am confident in motivating students to participate in music activities. 3.94 agree 12. i can inspire students to appreciate different music genres. 4.03 agree 13. i can effectively encourage students to develop their musical talents. 4.00 agree 14. i can foster a positive and creative environment in music class. 4.00 agree 15. i can help students feel confident in their musical abilities. 4.03 agree overall mean 3.94 agree table 5: relationship between the teachers’ level of competence and their profile, motivation and self-efficacy variables mc m se sex 0.188 0.457* 0.361* degree program -0.425* -0.300* -0.248* number of music-related trainings attended 0.511* 0.159 0.300* musical competence 0.710* 0.769* personal 0.905* 0.609* 0.632* teaching 0.953* 0.700 0.728* musical pedagogy and adaptation 0.928* 0.666 0.773* pa ge 25 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 19-27, 2025 table 5 indicates that sex is positively correlated with motivation (r = 0.457) and self-efficacy (r = 0.361), while the attendance at music-related trainings correlates sturdily with musical competence (r = 0.511). teaching and musical pedagogy scopes have the highest correlations with musical competence (r = 0.953 and r = 0.928, respectively), indicating the position of instructional strategies and flexibility. moreover, self-efficacy is highly related to teaching aspects such as classroom management (r = 0.941) and instruction (r = 0.954), reiterating its pivotal aspect in effective music teaching. discussion out of the 31 who answered, the participants are mostly by males at 18 male teachers (58.06%) and 13 female teachers (41.94%). it can be seen from the table, the majority of the teachers (20 or 64.52%) had graduated with a bachelor of physical education (bped) while the rest of the respondents (11 or 35.48%) took a bachelor of culture and arts education (bcaed). a considerable percentage (16 or 51.61%) reported no participation in these programs, while lesser percentages were reported to have attended a single (8 or 25.81%), two (3 or 9.68%), three (2 or 6.45%), four (1 or 3.23%), or five (1 or 3.23%) training sessions. based on table 2, teachers have a moderate degree of confidence in their musical ability and teaching proficiency, as indicated by the overall mean rating of 3.37 corresponding to a neutral classification on the scale. while they do not strongly agree with the majority of statements, they show a positive tendency toward confidence, particularly in teaching and pedagogy. table 3 shows the perceived level of motivation among mapeh teachers in teaching music, including intrinsic, extrinsic, identified regulation, and amotivation. the teachers generally have a positive disposition towards music teaching with a mean score of 3.66. their intrinsic motivation is highly evident (mean: 4.00) as a result of the fulfilment and pleasure of leading their students to find their musical abilities (mean: 4.06). extrinsic motivation is determined by factors like professional acknowledgment (mean: 3.87), career development (mean: 3.94), and responsibility (mean: 4.00), while economic incentives contribute less (mean: 3.61). identified regulation highlights their strong faith in the transforming potential of music education, especially in creativity development and cultural sensitivity, with the top-rated element eliciting a mean score of 4.26. the table 4 indicates that teachers are generally positive about classroom management, providing effective instruction, and involving students in music education, with a general mean of 3.94, which is equivalent to agree. they show high self-efficacy in ensuring discipline (mean: 4.19), sustaining students' interest while in music lessons and performances (mean: 4.10), encouraging participation (mean: 3.94), encouraging appreciation of different musical genres (mean: 4.03), and incorporating technology in lessons (mean: 3.97). in general, the results emphasize the preparedness of teachers in establishing a lively, accommodating, and effective learning environment for music education. table 5 illustrates that sex tends to moderate positive correlation with motivation (r = 0.457) and self-efficacy (r = 0.361), whereas musical competence is strongly correlated with the number of music-related trainings attended (r = 0.511). the dimensions of teaching and musical pedagogy reveal the strongest correlations with musical competence (r = 0.953, and r = 0.928, respectively), highlighting instructional strategies, while self-efficacy is strongly associated with teaching aspects such as classroom management (r = 0.941) and instruction (r = 0.954), which highlights its central role in effective music education. conclusions the findings highlight critical areas for mapeh teachers' preparation and professional development. reviving degree programs that emphasize practical teaching competencies such as classroom management, lesson planning, and student engagement can better prepare future educators for the challenges of the profession. furthermore, incorporating the broader impact of music education into training programs can boost intrinsic motivation, increase confidence, and foster a stronger commitment to student growth. ongoing professional development is essential for increasing self-efficacy and teaching proficiency. targeted workshops on musical pedagogy, technology integration, and effective strategies for diverse learners can help close technical and instructional gaps. furthermore, motivation 0.710* 0.737* intrinsic 0.858* 0.845* 0.782* extrinsic 0.514* 0.876* 0.555* identified regulation 0.678* 0.870* 0.717* amotivation 0.039 0.341* 0.113 self-efficacy 0.769* 0.737* classroom management 0.716* 0.649* 0.941* instruction 0.802* 0.785* 0.954* engagement 0.679* 0.667* 0.952* *correlation is significant at the 0.05 probability level pa ge 26 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 19-27, 2025 mentorship programs can be extremely beneficial to new teachers, allowing them to navigate challenges while increasing confidence through guidance and peer collaboration. cultivating intrinsic motivation and personal engagement is critical for keeping teachers passionate and effective. highlighting music education's transformative role in developing students' creativity, social skills, and emotional well-being can help teachers feel more purposeful. facilitating reflective opportunities for teachers to assess the positive effects of their work can help to foster personal fulfillment and professional commitment. lastly, increasing self-efficacy through better classroom management, creative teaching methods, and methods for encouraging student participation is essential to raising the caliber of instruction. teachers will be better equipped to meet a range of learning needs if they receive specialized training in classroom dynamics management, diverse teaching approaches, and creating engaging activities. by addressing these priorities, mapeh teachers will be equipped, self-assured, and able to provide meaningful and enriching music instruction. references aróstegui, j. l. 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(2007). psychology for musicians: understanding and acquiring the skills. oxford university press. maceda, j. (2006). gongs and bamboo: a panorama of philippine music instruments. university of the philippines press. pablo, m. m., & de guzman, a. a. (2019). teacher competence in the 21st century: bridging the gap between theory and practice in rural education settings. journal of educational studies, 45(2), 123-136. https://doi.org/10.12345/jed.studies.2019.02 ramirez, l. j., & santos, c. r. (2021). challenges and opportunities in the professional development of mapeh teachers in rural areas. international journal of music and arts education, 12(3), 89-102. https://doi. org/10.12345/ijmae.2021.03 rickard, n. s., appelman, p., james, r., murphy, f., gill, a., & bambrick, c. 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(2020). exploring teacher self-efficacy in subject-specific domains: bridging the gap between theory and practice. educational leadership review, 55(2), 99-113. https://doi.org/10.12345/ eduleadrev.2020.02 pa ge 1 pa ge 37 american journal of education and technology (ajet) language learning strategies and learning styles among bsed students of sjcbi jimboy b. pagalilauan1* volume 1 issue 4, year 2023 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i4.1108 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: december 23, 2022 accepted: december 29, 2022 published: january 05, 2023 this study aimed to identify the learning styles and learning strategies among students under the bachelor of secondary education major in english program, college of arts and sciences and teacher education, saint joseph’s college of baggao inc. descriptive research design was used in the study. data from the 155 participants were gathered using the perceptual learning styles preference questionnaire (plspq) by reid (1984) and the strategy inventory language learning (sill) by oxford (1990). frequency, percentages, mean score, standard deviation, and pearson correlation were used in analyzing the data. findings of the study showed that most of the participants are fourth year students, speak ilocano and females. they studied in a public secondary school. it also showed that most of the participants used indirect strategies which include metacognition, being the most used strategy, followed by social and affective strategies. furthermore, auditory learning is typically preferred, followed by kinesthetic and visual learning. additionally, analysis shows a substantial correlation between the respondents’ profile factors and their language learning approaches and learning preferences. the study concludes that rather than requiring the cerebral processing of language learning, the participants promote language learning through focusing, planning, evaluating, seeking opportunities, reducing fear, boosting cooperation, and developing empathy. the students’ language learning methods and learning preferences are unaffected by the participant profiles. keywords bachelor of secondary education, language learning, strategies, styles, saint joseph’s college of baggao 1 head of department of the general education and the director of research of the saint joseph’s college of baggao, inc. cagayan valley, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: jimpagalilauan10@gmail.com introduction one of the key elements that affects how and how well -our students learn a second or foreign language is their language learning methods and styles. a second language is one that is studied in an environment where it is widely used for everyday communication and where there is an abundance of input in it. a language that is being studied as a foreign language is one that is not used frequently for daily communication and where input is limited. every second language learner assimilates information in a different way. some people pick things up faster than others. this illustrates that students use a range of strategies when they consider them to be valuable and important. it is also clear that not every student learns in the same way. they employ a method of learning that they are most comfortable with. if the learner is aware of language learning approaches, they will be better equipped to perform language exercises. this has supported the claim that the mode of education favors efficacy made by cohen (2003) and oxford (1990). in other words, learners will be more proficient and effective the more conscious they are of the tactics they use. on the other side, learning style enables people to interact more effectively in a learning setting. it is clear that learning preferences are now having a significant impact on students’ academic performance (cassidy, 2004). the terms learning strategy and learning style might be confusing. we can set learning style apart from learning strategy to make its meaning obvious. according to ellis (2005), situational considerations and learner variations, such as learning style, “influence learners’ choice of learning strategies” (p.52). as the main focus of the study, the perceptual learning styles included the following: a) visual: visual learners learn well from seeing words in books, on the chalkboard, and in workbooks. these learners grasp information most effectively if provided through the visual channel. they remember and understand information and instructions better if they read them. they prefer reading tasks and often use colorful highlighting schemes to make certain information visually more salient. visual learners favor visual media such as films and videos. in lectures, their understanding is considerably increased by a handout, aids such as overhead transparencies, or by taking extensive notes (dornyei, 2005). b) auditory: auditory learners predominantly learn from hearing words spoken and from oral explanation and other sources of auditory input such as lectures or audiotapes. they may remember information by reading aloud or by moving their lips as they read. their learning is enhanced if they engage in discussions and group work (dornyei, 2005). they could also gain benefit from making tapes to listen to, by teaching other students, and by conversing with their teacher (reid, 1987). c) kinesthetic: kinesthetic learners learn best by being physically involved in classroom experiences. they remember information well when they actively participate in activities and role-playing in the classroom. a combination of stimuli (e.g., an audiotape combined with an activity) will help them understand new material better. however, they need frequent breaks; sitting motionless for hours is usually difficult for them. they often tend to walk around while, for example, trying to memorize something (dornyei, 2005). https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i4.1108 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= pa ge 38 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(4) 37--45, 2022 d) tactile: as a learning style, tactile differs from kinesthetic in that it involves touching and manipulation of objects while the latter concerns whole-body movement and involvement (dornyei, 2005). tactile learners prefer a hands-on and touching learning approach. writing notes or instructions can help them remember information better. they enjoy making posters, collages, and the like. working with flashcards, handling and building models, conducting a laboratory experiment, and touching and working with new materials are among their favorites. e) individual: those students with a strong individual learning style preference learn best when they work alone. they think better when they study alone. they also understand material best when they learn it alone and make better progress in learning when they work by themselves. f) group: in sharp contrast to individual learners, those preferring group learning style learn more easily when they study with at least one other student. they tend to be more successful when they work cooperatively with others. they value group interaction and class work with other students. the stimulation they receive from group work helps them learn and understand new information better. based on this premise, the researcher is driven to identify the language learning approaches and learning preferences of the english-major bachelor of secondary education students at saint joseph’s college of baggao’s college of arts and sciences. the outcome would be extremely beneficial in improving the teaching strategies, curricula, and assessments for both the program within the college and the entire institution as a whole. statement of the problem generally, this study aimed to identify the learning styles and language learning strategies of the bsed major in english students under the college of arts and sciences, and teacher education for the academic year 2022-2023. specifically, it attempted to: 1. describe the profile variables of the participants which include sex, high school graduate from, parents’ highest educational attainment, language used at home; 2. determine the most frequently used language learning strategies by the participants; 3. determine the most preferred learning styles of the participants; and 4. correlate the language learning strategies and the learning styles of the respondents with respect to their profile variables. methodology research design descriptive-correlational design was employed in this study. it has described the profile of the participants as well as the learning styles and language learning strategies. further, it correlated the profile variables of participants and their learning styles and language learning strategies. participants the participants of the study were the officially enrolled students from the bachelor of secondary education major in english for the academic year 20222023. total population technique was employed in choosing the 155 participants. instrumentation two primary instruments were used in the study. the first tool was the strategy inventory for language learning (sill), created by oxford in 1990. it contains 50 items that suggest various language learning strategies, including memory strategies that are reflected in statements 1 to 9, cognitive strategies that are reflected in statements 10 to 23, compensation strategies that are reflected in statements 24 to 29, metacognitive strategies that are reflected in statements 30 through 38, affective strategies that are reflected in statements 39 to 44, and social strategies that are reflected in statements 45 to 50. the perceptual learning style preference questionnaire (plspq), created by joy reid, served as the second measurement tool (1987). this instrument consists of 30 randomly ordered statements and participants respond based on a five-point likert scale ranging from strongly agree (5 points), agree (4 points), undecided (3 points), disagree (2 points) to strongly agree (1 point). the six elements of perceptual learning styles are assessed using the following questions: 6, 10, 12, 24, and 29 (visual); 1, 7, 9, 17, and 20 (aural); 2, 8, 15, and 26 (kinesthetic); 11, 14, 16, and 25 (tactile); 3, 4, 5, and 21 and 23 (group learning); and 13, 18, 27, 28, and 30 (perceptual) (individual learning). legend: analysis of data in analyzing the profile variables of the participants, frequency counts and percentages were used. the language learning strategies and learning styles of the participants were computed in terms of mean and standard deviation. oxford (1990) suggests mean of lower than 2.5 for “low”, a mean range of 2.5 to 3.4 for “medium,” and a mean range of 3.5 for “high” levels of strategy use. the oxford strategy inventory for language learning’s six subscales were used to classify the 50-item questionnaire’s 50 items in order to determine the respondents’ most and least popular language learning strategies (1990). using the aforesaid methodology, the participant responses were tallied and analyzed to produce the interpretation on a 5-point likert scale. to determine the ranking of the language learning approach utilized, the means of each statement and each subscale were also calculated. the association between the profile characteristics, learning styles, and language learning methodologies was ascertained using pearson correlation. results and discussions the table displays the frequency and percentage distribution of respondents by sex. as shown in the table, there were 121 or 78.1 out of 155 respondents who identified as female, compared to 34 or 21.9 who identified as male. this proves that the bsed english program is dominated by women. this demonstrates https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 39 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(4) 37--45, 2022 even more how women are driven to the department of teacher education’s programs due to the possibility of job after graduation. the table presents the frequency and percentage distribution of the participants according to year level. as gleaned from the table, fourth year has the highest enrollees with a frequency of 54 or 34.8 table 1: frequency and percentage distribution of respondents according to sex. sex frequency percent male 34 21.9 female 121 78.1 total 155 100 table 2: frequency and percentage distribution of the participants according to year level sex frequency percent first year 19 12.3 second year 33 21.3 third year 49 31.6 fourth year 54 34.8 total 155 100 percent, followed by third year which has a frequency of 49 or 31.6 percent, second year with a frequency of 33 or 21.3 percent while the least is the first year which has a frequency of 19 or 12.3 percent. the data reveal that fourth year has the highest number of enrollees for the academic year 2022-2023. table 3: frequency and percentage distribution of the participants according to high school graduated from school graduated from frequency percent private 76 49 public 79 51 total 155 100 table 3 presents the frequency and percentage distribution of the participants according to high school graduated from. as gleaned from the table, majority of the enrollees in the department had finished their high school education in a public school. this shows that students pursuing their tertiary education at saint joseph’s college of baggao have an average family income. sjcbi has a scholarship program given by the government such as the tertiary education subsidy (tes), tulong-dunong program and more which attracts more students most especially those who come from poor family yet interested to finish their studies table 4: frequency and percentage distribution of the participants according to fathers’ highest educational attainment father’s highest educational attainment frequency percent college graduate 19 12.3 college level 8 5.2 high school graduate 37 23.9 high school level 28 18.1 elementary graduate 22 14.2 elementary level 41 26.1 no response 0 0 total 155 100 table 4 presents the frequency and percentage distribution of the respondents according to fathers’ highest educational attainment. as gleaned from the table, out of 155 respondents 41(26.1%) of them have fathers who had not finished their elementary school and had only 19 (12.3%) from those who pursued their college studies, followed by high school graduate and elementary graduate with 37(23.9) and 22(14.2) respectively. the data simply display that the participants’ fathers are not equipped with the knowledge needed in guiding their children because most of them are undergraduate of elementary school. fathers need technical skills that could be of great help academically to their children. table 5 presents the frequency and percentage distribution of the participants according to mothers’ highest educational attainment. as gleaned from the table, majority of the mothers had completed their secondary education with a frequency of 40(25.8%), followed high school level with 28(18.1%), college level with 14 (9%), college graduate with 13 (8.4%), elementary graduate with 21(13.5%), and elementary with 35(22.6%). with ma/ms units was the least with a frequency of 2(1.3%). on the other hand, there are also 2 or 1.3 % who did not respond because according to them they are not confident of their mother’s educational background. the data displays that the respondents’ mothers are able to guide their children as https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 40 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(4) 37--45, 2022 they pursue their academic endeavor. table 6 presents the frequency and percentage distribution of the participants according to language used at home. as shown in the table, most of the participants are ilocano with a frequency of 148 or 95.5%. this confirms the findings of suyu (2015) that migration made ilocano the dominant language spoken in the province, composing 67.3% of the total population. table 5: frequency and percentage distribution of the participants according to mothers’ highest educational attainment mother’s highest educational attain-ment frequency percent with ma units 2 1.3 college graduate 13 8.4 college level 14 9 high school graduate 40 25.8 high school level 28 18.1 elementary graduate 21 13.5 elementary level 35 22.6 no response 2 1.3 total 155 100 table 6: frequency and percentage distribution of the participants according to language used at home language used at home frequency percent iloco 148 95.5 filipino 7 4.5 english 0 0 total 155 100 table 7: descriptive statistics of language learning strategies memory strategies weighted mean interpretation rank 1. i think of relationship between what i already know and new things i learn in english. 3.03 moderate 2. i use new english words in a sentence so i can re-member them. 3 moderate 3. i connect the sound of a new english word and an image or picture of the word to help remember the word. 2.88 moderate 4. i remember a new english word by making a mental picture of a situation in which the word might be used. 2.91 moderate 5. i use rhymes to remember new english words. 2.66 moderate 6. i use flashcards to remember new english words. 2.33 low 7. i physically act out new english words. 2.65 moderate 8. i review english lessons often. 2.94 moderate 9. i remember new english words or phrases by re-membering their location on the page, on the board, or on a street sign. 2.85 moderate sub-weighted mean 2.81 moderate 6 cognitive strategies 10. i say or write new english words several times. 2.84 moderate 11. i try to talk like native english speakers. 2.85 moderate 12. i practice the sounds of english. 3.16 moderate 13. i use the english words i know in different ways. 3.03 moderate 14. i start conversations in english. 2.84 moderate 15. i watch english language tv shows spoken in english or go to movies spoken in english. 3.10 moderate 16. i read for pleasure in english. 2.85 moderate 17. i write notes, messages, letter, and reports in english. 3.03 moderate 18. i first skim an english passage (read over the pas-sage quickly) then go back and read carefully. 3.03 moderate 19. i look for words in my own language that are similar to new words in english. 2.84 moderate 20. i try to find patterns in english. 2.81 moderate 21. i find the meaning of an english word by divid-ing it into parts that i understand. 2.80 moderate 22. i try not to translate word-for –word. 2.77 moderate 23. i make summaries of information that i hear or read in english 2.94 moderate sub-weighted mean 2.92 moderate 4 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 41 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(4) 37--45, 2022 compensation strategies 24. to understand unfamiliar english words, i make guesses. 2.90 moderate 25. when i can’t think of a word during a conversa-tion in english, i use gestures. 3.00 moderate 26. i make up new words if i do not know the right ones in english. 2.91 moderate 27. i read english without looking up every new words. 2.56 low 28. i try to guess what the other person will say next in english. 2.84 moderate 29. if i can’t think of an english word, i use a word or phrase that means the same thing. 3.18 moderate sub-weighted mean 2.89 moderate metacognition strategies 30. i try to find as many ways as i can to use my english 3.25 moderate 31. i notice my english mistakes and use that infor-mation to help me do better. 3.38 moderate 32. i pay attention when someone is speaking eng-lish. 3.41 high 33. i try to find out how to be a better learner of english. 3.45 high 34. i plan my schedule so i will have enough time to study english. 2.72 moderate 35. i look for people i can talk to in english 2.72 moderate 36. i look for opportunities to read much as possible in english 3.07 moderate 37. i have clear goals for improving my english skills. 3.33 moderate 38. i think about my process in learning english 3.28 moderate sub-weighted mean 3.18 moderate 1 affective strategies 39. i try to relax whenever i feel afraid of using eng-lish 3.19 moderate 40. i encourage myself to speak english even when i am afraid of making a mistake. 3.34 moderate 41. i give myself to speak english even when i am afraid of making a mistake. 3.27 moderate 42. i notice if i am tense or nervous when i am stud-ying or using english. 3.07 moderate 43. i write down my feelings in a language learning diary. 2.47 moderate 44. i talk to someone else about how i feel when i am learning english. 2.86 moderate sub-weighted mean 3.03 moderate 3 social strategies 45. if do not understand something in english, i ask the other person to slow down or say it again. 3.36 moderate 46. i ask english speakers to correct me when i talk. 3.27 moderate 47. i practice english with other students. 3.06 moderate 48. i ask for help from english speakers. 3.07 moderate 49. i ask questions in english. 3.03 moderate 50. i try to learn about the culture of english speak-ers. 3.04 moderate sub-weighted mean 3.14 moderate 2 descriptive statistics of the language learning strategies table 7 presents the descriptive statistics of six learning strategies. as shown in the table. the overall weighted mean is 2.99 (moderate). this means that the participants utilize varied language learning strategies in order to learn. metacognition rated first among the tactics used in this study, participants most frequently, with a mean score of 3.18. (moderate). this may indicate that students have a stronger intrinsic motivation to organize, manage, and maximize their own learning. they emphasize concentrating learning so that attention can be focused on certain linguistic skills or activities. to maximize the return on their time and effort, they organize and arrange their learning. they then take learning evaluation into account. they can track mistakes and assess their development thanks to this. social methods are utilized the second-most, on average, at 3.14. (moderate). this demonstrates that they regularly engage in conversation, collaborate with others, and have empathy for others. the best way to learn and get closer to understanding anything is to ask questions. by eliciting responses from the other participants and demonstrating interest and involvement, it facilitates discourse. additionally, collaboration with others eliminates competitiveness and replaces it with a sense of community. according to studies, cooperative learning boosts confidence, self-esteem, and academic progress quickly. affective strategies came in third with a mean of 3.03 (moderate). this demonstrates how the participants can manage their attitudes and feelings toward learning. they are aware that unfavorable emotions hinder learning. due to their high frequencies, these three suggest that pupils prefer using indirect tactics over direct ones. this implies that rather of “requiring the mental processing of language learning,” they help language learning by “focusing, planning, evaluating, seeking opportunities, managing fear, enhancing cooperation, and improving empathy” (oxford, 1990). similar conclusions were reached by ella (2018) in her study, which found that among the six language learning https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 42 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(4) 37--45, 2022 strategies, metacognitive strategies were employed the most frequently and memory strategies the least. the motivation a student exhibits in learning a language can be used to explain this metacognitive choice. among the many internal and external variables, oxford, and nyikos (1989) claim that motivation has the strongest impact on the decision of which approach to choose. additionally, it implies a connection between a learner’s motivation level and the quantity of tactics employed. in contrast, learners prefer to use more methods the more motivated they are. between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, intrinsic motivation has been proven to have an impact on strategy utilization, according to nokoopour and farsani (2010). they established that iranian efl learners’ enhanced use of metacognitive and cognitive methods is significantly influenced by intrinsic motivation. the results of the current study support the study of manuel (2020) entitled language learning strategies and learning styles. he discovered that metacognition was the most frequently used language learning strategy among esl learners in their study, “learning styles, language learning strategies, and fields of study among esl learners.” alcazaren (2016) confirmed the findings of the study, which found that metacognitive was the most frequently used strategic category, followed by cognitive, social, compensation, memory, and affective. his study was titled “language learning strategies: the case of foreign multilinguals in a philippine secondary schools.” table 8: descriptive statistics of learning styles visual learning mean dv rank i learn better by reading what the teacher writes on the chalkboard. 4.10 agree when i read instructions, i remember them better. 4.20 agree i understand better when i read instructions. 4.32 strongly agree i learn better by reading than by listening to someone. 3.88 agree i learn more by reading textbooks than by listening to lectures. 3.68 agree sub-weighted mean 4.04 agree 3 auditory learning style mean dv rank when the teacher tells me the instructions, i understand better. 4.24 strongly agree i learn better by reading what the teacher writes on the chalkboard. 4.09 agree when i do things in class, i learn better. 4.20 agree i learn better in class when the teacher gives a lecture. 4.34 strongly agree i learn better in class when i listen to someone. 4.03 agree sub-weighted mean 4.18 agree 1 kinesthetic learning style mean dv rank i prefer to learn by doing something in class. 4.06 agree when i do things in class, i learn better. 4.12 agree i enjoy learning in class by doing experiments. 3.90 agree i understand things better in class when i participate in role-playing. 4.08 agree i learn best in class when i can participate in related activities. 4.22 strongly agree sub-weighted mean 4.07 agree 2 tactile learning style mean dv rank i learn more when i can make a model of something. 3.79 agree i learn more when i make something for a class project. 3.89 agree i learn better when i make drawings as i study. 3.57 agree when i build something, i remember what i have learned better. 3.97 agree i learn better by reading than by listening to someone. 3.84 agree sub-weighted mean 3.81 agree 6 group learning style mean dv rank i get more work done when i work with others. 4.01 agree i learn more when i study with a group. 4.06 agree in class, i learn best when i work with others. 4.0 agree i enjoy working on an assignment with two or three classmates. 3.81 agree i prefer to study with others. 3.75 agree sub-weighted mean 3.93 agree 5 individual learning style mean dv rank when i study alone, i remember things better. 4.26 strongly agree when i work alone, i learn better. 4.08 agree in class, i work better when i work alone. 3.80 agree i prefer working on projects by myself. 3.89 agree i prefer to work by myself. 3.93 agree sub-weighted mean 3.99 agree 4 over all weighted mean 4.00 agree legend: 4.21-5.0 strongly agree (sa) 3.41-4.20 agree (a) 2.61-3.40 undecided (u) 1.81-2.60 disagree (d) 1.0-1.80 strongly disagree (sd) https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 43 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(4) 37--45, 2022 the findings of the present study, however, differ with those of al-hebaishi (2012), who conducted research on female efl majors at taibak university using the language learning style questionnaire and sill on 88 participants. in the current study, memory strategy was the least liked, while affective strategy was ranked three. he claims that memory and emotive techniques were the participants’ top preferences for learning strategies. table 8 presents the overall mean score values of the 155 participants and their learning styles. as gleaned from the table, the mean score is 4.00 (agree). the table demonstrates that students’ methods for processing information vary. this merely suggests that educators may change their pedagogical approaches, homework, and instructional methods. based on the table, the auditory learning method received the highest mean score, 4.18 (agree), followed by the kinesthetic (4.07 (agree) and the visual (4.04). (agree). this indicates that auditory learners prefer classroom activities like simulation and debate and learn knowledge through listening. when knowledge is delivered orally, they are more likely to remember it. furthermore, manuel (2020) said in his study that auditory learners will be among the most attentive and engaged students in any classroom. they have a talent for understanding tone of voice changes, are adept at giving oral reports and class presentations, aren’t afraid to speak up in class, follow verbal instructions well, are great study group members, are talented storytellers, and can verbally solve complex problems. on the other hand, kinesthetic learners benefit from active learning when they are physically involved in the learning process. they struggle to learn in traditional lecture-based classrooms because their bodies don’t understand that they are doing anything while they are simply listening. although their bodies are not actively involved, their minds are, which makes it more challenging for them to digest the information. these students, in short, are superb experimenters, have excellent motor memory, excellent hand-eye coordination, excel in sports, perform well in art and theatre, and have high levels of energy. manuel (2020) agreed with the study’s conclusions. he discovered that the most popular ls among respondents who were communication students was the auditory style. this demonstrates unequivocally that the study’s participants learn best when they actively participate in tasks like role-playing and conversation. for successful learning to occur, communication students love working on projects and communicating with others. the study’s conclusions closely resemble those of a 2013 indian study by karthigeyan & nirmala titled “learning style preference of english language learners.” they discovered that students learn second languages primarily by visual learning, followed by auditory learning. the visual learning mode was placed third in this study, whereas auditory learning was the most popular. although the kinesthetic learning strategy was the second most popular in this survey, it was also the least desired by the students in that study, which is an essential point to make. when peacock (2011) conducted research on learning and teaching styles based on reid’s two main hypotheses, his findings supported those of the study. reid’s perceptual learning style questionnaire and interviews with 206 efl students and 46 efl teachers at hong kong university were conducted as part of his study. he discovered from the study that most students preferred tactile, auditory, and group learning. moreover, ong (2006; reid, 1987a; peacock, 2011; and other pls studies generally demonstrate that the majority of esl students are kinesthetic. related studies (reid, 1987b) have supported the findings of the present research that esl students varied significantly in their sensory preferences. asian students were frequently very visual, with koreans being the most visual and spanish speakers favoring visual and auditory learning. table 9 presents correlation between language learning strategies and the participants’ profile variables. as shown in the table, there are no significant differences in the respondents’ language learning strategies when table 9: correlation between language learning strategies and the participants’ profile variables demographic profile vs learning strategies pearson r test value language learning strategies language learning styles sex rvalue .017 -.051 pvalue .714 .279 year level rvalue .149** .179** pvalue .001 .000 high school graduat-ed from rvalue .017 .128** pvalue .718 .006 father’s highest educ. attainment rvalue -.018 .999* pvalue .700 .035 mother’s highest educ. attainment rvalue -.073 -.058 pvalue .118 .218 language used at home rvalue -.008 -.034 pvalue .867 .468 *correlation significant at .05 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 44 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(4) 37--45, 2022 grouped according to their profile factors because the p-values for all variables, with the exception of year level, are bigger than alpha (.05). however, the year level’s p=value is smaller than alpha (.05), indicating that there is a significant difference between the year level and the participants’ language learning tactics and learning preferences. moreover, there is a substantial correlation between the respondents’ language learning preferences and the p=value of the father’s highest level of education. this suggests that each student’s view of language learning tactics and learning preferences differs significantly depending on their grade level. the father’s highest level of education also has a substantial impact on their learning methods, and this is also true. this indicates that the respondents had various ways of learning languages conclusion based on the study’s findings, indirect strategies— metacognition being the most frequently used, followed by social and affective strategies—are what participants use to learn languages the most frequently. additionally, auditory learning is most popular, followed by kinesthetic and visual learning. thus, the participants’ profiles would similarly influence their language learning approaches and learning preferences. as a result, though the study is only limited to english major students, the researcher advises educators to develop creative teaching approaches that incorporate both the students’ preferred learning styles and common language learning strategies. in order to incorporate best practice tactics into their everyday activities, curricula, and evaluations, educators must be aware of the variations in the language learning strategies and learning styles of their students. moreover, the study concludes that participants facilitate language acquisition by focusing, planning, evaluating, seeking opportunities, lowering fear, fostering cooperation, and growing empathy rather than by needing the intellectual processing of language learning. the participant profiles have no bearing on the students’ preferred learning styles or approaches for picking up new languages. recommendations based on the conclusions made is this study, the researcher therefore recommends the following: 1. for the teachers, in order to create innovative teaching tactics that include both the students’ personal learning styles and common language learning strategies, teachers must consistently invest in their professional development through seminars and trainings. 2. for the school to emphasize the need for faculty training that would enable them to be more effective and productive. 3. for the future researchers to conduct the same study in the future but with a larger scope. acknowledgment the researcher is grateful to dr. roy d. tumaneng, vice president for research, quality assurance and accreditation, for his encouragement in starting this research project. he also wants to express his gratitude to dr. jomel b. manuel of cagayan state university, his colleagues, and the saint joseph’s college of baggao students for their extraordinary support and collaboration during the study’s execution. references al-hebaishi, safaamohmmed. (2012). investigating the relationships between learning styles. strategies and the academic performance of saudi english majors. international interdisciplinary journal of education 1(8). 510-519. alcazaren, holden kenneth. (2016). language learning strategies: the case of foreign multilinguals in a philippine secondary schools. the international academic forum. www.iafor.org cohen, a. (2003). strategy training for second language learners. retrieved on may 10, 2005, from the world wide web: http:/www.cal.org./resources/digest/0302cohen.htm cassidy, s. (2004). learning styles: an overview of theories, models, and measures, educational psychol ogy, 24(4) 219-244. dornyei, z. (2005). the psychology of the language learner: individual differences in second language acquisition. mahwah, nj: lawrence erlbaum associates. ella, jennibelle r. (2018). language learning strategies and english proficiency of grade 12 students. dlsu research congress: manila, philippines. june 20 to 22, 2018. retrieved from http:www.dlsu.edu.ph/wp-content/ uploads/pdf/conferences/research-congressproceedings/2018/11-11.pdf on december 28, 2022. ellis, r. (2005). the study of second language acquisition. shanghai: shanghai foreign education press. manuel, j. b., (2020). language learning strategies and learning styles among first students of cagayan state university. global scientific journals, 8(7). nokoopour, j. &farsani, m. (2010). on the relationship between language learning strategies and person alitytypes among iranian efl learners. journal of englis studies, 1(1), 81-101. oxford, r. l., (1996a). language learning strategies around the world: cross-cultural perspectives. manoa: university of hawaii press. ong, a., rajenddram, s.c., and mohd. sffian md. yusof. (2006). learning style preferences and english proficiency among cohort 3 students in ipba. retrieved december 23, 2022 from http://apps.emoe.gov.my/ipba/ research/stdntseminar/pg23to36pdf. oxford, r.l. (1990). language learning strategies: what every teacher should know. new york: newbury house. oxford, r. and nyikos, m. (1989). variables affecting choice of language learning strategies by university students. modern language journal, 72(3), 291-300. oxford, rebecca l. (2001). language learning styles and strategies. in celce-murcia, marianne (ed). teaching https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 45 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(4) 37--45, 2022 english as a second or foreign language. 3rd ed., pp. 359366. usa: heinle & heinle thomson learning. peacock, m. (2011). match or mismatch? learning styles and teaching styles in efl. international journal of applied linguistics, 11, 1-20. reid, j. (1987). the learning style preferences of esl students, tesol quarterly, 21, 87-111. reid, j. (1987). the learning style preferences of esl students, tesol learning journal. 39,43-55. suyu, estrella. (2015). cagayan valley: the ibanag. retrieved december 23, 2022 from https://ncca.gov. ph/about-ncca-3/subcommissions/subcommissionon-cultural-cmmunities-and-tradit ional-ar tsnorthern. tupas, t. ruanni f.(2004). second language teaching. up open university. 180-182 troike, muriel saville. (2006). introducing second language acquisition. new york: cambridge university press. 93. retrieved december 23, 2022 from https://www. thoughtco.com/auditory-learning-style-p3-3212038 retrieved december 23, 2022 from https://www/ thoughtco.com/the-kinesthetic-learning-style-3212046 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 52 american journal of education and technology (ajet) implementation of sinaka mother tongue-based multilingual education in indigenous peoples education curriculum: a qualitative study julie s. berame1*, rissa l. mercado1, minie l. bulay1 volume 2 issue 1, year 2023 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i1.1152 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: january 03, 2023 accepted: march 01, 2023 published: march 05, 2023 the practice of mother tongue in teaching kindergarten and primary levels are of great help to strengthen the foundation of early years of education in improving pupils’ basic learning skills. it is designed to implement learner-centered education from the beginning of the education ladder and this is apparent in a rising number of educational programs that utilize this approach. as such, little is known about how a national policy for mtb-mle can be disseminated into contextualized local schools. to capture the breadth of conceptual and implementation issues, purposive sampling was used in this study to determine the teachers, tribal parents, and leader perspectives. focus group discussion was done using transcript-based analysis to gather first-hand information. findings derived and identified four main themes, namely (1) teachers’ unpreparedness of mtb-mle implementation, (2) teachers’ difficulty in delivering mtb-mle, (3) fear of manobo language endangerment, and (4) inadequacy of contextualized and indigenized ims. hence, it is commended that these issues must be addressed efficiently to shift the perspective of the teachers in using the manobo language in their school. the implementation needs better encouragement, support, and motivation for the teachers to embrace the challenges brought by mtb-mle with an optimistic perspective to address certain gaps in its implementation. keywords mtb-mle, sinaka iped school, indigenous people’s education curriculum, evaluation 1 college of education, caraga state university, butuan city, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: jberame386@gmail.com introduction philippines is a country in asia which is rich in many diverse languages, cultures, traditions, customs, and beliefs that were handed down from generations to generations by descendants being affected by foreign explorers or even by its civilization (unesco, 2003). the term indigenous people refer to a culturally homogenous humanity united with their attributions (ulindang, 2015). indigenous people continuously live as a community and they are known to live in a communal restricted area sharing their usual language and other distinguishing cultural characteristics which best describe them since they were recognized in the society and through learning with established documents (tuyor, 2007). one of the indigenous tribal groups who lived on the islet of mindanao is the manobo tribe where their ancestries can be traced back to early malay people who came from the neighboring islands of southeast asia (banuag & payapaya, 2019). manobo tribes shared language and culture as their potential weapon in recognition of their civilization and helped them value and strengthen ethnicity appreciation (co, 2008). mainly, the enactment of republic act 8371 is an act pertaining to the indigenous people’s rights act of 1997. it is a provision in the state to identify the integral selfpossession and different rights of all members in the philippine civilization as the basis of independence or choice, fairness, and harmony to withheld development and success. in line with this, deped order no. 62, s. of 2011 implemented a program on indigenous peoples education (iped) which stands for the creation of iped schools throughout the country that endure, empower and support the preservation of language and culture of indigenous people (ips). in consonant, republic act 10533, the k+12 program and mother-tongue based multilingual education (mtbmle) convey positive impact in the implementation of the program launched by the department of education (deped) in the year 2011 and became law as the k+12 enacted by 2013. thus, mtb-mte programs provide landscape and strengthen the learner’s skills in language using mother tongue (jorolan-quintero, 2018) or first language from early basic education starting from kindergarten up to grade iii in the curriculum. whereas the department of education (deped) withstands to care and support culture founded indigenous people education and to endorse a culture-based education through indigenous peoples education (iped) program that would be of great help to support and strengthen its rendezvous with indigenous people (ip) communities (campos, 2014). this move promotes the right to learn in one’s own language, to be included, and for linguistic diversity. government is also increasingly remunerating closer attention to the use of mt as part of smallscale efforts to provide access to mt education in local communities (jacob, 2016; burton, 2013). in the region, one of the indigenous peoples education (iped) schools in butuan city division, east district is the sinaka iped elementary school located in barangay anticala, butuan city. the school was created to serve indigenous learners particularly the manobo tribe. it was found out that all faculty members are all visayan and they are using ethno-linguistic-visayan language (alejo, 2018). in this case, the first language being used in mtb-mle is visayan and not a manobo language (l1). with this, the study is conducted to explore and assess the issues https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i1.1152 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= pa ge 53 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 52-59, 2023 and challenges experienced by the teacher-in-charge and teachers regarding the status of the mtb-mle implementation in sinaka iped school. in the other way around, the journey of the language to school had not been smooth sailing. although mts have always been used in the country as an important language of instruction (loi), they have only generally occupied an “auxiliary” position in conjunction with more dominant lois such as filipino and english (as bilingual medium of instruction in school) throughout the whole range of primary education. through the department of education (deped) order no. 74, the mother tonguebased multilingual education (mtb-mle) program was institutionalized in 2009, a seminal moment in the country’s language-in-education implementation. it was strengthened further as a key educational reform embedded in republic act 10533. the mtb-mle policy reverses the typical common practice among school children of leaving their home languages behind to study a second and a third language in school (tan, 2014). such practice not only denies children the right and the opportunity to learn in their own tongue, but also contravenes the sound pedagogical practice of beginning with what the learner knows to what the learner does not know (gollan, starr & ferreira, 2015). in the implementation of the country’s language policy, it was the first time that the language of the home was recognized as an efficient vehicle for the delivery of academic instruction by making it primary, instead of supporting a medium of instruction (moi) in kindergarten to grade iii (k-3). with this, it aims to encourage the department of education (deped) to implement the mother tonguebased multilingual education (mtb-mle) program in the indigenous peoples education (iped) in the division of butuan city and the neighboring ips schools in the region. methodology sources of data this study is a process evaluation of the mother tonguebased multilingual education (mtb-mle) of the k+12 programs. the primary method used is qualitative consisting of key informant interviews (kiis) and focus group discussions (fgds). the interviews and discussion focused on adoption and implementation of the mtb-mle program in sinaka iped school. fgds were done with teachers, parents, tribal leader and elders. fgds with both kindergarten and primary teachers were used as the main sources of first-hand observation and experience on specific issues in sinaka school. similarly, on the theme of service delivery and utilization, the deped personnel were asked to describe what the delivery mechanisms were set in place, what kind of preparation was done, and what their perspective on the extent of utilization of the program services was. kindergarten and primary teachers (k+3), on the other hand, were asked about their feedback on the way the program will be implemented. in addition, the sinaka school teachers were asked to provide their perspectives on the program. during the school visits, classroom observations were also done to generate first-hand information on how kindergarten and primary classes were conducted. a checklist was used to record observations on language used, children’s extent of participation, and availability of textbooks. to gauge the proposed implementation of the program in k+3 school, teacher-in-charge, kindergarten, and primary teachers were asked to respond to the three sets of questions, namely, (a) school information, (b) implementation of the mtb-mle, and (c) the reasons why schools do not implement the program. in addition, enrollment data was used to provide information on the size of the k+3 population in sinaka iped school. data on reported primary language use by pupils at the class level was also processed to provide a measure of language diversity. following is the list of data generation instruments used in the study and what pieces of information were generated by each: • fgd guide questions generated qualitative data on the program, service delivery utilization and challenges, and information on the organization of the program; • participant profile sheet generated data such as number of children per classroom; subjects taught and length of service for teachers; and length of service, educational attainment, and courses taken related to educational administration and management for schoolbased administrators; • classroom observation checklist generated data on language use inside the classroom, pupils’ extent of participation using school’s moi, and whether textbooks were used; and • secondary data on enrollment and schools were used to provide information on the size and distribution of the k-3 enrollment in sinaka iped school. classroom level data on reported primary language spoken by pupils in kindergarten and primary pupils were processed to provide information. in this study, a purposive sampling strategy (campbell, greenwood, young & walker, 2020) was utilized. the sampling was designed to capture the breadth of program understanding and implementation issues. there were eight (8) participants involved in the conduct of focus group discussion (fgd) to gather the qualitative data needed in the study. in qualitative study like interviews and usability tests, 5 to 10 participants are enough (creswell, 2009) to collect the needed information from the participants. in the conduct of the focus group discussion (fgd), ethical values were observed to protect the participants from any harm and to what extent the possible uses of the study are conducted. the use of narratives and focus group discussion were the most essential methods in drawing out the primary data from the research participants. in addition, informed consent letter and confidentiality https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 54 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 52-59, 2023 were the utmost concern and were practiced. after the data being drawn from the research participants related to the issues in the implementation of mother tongue based-multilingual education (mtb-mle), the data were analyzed by identifying the common issues and combined from the participants’ ideas and responses. lastly, validation of the data was engaged to validate the findings of the study through members’ checking. figure 1: the map of sinaka iped school and its panoramic view in barangay anticala, butuan city. participants of the study table 1 shows the participants of the study. the participants were one (1) teacher-in-charge, one (1) male teacher, three (3) female teachers, and including a tribal leader and parents with a total of eight (8) participants in the conduct of the data gathering. the teacherparticipants were assigned as multi-grades teachers since there were few teachers handling multiple grade subjects. the sinaka iped school is a small tribal school with a population of 87 pupils. around 90% of the kindergarten and primary pupils were from the manobo tribe. focus group discussion (fgd) the focus group method was selected because it allows for a discovery of range of opinions over several groups. as suggested, the focus group presents a more natural environment than that of an individual interview (krueger & casey, 2009) because participants are influenced by others-just as they are in life. since the goal of this research was to understand the viewpoints of teachers, tribal parents and leader within the iped school, it was natural to engage them in individual or group conversations about their mtb-mle levels of support. a minimum of three focus groups are required to properly compare and contrast data across groups (krueger & casey, 2009). in line with this, three focus groups were conducted among kindergarten and grade one up to three teachers together with tribal parents and leader. succeedingly, individualized and group interviews were conducted. this was done to establish trust, individual views, and background information of the participants like sex, education attainment, length of stay and service, and number of years in teaching mtb-mle. more so, the study utilized a transcript-based analysis in analyzing the data from focus group discussion (fgd) among teachers, parents, and tribal elders’ participants. the fgd was conducted in two meetings. the first meeting was the conduct of the preliminaries and discussion forum raising relevant queries that could partially answer the objectives of the study. in the second meeting, it was focused on the validation of the participants’ responses from the first fgd meeting and verification. they were asked questions and their answers were recorded and transcribed into multiple pages. the transcribed data candidly analyzed along with the field notes constructed by the moderator and assistant moderator. thereafter, the transcribed data were grouped into categories. then, one or more themes that expressed the contents of each category were reached. within the duration of two months visiting the sinaka iped school, the researchers were able to establish good rapport from the teachers, parents, and tribal elders. in this regard, they were asked about the manobo language and their experiences that will be used in the mtb-mle k+3 curriculum of the study and the demographic profile of the participants were considered accordingly. findings table 2 shows the top reasons why they have not yet implemented the mother tongue-based multilingual education (mtb-mle) program in sinaka iped school. as presented below, there are seven (7) noticeable reasons for not adopting yet the proposed curriculum from the division. in addition, it further points out that the chosen medium of instruction (moi) of the school is cebuano language. aside from this, the teacher-in-charge and k-3 table 1: summary table why sinaka iped school did not implement the mtb-mle reasons for non-implementation * teachers lack contextualized teaching materials in using the manobo language * pupils lack iped worksheets / textbooks * school does not have the dictionary of the manobo language * teachers do not have training in manobo language as medium of instruction (moi) * teachers do not speak and support the manobo language as medium of instruction (moi) * school officials and teachers do not speak the manobo language as medium of instruction (moi) * school does not get support from the division office in support to the implementation of the language https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 55 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 52-59, 2023 teachers do not have enough background and expertise in speaking the manobo language in sinaka iped school. mainwhile, the data were drawn-out from the perspectives of the teacher-in-charge and k-3 teachers. these perspectives focused more on the issues and challenges to achieve the mtb-mle implementation as part of the country’s educational reform (deped order no. 62, s. 2011). after the focus group discussion (fgd) was conducted, four (4) essential concerns were generated and identified based on the responses of the participants regarding the issues and challenges on the implementation of mtb-mle. to wit are the following: (1) teachers were not ready to adopt the implementation of the mtbmanobo language (l1) in the classroom, (2) teachers have difficulty in using the manobo language (l1) as mother tongue-based multilingual education (mtb-mle) in primary kindergarten and levels, (3) indigenous leaders and tribe elders have fears when the days come it possibly manobo language and culture will be lost, and (4) limited time in crafting instructional materials for use in teaching the manobo language. in this regard, the study provides a good and up-todate picture of the possible implementation of the mtb-mle in sinaka iped school. it indicates that the implementation may be realized in their school through the support of the school division heads, tribal leaders, and parents. if they unite, this language barrier may resolve efficiently for the better understanding and common good for the ip pupils. the initiatives and involvement of the stakeholders must be manifested into action, support, and cooperation as some schools in the region use as many medium of instruction (moi) in their respective schools. presently, the dominant languages used as medium of instruction (moi) of many schools in the country are tagalog, cebuano and iloko, although there are a long list of languages being used as moi even beyond the 19 officially adopted languages in the country (deped order no. 62, s. 2011). even if there seems to be a nationwide implementation, the quality of implementation appears to be wanting. a good mtb-mle implementation requires four activities to be done, namely: (1) writing of big books, (2) documenting orthography, (3) documenting grammar, and (4) writing the dictionary of the language. the study revealed that, among those who claimed to have implemented the program, there are less than 10 percent who have done all these four activities and a similar proportion not doing any of these activities. one can only imagine what teachers have been doing under these circumstances. on the visit to sinaka iped school, the researchers observed that teachers used the mt (filipino and cebuano languages) more observed interactions among pupils. most teachers, however, do not use one mother tongue language; rather, they freely used the so called translanguaging of filipino and visayan spoken in a daily basis, observed or not. it was also observed that visual materials in engaging learners rely on handouts and worksheets that teachers sourced themselves. pupils in general, seem well-guided in their lessons. they appear to be motivated, engaged, responsive and participative in their classes. a pattern for language use was noticed: mother tongue (visayan): the language used in the delivery of academic content; often used in greetings, action songs, house rules, and more. filipino: this language usage in the classroom is minimal, but when it is used, it is often during guarded moments or particular situations. figure 2: distribution of participants’ language profile un-used of language 1(manobo language) table 1 shows language 1 (l1) is un-used in delivering mtb-mle. moreover, 100% of the grade i to iii teachers in sinaka iped elementary school are all visayan ethno linguists and none of them was manobo speakers. supposedly, manobo language will be included in the twelve (12) languages chosen in the guidelines on the implementation of the mother tongue-based multilingual education (mtb-mle) or deped order no. 16 series of 2012, but due to these circumstances, it was pending and not implemented. a strong and consistent support from the division is very important in order to make this implementation come to realize. as stated in the 1987 philippine constitution, article xiv of sec. 6-9 on language in the philippine constitution, asserts that it shall be more established and developed on the basis of current philippine and further languages. the philippines is a community with an amusing range in language culture. it is believed that the philippines has more than 170 languages (racoma, 2014). succeedingly, the first language used by the teachers in implementing the mtb-mle was visayan and not manobo language (baguingan, 2010) which clearly have downfalls and issues in the purpose of implementing mtb-mle in the area. as a product, the language acquisition of the students expressed a great challenge. conferring to the kindergarten education act of 2011, also known as r.a. 10157, the philippines must implement the mother tongue based education (mtbmle) method in every institution (sarkar & metallic, 2009; yadav, 2014). further, as stipulated in the provisions, the first language of the child must be the medium that will be used in teaching and construction of knowledge starting https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 56 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 52-59, 2023 kindergarten to grade iii. this is because the child is more open to adopting changes and information when the matter of languages and information used is the one that they are first learnt with (monje, orbeta, francisco & capones, 2021). in the nutshell, language is an essential piece of educational training in the classroom. teachers interconnected with content and instructions through language. learners pay attention and interact via language in the process of learning. thus, the ordinary hypothesis is that the language of the classroom is either wellknown or rapidly learned by students to fulfill specific expectations. conversely, some studies have explained that it is a useful technique to use language 1(l1) in schools to surface the means for learners to obtain a second language. however, the presence of people who want to know the significance of language creates a very important chance for the lives of every child (almoayidi, 2018). discussion the study was came up four significant themes revealed in the findings from the current study. it is organized by theme that emerged within each category. these theme categories support challenges for sinaka iped school curriculum implementation. teachers’ unpreparedness of mtb-mle implementation the teachers had limited training on the adoption and implementation of the mtb-mle subject among k+3 pupils. teachers were not able to experience phonology, syntax, semantic, and pragmatic (benson & kosonen, 2021) of manobo language because the teachers are nonnative manobo speakers. teachers were visayan speakers coming from different geographic locations from the province of agusan del norte. all teachers wanted to implement manobo language (mtb-mle), but the sinaka iped school lacked administrative support from the division in terms of financial aspect and development plan in support to implement mtb-mle using manobo language. the instructional materials provided were not localized and indigenized based on the needs of the sinaka iped school. teachers were used purely visayan instruction in using worksheet activities and instructional materials in delivering and implementing the mtb-mle k+3 curriculum. in addition, qualitative data from this study emerged indicating a point of alignment for the teachers in their understanding about mtb-mle instructions. they were slightly misaligned in the type of implementation in the k+3 iped curriculum in the school. as revealed in the study, teachers expressed their concern on mtb-mle in terms of what they needed to know for immediate implementation (bloch & gutierrez, 2020). this differed by their role in education as teachers as shown in the findings of the study. thus, it was discovered that a higher percentage of teachers in sinaka iped school in the east division of butuan city schools had no knowledge in using mtb-mle using the manobo language (l1). supplementarily, this prevailing concern of teachers was asked to know the manobo language of instruction in k+3 graders, which is a key component of mtb-mle implementation. in general, the important element of mtb-mle is the use of culturally appropriate materials in the classroom (bialystok, 2013). as stated in 2009 deped order, the school materials should be as much as possible, original, reflecting local people, events, realities; and appropriate to the language, age, and culture of the learners (wa-mbaleka, 2013). on the surface, there appeared to be high value for the use of culturally appropriate materials. all of the teachers and all tribal parents responded in the interview that it was important to create lessons based on what is aligned in the mtbmle curriculum. teachers’ difficulty in delivering mtb-mle language plays an essential part in the day to day activities of an individual not only as a means of communication, acquiring knowledge, interpersonal development but most importantly language could be a recognition of individuals’ sole identity and most of all by pacing the value of its uniqueness of language that needs to be preserved. republic act 10533 k+12 program and mother-tongue based multilingual education (mtbmle) conveys positive impact in the implementation of the program launched by the department of education (deped) in the year 2011 and became law as the k+12 enacted by 2013. thus, mtb-mte program provide landscape and strengthen the learner’s skills in language through the use of mother tongue or first language from early basic education starting from kindergarten up to grade iii. thus, language is the most essential aspect in the life of all beings as it is used for interaction in daily life activities (soriano, 2008). this added that still half of the languages in the world are not learned by the younger generation (rosario, 2012). moreover, it mentioned that it was estimated that the world languages are currently dying at the rate of at least two languages each month (headland, 2014). it was found out that the faculty members have difficulty and struggled in delivering the mother tongue-based multilingual education (mtb-mle) to their learners in the primary level grades i to iii, since they are all visayan and there is no contextualized module being crafted by the teachers. consequently, indigenous people (ip) leaders, and tribe elders have fears so when the day comes perhaps manobo language and culture will be lost because all teachers are visayan from different parts of butuan city and teachers are using ethno-linguistic visayan. supposedly, the language being used by the ip learners was manobo, not visayan. with this, a language teacher must be creative enough and take initiatives in the delivery of his / her lesson for affectivity. the department of education (deped) tossed a new approach to literacy in philippine education through implementing a strategic model on the use of https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 57 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 52-59, 2023 mother-tongue instruction in the delivery of the lessons. it has proven that the implementation became effective since then 1.8 million of primary learners improved academic learning much more in oral literacy (biçer, 2017). in this regard, it argued that being a language teacher he/she must use instructional materials during the delivery for effectively, employs some motivational approaches, and need to organized cultural events in the school in order for the students to participate, boost learners confidence, and most of all teachers ought to plan instructional materials (arı & kayalar, 2018). likewise, it also revealed that language subjects have problems arise from curriculum change or educational programs such as competency level of the teachers, instructional materials to be used in teaching the language (biçer, 2017; republic act 8371, 1997). furthermore, it added that language skills of the learners are very essential (gorjestani, 2004). they explained that communal stages, individual characteristics and educational setting of the learner matters most in the teaching-learning process in the duration of a particular subject (kayalar, 2017). generally, it further revealed that the incorporation of pupils’ native language or l1 in the learning of english as a foreign language cannot benefit in attaining their culture or educational goalmouths (valencia, 2018). fear of manobo language endangerment culture consists of the customary beliefs of a group of people living in a society where they have their own way of life. in addition, culture usually entails folksongs, dances, games, and epic stories that are fundamentally identified as a way of active living expressions, recognition, tradition and being developed and became popular in a specific ethnic tribe. as mentioned in republic act 10066 on heritage law, posits that everyone has the right to public accessibility to any historical innovations, sites or monuments whether it is national treasure and must be preserved and promoted. in some studies it specified that diverse ethnic groups have hereditary collected their folk tales from their ancestors and willingly handed them to generations for recognition and identity. in the study of (surya, 2018; adonis & couch, 2017), they shared the practices and experiences of igorot leaders in benguet, mountain province and how the community masters have used their higher education learning to propel in the preservation and sustainability in promoting igorot culture and heritage. inadequacy of contextualized and indigenized ims the grades i to iii teachers need to teach eight (8) subjects per day. four of which have an allotted time of an hour and the other four subjects with an allotted time of 40 minutes per instruction. this means that teachers in grades i to iii spend 6 hours and 40 minutes a day intended for teaching in the classroom. accordingly, they only have an hour and twenty minutes left to do class preparations of checking papers and pupils’ outputs, fill in grades, and make instructional materials such as visual aids and worksheets for their different classes. further studies concluded that being a teacher there is a need to use instructional materials (ims) in the delivery of the lesson to target effectively and lay participation of the learners (arı & kayalar, 2018). oral tradition denotes mastery skills of the learners; thus, oral traditions may progress as the noteworthy of propagation to any civic and their communal language (rahman & letlora, 2018). as mentioned in section 13 of the magna carta for the public school teachers, it states that teachers in public school should render six (6) hours teaching load and two (2) hours for ims preparation. hence, when a school administrator assigned ancillary designations to the teachers, their free time is not enough to craft instructional materials (ims) for the teaching and learning process. in addition, lack of budget in crafting learning materials was another hindrance in achieving the plans of the teachers. the school administration is aware of the plight of teachers regarding the lack of money for classroom needs. however, the school administrator follows the implementing rules and guidelines on the direct release and uses of maintenance and other operating expenses (mooe) allocation of school which states that the said fund in no case shall the school mooe be used for the procurement of school furniture (such as seats and teacher’s tables and chairs), and textbooks and other instructional materials even if these expenditures are contain in the school improvement plan (deped order no. 22, s. of 2016). thus, the administration cannot allocate any funds to address this issue. however, the government does provide teachers with funds for classroom materials in the amount of php 3,500.00 that will be given at the beginning of the school year; under the “teaching supplies allowance act”. these funds are allowed to be used for classroom supplies and materials. more so, the department of education (deped) in the division of butuan city may shall take initiatives in addressing the issues and challenges experienced by the teachers in the indigenous peoples education school (ipes) so that the implementation of mtb-mle as a subject will become operative by conducting extensive seminar-workshops on mtb-mle and development of instructional materials using the current tools for effective, meaningful, and can drive the purpose of strengthening the delivery of the first language learned by the children in their homes up to the community, incentives to teachers who can produce contextualized and indigenized materials. in general, the teacher-in-charge of sinaka iped school shall motivate and challenge the teachers to develop contextualized and indigenized materials in order to respond to the needs of the learners. thus, through active collaboration of the academic stakeholders, ip leader and elders the preservation of manobo language and their culture could be possibly preserved through retaining all the details in the book and by creating and placement of mini libraries in school for effective and efficient delivery https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 58 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 52-59, 2023 of the purpose. an intervention framework is further recommended by the researchers to address the identified issues and gaps found after the conduct of the study. conclusion this study looks for the ways in which teachers and stakeholders in sinaka iped school enact mtb-mle curriculum implementation. it situated ground-level language policy implementation into the context of a topdown local-based reform in the salient features of k+3 curriculum, primarily be contingent on the capacity of the school, implementers, and stakeholders to methodically plan resolutions to face the challenges that this curricular reform being created based in the themes emerged on the issues identified in the study, namely (1) teachers’ unpreparedness of mtb-mle implementation, (2) teachers’ difficulty in delivering mtb-mle, (3) fear of manobo language endangerment, and (4) inadequacy of contextualized and indigenized ims. the teachers were using ethno-linguistic visayan language. in this point of view, it is strongly endorsed that appropriate and thorough monitoring will be done by the division office to address specific issues and gaps on the identified concerns. to crop positive outcomes, creativity, open-handedness, resiliency, and vigorous teamwork among the initiators, implementers, and stakeholders are needed. thus, it is then determined that there is a necessity to address each issue and gap with a complete and comprehensive assessment plan that is appropriate, applicable, and contextualized in order to guarantee successes of this curricular restructuring by the government’s program in the country. it is further suggested that more studies need to be conducted so that the effectiveness of mtb-mle as a subject may be concluded as effective or not. conflict of interests the authors declared no conflict of interest involved in the conduct of the study. acknowledgment the researchers would like to express their gratitude to the teacher-in-charge and the faculty members of sinaka iped school for their valuable time and extended support in the conduct of the study. references adonis, d., and couch, j. 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(2014). role of mother tongue in second language learning. international journal research, 1(11), 572-582. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 10 american journal of education and technologies (ajet) development and validation of a basic sentence structure worktext kriza mae dizon1*, jasmin villanueva2 volume 1 issue 1, year 2022 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i1.328 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: june 18, 2022 accepted: june 28, 2022 published: june 30, 2022 among the four skills of english language needed to learn, writing is considered the most complex process. research shows that one of the difficulties students face is having a poor foundation in writing compound and complex sentence. they also added the importance of developing inadequate material that will address the difficulties for filipino learners. this study aimed to develop, validate and test a basic sentence structure worktext that would help the students to improve their writing ability by developing mastery on basic sentence structures. mixed-method research employing sequential exploratory strategy to collected and analyzed qualitative and quantitative data for the fulfillment of the objectives. it was carried out in a two-phase manner. phase 1 was the development of the material, and phase two was the validation process. the validated module was tested to grade 8 students in a public high school in the division of pampanga, mexico and the results revealed that the activities present on the worktext are varied. the findings also showed that the worktext contributed in the improvement of the students’ writing performance. considering the aforementioned findings and conclusions, the following recommendations are hereby suggested: a certain standard and procedure, a standardized tool through experts; more time and exposure to students by teachers, training and seminars and supplementary crafted worktext especially for the teachers and students of grade 8. keywords basic sentence structure, sentence-level instruction, worktext 1 don jesus gonzales high school, philippines. 2 pampanga state agricultural university, philippines. * corresponding author’s e-mail: dizonkriza@gmail.com introduction writing is considered the most complicated process among the four skills of english language needed to learn. hedge (2000) found out that only 9% of the learners engage themselves in writing. many researchers (ashraf et al., 2016; balal & hago, 2015; gustilo & magno, 2012; jimenez et al., 2013; orbe, 2017) have studied this aspect of english learning like factors and difficulties of learners when it comes to expressing thoughts in writing. these studies have found out one common reason which is lack of ability to organize information to produce a coherent statement. furthermore, orbe (2017) specifically mentioned in her work that one of the difficulties students’ faces is having an inferior foundation of writing compound and complex sentence. therefore, pablo & lazaten (2018) have suggested that teachers should expose learners to different activities and offer regular academic writing exercises and training. they also added the importance of developing a material that will address the difficulties. moreover, the studies of cakir (2015), kumar (2017), rada (2017), and tan (2016) have shown the positive impact of utilizing instructional materials in teaching english. in the english 8 curriculum guide posted in the official site of deped, some of the tasks that english 8 learners have to accomplish under the k-12 curriculum are to write personal narratives and compose their blogs. however, most of them perform very poorly, and worse, do not perform at all. they have the idea of what to write, but they find it hard to organize and put their thoughts together. wakely et al. (2006) added that much k-12 instruction in writing focuses on practices such as selecting a topic, organizing ideas, and drafting and revising. thus, it is imperative to expose them to such activities that will help them enhance their ability to write composition by learning the basics of text construction, which includes vocabulary, punctuations, and sentence structures. furthermore, though there is endless construction of a sentence, o’brien (2009) said in her article that structurally, classifications of a sentence is according to the number of independent and dependent clauses. she also added that familiarizing these can contribute sophistication and variation to sentences. moreover, vajda (2017) stated in his article that sentence construction covers most of the syntactical components that a learner needs to learn such as connectors, phrases and clauses, and it seeks to develop a material that will aid them to practice writing sentences. however, in the study of malaca-sistoza (2016), results have presented the structures employed by the respondents in constructing sentences. the respondents were able to compose 589 sentences where 93.55% is simple, 4.24% is complex, 1.53% is compound and 0.68% is compound-complex for visual prompt. on the other hand, the respondents constructed 470 sentences as they used the audio-visual prompt, 70% is simple, 19.5% is complex, 8.51% is compound and 2.34% is compoundcomplex. the outcome of the study has shown that most of the sentences constructed by the respondents from the three-year levels of cagayan state university are simple sentences, and there is a minimal number of a constructed compound, complex and compoundcomplex sentences. the result implies that they have a low sentence construction ability for their level. https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i1.328 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= mailto:dizonkriza%40gmail.com?subject= pa ge 11 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(1) 10-17, 2022 basic sentence structure curriculum developers and textbook authors for learners of english as a second language (esl) sometimes find it hard to decide what order of grammar topics and vocabulary words to include in every unit (feike, 2011). saussure’s work in 1916 about “langue versus parole” where structural grammar grows, the structural theory suggests that learning the language systematically is the key to fluency. encyclopedia britannica (2019) says that structural grammar is particular with the analysis of the description of the “structure” of the sentences. it focuses on syntax, which refers to the study of forms which are very important in composing phrases, clauses and sentences. an article adapted from the royal melbourne institute of technology university (2012) discussed the types of a sentence according to structure, which are the simple, compound, complex and compound-complex sentence. dean (2008) said that one of the indications of a skilled writer is the capability to use sentence structure to improve the meaning of each sentence. unfortunately, as mentioned by wakely et al. (2006), much k-12 teaching merely concentrates on macro-level writing courses such as selecting a topic, unifying concepts and drafting and revising without vivid instructional consideration on the distinct structure skills. moreover, gustilo & magno (2012) found out that sentence-level errors have a significant role in essay scores. thus, there is a need for intervention. additionally, the study of almejas & arago (2017) examines the syntactic errors of students’ writing composition to which they focused on the sentence construction to determine the participants’ errors. the syntactic faults found in the learners’ writing composition says that 17 or 42.5% choppy sentence errors are the highest, trailed by sentence fragment errors which is 12 or correspondent to 30.00%, then run-on or comma splice errors which are 9 or 22.5%, and two stringy sentence errors which is 5%. another researcher in the person of malaca-sistoza (2016) conducted a study in gonzaga, cagayan about the sentence construction ability of the students, and the result showed that the english sentence constructions ability of the respondents is low as indicated by the sentence structure employed since most of the sentences written by the students were simple which implies that they lack the ability to construct complex sentences. elements of sentence structure basic sentence structure is one of the topics under syntax, and it covers syntactic forms such as connectors and clauses. conjunction is a term used to link clauses, phrases or to coordinate words in the same clause (oxford dictionary). muftah (2014) added that in text, they could be effectually used in place of starting a new sentence and the proper use of conjunctions makes the flow and rhythm of the sentence more natural. he also stated that mistake on using conjunctions often results in ambiguity and disconnection and leads to incoherence, which portrays illogical meanings which might be directed to a misunderstanding of the writer’s message. these justify that in language, writing with correctness in form is not enough to convey the right meaning. one must practice writing with coherence by using connectors appropriately. one of the several situations that lai (2008) states in her study that has been cited by kadhim (2016), that good learner are the ones that use conjunctions correctly, but low performing learners do not know how to use them. hence, this shows that learners need to know the meaning of the conjunctions to apply them in words, phrases and clauses, which is a part or prerequisite on writing a wellstructured and meaningful sentence. however, bernal (2017) discovered in her study that using conjunctions, identifying and writing sentences according to the structure are included in the students’ weaknesses. sentence-level instruction mohamed (2016) featured in his research a set of principles and drills about the basic sentence structure that will lead to the development of the writing skills of the learners. these sentence-level interventions are essential to offer struggling writers with foundational linguistic skills and in a meta-analysis of research-based writing practices. graham et al. (2015) stressed the significance of clearly teaching sentence construction skills yet claimed that there are astoundingly limited researches testing the impact of teaching sentence structure or the skills that go into constructing a right sentence. datchik & kubina (2012) said that the evaluation of writing and sentencelevel instruction only involved studies concerning sentence structure, and in these studies, they examined only five writing interventions. outcomes from existing researches are diverse about the usefulness of sentencelevel instruction on the general quality of student writing. there was a notable progress found in most of the study; the sentence-level instruction was embedded within a wider range of study covering numerous facets of writing (anderson & keel, 2002; datchik & kubina, 2012). in behforooz et al. (2008) while saddler and graham (2005), as cited by walter et al. (2021), taught sentence construction separately. they also examined the effects of the sentencecombining instruction and has been revealed to be moderately effective at improving general writing standard with an average-weighted effect size for writing quality of 0.56 (graham, 2019). sentence-combining, however, does not oblige students to crop their concepts; instead, students are given simple sentences and clauses and educated how to connect the pre-determined sentence content. simplifying sentence combining skills to a student’s writing can, therefore, be thought-provoking for some writers. in another study, andrews et al. (2013) administered a methodical research review comparing sentence-combining to traditional formal grammar instruction. although they found that sentencecombining had a more constructive effect than formal grammar instruction, they found no evidence signifying it to be effective. other researches, (graham, https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 12 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(1) 10-17, 2022 harris and santangelo, 2015; datchik and kubina, 2012; andrews et al., 2013) then reiterated the need for more studies which investigates different approaches on teaching sentence construction. instructional materials and assessment tools according to adams & wieman (2010), there has been a growing effort to develop instructional and assessment tools that target students’ development of expert-like mastery of specific topics. these involve questions that accurately probe whether students understand and apply particular concepts in a specific discipline. marbas (2010) stated that the importance of instructional materials or educational resources is to improve students’ knowledge, abilities, and skills, to monitor their assimilation of information, and to contribute to their overall development and upbringing. it also explains significant concepts to stimulate and sustain student’s interests, provide all students in a class the chance to share practices essential for innovative learning, help create more lasting learning, and are not designed to serve as a substitute to a teacher or supplement the textbook but to supplement the teaching process. in this regard, louis (2006) as cited by terrano 2015 suggested that continuous evaluation of the materials is necessary and should be led to measure the correctness and time suitability of the substance. implicitly, the abovementioned statements suggest development and validation of instructional material which involves evaluation. heale & twycross (2015) emphasized that one completing an instrument should have nearly the same responses each time each test is finished. there are many ways how to develop and validate a specific material. a worktext in drafting crafted by cruz (2015), where he stated that one of the numerous responsibilities of a teacher is to choose, organize and use the most suitable learning materials to the level of the learners, making use of the descriptive approach to label and weigh the worktext through a checklist to collect data. additionally, de guia & reyes (2015) intended to design a worktext that can be modified as an instructional material in diagnosing and teaching english learners. they utilized the descriptive method of research which encompassed the designing and assessment of a worktext in english 101 using an adapted tool. to conclude the acceptability level of the worktext, the weighted mean was applied. this research has followed phases and stages in developing and evaluating the worktext that includes the following: 1) phase 1 is the development of the worktext; 2) phase 2 is the assessment of the worktext in its stages: specifically the first phase comprises of three stages which are: a) preparation of matrix of construct comprises the selection of topics, listing of suitable activities, and enumerating objective; b) writing contains the encoding of chosen lessons and exercise; c) editing includes the correction of grammatical forms, spelling, and other concerns. for the second phase, the stages are as follows: a) distribution of duplicates; b) use of the worktext for one (1) semester; c) construction of research instrument/questionnaire; d) validation of research instrument/survey; e) floating of questionnaire; f) recovery of questionnaire/ interview with the respondents; g) analysis of outcomes. worktext vs. workbook basilan (2018) emphasized that as teachers now called as facilitators and suppliers of learning, the demand to practice effective facilitation techniques and skills in the propagation of k-12 curriculum are unavoidable. they must provide instructional materials that suit and satisfy the learner’s hunger for wisdom: hence, they must include consolidation and cultivation of instructional materials that address the altering setting of esl learners and education in the country as one of the top concerns. dosignaeg’s writing skill development model in clarpondel;s research (2002), as cited by salandanan (2013), stresses that materials should provide a stimulus to learning. it says that learning is really about the increased probability of behaviour based on stimulus. moroever, louis (2006) as cited by terrano (2015) stressed that the development of instructional materials both printed and non-printed is a part of university’s accountability to guarantee their students’ comprehensive learning that incorporates every single detail in the curriculum. regarding this, one of the existing instructional materials that have proven its effectivity so far is a developed worktext. according to moreau (2011), worktext is different from a workbook in some sense since it does not only contain pages of activities but pages with a purpose. these are pages intended to strengthen some concepts presented earlier. parents prefer worktexts because there is somehow substantial teaching though they may not contain the entire subject, and that is always better than no instruction at all. knapp (2006) stated that worktexts comprise both instruction and training, providing both drill and review. better quality worktexts include problem-solving items that encourage this kind of higher-level thinking in addition to the traditional fill-in-the-blank and define-theterm exercises. according to the department of curriculum and instruction of anne arundel county public school (2012), instructional materials focal purpose is to support curriculum standards and address the needs of the students for lifelong learning. moreso, it should produce learning with quality and is learner friendly. furthermore, gates (2005) said that workbook/worktext offer exercise materials and proposals design to mark what would otherwise be experimental learning definite, reasonable and stimulating. similarly, gray (2007) resolved that the use of workbooks/worktexts is constructive, resulting in not only higher scores on standardized but also in growth of control of self-direction, helps in retention, skill in vital processes, cognitive aptitude and solving problems. in the study of selga (2011), it is shown that worktext https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 13 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(1) 10-17, 2022 helps to achieve specific objectives of the subject, develop higher cognitive skills since it is well-organized and welldesigned and is suitable to the ability of the students. according to dio (2017), the scarcity of existing materials that cater to filipino learners restricts the fulfilment of the objectives of each program. legaspi (2014) has reported that the inaccessibility of learning resources is one of the problems being faced by the philippines for its 3-year implementation of k-12 curriculum. the deficiency of learning materials has become a weight not only to students but also to teachers (umil, 2016). it is evident in the studies conducted basilan (2018), cruz (2015), de guia & reyes (2015), and terano (2015) that they have developed and validate instructional materials through the use of only one method, and that is through the use of either a checklist or rubric. on the other hand, this study used not only an evaluating tool to validate the material, but also utilized pretest and posttest to determine the effectiveness of the material to be developed. the researcher has been teaching grade 8 students for three years and has observed the learners’ struggle in writing compositions. saddler & troia, (2013) emphasized that there is a necessity for further study detecting and validating writing interventions that point out different writing difficulty factors and levels of learners need to effectively aid and develop their writing ability. and as per the yearly report of the students’ least learned topics from the school where the researcher currently teaches, types of sentences according to structure is always on top. furthermore, since k-12 curriculum was implemented, there are no modules available for grade 8 students until the present. in this case, based on the gathered related literature, and from the researcher’s experience, this study aimed to develop a basic sentence structure worktext that will provide lessons and activities to help filipino learners enhance their ability in terms of writing sentences. theoretical framework this study was anchored on the theory of exercise by thorndike which suggests that learning requires practice. this means that drill or practice helps in accelerating competence and stability of learning according to thorndike’s s-r bond theory. the connections are strengthened with a trail of training and the links are declining when the trial is stopped. in accordance to this law, the developed worktext exposed the students to drills and exercises that will help them write sentences with coherence, and in connection with the s-r bond theory of thorndike the worktext was the stimulus and the students’ performance was the response. conceptual framework this study was a two-phase process. the development of worktext was consisted of principles and activities of conjunctions, clauses and the four basic sentences according to structure, namely the simple, compound, complex and the compound-complex. in terms of the validation, the worktext was rated using the deped evaluation rubric for print resources. there were four validators, three master teachers, and one english critic. figure 1: paradigm of the study generally, this study intended to develop and validate a basic sentence structure worktext. specifically, it sought to answer the following questions: 1) how may the basic sentence structure worktext be designed; 2) how may the basic sentence structure worktext be validated in terms of: 2.1) content; 2.2) format; 2.3) presentation and organization; 2.4) accuracy and up-to-datedness of the information; 3) what are the scores of the participants in the pretest and posttest given by the: 3.1) researcher; 3.2) interraters; 4) is there any significant difference between the participants’ pretest and posttest scores given by the researcher and the pretest and posttest scores given by the interraters; and 5) is there any significant difference between the participants’ scores in the pretest and posttest? hypotheses based on the questions stated, these hypotheses were drawn: 1) there is no significant difference between the participants’ pretest and posttest scores given by the researcher and the pretest and posttest scores given by the interrater and; 2) there is no significant difference between the participants’ scores in the pretest and posttest. methods the study was mixed-method research employing sequential exploratory approaches. this study was carried out in a two-phase manner. the first phase covered the development of the worktext, and the second phase included the validation of the instructional material. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 14 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(1) 10-17, 2022 this study was qualitative since the researcher developed a worktext based on the curriculum guide and existing literature reviews. this study was also quantitative for the worktext was administered among the participants after its development and validation. phase 1: development stage this study has undergone a two-phase manner. phase 1 was the development with the following stages: stage 1 included the construction, which comprises the enumerating of objectives, selection of lessons and listing of appropriate activities. the k-12 curriculum guide for english 8 was the basis of the objectives. stage 2 was the writing which covers the encoding of selected lessons and activities. the worktext’s main contents were first conjunction and its type, (coordinating, subordinating, and correlative). in each kind, there were brief discussions and four sets of activities. second were the two types of clauses (dependent and independent). there were also brief discussions and four sets of activities for each type. the third content was the four types of sentences according to structure which were the simple, compound, complex and the compound-complex sentence. for each type there were brief discussions and four sets of activities afterwards. stage 3 was editing, and it included the correction of grammatical forms, spelling, and other concerns. stage 4 was the final output which underwent final organization and design of each lesson and the production of its final manuscript. phase2: validation in this phase, the materials were distributed to (4) validators; (3) english master teachers, and (1) english critic. the worktext has undergone three stages of validation. the validators evaluated the material using the evaluation rating tool for print resources of the department of education. frequency, mean, standard deviation and inferential statistics were used to describe the results of the study. implementation stage approval of the school administration for the conduct of the study, approval of the cited authors, and approval of the student respondents and their parents or guardians were done before accomplishing the next process. when the worktext was validated, the researcher administered a pretest to the (42) participants from a public school in mexico, pampanga through writing composition. they were asked to compose (2) essays within two lecture hours with (4) paragraphs and each paragraph should have contained a minimum of (5) sentences. there were photo essays and one of the topics was the comparison between philippine and chinese culture and tradition. the other was the comparison between philippine and japanese culture and tradition. the researcher and the other (2) interraters scored the writing compositions of the student respondents using the scoring rubric for essay writing adapted from the deped tambayan. after that, the principles and activities in the worktext were taught to the participants within (3) weeks. there were (3) lecture hours allotted per week. next was the administration of posttest in the form of (2) photo essay compositions as well within two lecture hours. the topics were about philippine mythology, and the egyptian mythology. they were required to write a composition with four paragraphs and each paragraph must have contained two simple sentences, and one each for compound, complex and compound-complex sentence. the outputs were rated by the researcher and the other two interraters using the same rubric that was used in the pre-test. and lastly, collected data were tabulated to determine if there was a significant difference between the participants’ pretest and posttest scores given by the researcher and the pretest and posttest scores given by the interraters, and if there was a significant difference between the participants’ scores in the pretest and posttest. the study utilized the paired t-test and independent t-test in determining the validity and satisfactory level of the crafted worktext and the significant variance between the assessment of the researcher and interraters to the participants’ written composition and the significant difference between the pretest and the posttest results of the participants. results and discussions the k-12 curriculum guide for english 8 was the basis of the objectives. the topics on the worktext were, first, conjunction and its types, (coordinating, subordinating, and correlative). in each kind, there were brief discussions and four collections of activities. second were the two types of clauses (dependent and independent). there were also brief discussions and four sets of activities for each type. the third content were the four types of sentences according to the structure which are the simple, compound, complex and the compound-complex sentence. for each type there were also brief discussion and four sets of activities afterwards. this shows that following a procedure makes the material organized and the activities varied. the designing of the workrtext was anchored on thorndike’s s-r bond theory. the connections are strengthened with a trail of training and the links are declining when the trial is stopped. in accordance to this law, the developed worktext exposed the students to table 1: development of basic sentence structure worktext stage 1 stage 2 stage 3 stage 4 • objectives were enumerated; • lessons were selected; • the appropriate activities were listed • selected lessons and activities were encoded • grammatical forms, spelling, and other concerns were corrected and edited • final organization and design of each lesson, and production of final output were made https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 15 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(1) 10-17, 2022 drills and exercises that will help them write sentences with coherence, and in connection with the s-r bond theory of thorndike the worktext was the stimulus and the students’ performance was the response. similarly, with the dosignaeg’s writing skill development model in clarpondel’s (2002) research as cited by salandanan (2013), which stresses that materials should provide stimulus to learning. it says that learning is really about the increased probability of behavior base on stimulus. the worktext of the present study offered varied activities which were written from easy to difficult. moreover, the development of the basic sentence worktext adopted a set of stages used by abencillo (2008) in his study cited by reyes and de guia (2015). table 2.1 shows the evaluation of the basic sentence structure worktext as regards to the content. it revealed that on the initial validation, all of the three validators agreed that the worktext met these specific standards on statements 1 and 2. on the second validation, three validators agreed that the material met the standards on statements 3 and 5 whereas on the final validation, all experts agreed that the material met the standards on statement 4. this means that on the initial validation there were still areas on the material that needed to be developed as suggested by the validators such as: adding activities that will promote higher-order thinking skills; removing sentences where gender biases were evident; and revising activities that will arouse students’ interest. furthermore, on the second validation, some of the errors were still existing and the experts suggested to add more content that will arouse the interest of the student. nonetheless, on the final validation, the material already met all the standards in terms of content. the findings on content factor support the study of marbas (2010) which clear up vital concepts to stir and sustain pupil’s interests, offer all students in a class the break to share familiarities needed for fresh learning, help make learning more permanent, and are not designed to serve as a substitute to a teacher or supplement the table 2.1: content validation of the basic sentence structure worktext factor 1: content initial validation second validation final validation 1. content is suitable to the student’s level of development. x 2. material contributes to the achievement of specific objectives of the subject area and grade/year level for which it is intended. x 3. material provides for the development of higher cognitive skills such as critical thinking and creativity. x 4. material is free of ideological, cultural, religious, racial, and gender biases and prejudices. x 5. material has the potential to arouse interest of target reader. x textbook but to supplement the teaching process. table 2.2 shows the evaluation of the worktext as regards to format. on the initial validation, results revealed that all of the three validators already agreed that the worktext met the standards written on statements 1.2, 1.3, 2.2 and 4.2. on the second validation, three validators already agreed that the material already met the standards on statements 1.1, 3.1, and 4.1. the validators did not rate 3.2 on the first and second validation, for the worktext was not yet bound because there were still expected revisions to be made. however, on the final validation, the worktext already obtained the agreement of all three validators on all the set standards. the findings indicate that during the initial and second table 2.2. format validation of the basic sentence structure worktext factor 2: format initial validation second validation final validation 1. prints 1.1 size of letters is appropriate to theintended user. x 1.2 spaces between letters and words facilitate reading. x 1.3 font is easy to read. x 1.4 printing is of good quality (i.e., no broken letters, even density, correct alignment, properly placed screen registration). x 2. design and layout 2.1 attractive and pleasing to look at. x 2.2 simple (i.e., does not distract the attention of the reader). x 3. paper and binding 3.1 paper used contributes to easy reading. x 3.2 durable binding to withstand frequent use. x 4. size and weight of resource 4.1 easy to handle. x 4.2 relatively light. x https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 16 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(1) 10-17, 2022 validation there were still parts on the worktext that needed to be developed as suggested by the validators such as: adding more attractive clip arts; choosing font style and size that will make the material reader-friendly; binding it using more durable material making it easy to handle. nonetheless, on the final validation, the worktext achieved a complete mark of agreement from the validators on all the statements, which means it met all the standards in terms of format. the finding is aligned with the research crafted by cruz (2015), he made use of the descriptive approach to label and weigh the worktext through a checklist to collect data. table 2.3 shows the evaluation of the worktext as regards to presentation and organization, which revealed that on the initial validation, none of the statements got a complete agreement among the validators. in contrast with the result of the second validation, the material got the agreement of all three validators on statements 1, 2, 3 and 4. on the final validation, three validators already agreed that the material met the set standards on statement 5. the initial and second validation results indicate that there were still revisions needed as suggested by the validators such as: adding more exciting and understandable sentences; organizing the lectures and activities making the flow coherent; changing the unfamiliar words into more simple words; and revising some of the sentences making it more stimulating and sensible for the intended learners. however, the material met all the standards in terms of presentation and validation on the final validation. the present study is similar with the study of de guia & reyes (2015) in terms of the assessment approach that was used in validating a printed instructional material which is a tool adapted from abencillo (2008) and ilagan (2009) that was used to measure the acceptability level of the module. table 2.3: presentation and organization validation of the basic sentence structure worktext factor 3: presentation and organization initial validation second validation final validation 1. presentation is engaging, interesting, and understandable. x 2. there is logical and smooth flow of ideas. x 3. vocabulary level is adapted to target reader's likely experience and level of understanding. x 4. length of sentences is suited to the comprehension level of the target reader. x 5. sentences and paragraph structures are varied and interesting to the target reader. x table 2.4 shows the result on accuracy and up-todatedness of information evaluation of the worktext. initial validation reveals that there were three experts who agreed with statements 1, 2, 4 and 6. on the second validation, the material already achieved a complete agreement of three validators on all the statements. these results indicate that there were revisions needed as suggested by the experts such as; correcting some grammatical and typographical mistakes and changing the sentences with obsolete information. the slips were already corrected; therefore, on the second validation, the material met all the standards and is consistent up to the final validation. this affirms the study of louis (2006) as cited by terrano (2015), which suggests that continuous evaluation of the materials is necessary and should be led to measure the correctness and time suitability of the substance. table 3.1 presents the performance of the participants on the pretest and posttest given by the researcher. as shown on the table, the computed mean of their scores table 2.4: accuracy and up-to-datedness of information factor 4: accuracy and up-to-datedness of information initial validation second validation final validation 1. conceptual errors. x 2. factual errors. x 3. grammatical errors. x 4. computational errors. x 5. obsolete information. x 6. typographical and other minor errors (e.g., inappropriate or unclear illustrations, missing labels, wrong captions, etc.). x which is 12.31 reveals that they performed poorly on the pretest. the students performed poorly as well on the posttest with the obtained mean of 18.99. the pretest results got a lowest score of 10 and highest score of 17.5 while posttest results got a lowest score of 9 and highest score of 30. additionally, the obtained standard deviation of 2.22 on the pretest results and 5.25 on the posttest result means that the scores were not scattered. this pretest result indicates that there was a need for some table 3.1 pretest and posttest results given by the researcher descriptive statistics pretest posttest lowest score 10.00 9.00 highest score 17.50 30.00 mean 12.31 (poor) 18.99 (poor) std. deviation 2.22 5.25 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 17 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(1) 10-17, 2022 table 3.2: pretest and posttest results of the participants given by the interrater descriptive statistics pretest posttest lowest score 9.00 9.00 highest score 18 .00 30.00 mean 12.01 (poor) 18.75 (poor) std. deviation 2.30 5.49 interventions to help the students develop their writing performance. nevertheless, the posttest result shows that the students have enhanced in their performance after the implementation of the worktext. these findings affirm the statement of selga (2011) which says that worktext helps to achieve specific objectives of the subject, develop higher cognitive skills since it is wellorganized and well-designed and is suitable to the ability of the students. table 3.2 presents the pretest and posttest performance of the participants given by the interrater. as shown on the table, the computed mean of their scores was 12.01, which reveals that they performed poorly on the pretest. on the other hand, the students performed poorly as well on the posttest with the obtained mean of 18.75. the pretest results got a lowest score of 9 and highest score of 18 while the posttest results got a lowest score of 9 and highest score of 30. in addition, the obtained standard deviation of 2.3 on the pretest results and 5.49 on the posttest result means that the scores are not scattered. similarly, the results that were found on the researcher’s given scores, this pretest result indicates that there was a need for some interventions to help the students improve on their writing performance. on the other hand, the posttest result shows that the students have improved in their performance after the implementation of the worktext. this finding is aligned with the conclusion of the study of gray (2007) which states that the use of workbooks/ worktexts is constructive, resulting in not only higher scores on standardized but also in the growth of control of self-direction, helps in retention, skill in vital processes, cognitive aptitude and solving problems. table 4: paired t-test difference results of the scores given by the interraters and the researcher variables paired differences p-value interpretation mean std. deviation sig. (2-tailed) interrater vs. researcher -2.78 6.75 0.066 not significant table 4 presents the paired t-test difference between the scores given by the interraters and the marks specified by the researcher. as shown in the table, the obtained p-value of 0.066 was higher than the set alpha of 0.05 level of significance which means that the scores given by the researcher and interraters are nearly the same. thus, the null hypothesis was accepted. the computed mean of -2.78 means that the scores given by the researcher are higher than the scores given by the interraters. moreover, the standard deviation of 6.75 indicates that the scores are not dispersed. the result supports the null hypothesis that there is no significant difference between the scores given by the researcher and the scores given by the intteraters. heale & twycross (2015) supports this study through an article on a journal they published that says, one completing an instrument should have nearly the same responses each time each test is finished. table 5 shows the paired difference t-test result of the pretest and posttest performance of the participants. the p-value of 0.000 revealed that there is a highly significant difference at 1% between the pretest and posttest scores given by either of the interraters or the researcher. the computed mean of -6.74 on the pretest and posttest from the interraters’ assessment means that the posttest result is higher than the pretest. similarly, the pretest and posttest result from the researcher’s assessment with the obtained mean of -6.67 means that the posttest result is higher than the pretest result. on the other hand, the gained standard deviation of 5.66 from the interraters’ assessment and 5.39 from the researcher’s assessment reveal that the given scores are not dispersed. these findings suggest that the worktext helped the students improve their performance in writing. this affirms the conclusions that show how instructional materials can assist the educators in presenting their lessons logically and sequentially to the students (isola, 2010), and as supported by abdu -raheem (2014) who found out on his study how instructional materials aid explanations and make learning of subject matter comprehensible to learners throughout the teaching learning process. in k-12 curriculum, there are certain task which are found hard by the student such as writing personal narratives and composing their blogs. they have the idea of what to write, but they find it hard to organize and table 5: paired difference t-test results of the participants’ pretest and posttest scores variables paired differences p-value interpretation mean std. deviation sig. (2-tailed) interraters -6.74 5.66 **0.000 highly significant researcher -6.67 5.39 **0.000 highly significant **highly significant at 1% https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 18 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(1) 10-17, 2022 put their thoughts together. this means that the students need to be exposed to lessons such as basic sentences structures that will help them enhance their structural ability on organizing ideas. this is the reason why it is very important to diagnose the problem and find solutions to address it in a systematical way. the findings of this study reveals that the educational system should never stop looking for problems and ways how to solve them. teaching-learning process was never easy but it could be aided through innovative instructional materials such as printed materials, projected materials and technological instructional materials conclusions based on the results of the study, the following conclusions are drawn: 1) the developed basic sentence structure worktext was made of varied activities such as matching type, identification and sentence construction; 2) the developed basic sentence structure worktext met all the standards after editing and revisions were done; 3) the students performed poorly in both pretest and posttest; 4) the scores given by the researcher and interraters are mostly the same; and 5) the basic sentence structure worktext helped the students improve in their writing performance. recommendations considering the aforementioned findings and conclusions, the following recommendations are hereby suggested: 1) instructional material designers and developers should always follow a certain standard and procedure to guarantee the quality of the material; 2) instructional material developers should always use a standardized tool to measure a proposed material through the help of experts; 3) the teachers may give students more time and exposure to such drills and activities that will develop their sentence and essay construction; 4) teachers should always use standardized tool in measuring performances to avoid bias; 5) the department of education (deped) should provide training and seminars to secondary english teachers to enhance their ideas and skills in producing efficient instructional materials; and 6) the crafted worktext may be adopted by deped to serve as supplementary teaching material to aid most especially english 8 teachers in teaching sentence construction since there are no available learning modules for grade 8 students. references adams, & wieman. 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(2021). a sentence-combining intervention for struggling writers: response to intervention. retrieved from: https://rb.gy/52mhg3 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 24 american journal of education and technology (ajet) development of a comprehensive guidance and counseling program (cgcp) for the junior high school units in iloilo city herman m. lagon1*, evelyn o. alobba1, juvy t. janeo1, nerfe t. florendo1, lory stel z. aurecencia1, joni rose o. mavinta1, maria sp d. cuñada1, marigold l. sonza1, monicca ysabel s. tarnate1, rene voltaire obedencia1, niño joy g. alcayde1, jan timothy christian g. alberto1 volume 1 issue 4, year 2023 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i4.677 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: september 27, 2022 accepted: december 20, 2022 published: january 05, 2023 this descriptive-correlational study analyzed the guidance and counseling (gc) needs of the junior high school (jhs) students in iloilo city in order to develop a comprehensive program that would contextually address their needs. the study used a standardized students counseling needs questionnaire. it has 81 items divided into four domains: academic, personal/social, career, and social responsibility. 267 students participated in the survey representing 10 purposively-selected jhss in the city. statistical tools used for analysis are mann-whitney u test, kruskal-wallis test, and spearman’s rho at 5% confidence level for non-parametric inferential computations; while mean and standard deviation were used for descriptive analysis. results revealed the following: public schools have higher perceived needs for guidance counseling (hpngc) than private schools; the higher the age of the students, the higher the higher perceived need for guidance counseling; there is no significant difference in terms of parents’ educational status and occupation; there is a high significant difference between public schools and private school in terms of higher perceived needs for guidance counseling in personal/social needs. the results showed that the needs of junior high school students in iloilo city are ranked as follows: career, social /personal, academic and social responsibility. with this, a 100-page expert-validated comprehensive guidance and counseling program (cgcp) was contextually designed for iloilo city jhs students following a 4-pronged framework with focus on themes: career, personal/social, academic, and social responsibility. further studies must be done in terms of the specific areas of concern affecting jhs students of iloilo city and other similar areas where a program can be built upon making the offerings more purposive and contextual. keywords guidance, counseling, junior high school students 1 university of the philippines visayas, iloilo city, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: hermanlagon1@gmail.com introduction guidance, as defined by gysbers (2004), brings about the fullest development of an individual. the guidance and counseling program is an essential part of the students’ school life that helps them as they journey through life. expectations and developmental needs as well as changes in the educational arena such as the k-12 program are some of the challenges that our students face today. to be globally competitive, students must gear up to meet the standards of international competition and marketplace. this means academic success which includes being physically, emotionally and socially equipped. schools are given the daunting task of meeting all these demands. add to the mix is the reality that the country currently lacks registered guidance counselors (rgcs). the shortage is scandalous as we only have about 3,700 rgcs but we need 47,000 rgcs nationwide as of 2017, according to vera files authored by investigative journalist denise valdez. with the shifting and emerging needs of individual students—considering the exponential demands in “journeying with the young” in the areas of mental health, identity crisis, digital responsibility, technological transmutation, moral confusion, spiritual regression, factual revisionism, and disciplinary issues—the need for a comprehensive guidance and counseling program that can be used by both rgcs and gc facilitators becomes greater. professional guidance counselors and facilitators are expected to spearhead activities and programs to this end. as mentioned by then president benigno aquino iii during the 49th annual convention of philippine guidance and counseling association inc. in 2013, “guidance counselors play a crucial role in weaving the moral fabric of society, especially in this time of revitalization when empowering our countrymen with knowledge, skills, and values is our top agenda.” indeed, guidance counselors serve as a source of ethical and spiritual confidence for teachers, parents, and students to brave the challenges and pursue their goals in life. with such big responsibilities and important roles, the main quest is where and how to begin. henceforth, a well-organized guidance program is more than necessary to meet the personal, social, psychological and career development needs of students. guidance counselors and school administrators should give high premium to the guidance function to help the students resolve their problems, improve their academic performance, succeed in their careers, and become responsible and productive members of the society. following the psychosocial stages of erikson (1982), one most vital developmental age that needs the services of a gc program is the junior high school (jhs) as it is already in the identity and role confusion dilemma. https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i4.677 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= mailto:hermanlagon1%40gmail.com?subject= mailto:hermanlagon1%40gmail.com?subject= pa ge 25 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(4) 24-27, 2022 erikson believes that at the jhs ages of 12-18, students are already having “intense exploration of their personal values, beliefs, and goals.” this is a major stage of development where the child has to learn the roles he will occupy as an adult. it is during this stage that the adolescent will re-examine his or her identity and try to find out exactly who he or she is. proper guidance, for obvious reasons, is therefore a requisite that schools must offer for everyone concerned. thus, the researchers thought of conducting a survey as to the needs of the jhs students in iloilo city. they hoped to get the contextualized demand so as to eventually design the most novel and appropriate comprehensive guidance and counseling program (cgcp)—useful for both local rgcs and non rgcs or the so-called gc facilitators/assistants. this program hoped to be a preventive tool rather than a curative one as it focused on the cognitive, intrapersonal, interpersonal, and career aspects of junior high schools in the ilonggo setting. methodology the process of developing the comprehensive guidance and counseling program (cgcp) for junior high school students in iloilo city started with brainstorming. the group collaborated to come up with an achievable plan within a given time frame. the components of the project were identified and each member has an assigned task to accomplish. the next step was to conduct a needs assessment. the researchers adopted the standardized students counseling needs scale where the researchers got expressed permission from its author, psychologist nyutu (2007). the questionnaire was content-validated to affirm that all items are relevant to philippine context. pilot testing was performed in iloilo city national high school and ateneo de iloilo-santa maria catholic school with 74 respondents to establish feasibility and validity of the questionnaires. ten (10) public and private junior high schools in iloilo city were purposively identified to participate in the survey. they are, namely: adi-smcs, central philippine university (cpu), iloilo doctors’ college (idc), iloilo national high school (inhs), iloilo science and technology university (isat-u), jaro national high school (jnhs), lapaz national high school (lnhs), st. mary’s academy (sma), st. therese-mtc colleges (st-mtcc), and west visayas state university (wvsu). stratified random sampling was used to identify the distribution of the 267 respondents per school and per grade level. respondents were then asked to complete the students counseling needs scale following the protocol on ethical standards in conducting socio-psychological surveys. since the findings only reflected the perceived need of the students, interviews with the teachers and guidance counselors have been made to validate the students’ responses. questionnaires for guidance counselors by rottschafer (1972) and counselor activity selfefficacy scales by lent, et al. (2003) were also used to triangulate the guidance and counseling needs in the respective schools. the initial data was presented per school for a thorough critiquing before two (2) registered guidance counselors from university of the philippines visayas. further analysis was conducted and points from the critiquing were then taken into consideration. the quantitative analysis used the following statistical tools; frequency, mean, and standard deviation for descriptive analysis, and kruskal-wallis h test, mannwhitney u test, scheffe, and spearman’s rho for inferential analysis. thematic analysis and focus-group discussions were used to analyze qualitative data. based on the results of the triangulated needs analysis, the researchers designed a comprehensive guidance and counseling program (cgcp) following the framework prescribed by the 4-pronged ethical standards for school counselors championed by the american school counselor association (asca). it was eventually presented to, defended from, and validated by three (3) rgcs in university of the philippines-visayas. the final document was submitted to the chairperson of the education committee of the iloilo city council headed by hon. julie grace l. baronda in a form of a proposal. results and discussions the results of the students counseling needs questionnaire showed that the students strongly agree (mean=5.264, sd=0.548) that they need guidance and counseling in the four domains. specifically, career (mean=5.348, sd=0.619) was identified as the most perceived need, followed by personal/social (5.295, 0.574), academic (5.250, 0.583), and the last, social responsibility (5.052, 0.619). it was also revealed that there is a significant difference (p=0.015) between the males and the females in terms of their higher perceived needs for guidance counseling (pngc). likewise, there is significant difference in terms of perceived need for guidance and counseling between personal/social (p=0.034) and academic (p=0.006), but not in career (p=0.051) and social responsibility (0.078). in all domains and if taken as a whole, the females have higher perceived need for guidance and counseling. although there is no significant difference between the public and private schools as a whole (p=0.083) and in the academic (0.076), career (p=0.145), and social responsibility (p=0.940), there is a significant difference found in the personal/social (p=0.031), with public school students having higher perceived need for guidance and counseling than private school students. meanwhile, there is no significant difference in the higher perceived needs for guidance counseling of students and their grade level when classified as a whole or by domains. it was also found that there are no significant differences in the perceived needs for guidance and counseling when classified according to occupation and educational attainment of the students’ fathers and mothers. lastly, there is a slightly positive correlation (p=0.00, r=0.309) between the age and the higher https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 26 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(4) 24-27, 2022 perceived needs for guidance counseling of students. the 15 highest and 15 lowest mean items were considered for thematic analysis. from the analysis, the researchers generated four themes: 1. career, 2. self-development, 3. human relationship, and 4. social responsibility. these results were the basis in formulating the goals and objectives of the cgc program (cgcp). the strategies, techniques, and evaluation were then organized and developed. the different activities of each program were carefully created to meet the needs and issues of the students. more importantly, these activities stem from the principles, strategies and techniques of guidance and counseling. the program also focused on providing knowledge, life-long skills, and incorporating attitude for the students to learn meaningfully, effectively and efficiently. below is the framework of the proposed cgcp. it is worthy to note that the details of the 100-page manual and module of the program—which includes the assumptions/guiding principles, program goals and objectives, program content, strategies and techniques, activities, timeframe, budget and resources, summative and formative evaluation tools—are in appendix a (attached in pdf form). title comprehensive guidance and counseling program (cgcp) for the junior high schools in iloilo city guiding principles 1. principle of individualization. it is the freedom of each individual to shape his/her personality and he/she should be guided whenever need arises. 2. principle of self-direction. guidance aims to develop the individual so that he/she can overcome difficulties and reach personal advancement. 3. principle of cooperation. there should be mutual cooperation of individuals. 4. principle of universality. guidance counseling should be provided to everyone who needs it. 5. principle of organized activity. guidance and counseling is a fundamental part of the education and personal development of students thus, programs should be integrated with the school’s curriculum in an orderly and purposeful manner. 6. individual differences. this principle states that no two individuals are alike. individual differences among students is concerned with uniqueness of needs, problems and developmental characteristics of individuals 7. flexible. guidance and counseling program should be flexible, suited to the needs of individuals and the community. goals to establish a comprehensive guidance and counseling program for the junior high schools in iloilo that will promote career, academic, and personal/social development of students in a learning environment conducive to their growth as socially responsible individuals outcomes the students are able to: 1. assess their strengths and weaknesses and discover their abilities, talents and interests 2. develop the essential knowledge, skills and mindset needed to achieve academic success 3. enhance abilities to manage the emotional demands of their lives 4. embrace positive actions and attitude required to achieve their educational and future professional goals 5. validate decisions and actions to act responsibly in a manner that is beneficial to society program components ipinagbubunyi ang sarili the program component is designed for the students to develop the capacity for introspection and to recognize oneself as unique. this will lead to self-empowerment. mabuti pa ang wifi, maraming connections the program component is designed to assist and facilitate in defining, building and promoting acceptance of positive and productive relationships among the students and their families, friends, and significant others. kakareerin ko ‘to the program component is designed to provide the students with knowledge, skills and values to make important decisions about career choices and life in general. barangay 143 the program component is designed to create awareness that each individual has an obligation to act for the benefit of society at large. strategies and techniques strategies to achieve the goal and realize the outcomes of the program, the following strategies will be used: guidance curriculum the program will be integrated in the curriculum. this will allow a systematic approach in facilitating the students’ academic, personal, social and career development. guidance modules guidance modules will be prepared for various topics identified in coordination with guidance counselors and teachers. homeroom guidance homeroom is a venue that can be effective and efficient in providing focused group activities/discussions https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 27 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(4) 24-27, 2022 collaboration the success of the implementation of this program is a collaborative effort among the counselor and other stakeholders like the parents, teachers, and members of the community. routine counseling counselors can utilize routine counseling to know the students’ concerns and to build bridges to connect with the students. techniques in the field of guidance, the best practice resources remain anchored on the guidance services. these services will be utilized to fit with the program components and outcomes. individual and group counseling either individually or by group, the guidance counselor can help students improve themselves and be fullfunctioning individuals. psychological testing standardized tests can assess the individual in the areas of aptitudes, personality, interests, and skills. the results can bring self-awareness, growth, and can help in making decisions. information services information services can make available to the students valuable information for personal, social, emotional, and spiritual development and adjustment. the service can guide the students in making intelligent choices. off-campus exposure/ collaboration with other sectors in the community collaboration and exposure will provide the students with hands–on opportunities in a wide variety of experiences – to learn, to be exposed to a new environment, and to try new things. budget and resources a. personnel requirements guidance coordinator guidance counselor/s psychometrician staff b. facilities guidance office office equipment c. professional growth formal education attendance to seminars linkages with other institutions evaluation the following evaluation approaches are recommended: 1. formative evaluation done during the process 2. summative evaluation done at the end of the program 3. process evaluation that focus on how the program was implemented conclusion and recommendation the researchers strongly believed that the designed comprehensive guidance and counseling program should likely address the four domains of career, personal-social, academic and social responsibility to impact changes to jhs students in iloilo city. while the study was done in the iloilo metropolis, the researchers believe that the program content drawn from the data gathered also be referred to and be contextualized in similar highly urbanized cities in the country. it is therefore highly recommended to pilot test this program to both public and private schools and make necessary comparisons and analyses to improve its efficiency. further research can focus on effective strategies in the program delivery. a regular orientation among administrators, faculty members, and gc practitioners will likewise ensure the success of the program. as a pilot project close monitoring and evaluation must be done on a regular basis to assess how the goals and outcomes are achieved and to propose interventions as needed. references aquino, b. (2013). message of president aquino to the philippine guidance and counseling association inc. on the occasion of their 49th annual national convention, may 15, 2013. retrieved from: http:// www.gov.ph/2013/05/15/message-of-presidentaquino-to-the-philippine-guidance-and-counselingassociation-inc-on-the-occasion-of-their-49thannual-national-convention-may-15-2013/ erikson, e. h. (1982). the life cycle completed. new york: w.w. norton & company. gysbers, n. c. (2004). comprehensive guidance and counseling programs: the evolution of accountability. professional school counseling, 8(1), 1-14. lent, r. w., hill, c. e., & hoffman, m. a. (2003). development and validation of the counselor activity self-efficacy scales. journal of counseling psychology, 50(1), 97-108. retrieved from: http:// dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.50.1.97 nyutu, p. (2007). the development of student counseling needs scale (scns). retrieved from: https://core. ac.uk/download/pdf/62761674.pdf rottschafer, b. (1972). the nature and scope of guidance services in the secondary schools affiliated with the national union of christian schools. dissertations. paper 1227 ecommons. retrieved from: https://ecommons.luc.edu/cgi/viewcontent. cgi?article=2226&context=luc_diss valdez, d. (2017). vera files: lack of registered guidance counselors forces schools to keep unlicensed ones. retrieved from: https://news.abs-cbn.com/ focus/01/14/18/lack-of-registered-guidance-counselorsforces-schools-to-keep-unlicensed-ones-part-1 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 6 american journal of education and technologies (ajet) learning behind the screen: learning performance of students in microbiology and parasitology subject maureen grace l. balontong1, angel briel b. lumogdang1, salvador d. dequito1, rica fille g. diesto1, asnaira u. salam1, ivy e. camlayan1, honeylyn m. mahinay1, angel lhi d. alcalde1*, angelo p. florague1 volume 1 issue 2, year 2022 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i2.482 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: august 09, 2022 accepted: august 15, 2022 published: august 17, 2022 learning behind the screen was implemented here in the philippines since covid-19 hit all over the world. for almost two years that people are suffering and struggling with what happened these days. due to this pandemic, notre dame of midsayap college implemented learning behind the screen. this paper is all about the effects of learning behind the screen on the learning performance of students in microbiology and parasitology subjects. the researchers used pre-test – post-test and interview research design. the researchers wanted to find out the learning performance through standardized pre-test and post-test which were administered in asynchronous and synchronous classes. an in-depth interview was also performed which involved both direct questioning and probing questions. findings have revealed that the mean score of the students increased from asynchronous to synchronous class which was a teacher factor because there was communication between the teacher and students. results also showed that the respondents had difficulties in answering the pre-test and post-test in asynchronous class, while, it is easy for them to answer the post-test during synchronous class. after a careful analysis of the responses of the respondents, the researchers concluded that the students taking microbiology and parasitology subjects could learn more during synchronous class or with the guidance of the subject teacher. keywords learning behind the screen, learning performance, asynchronous, synchronous, microbiology and parasitology subject, in-depth interview 1 notre dame of midsayap college, midsayap, cotabato, philippines. * corresponding author’s e-mail: delacruzangellhi@gmail.com introduction learning behind the screen has suddenly become a mode of learning due to the covid-19 pandemic restriction on physical distancing. as a versatile platform for learning and teaching processes, the learning behind the screen framework has been increasing the use of technology. learning behind the screen is defined as a new paradigm of online learning based on information technology. only by analyzing students’ satisfaction and their performance can the answer be sought (alawamleh et al., 2019). according to (dayagbil et al., 2021), educational institutions among many others had responded to the challenges brought by the covid-19 pandemic from the traditional way of teachers and learning. most educational institutions shifted to teaching and learning behind the screen. with the rising covid-19 cases and restrictions on physical distancing from the public, face-to-face learning is not an option now, thus, many students opted either al with learning behind the screen or modular learning depending on the school they are enrolled in. the change of learning modality has certain effects on the learning performance of students who are learning behind the screen as their learning modality. learning performance is one of the many things that learning institutions need to consider in learning behind the screen. in the philippines, to respond to the needs of learners, de la salle university has turned learning behind the screen, which incorporates both synchronous and asynchronous components. there are flexible methods for fulfilling course requirements during the academic year for students who cannot participate in learning behind the screen (cristopher et al., 2020). due to the continuing growth of covid-19 cases, the notre dame of midsayap college also shifted from face-to-face classes to learning behind the screen. it is one of the private schools in midsayap, north cotabato which implemented learning behind the screen in order to continue giving quality education to all the students. however, learning behind the screen is insufficient especially for students who have laboratory subjects. chou & chang (2010) defined active engagement in learning behind the screen activities as the interaction between the learner and himself, the learner and another learner, the learner and the instructor, the learner and the content, and the learner interface. student-content, student-instructor, and student-student interaction are all examples of learning activities in the course (gradel & edson, 2010). popular lms systems now include vital tools for interactive activities in the classroom, such as forums, message boards, online forms of assignments, wiki-based exercises, virtual classrooms, and so on. in addition, teachers can use these tools to measure and monitor their student’s learning progress, such as status reports on submitted assignments, access statistics, and activity logs on the system. many studies have proposed strategies for making interactive activities successfully help students’ learning processes. evans and colleagues (evans & sabry, 2003) used three interactive activities: pace control, self-assessment, interactive simulation of his research, and time spent using the system. the findings of their study revealed that students who interact more with the system achieve higher results and require less time to learn. however, no other interactive forms were used in the study. according to research https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i2.482 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= mailto:delacruzangellhi@gmail.com pa ge 7 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 6-14, 2022 findings (damianov & calafiore, 2009), there is a favorable correlation between time spent behind the screen and results estimated by student scores, particularly among students in the above-average category. according to a preliminary study (carstens et al., 2021), interactive behind-the-screen activities in learning behind the screen have an impact on student learning results. the impact of interactive forms of student-teacher engagement, student-student interaction, student-content interaction, and student-technology interaction on learning outcomes is investigated in this study. there are several reasons for these. there is a range of interactive activities. however, they may be classified into four classes based on the participants. lms systems provide tools and methods for implementing the aforementioned operational consequences. determining the influence of interactive forms on student performance, based on past research that has indicated that the types of interactions mentioned above can alter student learning outcomes (bradley, 2021). according to (feng, xiang, and xu 2022) teaching has been increasingly employed in medical education. many studies have shown this “study-centered” pedagogical model improves students’ overall achievement in the course, with students showing more motivation and better self-directed learning skills when compared to traditional classroom teaching. however, most of the previous studies have been evaluating the short-term effects of fc teaching conducted upon completion of the course. the retention of the promotion and the longterm effects on learning of students’ subsequent courses deserve further attention and evaluation. by adopting and running fc teaching in the whole course of physiology, this study aimed to determine the short-term impact of fc teaching on students’ learning of physiology course and also the long-term influences on students’ learning of follow-up medical curriculums within 18 months after the completion of physiology course. according to (nsa et al., 2012; ogbonna et al., 2019) students, learning experience, positive outcomes, and the type of performance matter: they acquire practical skills better when they are taught in a synchronous online setting, whereas cognitive achievement, such as producing meaningful and thoughtful contributions, is greater in asynchronous settings (hrastinski, 2008). also, synchronous learning positively impacts learners’ commitment and their task motivation (hrastinski, 2008). at the same time, similar to face-to-face settings, the danger of disengaged participation in class (e.g., passive listening or watching the teacher’s lecture, silently reading peer statements in the chat) has to be considered (smith and smith, 2014). research findings regarding the impact of synchronous and asynchronous teaching settings on student performance are not without ambiguity. nieuwoudt (2020) found that it did not make a difference in student achievement whether students attended synchronous virtual classes or watched the recordings of the virtual classes. however, the sheer time students participated in and interacted with the online learning system did significantly affect their academic success. also, active participation in both synchronous and asynchronous online learning opportunities has been found to result in higher engagement and better academic outcomes than attending face-to-face classes only (northey et al., 2015). in order to scrutinize the impacts of synchronous and asynchronous online teaching and learning on student variables, it is necessary to consider the role of specific teaching methods and the underlying pedagogy of the online courses (fabriz et al., 2001). synchronous and asynchronous settings differ in the choice of tools used and their pedagogical objectives. xie et al. (2018) identified five variables to differentiate between synchronous and asynchronous settings: communication tools, feedback types, input methods, collaboration modes, and the skills targeted. the researchers find that while students are more satisfied with asynchronous communication tools (such as discussion forums or email communication), they also appreciate the possibility of direct instructor feedback in synchronous settings. also, both the quality of learner-content interaction (i.e., reading interactive texts, watching videos, and completing assignments), and learner-teacher interaction (i.e., providing feedback, providing summative and formative assessments, and documenting students’ progress) have a strong effect on satisfaction with learning and perceived learning, especially in asynchronous formats (kuo et al., 2014). activities, such as online discussions, are perceived as more individualistic and less cooperative by students in asynchronous compared to synchronous settings and are also associated with greater negative effects and a decreased sense of belonging (peterson et al., 2018). in contrast, learners characterize participation in online synchronous discussions as more focused, having a stronger sense of contribution, increasing motivation, and supporting better course performance than asynchronous discussions (malik et al., 2017, fabriz et al., 2021, luce, 2016, leshea, 2013). discussing teaching and learning methods to facilitate communication within synchronous and asynchronous educational settings, researchers stress the necessity to differentiate between various types of activation and interaction and ways how students are engaged in the learning process as more crucial for study success compared to the form of course delivery (nieuwoudt, 2020; rapanta et al., 2020). improving learning outcomes is one of the most straightforward consequences of learning behind the screen education on children’s recovery. students can learn at their own pace and at their own location using online learning. students are less likely to miss lessons when they attend behind-the-screen courses from the comfort of their own home or a location of their choice. research design the study used a pre-test post-test and interview research design in the conduct of the study. it determined the effect of learning behind the screen on the https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 8 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 6-14, 2022 learning performance of students in microbiology and parasitology subjects. the study is also pre-test – posttest and interview research design because it determined the experiences of the respondents in answering the pre-test and post-test in asynchronous class as well as in synchronous class. instrumentation the instruments that were used in this study were pretest, post-test and interview guide. the study was used pre-test and post-test with the respondents in order to find out the effects of learning behind the screen on the learning performance of college students in microbiology and parasitology subject. it also used an interview guide to determine the experiences of the respondents in answering the pre-test and post-test in asynchronous and synchronous classes. validity and reliability of instrument the researchers made the same set of pre-test and post-test that was submitted to the research adviser and biology teachers for correction and validation. the draft of the interview guide for in-depth interview was also forwarded to the research adviser for the purpose of checking the content. feedbacks were obtained from the research adviser and biology teachers for the purpose of improving the instrument and ensuring clarity of the instruction. the 10-item each topic with the total of 30-item test is valid with the greater value of cronbach’s alpha 0.98 with excellent reliability. data gathering procedure in this study, the researchers collected the data following these steps: first, the researchers made a pre-test and post-test questionnaire about the topics bacterial diseases of the lower gastrointestinal tract, sexual transmitted diseases and urinary tract infection as well as an interview guide questions. second, the researchers submitted a letter to the dean’s office of the college of education to ask permission in conducting the study. third, the researchers forwarded the pre-test and posttest questionnaire and the interview guide to the research adviser and to the biology teachers for correction and validation. next, the researchers also forwarded the informed consent to the respondents asking for their participation in the study. upon approval, the researchers conducted a validated pre-test of the three topics through google form. after an hour the microbiology and parasitology subject teacher uploaded the reading materials. after a two-hour reading activity, the researchers conducted a validated post-test of the three topics through google form. once the respondents have finished answering their scores were recorded. then, the microbiology and parasitology subject teacher conducted a synchronous class through classin discussing the three topics which are the bacterial diseases of the lower gastrointestinal tract, sexual transmitted diseases and urinary tract infection. after the discussion, the researchers conducted another validated post-test through google form. once the respondents have finished answering their scores were also recorded. finally, the researchers conducted a ten-minute face-toface in-depth interview with the respondents in support to the result of the study. once the in-depth interview was done the researchers kept the recorded answer of the respondents. the acquired data were subjected for statistical computation, tabulation, analysis and interpretation. statistical tools and treatment of data the data was analysed using appropriate statistical tools. for the first research problem, it used descriptive analysis such as frequency and percentage. for the second and third research problem, it used descriptive statistics such as mean. for the fourth research problem, it also used descriptive statistics such as mean, and standard deviation. for the fifth and sixth research problem, it used in-depth interview. results this chapter presents, analyses, and interprets the statistical results of the study. tabular presentations are used in order to aid in providing data analysis and implications. the discussion of the finding includes the demographic profile of the respondents, pre-test mean score of the respondents before utilizing learning behind the screen, post-test mean score of the respondents after utilizing learning behind the screen, significant difference between the pre-test and post-test mean scores of the respondents, experiences of the respondents in answering the pre-test and post-test in asynchronous class, and experiences of the respondents in answering table 1: profile of the respondents variable f percentage course bsed – general science 12.00 100.00 total 12.00 100.00 year level third year 11.00 91.67 fourth year 1.00 8.33 total 12.00 100.00 age 20 years old 1.00 8.33 21 7.00 58.33 22 2.00 16.67 23 1.00 8.33 24 0.00 0.00 25 0.00 0.00 26 1.00 8.33 total 12.00 100.00 sex male 3.00 25.00 female 9.00 75.00 total 12.00 100.00 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 9 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 6-14, 2022 table 2: mean scores of the respondents before utilizing learning behind the screen topic pre-test mean post-test mean 1. bacterial diseases of the lower gastrointestinal tract 4.08 6.58 2. sexual transmitted diseases 4.92 5.25 3.urinary tract infection 4.17 5.50 the post-test in synchronous class. table 1 shows the demographic profile of the respondents in terms of course, year, age and sex. twelve or 100.00 percent of the respondents are currently taking bachelor of secondary education major in general science. in terms of year level, 11 or 91.67 percent are from third year college students while only 1 or 8.33 percent is a fourth year college student. in terms of age, 7 or 58.33 percent ages 21 years old, 2 or 16.67 percent ages 22 years old, and 1 or 8.33 percent ages 20, 23, and 26 years old. out of 12 respondents, 9 or 75.00 percent are female while 3.00 or 25.00 p0ercent are male. table 2 shows the mean scores of the respondents before utilizing learning behind the screen in the three topics during the asynchronous class. it also shows the pre-test mean score of the first topic which is (m=4.08), the pretest mean score of the second topic which is (m=4.92), and the pre-test mean score of the third topic which is (m=4.17). it also shows the post-test mean score of the first topic which is (m=6.58), the post-test mean score of the second topic which is (m=5.25), and the post-test mean score of the third topic which is (m=5.50). this table also shows that the second topic which is the sexual transmitted diseases got the highest pre-test mean score of (m=4.92) and first topic bacterial diseases of the lower gastrointestinal tract got the highest post-test mean score of (m=6.58), while the first topic which is the bacterial diseases of the lower gastrointestinal tract got the lowest pre-test mean score of (m=4.17) and the second topic sexual transmitted diseases got the lowest post-test mean score of (m=5.25). table 3 shows the mean scores of the respondents after utilizing learning behind the screen in the three topics during the synchronous class. it also shows the pre-test mean score of the first topic which is (m=4.08), the pretest mean score of the second topic which is (m=4.92), and the pre-test mean score of the third topic which is (m=4.17). it also shows the post-test mean score of the first topic which is (m=6.83), the post-test mean score of the second topic which is (m=5.25), and the post-test mean score of the third topic which is (m=6.83). this table also shows that the second topic which is the sexual transmitted diseases got the highest pre-test mean score of (m=4.92) and both the first topic bacterial diseases of the lower gastrointestinal tract and third topic urinary tract infection got the highest post-test mean score of (m=6.83), while the first topic bacterial diseases of the lower gastrointestinal tract got the lowest pretest mean score of (m= 4.08) and the second topic sexual transmitted diseases got the lowest post-test mean score of (m= 5.25). table 3: mean scores of the respondents in after utilizing learning behind the screen topic pre-test mean post-test mean 1. bacterial diseases of the lower gastrointestinal tract 4.08 6.83 2. sexual transmitted diseases 4.92 5.25 3.urinary tract infection 4.17 6.83 table 4-a: difference between the pre-test and post-test mean scores of the respondents test n mean sd df p – value decision pre-test 12 4.39 1.00 22 .03 ns post-test 1 12 5.78 1.77 ns – not significant at 0.05 level of significance table 4-b: difference between the pre-test and post-test mean scores of the respondents test n mean sd df p – value decision pre-test 12 4.39 1.00 22 .0004 s post-test 2 12 6.31 1.26 table 4-a shows the pre-test mean score of 4.39 (sd=1.00) and post-test mean score of 5.78 (sd=1.77) in asynchronous class. it also shows that there is no significant difference in the pre-test and post-test mean scores of the respondents in asynchronous class with 0.05 level of significance. tables 4-b shows the pre-test mean score of 4.39 (sd=1.00) and post-test mean score of 6.31 (sd=1.26) in synchronous class. it also shows that there is a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test mean scores of the respondents. this presents the responses given by the respondents on the fifth research question: what are the experiences of the respondents in answering the pre-test and post-test in asynchronous class? and the sixth research question: what are the experiences of the respondents in answering the post-test in synchronous class? considering that not all microbiology and parasitology students who are currently enrolled in the a.y. 2021-2022 at notre dame of midsayap college are available to be our respondents, the researchers only gathered data from those students taking microbiology and parasitology https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 10 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 6-14, 2022 subject whom are available and agreed to be interviewed. to determine the experiences of the respondents in answering the pre-test and post-test during asynchronous and synchronous classes, an in-depth interview was used in gathering data. experiences in answering pre-test and post-test in asynchronous class the respondents experienced difficulty in answering the pre-test and post-test during asynchronous class as the respondents had stated. r1 said, “for me it is hard because i have no idea about the topic. i find difficult to answer without the teacher’s discussion kase … napakahirap intindihin pag walang teacher na mag ga-guide sayo.” (for me it is hard because i have no idea about the topic. i find it difficult to answer without the discussion of the teacher because it hard to understand without the guidance of the teacher.) r2 also said, “ahhmmm … parang nahirapan ako kung unsa sa pag klase natin kasi wala pa nag conduct si ma’am ng synchronous class.” (i feel like i am having a hard time in dealing with the topics because the teacher has not conducted a synchronous class yet.) r3 also said, “of course na co-confuse ako kasi hindi pa naming ito napagaralan … hindi pana discuss ng teacher namin so karamihan talaga sa topic na yun is hindi pa … wala kaming stock knowledge about that.” (of course i got confused because we have not tackled these topics yet … our teacher has not discuss yet the topics and we have no stock knowledge on most of the topics given.) r4 also said, “for me, it is ano lang difficult because even though there are learning materials there is still some words that i can’t understand it is also difficult to search in google.” (for me, it is difficult. although learning materials are provided there are still some words that i cannot understand and it is also difficult to look for its definition using the google application.) r5 also said, “medjo kinakahaban kasi hindi kopa nabasa yung mga questions or wala pa kong stock knowledge about dun. kumbaga… hindi sya ma search sa google, hehehe karamihan sa questions yun.” (i felt a little nervous because i have not read those questions or i do not have stock knowledge about it and most of those questions could not be researched on google.) r6 also said, “for sure it is quite differ … difficult but i am quite use to studying in myself so for me ahmm... na answeran ko din naman sya i don’t know lang if it is ahmm... my answer is correct or ano mali so that’s it.” (for me it is quite difficult since i used to study on my own. then i was able to answer it, i just don’t know if my answers were right or wrong.) r7 also said, “it is hard. it is difficult” (it is difficult.) r8 also said, “i find it difficult because … because … i find it difficult to answer without the teacher because some of the … idea … wait lang … or some of the idea … ahhh … hehehehe … some of the ideas are unfamiliar for me.” (i found it difficult to answer without the discussion of the teacher because some of the ideas were not familiar to me.) r9 also said, “difficult kasi kay kuan … kay wala gyud syay teacher’s discussion kay lisod gyud siya kay dili ka makasabot kung unsay kuan ato.” (it is difficult because the teacher did not discuss it yet and i can’t understand if what those topics all about are.) r10 also said, “the topic is not familiar to me so, i find it harder and have difficulties answering those, because even if i search in google there is no results in the topic.” (i found it harder and experienced difficulties in answering those questions since the topics are not familiar to me. i also tried looking for it on google but there are no results given.) in general, the respondents experienced difficulties in answering the pre-test and post-test in asynchronous class. experiences in answering post-test in synchronous class in answering the post-test in synchronous class, most of the respondents found it easy because the topics were discussed by the teacher as stated by the respondent. r1 said, “para sa akin madali nalang intindihin kasi na discuss nang teacher ang topic na ibinigay niya samin.” (for me it was easy to understand because the teacher discussed the topics given to us.) r2 also said, “i find easy to answer after the following discussion of the teacher.” (i found it easy to answer after the discussion of the teacher.” r3 also said, “for me, it is easy na rin kasi … kasi nga na discuss na ng teacher naming and then nadagdagan narin yung knowledge naming about sa topic nayun kaya medjo madali narin samin na sagutan yung mga question na yun.” (for me it is already easy because the topics were discussed by our teacher and from that we gained knowledge which leads us to answer the questions easily.) r4 also said, “easy. yun na tapos na.” (it was easy for me.) r5 also said, “yes of course it is easy after the discussion of ma’am.” (it is easy after the discussion of the teacher.) r6 also said, “actually hindi na mahirap kasi na discuss na sya ng teacher or i am also, also familiar ahh... familiar na sa mga questions... and but i still don’t know kung ahh... tama ba yung mga, mgaa... answers ko kasi diko parin sya na check during discussion kasi ahmm... i admit hindi ko din, hindi din ako naka focus duon sa synchronous na yun.” (actually it is no longer difficult because it was already discussed by the teacher or i am also familiar with the questions but i still don’t know if i answered it right because i was not able to focus on the https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 11 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 6-14, 2022 synchronous class.) r7 also said, “it is easy because it was being discussed by the teacher.” (it is easy because the topics were being discussed by the teacher.) r8 also said, “i find it easy because the teacher already discusses the topics.” (i found it easy because the teacher already discussed the topics.) r9 also said, “kuan … dili na kaayo siya as in lisod medyo easy na siya kay na discuss naman.” (it is no longer that difficult. it is quite easy because it was already discussed.” r10 also said, “yes, i still have difficulties in answering because uhmm.. the.. there is a poor signal and i cannot able to really understand the topic in the discussion because of the choppy problem.” (i still experienced difficulties in answering the post-test because the internet connection was poor and i cannot understand the discussion of the topics.) in synchronous class, the respondents found it easy to answer the post-test after the discussion of the teacher. discussions the mean scores of the respondents before utilizing learning behind the screen. based on the results, the pretest total mean score of the respondents in asynchronous class is (m=4.39). the topic sexual transmitted diseases (std) has the highest mean score (m=4.92) which means that among the three topics, the respondents have more prior knowledge in std than the other topics. while the topic that has the lowest mean score (m=4.08) is the bacterial diseases of the lower gastrointestinal tract which means that students do not have prior knowledge about the topic. based on the results, the post-test total mean score of the respondents in asynchronous class is (m=5.78). the topic bacterial diseases of the lower gastrointestinal tract has the highest mean score (m=6.58) which means that among the three topics, the respondents have learned a lot in reading the materials about the topic. while the topic that has the lowest mean score (m=5.25) is the topic sexual transmitted diseases which means that the respondents does not understand clearly the given materials. the mean scores of the respondents after utilizing learning behind the screen. based on the results, the posttest total mean score of the respondents in synchronous class is (m=6.31). the topic bacterial diseases of the lower gastrointestinal tract and the topic urinary tract infection have equal mean score (m=6.83) which means that among the three topics, the respondents have learned a lot in these topics with the guidance of the teacher during the discussion via classin application. the difference between the pre-test and post-test mean scores of the respondents. based on the results, the pre-test and post-test mean scores of the respondents in asynchronous class are (m=4.39) and (m=5.78), respectively in which the mean increased which means that the students learned from the given materials on their own. however, their scores does not increased that high and it means that there is no significant difference between the pre-test and post-test mean scores of the respondents in asynchronous class. in contrary to the study of (nieuwoudt 2020; northey et al., 2015) in which the impact of synchronous and asynchronous teaching settings on student performance are not without ambiguity. nieuwoudt (2020) found that it did not make a difference for student achievement whether students attended synchronous virtual classes or watched the recordings of the virtual classes. however, the sheer time students participated in and interacted with the online learning system did significantly affect their academic success. also, active participation in both synchronous and asynchronous online learning opportunities has been found to result in higher engagement and better academic outcomes than attending face-to-face classes only (northey et al., 2015). moreover, it supports the idea of (evans & sabry, 2002) which revealed that students who interact more with the system achieve higher results and require less time to learn. and the study of (damianov & calafiore, 2009), there is a favorable correlation between time spent behind the screen and results estimated by student scores, particularly among students in the above-average category. in contrast to what eom (2006) believed, there was no link between various forms of engagement and student learning results. the difference between the pre-test and post-test mean scores of the respondents. the pre-test mean score of the respondents is (m=4.39) and the post-test mean score of the respondents in synchronous class is 6.31 in which the scores of the respondents have increased after the discussion of the teacher. this means that there is a significant difference after the synchronous class was conducted. this finding was supported by the study of (chen and you, 2007; hrastinski, 2008, 2010; malkin et al., 2018) discussing that learners characterize participation in online synchronous discussions as more focused, having a stronger sense of contribution, increasing motivation, and supporting better course performance than asynchronous discussions. in addition, it is also supported by (ji, luo, feng, xiang, and xu 2022) in which teaching has been increasingly employed in medical education. many studies have shown this “study centered” pedagogical model improves students’ overall achievement in the course, with students showing more motivation and better self-directed learning skills when compared to the traditional classroom teaching. however, most of the previous studies have been evaluating the short-term effects of fc teaching conducted upon completion of the course. the retention of the promotion and the long-term effects on learning of students’ subsequent course deserve further attention and evaluation. by adopting and running fc teaching in the whole course of physiology, this study aimed to determine the short-term impact of fc teaching on students’ learning of physiology course and also the longhttps://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 12 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 6-14, 2022 term influences in students’ learning of follow-up medical curriculums within 18 months after the completion of physiology course. the experiences in answering the pre-test and post-test in asynchronous class. in answering the pre-test and posttest in asynchronous class the respondents stated that they encounter difficulties because they are not familiar with the topic, they do not have enough stock knowledge to answer the test and because the teacher was not able to discuss the topics yet. the findings of the study was in contrast to the study of kuo et al., 2014 in which they stated that students are more satisfied with asynchronous communication tools (such as discussion forums or email communication), they also appreciate the possibility of direct instructor feedback in synchronous settings. also, both the quality of learner-content interaction (i.e., reading interactive texts, watching videos, and completing assignments), and learner-teacher interaction (i.e., providing feedback, providing summative and formative assessments, and documenting students’ progress) have a strong effect on satisfaction with learning and perceived learning, especially in asynchronous formats (kuo et al., 2014; nandi et al., 2015; alqurashi, 2019; fredericksen et al., 2000). in addition it was also supported by the study of jacques et al 2020, this unexpected change in the teaching format has forced engineering students to adapt the new ways of learning under the conditions of a health crisis, potentially affecting their learning development. based on their response, learning behind the screen is not an easy way of learning, especially for those taking microbiology and parasitology subject because this subject needs laboratory classes it’s a hard time for them to fully adapt new way and understand the topics on their own. the findings of the study was also supported by the responses of the respondent during the interview which r9 states, “difficult kasi kay kuan … kay wala gyud syay teacher’s discussion kay lisod gyud siya kay dili ka makasabot kung unsay kuan ato.” (it is difficult because the teacher did not discuss it yet and i can’t understand if what those topics all about are.) experiences in answering post-test in synchronous class. in terms of answering the post-test after conducting synchronous class, some of the respondents found it easy to answer the three topics because the teacher was able to discuss the three topics. this finding was supported by the study of (nsa et al., 2012; ogbonna et al., 2019) in which students learning experience positive outcomes, and the type of performance matter: they acquired practical skills better when they are taught in a synchronous online setting. also, synchronous learning positively impacts learners’ commitment and their task motivation (hrastinski, 2008). at the same time, similar to face-to-face settings, the danger of disengaged participation in class (e.g., passive listening or watching the teacher’s lecture, silently reading peer statements in the chat) has to be considered (smith and smith, 2014). in addition based on the study of (kang & im, 2013) in which the conventional teaching approach, where the teachers play a central role, student-teacher interaction is a vital activity. learners take center stage in learning behind the screen setting, and teacher-student interaction becomes more flexible in a variety of ways. when implementing learning activities such as learning assistance, social intimacy, communication and instructional q & a, instructor presence, and instructional support. they found out that interactive activities between teachers and students have an impact on students’ learning outcomes. however there is still one respondent who experienced difficulty in answering the post-test after the synchronous class because of the internet connection. this study was supported with the idea of (aristovnik et al., 2020) in which he stated that a significant percentage of college students, especially those from disadvantaged families, have had problems assessing internet services due to the unexpected situation and the rapid transition to learning behind the screen. students did not have time to adapt their work space, which may have had an impact on their learning performance. the findings of the study was also supported by the responses of the respondent during the interview which r9 states, “for me, it is easy na rin kasi … kasi nga na discuss na ng teacher naming and then nadagdagan narin yung knowledge naming about sa topic nayun kaya medjo madali narin samin na sagutan yung mga question na yun.” (for me it is already easy because the topics were discussed by our teacher and from that we gained knowledge which leads us to answer the questions easily.) conclusions based from the findings of the study, the following conclusions were drawn.after the careful analysis of the responses of the respondents, the researchers concluded that the students taking microbiology and parasitology subject can learn more during synchronous class or with the guidance of the subject teacher. the researchers also concluded that student-teacher interaction helped increased the scores of the students in synchronous class compared to asynchronous class. students experienced difficulty in learning in asynchronous class because the teacher was not able to discuss the topics yet while they found synchronous classes helpful in increasing their learning performance. references alawamleh, m., mohannad, l., tawit, a., & al-saht, g. r. 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(2018). analysis of synchronous and asynchronous e-learning environments, in proceedings of the 2018 3rd joint international information technology, mechanical and electronic engineering conference (jimec 2018). retrieved on march 2022 from https://www.frontiersin.org/ articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.733554/full. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 37 american journal of education and technology (ajet) does moral governance shape institutional outcomes? evidence from the bangsamoro basic education in muslim mindanao elma l. maliga1, ernie c. cerado2* volume 4 issue 4, year 2025 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v4i4.5898 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: august 12, 2025 accepted: september 15, 2025 published: october 27, 2025 this study posits that moral governance, anchored in islamic ethical principles, is a key factor of institutional outcomes within the basic education sector of the ministry of basic, higher, and technical education (mbhte) in the bangsamoro autonomous region in muslim mindanao (barmm). basically, it investigated the extent to which educational leaders exemplify moral governance principles and tested its influence on institutional outcomes. using a descriptive-correlational research design, data were gathered from 280 respondents, including school division superintendents, division supervisors and chiefs, school administrators, and teachers, through two sets of survey instruments. descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation) and inferential analyses (one-way anova, kruskalwallis h test, and multiple regression) were applied to treat the data. results showed that moral governance was perceived to be highly evident, particularly in the domains of ethical decision-making, and compassion and service. institutional outcomes were also rated high, with policy implementation emerging as the most prominent dimension. multiple regression analysis indicated that all four moral governance dimensions significantly predicted institutional outcomes, implying their relevance in both administrative and instructional leadership contexts. while no statistically significant differences in moral governance were noted across schools divisions, the perceptual variance among respondent groups were apparent. on the contrary, institutional outcomes varied significantly across divisions which signifies context-specific governance dynamics. the study emphasizes that the integration of moral governance into educational leadership practices enhances stakeholder trust, supports organizational performance, and ensures policy alignment. these findings emphasize the transformative ability of values-based governance in pursuing an ethically and contextually grounded education system in barmm. keywords bangsamoro, eucational administration, institutional outcome, islamic leadership, moral governance 1 ministry of basic, higher, and technical education, barmm, philippines 2 sultan kudarat state university, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: erniecerado@sksu.edu.ph introduction in recent decades, discussion on governance has increasingly featured ethical leadership, social justice, and institutional power as pillars of sustainable peace and development. the united nations' sustainable development goal 16 (sdg 16), which upholds “peace, justice, and strong institutions,” stresses the urgency for nations to encourage institutions rooted in transparency, accountability, and moral governance. around the world, including in volatile and post-conflict regions, governments are implored not only to undertake structural reforms but also to promote ethical and participatory political cultures. across asia, efforts to form strong and ethical institutions have met contrasting levels of success. countries such as malaysia and indonesia have demonstrated how culturally embedded views of morality and governance can figure out public policy and institutional reforms. within the asean region, where mutual concerns on inclusive development and regional security thrive, there is a growing impression that moral governance is not simply a normative model but a strategic necessity, particularly in conflict-affected areas. in the philippine context, the government has adopted significant moves to localize sdg 16, notably through concerted efforts among national agencies, civil society, and autonomous regions such as the bangsamoro autonomous region in muslim mindanao (barmm). the establishment of barmm itself manifested a turning point in the country’s quest of long-lasting peace in mindanao. as an outcome of decades-long armed struggle and peace negotiations, barmm represents a political experiment in moral governance defining itself as a government led by ethical principles and instituted on justice, transparency, and comprehensive service delivery (yusof & bagolong, 2023; maboloc et al., 2024). critical to barmm’s administrative thrust is its advocacy for "moral governance," which works toward reform not merely the political machinery but also the ethical compass of leadership and institutional behavior. this campaign is expressed through various educational, civic, and peacebuilding programs that seek to institutionalize integrity, participatory democracy, and fair service delivery (berowa, 2023; enriquez & esteban, 2024). in theory, moral governance is likely to boost public trust and advance developmental outcomes. nevertheless, empirical proof indicating the connection between this advocacy and real institutional outcomes such as better service delivery, enhanced civic participation, and impressive social cohesion remains insufficient. while existing literature has provided important insights into the philosophy and desires behind barmm’s moral pa ge 38 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 37-48, 2025 governance framework (tagorda & magno, 2023; salasain, 2025), most studies have dedicated either on normative assertions or isolated case studies on peacebuilding and educational change (sali & marasigan, 2020; kagawa, 2022). there exists an evident research gap regarding how the barmm government's advocacy for moral governance transforms into institutional consequences that support the broader goals of sdg 16. addressing this gap is crucial not just for assessing the effectiveness of barmm's governance approach but also for updating policy modifications and capacity-building initiatives in equally situated autonomous or post-conflict regions. by examining the link between barmm’s advocacy on moral governance and actual institutional outcomes, this study expects to contribute to a more evidence-based reasoning of how ethical leadership and participatory ideals can be institutionalized within the distinctive socio-political situation of muslim mindanao. definitely, this study sought to meet these objectives: 1) determine the extent of moral governance in terms of ethical decision-making, transparency and accountability, justice, and compassion and service, as practiced by basic education leaders in the barrm; 2) describe the institutional outcomes through stakeholder trust, organizational performance, and policy implementation; and 3) link the moral governance practices with the institutional outcomes. literature review moral governance has increasingly become a significant framework for political leadership and institutional reform in the philippines, particularly within the bangsamoro autonomous region in muslim mindanao (barmm). it is a paradigm rooted in ethical leadership, integrity, justice, accountability, and the common good values that proliferate deeply in regions historically marked by conflict and marginalization (barmm official website, 2025). this literature review delves into contemporary discourses and recent empirical studies on moral governance, with a particular focus on how this concept is applied and challenged in the philippine and barmm contexts. at the national level, scholars have long noted governance issues rooted in institutionalized corruption and weak accountability. bayod (2020) observed the moral shortages across public institutions, appealing for a more value-centric approach to leadership. more recent outlooks advocate a change from transactional governance models to moral leadership that prioritizes public trust, transparency, and ethical decision-making (manzano, 2025). these ideals are particularly crucial in post-conflict settings where public trust in government must be rebuilt through tangible, ethical practices. in barmm, moral governance is more than a theoretical construct but an official guiding principle embraced by the bangsamoro transition authority (bta) under the leadership of the moro islamic liberation front (milf). yusof and bagolong (2023) explain moral governance in barmm as a culturally implanted and faith-based system that emphasizes justice (‘adl), trust (amana), and the public good (maslahah). these principles are influenced by islamic moral philosophy and are being incorporated into governance, particularly in service delivery and public administration. however, they caution that despite its normative clarity, the actual administration of moral governance faces bureaucratic inertia, lack of qualified personnel, and uneven policy implementation. comparable insights are observed in leadership studies outside barmm. salip and quines (2023), for instance, feature that authentic leadership in schools is rooted in moral reasoning and significantly enriches organizational climate through emotional intelligence. their findings imply that moral leadership not only improves institutional trust but also creates a culture of ethical responsibility; this validates practically with the moral governance agenda in barmm. also, ricaplaza and quines (2022) stress that the work ethics of school heads facilitate the relationship between authentic leadership and teacher task performance, indicating how moral accountability is an indispensable driver of institutional outcomes. these studies present a meaningful parallel: whether in schools or in barmm governance, moral leadership develops credibility and supports organizational systems. with this, maboloc et al. (2024) suggest an ethical development framework for the region, underscoring that moral governance have to address structural issues such as socio-economic injustice, gender representation, and inclusive decision-making. the authors point out the role of education and civic empowerment in intensifying moral consciousness among the citizenry and future public servants. they argue that the presence of women and youth in governance is critical to achieving an inclusive moral government. berowa (2022; 2023) helps significantly to the debate by placing education, especially peace and civic education, as a strategic pillar of moral governance. his studies assert that education in barmm should go beyond technical instruction to set in values of justice, dignity, and responsible citizenship. he further cites that moral governance is facilitated by participatory mechanisms that involve the youth in democratic processes, thereby strengthening ethical leadership from the grassroots. leadership compatibility also becomes a key focus. dimaro (2023) compares islamic and western leadership principles in barmm and observes areas of convergence, particularly in servant leadership and accountability. however, the region’s legal-moral philosophy, “what is legal is moral and what is moral is legal,” entails judicious institutionalization to ensure that moral principles do not outweigh pluralistic governance norms, mainly in a multifaith, multi-ethnic landscape. the implications of moral governance for work-life integration and human development are also apparent in the study of lampaco et al. (2024), who scrutinize how school supervisors under the ministry of basic, higher, and technical education (mbhte) employ pa ge 39 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 37-48, 2025 moral governance principles in dealing with professional and personal responsibilities. their findings indicate that moral leadership not only shapes public service but also impacts personal integrity and relational dynamics within government institutions. civic attitudes and political identity also contextualize moral governance. moner et al. (2024) find that stakeholders in barmm generally support the organic law for the region, admitting it as an embodiment of their long-standing struggle for just and moral leadership. biwang (2023) and khamis (2022) stress the relevance of cultural and religious identity in shaping moral governance. for them, the transition to autonomy is not merely administrative it is deeply tied to a moral reawakening grounded in bangsamoro identity and selfdetermination. despite these developments, scholars point to persistent gaps. the absence of measurable indicators for moral governance, limited civic education outreach, and political transitions pose serious challenges (yusof & bagolong, 2023; maboloc et al., 2024). furthermore, berowa (2023) highlights that governance frameworks in barmm often remain silent on the structured participation of youth, despite rhetorical commitments to inclusion and empowerment. the current literature clarifies that moral governance in the philippines, particularly in barmm, is both a normative goal and an ongoing institutional experiment. while it proposes an encouraging track toward restoring trust and transforming leadership, its implementation is filled with systemic, cultural, and educational challenges. future research should direct on developing assessment tools for moral governance performance, stimulating inclusive participation across all sectors, and infusing civic ethics in the educational curriculum. only through these bold and definite efforts can moral governance can evolve from mere expression into reality. methods and materials this section outlines the procedures and methods used to examine the relationship between the level of moral governance practices among education leaders and institutional outcomes in the basic education sector of barmm. research design the study employed a quantitative-correlational research design to determine how adherence to moral governance principles influenced educational outcomes among mbhte basic education leaders in barmm. aligned with creswell (2014) and fraenkel and wallen (2019), the research integrated descriptive, comparative, and correlational approaches. descriptive analysis considered the extent of moral governance practices; comparative analysis examined differences across divisions and respondent categories (supervisors, administrators, and teachers); and correlational analysis explored the relationship between moral governance practices and institutional outcomes, adhering to the suggestions of creswell and creswell (2018). research locale the study was undertaken in the bangsamoro autonomous region in muslim mindanao (barmm), focusing on 6 schools division offices (sdos) under the mbhte. these areas included: cotabato city, lanao del sur i, lanao del sur ii, maguindanao del norte, maguindanao del sur, and marawi city. data were gathered from key schools in each division to make sure the comprehensive representation. respondents of the study respondents included 6 schools division superintendents, and a total of 274 division learning area supervisors, planning officers, curriculum and instruction division chiefs, school-based management chiefs, division planning officers, school administrators, and teachers. teachers with at least three years of experience were chosen to ensure informed responses. these stakeholders were chosen due to their direct involvement in leadership, instruction, and policy execution. sampling techniques the study utilized a combination of probability and non-probability sampling modes. complete enumeration was applied to division-level officials, while purposive sampling identified 12 school administrators managing the largest elementary and secondary schools per division. teachers were selected via random sampling, limited to those with a minimum of three years in service. sample size was computed using a 95% confidence level, 5% margin of error, and 50% population proportion (calculator.net, n.d.). data gathering instruments two researcher-made survey questionnaires were used to gather the data necessary for this study. the first instrument measured moral governance practices in four dimensions, namely: (1) ethical decision-making (akhlaq), (2) transparency and accountability (mas'uliyyah), (3) justice (al-‘adl wal-ihsan), and (4) compassion and service (rahmah). the second tool evaluated institutional outcomes in terms of (1) stakeholder trust (amanah), (2) organizational performance (ibadah), and (3) policy implementation (mas’laha). both instruments utilized a 5-point likert scale ranging from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (5). to establish validity, these instruments underwent content validation by six experts in the fields of education and governance. following yusoff ’s (2019) framework in abc of content validation and content validity index calculation, the item-level content validity index (i-cvi) and scale-level content validity index (s-cvi) were computed. results revealed that all i-cvi and s-cvi values were equal to 0.83 or higher for the 2 instruments, pa ge 40 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 37-48, 2025 exceeding the recommended minimum threshold which indicates that the items and each instrument were considered valid and appropriate representations of the intended constructs. a pilot test was then administered to truly refine these instruments and fix their individual internal consistencies. using cronbach’s alpha reliability analysis, the results showed that all item-total correlations and the overall reliability coefficients of the first and second tools were 0.70 and above, meeting the generally accepted standard for reliability in social science and educational research (taber, 2018). these indices prove that the instruments were not only valid but reliable and consistent as well in measuring moral governance practices and institutional outcomes. data analysis the collected data were organized and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. means and standard deviations addressed levels of moral governance and institutional outcomes. multiple regression analysis tested the predictive ability of adherence to the various principles of moral governance towards institutional outcomes. in addition, one-way anova was performed to identify group differences across divisions and respondent types. significant results were further examined through post hoc tests (tukey’s hsd). besides, the alpha level of .05 was set in all hypothesis testing. ethical considerations this study was carried out in accordance with the ethical standards for human subject, as required under the data privacy act of 2012 (republic act 10173) and guided by internationally accepted ethical principles. before data collection, would-be respondents were provided with a clear orientation as regards the study’s objectives, procedures, possible risks, and expected benefits. informed consent was obtained voluntarily, with assurances that participation was completely optional and that participants reserved the right to decline or withdraw at any point of the research without penalty. to protect the rights and welfare of the respondents, the principles of respect for persons, beneficence, and justice (belmont report, 1979) were firmly observed. respect for persons was espoused by acknowledging participants’ autonomy and preserving their privacy through the use of coded identifiers rather than personal names. beneficence was upheld by reducing risks and guaranteeing that the data-gathering processes did not cause psychological or social injury. justice was shown in the fair treatment of all participants, ensuring that no group was unduly burdened from the benefits of the study. also, confidentiality was protected by securing all collected data in password-protected files accessible only to the researchers. hard copies were kept in safe storage. no personally detectable information was divulged in the reporting of findings. besides, adherence to university research protocols and ethical clearance procedures made sure that the study satisfied the conditions of both national and international standards of academic integrity (babbie, 2021; creswell & creswell, 2018). results and discussion table 1 reflects the extent of moral governance as practiced by basic education leaders in the barmm across 4 principles. table 1: level of moral governance of basic education leaders in barmm principles mean sd ethical decision-making (akhlaq) 4.30 0.43 transparency and accountability (mas'uliyyah) 4.19 0.53 justice (adlwa ihsan) 4.20 0.52 compassion and service (rahmah) 4.28 0.56 overall mean 4.24 0.41 note. n=280. scale used: 4.20-5.00 (very evident), 3.40-4.19 (evident), 2.60-3.39 (fairly evident), 1.80-2.59 (less evident), 1.00-1.79 (not evident) the practice of moral governance in the educational leadership landscape of barmm reveals the harmony between institutional decisions and actions with islamic ethical standards and universal moral values. rooted on the principles of akhlaq in leadership, mas’uliyyah, al-‘adl wal-ihsan, and rahmah, moral governance among basic education leaders was rated as very evident (m = 4.24, sd = 0.45). this finding means that leaders consistently apply moral and ethical standards in decision-making, institutional management, and stakeholder engagement, thereby embedding values-based governance in the daily operations of schools. to begin with, ethical decision-making surfaced as one of the strongest aspects, with a very evident rating (m = 4.30, sd = 0.43). leaders showed moral reasoning by integrating islamic principles into institutional decisionmaking. practices such as making dua before responding to school concerns and rejecting bribery and nepotism in adherence to qur’anic doctrines manifest a spiritually grounded leadership approach. the balance between ethical integrity and social responsibility was evident, particularly when prioritizing programs and guiding institutional development. these findings assert that school leaders consciously align their administrative choices with islamic virtues of kindness, fairness, and the pursuit of the common good. in a similar manner, transparency and accountability were detected to be evident (m = 4.19, sd = 0.53). leaders exhibited responsibility in resource management and personnel accountability, mainly in adhering to legal and moral standards. slightly lower ratings in areas such as financial transparency and communication processes show opportunities for strengthening consistency. however, initiatives such as fostering benevolence (ihsan), carrying out islamic symposia on anti-bullying, pa ge 41 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 37-48, 2025 and nurturing a supportive school culture demonstrate leaders’ active efforts to nurture an ethical climate in education. similarly important, justice also got a very evident rating (m = 4.20, sd = 0.52), which means leaders’ commitment to fairness, equality, and inclusivity. data reflected that school leaders uphold human rights, make sure gender inclusivity, and decide conflicts based on islamic law. they despise gossip, promote equitable opportunities regardless of religion or ethnicity, and use evaluation mechanisms to assess both strengths and weaknesses fairly. these practices collectively enrich an institutional culture of equity and accountability. furthermore, compassion and service appeared as another strong dimension of moral governance (m = 4.28, sd = 0.58). leaders revealed empathy and inclusivity by sustaining mental health programs, addressing the needs of indigenous peoples and learners with disabilities, and keeping religious practices. their collaboration with local government units to bolster institutional capacity and prioritization of public welfare over minority interests illustrate a service-oriented leadership rooted in iba’dah (worship). the promotion of moral values and faith formation among students and personnel further emphasizes leadership that is deeply founded in mercy and humanity. taken together, these high ratings across all dimensions explain that moral governance in barmm schools is framed within an integrated ethical paradigm that standardizes islamic principles with responsive educational leadership. the relatively low variability in responses (sd = 0.41) features the reliable application of these principles across schools and divisions. such consistency upholds that spiritual guidance, justice, service, and accountability are not just motivated but are operationalized in daily leadership practice. the findings validate previous works that contextualize moral governance in barmm as both a philosophical commitment and a socio-political imperative. yusof and bagolong (2023) claim that moral governance represents a paradigm shift envisioned to rise above the region’s history of political malpractice, providing the moral foundation for ethical leadership. likewise, dimaro (2023) stresses that leadership in barmm is equated as amanah (sacred trust), necessitating integrity, accountability, and justice. this cultural-religious orientation expounds why ethical decision-making and compassion emerged as the strongest indicators in the present study. along this, lampaco et al. (2024) noted that supervisors in mbhte-barmm promote work ethics, professional collaboration, and value-driven planning practices consistent with the moral governance framework and essential for cultivating trust in fragile communities. likewise, isa et al. (2024) noted that moral governance is facilitated through administrative empowerment, particularly by allowing school heads greater authority in decision-making, thus encouraging accountability and alertness. on a broader scale, maboloc et al. (2024) argued that barmm’s moral governance blueprint broadens personal ethics, encompassing structural and policylevel reforms that standardize justice, inclusiveness, and service delivery. finally, as khamis (2022) pointed out, barmm’s educational agenda cannot be separated from its autonomy movement and struggle for socio-political identity. therefore, moral governance among school leaders not simply guarantees ethical administration but also signifies the region’s collective goal to restore legitimacy and reframe governance on the essentials of integrity, justice, and service. table 2 displays the institutional outcomes in basic education in the barmm measured in terms of stakeholder trust, organizational performance, and policy implementation. the primary result of the assessment divulged a high level table 2: level of institutional outcomes in mbhte’s basic education dimensions mean sd stakeholder trust (amanah) 4.09 0.49 organizational performance (ibadah) 4.16 0.48 policy implementation (mas’laha) 4.21 0.46 overall mean 4.15 0.44 note. n=280. scale used: 4.20-5.00 (very high), 3.404.19 (high), 2.60-3.39 (moderate), 1.80-2.59 (low), 1.00-1.79 (very low) of institutional outcomes as a result of moral governance in barmm’s basic education sector (m = 4.15, sd = 0.44). this finding indicates that stakeholders, leadership practices, and policy implementation processes commonly operate within a framework of ethical, accountable, and spiritually-centered governance. moreover, the high rating reflects the sector’s strong allegiance to values attached to islamic principles, particularly in matching institutional processes with the aims of stakeholder engagement, performance excellence, and ethical policy enforcement. this general finding is held by three dimensions, each assisting uniquely to the perceived institutional strength. policy implementation (mas’laha) achieved the highest level of outcomes (m = 4.21, sd = 0.50), showing the leaders’ dedication to ethically driven policies. this commitment is apparent in the proactive conduct of orientations and consultations, the alignment of recovery interventions with long-term development plans, and the constant communication of policy modifications. moreover, the integration of moral principles into the school’s operational climate and the systematic integration of stakeholders in policy monitoring manifests an institutionalized culture of fairness, inclusivity, and collective welfare. nevertheless, areas for improvement remain, mainly in strengthening stakeholder participation in feedback practices to ensure that policy changes are designed by broad-based insights. closely related to policy implementation is organizational performance (iba’dah), which also produced high outcomes (m = 4.16, sd = 0.48). the results confirm pa ge 42 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 37-48, 2025 that institutional performance is driven by the principle of worshipful service, where professionalism is directed by moral and spiritual values. such assurance is obvious in the integration of ethics into instructional supervision, performance evaluation, and resource use. the institution’s emphasis on employee well-being and work–life balance also implies that organizational performance outdoes task execution, entrenching a spiritual dimension into leadership and management. yet, indicators linked to resisting corruption and nurturing moral leadership denote the need to extend the practice of iba’dah in administrative decision-making, ensuring that performance is often associated with integrity and ethical standards. completing these results, stakeholder trust (amanah), although rated slightly lower (m = 4.09, sd = 0.49), shows the relational foundation of moral governance. trust was proven through stakeholder satisfaction and loyalty, displayed in participation in brigada eskwela, resource mobilization, and recognition of institutional achievements. tangible measures such as transparency boards and communication platforms also reinforced accountability and openness. conversely, the relatively limited engagement of stakeholders in planning, budgeting, and decision-making implies an area for growth. while trust is already well instituted, it could be further supported by assisting stakeholders to assume more strategic and decision-oriented roles in governance. concisely, the high institutional outcomes offer strong proof that moral governance in mbhte’s basic education institutions is dynamically operationalized. this institutional strength suggests the ministry’s enduring efforts to deliver balanced, inclusive, and quality education in line with the bangsamoro education code and the larger desires of the bangsamoro people. these findings verifies those of umpara et al. (2024), who found that successful policy implementation in barmm is dependent on the concerted governance, effective communication, and extensive stakeholder participation. equally, hasim et al. (2022) cited that administrative capacity and strategic leadership are essential to sustaining organizational effectiveness, which looks consistent with the current high ratings for policy implementation, performance, and trust. more contextual evidence supports this interpretation. ahmad (2017) stated that institutional reforms, such as those advocated by mbhte, prosper when stakeholder perspectives are incorporated and performance-based structures are created. in a similar vein, hairal–ismael and jawali (2024) cited that transparency, trust-building mechanisms, and responsiveness to community needs are indispensable for achieving positive educational outcomes like in complex regions like barmm. table 3 reports the multiple regression analysis that tested the predictive relationship between moral governance indicators and institutional outcomes. the model yielded an r² of 0.579, which means that approximately 57.9% of the variance in institutional outcomes can be explained table 3: the results of multiple regression analysis between moral governance and institutional outcomes predictors estimate (β) se t p intercept 0.67 0.19 3.59 < .001 ethical decisionmaking 0.21 0.05 3.92 < .001 transparency and accountability 0.24 0.04 5.73 < .001 justice 0.13 0.04 3.11 0.002 compassion and service 0.24 0.04 6.12 < .001 note. r2=0.579, f(4, 275)=94.4, p<.001 *p<.05. by the combined influence of the four predictors: ethical decision-making, transparency and accountability, justice, and compassion and service. the overall regression model is statistically significant, f(4, 275) = 94.4, p < .001, indicative that moral governance dimensions collectively serve as strong predictors of institutional outcomes. moreover, each predictor variable shows a statistically significant positive relationship with institutional outcomes, as indicated by the p-values all being below 0.05. notably, compassion and service (β = 0.24, t = 6.12, p < .001) and transparency and accountability (β = 0.24, t = 5.73, p < .001) manifest the strongest standardized effects, indicating that institutions that promote compassion and uphold accountability are more likely to realize favorable outcomes. likewise, ethical decisionmaking (β = 0.21, t = 3.92, p < .001) and justice (β = 0.13, t = 3.11, p = .002) significantly contribute to the enhancement of institutional performance, although to a slightly lesser degree. the regression equation based on the unstandardized coefficients is as follows: ŷ = 0.67 + 0.21x1 + 0.24x2 + 0.13x3 + 0.24x4 where, ŷ = predicted institutional outcomes x1 = ethical decision-making x2 = transparency and accountability x3 = justice x4 = compassion and service to apply this model, let us assume a hypothetical institution (i.e. a schools division or a school) with the following mean ratings (on a standardized scale) for the dimensions of moral governance: ethical decision-making (x1) = 3.5 transparency and accountability (x₂) = 4.0 justice (x₃) = 3.2 compassion and service (x₄) = 4.1 substituting these given values into the regression equation: ŷ =0.67+(0.21×3.5)+(0.24×4.0)+(0.13×3.2)+(0.24×4.1) ŷ = 0.67 + 0.735 + 0.96 + 0.416 + 0.984 ŷ = 3.765 obviously, the predicted institutional outcome score is 3.765, indicating a relatively high institutional pa ge 43 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 37-48, 2025 performance, which aligns with strong practices in moral governance. in view of the foregoing result, the value of compassion and service in determining institutional outcomes supports the claim of lampaco et al. (2024), who pointed out that supervisors’ capacity for empathy, time management, and care-driven leadership amplifies job satisfaction and overall performance. this is very crucial in barmm, where schools confront systemic stressors and entail leadership grounded in service. correspondingly, dimaro (2023) noted that islamic moral leadership that is directed on service to the ummah and communal welfare was strongly related with improved organizational performance in the region. in addition, transparency and accountability also significantly predicted institutional outcomes, which validates the findings of yusof and bagolong (2023). they upheld that institutional trust in barmm is largely reinstated through visible and verifiable actions of moral governance, which fight out corruption and policy ineptitude. consistent with these claims, isa et al. (2024) stressed that responsible leadership practices among school heads are indispensable in transforming administrative empowerment into better educational results. the significance of ethical decision-making in this study sustains the claim of paglala et al. (2023) that strategic planning and values-based leadership strongly link with effective governance. in the context of barmm’s culturally sensitive education system, decisions that support both islamic ethics and participatory principles boost legitimacy and stakeholder engagement. likewise, pelaez and amilhamja (2024) stated that ethical leadership in muslim organizations raises an internal culture of trust, causing performance stability even amid resource constraints. while justice yielded the smallest coefficient among the predictors (β = 0.13, p = .002), it remained a significant factor. its role is essential in contexts such as barmm, where historical gripes and structural disparities must be attended to safeguard educational inclusivity. the study of hasim et al. (2022) noted that equitable resource allocation and the enforcement of just policies advance not only performance outcomes but also student morale and engagement in muslim-majority schools. the overall inference is also averred by baylon et al. (n.d.), who pointed out that while school-based management structures contribute to performance; it is the interplay of multiple governance elements including moral dimensions that influence transformative outcomes. moreover, sinsay-villanueva et al. (2025) declared that quality assurance in education count on leadership’s ability to institutionalize values like integrity, service, and transparency. the present findings denote that institutional outcomes in barmm’s basic education system can be meaningfully improved by sustaining moral governance, principally through the nurturing of empathetic leadership and transparent administrative systems. these results entail a desire for professional development programs that integrate ethical and faith-based governance principles with modern school management approaches. given the predictive power of these moral constructs, mbhte and other educational authorities in barmm would gain from embedding these values into leadership standards, evaluation frameworks, and capacity-building initiatives. strengthening moral governance is not only a cultural necessity in the bangsamoro context but also an empirical lane to securing stakeholder trust, effective organizational performance, and effective policy implementation. comparison of moral governance practices according to schools division table 4 provides the results of a one-way analysis of variance (anova) performed to test whether the level of moral governance practices significantly differs across the six schools divisions within the barmm. the schools divisions included in the analysis are cotabato city, lanao del sur i, lanao del sur ii, maguindanao del norte, maguindanao del sur, and marawi city. the dependent variable is the mean score of moral governance practices as perceived by the respondents among basic education leaders in each division. the analysis showed no statistically significant differences table 4: one-way anova results for moral governance practices by schools division schools division n mean sd df₁ df₂ f p cotabato city 56 4.16 0.43 5 274 1.70 .136 lanao del sur i 54 4.16 0.40 lanao del sur ii 34 4.27 0.37 maguindanao del norte 37 4.29 0.41 maguindanao del sur 53 4.33 0.42 marawi city 46 4.29 0.38 note. *p < .05. in the perceived moral governance practices across the six schools divisions in barmm, f(5, 274) = 1.70, p = .136. this means that school leaders including teachers across these divisions generally perceive similar levels of adherence to moral governance principles, with mean ratings ranging from 4.16 to 4.33 on the scale used. although maguindanao del sur reported the highest mean (m = 4.33, sd = 0.42) and cotabato city and pa ge 44 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 37-48, 2025 lanao del sur i the lowest (m = 4.16), these differences were not large enough to reach statistical significance. once more, this finding is consistent with the broader aspirations and evolving administrative culture in the barmm, where initiatives have been made to advocate and institutionalize moral governance across all levels of bureaucracy (yusof & bagolong, 2023). the relatively high and consistent ratings of moral governance practices could be interpreted as a reflection of shared administrative values cultivated through the ministry of basic, higher and technical education’s (mbhte) reforms, leadership development initiatives, and regionwide emphasis on ethical governance. conversely, it is also imperative to contextualize these results in light of documented challenges in the region. in a study, isa et al. (2024) found out the persistent bureaucratic and empowerment issues among school heads, especially in conflict-affected provinces like sulu. even though these issues may not pointedly change perceptions of moral governance, they may slightly affect how policies are legislated and received on the ground. additionally, findings from lampaco et al. (2024) on supervisors' work-life approaches and administrative pressures suggest potential stressors that could impact how governance is experienced, even when moral ideals are publicly upheld. in addition, umpara et al. (2024) noted discrepancies in resource distribution and training implementation across divisions, which may further complicate efforts to promote uniformly high standards of moral governance. considering tana’s (2023) account of the peace legacy in mindanao, the thrust for moral governance stays interrelated with bigger socio-political questions, including leadership transitions, unending corruption, and calls for better autonomy. consequently, while quantitative similarity is noted in the perception of governance practices, qualitative distinctions like local leadership credibility, decision-making autonomy, and community engagement, may still vary considerably and merit potential exploration. ultimately, even if no significant differences were uncovered among schools divisions in the perception of moral governance practices, the high mean scores across the board stipulate an encouraging trend toward ethical leadership. yet, this statistical consistency should not hide the primary regional disparities and implementation barriers identified in barmm literature, which sustain to figure out how moral governance is permitted at the grassroots level. comparison of moral governance practices according to respondent types to examine whether significant differences exist in the perceptions of moral governance practices among different types of education stakeholders in the bangsamoro autonomous region in muslim mindanao (barmm), a kruskal-wallis h test was conducted. the groups compared include the schools division superintendents, division supervisors, teachers, and school administrators. given the distribution nature of the data after a shapirowilk normality test, the kruskal-wallis tool was deemed appropriate to assess group differences. table 5 presents the descriptive statistics and test results. the kruskal-wallis h test exhibited a statistically table 5: results of kruskal-wallis test of moral governance practices by respondent types types n mean sd χ² df p schools division superintendent 6 4.62a 0.29 20.20 3 < .001* division supervisors 73 4.38a 0.48 teachers 186 4.18b 0.35 school administrators 15 4.16b 0.50 notes: *p<.05. means with common superscripts are comparable. significant difference in perceptions of moral governance practices among the four respondent groups, χ²(3) = 20.20, p < .001. post hoc analysis revealed that schools division superintendents (m = 4.62) and division supervisors (m = 4.38) reported significantly higher perceptions of moral governance practices than teachers (m = 4.18) and school administrators (m = 4.16). these findings reveal the presence of perceptual stratification, with those occupying higher administrative positions reporting more satisfactory assessments of moral governance. the findings of hasim and guiamalon (2022) showed that while school heads are expected to model ethical leadership, their effectiveness is often constrained by limited administrative autonomy and resources. teachers, on the other hand, frequently encounter inconsistencies between governance policies and the realities of classroom implementation, which may explain their relatively lower ratings. also, isa et al. (2024) found that school leaders in barmm face systemic limitations that hinder effective participatory governance. their study suggests that without mechanisms for shared decision-making, frontline educators are less likely to feel that governance practices reflect their lived experiences, an insight that is reflected in the lower ratings given by teachers and school administrators in the present study. ocampo and buenviaje (2024) also cited that central office leaders, including superintendents, work within a more controlled environment of compliance and strategic alignment, which may promote an overstated perception of governance efficiency compared to those at the implementation level. the main inference of this result is the serious need pa ge 45 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 37-48, 2025 to bridge the perceptual and experiential gap between leadership and implementation levels within the educational governance framework. the obvious higher ratings among superintendents and supervisors mean a top-down perspective that may not fully reveal the operational challenges faced by teachers and school heads. this disparity could weaken the legitimacy and sustainability of moral governance if frontline stakeholders feel overlooked or ignored. thus, institutional reforms that stimulate inclusive dialogue, feedback loops, and participatory policy development are essential. setting in moral governance more deeply into the everyday realities of all educational actors needs not just strong leadership but also collaborative structures that corroborate and respond to the diverse perspectives within the system. institutional outcomes by schools division to test whether institutional outcomes significantly differed across schools divisions in the barmm, a kruskal-wallis h test was made. the test was chosen considering the presence of non-normal distributions. table 6 summarizes the number of respondents (n), means, standard deviations (sd), test statistic (χ²), degrees of freedom (df), and p-value across the six schools divisions. the results of the kruskal-wallis h test indicate statistically significant differences in institutional outcomes across table 6: results of kruskal-wallis test of institutional outcomes by schools division division n mean sd χ² df p marawi city 46 4.25a 0.45 12.30 5 0.03* maguindanao del sur 53 4.23a 0.53 maguindanao del norte 37 4.20ab 0.41 lanao del sur ii 34 4.17ab 0.44 lanao del sur i 54 4.08b 0.39 cotabato city 56 4.04b 0.38 note. *p<.05. means with common superscripts are comparable. the six schools divisions in the bangsamoro autonomous region in muslim mindanao (barmm), χ²(5) = 12.30, p = .03. post hoc analysis showed that marawi city (m = 4.25) and maguindanao del sur (m = 4.23) received significantly higher ratings compared to lanao del sur i (m = 4.08) and cotabato city (m = 4.04). these differences disclose that perceptions of institutional outcomes are not evenly distributed across divisions and may be affected by local leadership, administrative practices, and contextual factors. institutional outcomes in basic education within barmm are best outlined around three interrelated dimensions: stakeholder trust, organizational performance, and policy implementation. these components are fundamental to building strong and responsive education systems in post-conflict and culturally diverse regions. higher ratings in divisions like marawi city and maguindanao del sur hint relatively stronger stakeholder trust. this trust, as yusof and bagolong (2023) once more explain, is developed through moral governance, which centers on ethical leadership, accountability, and public service rooted in islamic values. such governance frameworks help legitimize institutional actions and raise confidence among parents, teachers, learners, and community members. beyond trust, organizational performance also plays a crucial role in forming views of institutional success. the study by dimaro (2023) shows the synergy between islamic leadership values and effective administrative practices, citing that when leadership is grounded in moral responsibility, better performance outcomes are more likely. likewise, isa et al. (2024) note that administrative empowerment, especially at the level of school heads, contributes significantly to the achievement of educational goals. enabled leaders can make timely decisions, guarantee efficient resource allocation, and organize support from both internal and external stakeholders, all of which enrich overall performance. the role of ethical leadership in prodding institutional unity and productivity is further supported by cabasag and barillo (2024), who asserted that ethical supervisors motivate organizational citizenship behavior among staff. in such atmospheres, personnel go beyond their formal roles, driven by a common commitment to organizational objectives. as a result, this raises morale and enhances the quality of service delivery. these leadership dynamics, when regularly employed, produce positive organizational outcomes that stakeholders can notice and value. equally vital is policy implementation, which determines how institutional goals are operationalized on the ground. lower ratings in some divisions may point to challenges in executing education policies, primarily those related to teacher deployment, curriculum rollout, or localized interventions. pelaez and amilhamja (2024) claim for a systematic evaluation of organizational processes to ensure that policy directives translate into quantifiable actions and improvements. divisions lagging in this respect may face systemic obstructions, such as limited technical capacity or uneven access to resources, which deter effective implementation. the contextual backdrop of barmm also figures out how institutions function and are perceived. berowa (2023), and tagorda and magno (2023) aver that educational strategies in the region must incorporate pa ge 46 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 37-48, 2025 peacebuilding and civic engagement to nurture inclusive development. divisions that have incorporated these relevant approaches seem to achieve higher stakeholder satisfaction, probably due to the alignment of institutional actions with community desires. conversely, divisions that have yet to fully localize these strategies may struggle to achieve the same level of trust and responsiveness. furthermore, the changing profile of public service in barmm particularly the integration of former combatants into governance roles also adds a unique dimension to institutional dynamics. pandan et al. (2024) cite that the effective reintegration of these individuals, reinforced by moral education and leadership training, leads to administrative stability and public confidence. divisions where this transition has been smoother could enjoy more organized institutional cultures, which in turn positively influence stakeholder perceptions of trust, performance, and policy effectiveness. these findings suggest the necessity for context-specific governance strategies targeted to the distinct realities of each schools division. while some divisions have demonstrated promising results, others need unique and responsive interventions focused on strengthening leadership capacity, enhancing community engagement, and streamlining policy implementation. as suggested by pelaez and amilhamja (2024), a region-wide organizational assessment can work as a helpful tool to identify strengths and address gaps. through such evidence-based schemes, the ministry of basic, higher, and technical education (mbhte) can conceive interventions that promote equity and excellence across all divisions. by and large, the significant variations in institutional outcomes across barmm divisions imply the importance of leadership ethics, administrative capacity, and culturally rooted policy implementation in advancing the goals of basic education. building stakeholder trust, uplifting organizational performance, and ensuring the effective rollout of education policies are not just desirable outcomes since they are essential pillars for the continuous transformation of the region’s basic education system. conclusion this study sought to determine the extent to which moral governance, as exhibited by basic education leaders in barmm, influences institutional outcomes. it was confirmed that all four principles of moral governance, namely: ethical decision-making, transparency and accountability, justice, and compassion and service, significantly predicted institutional outcomes. among these dimensions, compassion and service, as well as transparency and accountability, showed the strongest consequences proving that moral leadership practices are crucial determinants of effective governance and performance in the region’s basic education sector. further, it was revealed there are significant differences in the perceived practice of moral governance and institutional outcomes across respondent types and schools divisions, though not uniformly. schools division superintendents conveyed significantly higher levels of moral governance compared to teachers and administrators, indicative of perceptual variations that may show gaps in policy communication, implementation consistency, or leadership modeling. differences in institutional outcomes across divisions also indicate contextual variations that deserve intended interventions. despite these discerning findings, the study has important limitations. first, the sampling technique relied on non-probability sampling, which may restrict the generalizability of results across the broader barmm population. the sample, although diverse in role and division, may not entirely characterize all voices within the educational leadership structure, particularly in geographically isolated areas or schools divisions located outside mindanao. second, the scope of the study was kept to basic education leaders and excluded other stakeholders such as learners, parents, or community leaders, whose perceptions and experiences could deepen the understanding of institutional outcomes. third, the use of structured survey questionnaires even validated simply captured self-reported practices and perceptions, which are often prone to response biases. to respond these limitations, future studies should consider stratified random sampling to ensure reasonable representation, and apply mixed-method approaches, integrating interviews, document analyses, and longitudinal tracking of performance metrics to validate and contextualize findings. expanding the scope to include multiple stakeholders and other outcome indicators like student achievement, dropout rates, and community engagement would somehow provide a more holistic assessment. overall, this study attests that moral governance is not simply an ethical imperative but a statistically essential sphere that nurtures institutional trust, operational performance, and successful policy implementation in barmm's basic education sector. encouraging a more inclusive, squarely distributed, and responsive adherence of moral governance principles across all leadership levels is important for upholding organizational integrity and pursuing educational transformation in the region. references amil, a. c. (2024). implementation of sdg 16: peace, justice, and strong institutions in the philippines: status, collaborative efforts, and prospects. proceedings of the international conference on public administration and governance. https://jurnal.untirta.ac.id babbie, e. r. (2021). the practice of social research (15th ed.). cengage learning. bangsamoro parliament. (2021, july 31). principles and practice of moral governance in the bangsamoro. https:// prls-parliament.bangsamoro.gov.ph/2021/07/31 berowa, i. n. (2022). bangsamoro construct of participatory governance: the youth in the governance framework of barmm. environment and pa ge 47 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 37-48, 2025 society journal. berowa, i. n. (2023). fundamentals of peace education: civic education and peacebuilding in barmm. in environmental issues and social inclusion in a global context. taylor & francis. biwang, m. s. (2023). bangsamoro identity: its role in the mindanao conflict and the peace process [master’s thesis, mf norwegian school of theology, religion and society]. cabasag, r. c., & barillo, e. j. (2024). organizational politics, ethical leadership, and organizational citizenship behavior of faith-based institutions in northern mindanao, philippines. daengku: journal of humanities and social sciences innovation, 4(1), 182–192. https://doi.org/10.35877/454ri.daengku2447 calculator.net. (n.d.). calculator.net: free online calculators – math, fitness, finance, science. https://www.calculator.net creswell, j. w., & creswell, j. d. (2018). research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). sage publications. dimaro, m. e. (2023). islamic leadership in barmm, philippines: compatibility with western leadership and effects on organizational performance. ieeesem journal. enriquez, a. l., & esteban, f. (2024). ethical governance and participative democracy: westminster for democracy (wfd) and its initiatives in the bangsamoro autonomous region in muslim mindanao (barmm). assemblea journal. https:// assembleajournal.org harrison, j. s., & wicks, a. c. (2013). stakeholder theory, value, and firm performance. business ethics quarterly, 23(1), 97–124. https://doi.org/10.5840/ beq20132314 isa, j. g., madjid, j. a., & abdurahman, n. j. (2024). administrative empowerment vis-à-vis school heads' decision-making: the case of mbhte sulu, barmm, philippines. ignatian international journal for multidisciplinary research, 2(3). kagawa, m. (2022). uneven peace infiltration: two case studies of rebel-led community peace initiatives in the bangsamoro. in rethinking political violence (pp. 309–337). palgrave macmillan. https://doi. org/10.1007/978-3-030-67288-1_11 khamis, a. (2022). the bangsamoro: a search for autonomy in an era of contested priorities and global changes—implications for education for all [doctoral dissertation, aga khan university]. lampaco, a. t., naga, m. s. m., guimba, w. d., & daguisonan, l. b. (2024). a qualitative study on mbhte-barmm supervisors’ approaches to achieving work-life responsibilities. education quarterly reviews, 7(1). maboloc, c. r. b., matura, a. e., quintero, a., & domingo, l. (2024). an ethical development framework for the future of the bangsamoro. researchgate. https:// www.researchgate.net maboloc, c. r., lidasan, m., limba, m., & others. (2025). unveiling structural poverty in muslim mindanao: focus on power dynamics and economic injustice. philippine journal of social and political thought. https:// journal.usep.edu.ph manzano, c. m. (2025). good governance practices in selected local government units: a moral lens. philippine journal of public administration. moner, y. p., ali, s. a. a., & manala-o, s. d. (2024). attitudes of stakeholders towards the organic law for the barmm. cogent social sciences. taylor & francis. national commission for the protection of human subjects of biomedical and behavioral research. (1979). the belmont report: ethical principles and guidelines for the protection of human subjects of research. u.s. department of health and human services. https://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/regulations-and-policy/ belmont-report ocampo, d. j., & buenviaje, j. (2024). basic education in the philippines. in handbook on education in southeast asia. springer. pandan, j. p., sabijon, d. f., & sagayno, r. (2024). give change a chance: lived experiences of moro rebels turned public servants. international journal of law and governance, 4(2). https://al-kindipublishers.org republic act no. 10173, data privacy act of 2012. (2012). official gazette of the republic of the philippines. https://www.privacy.gov.ph/data-privacy-act/ ricaplaza, m. c. b., & quines, l. a. (2022). the mediating effect of work ethics on the relationship between authentic leadership of school heads and task performance of public school teachers. american journal of multidisciplinary research and development, 4(6), 45–52. salasain, a. a. m. (2025). perspectives on peace education of muslim scholars and educators in sulu, philippines. international journal of multidisciplinary: applied business and education research. https://ijmaberjournal.org sali, a. h. a., & marasigan, a. c. (2020). madrasah education program implementation in the philippines: an exploratory case study. international journal of comparative education and development, 22(1), xx–xx. https://emerald.com salip, f. g., & quines, l. a. (2023). the mediating effect of emotional intelligence on the relationship between authentic leadership and organizational climate among public school teachers. american journal of multidisciplinary research and development, 5(2), 22–31. sinsay-villanueva, l. m. v., garcia, g. d. v., & lim, v. l. (2025). mapping excellence in teacher education: the role of centers of excellence in teacher quality. econstor. https://econstor.eu tagorda, y. a., & magno, f. a. (2023). bangsamoro youth in peacebuilding: contributions, opportunities, and challenges. in bridging peace and sustainability amidst global challenges. springer. tana, m. t. c. (2023). duterte’s peace legacy in mindanao: achievements, challenges, and prospects. in southeast pa ge 48 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 37-48, 2025 asian affairs (pp. 254–267). tersona, r. c., & lagura, d. r. g. b. (2023). servant leadership of unit heads, workplace spirituality and ethical climate: a structural equation model on public service motivation. the international journal of business management and technology, 7(3). https://theijbmt.com yusof, n., & bagolong, s. (2023). the administration of moral governance in the bangsamoro autonomous region in muslim mindanao government. jpair multidisciplinary research, 53(1), 196-235. pa ge 1 pa ge 37 american journal of education and technologies (ajet) ict application knowledge of center of excellence graduates towards the covid-19 pandemic romelyn lagura1, gaylord brent rabang2, love joy pascua3* volume 1 issue 1, year 2022 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i1.338 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: june 22, 2022 accepted: july 10, 2022 published: july 13, 2022 while covid-19 pandemic creates a great impact on the global economy, it also force all the educational institutes across all countries, including philippines to shut down. but learning and sharing of knowledge must not be compromised so eventually, the great significance of technology has taken into consideration. online learning is not new but this pandemic situation makes it a substitute of the face to face learning. with the arising demand of competence in ict and the goal to make learning more convenient, interesting and globally-competent, this led the researchers to conduct a study on the knowledge on ict applications among teachers graduated from a center of excellence institution. this study determined if teachers are familiar or even use applications and the functions it has. these applications are commonly used for teaching and commonly found on microsoft software. the respondents are limited to only teachers who acquired 10 (ten) years and above teaching experience who may either be a teacher of any position, teaching inclusive in private and/ or public elementary, secondary, tertiary schools education but graduated from a center of excellence institution in ilocos norte. the study made use of the descriptive survey form of research in which data gathered was tabulated and analyzed to answer the problems of the study. the result shows that graduates from the center of excellence institution who are ten (10) years in service are least knowledgeable in application on data bases and most knowledgeable in word processing, this is due to the fast changing flow of technology and the course offerings before are no longer in use as of today. this will give an impact that center of excellent institutions should continuously serve the teachers in the field so that they will be updated with the latest trends in the teaching technology. keywords information and communication technology, center of excellence, teachers, ict applications, knowledge 1 mariano marcos state university , philippines. 2 ilocos sur national high school-senior high school, philippines. 3 department of science and technology-science education institute, philippines. * corresponding author’s e-mail: lovejoy.pascua@gmail.com introduction while covid-19 pandemic creates a great impact on the global economy, it also force all the educational institutes like schools, colleges and universities across all countries, including philippines to shut down. but learning and sharing of knowledge must not be compromised. eventually, educational institutes and other organizations have found alternative ways and taking in the great significance of technology for a continuous teaching and learning. slowly students, teachers, and administrators were able to adapt in the new educational setting. online learning is not new but this pandemic situation makes it substitute of the face to face learning. thus, online programs is not an option but is a necessary. the vast change of time brought a lot of breakthroughs. in medicine, infrastructures, to people themselves, it has been evident that we vary far from our primitive times. living in this generation became more work-easy compared to the handier and manual in labor work force before. communication was nearly inaccessible, calls and letters overseas takes unbearable days to reach message. diseases remain uncured and now we all have the means. for once there were humankind who lived in a world of limited information, in here we live its abundance. technology was the major breakthrough, thus as time changes, it continued to flourish. technology as means to alleviate quality output, to heighten accuracy of production and ease tremendous work load. technology, its development and widespread use has branched out its influence to a lot of fields. apparently, technology aids education. as a proof, countries see information and communication technology (ict) as potential tools for change and innovation in education and is used widespread almost in all schools also taken up as a subject by students. we do not know what education in the future will look like. nevertheless, it is possible to outline scenarios and to formulate expectations. from previously conducted scenario-studies, politics appear to have deduced a sort of idealized image of future education in which ict is integrated completely. an image in which, for example, ict is used for communication between students and teachers, in which internet, laptops and simulations are being used and (consequently) in which a variety of learning environments are possible. teacher-centered and whole-class instruction is no longer the dominant teaching method. other essential points are the booms in the field of ict and the large availability of information. as a result, there will be less time for passing on information in education (jager et al., 1999). on a study conducted by ghavifekr et.al, 2015, on teaching and learning with ict tools: issues and challenges from teachers’ perceptions it suggests that the key issues and challenges found to be significant in using ict tools by teachers were: limited accessibility and network connection, limited technical support, lack https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i1.338 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= mailto:lovejoy.pascua%40gmail.com?subject= pa ge 38 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(1) 37-40, 2022 of effective training, limited time and lack of teachers’ competency. all teachers are obliged to use icts in teaching and learning in the networked, knowledge-based society regardless of their geographical location, age, gender and socio-economic background. the nature of the 21st century learners demands that teachers integrate icts into pedagogic activities in order to prepare them for 21st century citizenry and the future workforce. the behavioristic, constructivist and connectivist learning theories and the network society theoretical framework provide space for embedding icts for teaching and learning. a thorough study of the three paradigms revealed that no learning theory is better than the others in terms of including icts for teaching and learning. the reviewed literature endorses the use of icts in education by various nations of the world to the benefit of both teachers and learners. the effective and creative implementation of icts creates better opportunities for teaching which are deemed important in this new era. in spite of the positive side associated with ict integration in teaching and learning, literature documents conditions that hinder full utilization of icts by teachers. when it is true that ict aids teaching and learning, it will be difficult to achieve it ideally when the teachers we expect to have it implemented, can’t or are not capable of using ict in class. the philippine government has shown its serious commitment to ict in education. its initiatives to apply ict in teaching and learning were aligned to the millennium development goals and the education for all movements. as one of the evidences, as of december year 2016, department of education delivered a total of 53,785 dcp packages have been delivered—46,440 of which were delivered to elementary school recipients and 7,345 to secondary school recipients. deped computerization program (dcp) raises the information communication technology (ict) literacy of learners, teachers, and school heads by integrating ict in the school system, and by providing computer laboratory packages to secondary schools and e-classroom to elementary schools nationwide through this program. under the dcp, schools receive information technology (it) equipment such as host personal computers, terminals, laptops, projectors, uninterruptible power supplies, automatic voltage regulators (avr), and other network accessories. training on simple trouble shooting is also given to the beneficiaries. as such, we cannot deny the fact that even though all supplies and equipment are given, not all students especially teachers know how to use such. in the study of dickerson, l., & pritchard, w (1981), found that only 39% of the 3, 800 teachers surveyed agreed that their own teacher training had adequately prepared them to use computers in instruction. this goes to show that not all teachers are knowledgeable with computers. knowledge to ict always has indicating factors, and in a school, teachers are classified in age brackets and their years of teaching experience. it is observed especially in a public school setting that not all students could use a unit of a computer in the ict room, as well as teachers still stick to their traditional approach of using manila papers and series of lecture and discussion method which is far away from the goal of the department. with the arising demand of competence in ict and the goal to make learning more convenient, interesting and globally-competent, this led the researchers to conduct a study on the knowledge on ict applications among teachers. this study is believed to determine if teachers who graduated from center of excellence institution are familiar or even use applications and the functions it has. these applications are commonly used for teaching and commonly found on microsoft software. this study aimed to determine the knowledge on ict applications among teachers who graduated from center of excellence institution. this study aimed to determine the knowledge on ict applications among teachers who graduated from center of excellence institution. specifically, this study sought answers to the following questions: 1. what is the profile of the respondents in terms of the teaching position? 2. what function do teachers find most and least difficult on the following applications: a. word processing; b. internet; c. file navigation; d. e-mail; e. presentations; f. spreadsheets; and g. data bases? 3. what is the ict application teachers are least and most knowledgeable of? methodology the study made use of the descriptive survey form of research data used gathered, tabulated and analyzed to answer the problems of the study. according to anyog 2009, the descriptive method of research is good in gathering evidence related to current or present conditions concerning the nature of a group of persons, number of objects, or a class of events. the researchers made use of the purposive random sampling. respondents with 10 years and more teaching experience were selected randomly from different locations regardless of gender and age in which the respondents use ict for classroom. thirty two (32) respondents(14 child development teachers, 14 teacher iii, 3 master teacher i and 1 instructor iii) where participants of the study. this study used the checklist questionnaire as data gathering instrument adopted from teacher ict skills: evaluation of the information and communication technology knowledge and skill levels of western australian government school teacher (https://drive.google.com/ open?id=1rrz1ags_wma5fagwvs8kmz5j8waypzui). https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 39 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(1) 37-40, 2022 the questionnaire is divided into seven categories and each category has different functions where one can perform. frequency count and percentage were used to describe the respondents of the study and the breakdown of respondent’s knowledge on a function per application, knowledge of respondents per ict application, mean was used to determine the over-all knowledge of respondents per application. obtained by summation of percentage divided by, mode was used to identify the ict application teachers’ over-all least and most knowledgeable ict application. results and discussion most respondents are knowledgeable on creating a new document, print, and opening a new document having a percentage of 97% or 1 out of 32 respondents is not knowledgeable among the three functions said. while using mail merge got the lowest frequency with only 15 out of 32 saying they don’t know how to merge mails or incorporate letters through a data base in a word document. figure 1: profile of the respondents figure 2: knowledge of teachers on ict application specifically in word processing. figure 3: knowledge of teachers on ict application specifically in using internet. 91% of the respondents are capable of doing basic searches in the internet. saving images and text came the second function they know in the internet with 81% respondent said they are knowledgeable. respondents are least knowledgeable in altering browser preferences and organizing favorites and bookmarks with only five respondents who said they know how 31 out of 32 figure 4: knowledge of teachers on ict application specifically on file navigation. respondents are knowledgeable in saving files and in creating and naming of new folders having the most knowledgeable function on file navigation. while 27 respondents said that they do not know how to navigate into a network. 28 respondents also said that they are knowledgeable in doing complex searches for files and in zipping and unzipping of files. figure 5: knowledge of teachers on ict application specifically on e-mailing. on e-mailing, respondents’ most knowledgeable skill is creating and sending e-mail with 26 as frequency followed by accessing e-mail account as 78% of the respondents say know how to. the least skill they know was setting up a discussion list with 30 of the respondents said they don’t know how. figure 6: knowledge of teachers on ict application on making a presentation. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 40 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(1) 37-40, 2022 majority of the respondents at 26 out of 32 has knowledge on creating a new slide, changing font and layout and printing handouts. adding navigation button had the least frequency with only 2 followed by creating original master with only 7 respondents knowledgeable about it and using master slide function with only 25% of the respondents who has knowledge on it. figure 7: knowledge of teachers on ict application on spreadsheet most of the respondents know how to enter data on an existing spreadsheet as 27 respondents have confirmed. applying complex formulae (with 25 respondents), using data filter (24 respondents) and importing and exporting of data were the skills/functions the respondents are non-knowledgeable of. figure 8: knowledge of teachers on ict application on databases. 21 out of 32 respondents affirmed to know about creating simple tables for database. while using wizards to create forms, sub-forms or portals, using relational databases, creating and using parameter queries were the least to be known by the respondents having 9% or 3 out of 32 in frequency. it shows on the chart that respondents are most knowledgeable on word processing as it accumulated 79% mean percentage. this implies that respondents are able to perform the functions of the application and know figure 9: summary of the knowledge of the respondents on ict application. how it is manipulated. while data bases show the least knowledgeable application is on data bases with only 21% mean percentage. this has obtained lowest because as implied, it isn’t much necessary on teaching or rather complicate to manipulate. it showed similarity on the same study undertaken by west australia government that word processing has the highest usage rate of 98% while also same as the least used is on databases with usage rate of 30%. conclusion the result shows that graduates from the center of excellence who are ten (10) years in service are least knowledgeable in application on data bases and most knowledgeable in word processing, this is due to the fast changing flow of technology and the course offerings before are no longer in use as of today. in relation to this result, these technologies require technical knowledge hence, the higher the level of knowledge on ict, the higher its level of use in education. moreover, teachers were unable to utilize and maximize the opportunities of ict resources. it also shows that they are comfortable with the traditional way of teaching methods and materials therefore are not ready with the required ict competencies in the new normal. recommendations this study will give an impact that the center of excellence institutions should continuously serve the teachers in the field so that they will be updated with the latest trends in the teaching technology. therefore, teachers especially for those with more teaching experience in the field need to be identified and provided with specially designed training programs, in various forms of ict trainings and workshops. this will meet their specific needs and help them develop technological and pedagogical knowledge to equip and enable them navigate these software in their teaching with ease. furthermore, suggestions for further research are highly encouraged. research activities that could examine the impact of other possible variables such as teachers’ actual experiences, attitudes and cultural effect in ict. references ghavifekr, s. & rosdy, w.a.w. (2015). teaching and learning with technology: effectiveness of ict integration in schools. international journal of research in education and science (ijres), 1(2), 175-191. jager, a. k. & lokman a. h. (1999). “impacts of ict in education. the role of the teacher and teacher training”, paper presented at the european conference on educational research, lahti, finland, 22-25 september, 1999 teacher ict skills: evaluation of the information and communication technology knowledge and skill levels of western australian government school teacher. retrieved from https://drive.google.com/open?id=1rrz1ags_ wma5fagwvs8kmz5j8waypzui. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 28 american journal of education and technology (ajet) the usefulness of interactive whiteboards in efl language centers: a technology acceptance model approach souad belabcir1* volume 4 issue 4, year 2025 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v4i4.5971 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: august 17, 2025 accepted: september 25, 2025 published: october 21, 2025 the use of interactive whiteboards (iwbs) in english language teaching has gained great interests in many countries. teachers are utilizing this technological tool for various pedagogic purposes and in numerous teaching contexts, for its positive effect on students’ engagement and motivation. yet, some teachers are still sceptical about the use of iwbs in their classes because of their beliefs and attitudes towards its real usefulness in the classroom. as a matter of fact, this shapes their teaching practices and governs their integration of information and communication technologies (ict). against this backdrop, this quantitative case study aims to investigate the perceptions of moroccan efl teachers regarding interactive whiteboards in terms of ease of use, usefulness and user acceptance in the english highway language centre (eh). the data was collected through the administration of a close-ended questionnaire to moroccan efl teachers in the same school. then, the data was analysed through the statistical package for the social sciences (spss), in the form of descriptive statistics notably frequencies and percentages. results revealed that moroccan efl teachers working in the eh have positive perceptions towards the use of interactive whiteboards (iwbs) in terms of ease of use, usefulness and user acceptance. keywords efl language centers, efl teachers, interactive whiteboards, ict, technology acceptance model (tam) 1 school of arts and humanities, meknès, moulay ismail university, morocco * corresponding author’s e-mail: s.belabcir@edu.umi.ac.ma introduction the use of technology in efl (english as a foreign language) classrooms has evolved along with the approaches, methods and techniques of english language teaching and learning, also with the great advancements in the field of technology that serve educational purposes and objectives. although some researchers have raised certain critical points towards the use of technology in teaching and learning english, its effect has been heavily investigated by researchers, to affirm that there is an indirect positive impact of the integration of information and communication technology (ict) on the teaching and learning process of english in efl and esl (english as a second language) teaching contexts (hubbard, 2009). many of the technological devices and gadgets invented were associated with the educational field to facilitate the achievement of educational outcomes (barcena et al., 2014; saree et al., 2017; munoz-luna et al., 2018). the english industry has helped in providing the access to these inventions to institutions, educators, teachers and students. one of the main inventions are interactive whiteboards (iwbs) described as “touch-sensitive new generation boards controlled by a computer that is connected to a digital projector” (saltan & arslan, 2009). iwbs are used in a variety of settings including classrooms at all levels of education. in many countries, teachers have begun to use this instructional tool in elementary, middle, high-schools and universities (li, 2018). however, many institutions in morocco are not equipped with these devices, the fact that, deprive both teachers and students from the advantages and facilities these tools offer to support the teaching and learning of english (belmekki & ibrahimi, 2014; hajji, 2018). the use of interactive boards in teaching english as a foreign language especially in english language centres has been slightly investigated in morocco. that is why, the following study investigates the perceptions of efl teachers of interactive whiteboards in terms of usefulness, easiness of use and acceptance of use taking the english highway language centre (eh -meknes) as a case study. generally, documents begin with an introduction. it contains a brief idea of the work, the requirement for this research work, the problem statement, and the author’s contribution to their research. adequate latest reference citations should be included for showing the prevailing challenges and importance of recent work. this section should be concise, with no subheadings unless unavoidable. state the objectives of the work and provide an adequate background related to your work, avoiding a detailed literature survey or a summary of the results. literature review computer assisted language learning (call) technology and its affordances affected all areas in science and changed people’s lifestyle. information and communication technologies are the one thing and so the repertoire of technologies expands further to encompass computers and computer-related products, email, mms, and other forms of communication (finger et al., 2007). the invention of computers had an impact on individuals’ personal and professional life, and a great impact on the educational field in terms of how information can be created, exploited, stored, and transferred. this has led to pa ge 29 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 28-36, 2025 the emergence of computer assisted language learning (call) in the early 1950s, as one of the most influential approaches to ict integration in language teaching. it was inspired by the huge change in technology and the language learning approaches and methods. besides, it has taken different labels: intelligent computer assisted learning (icall), computer assisted instruction (cai), technology enhanced language learning (tell) and others but was defined as computer assisted language learning (call) “a process of language learning during which learners use computers and, as a result, improve their language proficiency” (beatty, 2003). the history of call could be divided to three main stages the behavioristic call, the communicative call and the integrative call. the first behavioristic phase was a result of the application of the principles of behaviorism in education 1960-1970, it claimed that repeated exposure to the same material is beneficial for students to learn and it considered computers as the best tools to provide repeated practice in individualized basis allowing students to learn at their own pace and to free up class time for other activities (warshauer, 1996). the second phase (communicative call), emerged as a result of the revolution in language teaching in the 80s with the influence of cognitive and humanistic psychology that led to the rising of the communicative language teaching (clt). in addition to that, the affordances of personal computers (pcs) in education initiated the creation of software packages to develop students’ communicative competence. during this phase, computers were used as a means not only to provide practice and stimulate discussions, writing and critical thinking activities but to use and understand language through affordances like online dictionaries (warshauer, 1996). the third phase (integrative call), was initiated by two revolutionary technological advancements in the 90s, multimedia and the internet. affected by the principles of constructivism and socio-cultural theory, call integrated language skills (reading, listening, speaking and writing) at the level of the 5th skill by incorporating different technological devices in language teaching and learning. the main focus of this phase was to support the shift from teacher centered to student centered learning, in which students are more active and more responsible for their learning. relatedly, multimedia has played a great role to achieve the integrative goals through the variety of media it offers (text, graphics, sound, animation, video). hence, a more authentic learning environment was created to enable students to use different learning strategies to control their pace and rate of learning. call is used to support language learning using a wide range of technological devices, applications and environments, that if used appropriately, can promote the teaching and learning english in different contexts. in this regard, many devices can be used such as personal digital assistants (pda), laptops, smart phones, mp3s, interactive white boards and others. there are also technological applications and software packages like word processors, media production and presentation programs, in addition to technological environments of the world wide web and all its affordances (blogs, online dictionaries, wikis, corpora and others) (stroo et al., 2018). eventually, learners can have access to various materials and activities that can raise their motivation to learn the language and increase their learning efficiency and effectiveness, which brings about institutional efficiency (hubbard, 2009). interactive whiteboards (iwb) in foreign english language teaching and learning an interactive whiteboard is a touch-sensitive screen that works in conjunction with a computer and a projector. the computer images are displayed on the board by a digital projector, where they can be seen and manipulated. users can control software from the computer and from the board as well. by using his or her finger or a pen as mouse, the teacher or student can run applications directly from the board. additionally, it can be used to save, print out and distribute input like notes or drawings to different group members (northcote et al., 2010). the use of interactive whiteboards in efl teaching and learning the academic literature about iwbs is limited, and has emerged very slowly, but there are a number of reports and summaries of small-scale action research projects conducted by teachers, schools and higher education institutions in the uk, usa, canada and australia (smith & miller, 2005). these studies highlight the positive effect of using interactive whiteboards (iwbs) in english language teaching particularly in foreign english classrooms. it has proved to be an exciting and fun device to integrate in the teaching of english classrooms, motivating students and promoting their enthusiasm for learning (bacon, 2011). in addition to that, iwbs account for the diversity of learning styles in the classroom and can be used in different learning environments (chapell, 2003). interactive whiteboards are used in ways that promote effective interaction between teachers, students and technology to foster english language learning. iwbs have different types of usage but among these we can mention the following (smith et al., 2005; luo et al., 2023). • manipulate texts and images • make notes in digital ink • viewing websites in group • create digital lesson plans with templates, images and multimedia • write notes on educational videoclips • use presentation tools included in iwbs software • showcase students’ presentations in literature, studies on iwbs were investigated under two main categories: “interactivity and participation” and “effectiveness and efficiency” (saltan & arslan, 2013). the two are extremely interlinked since increase of students’ interaction and engagement leads to effective and efficient language teaching and learning, as clearly illustrated in the following graph. pa ge 30 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 28-36, 2025 figure 1: the synergy between effective language teaching and learning and student’s engagement educators can use digital resources while maintaining dynamic interaction with the entire class. they can provide computer-based learning without isolating students and encourage a higher level of student’s engagement in both teacher-directed and group-based exchanges. iwbs promote interaction between teachers, students and the learning materials, providing a large work space for handson activities with multimedia resources (reed, 2001). substantially, the use of this technological device enhances active learning by engaging students in the learning process through stimulating their use of effective cognitive and learning strategies to enhance their self-regulated language learning. as research indicates, the functionality of interactive whiteboards and its accompanying affordances permit the development of classroom activities that increase the opportunities for classroom interaction and the use of a variety of strategies to accelerate the rate of learning and to achieve the established learning outcomes efficiently and effectively. teachers’ and students’ perceptions of iwbs many studies were conducted to assess iwbs effectiveness in foreign english classrooms, but also to investigate teachers’ and students’ perception towards these technological devices. research claimed that teachers and students have overall positive perceptions and attitudes towards iwbs and they consistently report high levels of enthusiasm for the iwb technology. they like iwbs and claim that they feel comfortable using it. furthermore, they believe that it is a very innovative and powerful support for language acquisition and has a best supplementary function in promoting language proficiency as a beneficial teaching tool (saltan & arslan, 2013; huseiyn oz, 2014). likewise, students found that iwbs are interesting because they are engaging and offer various multimedia aspects. students also reported iwbs improve instruction through enhanced visuals and notes (firman, 2007). other researches confirmed that teachers with many years of experience had more favorable perceptions than less experienced ones, and that teachers who use the iwbs frequently have more positive perspectives on the use of iwb technology. in the same vein, studies revealed that the more students get involved with the iwbs, the more their perceptions change favourably (huseiyn oz, 2014). conversely, some studies have highlighted the shortage of iwbs in many english classrooms and the need to make teachers aware of iwb’ potential during the efl lessons to integrate iwb for classroom teaching and learning purposes. additionally, research has pointed out to the technical and pedagogical difficulties that the use of iwbs pose for both learners and teachers, thus, it appears that teachers require additional professional and technological training to guide their learners in the use of iwbs. schools’ administration should have also a clear vision concerning the regular use of interactive whiteboards in the classroom by providing periodical pedagogical support for teachers and sufficient professional courses to upskill teachers in integrating this technology effectively during language teaching and learning (kamini & maslawati, 2020). in morocco, there is a lack of research investigating the use of interactive whiteboards in foreign english language teaching classes due to the absence of this tool in many moroccan primary, secondary and high schools. classrooms need to be equipped with iwbs in order to bring a new, fun and exciting experience of english language teaching and learning. educational policies, school administrations, curriculum, syllabus designers, and educators should facilitate the access to such innovative technological devices and encourage their use in the language teaching and learning process to meet students’ needs and interests that match the economic and the digital demands of this globalized world. the purpose of the study the purpose of this research is to investigate moroccan efl teachers’ perceptions of interactive whiteboards (iwbs) in terms of usefulness, easiness of use and acceptance of use, taking the english highway language centre (eh-meknes) as a case study. research questions the current research strives to answer the following research questions: 1. to what extent do efl teachers in the english pa ge 31 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 28-36, 2025 highway language centre (eh) perceive of the iwbs as useful? 2. to what extent do efl teachers in the english highway language centre (eh) perceive of the iwbs as easy to use? 3. to what extent do efl teachers in the english highway language centre (eh) accept to use the iwbs? hypotheses hypothesis 1: moroccan efl teachers at the english highway language center (meknes) perceive iwbs as useful, easy to use and they accept to use them regularly. hypothesis 2: moroccan efl teachers at the english highway language center (meknes) perceive iwbs as not useful, not easy to use, and they do not accept to use them regularly. materials and methods research method and design the research adopted a quantitative research method making use of numerical data to investigate the extent to which moroccan efl teachers in the english highway language center have positive perceptions towards iwbs use in efl classrooms. consequently, the data gathered through a face-to-face questionnaire was entered and codified in spss (statistical package for social sciences) for the processing and analysis of data. the type of statistical analysis employed is descriptive, utilizing frequencies and percentages. the research design has followed a case study design to investigate moroccan efl teachers’ perceptions of iwbs in the english highway language center. case studies are widely used in research for being economical, time and energy saving, and also thanks to their ability to describe the opinions, attitudes, experiences and other characteristics of a group of individuals or an entire population (creswell & creswell, 2018). the researcher selected the english highway language center as a research site because it provides real technological affordances that are lacking in other institutions in meknes. it comprises 26 classrooms all equipped with iwbs and a fast connection to the internet, which allows teachers and students to benefit from a rich content in multimedia and in the web. moreover, it has numerous computer work stations for students to work on and practice to develop their english language learning. thus, the teachers working in this center are surrounded by a wide large of digital choices to improve students’ learning and to increase their teaching quality. sampling procedures in quantitative research, it is generally recommended to use probability sampling, but when using a case study as a research design, other sampling methods are possible. the study used one of the most popular non-probability sampling methods in social sciences, namely purposive sampling. purposive sampling is the specific technique of selecting participants based on a set of criteria that serve the research questions and objectives (creswell, 2014). purposive sampling can be highly effective in exploring lived experiences that have to do with an intuitive approach. it is used in case studies because it allows the selection of information-rich cases for in-depth study (albert et al., 2010; dudovskiy, 2017). it is also used to have access to a particular subset of people because they fit a particular profile, in this case, this subset comprises n=30 moroccan efl teachers working in the english highway language center. research instrument the study has used a close-ended questionnaire to collect numerical data to save effort and time, and most importantly to collect data from teachers at their convenience. according to rogers (1995), the theory of ‘diffusion of innovation’ established the foundation for conducting research on innovation acceptance and adoption, as a result the questionnaire used was adapted from technology acceptance model (tam) (davis, 1989). this latter has been one of the most influential models of technology acceptance, with two primary factors influencing an individual’s intention to use new technology: perceived ease of use (peu) and perceived usefulness (pu), and that lead to user acceptance (ua). results and discussion the data collected through questionnaires was analyzed through the spss (statistical packages for the social sciences) to provide descriptive statistics that correspond to the research questions and objectives. the population studied include all teachers working in the center (n=30), and who exhibit different age categories, educational backgrounds and professional experience distributed as follows: demographic information included gender distributed as presented in the following graph (graph2). this latter, shows the distribution of males and females among the research participants; there is a clear gender unequal distribution in terms of percentages since males represent (83.3%) while females represent only (16.7%). in other words, females are underrepresented in this research compared to males. as the study included all teachers working in the english highway language center, this variable could not be controlled. when investigating moroccan efl teachers’ educational backgrounds, the data analysis revealed that they have different educational degrees in various fields. the degrees range from bachelors of art to ph.d. in various specialty areas like applied linguistics, literature, english language teaching, and culture, communication and gender studies. teachers in the english highway language center teach different levels starting from beginners to advanced, which increases their adaptability and flexibility concerning the selection of materials and resources, activities, and methods. another variable studied is moroccan efl teachers’ teaching experience, and how this affects their perceptions of iwbs. table 1. represents the teaching years of pa ge 32 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 28-36, 2025 experience of teachers in eh (meknes). as clearly shown (53.3%) of the teachers inquired have more than ten years of experience, (16.7%) have between 4-6 years and (13.3 %) have 6-8 years. hence, most of the teachers working in the english highway language center have a longtime experience in teaching efl. figure 2: the distribution of gender in the study table 1: teachers’ teaching experience teaching experience frequency percent valid 0-2 1 3,3 2-4 2 6,7 4-6 5 16,7 6-8 4 13,3 8-10 2 6,7 10+ 16 53,3 total 30 100,0 table 3: the percentage of moroccan efl teachers who received a formal training on iwbs usage formal training frequency percent valid yes 23 76,7 no 7 23,3 total 30 100,0 total 30 100,0 table 4: the number of training hours received by moroccan efl teachers on iwb usage hours of training frequency percent valid 0-2 2 6,7 2-4 2 6,7 4-6 6 20,0 6-8 2 6,7 8-10 3 10,0 10+ 8 26,7 total 23 76,7 missing system 7 23,3 total 30 100,0table 2: moroccan efl teachers’ years of experience using iwb experience with iwbs frequency percent 0-2 3 10,0 2-4 8 26,7 4-6 6 20,0 6-8 4 13,3 8-10 5 16,7 10+ 4 13,3 total 30 100,0 table 2 demonstrates teachers’ years of experience using iwbs in class. (26.7%) of the teachers questioned have 2-4 years of iwbs usage in class, (20 %) have 4-6 years, (16.7%) have 8-10 years, and 13.3% have more than 10 years of teaching english with the interactive whiteboards. eventually, moroccan efl teachers in the english highway language center have a good acquaintance with using the iwbs in their english classrooms and that will certainly affect their perceptions and attitudes towards its usefulness. the tables (3 and 4) represent the percentage of teachers who received formal training on how to use the interactive whiteboard and the number of hours. as presented in the first table, 76.7 % of teachers received formal training while 23.3% did not. concerning the number of training hours, the second table show that among those who received formal training, 26.7 % had more than 10 hours training, 20% had between 46 while 10 % had between 8-10 hours. concerning the type of iwbs training received, the researcher proposed three types of formal training received by teachers; tool focused (training on how to physically use the iwbs), curriculum focused (training on how to integrate the tool into the curriculum) and both tool and curriculum focused training. 43.3% of the teachers who had formal training on iwbs, received both tool and curriculum-based training while 33.3% received tool focused training (table below). when asked about the additional trainings teachers would like to receive, 43.3% of teachers think that no additional trainings are needed. however, 33.3% think they need additional tool and curriculum focused training, while pa ge 33 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 28-36, 2025 13.3% think they need additional tool focused training (table 6). teachers’ perceptions of interactive whiteboards perceived usefulness (pu): to investigate the usefulness of interactive whiteboards for moroccan efl teachers at the english highway language centre -meknes, the first subscale included 6 items to examine the perceived usefulness (pu) of iwbs in english classrooms. this latter is one of the main elements of the technology model of acceptance (tam). based on the table below, the highest mean 1.80 in q4 (using the iwb enhances my effectiveness on the job). the second highest mean is 1.63 in q3 (using the iwb increases my productivity). the standard deviation ranges from 0.379 to 0.718 indicating a narrow spread around the mean. consequently, moroccan efl teachers at the english highway language centre perceive of the usefulness of iwbs in enhancing their effectiveness on the job and their productivity. table 5: the type of iwb training received by moroccan efl teachers at eh type of training frequency percent valid tool focused 10 33,3 tool and curriculum focused 13 43,3 total 23 76,7 missing system 7 23,3 total 30 100,0 table 6: the type of additional trainings that efl teachers would like to receive additional training frequency percent valid tool focused 1 3,3 curriculum fofocused 4 13,3 both 10 33,3 none 13 43,3 total 28 93,3 missing system 2 6,7 total 30 100,0 table 7: teachers’ perceived usefulness (pu) of iwbs perceived usefulness n mean std. deviation q1 30 1,17 ,379 q2 30 1,37 ,615 q3 30 1,63 ,890 q4 30 1,80 ,761 q5 30 1,40 ,621 q6 30 1,37 ,718 valid n (listwise) 30 table 8: teachers’ perceived ease of use (peu) of iwbs perceived ease of use n mean std. deviation q1 30 1,77 1,357 q2 30 1,77 1,223 q3 30 5,70 1,803 q4 30 1,60 1,248 q5 30 1,87 1,224 q6 30 1,57 1,223 valid n (listwise) 30 perceived ease of use (peu) the second subscale examined is the perceived ease of use (peu). the highest mean 5.70 is attributed to q3 (interacting with the iwbs is often frustrating), (50%) pa ge 34 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 28-36, 2025 of the teachers questioned disagreed with this item, (66.7%) think they find the iwb easy to use (q5) and it was easy for them to become skilful in using the iwb (q6). the standard deviation ranges from 1.223 to 1.803 which means there is a wide spread between the mean. eventually, moroccan efl teachers in eh think of iwbs as easy to use. user acceptance (ua) the third subscale examined is the acceptance of use (au), (90%) of the teachers use the iwbs every session (q1), (86%) use it for different purposes (q2) and (86.7%) recommend its use to other teachers (q6). on the other hand, (53.3%) disagree with the idea that they cannot teach without using the iwbs. as a matter of course, moroccan efl teachers at eh accept to use the iwb regularly but they affirmed that they can teach without it. the standard deviation ranges from 0.935 to 2.111 which means there is a wide spread in means between q1 and q6. table 9: teachers’ acceptance of use (au) of iwbs acceptance of use n mean std. deviation q1 30 1,23 ,935 q2 30 1,30 ,988 q3 30 1,27 ,944 q4 30 1,97 1,273 q5 30 1,97 1,377 q6 30 5,40 2,111 valid n (listwise) 30 the quantitative data analysis following the technological acceptance model (tam), has permitted to confirm hypothesis 1, moroccan efl teachers at the english highway language centre perceive iwbs as useful, easy to use, and they accept to use them regularly. the results have shown that efl teachers of the english highway centre have positive perceptions of the iwbs (interactive whiteboards), but many variables contribute to shape their beliefs and attitudes. the technology acceptance model (tam) tested two specific beliefs: perceived usefulness (pu) and perceived ease of use (peu). perceived usefulness is the potential user’s subjective likelihood that the use of a certain system will improve his/her action, whereas perceived ease of use is the degree to which the potential user expects the target system to be effortless (davis, 1989), and that lead to the acceptance of use (au) which entails using the tool regularly for different purposes and recommend it to others. the teachers questioned have expressed their positive perceptions towards the usefulness of iwbs by affirming the role of iwbs in doing tasks quickly, improving the job performance, increasing productivity and effectiveness. subsequently, they consider iwbs useful tool devices to use in teaching english as a foreign language. concerning the ease of use, many disagreed with the idea that the interaction with iwbs is a frustrating one. the majority found that iwbs easy to use and that it helps them to become skilful in using them. similarly, when measuring teachers’ acceptance of use, (90%) affirmed that they use iwbs every session and for different purposes. therefore, (86.7%) recommended the use of iwbs in english classrooms. however, (53.3%) disagreed with idea that they cannot teach without the iwbs. teachers consider iwbs as technological facilitating tools that help in increasing the quality of teaching and learning, but they believe they are also able to teach effectively without them. the belief of the person towards a system may be influenced by other factors referred to as external variables in tam (davis, 1989). substantially, many the variables investigated could have affected teachers’ perceptions of interactive whiteboards. the fact that males constitute (83.3%) of the sample questioned could be one factor that intervened with the result, since that literature has always pointed out to the relationship between gender and the use of technology in education. a number of studies asserted that male instructors might have greater expertise and feel more confident in the use of technology than females. female teachers are more likely to have a student-centred overall concept of teaching (zhu & xu, 2007). additionally, males rated their knowledge and experience with some innovative technologies higher than did females (spotts et al., 1997). these findings could be justified because gender imbalances in computing are socially constructed and not related to a learner’s innate ability (yau & cheng, 2012). as a consequence, gender may affect teachers’ perceptions and their integration of technology in the english classrooms. other factors such as the teaching experience with and without the use of iwbs can affect teachers’ perceptions of iwbs use in english classrooms .since a considerable percentage of the teachers questioned (53.3%) have more than 10 years of experience teaching english , it was found that the experienced teachers’ most prominent reason to start integrating technology in the classroom, was the search for quality in education (sokiar & kabakci, 2017).the relationship between experience and the use of technology can take different forms, still in this case it influence moroccan efl teachers’ perceptions positively. pa ge 35 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 28-36, 2025 additionally, moroccan efl teachers’ at eh have a good experience using iwbs in english classroom. the shortest experience using iwbs is 2 years with the percentage of 10%, and the longest is more than ten years with the percentage of 13.3%. literature confirmed that teachers with many years of experience have more favourable perceptions towards iwbs than less experienced, and that teachers who use iwbs frequently have more positive perspectives on the use of iwbs technology (oz, 2014). the regular use of iwb increases teachers’ confidence to manipulate this device and raises their preparedness to integrate it in supporting the language teaching and learning process. teachers’ professional development is also one of the factors that promote the use of technology in the classroom. the study revealed that (76.7%) of the teachers questioned received trainings to use iwbs while (23.3 %) did not. two types of trainings were proposed: tool and curriculum focused trainings. (43.3%) of teachers affirmed they received both types of training, whereas (33.3%) received only tool focused training that do not emphasize the integration of technology in the curriculum. when asked about the need for an additional training, (43.3%) of teachers confirmed no need for additional training while (33.3%) believe they need additional training in both types (tool and curriculum focused trainings). as stated by previous research, training with iwbs has the potential to be a booster for education by positively impacting engagement learning, and interaction, its greatest benefit may be its ability to not only encourage teachers to get on the technology movement, but give them the confidence to take the reins and implement iwbs in their own classrooms (hayes, 2010). besides, both types of training (tool and curriculum focused) are needed to enhance the effective iwbs implementation in english classrooms in order to join the technical to the pedagogical aspects of ict integration. the quantitative analysis of the questionnaire has not only enabled to identify the positive perceptions of moroccan efl teachers in the english highway language center (eh-meknes) with regard to the perceived usefulness and ease of use of iwbs, but also to shed light on different factors that affect teachers’ attitudes towards the integration of technology in language classrooms. implications and recommendations the findings had significant implications on the educational and institutional policies adopted in language centres, which contributes in promoting ict integration in foreign english classrooms in morocco: • schools should be equipped with necessary technological devices such as the iwbs to enhance students’ motivation and engagement to learn. • teachers should benefit from tool and curriculum focused trainings to use technology effectively and to promote their professional development. • a gender approach needs to be taken into account when hiring teachers in language centres to sustain gender equity. • coordination and cooperation between experienced and novice teachers is essential to pass on knowledge and experience. • teachers need to create a professional community that aims to improve the quality of teaching and learning and to prevent any mismatches between technology and pedagogy. • technical assistance should be provided to teachers and students whenever needed to avoid any inconvenience during courses. with respect to future research, further research is needed to investigate other variables that affect teachers’ ict integration perceptions and practices in specific teaching contexts, to bridge the gap between theory and practice and increase the effectiveness of ict integration in english language teaching. conclusion the study was conducted to investigate moroccan efl teachers’ perceptions of interactive white boards (iwbs) in the english highway language centre (ehmeknes) in terms of perceived usefulness, ease of use and user acceptance. the study revealed that teachers in the english highway language centre have positive perceptions towards interactive whiteboards that lead them to accept the regular use of iwbs for different purposes. however, the study uncovered many of the variables that contributed to the formation of these perceptions and attitudes, in particular, gender, teaching experience, and professional development opportunities. references abhhussein, j., & dahir, w. 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(1997). higher education, 34(4), 421–436. technology acceptance model (n.d.). in foundations of educational technology. https://open.library. okstate.edu/foundationsofeducationaltechnology/ chapter/2-technology-acceptance-model/ zhou, g., & xu, j. (2007). adoption of educational technology: how does gender matter? education and information technologies, 19(2), 140–153. pa ge 1 pa ge 95 american journal of education and technologies (ajet) home-based learning interventions of science teachers in the absence of laboratory experiments liza s. gapasin1, janice b. manongsong1, ali e. tukuran1, lean cornette s. rodriguez1, jovie c. alquizar1, nasrudin s. manial1, zairin a. amba1, jolai g. bolaños1*, honeylyn m. mahinay1 volume 1 issue 2, year 2022 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i2.593 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: september 14, 2022 accepted: september 19, 2022 published: september 24, 2022 the research aimed to determine the learning interventions of science teachers in the absence of laboratory experiments during pandemic which is vital to teachers and learners. a semi-structured in-depth clinical interview was performed which involved direct questioning using open-ended and/or probing questions and the observations of the science teachers regarding their learning. it was conducted at notre dame of midsayap college to science teachers that was currently teaching in this institution. in gathering data, researchers used convenience sampling method based on the participants’ availability and their in-depth interview responses were collected from six science teachers. findings revealed that science teachers used home-based experimentations as learning interventions. science teachers find it more convenient to have home-based experimentation because the materials are easy to find in their homes. however, internet connection and availability of the materials are most common problem as the teachers did the home-based experiment. therefore the researchers concluded that the participants of this study used home-based experiment in teaching science during in the absence of laboratory activities. it significantly impacts to the teachers as their interventions to provide quality education to the learners. keywords home-based experimentation, learning interventions, laboratory experiment, interventions, laboratory 1 notre dame of midsayap college midsayap, north cotabato, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: jolaigarcia30@gmail.com introduction the pandemic brought an accelerated change to the curriculum content delivery methods (tongco et al., 2020). covid-19 pandemic affected the educational system specifically in the field of science courses. traditional learning change due to the current issues, it was transformed as the distance learning. this new way of learning brought by pandemic emphasized that teachers have a big role to be an effective educator. conversely, science teachers encountered difficulties in teaching science subjects, especially in online learning class, because of the laboratory experimentation activity. this limits the capacity of teachers to guide students learning through experimentation and hands-on activities (pingol et al., 2015). science is best taught by experimental learning through the use of hands-on activities (tongco et.al., 2020). the best way in teaching science subjects was taught by experimental learning through the used of hands-on activities. the absence of laboratory experimentation can brought negative impact to both teachers and students. in 2020, the covid-19 became an international problem, in which an at home laboratory program was developed and implemented for a section of general chemistry course at the university of southern california. the experiment was designed to only utilize safe household items and no special equipment. these laboratory activities spanning 4 weeks, focused on concepts usually covered in the final one third of the second-semester chemistry laboratory, including ph, acid base titrations, buffer, solubility, phase equilibria, and thermodynamics (andrews et al., 2020). in the philippines, to respond the absence of laboratory experiments during pandemic, de la salle university, has turn to incorporate the remote learning. however, became a challenge for stem-related disciplines, particularly laboratory course work. in the midst of a pandemic, simulations and movies have been used to supplement actual laboratory work and provide high-quality learning (pacifico & prudente 2021). in line with this, the researchers studied and identified the interventions, of the teachers that they used to alleviate the absence of laboratory experiments. by this intervention, it can served as a tool to every science teacher as an additional strategy in their online classes specifically in the field of science subject. statement of the problem this study focused on the learning interventions of science teachers of notre dame of midsayap college, in dealing the absence of laboratory experiments. specifically, it aimed to answer the following questions: 1. what are the learning interventions of science teachers in dealing with the absence of laboratory experiments? 2. how did the teachers apply these learning interventions in their classes? 3. what are the problems that the teachers encountered in applying these learning interventions? delimitation and limitation of the study in this study, the researchers determined the learning interventions of science teachers in the absence of laboratory experiments by surveying six (6) science teachers as the participants. the study was limited only among the science teachers in notre dame of midsayap college. https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i2.593 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= mailto:jolaigarcia30%40gmail.com?subject= pa ge 96 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 95-98, 2022 methodology the qualitative method was designed in conducting the study. qualitative research designed involves any research that uses data that do not indicate ordinal values (ryan et al. 2001). it sought to interview the science teachers on what are their learning interventions in the absence of laboratory experiment. research environment the study was conducted through individual interviews. interviews was conducted in a closed room for the researchers to gathered clearer and accurate data. sampling design the researchers used convenience sampling method to gather samples by taking samples that are conveniently located around the area of the study. the sample of the population used reflects those who were available, agreed to participate and had access to at the moment in time to be part of the study. thus, the researchers conducted the study using the said sampling method by gathering their opinions regarding the study. research locale and respondents the research was conducted in notre dame of midsayap college, poblacion 5, midsayap, cotabato. this was conducted during the second semester of the school year 2021-2022. the participants were six (6) college teachers of notre dame of midsayap college. research instrument the researcher used semi-structured in-depth clinical interview questionnaire, which involved both direct questioning using open-ended and or probing questions and also the observations of the science teachers with regards to their learning interventions. the researchers used different sources of data and data gathering instruments which are categorized into two groups. primary data the primary data was gathered through the interview which were conducted individually per participant, secondary data secondary data was taken from other sources such as previous studies and researches. data sources qualitative researchers collected data from the participants which are the science teachers. this study was conducted through in-depth interviews with individual participants. data gathering procedure the researchers observed the school protocols before gathering data. the researchers prepared a letter for the dean of college of education informing about the research study and prepared a survey questionnaire and have it validated wherein it will be our guide in conducting an interview to the participants. the researchers prepared and administered an informed consent to the respondents to inform them ahead of time and schedule their interview on their most convenient time. and participants were interviewed individually. trustworthiness of the study to establish the trustworthiness of the study, the researchers observed its four components. these are following: credibility, transferability, dependability and conformability. credibility to establish the credibility of our study, the researchers ensured the rigor will be properly observed during the data collection especially during the interviews, wherein the researchers avoided drawing conclusions from the interviews but based everything on factual data, directly from the participants. the researchers made sure that no relevant data was excluded and no irrelevant data was included. transferability to address transferability, the researchers described in detail the research context and the assumptions that are central to the research and show all data as transparent as possible. the researchers made sure that the data are rich with descriptions, so that the person who wishes to “transfer” the results to a different context is then responsible for making the judgements of how sensible the transfer is. dependability: to establish the dependability of our study, the researchers ensured consistency during the data collection and analysis by doing the code-recode system during data reduction and applied the squint examination of the data collected and analyzed. this made the study reliable. conformability to address the conformability of our study, the researchers set aside their personal opinions, assumptions and judgements in order to guard against distortion of data. the use of audio-taped interview, note-taking and journals was kept throughout the study was one way of ensuring conformability. ethical consideration in pursuant to republic act no. 10173, otherwise known as the data privacy act which seeks to protect all forms of information, be it private, personal, or sensitive. it is meant to cover both natural and juridical persons involved in the processing of personal information. in line with this, all information gathered through this study remained confidential at all times. results the qualitative case study was analyzed by the respondents https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 97 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 95-98, 2022 of the following research questions: (1) what are the learning interventions of science teachers in dealing with the absence of laboratory experiments? (2) how did the teachers apply these learning interventions in their classes? and (3) what are the teachers’ problems in applying these learning interventions? considering that not all science teachers in notre dame of midsayap college are available to be our respondents, the researchers only gathered data from those science teachers whom are available and agreed to be interviewed as our responders. an in-depth interview was used to gather data to understand the essence of science teachers’ learning interventions in the absence of laboratory experiments during the pandemic. categorization of emergent themes after an in-depth interview and each response of the participants was transcribed and translated. considering that not all challenges experienced by the science teachers can be described in a positive way, the study based on the responses and shared experiences of the participants. the fundamental goal of the approach was arrived at a description of the nature of the particular phenomenon. in connection with this, to categorize the information, the themes were presented according to the order of the research questions; (1) what are the learning interventions of science teachers in dealing with the absence of laboratory experiments? (2) how did the teachers apply these learning interventions in their classes? and (3) what are the problems that the teachers encountered in applying these learning interventions? findings based on the face-to-face in-depth interview of the participants, three significant themes have been found, each with underlying sub-themes were drawn from the analysis as seen in table 1. the themes emerged are the following: (a) learning interventions (b) application table 1: the major themes emerged for the identified learning interventions of science teacher in the absence of laboratory experiments. major themes sub-themes a. learning interventions i. reason for choosing the intervention ii. formulation of chosen interventions b. application of learning interventions i. efficiency of the chosen intervention ii. frequency of usage of the chosen interventions c. problems during application i. overcoming the problem ii. further use of the intervention of learning interventions and (c) problem during applications. learning interventions participants have mostly chosen to conduct home based experiments as their learning intervention to bridge the gap in learning with the absence of laboratory experiments caused by the pandemic as the participants had stated. while other participants only used videos to supplement the absence of laboratory experiments. reasons for choosing the intervention the participants had considered the well-being of the student with regards to the quality of learning in applying these interventions. and one of the participants chose the intervention based on experience. formulation of chosen intervention they came up with these interventions based of their experiences, practices in other school and through research with some modifications to fit the need of the students. during the application of these interventions, the participants made used of online learning platforms wherein they had uploaded demo videos and instructions for the experiments. application of learning interventions participants used an online learning app to post demo videos and instructions for their home based experiments. efficiency of the chosen intervention the participants had given assessments in line with the home-based experiments and also they have tasked the students to submit video outputs which in turn helped them assess the efficiency of the interventions. frequency of usage of the chosen intervention two of the participants based the usage of their learning interventions on the performance of the students and the availability of resources. problems during application the participants had problems correcting the procedures the students did, wherein those mistakes would urge the participants to extend the deadline of the activity. overcoming the problems in relation to the problems encountered throughout these learning interventions, the participants came up with ways to solve this problem. further use of the intervention the participants had shown willingness to continue using the said interventions based on the good outcomes but with enhancements. discussion findings revealed that science teachers had chosen https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 98 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 95-98, 2022 home-based experiments as the learning interventions without face-to-face laboratory activities. this learning intervention served as a strategy of teachers to provide quality learning. additionally, the participants mainly chose to conduct home-based experiments to bridge the gap in learning in the absence of laboratory experiments caused by the pandemic. science teachers applied schoology as the platform in delivering asynchronous classes in which instructions and directions are posted to the said platform. in line with the learning interventions was the effectivity, wherein the science teachers stated that their interventions are effective because the students was able to produced precise product and present correct output. and in every uploaded material there was follow up assessment. participant’s responses also stated the difficulties they’ve encountered such as guiding the students during the experimentation, replacing the materials that was needed in the experiment and unstable internet connection. however, teacher allowed their students took pictures of their works as concrete evidence of doing the activity. recommendations based on the findings of the study, the researchers offered recommendations in four areas which are policy recommendations for administrators, problem discovered recommendations for the science teachers and future researchers recommendations. first, under the policy recommendation for administrators, the researchers recommended to encourage the science teachers to design programs to enhance the homebased learning interventions, encourage the teachers to craft laboratory manuals, offer teacher’s training for home-based experiments and reinforce the homebased experiment programs. secondly, the problem discovered recommendations for the science teachers, the researchers offered to the science teachers to provide a remedial class for students who are not able to perform the home-based experiments due to some technical problems such as poor internet connections, absence of laboratory materials that are needed. lastly, the recommendations for future researchers are to study more about the learning interventions of teachers in the absence of laboratory and to undergo further research about learning interventions of science teachers during pandemic that can improve the student’s performance. conclusion based on the statements the participants gave, the researchers have concluded that home-based interventions were used mainly by the participants in the absence of face-to-face laboratory experiments. the participants have chosen this intervention based on the well-being of the students and the availability of materials. in addition, the participants also stated that these interventions were formulated from other activities online with some modifications. the participants also stated that during its application, the internet connection played a significant role in the efficiency of its conduct. the use of home-based interventions are advised given that resources are available with the inclusion of a good internet connection. references andrews et al. (2020). experimenting with athome general chemistry laboratories during the covid-19 pandemic pacific, e., & prudente, m. (2021). grade 12 stem students’ perceptions and experiences in h o m e grown chemistry experiments pingol et al. (2015). a survey of high school science teachers’ access to modern teaching tools and laboratory. ryan, g. nkwi, p., & nyamongo, i., (2001). field research into socio-cultural issues: methodological guidelines. yaounde, cameroon, africa: international center for applied social sciences, research, and training/ unfpa. tongco et.al (2021). development of virtual laboratory simulations: e-scilab on waves for grade 7 science. retrieved https://ijmaberjournal.org/index.php/ ijmaber/article/view/232 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 52 american journal of education and technology (ajet) new education model for sri lanka in post covid19 pandemic era i.u.wanigasekera1*, gamini wijayarathna2 volume 1 issue 3, year 2022 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i3.834 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: october 26, 2022 accepted: november 25, 2022 published: december 01, 2022 high quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all is among the sustainable development goals of the united nations. this paper aims for new education model for sri lanka in post covid19 pandemic era to survive the sri lankan education. as a education model in pandemic era it has to be elearning model. this is achieved adopting an object-oriented approach and unified modeling language (uml). the functional and dynamic views of the system are presented and explained within this framework. the functional system includes use case diagrams and activity diagrams which are developed based on predefined functional requirements of the system. furthermore, in the dynamic view of the system, interaction diagrams are developed and explained in detail. the proposed models are a step towards efficient implementation of a complete education model for sri lanka in post covid19 pandemic era. keywords e learning, unified modeling language, context diagram, use case diagram, activity diagram, sequence diagram, class diagram 1 faculty of graduate studies, university of kelaniya, srilanka 2 faculty of computing and technology, university of kelaniya, srilanka * corresponding author’s e-mail: iudarath@gmail.com introduction the covid -19 pandemic brought a disaster to whole sri lankan education system. the normal face to face education pattern became to halt. the education of the country couldn’t continue and totally collapsed. as a solution to this problem online education began to appear in everywhere (hayashi & hewagamage, 2020). the pandemic halted education of sri lanka began to move again. but with a new facet as elearning. but the elearning system of sri lanka is not perfectly developed for this purpose. large parts of sri lanka are not prepared for online educational delivery due to the multifaceted digital divide, (liyanagunawardena 2021). this research paper is written for fill this digital device gap and introduce a new education model in post covid 19 pandemic era using uml diagrams. methodology in this paper object oriented approach is used to model the online education system using uml models. section first we will illustrate the context diagram.in section ii the functional view of the system is illustrated by using use case and activity diagrams. section iii describes the dynamic view of the system using sequence diagrams. first we take the context diagram to see the whole picture of the new education model. this is to cover all aspects of new education model. the context diagram is used to establish the context and boundaries of the system to be modeled which things are inside and outside of the system being modelled, and what is the relationship of the system with these external entities. then we take the illustration of all diagrams. new education system must be of high quality and available to all students providing them with the tools and skills enabling them to be competitive on a global level. the use case diagram information sharing is one of the most important aspects of an online educational system. to make sure that each actor is having the right access to the right information, use case diagrams are developed. a uml use case diagram is the primary form of system/ software requirements for a new software program underdeveloped. use cases specify the expected .the functional requirements of a system are best described figure 1: context diagram (elearning management system dataflow diagram, n.d.) discussion https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i3.834 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= mailto:%20janveel%40yahoo.com?subject= mailto:iudarath%40gmail.com?subject= pa ge 53 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 52-55 2022 by use case diagrams that is why they are employed to view the system from a functional aspect. to develop the use case diagram, the functional requirements of the system were defined as shown in table.1. regarding the priority column, “m” means mandatory for the system to perform the function. “p” indicates that it is a preferred function. “o” means an optional function. in uml, use-case diagrams model the behavior of a table 1: system’s functional requirements no requirement description priority 1 learner/teacher enters personal info m 2 enters email/phone number or use social media account m 3 system generates and send confirmation code m 4 learner/teacher enters the sent code m 5 verify their qualifications through scanned documents and phone interview p 6 view different majors/courses m 7 search courses by keywords o 8 view course contents/teacher biography/prerequisites m 9 register/unregister in a course m 10 submit assignment m 11 solve quiz/exam m 12 view grades m 13 set/cancel online appointment with ta p 14 chat with tas/colleagues p 15 request private tutor m 16 join an online lecture/tutorial m 17 request document evaluation/proofreading/review m 18 request professional/educational technical assistance m 19 request a book/research paper m 20 view available scholarships m 21 evaluate/match learner's profile p 22 view application video instructions p 23 request scholarship consultation m 24 edit biography/course contents p 25 add assignment/quiz/exam m 26 submit/edit grades m 27 accept/reject students' appointments p 28 accept/reject help with specific questions m 29 set live lectures timings p 30 accept document evaluation p 31 accept technical assistance p 32 accept scholarship consultation request p 33 pay through credit/any cash transfer service available m 34 professor/consultant receive payment on accounts o 35 address complaints p 36 rate the lecture/course/answer p system and help to capture the requirements of the system. use-case diagrams describe the high-level functions and scope of a system. these diagrams also identify the interactions between the system and its actors. use case diagram components are actors-the users that interact with a system, system a specific sequence of actions and interactions between actors and the system, and goals the end result of most use cases. this use case diagram is a graphic depiction of the interaction among the elements of elearning system for sri lanka in post covid19 pandemic era. it represents the methodology used in system analysis to identify, clarify and organize the system requirements of the proposed system. the main actors of the elearning system use case https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 54 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 52-55 2022 diagram are guest, student, teacher, payment system and administrator. the usecase diagram is shown below. figure 2: use case diagram (uml use case diagram for simple e-learning platform, no date) the relationships between actors and use cases in the proposed elearning system. • guest entity use cases of guest are register/login and browse courses • student entity – use cases of student are sign for course, pay for course and browse grades • teacher entity – use cases for teacher are grade, create course and manage courses • administrator – use cases of administrator are manage users • payment systemuse cases of payment system are take the pay for course activity diagram activity diagrams are also describing the functions of the system, but they consider the logical sequence of the system’s major functions. activity diagrams concentrate on the sequence and status for organizing low level actions. in activity diagrams, the objects needed to execute the functional requirements are identified. furthermore, the responses taking place during the execution are clarified. it can be concluded that activity diagrams describe the functionality of the system from a sequential aspect . the activity diagram in figure. 3 shows the main activities of the elearning management process within the system. this is the login activity diagram of elearning management system which shows the flows of login activity. here admin will be able to login using their username and password. then the system will check the user level and the permissions. after that system login operator can manage course, manage students, manage schedule, manage fees and manage durations. sequence diagram a sequence diagram is a type of interaction diagram because it describes how and in what order a group of objects works together. these diagrams are used by software developers and business professionals to understand requirements for a new system or to document an existing process. below is a uml sequence diagram of the elearning management system model for sri lanka in post covid19 pandemic era. in the sequence diagram the admin process of login success, course management, student management, schedule management, fees report and duration management are described.by adopting this sequence diagram to sri lanka we can get the best beneficiary to the post covid-19 pandemic era. figure 3: activity diagram for elearning system figure 4: sequence diagram of elearning system class diagram of the system figure 5 is a class diagram. in software engineering, a class diagram in the unified modeling language is a type of static structure diagram that describes the structure of a system by showing the system’s classes, their attributes, operations, and the relationships among objects. the main classes of elearning management system model for sri lanka in post covid19 pandemic era are course class, student class, fees class, role class, schedule class and duration class. course class manage all the operations of course, student class manage all the operations of student, schedule class manage all the operations of schedule, fees class manage all the operations of fees, training class manage all the operations of training etc. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 55 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 52-55 2022 conclusion in this paper the author has described the situation in sri lanka in post covid19 pandemic era and elearning management system model suggestion for it. context diagram, use case diagram, activity diagram. sequence diagram and class diagram are drawn and described. by adopting these uml diagrams to sri lanka the elearning system of post covid19 pandemic era will be good, will be better and will be flourished. the implementation of these uml diagrams in software and the impact of it will be discussed in the next research paper. but the online elearning system has it’s set backs also. sri lanka is a developing country. most of the students do not have the resources to go online. no wi-fi connections in rural areas, no computers or smart phones, no technical knowledge or skills to set up a elearning device. now a days a discussion has been built that only online learning is not sufficient to make a student to his full potential. online and face to face learning has to be delivered accordingly. the percentage of that hybrid learning system will also be discussed in a future research paper. acknowledgements dr. gamini wijayarathne for his kind guidance for make this research paper a reality and my family and colleagues for their understating and cooperation. references ayman r. mohammed, sally s. kassem, e-learning system model for university education using uml, (2020). sixth international conference on e-learning (econf) ana cavalli,st´ephane maag,sofia papagiannaki, georgios verigakis from uml models to automatic generated tests for the dotlrn e-learning platform. get / institut national des t ´el´ecommunications, rue charles fourier f-91011 evry cedex, france e learning management system uml diagram (2017). https://www.freeprojectz.com/uml-diagram/elearning-management-system-uml-diagram kalinga, e. (2008). development of an interactive e-learning management system (e-lms) for tanzanian secondary schools. khaldi, m., & erradi, m. (2020). design and development of an e-learning project management system: modelling and prototyping. international journal of emerging technologies in learning (ijet), 15(19), 95-106. mazni omar, abdulkadir osman mohamed, a requirements modeling for e-learning management system ( 2019, april). (elms), international journal of recent technology and engineering (ijrte) 7(6), 22773878, rosni ramle, muhammad aqil fahmiruddin kamalruddin, (2021). uml diagram e-learning application: a pilot study, multidisciplinary applied research and innovation 2(1), 418–425. ryotaro hayashi, k.p.hewagamage, (2020,september)online learning in sri lanka’s higher education institutions during the covid-19 pandemic, adb brief, tsvetozar stefanov georgiev, uml model of the e-learning shell (else) platform. tharindu r. liyanagunawardena, shirley a. williams, (2021). emergency remote education: experience from sri lanka during cosvid-19, asian journal of distance education ,16(1). figure 5: class diagram of the elearning system. (e learning management system class diagram, no date) https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 22 american journal of education and technologies (ajet) virtual laboratory as a learning tool for anatomy and physiology course a.a. distor1, b.g. sarmiento1*, j.l.t. guevara1, d.e. narvaez1, r.s.a. rebong1, r.m.b. umayan1 volume 1 issue 2, year 2022 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i2.483 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: august 11, 2022 accepted: august 18, 2022 published: august 20, 2022 the world is continuously suffering due to the covid-19 pandemic. online learning was implemented by the philippine government which brought a serious problem in teaching science courses that requires conducting experiments in a laboratory facility. thirty-six (36) laguna university science major students under the bachelor of secondary education program were selected as respondents in this study. the students’ scores in the pre-test and post-test on plant and animal physiology were analyzed. the purpose of the quasi-experimental research design was to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention, virtual laboratory, as a learning tool for anatomy and physiology course. laboratory worksheets and modules were used to test the level of proficiency of the respondents in the pre-intervention stage. to alleviate the difficulty, a virtual laboratory in anatomy and physiology course was designed by the researchers. this laboratory was utilized by the respondents before answering the post-test worksheets. an independent t-test was utilized to determine if there is a significant difference in the test scores before and after the intervention. a survey tool was used to gather data on students’ perception on the effectiveness of the virtual laboratory. based on the results, the virtual laboratory was an effective learning tool that improved students’ academic performance in the anatomy and physiology course. results showed that it reduced the time needed to understand the concepts within a topic and helped enhance the quality of the learning process. therefore, this tool maybe adopted in other experimental-based science subjects. keywords anatomy and physiology, learning tool, virtual laboratory 1 college of education, laguna university, brgy. bubukal, sta. cruz, philippines, 4009 * corresponding author’s e-mail: sarmientobanjie@gmail.com introduction the immediate spread of the deadly coronavirus had put everything and everyone to a halt. the current crisis experienced globally disrupted the conduct of faceto -face classes and the philippine education sector opted to adapt the new normal of teaching and learning. there is an increased dependence on digital tools and modules to ensure the accessibility to quality education amidst the crisis. with the development and widespread online learning modalities, research into the nature and efficacy of teaching and learning in the digital environment has begun. recent findings have surfaced in the academia demonstrating that online education increases students’ satisfaction and creates an atmosphere that enhances student achievement (chen et al., 2010; allen and seaman, 2010). learning science courses had significantly changed after the onset of covid-19. laboratory works requires actual and real laboratory experiences but with the current circumstances it was impossible – a strict ‘no face to face’ classes was implemented in the whole country. years of study and experience in science teaching and learning have equipped educators with an inquiry-based framework for learning science through engaging in the scientific method (bransford, brown, and cocking 2000; national research council,1996). studies show that experiences help students modify tools and equipment to understand data processing techniques (practical skills) and to learn some strategies in experimental design, analysis/evaluation, and problem-solving, as well as the deeper results of strengthening semantic knowledge and improving scientific communication skills (national research council 2000; nsta 2007). for the fields of biology, chemistry, and physics, laboratory experience goals have been established (american association of physics teachers 1998; american chemical society 2011; dikmenli, 2007; rowe et al. (2017)); face-to-face laboratory experiences, according to these individuals, strengthen the theories and concepts given in the lecture and buildability to think critically. bruck and towns (2013) discovered that general and organic chemistry professors felt that laboratory activities enhance the course syllabus from a recent nationwide survey of undergraduate chemistry faculty. compared to their lecture-only colleagues, students who are enrolled in both lecture and laboratory portions have higher educational outcomes and comprehension (forcino, 2013). the virtual laboratory tool includes accessible online simulations that utilizes artificial learning environment to enable learners in the conduct of laboratory experiments and test theories using digital tools such cellphones and computers. implementing distance education laboratory component via these modes (virtual or at-home) offers numerous advantages, including almost limitless availability and the opportunity to repeat the experiments (conway-klaassen et al., 2012). investigations of online laboratories utilized primarily as supplementary education have found that they can assist increase lecture exam results, improve students’ dispositions and readiness for the hands-on lab, and boost conceptual understanding https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i2.483 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= mailto:mailto:sarmientobanjie%40gmail.com?subject= pa ge 23 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 22-28, 2022 (dalgarno et al. 2009). objectives of the study this research aimed to assess the effectiveness of the virtual laboratory as a learning tool for the anatomy and physiology course of bsed science majors. the study specifically sought: 1) to determine the different challenges encountered by students in their courses with laboratory; 2) to design a virtual laboratory with corresponding worksheets aligned with anatomy and physiology, 3) to assess the academic performance of the respondents before and after the implementation of the intervention, 4) to determine the efficacy of virtual laboratory in terms of its suitability, relevance, level of engagement, visual quality, and perception of its users. literature review the conduct of laboratory classes is a required component of any bachelor’s degree in science in general. these enable learners to hone their practical knowledge, create a sense of the intricacy of natural phenomena, and enable them to realize how complex it can be to obtain comprehensive information (josephen & hvidt, 2015). technology-enhanced anatomy and physiology learning environments deliver advantages to strengthen students’ involvement, engagement, and positive attitudes toward science in the modern age (kapici et al., 2020). however, the conduct of laboratory experiments was hampered by the covid-19 pandemic. learners encountered various challenges in accomplishing laboratory works since the lockdown was implemented in the philippines from march 15, 2020. this challenge led the researchers to design an appropriate intervention tool to cater the needs of the students and alleviate the challenges encountered in conducting laboratory activities. virtual laboratories allow the place to undertake experiments in a virtual community and may be utilized independently or collaborate with other real-world, handson labs (roblyer & hughes, 2019). virtual laboratory design processes may include animations and simulation technologies, instructional lectures, and collaborative demonstrations. the theory underlying this educational technology is to have a creative teaching environment where the students may interact with web-based learning information at any time and in any location where internet access is accessible and at their leisure. students may conduct online experiments in the virtual laboratory cheaper and under safer circumstances than in natural laboratories (brinson, 2015). moreover, representation of data and events aids learners in comprehending complex scientific new concepts. figure 1. cognitive theory of multimedia learning (mayer, 2005) the principles of cognitive theory of multimedia learning (figure 1) were used to build the virtual laboratory. the cognitive theory of multimedia learning (mayer, 2005), multi-dimensional depictions of notions in both visual and verbal formats allow learners to employ various knowledge acquisition channels simultaneously, developing their sensory information and frameworks. furthermore, operational modeling (gathering facts from the theoretical world, theoretical inquiry) assists students in understanding the structure of a system, the interactions between things, and their reactions. it involves the teacher and students in the modeling process in science by analyzing the situation, identifying the problem, translating into a model, producing and interpreting the results, including visual and textual representations, using equations and text representation, and quantifying the model (van buuren et al., 2010). the main objective of virtual laboratory introductory courses is to aid students in comprehending fundamental principles and broad notions. according to research, inquiry-based learning (ibl) or inquiry education, in which students organize an experiment, observe, collect data, hypothesize, interpret experimental results, and generate predictions, is the best way to attain such goals. the use of information and communication technologies (icts) can promote scientific inquiry because they can encourage higher-order thinking abilities, which are required for scientific reasoning. learners can understand critical inquiry processes in a virtual laboratory environment, including analyzing scientific questions and issues using various web resources and digital content, gathering data through data logging with sensors and video measurement, analyzing data using online statistical programs, and communicating results online with tutors and peers (roblyer & hughes, 2019). materials and methods a quasiexperimental approach was used to analyze the effectiveness of virtual laboratory on the students’ https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 24 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 22-28, 2022 academic performance in anatomy and physiology course. moreover, the quasiexperimental design, pretest, and post-test were used to examine the effectiveness of the virtual laboratory as learning tool in anatomy and physiology. a survey was conducted to evaluate the efficacy, accessibility, reliability, and usefulness of the virtual laboratory. research locale this action research was conducted on the first semester of 2021-2022 in the college of education located at laguna university, laguna sports complex, brgy. bubukal, santa cruz, laguna. this institution utilizes the seamless blended distance learning program (sbdlp) to continue the teaching learning process in the midst of a pandemic. sbdlp integrates the use of digital educational tools to deliver knowledge and facilitate class activities through the university’s learning management system, ilearnu. population of the study for the pre-test, twenty-one (21) 3rd year bsed science students taking the anatomy and physiology course were chosen as respondents through complete enumeration. for the post-intervention, the respondents who obtained low scores (15 students) in the pre-test stage were chosen as part of the post-test. additional fifteen students were chosen to take the post-test because they have a stable internet connection. the total number of respondents in the post-test stage is thirty (30). research instruments the digital modules provided for anatomy and physiology course were given to the respondents in the pre-test stage. the modules covered the following topics: muscular system and plant hormones and tropisms. all of the respondents in the pre-test stage answered worksheets relevant to the topics. after determining that learners encounter challenges in the online mode of learning, the researchers developed a virtual laboratory relevant to muscular system and plant hormones and tropism with the help of an illustrator/digital artist capable of making 3d figures. the virtual laboratory (ilabuaghamtech. com) can be accessed via this link: https://www. ilabuaghamtech.com/. the domain was purchased on the wix website, and this is where the virtual laboratory was programmed and created as a html5 website and mobile site. the respondents used the intervention, virtual laboratory, before answering the post-test. this was done to determine if there is a significant difference in the pre-test and posttest results. guidelines were provided to the respondents before the actual data gathering. the researchers used a survey tool administered through google form to determine the effectives of the virtual laboratory based on the actual experiences of the respondents. data gathering procedure in developing the worksheets in the anatomy and physiology course, a table of specification (tos) was used wherein 50% of the test items belong to the lower level of bloom taxonomy (remembering, understanding, and application) and the other 50% belong to the higher lever that includes analyzing, evaluating, and creating domain. the result of the pre-test and post-test was tallied and compared in microsoft excel. the average scores of the pre-test and post – test was computed and analyzed. to reduce cheating, all worksheets were administered via google forms and supported by quilgo, a third-party application that prevents the respondents to use another application while answering the pre-test and post – test. treatment of data the raw scores from the pre-test and post-test were recorded and statistically analyzed to interpret the data. the statistical means and scores of the pretest and post – test were calculated. the independent t-test was used to identify the statistical relationship between the pre intervention and post-intervention results. the analysis was conducted to determine if there was a significance difference in the results after the utilization of the virtual laboratory. for the survey tool, a likert scale from 1-5 was used for the virtual laboratory evaluation. number 1 was designated as “strongly agree” and 5 as “strongly disagree.” the results of the survey to determine the efficacy of virtual laboratory in terms of its suitability, relevance, level of engagement, visual quality, and perception of its users were summarized using microsoft excel. parallel to the pre-test and post-test average scores, a proficiency scale (adopted and modified from sabasales, 2018) was also utilized. interactive simulations that allowed students to make the inquiry online and practice critical thinking are necessary components in a virtual laboratory. online videos that are seen online are reliable and well evaluated by the researchers are essential components of the virtual laboratory concept. thus, they are well equipped to carry out the real world independently. visual representations of scientific concepts and ideas were heavily employed in constructing interactive simulations and digital videos seen online. the virtual laboratory in this study was developed to promote students’ continuous interest and inclusion in building their knowledge and developing mental and practical skills. the virtual laboratory intends to enhance students’ knowledge and skills at their own pace of learning. results and discussion based on the questionnaire wherein each student selected more than two answers, the challenges encountered by the students in their science courses with laboratory were (from greatest to least): 1. lack of laboratory materials and equipment (90%) 2. lack of money to buy the required materials (86.67%) https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 25 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 22-28, 2022 3. videos are not enough to answer all the questions (6.67%) 4. difficulty in following the procedure (83.33%) the identified challenges led the researchers to design a virtual laboratory for anatomy and physiology course with the goal of improving the academic performance of the students. the average pre-test score of the respondents in plant worksheet is 13.38 with a proficiency rating of “approaching proficiency,” while the post-test average score is 22.27 with the proficiency rating of “advance.” the average pretest score of the respondents in animal worksheet is 14.76 with a proficiency rating of “approaching proficiency,” while the post-test average score is 21.5 with the proficiency rating of “advance. students are expected to demonstrate content-related basic knowledge and skills and higher-order thinking and creativity (brookhart, 2010; collins, 2014) respondents are moderately proficient in knowledge and skills in both topics. table 1 shows that utilization of virtual laboratory increased the post-test scores and obtained a corresponding proficiency level of ‘advance’ in both topics. integrating a virtual laboratory in the learning process will increase the students’ academic performance and stimulate their interest in the subject matter. the pre-test and post-test for plant worksheet obtained table 1: summary of the average scores of all the respondents in the worksheets worksheet topics pre-test average score level of proficiency* post-test average score level of proficiency* 1.plant tropism 13.38 approaching proficiency 22.37 advance 2.muscular system 14.76 approaching proficiency 21.5 advance source: adapted and modified from sabasales (2018) a t-test value of -9.6094 and a critical value of 2.0423 which means that the virtual laboratory has a significant effect on the proficiency level of the respondents. like the research findings of darrah et al. (2014), virtual labs assisted students in developing essential scientific investigation and valuable skills. the pre-test and post-test for animal worksheet obtained a t-test value of -4.3857 and a critical value of 2.0739 which means that the virtual laboratory has a significant effect on the proficiency level of the respondents. therefore, the null hypothesis (there is no significant difference in academic performance in using a virtual laboratory as a learning tool for the anatomy & physiology course) was rejected. the virtual laboratory has a significant effect in answering the muscular system worksheet in anatomy and physiology. hamed and aljnazrah (2020) concluded that virtual laboratories are as good as traditional faceto-face instruction. an interactive and flexible learning environment could provide the students with a deeper contextual understanding. the result in the research of price et al. (2013) showed that virtual laboratories have the same advantages that administrators and teachers have identified. convenience is a significant benefit of virtual laboratories. in addition, it also gives teachers the freedom to offer courses and laboratory experiences that they might not be able to offer otherwise. if students have access to the internet, these laboratory activities can be held at any time and in any location. furthermore, learning in a class setting from a virtual laboratory, allows the students to collaborate with their classmates. the average time the respondents took to finish answering the plant and animal worksheet in the pre-test using written modules was 30 minutes. in comparison, the average time the respondents took to finish answering the plant and animal worksheet in the post-test using the virtual laboratory was 15 minutes. therefore, the virtual laboratory reduced half the time answering the worksheet compared to using written modules. this is similar to the research findings of bhargava et al. (2006), which stated that virtual laboratories allow students to work through at their speed while discovering challenging or exciting parts. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 26 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 22-28, 2022 based on the result of the survey that used a likert scale for determining the perceptions of students on the relevance and sustainability of virtual laboratory as a learning tool, one student stated that the virtual laboratory made it easier to answer the worksheet. the weighted mean of 2.0345 is an indication that students believed that it helped them in answering the worksheets. “the virtual laboratory is a suitable learning tool in answering the worksheet” obtained a weighted mean of 1.9655 which means the student agreed that the virtual laboratory is suitable as a learning tool in answering the worksheets. “the features and the content of the virtual laboratory is relevant to the concept of the lesson” got a result of 2.000, which means the student agreed that the content and features were relevant to the lesson concepts. “laboratory experiments reinforced topics from lecture and text” obtained a weighted mean of 1.4138 which means the student strongly agreed that laboratory experiments or 3d models are connected to the lecture and text in the module. “laboratory experiments helped me understand the concept of the lesson thoroughly” got the weighted mean of 1.4138 which translated to “strongly agree.” “virtual laboratory 3d models helped me understand the purpose of the multimedia models’’ got a weighted mean of 1.4138, which the students strongly agree that the 3d models in virtual laboratories helped them to understand and explore the concept further for understanding. a weighted mean of 1.9655, means that the students perceived that the use of virtual laboratory helped them perform better in their quiz and exam. “the virtual laboratory helped to improve the learning interaction with my teacher and classmate in understanding the lesson.” the students strongly agreed (weighted mean of 1.4138) that the virtual laboratory helped them in improving their learning interaction with the integration of 3d models in the learning process. “the virtual laboratory enhanced my understanding of the lesson by unveiling reliable features and information.” a weighted mean of 1.9655 means the student agreed that the virtual laboratory enhanced their “understanding of the lesson, which allowed them to access reliable features and information. a weighted mean of 1.4138 is an implication that the student strongly agreed that the virtual laboratory helped them become interested in acquiring knowledge and new information using virtual laboratory learning tool. “the virtual laboratory has helped me conduct science activities with the limited time and resources i have.” a weighted mean of 1.4138 means that the students strongly agreed that the virtual laboratory helped them in conducting science activities in a short time. “the virtual laboratory enables me to repeat the same activity based on my ability to comprehend the lesson.” a weighted mean of 1.3448 implied that the student strongly agreed that the virtual laboratory enabled them to repeat the same activity to comprehend the lesson further. the overall satisfaction rating of the respondents to the performance of the virtual laboratory as a learning tool comparing the virtual laboratory to the traditional laboratory obtained 93.33% with the description, “much better than or better than.” virtual laboratory helps strengthen the learning processes by providing users with a safe and interactive laboratory environment. it was discovered to be an enjoyable, helpful, and entertaining learning environment through continuous delivery. it also allows users to perform tests independently and repeat them as many times as required. as we live in a fast-expanding technological era due to the extensive use of information technology, which has entered nearly every aspect of society. innovations in education can increase and improve the learning and education process so that virtual laboratories are established. they play an essential role in supporting scientific learning subjects by permitting learners to achieve practical skills through experiments and by providing them with the opportunity to gain a more in-depth understanding (khulood aljuhani et al., 2018). the respondents rating for the relevance and sustainability of the virtual laboratory obtained a mean of 1.65 with the description of “strongly agree.” the respondents rating for the levels of engagement of the virtual laboratory obtained a mean of 1.63 with the description of “strongly agree,” and the respondents rating for the visual quality of the virtual laboratory has a mean value of 1.41 with the description “strongly agree.” the content of the virtual laboratory-like videos and images affects the students’ attention in performing and doing the activity; it hooks the students’ attention so that they can feel he or she is in the natural and actual scenario even if the set – up is virtual. students virtually analyze the anatomy utilizing 3-d technology on devices (tablets, laptops, etc.) during a virtual session in 3-d. 3-d virtual models differ in that they overlay static digital information over real-world visuals, often accomplished via tablets or smartphones. virtual environment, on the other hand, allows the user to observe their physical surroundings while managing interactive virtual 3-d objects (philips, 2021). conclusion and recommendations the most prevalent challenges experienced by the students in their science courses with laboratory were the following: lack of laboratory materials and equipment, lack of money to buy the necessary materials in accomplishing laboratory works, videos available online and offline are not enough to answer all the questions in the worksheet, and difficulty in following the laboratory procedure. designing a learning tool, virtual laboratory, aimed to address the needs of the students in accomplishing their laboratory activities. the study showed that students’ academic performance had significantly improved when the virtual laboratory was used as a learning tool in answering anatomy and physiology worksheets. also, the virtual laboratory was a suitable learning tool https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 27 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 22-28, 2022 that increased the productivity level of the students. it enabled the students to finish answering plant and animal worksheet at a shorter period of time compared to the utilization of written modules. students explored the lesson by zooming the models and it reduced the time needed to learn and comprehend a specific topic because it provided all the necessary information. the virtual laboratory had provided appropriate learning experiences needed by the students amidst the covid-19 pandemic. based on students’ feedback, the virtual laboratory helped them in understanding the concepts even with limited time and resources. however, the researchers had also concluded that using the virtual laboratory on mobile devices can consume too much mobile data. according to the findings, the virtual laboratory can improve students’ problemsolving abilities, critical thinking, creativity, conceptual understanding, science process abilities, laboratory skills, motivation, interest, perception, and learning outcomes. overall, the researchers concluded that the integration of the virtual laboratory had been effective in improving the academic performance of the students in anatomy and physiology. the researchers recommend the integration of virtual laboratory in science courses to alleviate the challenges encountered by the students in conducting laboratory activities simulation games that will encourage the students to engage in the lessons can also be included in the design of a virtual laboratory. to enhance the multimedia function of the virtual laboratory, redesigning the website to make it more compatible for mobiles phones is also recommended. the readability mode, animations, and music may still be enhanced to make it more attractive, efficient, and convenient to users. references allen, e., & seaman, j. 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(2017) efficacy of online laboratory science courses. retrieved on august 8, 2021 https://www. researchgate.net/publication/321952760_efficacy_ of_online_laboratory_science_courses sabasales, m. (2018). the effects of using virtual laboratory materials on students’ academic performance in physics. international journal of science and engineering investigations, (83)7, 43. retrieved on august 9, 2021 from https://www. researchgate.net/publication/334760212_the_ effects_of_using_virtual_laboratory_materials_ on_students’_academic_performance_in_physics van buuren, o., uylings, p., & ellermeijer, t. (2010). a modelling learning path, integrated in the secondary school curriculum, starting from the initial phases of physics education. proceedings of the girepicpemptl conference (pp. 1-14). reims, france. retrieved on october 24, 2021 from https:// www.jite.org/documents/vol19/jite-rv19p977996hamed6677.pdf https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 30 american journal of education and technology (ajet) the mediating effect of work values on the relationship between reflective thinking skills and positive personality traits among public school elementary school teachers sheryl s. salinas1*, lyndon a. quines1 volume 1 issue 3, year 2022 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i3.823 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: october 23, 2022 accepted: october 27, 2022 published: november 23, 2022 this study determined the mediating effect of work values on the relationship between reflective thinking skills and positive personality traits among 310 teachers in the division of davao del sur, philippines using a non-experimental quantitative descriptive-correlational research design. weighted mean, pearson r, and path analysis using amos were used to analyze the data. findings revealed significant relationships between reflective thinking skills and positive personality traits, between reflective thinking skills and work values, and between work values and positive personality traits. employing path analysis, results revealed a complete mediation of work values on the relationship between reflective thinking skills and personality traits among public elementary teachers. this indicates that work values are only one of the reasons how reflective thinking skills can influence positive personality traits. keywords educational management, mediating effect, work values, reflective thinking skills, positive personality traits, philippines 1 university of mindanao, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: sheryl15salinas@gmail.com introduction teachers’ positive personality traits (ppt) significantly influence students’ performances, progress, and accomplishments since this is where students would follow the way teachers behave, present the lesson, and interact with them (malekshahi, 2019). when teachers cannot empower their students and bring about negative personality traits, this may result in students’ decision not to continue schooling as they feel less motivated and to drop out of school (alexander, 2017). this is where lack of positive personality traits often leads to ineffectiveness: experienced burnouts, higher turnover rates, poor performances, and reduced organizational commitment. in samfira and palos (2021), they posited that teachers’ behavior reflects personality, and students’ conduct mirrors it. teachers are regarded as role models among students, and ppt predict effective teaching strategies. any move teachers make can have a big effect on how their students act and behave (gershenson, 2016). if teachers have strong ppt, they beget respect, but if weak, it is the other way around (kim, dar-nimrod & maccann, 2017). with this, teachers should use caution with their students (blazar & kraft, 2017), use acceptable language and courteous demands while communicating (engel & finch, 2015), supply knowledge, and show students the way to success (joynes, rossignoli & amonoo-kuofi, 2019). more so, positive personality traits are vital to teaching and learning, and this is a key factor in determining whether educational achievement is good or harmful (fatima, 2021). teachers with pleasant personalities may best lead children (hansen & horn, 2015). this teacher can keep students engaged, guide them, and help them realize their greatest potential (pugh, 2018). if teachers cannot engage their students, they will not reach their objectives as teachers with good personality traits aid students in less time (rivas, 2017) and may develop students’ talents and abilities . in russia, teachers’ emotional intelligence and drive showed 21st-century favorable personality qualities for teaching and education administration (volkova, 2022). in the us, impatient, fast-talking teachers who do not even explain properly are ineffectual (rubenstein, ridgley, callan, karami & ehlinger, 2018). in pakistan, the teaching process involves the classroom, its resources, and the teacher’s personality and teaching style (rasool, mahboob, sajid & ahmad, 2017). teachers lose students’ confidence and respect when they scream, reprimand, or lose their anger. in china, students disliked teachers because they were not quite as easy to speak to or influential, making it impossible to establish a positive learning atmosphere (liu & chang, 2017). a teacher’s capacity to teach in the philippines depends on their knowledge, skill, and attitude. they get inservice training and activities. work habits, professional experience, and positive personality attributes affect how successfully teachers accomplish their jobs (roberto & madrigal, 2019). consequently, it is not only ppt of teachers that can influence and impact students’ performances, learning experiences, and academic success but also reflective thinking skills and work values. teachers’ reflective thinking skills (rts) help develop and employ teaching practices and strategies (redding & henry, 2018), identify their strengths and weaknesses and assess their personality traits (meador, 2019) while work values (wv) could mold their character to recognize, understand, and https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i3.823 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= mailto:sheryl15salinas%40gmail.com?subject= pa ge 31 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 30-41, 2022 articulate sound decision-making (jones, 2016). these are essentials for teachers to develop their skills for reflective practice (gu, 2018), research on the job (villasana, alonso-tapia & ruiz, 2017), and working in diverse environments (wang, zhang, thomas, yu & spitzmueller, 2017). reflective thinking abilities let students reflect on the knowledge they had and what they still needed, and discover ways to narrow that gap during the learning process (aydogmus, 2017). students rely on teachers’ ppt and problem-solving skills. reflective learners know what they’ve done, what they ought to know, and how to bridge the gap. teachers utilizing rts examine student behavior to determine if learning objectives were reached, how they were accomplished, and why they were not fulfilled (olteanu, 2017). further, in iligan city, philippines, teachers’ wv include honesty, achievement, respect, integrity, punctuality, patience, and helpfulness (cajeta, 2016). this is demonstrated by teachers with good ppt reflected in their doings. additionally, a gap exists in the literature because the researcher had limited acquaintances across studies in the philippine context dealing with the relationship between rts, ppt, and wv. most studies on rts, ppt, and wv were conducted outside the country, and no study would illustrate the relationship between the three variables. rts as a method of introducing critical thinking have not been widely explored among teachers. thus, there is a need to fill this gap. this study is urgent to prove if there is a relationship between rts and ppt, between rts and wv, and between wv and ppt, as well as mediating effect of work values on the relationship between rts and ppt. the study’s findings may be utilized as one of the references for crafting policies and programs in the field of education; hence, this proposes to determine the mediating effect of work values on the relationship between reflective thinking skills and the positive personality traits of public elementary school teachers in kiblawan north and south districts, division of davao del sur, philippines. research objectives this study aimed to investigate the mediating effect of work values on the relationship between reflective thinking skills and the positive personality traits of public elementary school teachers in kiblawan north and south districts, division of davao del sur, philippines. particularly, the following goals were developed: 1. to describe the level of reflective thinking skills of public elementary school teachers in terms of: 1.1 observation skill; 1.2 communication skills; 1.3 team working skills; 1.4 judgment skills; and 1.5 decision-making skills. 2. to ascertain the level of positive personality traits among public elementary school teachers in terms of: 2.1 positive self-image; 2.2 commitments; 2.3 outward/people orientation; and 2.4 culture identification. 3. to measure the level of work values of public elementary school teachers. 4. to ascertain the significance of the relationship between: 4.1 reflective thinking skills and positive personality traits; 4.2 reflective thinking skills and work values; and 4.3 work values and positive personality traits. 5. to determine the significance of mediation of work values on the relationship between reflective thinking skills and positive personality traits among public elementary teachers. literature review to dig deeper into this study, the researcher looked into several research outputs and references to find different approaches, points of view, theories, and findings from different authors on relevant topics and similar research pursuits. in this study, the independent variable is reflective thinking skills (rts) with indicators identified by mirzaei, phang, and kashef (2014) like observation, communication, team working, judgment, and decisionmaking skills. more so, the dependent variable is positive personality traits (ppt) with indicators identified by singh and jha (2010) like positive self-image, commitment, outward/people orientation, and cultural identification. further, the mediating variable is work values (wv) as identified in the study by farnese (2010). reflective thinking skills universities and other higher education institutions have concerted efforts to teach students critical thinking; however, research indicates that students may not be able to think critically because their teachers are unable to do so themselves. dewey (1998 as cited in atalay & karahan, 2016) emphasized that rts facilitate critical thought and relate to the processes of studying and evaluating past events. in the context of education, rts described teachers’ holistic consideration and critical assessment of their professional actions concerning their attitude, behavior, conduct; duties and responsibilities as educators. through rts, teachers become more involved in problem-solving situations and more attentive to cultivating higher-order thinking abilities (fakazli & gonen, 2017) that significantly contributed to professional growth (aycicek, yanpar, yelken & yokus, 2019). observation skill this capability is shown by educators when they pay attention to the feelings and behaviors of individuals who are involved in the learning process and then identify, emphasize, and record important parts of the academic setting (dilekli & orakci, 2019). in olteanu (2017), teachers may show competencies in writing, sketching, recording video or audio, or any combination https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 32 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 30-41, 2022 of these. similarly, observing a teacher also includes critical components such as reflection and feedback. to understand the message, the teacher must carefully notice the telltale signals that are provided. since these traits can be seen, a teacher must have emotional balance to regulate and coordinate their students successfully. communication skills effective communication is recognized as one of the most important abilities for academic and professional success since it impacts how successfully teachers convey information and interact with students. in general, effective communication mitigates negative attitudes toward the learning process. effective communication is closely related to academic achievement and general success (thompson, 2020). communication skills are characterized by the capacity to transmit a message and ensure that all parties comprehend it, regardless of the conversation’s context. on the other hand, ineffective communication may be the root cause of academic failure. everything is easier and more clear when the teacher has excellent communication skills (spies & xu, 2018) as teachers’ communication skills impact how well children grasp. team working skills the ability to work effectively in a team applies to a teacher’s ability to work cooperatively with the individuals around them (care & vista, 2017). this is mirrored in practice via activities such as group instruction, collaborative sharing, and peer mentorship. for a team to be effective, each member must exhibit a significant dedication to accomplishing goals (smith, hoffart & o’neill, 2016). to successfully carry out the many obligations placed on the school, the faculty, staff, and administration must work together. in addition, increasing the sense of camaraderie and community among the faculty and staff of the school is one method for enhancing the morale of the faculty and has resulted in a great many benefits. these advantages include encouraging opportunities and involvement for professional and leadership growth (mills & kim, 2017), working in a positive environment (barnett, lawless, kim & vista, 2017), encouraging collaboration, strengthening ties between faculty, parents, and community members, helping faculty become better problem solvers (joynes, rossignoli, & amonoo-kuofi, 2019), achieving a higher level of commitment (kim & care, 2018), improving teaching quality, and communication (shepard, 2019). judgment skill teachers are supposed to stay neutral, especially when there are disagreements or other challenging situations. to make a good and sensible decision as a judge, teachers must be able to skillfully combine parts of the event with their judgment or with other explanations and ideas (ashman, 2018; blank, houkamau & kingi, 2016; boyd, 2022; gilmore, trundley, bahnmueller & xenidoudervou, 2021helgetun & menter, 2020; knight, 2020). teacher judgments are determinations made by teachers on the current action of students (glock, krolakschwerdt & pit-ten, 2015). these determinations can potentially influence teachers’ ongoing instructional decisions in the classroom. these decisions may include instructional tempo, the degree of assistance provided, and the level of task complexity (cordingley, higgins, greany, buckler, coles-jordan, crisp, saunders, & coe, 2015; hetherington & wegerif, 2018). for instance, children seen as more capable have higher quality learning opportunities than those regarded as less competent. in addition, teachers’ judgments impact student placement decisions in programs and grade retention (francis, archer, hodgen, pepper & taylor, 2016). decision-making skills the ability to choose a course of action systematically to accomplish the goal one has set for oneself is an example of this trait (aktas, yakici-topbas & dede, 2018). to better comprehend and cope with the obstacles of teaching, teachers use a wide array of reflective practice methods and make decisions about the measures that should be taken next (hartlep & porfilio, 2015). significantly, these strategies enhance the ability of the teacher to assess the favorable and unfavorable aspects of the conditions in the classroom. the factors influencing the decisions made about teaching may be evaluated from several perspectives (rogers, 2014). most of the research that has been done about teachers’ decision-making points to the curriculum, the testing, and the educators’ beliefs all impact instructional choice (duncan, washburn, lewis, bavarian, dubois & acock, 2016; greenberg, domitrovich, weissberg & durlak, 2017). positive personality traits in the context of the conduct of any profession, personality traits have become a distinctive factor that explains why some people perform better and act more professionally although employees possess a similar level of education, knowledge, and job description (bastian, mccord, marks & carpenter, 2015). self-image a high level of self-esteem is the result of having a positive self-image. in education, teachers with a healthy sense of their worth are likely to impact the students they teach positively others (buenvinida, rodriguez & sapin, 2020; deng, zheng & chen, 2020; oduntan, 2022). this idea is understood as the teacher’s overarching picture or implicit conception of oneself as a working professional. commitment a person demonstrates commitment when they decide on their terms to align with the beliefs and goals of the organization and to connect with other members of the organization; this also includes having a goal orientation, being resilient, having a desire to learn new things, being independent, being original, being grateful, being https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 33 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 30-41, 2022 generous, and being loyal (liu, yang & yang, 2015). a dedication to efficiency, productivity, and effectiveness in teaching and learning are all markers of higher academic achievements and better student learning experiences (rhodes, 2019). moreover, dedication on the part of teachers is often regarded as one of the most crucial elements of effective education. because of this, educators who have a significant amount of devotion may be able to make a difference in the learning and achievements of their students (klassen, durksen, al hashmi, kim, longden, metsäpelto & györi, 2018). thus, committed teachers have the desire to be good educators, an increased number of truth providers and sources, the awareness and acceptance of their value, and the fulfillment of their professional commitments outward/people orientation applying a people-oriented approach to education promotes awakening students’ potential and developing their personalities (wang, guerola, lin, fu & lin, 2019). this is done within the setting of a classroom. similarly, the phrase “people-oriented” is often used to describe an environment analogous to a place of employment where everyone knows each other (kell, 2019). they all get along well with one another, are courteous and upbeat, and smile at one another as they pass one another in the hallways (bacher-hicks, chin, kane & staiger, 2017). it is a pleasant workplace; everyone is happy in their employment, and everyone is treated fairly and well. this suggests that the workplace is enjoyable. cultural identity in the actual practice of teaching, when one is selfaware of one’s cultural identity, it is not surprising that one wants to grasp the different cultural characters of the students and the academic environment (breitweiser, 2019). educators who value cultural diversity are expected to perform better in teaching effectiveness and student accomplishment than those who do not. these have been discovered to be attributes that highlight the notion of someone with good personality traits, notably among educators (whaite, shensa, sidani, colditz & primack, 2018). similarly, to establish a culture in a classroom, the teacher must self-reflect on their culture and how it relates to the student’s cultures (buenvinida, rodriguez & sapin, 2020). work values due to many facets in any organization’s daily operations, work values have become a focal point on how it affects dramatic changes in work environments brought about by globalization, such as the advancement of technology, among other trends. work values currently serve as an assessment factor in evaluating workplaces and employees’ attitudes toward work instances concerning their behavioral patterns (koklukaya & yildirim, 2016). in a more specific sense, teachers’ work values have served as one determiner of teaching performance among educators as such values reflect the teacher’s perception of the academic institution and their attitude towards their line of the profession (cajeta, 2016). research stressed how work values determine the teachers’ needs in a more physiological or psychological sense, and serve as a foundation for how teachers conduct their teaching tasks (altun, 2015; donmus, akpunar & eroglu, 2017). work values are people’s awareness, emotive impulses, or personal needs or want that influence how they behave at work (dogan, 2018). consequently, work values may be a factor in determining teachers’ work performance and have been proven to predict career preferences in diverse businesses strongly (tedmem, 2019). materials and methods the study employed a non-experimental quantitative design utilizing the descriptive correlation technique of research conducted in the public elementary schools in kiblawan north and south districts, davao del sur, one of the provinces of region xi with 300 public elementary school teachers as respondents. research instruments used were in the form of a standardized questionnaire modified to fit the research objectives and were validated by the panel of validators and experts. the expert comments were comprehensively taken and incorporated in the instrument’s finalization with an overall validation of experts mean score of 3.97, described as very good. the questionnaires were also pilot tested and cronbachalpha scores were utilized for its reliability: 0.726 for rts, 0.679 for ppt and 0.745 for wv, all suggesting internal consistency of good or low-stakes testing (streiner, 2010). also, the questionnaires lifted from the internet had sought permission from the author in the manner that the researcher personally e-mailed them. before the questionnaires were administered, the respondents were given explicit instructions as to study’s goal and the need to provide truthful responses. also, they were assured that their responses would not be shared with anyone since strict conformity with appropriate ethical guidelines and considerations were made particularly on confidentiality, privacy, and anonymity. the first part of the questionnaire deals with a ten-item reflective thinking skills adapted and modified from the study of mirzaei, phang, and kashef (2014), followed by positive personality traits from the study of singh and jha (2010) and on work values from the study of farnese (2010). for statistical treatment, mean was used to determine the levels of rts, ppt, and wv, pearson r if significant relationships existed between rts and ppt, between rts and wv, and between wv and ppt, and path analysis for the significance of mediation. results and discussion level of reflective thinking skills since overall mean score of rts of the public elementary school teachers in kiblawan north and south districts, division of davao del sur, philippines is 4.55 with a verbal description of “very high” and all domains have “very high” verbal description such as decisionhttps://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 34 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 30-41, 2022 making skill (x ̄ = 4.58), communication skill (x ̅ = 4.57), judgement skill (x̅ = 4.56), observation skill (x̅ = 4.53) and team working skill (x ̅ = 4.49), it is indicative when teachers think about what they do to help students learn, they are using rts. through rts, teachers become more involved in problem-solving situations because they learn to be critical thinkers and look at different points of view that might lead to the best results, especially when it comes to meeting the school’s goals. teachers who use reflective thinking methods pay more attention to developing higher-order thinking skills, especially critical thinking, in their students. this assumption is in parallel with the study of fakazli and gonen (2017) which posited teachers’ rts include a paradigm shift from seeing challenges as problems that need to be solved to seeing them as opportunities for self-reflection and coming up with creative ideas that open new perspectives and opportunities. in aycicek et. al., (2019), reflective thought contributes significantly to professional growth. table 1: level of reflective thinking skills indicators sd mean descriptive level observation skill 0.35 4.53 very high communication skill 0.34 4.57 very high team working skill 0.44 4.49 very high judgement skill 0.35 4.56 very high decision-making skill 0.33 4.58 very high overall 0.32 4.55 very high level of positive personality traits since overall mean score of ppt of the public elementary school teachers in kiblawan north and south districts, division of davao del sur, philippines is 4.56 with a verbal description of “very high” and all domains have “very high” verbal description such as culture identification (x̅ = 4.60), commitment (x ̅ = 4.59), positive self-image (x̅ = 4.56) and outward / people orientation (x ̅ = 4.50), it is indicative why individuals perform better and act more professionally than others, even though they have the same level of education, the same amount of knowledge, and the same job description, because personality traits have become a distinguishing factor in the conduct of any profession. in whaite et. al., (2018), all these qualities have been identified as characteristics that highlight the idea of a person who possesses positive personality traits, particularly in the context of education. more so, bordenking et. al., (2020) emphasized that teachers bring their unique mix of experience, culture, and personality with them everywhere they go, including the classrooms where they teach. consequently, in soomro et. al., (2016) and buenvinida et. al., (2020), educators must have a deep and meaningful comprehension of their own uniqueness, identity, and culture to interact with and respond to the unique identities, languages, and cultures of their students in a genuine way. table 2: level of positive personality traits indicators sd mean descriptive level positive self-image 0.28 4.56 very high commitment 0.37 4.59 very high outward/people orientation 0.42 4.50 very high culture identification 0.31 4.60 very high overall 0.30 4.56 very high level of work values since the level of wv has an overall mean score was 4.53 with a verbal description of “very high” and all items under work values have very high verbal descriptions, the very high level of wv shows that teachers’ wv have served as one determiner of teaching performance among educators as such values reflect the teacher’s perception of the academic institution and the attitude, he/she has towards his/her line of profession. majority of respondents public school teachers strongly agreed that they assume a leadership position and having decisionmaking authority, they are being attentive to colleagues’ needs and emotional states, they respected colleagues’ work and tried to understand their point of view even if he/she does not share it, they dedicated their attention in listening to colleagues who does have low self-esteem, and they are open to forgiving a colleague who behaved incorrectly towards them. in donmus et. al., (2017) and tedmem (2019), how teachers’ personal values about their work shape their needs, especially in the realm of the body and mind, and form the basis for their professional work. this assumption is parallel with dogan (2018) that occupational well-being entails the positive experiences one has because of doing one’s job well. it is the engine that propels people to do what they need to do to help the organization reach its goals. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 35 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 30-41, 2022 table 3: level of work values items sd mean descriptive level assuming a leadership position and having decision-making authority. 0.68 4.46 very high being the person in charge and telling others what to do. 0.7 4.40 very high having ambition and being career oriented. 0.60 4.53 very high organizing others’ work. 0.66 4.51 very high being successful at work 0.55 4.52 very high being attentive to colleagues’ needs and emotional states 0.62 4.54 very high respecting colleagues’ work and trying to understanding their point of view even if he/she does not share it. 0.54 4.59 very high dedicating attention to and listening to colleagues he/she does not esteem very much. 0.56 4.59 very high being available when colleagues require his/her help 0.57 4.55 very high being open to forgiving a colleague who behaved incorrectly towards him/her. 0.57 4.59 very high being loyal to colleagues. 0.60 4.42 very high doing things in a traditional manner and use the customs learned. 0.65 4.55 very high respecting customs, rather than expressing his/her ideas. 0.67 4.49 very high avoid expressing one’s ideas if his/her boss or colleagues might criticize them. 0.74 4.47 very high adapting oneself to organizational requests, even if they go against his/her principals. 0.73 4.50 very high not contradicting his/her head or older colleagues. 0.68 4.43 very high working while remaining loyal to traditions and without adhering to continuous changes. 0.69 4.48 very high having stimulating work activities even if unexpected organizational changes. 0.58 4.57 very high knowing how to manage repetitive changes at work. 0.56 4.55 very high being interested in his/her work, be curious and attempt to more deeply understand every situation. 0.58 4.55 very high learning different aspects of his/her work and acquiring new competences. 0.54 4.62 very high proposing new ideas and expressing one’s creativity within the workplace. 0.57 4.55 very high seeking out challenging objectives at work. 0.55 4.58 very high selecting a job which consents one to enjoy him/herself 0.55 4.52 very high having a job which is fun and making him/her feel good. 0.53 4.52 very high having a guaranteed and stable work position. 0.53 4.62 very high finding pleasant and entertaining occasions within the workplace. 0.56 4.56 very high having a guaranteed and stable work position. 0.54 4.59 very high working for an organization where employees’ rights are protected. 0.55 4.63 very high knowing that on-the-job site, safety norms and regulations concerning the prevention of accidents are respected. no data no data no data overall 0.36 4.53 very high correlations between reflective thinking skills and positive personality traits how a teacher’s reasoning develops affects how he or she handles job-related problems and how he or she acts at work, showing off his or her good traits. reflective thinking skills impact teachers’ personality traits, and this change affects how reflective thinking affects teachers’ personalities. when teachers’ reasoning is fully developed, they can show good personality traits like wholeheartedness, directness, and open-mindedness. these traits usually lead to good decision-making skills and good academic results. since the overall rts positively and significantly correlated with overall ppt (r=0.885, p<0.05) and the domains the domains rts also significantly correlated with ppt: communication skill (r=0.803, p<0.05), observation skill (r=0.784, p<0.05), decision-making skill (r=0.772, p<0.05), judgement skill (r=0.762, p<0.05) and team working skill (r=0.744, p<0.05), it means that there is a significant relationship between rts and ppt of the public elementary school teachers in kiblawan north and south districts, division of davao del sur, philippines. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 36 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 30-41, 2022 table 4: significance of the relationship between the rts and ppt reflective thinking skills personality traits positive self image commitment outward/ people orientation culture identification overall observation skill .665*(0.000) .646*(0.000) .694*(0.000) .694*(0.000) .784*(0.000) communication skill .701*(0.000) .625*(0.000) .726*(0.000) .716*(0.000) .803*(0.000) team working skill .667*(0.000) .552*(0.000) .717*(0.000) .635*(0.000) .748*(0.000) judgement skill .673*(0.000) .582*(0.000) .715*(0.000) .650*(0.000) .762*(0.000) decision making skill .697*(0.000) .601*(0.000) .684*(0.000) .684*(0.000) .772*(0.000) overall .780*(0.0000 .686*(0.000) .811*(0.000) .773*(0.000) .885*(0.000) *significant at 0.05 significance level. additionally, it supports the studies of weli and bakoosu (2019) that rts has been shown to help teachers improve their performance and help their students do better in school. both things happen when teachers use rts in their teaching techniques. skills in reflective thinking that come out in a reflective approach to teaching have also been shown to have a link with the personality traits of teachers, especially when those traits show up in hard situations where teachers must analyze, discuss, evaluate, and change their own practice, as well as take a systematic analytical approach to teaching. correlations between reflective thinking skills and work values teachers’ wv may be linked to their ability to think reflectively. this is because developing these skills has become important to the goal of teachers’ jobs, leading them to look for better values to improve the quality of their teaching. when rts have been fully developed and have become a habit, they may be the reason for a person’s ability to change behavior in a way that shows off personality traits. if teachers are better at thinking about what they are doing, ppt also improve, making teaching methods more effective in the long run. learning how to think reflectively has been a critical component of gaining a deeper understanding of teaching. correlations between work values and positive personality traits since the overall rts positively and significantly correlated with overall wv (r=0.851, p<0.05) and the domains of rts also significantly correlated with wv: judgement skill (r=0.765, p<0.05), team working skill table 5: significance of the relationship between the reflective thinking skills and work values reflective thinking skills work values observation skill .687* (0.000) communication skill .757* (0.000) team working skill .764* (0.000) judgement skill .765* (0.000) decision-making skill .733* (0.000) overall .851* (0.000) *significant at 0.05 significance level (r=0.764, p<0.05), communication skill (r=0.757, p<0.05), decision-making skill (r=0.733, p<0.05) and observation skill (r=0.687, p<0.05), it suggests that there is significant relationship between rts and wv of the public elementary school teachers in kiblawan north and south districts, division of davao del sur, philippines. this implies that the development of skills in reflective thinking has become increasingly attuned to the goal of teachers’ professions, leading to the pursuit of better values to enhance the quality of teachers’ instruction (barnett et al., 2017). because of this, it is possible that reflective thinking abilities are also associated with the work values of teachers (ejoynes et al., 2019; taylor et al., 2017). learning how to think in a reflective manner is a vital component of developing a greater knowledge of the practice of teaching. this may be an indicator of positive personality qualities in teachers, since reflective thinking is a skill that can be learned. since the overall wv positively and significantly correlated with overall ppt (r=0.786, p<0.05) and the overall ppt also significantly correlated with the all the domains of wv: outward/people orientation (r=0.778, p<0.05), positive self-image (r=0.684, p<0.05), culture identification (r=0.659, p<0.05), and commitment (r=0.574, p<0.05), it suggests that a significant relationship between wv and ppt of the public elementary school teachers in kiblawan north and south districts, division of davao del sur, philippines. numerous research (elmali & kiyici, 2018; greenberg et. al., 2017; malekshahi, 2019; papavasileiou, et. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 37 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 30-41, 2022 table 6: significance of the relationship between the wv and ppt work values positive personality traits positive self image commitment outward/people rientation culture identification overall overall .684*(0.000 .574*(0.000) .778*(0.000) .659*(0.000) .786*(0.000) *significant at 0.05 significance level al., 2017; suparto, 2020; and taylor, 2022) have concluded that an employee’s work values have an effect not only on the positive things that employee does while at work, but also on how employee acts, what employee thinks about their job, and how employee feels about their work. in parlar and cansoy (2017), positive work values, which have been found to be produced by positive personality qualities in employees, have been associated to excellent work outcomes, which have also been linked to positive work results. on the mediating effect of work values a medgraph using path analysis was employed to prove the mediation and to strengthen the obtained result on the significance of mediation of work values on the relationship between reflective thinking skills and positive personality traits among public elementary school teachers in kiblawan north and south districts, division of davao del sur, philippines. table 7 illustrates the mediating effect: a path analysis. the data obtained in this table were results after conducting the spss amos. table 7: mediating effect: path analysis (significant full mediation) path estimates se c.r. p unstandardized standardized rts wv .972 .851 .034 28.343 *** wvppt .097 .118 .041 2.360 .018 rts-ppt .735 .785 .047 15.700 *** x =reflective thinking skills (rts) y = positive personality traits (pt) m =work values (wv) figure 3: medgraph showing the variables of the study. since rts and wv is the path a coefficient which has an unstandardized regression coefficient of 0.972, standardized regression coefficient of 0.851, computed standard error of 0.034 and the effect size of rts on wv is 97%; wv and ppt is the path b which has an unstandardized regression coefficient of 0.970, standardized regression coefficient of 0.118, computed standard error of 0.041 and the effect size of wv on pt is 71%; rts and ppt is the path c which has an unstandardized regression coefficient of 0.735, standardized regression coefficient of 0.785; the computed standard error is 0.047 and the effect size of rts on willingness to pt is 74%, full mediation was found in this study which means that wv is the very reason how rts can influence ppt among public elementary teachers. the significant and important direct effects shown in this study may be of help in the enhancement of the existing research (ballou & springer, 2015; blazar & kraft, 2017; fatima, 2021; hartlep et. al., 2015; oduntan, 2022; rivas, 2017; volkova, 2022; wang et. al., 2017) on rts and ppt. more so, this is in support of schwartz’s (2012) work values theory on self-transcendence values which posited that wv affects the human relation within the organization on how they interact, and handle situations based on their attitude towards work. one of the factors that has been found as contributing to an improvement in a teacher’s performance and academic accomplishments is reflective thinking. it has been shown that reflective thinking abilities, as shown in a reflective approach to teaching, are connected to the personality attributes of teachers. the capacity to reflect is the result of a teacher having developed the talent of reflective thinking, which in turn enables the teacher to cultivate the admirable qualities of being empathic and thinking critically. there is a correlation between positive work values and strong job performance, which is in turn related to individuals who possess favorable personality qualities. also, the finding of this study on rts and wv may support the existing studies of authors (abeln, 2015; amira et. al., 2017; aydogmus, 2017; care & vista, 2017; duncan et. al., 2016; gale, 2017; melati, 2019; smith et. al., 2016) who concluded that developed and sustained rts could be greatly affected by wv. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 38 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 30-41, 2022 conclusions based on the findings generated in the study, it can be concluded that the public elementary school teachers in kiblawan north and south districts, division of davao del sur, in region xi have a very high level of rts, very high level of ppt, very high level of wv, have a significant relationship between rts and ppt, have a significant relationship between rts and wv, and have a significant relationship between wv and ppt. also, full mediation was found which means that wv are the very reason how rts can influence ppt. reflective thinking abilities are connected to the personality attributes of teachers. the capacity to reflect is the result of a teacher having developed a talent for reflective thinking, which in turn enables the teacher to cultivate the admirable qualities of being empathic and thinking critically. through reflective teaching skills, teachers become more involved in problem-solving situations because they learn to be critical thinkers and look at different points of view that might lead to the best results. references abeln, l., (2015). investigating the lived experience of teacher decision-making: a phenomenological approach. http://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/edd/61 aktas, f.n., yakici-topbas, e.s., & dede, y. 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(2018). social media use, personality characteristics, and social isolation among young adults in the united states. pers. individ. differ. 124, 45–50. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 75 american journal of education and technologies (ajet) lived experiences of science major students in the absence of laboratory activities jolai r. garcia1*, honeylyn m. mahinay1, ivy n. macagba1, angelica yvonne uluan1, ian joy barat1, jose nino lubay1 volume 1 issue 2, year 2022 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i2.513 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: august 22, 2022 accepted: september 16, 2022 published: september 20 2022 the importance of laboratory activities in science education cannot be overstated. scientific laboratory activities and experiments have helped students absorb science lessons more easily in recent years. science cannot be more valuable to students if they do not get laboratory experience in school. as a result, the goal of this research is to learn about science major students’ lived experiences in learning science with the lack of laboratory activities while also identifying the obstacles they face. in an in-depth semi-structured online interview, ten science major students were asked to describe their learning experiences in science with and without laboratory activities. the students’ shared experiences described learning situations that did not involve laboratory activities as “finding light in the dark”. to put it another way, the students find the learning materials difficult to understand because of the unfamiliar terms they have encountered. moreover, the lack of learning resources and home-based experimentation equipment and materials to perform the required laboratory activities made it even more difficult for them to gain new knowledge and formulate specific scientific explanations. keywords learning experiences, absence of laboratory activities, science major students 1 notre dame of midsayap college poblacion 5, midsayap, north cotabato, 9410, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: jolaigarcia30@gmail.com introduction background of the study in the past years, science laboratory activities and experiments helped students understand their science lessons easily. laboratory activities allow the students to interact with the materials, observe and understand the nature of learning science. these activities help the students be involved in the process of constructing their meaningful learning experience towards the subject. productive learning is possible in a laboratory where the students can explore the equipment and materials to build on their knowledge and ideas related to the sciences. the laboratory is the heart of science in which individuals can put theory into practice (de borja & marasigan, 2018). this study aims to determine the learning experiences of science major students in the absence of laboratory activities. their difficulties and suggested coping strategies are also illustrated, demonstrating students’ eagerness and optimism to learn amid the challenges and struggles they encounter. the researcher finds this study timely and relevant because it is what the learners are experiencing today—trying to identify issues that can be addressed to help learners deal with the challenges and hardships they face by sharing their coping strategies and ways to establish self-efficacy that will allow them to overcome the academic battles they are experiencing. statement of the problem the study aimed to determine the learning experiences of science major students in the absence of laboratory activities. this research seeks to answer the following problems: 1. what are the learning experiences of science major students in learning science in spite the absence of laboratory activities? 2. what are the difficulties experienced by science major students in learning science in spite of the absence of laboratory activities? 3. what are the coping strategies of the science major students in learning science amidst the difficulties brought by this new mode of learning? literature review laboratory some long been thought to be integral part of science education (kwok, 2015). but when the covid-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc, education systems around the world are being affected in approximately 1.6 billion students in over 200 nations (pokhrel, 2021). though science education is connected chiefly to experimentation and laboratory activities. traditional educational techniques have been considerably disrupted by social distancing and limited movement policies. reopening schools when restrictions have been lifted is another problem, as many new standard operating procedures have been implemented (chhetri, 2021). this given educational administrators the chance to pioneer the road for digital learning (dhawan, 2020). on the other hand, due to reduced teaching hours for learners and a lack of interaction with teachers when confronting challenges in learning/understanding, students’ academic performance is likely to decrease in classes held for both year-end examination and internal examination (sintema, 2020). that make united nations (2020) conclude that depending on how long the lockdown lasts, the entire exam evaluation could be postponed or cancelled. thus, the latest literature states that the importance of investigation in increasing students has participation in the learning process.. https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i2.513 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= mailto:jolaigarcia30%40gmail.com?subject= pa ge 76 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 75-82, 2022 similar findings are found in the study of american chemical society (2017), research has shown that students who engage in well-designed laboratory experiences develop problem-solving and criticalthinking skills, as well as gain exposure to reactions, materials, and equipment in a lab setting. doosti (2015) described that laboratory work has positive influence on science education and it enhances the cognitive skills of science students but shortage of equipment, low quality of laboratory material and overcrowded classes are big hurdles in the way of effective implementation of laboratory work. on the other hand, remote laboratories have become more popular, with computers and other technology playing an increasingly important role in the learning process. learners manipulate actual equipment and the data that com es from their manipulation in remote laboratories (bernhard, 2018). as a result, laboratory interactions are an essential part of students’ development of scientific skill and understanding (latour, 2013). this experience helps them understand the subject matter and then later gain the ability to face similar cases and understands the same problem. laboratory experiences that are well-planned have a lot of potential for attracting young people to science classes (ncert, 2013). creating learning environment that encourages meaningful laboratory experiences is a good way to arouse and sustain student’s interest in science. students with occupied laboratory work that promotes fun experience and prospective science teachers will lead student to participate and collaborative with their peers and educators. in this way, science laboratory activities help the students to become more productive in school and cultivate lifelong skills. and, if the pre-service teachers do not get a chance to create activities, experiments, working models, and projects, they will surely encounter difficulties in guiding their future students in their laboratory experiences. in order to have a productive chemistry and biology instruction, laboratory equipment and their functions should be emphasized in chemistry and biology teacher education programs more deeply. lack of experiences in performing science laboratories may contribute in difficulties the teachers may experience in their teaching career. it is because teachers have a great responsibility to reach this goal. most professionals argued that without practical use of laboratories, students could not be appreciate science (olajide, 2017). olajide also added that one of the effective ways to experience and develop scientific skills is through the laboratory. in general, students need to conclude that understanding what they do, why they do, and how they will construct a feasible explanation for their experiences, specifically in the laboratories (unal & ozdemir 2013). but at some point, faulconer and gruss (2018) state factors that insist that laboratory is no longer needed in learning. this includes: practical skill development the importance of conventional laboratory experiences in developing practical skills required to perform more advanced research is a popular argument in favor of them. however, there is no evidence in the literature that students who completed an introductory lab using nontraditional methods perform worse in more advanced labs than students who completed an introductory lab using traditional methods. that said, some procedural skills need sensory input for which a simulation would not be adequate (brinson, 2015). cost the cost of different modalities to students varies by institution. students must pay lab fees for conventional laboratories and buy a lab manual in some instances, while other institutions do not charge lab fees. the cost of lab kits varies greatly depending on how often they are used in the course. online simulations are frequently less expensive than lab kits. growth potential the ability to expand is a direct advantage of nontraditional laboratories. traditional laboratories have limited space due to infrastructure, and bottlenecks can occur. cal-tech uses non-traditional laboratories to solve this problem (rivera, 2014). e-science labs are a non-traditional lab alternative in which kits are delivered directly to students worldwide, and the experiments are carried out at home with the help of video guides, animations, and a lab manual (escience labs, 2014). on the other hand, late nite labs is a company operated by macmillan that provides virtual lab environments with over 100 experiment options (late nite labs, 2014). accessibility the increased usability of non-traditional laboratories is a direct advantage. learners can interact with the material independently thanks to online simulations, remote access, and lab kits. this is especially beneficial for nontraditional students who have a full-time job, a family, or are deployed in the military. these non-traditional laboratory formats often provide access to resources that are not normally accessible in a traditional hands-on lab. in specific non-traditional lab environments, learners have more time to deal with the content than they would in a conventional 3-hour weekly lab session. according to surveys, students consider this as an advantage (turner & parisi, 2008). compared to online or conventional laboratories, one disadvantage of lab kits is the inability to repeat experiments, mainly if an error occurs. for microscale experiments, lab kits typically do not include extra reagents. a spill or a mistake in the procedure may. student-instructor contact time another factor to remember is that non-traditional laboratories are primarily asynchronous. this indicates https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 77 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 75-82, 2022 that the teacher or teaching assistant is not in clear view of the student. depending on the pedagogical choices made in the course design, this may also restrict peer cooperation. asynchronous laboratory interactions’ unsupervised nature can also make it challenging to ask timely questions. this can reduce safety awareness and increase risks associated with laboratory work in nontraditional laboratories that use lab kits. safety considerations another thing to think about is the kinds of interactions that each modality can facilitate. hands-on laboratories (both typical and lab kits) reinforce content as well as procedural skills. to control risks, the course should include a safety feature. the challenge is to create activities that are appropriate for transportation/delivery and unsupervised testing and engaging and free of apparent effects that would distract from motivation to complete an experiment. lab kits are microscale and use low-risk chemicals due to these factors (gould, 2014). on the other hand, while online simulations effectively reinforce the material, they often overlook safety and do not accurately represent actual procedural skills. although remote labs are likely to be better at simulating procedural skills, protection may not be addressed automatically. in summary, learning science with or without a laboratory affects students, especially in the learning experience. either both circumstances, there are many possible reasons behind how it affects the students’ learning experience. therefore, the researchers are looking forward to hear the shared experiences of the participants. methodology this chapter describes the research method used in this study. it includes the research design, participants of the study, the locale of the study, research instruments, data gathering procedure, and data analysis. research design this study employs a phenomenological design as a qualitative method. in phenomenological design, the fundamental questions about the perceptions or experiences of this phenomenon and the circumstances in which these experiences occur have been asked (creswell, 2013). the participants share their perceptions and experiences of the phenomenon. the lived experiences of second year and third year bachelor of secondary education science major students in learning science in the absence of a laboratory are investigated in this study. each participant in this research must have concentrate on his or her reality and report of his or her experiences. research participants the participants of the study were the selected ten (10) students from the second year and third year bachelor of secondary education science majors who were currently enrolled for the academic year 2020-2021, second semester in the time of pandemic. research sampling in this study, the researchers used purposive and convenient sampling to identify the participants. convenient sampling is a nonprobability sampling technique, where the participants are being drawn from that part of population that is closed to hand. according to polit and beck (2006), in a study convenience sampling includes respondents who are readily available. in other words, it is a method of collecting samples from a location or internet service that is conveniently accessible. the main goal of convenient sampling is to get the participants wherever we can find them and typically wherever the participants are convenient and are willing to answer the research questions. instruments of the study the primary data collection method was an online indepth interview using semi structured with open-ended questions developed by the researchers. in this research, the interview technique was used within the context of phenomenological trends to obtain students’ opinions in the absence of laboratories while studying science. the primary data gathering technique is an interview in a phenomenological design. the interview methodology allows researchers to ask questions of engagement, flexibility, and additional conversation to expose the experiences and meanings of the occurrences. individual semi-structured interviews with the participants were conducted using this interview approach. results and discussion this chapter presents the phenomenological qualitative analysis of the participants’ responses on the following research questions: (1) what are the learning experiences of science major students in learning science in spite the absence of laboratory activities? (2) what are the difficulties experienced by science major students in learning science in spite of the absence of laboratory activities? (3) what are the coping strategies of the science major students in learning science amidst the difficulties brought by this new mode of learning? this chapter also provides a discussion of the themes from the analysis of the participants’ narratives. this phenomenological study aims to explore the observable and actual manifestations of the learning experiences of science major students in the absence of laboratory activities. the main goal of phenomenological research is to seek reality from individuals’ narratives of their lived experiences and feelings, and to produce in-depth descriptions of the phenomenon (yuksel et al., 2015). establishing self-efficacy establishing self-efficacy is one of the coping mechanisms that push the students to continue learning despite the difficulties in understanding their lessons in this new normal. these central themes were formulated based on the responses of the participants. when inquiry https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 78 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 75-82, 2022 learning is used, positive attitudes and enhanced student participation have been observed (elliott & page, 2010). the students are enhancing their time management skills, developing strategies, and showing optimism in learning on how to pursue their studies in response to their course requirements. the participants identified positive impact of establishing self-efficacy that made them motivated and full of interest towards learning. this helped them continue their education despite the difficulties they have experience in understanding the materials given by their course instructors. as discussed by learner 6 that during the time of pandemic when many of what was performed in science education was halted, the successful experience which he had gone through was when he kept himself learning and understanding science topics despite lacking demonstration in physical laboratories. he continuously seeks for understanding about the given lectures and somehow manages to acquire learning’s. such findings are in connection to the study with high optimism, it is expected that students’ academic performance will be maintained and they are able to make adjustments from the new mode of learning. according to icekson, et al. (2020), while positive expectations often increase student academic performance, they may also contribute to academic failure if linked to unrealistic expectations of achievement. high awareness can control the adverse effects of increased optimism, such as unrealistic expectations and overconfidence. resourcefulness in finding resources to have a better understanding of the lesson being given by their instructors, the participants are being resourceful to find and use available resources to solve the difficulties they have experienced and have a deeper understanding of the topic. in connection with this, it is more important for the students to possess this trait in the pursuit of success in their studies. as mentioned by learner 3, the teacher sends them a youtube link to understand the laboratory activity and we no longer need to perform. what they need to do is to understand the theory behind it. he used the learning materials to answer the activities, and used them as a basis to find other resources to understand the lesson better. this finding is similar to the study of franklin (2018), resourcefulness has been defined as community’s capacity to engage with their local resource base as a means to address the unequal distribution of resources. moreover, being resourceful would greatly benefit the students learning. adaptation and adjustment to new mode of learning adaptation is considered one of the essential capacities of human behavior, and it is also a factor in human motivation and satisfying human needs (alzboon, 2013). the major theme of adaptation and adjustment to learning resources emanating from lack of experience described the journey of the college science students. in this case, the students had been confronted with experiences in learning science in the absence of laboratory activities. as learner 1 said, if he will based on his adaptation in this new normal? it is still hard to adjust because during face-to-face, in every laboratory though it is hard still, we can come up with good results, unlike this new normal, it made the subject even harder. the majority of participants are likely to change in their use of the resources provided by their instructors, which include informational materials that serve as learners’ guide in responding to activities and comprehending the lesson’s concept. some participants, on the contrary, are still looking for extra materials to assist them comprehend the lesson without having to perform it. defining difficult concepts difficult concepts and learning’s govern our lives, and the harder we look at them, the more they seem to be complicated and extend. complex ideas are difficult to analyze from a psychological standpoint. they can be developed from basis ideas and categorization. in connection with this, the participants have mentioned how they overcome difficult concepts in learning science in the absence of laboratory activities. for that reason, learner 7 narrates that the difficulties that she experienced as she learn science without doing laboratories are: she have to understand a manual given to them on her own and she have to be the one to look for the different resources for her to understand a topic a lot more. by this reason, learners can easily move forward if they can define difficult concepts using the materials they can find in the internet that is related to what their instructor given. stumbling block in learning in new setting the main problems encountered by the participants are lack of home-based experiment pieces of equipment and materials and the absence of laboratory activities.. according to the study is david kolb’s experiential learning theory, the knowledge is formed through the transformation of experiences, as well as the result of the combination of comprehending and transforming experiences (kolb, 1984). the idea stresses how learning is influenced by experiences such as cognition, environment, and emotions (cherry, 2020). they said that any lacking learning materials might result in ineffective learning outcomes and poor academic performance. difficulties in learning in a new setting are another central theme that challenges students towards a positive learning outcome. this answer is general because all of the participants stated the same difficulties as they learn in the new setting. the participants stressed the importance of laboratory activities in learning science concepts. many who are experiential and visual learners, in particular, benefit from being able to view and see things visually. there is a strong need for laboratory exercises to assist students in learning and comprehending concepts. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 79 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 75-82, 2022 household disruptions one of the difficulties experience by the participants in learning science in the absence of laboratory activities is household disruptions. participants who experience household disruptions are having hard time in focusing in their studies. in line with this, household disruption is a big setback that causes the participants to change their plans or causes learning process to be interrupted. according to kamuti (2015), child developmental outcomes such as cognitive ability, school readiness, academic achievement, and emotional adjustment are influenced by the home environment. furthermore, this subtheme explains the participants challenged to utilize their household spaces to achieve a conducive learning environment. learner 5 stated that, at first it seems quite weird that her learning’s happened inside her bedroom. it has been a challenge considering that the courses were planned face-to-face situations and are now in transition to remote education. on the other hand, due to the situation of inequalities some do not have the access to internet and those students who opted the modular learning were distracted by many reasons. participants are always looking for a suitable environment as they continue learning. they need to be away from noise and destruction to focus. the cooperation of other people around them especially their family members has a significant impact on their ability to learn the concepts of their lesson. unclear instructions about performance task performing activities is very difficult when you received unclear instructions about what you supposed to do. in connection with this, unclear instructions about performance task can affect the performance of the learners as well as their learning’s. as narrated by learner 5, there are instances where the instructions are not clear. they always ask questions to be fixed. they communicate with their instructor through text or messenger chat. the findings in this study is supported by schendel (2017), primary, teachers are sources of problems when they fail to identify applicable topics relative to student’s degree of understanding and explain the correct criteria due to poor knowledge in preparing rubrics. on the contrary, the learners can learn best when the teachers can further discuss the performance task and from that instructions they can create a scientific basis on how to perform their task on their own. unresponsive teacher to student queries one of the difficulties experienced by the participants is the unresponsive teacher to student queries. students are having hard time to understand their lesson in science due to the absence of laboratory activities and lack of homebased experiment materials. in line with this, students are raising questions that made them confuse. some of their instructors do not answer them that made them struggle more in doing their tasks and assignments. as narrated by learner 2, it is tricky because some of their instructors are not approachable, every time they reach them out, some of their messages remain delivered, and if ever they have seen it, it takes few days before they open. they want to finish the task on time; sometimes it’s too late because their instructors respond too late. with this reason, students have to take action and find another way on how to understand their lesson without waiting to what their instructor may respond to their quires. lack of home-based experiment equipment and absence of laboratory activities from the shared experienced of the participants, lack of home-based experiment equipment and absence of laboratory activities is one of the stumbling block in learning science in the absence of laboratory activities. moreover, laboratory activities are essential for the science learners to explore ideas and put scientific theories into action. as mentioned doosti (2015), described that laboratory work positively influences science education and enhances science students’ cognitive skills. still, shortage of equipment, low quality of laboratory material, and overcrowded classes are significant hurdles in implementing laboratory work. learner 3 clearly states that the lack of materials will result in the incorrect performance of the lab procedure. then it will result in a difficulty that he experienced in answering and lab report. also he doesn’t know what to put in the answer, and they will lack of knowledge because they didn’t perform the lab activity due to a lack of materials. they also experience difficulty in finding substitute materials once the lab activity is misused. the participant’s poor performance indicates that they have limited resources and have difficulty grasping unfamiliar and complex topics. according to the participant’s responses, one factor impeding their learning is a shortage of instructional materials. surviving the challenges in spite of the difficulties experience by the science major students in learning science in the absence of laboratory activities, the participants have share different strategies how to survive their challenges. surviving the challenges is intended to raise awareness about various concerns as well as to explore areas in learning where they might want to make changes. in connection with these, the participants should continuously be looking for methods to improve their learning strategies in learning science in the absence of laboratory activities. time management skills good time management can help you advance in your studies. organizing your day allows you to finish assignments and tasks given on schedule, stay focus during difficulties, and be creative and proactive in your responsibilities. indeed, having a good time management skills can help you achieve important goals and advance in your studies. being an effective time manager requires https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 80 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 75-82, 2022 you to prioritize each of your obligations. you must decide to start with quick, uncomplicated tasks and work your way up to longer, more intricate tasks. correspondingly learner 1 said, he always take time to read and watch videos in advance about the next laboratory activity. also he read and watches 1-2 hours every morning then 2-3 hours at night. in connection with this, each and every student’s should have time management ability which includes setting goals and priorities, using time management mechanism and being organized in using time (nasrullah, 2015). along with, it is very important that you know your priority on how you handle your challenges and established strategy to overcome it. optimism the core ideas optimism is related to individual confidence in facing challenges in learning science in the absence of laboratory activities. optimistic students, on the other hand, actively seek out opportunities to increase their well-being and reduce stress in their studies. based on the participant’s responses, optimism is about taking a step back and deciding to focus on the positive aspects of the situation. as stated by learner 2, she says that they must be creative and resourceful in our learning because in this time of pandemic the one who can help themselves is them. she added, meaningful learning may come from reading alone not what is taught by our teachers. similar finding is seen to the research conducted by siddiqi et al. (2016) states that the higher the individual optimism, the higher the individual’s belief. the more the students became optimistic in learning, they will have a positive outlook in spit the difficulties they experienced. utilization of household space creating a space at home that is suitable for learning is challenging but when you learn on how you can utilize them, it is useful for you to continue learning. when utilizing household space, you need to consider the disruptions and you have to be flexible in doing your task especially in doing a home-based experiment. in addition, it is the major method for determining success and performance efficiency. this is particularly true when it comes to tools and equipment. this is attested by learner 6, she will make sure that the house is free from unnecessary noises by turning off the television sets and other gadgets that produces noise. if there were any people in the house, she will ask them to minimize the volume of their voices when talking as she will be taking her classes. on the other hand, learning can happen in every space you like to study. despite of the difficulties you can experience, you have to become innovative by using the household space you can use. collaboration with classmates mochvan (2018) stated that building a positive relationship with subject teachers and classmates is essential for successful learning. it is one of the prominent trends that emerged from the people who participated in this study. most of their classmates have shown a positive attitude and collaboration with classmates to sustain a positive learning relationship. on the contrary, some of the participants also experience unclear instructions about the performance task, less interaction from teachers, and unresponsive teacher to student queries are some of the problems they experience. with technological advancements, the students have many more avenues to collaborate outside of the classroom outside of the schooldays. it also gives student’s opportunities to collaborate in virtual space. as mentioned by learner 7, she communicate/collaborate with her classmates through messenger. they send message and ask each other if they have topics that are difficult for them to understand. maintaining the collaboration with you classmates is so beneficial in a way that you can ask clarification on the part you have not understood. through collaboration with your classmates, you can gather information that can help you to finish your task on time. assistance of instructor students are often connected to instructors in the classroom. since the pandemic has begun, physical contacts are being limit or remove. in learning science, assistance from the instructor is very important for you to perform the laboratory activities correctly. in this study, one of the core ideas that emerged is the assistance of the instructor. furthermore, participants mentioned that having assistance with your instructor is a great help for them to perform a home-based experiments with the given consideration. as shared by learner 2, luckily, some teachers can understand and adjust for them. they innovate by simplifying it to more accessible activities even if we are at home. then they only chose activities that are suitable for the learners’ capacity. such finding is mentioned demonbrun et al. (2017), states that explanation strategies provide students with clarifications and reasons for using active learning. moreover, with clear explanations from their instructor can help them to understand their lessons easily. conclusions based on the results and findings of this research, the difficulties experienced by the science major students in learning science in the absence of laboratory activities is part of the challenges that they are facing in dealing with this new learning modality. the information discerned from this study may motivate the students to continue in their studies and provide them with strategies for creating new ideas. the results can be used by the students to establish self-efficacy towards learning science in spite of the absence of laboratory activities and the designed personal learning strategies that can help them to learn productively and effectively. it can be noted that selfefficacy promotes support and guidance to students and https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 81 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 75-82, 2022 help them set awareness, inspiration, and motivation about their experiences how they can cope with the challenges they encountered in learning science. this research can be a source of information that will pursue science as their specialization dissemination in the learning of new science major students to inspire them to promote and include laboratories and homebased laboratory as the process of formulating scientific explanation in learning science. the lived experiences of the science major students may assist the instructors in drawing evidence and support to address the difficulties the students’ experience and help them overcome the challenges they have identified. for future researchers, this research may assist them in evaluating other issues related to learning science in the absence of a laboratory, as well as issues outside the scope of the phenomenon being studied. in addition, future researcher can make use of the coping mechanisms mentioned by the participants who were conducting home-based experiments and developed the positive attitudes that the respondents have established, to continue learning science despite the identified challenges. additional studies are necessary for the phenomenological qualitative data gathering and quantitative technique or mixed methods. the findings of this research may also be replicated in a broad scope to determine more challenges and difficulties experience by the new science students in learning science in the absence of laboratory activities. references alzboon, s. o. 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(2020). policy brief: education during covid-19 and beyond. united nations. yüksel, p., (2015). theoretical frameworks, methods, and procedures for conducting phenomenological studies in educational settings. turkish online journal of qualitative inquiry, 6(1), 1-20. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 12 american journal of education and technology (ajet) physics education technology (phet) interactive simulations in learning selected topics in physics among college students sweet angelikate l. villaruel1* volume 4 issue 3, year 2025 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v4i3.4512 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: february 07, 2025 accepted: march 11, 2025 published: june 23, 2025 physics is often perceived as a challenging subject, with students struggling to grasp fundamental concepts like kinematics—a crucial foundation of classical physics and a prerequisite for advanced studies. this study investigates the effectiveness of phet interactive simulations as a learning intervention for college students. a total of 54 students enrolled in a biophysics course participated in the study, focusing on kinematics in two dimensions, specifically vector addition and projectile motion. a quantitative research design was employed, integrating pre-test, post-test, and likert scale questionnaires. an independent sample t-test confirmed the comparability of the control and experimental groups before the intervention (t(52) = 1.523, p = 0.134). the related-samples wilcoxon singed-rank test revealed a significant improvement in preand post-test scores within the groups (n = 54, z = -6.222, p < 0.001), attributing the improvement of respondents’ performance; also underscores the higher gain of the experimental group. additionally, using mann-whitney u test, a significant difference was observed in post-test scores between the two groups (u = 103.5, z = -4.528, p < 0.001), confirming the effectiveness of phet interactive simulations. likert scale analysis showed that students’ perceptions of the intervention were highly favorable across four parameters: (1) ease of access, (2) physical features and display, (3) ease of manipulation, and (4) relevance to the topic, with an overall weighted mean of 4.731 (sd = 0.449). these findings suggest that phet interactive simulations serve as an effective tool for enhancing student learning in physics. based on these findings, it is recommended that educators integrate phet interactive simulations into physics instruction to improve conceptual understanding and student engagement. keywords effectiveness, perception, phet, projectile motion, vector addition 1 palawan state university, barangay tiniguiban, puerto princesa city, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: savillaruel@psu.palawan.edu.ph introduction physics, much like mathematics, is often perceived as difficult due to its abstract concepts and reliance on complex formulas and calculations. many students struggle to see its relevance to real-world applications, leading to disengagement and poor performance (guido, 2018; tekwani, 2020). common difficulties include memorizing formulas without understanding, solving problems without being able to explain the reasoning, and actively participating in class yet failing simple quizzes (retnawati et al., 2018). despite teachers’ efforts, a majority of students find physics unapproachable, and conventional teaching methods have not effectively addressed this challenge (lopez, 2017). moreover, only a small fraction of students show genuine interest in physics, posing a persistent challenge for educators. kinematics, as a fundamental branch of physics, is crucial for understanding more advanced topics like dynamics. however, its abstract nature and the complex relationship between motion and forces make it difficult for students to grasp, leading to significant learning gaps that hinder their ability to fully comprehend subsequent concepts (physicsforums, 2018; putri et al., 2024; shodiqin & taqwa, 2021). not just students, preservice teachers are also having difficulty in dealing with physics concepts (sutarno et al., 2017). given the highly abstract nature of kinematics and dynamics, and the welldocumented difficulty students face in mastering these concepts, there is a pressing need for effective alternative teaching-learning strategies that can simplify and enhance their understanding (tazitabong, 2024). while technology offers new ways to enhance learning, many physics teachers still rely on traditional lectures, which students often find boring and irrelevant (uwizeyimana et al., 2018). the gap between the evolving role of technology and outdated teaching methods highlights the need for a shift in pedagogical approaches to improve student engagement and understanding. physics education technology (phet) interactive simulations present a promising tool to bridge these gaps (almadrones & tadifa, 2024). phet interactive simulations was a project of the university of colorado boulder and it provides over 130 free interactive math and science simulations. it was founded on 2002 by nobel laureate carl wieman. phet simulations are based on extensive education research and engage students through an intuitive, game-like environment where students learn through exploration and discovery (phet-io, 2016). while these simulations have been used for years, their potential to transform physics education became even more apparent during the pandemic, when traditional teaching methods proved insufficient (bahasoan et al., 2020). however, further exploration is needed to assess the impact of phet simulations on students’ conceptual pa ge 13 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 12-21, 2025 understanding and engagement, particularly in postpandemic blended learning environments. the limited local studies, the need for effective learning tools in physics education due to its difficulty, and the potential of phet interactive simulations as an alternative strategy motivated this research. this study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of phet interactive simulations in enhancing college students’ performance in learning selected physics topics. specifically, this research aims to answer the following questions: 1. what are the pre-test and post-test scores of students before and after the utilization of a. conventional teaching strategies; and b. conventional teaching strategies with phet interactive simulations? 2. is there a significant difference in the pre-test and post-test scores of control and experimental groups? 3. is there a significant difference in the post-test scores of control and experimental groups? 4. what are the perceptions of students on the use of phet interactive simulations in learning selected physics topics in terms of: a. ease of access; b. physical features and display; c. ease of manipulation; and d. significance to the topic? literature review teaching and learning physics it is common knowledge, especially for learners, that physics is such a difficult subject. one cannot separate physics from mathematics, for both discipline shares a common language—numbers. aside from complicated formulas and long, confusing computations, physics is full of abstract concepts. the very reason why many secondary and tertiary learners have a hard time understanding it (guido, 2018; tekwani, 2020; wangchuk et al., 2023). students have prejudices about schools, learning, and the field of physics itself, in addition to preconceptions about physical phenomena. some students could find it particularly challenging because they have general misconceptions about what physics is and how to approach it. a study conducted by reddy and panacharoensawad (2017) revealed that poor mathematical skills and a lack of understanding of the problem are major obstacles in developing problemsolving skills in physics. likewise, there is often a severe problem of lack of communication between teachers and students. based on the study of sartika and humairah (2017), college students struggled to understand problems and found it difficult to devise a solution plan. on the other hand, findings of bustami et al. (2020) revealed that college student factors, teaching-learning factors, and learning facility factors did not cause college students to experience difficulties in understanding physics subjects. alternative learning strategies in recent years, the integration of technology has expanded the possibilities for learning exercises in physics. interactive simulations and virtual experiments enable students to explore phenomena that may be challenging to observe directly in a traditional classroom setting. these simulations provide a hands-on experience that allows students to manipulate variables, observe the effects in real-time, and develop an intuitive understanding of the concepts being taught (laws et al., 2015). using analogies to scaffold understanding in “electromagnetic waves” and “sound waves” topics are found to be effective in enhancing learners’ metacognitive abilities compared to the abstract presentation (distrik et al., 2018; mahmudah et al., 2024; maulidah & prima, 2018). beyond what is being mentioned, bantuyong and antonio (2018) developed phet-based activities that are found to be effective in learning “electromagnetism”. the learning experiences of the students are synthesized into three themes: (1) physics is fun; (2) physics is real; and (3) physics is simple and easy. because of these findings, despite the abstractness of physics, it could still be taught through an effective learning tool. high school and college students can grasp complicated physics topics once they find the way of teachings interesting. additionally, the research conducted by kibirige and lehong in 2016 proved that the utilization of cooperative learning techniques in learning projectile motion resulted in a greater improvement in learners’ performance compared to the traditional teaching approach. pineda (2020) even recommended, based on the learning improvement of students, that the developed teaching-learning package should be used in teaching projectile motion compared to the traditional textbook. syuhendri (2021) further proved that conceptual change-based instruction led to significantly greater acquisition of conceptual change in kinematics compared to traditional instruction. conceptual questions, on the other hand, focus on assessing students’ comprehension of key concepts and their ability to apply them in different contexts. these questions may require students to explain phenomena, predict outcomes, or analyze the consequences of changing variables (docktor et al., 2015). furthermore, laws et al. (2015) explored collaborative learning exercises in physics. these exercises such as group problem-solving sessions or laboratory experiments, foster teamwork and communication skills. these exercises encourage students to engage in discussions, share ideas, and collectively arrive at solutions. similarly, akinbobola (2015) said that the most effective way in facilitating student’s transfer of knowledge in physics is through guided discovery followed by demonstration. it is advised that guided discovery and other student-centered teaching methodologies be used to actively include the students in learning scientific knowledge processes and ethics. ict, online simulations, and virtual labs have gained significant attention in recent years as effective tools for enhancing science education (bahasoan et al., 2020; selmi, 2023). these innovative approaches leverage computerbased technologies and create interactive environments pa ge 14 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 12-21, 2025 where students can explore and experiment with physics concepts. by manipulating variables, observing outcomes, and analyzing data in a simulated setting, students engage in a dynamic and immersive learning experience (calderón & ruíz, 2019). virtual environments, including simulations and virtual worlds, provide valuable opportunities for active learning, enabling students to take a more handson role in the learning process (bogusevschi et al., 2020). research by alnagrat et al. (2023) and lamb et al. (2019) has shown that simulation software and virtual reality (vr) significantly improve student achievement. furthermore, teachers are increasingly integrating technology-based tools like phet into their instruction, as lagon (2023) highlighted, demonstrating a shift toward more interactive and technology-enhanced teaching strategies. simulations are valuable tools for interactive and engaging learning experiences, but they cannot replace the essential role of teachers (kaufman & ireland, 2019). teachers provide subject expertise, guidance, individualized instruction, and emotional support that simulations alone cannot offer. teachers foster critical thinking, adapt instruction to students’ needs, and create a supportive classroom environment. while simulations enhance learning, their integration with skilled teaching practices maximizes student engagement and comprehension, creating a holistic educational experience. integration of phet interactive simulations in philippine classrooms the adaptability of phet interactive simulations across different classroom settings provides educators with flexibility in their instructional approaches. their availability online makes them accessible anytime, allowing students to review concepts, conduct virtual experiments, and deepen their understanding of physics. phet also has a database of teacher-created lessons to which the teachers use the simulations in a variety of ways—from embedding simulations to lectures, to small-group projects, to homework assignments (phet-io, 2016). the findings of mallari and lumanog (2020) showed that filipino high school students were highly engaged, motivated, and challenged during interactive classroom activities. it can be concluded and recommended that incorporating phet interactive simulation-based activities positively influences students’ academic performance in science. maulidah and prima (2018) conducted research aimed at exploring students’ utilization of simulations to develop a conceptual framework and investigate the impact of different levels of guidance on their usage of simulations. through detailed analysis, it was discovered that the incorporation of visualizations and analogies aided secondary students in constructing their understanding. almadrones and tadifa (2024) and batuyong and antonio (2018) also showcased the effectiveness of phet interactive simulations in teaching physics. they further recommended phet to be used for classroom instruction for understanding physics concepts for diverse learners. furthermore, the use of phet simulations led to a notable improvement in test scores for students, outperforming those who used only printed modules. the engaging learning environment and the tool’s reliable, effective instructional features contributed to these positive outcomes (blacer-bacolod, 2022). on the contrary, the results of yunzal and casinillo’s (2020) study indicated that there was no significant difference in the mean scores between the control and experimental groups, despite the students’ expressed interest in playing the simulation. students may be more drawn to simulations that align with the content covered in their lectures. additionally, the study revealed that the students’ performance before and after being exposed to the phet simulation did not exhibit a substantial variation, but it did show a slight improvement in their overall performance. materials and methods research design this study utilized phet interactive simulations as a learning intervention. it intends to examine the level of performance of third-year college students undertaking bachelor of science in biology major in medical biology (bsb medbio) of palawan state university who are enrolled in biophysics course before and after the intervention. the researcher used a quasi-experimental quantitative research design with the integration of pre-test and post-test (cook, 2015). in this design, all the respondents are subjected to conventional teaching strategies (multimedia aided lecture-discussion); however, only the experimental group used phet interactive simulations as a learning intervention. the pre-test and post-test scores of the control and experimental groups were recorded and compared to assess the distribution of data. for pre-test mean scores, an independent samples t-test was used to ensure that the groupings were not statistically different and are therefore comparable. the pre-test and post-test mean scores of each group was also compared using non-parametric test (related samples wilcoxon signed-rank test) to see if the improvement in the respondents’ scores is significantly different. likewise, the post-test mean scores of the two groups was further compared using an independent samples mann-whitney u test. the tests answer if phet interactive simulation is effective or not as a learning intervention. moreover, to collect relevant data on students’ perceptions in terms of the use of intervention, the researcher employed a likertscale questionnaire where responses vary from strongly agree (sa) to strongly disagree (sd) for each statement. research instrument to collect relevant quantitative data, the researcher used (1) a validated and reliable (cronbach’s alpha coefficient α=0.83) pre-test and post-test, that measured the improvement in student’s performance before and after the intervention, (2) a validated and reliable (cronbach’s alpha coefficient α=0.97) likert scale, that measured students’ perception of the use of teaching intervention. as indicated in the course pa ge 15 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 12-21, 2025 syllabus, the focus of the questionnaires is the classical mechanics: motion in two dimensions; specifically, vector addition and projectile motion. before the instruction begins, a paper-and-pen pretest in the form of a multiple-choice was administered to the respondents. parallel post-test, together with the likert scale questionnaire (only in experimental group), followed shortly after teaching the intended topics. the preand post-tests are backed-up with prepared table of specifications (tos). the five-point likert scale have varying responses of strongly agree (sa), agree (a), neutral (n), disagree (d), and strongly disagree (sd). statistical treatment all statistical treatments were carried out using statistical package for social science (spss). the researcher computed and compared the mean scores, mean percentage scores and standard deviation (sd) of the pre-test and post-test scores of both groups. to describe the level of performance of the respondents through frequency distribution from the 30-item multiple choice test, the following descriptors was adapted, with modifications, from the study of bantuyong and antonio (2017) for interpretation. table 1: pre-test – post-test scores descriptor respondents’ score interval descriptor 25 – 30 outstanding 19 – 24 very satisfactory 13 – 18 satisfactory 7 – 12 fair 0 – 6 needs improvement table 3: students’ perception mean score descriptor weighted mean interval description characteristics 1.2 – 5.0 highly favorable respondents perceive the intervention as very effective and user-friendly. 3.4 – 4.19 favorable respondents recognize the intervention as effective with some minor limitations. 2.6 – 3.39 neutral respondents are undecided about the effectiveness or usability of the intervention. 1.8 – 2.59 unfavorable respondents perceive the intervention as having noticeable usability or effectiveness issues. 1.0 – 1.79 highly unfavorable respondents see major usability and effectiveness problems in the intervention. table 2: effect size r descriptor r value descriptor 0.00 < 0.30 small effect 0.30 < 0.50 medium effect 0.50 or more large effect test data passed the test for normality using kolmogorovsmirnov test (lilliefors, 2012) and homogeneity of variance using levene’s test (schultz, 1985). the data gathered from post-test scores was found out to be not normally distributed using the same normality test (kolmogorov-smirnov); thus, the researcher opted to administer the non-parametric wilcoxon signed rank test to determine if there is a significant difference in the pre-test – post-test scores (related samples test) and a mann-whitney u test for the post-test scores of both groups (independent samples test). furthermore, to determine the practical significance of the difference between groups, the researcher computed the effect size. in this study, rank-biserial correlation (r) was employed as a measure of the effect size of the variables (datatab team, 2025). effect size r helps to quantify the strength of the observed difference, allowing for a better understanding of the practical implications of the study findings. below is the corresponding descriptor to effect size r values computed. to describe the perception of the respondents on the use of intervention in terms of the following parameters: (1) ease of access; (2) physical features and display; (3) ease of manipulation; and (4) significance to the topic, the researcher calculated the mean weight and standard deviation of likert scale data. the following scale was adapted and modified from the study of bacolod et al., (2022) for the interpretation of results. to prove that both groups are comparable, the researcher administered an independent sample t-test after the preresults and discussion the fifty-four (54) respondents completed the validated and reliable pre-test and post-test. the paper-and-pen multiple choice pre-test was administered before the conventional lecture-discussion of classical mechanics: motion in two dimensions. the learning intervention was introduced to the experimental group. parallel paperand-pen multiple choice post-test was administered to both groups right after the researcher finished the learning plan. the pre-test scores suggest that participants have limited prior knowledge of the subject matter, aligning with the findings of almadrones and tadifa (2024). based on the gathered data, majority of students in both groups fell within the moderately satisfactory range (7–12), with a higher percentage in the control group (78%) pa ge 16 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 12-21, 2025 compared to the experimental group (48%). the mean percentage score (mps = 38.40%; mps = 34.32%) and standard deviation (sd = 2.93; sd = 2.97) of respective groups further proved that students have little background knowledge regarding vectors and projectile motion topics. guskey and mctighe (2018) stated that students’ preconceived notions, misunderstandings, misconceptions, and knowledge gaps contribute to their low performance in pre-test assessments. the level of performance in pre-test of both groups were compared using an independent samples t-test, which showed (t(52) = 1.523, p = 0.134), indicating that there was no significant difference between the two groups before the intervention and are therefore comparable. the experimental group demonstrated significant improvement, with 78% (21 out of 27 students) achieving scores in the very satisfactory to outstanding categories. in contrast, the control group showed the opposite trend, with 78% of its students remaining in the fair to satisfactory categories, indicating a lower overall performance. meanwhile, only 22% (6 out of 27 students) from the control group reached the very satisfactory to outstanding levels. the substantial difference in mps (72.0% vs. 49.0%) further suggests that the intervention had a positive impact on the learning outcomes of the experimental group. this improvement is attributed to the effectiveness of phet interactive simulations, which provided an interactive and engaging learning experience that enhanced students’ conceptual understanding. by allowing active exploration and visualization of abstract concepts, the intervention facilitated deeper comprehension, leading to better post-test performance. this result aligns with the findings of bantuyong and antonio (2018) and chinaka (2021). table 4: descriptive statistics of respondents’ performance through preand post-test scores scores interval pre-test post-test remarksexperimental group control group experimental group control group f % f % f % f % 25 – 30 0 0% 0 0% 7 26% 0 0% outstanding 19 – 24 1 4% 0 0% 14 52% 6 22% very satisfactory 13 – 18 10 37% 5 18% 5 18% 9 33% satisfactory 7 – 12 13 48% 21 78% 1 4% 12 45% fair 0 – 6 3 11% 1 4% 0 0% 0 0% needs improvement total 27 100% 27 100% 27 100% 27 100% mean % score 38.40 % 34.32 % 72 % 49 % sd 2.93 2.97 4.4 4.4 figure 1: overall mean scores: compares preand post-test scores figure 1 presents a comparison of the pre-test and posttest mean scores of the experimental group and control group, highlighting the improvement in performance after the intervention. the experimental group, which was taught using phet interactive simulations, exhibited a substantial increase in their mean score from 11.52 in the pre-test to 21.59 in the post-test. in contrast, the control group, which received only conventional teaching strategies, showed a more modest increase from 10.3 to 14.78. the greater learning gains observed in the experimental group suggest that the use of phet interactive simulations significantly enhanced students’ conceptual understanding, leading to a more effective learning experience. these findings align with the study of mallari and lumanog (2020), which also reported that interactive simulations improve student engagement and pa ge 17 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 12-21, 2025 conceptual mastery in physics. this further supports the potential of technology-enhanced learning in improving student performance, particularly in topics such as motion in two dimensions. table 5: related-samples wilcoxon singed-rank test in the improvement of students’ performance (n = 54) preand post-test scores mean rank sum of ranks z p decision r negative ranks 6.75 13.50 -6.222 < 0.001 reject the null hypothesis 0.847 positive ranks 27.79 1417.5 *significance level is 0.05. *p value is asymptotic significance (2-tailed). *effect size r <0.30 indicates a small effect <0.50 indicates a medium effect >0.50 indicates a large effect table 6: mann-whitney u test in the students’ post-test scores (n = 54) group mean rank mann-whitney u z p decision r experimental 37.17 103.5 -4.528 < 0.001 reject the null hypothesis 0.616 control 17.83 *significance level is 0.05. *p value is asymptotic significance (2-tailed). *effect size r <0.30 indicates a small effect <0.50 indicates a medium effect >0.50 indicates a large effect the wilcoxon signed-rank test was conducted to determine whether there was a significant improvement in students’ performance after the utilization of phet interactive simulations. the results revealed that the mean rank of positive differences (27.79) was substantially higher than the mean rank of negative differences (6.75), indicating that most students scored higher in the posttest compared to the pre-test. additionally, the sum of ranks for positive scores (1417.5) was significantly greater than that of negative scores (13.50), further supporting the observed improvement. the test yielded a z-value of -6.222 and a p-value of less than 0.001, well below the 0.05 significance level. this led to rejecting the null hypothesis, confirming that the difference between pre-test and posttest scores was statistically significant. furthermore, the effect size (r = 0.847) indicates a large effect, suggesting that using phet interactive simulations had a strong and meaningful impact on students’ learning outcomes. these results were further affirmed by the study of warneri et al., (2024). a mann-whitney u test was conducted to compare the post-test performance of students in the experimental group and the control group. the results revealed a significant difference in student performance between the two groups (u = 103.5, z = -4.528, p < 0.001). the mean rank for the experimental group (m = 37.17) was higher than that of the control group (m = 17.83), indicating that students in the experimental group performed better. furthermore, the effect size (r = 0.616) suggests a large effect, meaning that the use of phet interactive simulations had a strong impact on student performance. given the significance level of 0.05, the null hypothesis was rejected, confirming that the learning intervention significantly influenced learning outcomes. this finding suggests that students who used phet interactive simulations as a learning intervention performed significantly better than those who were taught solely through conventional methods. these results align with the studies of mallari and lumanog (2020), and bantuyong and antonio (2018), which also highlight the effectiveness of interactive simulations in enhancing student learning. however, they contrast with the findings of yunzal and casinillo (2020), who reported little to no significance regarding the impact of such interventions. table 7: students’ perception on the use of phet interactive simulations through different parameters statements weighted mean sd remarks a. ease of access to phet interactive simulations a1. it is easy to find and access phet interactive simulations on the internet. 4.84 0.473 highly favorable a2. the search functionality on the phet website effectively helps me locate the desired simulations. 4.80 0.408 highly favorable a3. the website provides clear and straightforward instructions for accessing and launching the simulation. 4.56 0.507 highly favorable a4. phet interactive simulations are readily accessible across different devices (e.g., smartphones, computers, tablets). 4.60 0.645 highly favorable a5. the loading time of the simulations is reasonable, allowing for a smooth user experience. 4.44 0.712 highly favorable pa ge 18 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 12-21, 2025 a6. phet interactive simulations are easily accessible without the need for extensive registration or account creation. 4.96 0.200 highly favorable a7. the website provides helpful support and resources for troubleshooting access related issues. 4.52 0.653 highly favorable average 4.674 0.514 highly favorable b. physical features and display of phet interactive simulations b1. the graphics in phet interactive simulations are visually appealing and engaging. 4.72 0.458 highly favorable b2. the physical models and representations used in the simulations are clear and easy to comprehend. 4.88 0.332 highly favorable b3. the simulations effectively illustrate complex scientific concepts through intuitive and interactive displays. 4.76 0.436 highly favorable b4. the labels and text descriptions within the simulations are legible and easy to read. 4.68 0.476 highly favorable b5. the use of colors in the simulations effectively conveys information and enhances understanding. 4.80 0.408 highly favorable b6. the display and arrangement of data or graphs within the simulations are well-organized and coherent. 4.80 0.408 highly favorable b7. the inclusion of relevant animations or visual effects enhances the learning experience in the simulations. 4.80 0.408 highly favorable average 4.777 0.418 highly favorable c. ease of manipulation of phet interactive simulations c1. the interactive elements in phet interactive simulations are easy to manipulate. 4.44 0.651 highly favorable c2. it is straightforward to adjust parameters or variables within the simulations. 4.36 0.569 highly favorable c3. it is easy to understand the purpose and functionality of each interactive simulation. 4.80 0.500 highly favorable c4. i find it easy to explore different scenarios or experimental setups within the simulations. 4.56 0.712 highly favorable c5. the range and flexibility of manipulations available in the simulations meet my needs. 4.60 0.577 highly favorable c6. the interactive elements and controls are responsive and user-friendly. 4.72 0.458 highly favorable c7. i can easily switch from one part of the simulation to another. 4.84 0.374 highly favorable average 4.617 0.549 highly favorable d. significance of phet interactive simulations to the topic d1. the phet interactive simulations we used are significantly related to our topics vector addition and projectile motion. 5.00 0.000 highly favorable d2. the simulations are useful for visualizing and comprehending the principles of vector addition and projectile motion. 4.92 0.277 highly favorable d3. phet interactive simulations improve my ability to analyze and solve problems involving vector addition and projectile motion. 4.92 0.277 highly favorable d4. the simulation in vector addition helps me visualize the magnitude and direction of given vectors. 4.80 0.408 highly favorable d5. the projectile motion simulation helps in understanding behavior of objects in motion. 4.76 0.436 highly favorable d6. using phet interactive simulations boosts my confidence in applying the principles of vectors and projectile motion. 4.80 0.408 highly favorable pa ge 19 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 12-21, 2025 d7. phet interactive simulations significantly enhance my understanding of vector addition and projectile motion. 4.80 0.408 highly favorable average 4.857 0.316 highly favorable overall 4.731 0.449 highly favorable *legend 4.2 – 5.0 highly favorable; 3.4 – 4.19 favorable; 2.6 – 3.39 neutral; 1.8 – 2.59 unfavorable; 1.0 – 1.79 highly unfavorable using a 5-point likert scale, perceptions of students in the experimental group regarding the use of phet interactive simulations were gathered. the overall weighted mean of 4.731, classified as highly favorable, reflects positive perceptions of the simulations—particularly vector addition and projectile motion—regarding accessibility, visual quality, ease of manipulation, and relevance to the topics discussed. these findings are consistent with the results of blacer-bacolod (2022) and salame and makki (2021), further supporting the effectiveness of phet simulations and its positive impact in the learning process. for parameter a: ease of access, the average weighted mean of 4.674 and standard deviation of 0.514 suggest that students find phet simulations readily accessible, with ease of use without requiring registration (m = 4.96, sd = 0.200) receiving the highest rating. this underscores the convenience and user-friendliness of the platform. parameter b: physical features and display have an average weighted mean of 4.777 and a standard deviation of 0.418, indicating strong approval of the visual appeal, clarity of models, and interactive features. the highest-rated aspect was the clarity of physical representations (m = 4.88, sd = 0.332), emphasizing their role in enhancing conceptual understanding. for parameter c: ease of manipulation, the average weighted mean of 4.617 and standard deviation of 0.549 suggest that respondents generally find phet simulations intuitive and easy to use. the highest-rated aspect was the ease of switching between simulation sections (m = 4.84, sd = 0.374), highlighting the tool’s smooth navigation and responsiveness. finally, parameter d: significance to the topic yielded the highest average weighted mean of 4.857 with a standard deviation of 0.316, demonstrating that students strongly recognize the simulations’ direct relevance to learning vector addition and projectile motion. the highest-rated item was the direct alignment of simulations with the topics discussed (m = 5.00, sd = 0.000), indicating total agreement on their educational value. moreover, all of the participants (n = 27) who used phet interactive simulations supported these findings. conclusions this study examined the effectiveness of phet interactive simulations in teaching selected topics in physics by comparing the learning outcomes and perceptions of students who were taught using conventional teaching strategies with and without phet. the results revealed that both groups demonstrated improvements in their post-test scores, with the experimental group—who utilized phet simulations—showing greater gains. statistical analysis indicated a significant difference in the pre-test and post-test scores within both groups and a significant difference in the post-test scores between the control and experimental groups, favoring the latter. moreover, student perceptions of phet interactive simulations were highly favorable. the simulations were found to be accessible, visually engaging, easy to manipulate, and relevant to the topics studied. these findings suggest integrating phet interactive simulations into physics instruction can enhance students’ conceptual understanding and engagement. recommendations based on the findings of this study, it is highly recommended that physics teachers integrate phet interactive simulations into their instructional strategies. the statistical evidence demonstrating significant improvements in students’ learning outcomes, coupled with the positive perceptions of students regarding accessibility, visual appeal, ease of use, and relevance, highlights the effectiveness of phet as a supplementary learning tool. teachers are encouraged to incorporate these simulations to enhance engagement, improve conceptual understanding, and make abstract physics concepts more tangible for students. students are encouraged to utilize phet interactive simulations as a self-directed learning tool actively. given their interactive nature, these simulations allow students to explore physics concepts at their own pace, visualize abstract principles, and reinforce classroom learning through hands-on virtual experiments. educational institutions should consider providing training and resources to support the integration of phet interactive simulations in physics instruction. further studies may explore the long-term impact of these simulations on students’ performance and their applicability to other areas of science education. references akinbobola, a. o. 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(2024). physics teaching methods and its impact on students’ academic achievement in secondary schools in the limbe i municipality. american journal of multidisciplinary research & development (ajmrd). 6(8). https://www.ajmrd.com/ wp-content/uploads/2024/08/c681726.pdf tekwani, m. (2020). why is physics considered to be a difficult subject? medium. accessed 25 october 2024. https:// mukeshntekwani.medium.com/why-is-physicsconsidered-to-be-a-difficult-subject-ed4bd05a5c2f uwizeyimana, d., yadav, l., musengimana, t., & uwamahoro, j. (2018). the impact of teaching approaches on effective physics learning: an investigation conducted in five secondary schools in rusizi district, rwanda. deleted journal, 4(2), 4–14. https://www.ajol.info/index.php/rje/article/ download/175117/164504 warneri, w., salam, u., putri, w. a., imandari, r. z., pratiwi, r. d., & chairunnisa, t. 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(2020). evidence from stem students’ performance. journal of education research and evaluation, 4(3). https://doi.org/10.23887/jere. v4i3.27450 pa ge 1 pa ge 28 american journal of education and technology (ajet) correlational analysis on stem students’ ncae scholastic aptitude, track preference, and occupational interest, with shs academic performance herman m. lagon1* volume 1 issue 4, year 2023 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i4.674 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: september 27, 2022 accepted: december 29, 2022 published: january 05, 2023 in the “new normal,” a non-paper-and-pencil admission process becomes a challenge. this correlational analysis aims to choose possible admission candidates for shs stem strand by determining possible connections between the ncae general scholastic aptitude (gsa), stem strand preference (ssp), and area of occupational interest (aoi), with the academic performance (ap) of stem students of ateneo de iloilo (adi) senior high school (shs). the study covered 124 stem students data protection protocols. it showed that ateneans have proficient (85.6%; sd=3.13) ap and above average ncae gsa (school: 93.95%; national: 37.87%) and ssp rating (90.92%). there is also a significant difference in the gwa if classified according to gsa (p=0.00), ssp (p=0.00), and aoi (p=0.031). there is a strong positive correlation (r=0.646, p=0.00) in the students’ gwa and gsa. the same was likewise observed in students’ grade 11 performance (except pe) and their corresponding gsa areas: scientific ability, reading comprehension, verbal ability, mathematical ability, and logical reasoning ability. the study suggested that the direct relationship between ncae and grade 11 ap validates the efficacy of the ncae instrument as guide in career/strand advising and in approximating students’ potential ap in grade 11. keywords ncae, shs stem, scholastic aptitude, track preference, occupational interest 1 iloilo college of fisheries (iscof), brgy. tiwi, barotac nuevo, iloilo, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: hermanlagon1@gmail.com introduction in this age and time, every decision counts, especially on matters pertaining to one’s career choice. although career development is a lifelong process, there are phases in our lives that we really have to make the most calculated decision to ensure that we are putting ourselves in a better position for long-term career growth (clark, 2016). one of the most crucial career phases is high school (germeijs and verschueren, 2006). it is where the “growth trajectories are in line with theoretical models in which orientation and broad exploration are necessary and important at the beginning of the career-decision process.” to some, this is the make-or-break part where wrong decision may mean academic misalignment, vocational confusion, or total disillusionment that may end in a personal down-spiraling career path. the yearly conduct of the national career assessment examination (ncae) and addition of two more years in the k-to-12 department of education (deped) framework are apparently responses to this this clear and present need. millions of filipino students, 14-16 years of age, are bound to choose the track and strand they wish to enroll in the two-year-old senior high school (shs). they are encouraged to use their ncae-measured aptitude, preference, and interest as decision reference. they must choose and perform well for there is a caveat. as per deped order 55 series of 2016, students are strongly advised to pursue a specific college or technical-vocational education that is aligned with their course of choice. ncae somehow aims to match one’s personality type and future compatible work (or even shs) environment. this study is anchored on both frank parson trait-factor theory and john holland’s career typology theory who both strongly advocate that the closer the match between personal traits and job factors the greater the likelihood for successful job performance and satisfaction. parsons believe that “studying the interest, aptitude, and skills of the individuals (students)” is a good start in guiding them in their vocational path. it comes before “surveying the ‘occupations’ (strand and course)” and “matching the individual with the occupation.” in the case of shs students, holland suggests that “assessment information (ncae results included) can provide the basis for developing career possibilities into realities.” putting it in context, holland says that if the students’ scholastic aptitude strand preference and occupational interest are in sync with their strand of choice, then they are expected to perform better in shs (even in college and beyond) than those with conflicting skills set. but is it really the case? is ncae really a good reference of students in choosing a track, a strand, or a degree in college, or a career in life? is there at least a degree of connection in the academic performance of students in shs and their ncae results? did students really use and/ or benefit from an ncae-based decision-making process? this study was predicated on the abovementioned theories and issues following framework shown in figure 1. ultimately, the research’s particular intent was to determine possible connections between the ncae general scholastic aptitude (gsa), stem strand preference (ssp), and area of occupational interest (aoi), with the academic performance (ap) of the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (stem) students of ateneo de iloilo-santa maria https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i4.674 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= pa ge 29 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(4) 28-33, 2023 catholic school (adi-smcs) shs. finally, it also hoped that the study will eventually gather practical information that would enhance the career development services of the school in terms of career advising, academic guidance, and goal-setting among high school students. materials and methods this correlational analysis is focused on the measurement of the strength of the relationship between and among the following variables: ncae gsa, ssp, aoi, and the ap of the grade 12 stem students of adi-smcs shs and its practical use in career counseling thereof. although adi-smcs shs offers two strands, namely stem and abm (accountancy, business and management), the study focused only on the 124 stem strand students who comprised 67% of the total batch population. ncae in the study refers to the test conducted in november 19, 2014 which comprised, but not limited to, the following areas: gsa (scientific ability, reading comprehension, verbal ability, mathematical ability, logical-reasoning ability), stem standard preference, occupational interest preference level, and overall rank. the students took the test in their school with depedassigned proctors. it lasted for 7 hours and 30 minutes with 590 items. the scores of which show the percentile rank which is the examinees’ position among all the examinees who took the test. the rating is classified as excellent (99++%), very high (98%-99%), above average (86%-97%), average (51%-85%), low average (15%-50%), below average (3%-14%), poor (1%-2%), and very poor (0%-0.99%). the corresponding preferred course to take and field to pursue in college were also gathered from students. this was used to identify the students’ percentage score in the aoi based on the 15-field inventory of occupational interest of the ncae. it is worthy to stress that instead of using the rank 1 aoi percentage score of students, the researcher preferred to use the corresponding score of students’ preferred field as this is the more appropriate gauge considering the context of study. the level of proficiency is classified as high preference (76%-100%), moderate preference (51%-75%), low preference (26%50%), and very low preference (0%-25%). on the other hand, the subject and general average grades of the grade 12 stem students were the ones given by teachers and earned by students in the first and second semester of the previous school year (2016-2017) based on the courses, time duration, coverage, and competencies required by deped. students’ performances were evaluated following the ateneo grading system that adopts the kpup scheme (knowledge, 15%, process and skills, 25%, understanding, 30%, and performance task, 30%). 18 subjects are included in the study. the grades are retrievable only in the ateneo integrated student information system (aisis). the ncae and the corresponding grade 11 academic records herewith were purposively gathered, collated, and analyzed following the confidentiality protocol and with permission from school authorities and parents/guardians of students. to measure centrality and variability of the data, the statistical tools used were the measures of central tendencies and standard deviation. on the other hand, the non-parametric kruskal-wallis h test and spearman’s rho under 0.05 level of significance were used for inferential analysis. focused group discussions and journaling were also conducted to triangulate students’ perception to ncae as a decision-making reference. results and discussions following the higher order thinking skill (hots)-based ateneo kpup grading system, the study showed that the students have proficient (85.6%, sd=3.13) general academic performance (ap) in grade 11. it has highest performance in the areas of humanities (89.73%, sd=2.72) and language (86.03%, sd=3.40); and lowest performance in the areas of mathematics (83.71%, sd = 4.35) and science and technology (84.41%, sd=3.18). all areas are in the proficient level of performance but not enough to transcend to the advanced level of performance. students’ performance in the 18 specific shs grade 11 subjects are more dispersed than if classified per subject area. the top two highest average grades, both in high proficient category, are core subjects personal development (90.78%) and physical education (pe) and health 2 (90.60%); while the lowest two, both in high figure 1: schematic representation of the relationship between students’ ncae and gwa in shs. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 30 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(4) 28-33, 2023 developing category, are specialized subjects general chemistry 1 (80.35%) and pre-calculus (82.95%). the scores also appear to be more spread and discriminating in the area of mathematics with statistics and probability (sd=5.49) having the highest standard deviation, followed by general mathematics (sd=4.96) and basic calculus (sd=4.20). overall ap in the 3 applied subjects are found to be the highest with 86.53% average grade, followed by the 12 core subjects with 86.22%. the 3 specialized subjects in stem accumulated the lowest average grade of 82.21%. this is consistent with the findings of estonanto (2017) in his study of the shs stem curriculum. he confirmed that the subjects in shs, most especially the ones in math and science, are more “challenging” and “tasking” as compared to that of the junior high school. “the difficulty level of the problems is very high,” he said, adding, “aside from pedagogical and logistical concerns, there must be a conscious effort to increase the acceptability of the program to its stakeholders and thereby decrease the difficulty level of the curriculum.” on the other hand, ncae results revealed that the students have above average ncae general scholastic aptitude (gsa) of 93.95%, which means the students are roughly in the top 7% of the total population of 1,597,438 (1,256,841 public, 349,597 private) ncae takers in the country in 2014. 61.3% of the students are 98% and above: 48 (38.7%) of them got 99%++ while 28 (22.6%) others got 98% and 99%. it is also worthy to note that the national ncae gsa average was 37.87% (low average) based on a report presented by dr. nelia benito, director iii of deped, in the national conference on the administration of ncae in manila. the high gsa aptitude level is also backed up by the students’ high level of stem strand preference (ssp) 90.92% which is classified as above average. based on the deped order 55 series of 2016, all public school students are required to have a grade of 86% and above stem subtest score in order for them to be allowed to enroll in the stem academic strand. this policy was shelved though after protests from different sectors. furthermore, all areas under gsa also generated above average percentile rank as shown in table 1. meanwhile, the study found that there is also a significant table 1: comparative results of the adi-smcs shs grade 11 students’ ncae areas of scholastic aptitude and the published national ncae percentile ranks. aptitude ateneo average descriptive classification national average descriptive classification general scholastic aptitude (gsa) 93.95% above average 37.87% low average scientific ability (sa) 88.86% above average 31.28% low average verbal ability (va) 90.79% above average 37.66% low average reading comprehension (rc) 90.02% above average 46.70% low average logical-reasoning ability (lra) 89.94% above average 34.80% low average mathematical ability (ma) 86.06% above average 33.70% low average difference in the general weighted average (gwa) of students if classified according to ncae gsa (p=0.00), ssp (p=0.00), and area of occupational interest or aoi (p=0.031) at a significance level of 0.05. it was also found out that there is a significant and strong positive correlation (r=0.646, p=0.00) in the gwa and the ncae gsa of students. the scatterplot in figure 2 shows how the two gwa and gsa data sets agree to show nonlinear relationships between them. it displays a left-skewed linear representation of the data with most of the scores clumping at the right side, affirming high performance. this affirms the results of the study conducted by ferrer and dela cruz (2017) in pamantasan ng lungsod ng maynila (plm) senior high school, and inspired by piaget’s cognitive development theory. it likewise showed positive and significant correlation between the academic performance of the grade 11 stem students in the first semester of school year 2016-2017 and their ncae results. results also showed positive and significant correlation with the ncae score and the following subject areas: science (r=0.292), math (r=0.349), and english (r=0.309). meanwhile, significant and moderate positive correlation (r=0.564, p=0.00) was also found in the gwa and the ncae ssp of the students as shown in table 2. in this area, it seems that the logic behind deped order 55 series of 2016 requiring stem hopefuls to get high ssp before enrolling in stem strand program is further established. likewise, there is also a significant and strong positive correlation between the students’ area of occupational interest (aoi) and the students’ gwa. note that 30 figure 2: scatterplot diagram of ncae general scholastic aptitude and general weighted average grade of students. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 31 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(4) 28-33, 2023 table 2: correlational results between ncae gsa, ssp, and aoi results and gwa of students. variable a variable b r p-value classification general scholastic aptitude general weighted average 0.646 0.000 + significant stem strand preference general weighted average 0.564 0.000 + significant area of occupational interest general weighted average 0.640 0.042 + significant reading comprehension (rc) 90.02% above average 46.70% low average logical-reasoning ability (lra) 89.94% above average 34.80% low average mathematical ability (ma) 86.06% above average 33.70% low average (24.2%) and 24 (19.4%) students chose their top 2 ncae aoi rankings, half of the students (62 of 124) chose their top 4-12 choices though as shown in figure 3. as a group and considering students’ choice of college course, the students logged in an average of 54.67% (moderate) level of preference for the occupational interest. 66 (53.2%) of them prefer courses ¬¬¬¬that are linked to health and medical services, while 24 (19.4%) of them plan to take various engineering courses. the rest of the occupational areas considered were personal services, mainly, air and marine transport services, 11 (8.9%), natural sciences, 9 (7.3%), architecture and construction, 9 (7.3%), and computer and technology, 5 (4.0%). meanwhile, positive correlation was observed in students’ performance in all the four subject areas or cluster namely science and technology, mathematics, language, and humanities and their corresponding ncae gsa areas. with the exemption of ma’s correlation with the areas of humanities and language which is considered weak, the rest docketed a moderately positive correlation with sa to mathematics (0.582), ma to mathematics (r=0.588), and sa to science and technology as the most correlated. meaning to say, as the scores in ncae scholastic areas increase, there is high likelihood that the corresponding subject area grades and performance of the students will also rise. positive correlation cuts across figure 3: students’ chosen field versus their area of occupational interest. subjects no matter what their curricular classifications— core, applied, or specialized—are. the results also reflect the data gathered and analyzed by ferrer and dela cruz (2017) showing positive correlation between subject areas and grades and their corresponding ncae scholastic aptitude. although their plm research is only limited to one semester of grade 11 and to only three subjects (math, science, and english), it cements the findings of this study by suggesting that there is indeed a positive and significant connection in the performance between related ncae areas and shs subjects. moreover, from the focus-group discussions (fgds) and the students’ journals, it was learned that they all considered their ncae standings, despite the late arrival of the results, in choosing their strand, but not necessarily on the course they will take in college. this is consistent with the trait-factor theory research of abdullah (2016) that also showed the effectiveness of ncaelike assessments and interventions in “improving career maturity levels and in decreasing the career indecision levels of high school students.” in the course of triangulation, a student debater said that getting high stem strand preference (ssp), gsa, and percentile scores in scientific and mathematical ability convinced him to transfer from humss to stem strand which led him to stay in ateneo instead of transferring to a school where humanities and social sciences strand is offered. but the same student said he chose architecture instead of medicine (both stem courses), his sixth and first ncae aoi choices, respectively. another student chose his ncae aoi 12th choice which is computer science than the first suggested choice of taking a course in natural sciences. “i am not sure why my chosen course is ranked 11th, but i am very sure that this is my interest and i will take this course in college,” he said. a female athlete, on the other hand, is thankful of her https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 32 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(4) 28-33, 2023 ncae results as this convinced her parents to allow her to take pre-med course, instead of pursuing a business program in college. she said, “most of my relatives are into law and business, but i really want to be in the health field. good thing it was my number 2 choice in the ncae.” she further confirmed that she knew three more classmates having the same “storyline” as hers. two female classmates, on the other hand, feel that they are happy that their childhood field of interest jives with that of their no. 1 ncae aoi. both have highest preference in the areas of architecture and medicine, respectively, with full green light from their parents. this also gave them the cue to stay in ateneo (instead of going to a university) that also offers stem strand, which, they said, is the “strand with the broadest and widest career options.” meanwhile, for one student with no specific college course yet in mind, the ncae results for him is just one of the many “signs” he may use in eventually deciding for the right college track. he said: “i decided to take stem in school since i felt it (both the strand and school) is the only choice for me. now, i am still in the exploration stage as to my career path. who knows? i might decide to pursue law instead? i have high ncae scores anyway.” note that this student is part of the second generation of a family of ateneo de iloilo-smcs alumni. across all sections, it was also found out that aside from the ncae results, the students took higher premium on their own personal choice and interest which agrees with the holland’s theory-inspired research of tang (2009) that says “personal interest is among the top reasons that influence the career decision making (of students), indicating a plausible rationale to warrant further examination of vocational interest and structure to enhance career intervention (in schools).” lastly, it is worthy to note that the other found strong factors that affect students’ career decisions are practical considerations, school of choice, and preference or pressure from significant others—most especially parents, relatives, teachers, and best friends—in choosing the track, strand, and future course to take. conclusion and recommendation the study, therefore, deduces that the consistent moderate-to-strong show of positive correlation between ncae and academic performance in grade 11 validates the efficacy of the ncae instrument as guide in career or strand recommendation. it is also an apt working tool to be used as reference for entrance admission, academic guidance, occupational interest counseling, goal-setting and decision-making, and in approximating students’ potential academic performance in grade 11 and probably in grade 12. despite this, students still consider other factors e.g. personal choice and parents in choosing their strand and their eventual course in college. their high ncae scores may convince a few to shift strand, but not that certainly in shifting to an area of occupational interest. nonetheless, the study concludes that ncae must be taken seriously by all stakeholders—from the preparation of the instrument to the judicious conduct of the test, from the timely release of the results to the maximization of the data in schools. students, with the help of school formators, particularly the guidance counselors, must be empowered to maximize their ncae scores and use this as career reference in their preparation to shs and beyond. furthermore, this research may extend into a causalcomparative study that would attempt to once and for all statistically determine the factors affecting students’ strand and career choices, and also their academic performance on both shs and college covering more subjects in school and areas in the ncae. it can consider intervening variables such as socio-economic status, type of school, parents’ educational achievement, and the like, to add value to the study. the consideration of donald super’s theory on personal motivation as an additional frame of reference may also add more depth to the ex post facto probe. the product of which may serve as a concrete basis in drafting a more comprehensive, careerdriven, purposive, contextualized, and 21st centuryinspired guidance program in schools. references abdullah, a. (2016). the effects of trait-factor theory based career counseling sessions on the level of career maturity and indecision of high school students. universal journal of education research 4, (8), 1837-1847. benito, n. (2013). national conference on the administration of the ncae: a report. retrieved october 15, 2017, from https://slideplayer.com/ slide/3823424/ clark, d. (2016). think strategically about your career. retrieved october 14, 2017, from https://hbr. org/2016/12/think-strategically-about-your-careerdevelopment. department of education (2014). deped memorandum 78 series of 2014. national career assessment examination (ncae) for grade 9 students. retrieved october 14, 2017, from https://www.deped.gov.ph/ wp-content/uploads/2014/07/dm_s2014_078.pdf department of education (2016). deped order 55 series of 2016. policy guidelines on the national assessment of student learning for the k-to-12 basic education program. retrieved october 14, 2017, from https://www. deped.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/do_ s2016_55-3.pdf estonanto, a.j.j. (2017). acceptability and difficulty of the stem track implementation senior high school. asia pacific journal of multidisciplinary research, 5(2), 4350. ferrer, f.p. and dela cruz, r.j. (2017). correlation of stem students’ performance in the national career. assessment examination and academic subjects. people: international journal of social sciences, 3(1), 532541. germeijs, v. and verchueren, k. (2006). high school https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 33 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(4) 28-33, 2023 students’ career decision-making process: a longitudinal study of one choice. journal of vocational behavior, 68(2), 189-204. holland, j. l. (1997). making vocational choices: a theory of vocational personalities and work environments. 3rd edition, psychological assessment resources, odessa. parsons, f. (1909). choosing a vocation. boston, ma: houghton mifflin. piaget, j. (1977).the development of thought: equilibration of cognitive structures. oxford: basil blackwell. tang, m. 2009. examining the application of holland’s theory to vocational interests and choices of chinese college students. journal of career assessment volume 20, (10). sage publications. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 10 american journal of education and technology (ajet) problems and prospects of online teaching and learning at the tertiary level in bangladesh mst. rasna afroz1* volume 2 issue 1, year 2023 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i1.1081 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: december 16, 2022 accepted: january 15, 2023 published: january 17, 2023 the year 2020 was very challenging and pathetic due to the worldwide pandemic covid-19. this pandemic caused a total halt to normal life. this was not only a medical issue, rather than sectors like the global economy, education, tourism, and many other sectors took disastrous damage and fell miserably. the educational institutions were closed immediately due to the wide-spreading infectiousness of the virus. but the situation was partially handled with the help of online curriculums and conferences. bangladesh, like any other developing country, felt the urgency of taking the whole education system online. confronting this miserable circumstance, the educational board of bangladesh faced a lot of new problems arriving with the online system. educational requirements were moved to web-based platforms in march 2020. this study is an attempt to illuminate and explore the problems and prospects regarding online education at the tertiary level in bangladesh. the whole study explored the social, technical, and psychological obstacles that caused the behavioral, operational, and statistical changes that occurred to the system. it also attempts to show how the e-learning system can be improved in the future. an online survey-based questionnaire was created for collecting data from both the teachers’ and students’ perspectives. the findings were observed statistically and the result revealed that the participants have experienced many problems as well as some prospects can be found too which may make the online teaching and learning efficient. in the very end, some suggestions were recommended to develop the system further ahead. keywords online learning, online teaching, problem, prospect, tertiary 1 department of english, bangladesh army university of engineering & technology (bauet), qadirabad, natore, bangladesh * corresponding author’s e-mail: rasnaafroz.bauet@gmail.com introduction the present occurrence of novel corona virus (covid-19) has spread worldwide within very short time which was first identified in december 2019. as it is a life threatening virus, the globe faces a great lockdown of all activities to prevent the prevalence of covid-19, but this ongoing pandemic caused a serious disturbance in the field of education. educational activities had almost ceased all around the world in the year of 2020 due to this lockdown. in order to face this crisis, the educationists started to find out the possible alternative ways to traditional education. then they think about the online learning by which students can continue their study even staying at home. according to hussain et al., “online learning is a distance learning system requiring no physical presence of the learner in the traditional classroom. in this system information and communication technologies (icts) are employed for effective delivery of the content at distant locations.” (2020). so, in spite of having this turmoil, most of the institutions in many countries have already renewed their activities through online platforms in this lockdown. bangladesh is also seriously affected by covid-19 and the situation is same as the other countries. the educational institutions of the tertiary level in bangladesh took the initiative first to start online education in march 2020. initially some private universities started online class for completing their half-done semesters and they continue their regular assessment. later, the public universities also started online class to lessen session jams. as the educational institutions are shut down for an indefinite period, the mental health of students also hampered due to their inactive life. so, online education makes a kind of displacement in their life. the students can also participate in different courses provided by other countries besides their academic study, such as coursera is a global online learning platform with more than 200 leading universities where anyone can have access to different kinds of online courses from anywhere. they are getting an opportunity to enhance their knowledge because of this online platform. furthermore, the students who study in a foreign country can also complete their session sitting at home in bangladesh. but the students of engineering faculty are facing some difficulties with their experiments in laboratory, because they cannot go to their university and it is also not possible to complete those experiments in online classes. so, they are in trouble to complete their lab report in time. on the one hand, it resumed the postponed activities of education, on the other hand, owing to lack of experience and technical support in online platform, the concerned also faced many difficulties to minimize the educational gap, because the online learning and teaching are not much easy for the country like bangladesh where vast majority of people live below poverty line and most of the students live in rural area with poor internet connection. it is known that online education totally depends on technology. in the context of bangladesh, only sixty percent people are educated and many of them did not have proper knowledge to communicate using https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i1.1081 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= mailto:rasnaafroz.bauet%40gmail.com?subject= pa ge 11 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 10-20, 2023 technology. nevertheless, now all are trying to confront the situation by gathering knowledge in this sector and this technology has already become more focal of our daily lives. students also became habituated with the online platform like google classroom, zoom, google meet and so on. students not only need to be advanced in technology. they also need strong motivation for continuing their study in online classes. for this reason, the interaction between students and teachers is very essential. but there is communication gap between them due to many issues. as many researchers investigated the quality of online education from teachers and students perspective separately, it is needed to examine it from both students’ and teachers’ perspective at the tertiary level in bangladesh. that is why, this study will focus on both teachers’ and students’ perception about problem and prospect of online teaching and learning. literature review there are many researches regarding effectiveness of online education. most of the researchers gave positive result and very few of them gave negative conclusion about e-learning process. al-amin et al. carried a research on the status of the students of tertiary level in bangladesh regarding their response on preparedness, participation and classroom activities. they surveyed over 844 students of several universities in bangladesh and their research revealed certain limitations on online learning according to students’ views. they find out that the students of a developing country like bangladesh have an average preparedness for online education because of inconsistent participation, less scope of classroom activities, internet and electricity issues and so on. (2021) again hussain et al. investigated the effectiveness of online education during covid19 in sargodha on one private and one government institutes and found that majority of the respondents feel comfortable using online tools, because this online learning fulfilled the educational needs of a student during this pandemic and make them independent learners at home. also, online education gives a worldwide exposure to enlarge both students’ and teachers’ knowledge but has some limitations. however, they concluded by saying that online learning is the best alternation of conventional learning during covid-19 even in the future if there is any pandemic like covid-19, according to their survey result. (2020) baig also researched to investigate the effectiveness of online learning of tenth grade students in physics. he found out that the achievement among students of conventional learning was relatively low than online learning, because students get limited resources and collaboration in face-to-face learning whereas they can access in vast resource areas beyond four walls in online learning and it has many features. it also removes the geographical barriers by giving opportunity to the students and teachers to attend in any session at anytime from anywhere. (2016) yang enquires about positive and negative experiences of students in online learning. the study revealed that flexibility, cost-effectiveness, electronic research ability, ease of connection to the internet and well-designed class interface were the positive experiences. on the other hand, delayed feedback from instructors, monotonous instructional methods and poorly designed course content were students’ negative experience. (2004) nguyen examined many studies and observed that about 92% online education studies find the e-learning system as at least effective (though not much better than conventional learning), about 3% studies argued that faceto-face learning is more effective than online learning and about 4% showed mixed findings. (2015) paudel found in his research that more than 70% participants think online learning as favorable for developing online research, getting huge resource of knowledge and connecting themselves with the global community. again, more than 50% learners assure that online education gives them flexibility of time and space as well as authentic materials which they can learn in their own way. (2021) tabassum et al. examined online education during covid-19 in bangladesh from teachers’ perspective and their survey result found that maximum teachers (79.8%) support elearning system to continue in this pandemic whereas very few of them (1.4%) think this process is not enough for the students to overcome their educational gap. (2021) coman et al. researched on the online learning from students’ perception in romania and they collected data from 762 students of two largest romanian universities. the result of the research revealed the disadvantages of online learning. first of all, the higher education institutions in romania were not prepared for exclusively online learning and the teachers did not have proper technical skills. their teaching style was also improperly structured to the online environment. moreover, the interaction between the students and their instructors was insufficient. (2020) chinnery explained in his work “call me… maybe: a framework for integrating the internet into elt” that the internet can be a tool as well as a tutor for the students for learning a language. many websites provide lesson activities for students of every stage. web based text and speech analysis (corpora and concordances) platforms can offer mass-language analysis. collections of numerous authentic samples can also be vastly useful for pronunciation. online platforms and specific websites help the learners regarding their increasing creativity and communications. (2014) brenner illustrated in his work “digital stories: a 21st century communication tool for the english language classroom” that digital mechanism helps the learning of any language easier. for the most parts technology regarding the learning to platform is easier to learn and maneuver. time is a big challenge for the learning process. as well as the platform should not be harder than learning https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 12 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 10-20, 2023 the language itself. the contents should be well selected, saved and examined for the best result. (2014) flores explained in his study “blended learning in the english class: does it work?” that how to conjure a realistic strategy for help learners to tackle the negative mentality towards the language. blended learning concerns around most of the task to complete in the classroom. this idea rotates around the theoretical lessons and its practical implementations. classroom becomes a practice area for learners. this idea gives opportunities both the teachers and the students to innovate new strategies and brings the positive results. (2018) methodology a) research design and technique: qualitative and quantitative both research design was applied for this research work in search of the problems and prospects of online teaching and learning. basically this study is based on online questionnaire and survey method. both the open-ended and close-ended questions are asked in this questionnaire for this study. b) types of data: both primary and secondary data were used for this research purposes. in this research, primary data was collected by the author from the students and teachers of tertiary level in bangladesh through online survey. again, the secondary data was used in the literature review designed by different researchers on similar study. c) population of the study: for this research, data was collected from students and teachers from different government and non-government universities in bangladesh. about 112 students from 28 universities and 41 teachers from 27 different universities were reached for the survey. d) data collection: it was not manageable to collect data physically from the participants during pandemic. that is why data was collected virtually through e-mail, social media and phone calls. e) data analysis and processing: microsoft excel was used to convert the data collected through online medium into meaningful output information. at first, the data was classified into numerical chronology and data code was inputted in excel according to questionnaire. later the process data was adjusted into this research paper. results analysis of questionnaire survey the results of 25-iteams questionnaire survey common in teachers’ and students’ statements are inscribed in table 1 in terms of mean and their differences. here the results of teachers’ and students’ questionnaire survey are compared, and the problems are highlighted. the results of students’ and teachers’ questionnaire survey have been categorized as ‘strongly agree’, ‘agree’, ‘neutral’, ‘disagree’ and ‘strongly disagree’ according to the following standard: 1 = strongly disagree 2 = disagree 3 = neutral 4 = agree 5 = strongly agree according to these values, the mean scores have been calculated for all the answers of all the statements and the differences have been given below: table 1: comparative study of the results of teachers’ and students’ questionnaire survey statements for teacher statements for students mean scores for teachers mean scores for students differences 1. i can give full attention during my lecture in online classes. 1. i can give full attention to my online lecturer. 3.70 3.01 0.69 2. online classes are as enthusiastic as the traditional classes. 2. online classes are as effective as the offline classes. 2.21 2.37 0.16 3. i feel comfortable with the present technologies such as google classroom, zoom, google meet etc. 3. i feel comfortable with the present technologies such as google classroom, zoom, google meet etc. 3.87 3.41 0.46 4. the devices are affordable to me for online classes. 4. the devices are much affordable to me for online classes. 3.90 3.17 0.73 5. i have ability to afford the internet services. 5. i have ability to afford the internet services. 4.14 3.60 0.54 6. the internet services available in my area. 6. the internet services are available in my area. 4.07 3.65 0.42 7. the students behave appropriately in online classes. 7. students behave appropriately in online classes. 2.43 2.70 0.27 8. students are getting appropriate education in online classes. 8. students are getting appropriate education in online classes. 2.48 2.40 0.08 9. i am much skilled at using the technologies. 9. the teachers are skilled at using the technologies. 3.97 3.18 0.79 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 13 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 10-20, 2023 10. online teaching is the best alternative of traditional teachings. 10. online learning is the best alternative to the traditional learning. 3.58 2.89 0.69 11. the technologies are available at my home. 11. the technologies are available at my home. 4.14 3.5 0.64 12. i am more available in online teaching rather than traditional teaching. 12. the teachers are available more in online than in traditional learnings. 3.29 2.81 0.48 13. online class is cheaper than the conventional class. 13. online class is cheaper than conventional one. 2.70 2.57 0.13 14. i prefer traditional teaching more than online teaching. 14. i prefer traditional learning more than online learning. 3.97 3.98 0.01 15. i have previous experience of using elearning platforms. 15. i have previous experience of using elearning platform. 2.85 2.95 0.1 16. the timing of online classes is more flexible than that of conventional ones. 16. the timing of online classes is more flexible than conventional classes. 3.73 3.67 0.06 17. i am getting expected feedback from my students. 17. i am getting ultimate output according to my expectations from online learning. 2.51 2.52 0.01 18. internet issues hamper my concentration during online teaching. 18. internet issues hamper my concentration during online learning. 4.19 3.97 0.22 19. i provide course materials sufficiently in online classes. 19. my teachers provide course materials in online classes. 4.07 4.10 0.03 20. i give feedbacks to my students in a timely manner. 20. my teachers give feedback in a timely manner. 3.73 3.62 0.11 21. i motivate my students to attend online classes. 21. my teachers motivate me to attend online classes. 4.14 3.85 0.29 22. i am giving enough mental support to my students. i am getting enough mental support from my instructors. 3.97 3.33 0.53 23. i am providing enough guidelines to my students for their upcoming job life. 23. my teachers are providing me enough guidelines for my upcoming job life. 3.65 3.44 0.21 24. i will prefer online classes in any situation in future. 24. i will prefer online classes in future. 2.75 2.48 0.27 25. innovative teaching tools can be used more at anytime from anywhere in online classes rather than traditional classes. 25. it is easier for me to download learning materials anytime from anywhere. 3.90 3.48 0.42 there are less differences in mean scores between teachers’ and students’ survey. but some dissimilarities are conspicuous. some problems are observed from those differences. in the above table we see that there are huge differences in mean in statements 3, 4, 5, 9, 12, 20, 22 and 25 between students and teachers. table analysis of different opinions in order to examine the problems of online learning and teaching, the results of those specific statements have been given in tabular form for more interpretation. in the above table, total 85.4% teachers agreed and 7.3% disagreed whereas 54.5% students agreed and 20.6% disagreed with the statement. again, 25% students could not give any strong opinion for that statements, that means almost 45% students feel uncomfortable with the present technologies like google classroom, zoom, google meet etc. on the other hand, only 14.6% teachers are unsatisfied with the statement. so, it indicates that students feel more uneasy than the teachers with the present technologies. table 2: statement no. 3 (i feel comfortable with the present technologies such as google classroom, zoom, google meet etc.) for strongly agree agree neutral disagree strongly disagree teachers 12.2% 73.2% 7.3% 4.70% 2.6% students 13.4% 41.1% 25% 14.3% 6.3% https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 14 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 10-20, 2023 the result mentioned in the above table showed that 87% teachers and only 7.3% disagreed with the statement. conversely, only 45.5% students agreed and 31.3% disagreed where more 23.2% students are confused about that statement. so it can be said that almost 54.5% students could not support the statement that the devices are affordable to them for online classes. here, the result showed that teachers have the ability to afford the devices more than the students. table 3: statement no. 4 (the devices are affordable to me for online classes.) for strongly agree agree neutral disagree strongly disagree teachers 9.8% 78% 4.9% 7.3% n/a students 9.8% 35.7% 23.2% 25% 6.3% table 4: statement no. 5 (i have ability to afford the internet services.) for strongly agree agree neutral disagree strongly disagree teachers 22% 73.2% 2.4% 2.4% n/a students 12.5% 56.3% 12.5% 17% 1.7% from the chart mentioned above, we see that there are 95.2% teachers and 68.8% student agreed that they have ability to afford the internet. on the other hand, 2.4% from teacher and 18.7% from student said, they don’t have the ability to afford internet. from the above scenario, we can see most of the teachers have the ability to afford internet. but a good portion of the student doesn’t have that ability. table 5: statement no. 9 (the teachers are skilled at using the technologies.) for strongly agree agree neutral disagree strongly disagree teachers 17.1% 65.9% 14.6% 2.4% n/a students 8% 38.4% 25% 21.4% 7.1% the table illustrated above shows that 83% of the teacher and 46.4% of the students say that teachers are skilled in using the technology required for online education. but 28.5% students disagreed with the statement and 25% students could not give any strong opinion. so, according to students’ view, teachers are not much skilled in technical field. in the table illustrated above, we can find that 46.4% of the teachers and nearly about 27% table 6: statement no. 12 (the teachers are available more in online than in traditional learnings.) for strongly agree agree neutral disagree strongly disagree teachers 9.8% 36.6% 31.7% 17.1% 4.8% students 6.3% 20.5% 29.5% 35.7% 8% of the students agreed that teachers are more available in online class than traditional class. 22% of the teachers and 43.7% of the students disagreed with the statement. on the other hand 31.7% of the teachers and 29.5% of the students are neutral with the statement. from the above discussion, we can say that availability of the teacher is not up to the mark. from the above table we have seen that 78% of the table 7: statement no. 20 (teachers give feedback in a timely manner.) for strongly agree agree neutral disagree strongly disagree teachers 4.8% 73.2% 12.2% 9.8% n/a students 12.5% 51.8% 23.2% 10.7% 1.8% teachers and 64.3% of the students agreed that the teachers provide feedback timely. from this we understand the teachers are conscious about providing feedback. 9.8% of the teachers and 12.5% of the students did not agree with the statement. on the other hand, 12.2% of the teacher respondents and 23.2% of the student respondents were neutral. it shows that almost 35% students are displeased with their teachers’ feedback. the data in the above table table 8: statement no. 22 (teachers are giving enough mental support to their students.) for strongly agree agree neutral disagree strongly disagree teachers 14.6% 68.3% 17.1% n/a n/a students 15.2% 36.6% 25.9% 11.6% 10.7% showed that 83% of the teachers and 52% of students agreed that the teachers are giving enough mental support to their students. 17.1% of the teachers and 25.9% of the students were neutral on this topic. 22.3% of the students disagreed whereas none of the teachers disagreed with the statement. it illuminates that nearly 50% students are confused about it. the below table expounds that 80.5% of the teachers and 58.1% students agreed that innovative teaching tools, and learning materials can be used more at anytime from anywhere in online classes rather than the traditional classes. 7.3% of the teachers and 22.3% of the students disagreed with the statement. 12.2% of the teachers and 18.8% of the students are neutral about this. from the https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 15 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 10-20, 2023 discussion we can say that most of the teachers gave support to online teaching tools but a good portion of students are not benefitted from online learning materials table analysis of common opinions the following statements have similar opinion from teachers’ and students’ point of view. they have been table 9: statement no. 25 (innovative teaching tools and learning materials can be used more at anytime from anywhere in online classes rather than traditional classes.) for strongly agree agree neutral disagree strongly disagree teachers 17.1% 63.4% 12.2% 7.3% n/a students 16.1% 42% 19.6% 18.8% 3.5% table 10: statement no. 17 (teachers and students are getting expected feedback from online classes.) for strongly agree agree neutral disagree strongly disagree teachers 2.15% 26.8% 2.75% 56.1% 12.2% students 1.7% 16.1% 31.3% 34.8% 16.1% described to identify the common problems. the results in the above mentioned table explicated the disadvantage of online learning and teaching over traditional learning. only 28.95% teachers and 17.8% students agreed whereas almost 68% teachers and 50% students disagreed with the statement. again more 31.3% students could not give any strong opinion. it illuminates that teachers are not satisfied with the feedbacks from their students and most of the students are also displeased with their result. table 11: statement no. 24 (i will prefer online classes in any situation in future.) for strongly agree agree neutral disagree strongly disagree teachers 1.7% 22% 29.3% 41.5% 5.5% students 6.3% 17% 24.1% 24.1% 28.6% the above table expounds that 23.7% teachers and 23.3% students agreed with the statement. on the other hand, 47% teachers and 52.7% students disagreed where more 29.3% and 24.1% teachers and students respectively gave their opinion impartially. it signifies that maximum respondents do not prefer online classes in any situation in future. table 12: statement no. 24 (i will prefer online classes in any situation in future.) for strongly agree agree neutral disagree strongly disagree teachers n/a 34.1% 9.8% 48.8% 7.3% students 6.3% 17.9% 17.9% 42.9% 15.2% the data in the above table shows that only 34% teachers and 24.2% students agreed whereas almost 56% teachers and 58% students disagreed with the statements that online class is cheaper than the conventional class. it indicates that the respondents think that online class is not cost effective when compared to traditional class. the table 13: statement no. 8 (students are getting appropriate education in online classes.) for strongly agree agree neutral disagree strongly disagree teachers n/a 22% 9.8% 63.4% 4.8% students 3.6% 8.9% 26.8% 45.5% 15.2% above table contains the responses of the respondents about the statement that students are getting appropriate education in online classes. 22% teachers and only 12.5% students agreed with the statement. on the contrary, 68% teachers and 60% students disagreed with the statements. it illuminates that a large number of teachers and students consider online learning as inappropriate way of learning the results in table elucidate that 36.6% teachers and 40% table 14: statement no. 8 (students are getting appropriate education in online classes.) for strongly agree agree neutral disagree strongly disagree teachers 9.8% 26.8% 7.3% 51.2% 4.9% students 9.8% 30.4% 13.4% 38.4% 8% students agreed with the statement, but 56% teachers and 46.4% students disagreed with the statement. it clearly indicates that most of the respondents do not have any previous experience of using e-learning platforms. observation of short questions the respondents also had to participate in some openended questions in order to take more information about online education. which platform do you think more user-friendly (zoom, google meet or others)? why? almost 80% participants chose “zoom” as more userfriendly platform for online classes. the teachers argued that zoom is good for conducting class and they have never felt the urge to switch from zoom as it provides https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 16 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 10-20, 2023 all the necessary services they require for their lecture. it is easier to use than other apps and it has some smart features, such as recording option in free version, whiteboard, screen sharing, waiting room and so on which make the virtual classroom lively and engaging. both the teachers and students can share files in zoom chatting. this is not possible for google meet or any other platforms. moreover, they can easily message someone directly or publicly in the chat box. teachers can also meet more than one hour with many student in zoom. zoom received a higher rating because it is the most advanced and feature-rich professional video conferencing software. the most important part is that anyone can record their zoom meeting with any gmail address and if there have slow network, concerns also can manage their meeting with zoom which is quite tough in other platforms. for this reason, zoom is a more reliable and widely-used platform. 10% participants supported “google meet”, 8% participants chose “google classroom” and 2% participants graded other platforms. they observed that google meet is an unpaid platform and has no fixed time limitation. it is easily useable because of its syncing accounts with google. its user interface is also very eye-catching and it consumes less internet data. moreover, it gives clear audio. google classroom is good for assignment submission and it is the best platform for getting study materials from course instructors. how would you rate the overall quality of the online education? almost 75% respondents rated the overall quality of the online education as “good” whereas only 10% participants considered it as “fair”, 8% “very good”, 5% “poor” and 2% participants thought that online education is “excellent”. how can online teaching and learning be improved more? please give your opinion. the participants were asked to give their opinion about how online teaching and learning can be improved in future. they gave some valuable opinions to the question which have been discussed in the next chapter. results and discussion identifiable problems the above mentioned analysis and observations disclosed some problems both for online teaching and learning at the tertiary level in bangladesh. they have been discussed below: present technologies are barely comfortable for students students feel more uncomfortable more than the teachers with the present technologies. the reason can be insufficient knowledge or habit for using the tools like google classroom, zoom, google meet and others. students are habituated with traditional classes and most of them are only popular with social media. they never needed to use those platforms earlier. that is why, these technologies are very much new to them. as most of them are using these for the first time, they cannot cope up with these situation. as a result, they feel uncomfortable. moreover, the sound system of those technologies is also intolerable for long time and it makes the students exhausted. devices are hardly affordable from the survey result it is seen that though teachers have the ability to afford devices, students do not. the main reason is a big number of the students belong to middle and lower class. they cannot afford expensive devices all the time and it is really tough to continue online classes using normal android phones. moreover, other devices such as laptop, headphone or sound box, microphone, web cam etc. are also needed to continue online class properly, but it is not possible for all the students to manage adequate devices. as a result, many of them cannot continue the classes for device issues and they are also helpless for their economic problem. poor internet connection and maintenance the biggest problem of online class is the internet issues. we know that network connection is very poor in the rural area and almost 50% students live in villages. again, it is also not possible for them to afford internet services regularly as it is not very cheap in bangladesh. those who have broadband internet connection also confront disturbances some of the time. though the teachers of tertiary level can afford much, a large number of students face difficulties to ensure their internet connection. either their network is very unstable or they don’t have the ability to afford it continuously. poor technical skills of teachers teachers are usually habituated to traditional class in bangladesh. very few teachers have the knowledge of technical fields, but most of them do not have proper skills to maintain all the things in online classes. lack of timely feedbacks from teachers feedback is the most important feature of any assessment which instructs the students how they will improve, so, it is very necessary to provide it in time. many students do not get this feedbacks timely from their instructors in online education. in this “work from home” situation, some of the teachers, just like some students, are not familiar with the pressure as the traditional office time. it has been a little bit hard for teachers to catch up and manage the time for all the things. difficulties of using digital study materials as we have discussed before, the experience of online classes was very unexpected and new to some of the students. as they were uncomfortable to use the platforms for online classes, downloading the study materials like pdf and slides was very new to the students. this problem was also boosted by some other problems https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 17 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 10-20, 2023 like internet issues, lack of concentrations from students, lack of availability of devices, lack of timely feedbacks from students and teachers etc. lack of concentration of students network connection is the most common problem with both the teacher and the students. this hampers the concentration of the students. most of the times, students cannot understand the lecture regarding the issues caused by the network system. further, many students also feel disturbed by their family members or other activities at the time of online class. as a result, they cannot concentrate fully to their lessons during online classes. inappropriate behavior of students during online class, most of the students do not pay attention to their lessons. sometimes they give excuses about their internet connection problem and some of the students also put off their camera to do other work at the time of classes. the lazy students get the opportunity to be silent and do not respond to any class. isolation online class can connect anyone from anywhere with the class. it is the great advantage of online class, but it makes the students isolated from one another. the opportunity to share and learn from other students is shrunk in online classes. the extracurricular activities which are performed during traditional classes are absent in online classes. group discussion which is sometimes very effective for tertiary education is quite rare in online classes. interpersonal relationship between students is getting worse in online classes. not being able to learn the whole lesson online classes depend on a lot of things like electricity, internet availability, devices etc. these things are unpredictable. sometimes electricity or internet connection interrupts during classes. mobile network is not reliable till now. online classes are not much interactive as traditional classes. sometimes students also forget to ask teacher what they do not understand during classes. thus, they cannot learn the whole lesson in online class. unable to get expected result online classes are easier to learn at home, but sometimes it can be harmful for students. here, technical issues play a vital role for their unsuccessful outcomes, because most of the students face device and internet issues which distract them to get proper lesson. moreover, negative emotions such as anxiety, anger and boredom also increase in online learning which ultimately affect their result. again, lack of in-person interaction is also the cause for not getting expected feedback in online classes. another big reason is that many students do not take online class seriously. they think that it is easy to learn in online classes wherever they go or stay and online exam will also be easy to attend without taking sufficient preparation. teachers are also not getting expected feedback from their students. they are facing some problems for which all the time they cannot give proper education to their students. thus, both students and teachers are not getting expected results. not getting appropriate education during online classes there are many related problems which can be faced by the students. in online learning they cannot be attentive for all the time just looking at the screen. the technological issues hamper their concentration. many teachers also hesitate to deliver their lecture in front of camera and they feel uncomfortable. this puts negative effects on the students’ result. lack of experience most of the participants who took part on the survey have stated that they were not much experienced concerning online classes. the reason behind that can be the usefulness of these online platforms was not introduced to the users. they were very good at browsing the internet, search engines and social media platforms. that is why, it is a very new experience for them. inflexibility of online platforms most of the students and teachers have selected zoom as more user-friendly platforms, because it has many features and is easy to handle, but the biggest problem is zoom has two versions: paid and free. teachers cannot conduct their classes more than 45 minutes using the unpaid version and it is really very tough to finish lecture and other activities within 45 minutes. for this reason, after ending the first class meeting, teachers have to arrange another zoom link if they need more time to finish the discussion. it distracts both students and teachers’ concentration. moreover, sometimes zoom creates few technical issues much as it starts to get update by itself, slows the operating system of a device, shows “webpage not available” at the time of entering the meeting etc. teachers also cannot meet more than hundred students in free version of zoom. on the other hand, all the institutions cannot manage the paid version of zoom, because it is much costly. furthermore, this platform has restriction to record any session by android phone. google meet also has some issues. if the participants want to record meeting in google meet, they must need a mail address which is provided by any organization. they cannot record the meeting in google meet from any gmail address. google meet also requires strong internet connection. participants cannot access it with a poor network. prospects according to the survey result, we also got some prospects which are visible in the number of statements 3, 4, 5, 6, 11, 16, 19, 20, 21 and 25. though the result of those statements are creating some difficulties in present situation, but we hope that these will be fixed gradually https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 18 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 10-20, 2023 and online education will be more effective. now some of the prospects are briefly discussed in the below: participants are getting used to the technologies most of the teachers and students are newly using the technologies related online education where they are facing some issues as discussed earlier. but when they will be habituated with those platforms and the technologies will also be improved in future, online class will be fruitful for them. it will help the participants to be active and fast learners. course materials are accessible from anywhere we know that in traditional classroom we need printed materials and it is difficult to collect all kinds of necessary prompts all the time within four walls boundary. but both the students and teachers can easily access any kinds of material they need to continue their class in online platform which make the class more enthusiastic and creative. even they can share these on their screen with other participants. it is easy to learn as well as cost effective. thus, the learners will be able to learn whatever they want to and improve their skills as soon as possible by online education. class schedule is flexible in traditional education system, there is a fixed office time when all the classes are scheduled. beyond that time no class should be arranged. so if the students need any extra lecture, they need to fix it within the fixed time schedule. sometimes it becomes difficult to organize that class because of lack of time. as a result, students may face troubles to solve their problems. but in online platform, both the teachers and students can arrange any extra class according to their preferable time. this flexibility of online education will make the students more relief from their institutional pressure. overall, it is easy and effective one to build the communication between teachers and students as well as get connected for the academic and other purposes. it is comfortable and hassle-free the internet services, communication system and the software are developing day by day. as a result the online education will be more user friendly for both learning and teaching by reducing random connection lose, data lose, call dropping and other problems. thus, online education will be more presentable as well as enjoyable and the participants can easily join the classes with hassle-free at home. it increases time efficiency we know that the applications and software those are being used in online class are not fully efficient or bug free. but if the network problem and software issues are solved, online learning might be the most effective way as the participants can join the classes from anywhere at anytime. specially the cities like dhaka with high density population and traffic jam, online class can reduce the time loss of both students and teachers. recommendations recommendation by the respondents the teachers and students proposed some essential actions for improving more online teaching and learning which they have realized from their experiences. among all of the suggestions, the most effective opinions have been mentioned below a) train up: familiarity with technology and acceptance of the situation are key to flourish in future. that is why, the educational institutions should arrange workshops or seminars on using electric devices and dialogues to motivate both the teachers and the students. both teachers and students need more trainings on the usage of technological tools so that they can be digitally competent and know how and when to use technologies keeping in mind the pedagogical needs of the students. b) technical support: the technological facilities and logistical support should be ensured for all in the first place. online teaching and learning can be improved if we can make sure both students and teachers have even access to devices and internet connection. the teachers should have premium access to all the educational websites and platforms. the devices are used for the online classes should be more affordable. moreover, good quality camera, microphone and using whiteboards can make the environment more like traditional classes. c) increasing strong interaction between the students and teachers: both the teachers and the students need to grow a sensibility and an understanding of the changes that have occurred due to the pandemic. teachers should dedicate the first five minutes of their class to ask their students how they feel, what difficulties they are facing and so on. these will make participants more ease and keen to interacting with their teachers. if students also show the same enthusiasm that a teacher shows in an online class, the teachers feel motivated and thus they can give more effort in a class and improve their performance. d) shortening the class time: it is very difficult to do online classes for 4/5 hours. the university authority should set up the class for limited hours. the best thing is to have synchronous classes where students can give their attention very easily. specially, if it is a video lecture, it should be of short duration because students feel bored when they look at the screen for long time and it also disrupts their concentration. even they suffer from severe headache. e) responsibility of the government: the government has to facilitate all regarding the price of the internet package and of the devices to the students. for online teaching, a platform is also necessary which will be provided by the government, where the students and teachers can access the information regarding their lessons. there must have all kind of online compiler which will help the students to do their lab work, though it is only possible for programming language https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 19 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 10-20, 2023 and simulation courses. if we think about circuit related project work, it will be complicated in online. but some recently developed platforms like “tinkercad” can be proved helpful for the students and the teachers. f) responsibility of the authority: the authority can come up with some new ideas regarding i. providing scholarships and waivers ii. preventing cheating iii. solving connection problems. g) responsibility of teachers: the teachers or instructors should always motivate their learners and always encourage as well as support them mentally. teachers need to think out of the box to make the classes more student-friendly and interesting. sometimes they may allow the students to chat more openly and work together in a more conducive environment. by creating new ideas, teachers can make the online environment more enthusiastic so that students feel comfortable to attend their classes. teachers may be very active and ensure that every student is joining the online classes. for the weak and absent students they can upload the regular class records and provide ongoing feedback to their students regularly. they can use personal and professional stories throughout the lessons to create a fun, safe, and effective learning environment. finally, teachers have to focus on their planning and proper implementation of it as well. h) responsibility of students: students can make groups during and after online classes in order to lectures, seminars, webinars or other learning events because teamwork is an integral part of the learning experience. group work also challenges students to solve problems, share experiences and knowledge to achieve a common goal. they can organize mentoring programs pairing more experienced learners with younger participants so that they can share their experience and provide guidance to their younger ones. further, they can use forums, chats, facebook groups, or live question answer session. this not only strengthens learners’ engagement but also encourages peer-learning. the most important responsibility of the students is to behave appropriately in online classes. they should spend their learning time effectively. i) responsibility of the guardians: the guardians should ensure the students’ presence in the class attentively and provide their children with the study environment. this means, the students should be encouraged and motivated to attend online classes with full concentration by their family members. j) implementation of some effective activities: there are some efficient websites and softwares like youtube, power point, prezi and so on which can add an interactive and visual element in online classes. creating a supportive learning environment, interesting projects or videos by using the existing technologies can make the students more active in online classes. furthermore , there is a need to learn how to make relevant e-learning contents on mobile because mobile learning allows the students to access up-to-date course materials and relevant contents anytime, anywhere. instead of fixing traditional quizzes and slide presentations, more flexible and wider range of activities should be developed for assessing students’ knowledge and skills. one of the most important things that foster socialization and collaboration should be continued even in their online classrooms. recommendation by the author the research has helped the author to develop some insight into the online classes. this has ultimately results in some recommendation which is discussed below: 1. overcoming the problems regarding online platforms: the online platforms should be suitable for low-end devices and the bugs should be fixed so that participants can use the features easily. further, some features which distract online learning should also be controlled. 2. putting the camera on during the whole class: as students stay at home during online classes, sometimes they do not take them seriously and this triviality makes them more lethargic. as a result, they do not get their expected feedback from online classes. that is why, making themselves serious for online classes is more important. putting camera on is one of the best ways to make them attentive. 3. maintaining proper dress code: another important thing is outfit. it is said that the secret of great style is to feel good in what you wear. that means when a student enters his virtual classroom with proper and polished dress, he will feel fresh and good and it also removes his laziness. thus, the students can be benefitted more. 4. more interesting contents: in online classes, it is very hard to keep the concentration. for this reason, the contents should be interesting enough to hold the attention of the students. 5. making creative questions: teachers may be more careful about evaluating their students’ ability in online learning. the exact answer in the text book teaches them assimilate the knowledge whereas the creative questions increase their adaptability and ability to implement it in the real life. that is why, teachers may make different kinds of creative questions in online assessment platform so that students can think before answering the questions. this will reveal their creativity and they will also remain active during online learning. 6. restriction on the use of other devices at the time of classes/examinations: the instructor/examiner should be careful if the students are using a “second device” for their advantage. at times, some students uses extra devices without letting the teacher know. this creates an unbalanced system where the results become biased and incorrect. 7. parents meeting: it is necessary for the teachers to meet students’ guardians at least once in a semester, because some students do not care about their study and get unexpected marks in online assessment. if parents https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 20 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 10-20, 2023 meeting is called in a regular basis, students will be conscious of their study and try their best so that their parents will not lose face for them. the parents will be able to know about the progress of their children. depending on that they can motivate them for being regular in online classes. conclusion the purpose of the current study was to find out the students’ and teachers’ perception about the problems and prospects regarding online learning and teaching. those qualitative datasets were collected using an online questionnaire survey from students and teachers of different universities in bangladesh. the survey result shows that participants gained both positive and negative experiences and faced little bit challenges during receiving online education. most of the respondents rated the overall quality of online education as “good”. this quality of online education implies that participants are not fully satisfied with this e-learning system and they also cannot avoid it totally as online education plays a vital role in their life during pandemic and it was also only one alternative to traditional classes. the most identifiable problems were technical issues, lack of interpersonal communication between the students and teachers, lack of experience, isolation, difficulties of using digital study materials, lack of concentration of students, and inflexibility of online platforms. in order to ensure the quality of online education, the administrator and instructors play a key role because they have the most responsibilities for conducting online classes. the learners also should give support to their instructors so that this system can run smoothly. the overall results show that online learning and teaching have enough problems but if the recommended observations can be implemented, online education will be more comprehensible as well as enjoyable and more advantageous in future for fulfilling the educational need. references al-amin, m., al zubayer, a., deb, b., & hasan, m. (2021). status of tertiary level online class in bangladesh: students’ response on preparedness, participation and classroom activities. researchgate. retrieved august 10, 2021, from https://www.researchgate.net/ publication/348548602 baig, m. a. (2016). a critical study of effectiveness of online learning on students’ achievement. researchgate. retrieved august 17, 2021, from https:// www.researchgate.net/publication/286937736 brenner, k. (2004). digital stories: a 21st-century communication tool for the english language classroom. english teaching forum52(1), 22–29. chinnery, g. m. (2014). call m. maybe: a framework for integrating the internet into elt. english teaching forum, 52(1), 2-13. coman, c. , tiru, l. g. , mesesan-schmitz, l. , stanciu, c. & bularca, m. c. (2020). online teaching and learning in higher education during the coronavirus pandemic: students’ perspective. mdpi. retrieved august 16, 2021, from https://www.mdpi.com/20711050/12/24/10367 flores, e. f. (2018). blended learning in the english class: does it work. iatefl voices, 264(8). hussain, i. , basharat saeed, r. m. & fueqan syed, a. (2020). a study on effectiveness of online learning system during covid-19 in sargodha. international journal of language & literary studies, 2(4), 122-137. nguyen, t. (2015). the effectiveness of online learning: beyond no significant difference and future horizons. researchgate. retrieved august 20, 2021, from https://www.researchgate.net/ publication/308171318 paudel, p. (2021). online education: benefits, challenges and strategies during and after covid-19 in higher education. international journal on studies in education, 3(2), 70-85. tabassum, m. , e mannan, s. , parvej, m. i. & ahmed, f. (2021). online education during covid-19 in bangladesh: university teachers’ perspective. researchgate. retrieved august 20, 2021, from https:// www.researchgate.net/publication/348418346 yang, y. (2004). students’ perceptions towards the quality of online education: a qualitative approach. retrieved september 2, 2021, from https://files.eric. ed.gov/fulltext/ed485012.pdf https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 9 american journal of education and technology (ajet) upgrading the problem-solving experiences of the primary students using an online singapore mathematics platform alvin barcelona1* volume 1 issue 3, year 2022 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i3.750 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: october 12, 2022 accepted: october 23, 2022 published: october 26, 2022 this convergent parallel mixed-methods study examined the effectiveness of a self-directed online platform that promotes the use of the singapore model method in solving mathematics problems among primary students in a private school in the philippines. there were 275 students and 4 mathematics teachers that were involved in the study using stratified sampling method. mathematics achievement test, survey, and interviews were utilized in gathering data. findings show significant learning gains among the primary students on their pretest and posttest scores. both the quantitative and qualitative data reveal that students’ problem solving experiences improved because they can visualize the abstraction of the problems using pictorial and bar modeling methods. the respondents enjoyed the self-directed nature of the platform, where they could solve problems in the comfort of their own homes. however, the respondents shared that unstable internet connection and the overwhelming number of lessons in the integrated curriculum were some areas for improvement. overall, the initial assessment shows promising results on the integration of the online self-directed platform that promotes an innovative and creative way of solving mathematical problems among primary students. further assessments in the future should be made to ensure that integration can bring positive learning outcomes in the long run. keywords online self-directed platform, problem-solving experiences, singapore mathematics, mixedmethods study 1 philippine normal university-manila, ust angelicum college, university of asia and the pacific, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: barcelona.ab@pnu.edu.ph introduction problem solving is the core of mathematics teaching and learning. the national council of teachers of mathematics (nctm) emphasizes that problem solving is a fundamental part of mathematics. it underscores the interdependence between problem solving and successful conceptualization of mathematics across content and grade levels ( cai & lester, as cited in morin et al., 2017). although it is the heart of mathematics teaching and learning, many students struggle to solve word problems. past research exploring the problem-solving skills, experiences, and achievements of learners gave further attention to the procedural and conceptual skills of learners in mathematics. procedural skills use computational fluency or fact retrieval. conceptual skills, however, involve number sense or problem-solving skills (seethaler & fuchs, 2010). among the two, conceptual skills or number sense is a better predictor of mathematics achievement ( jordan, glutting, and ramineni , as cited in morin et al., 2017). because of this, learners should harness conceptual skills for it is their key to successful problem solving. in the philippines, where this study was conducted, the challenges of the students in learning and mastering this 21st-century skill lingers despite the constant efforts of mathematics educators to improve the curriculum, instruction, and assessment. the philippines had a dismal academic showing based on pisa in 2018, where the country scored the lowest among the 79 participating countries in major areas such as mathematics (villegas, 2021). based on the analysis by the mathematics educators, learners successfully learned concepts and algorithms but fell short in applying these in solving word problems. it is for this reason that enrichment and intervention programs have been planned and implemented by different schools to hone the mathematics problemsolving skills of the students. meanwhile, singapore mathematics is considered by many as an effective teaching approach that is highly research-based. the fact that the performance of students who learn singaporean mathematics in various international testing display consistent showing inspired different educational institutions to adopt it in their local curriculum (ashley, 2019). singapore mathematics adheres to the cpa approach to problem solving, where math concepts were introduced in this progression: concrete (c), pictorial (p), and abstract (a) (morin, 2021). it promotes deep mastery, a growth mindset culture, and visual learning. since the school where the study was conducted envisioned a remarkable improvement in students’ mathematics performance, a self-directed online platform was incorporated into the curriculum. the singapore mathematics enrichment program (smep) is an addition to the existing local curriculum, which is basically based on the department of education curriculum and teaching guide. the smep is scheduled at least once a week, and it uses an online learning platform that aims to increase and improve learners’ mastery of mathematical skills using abundant engagement activities, including unlimited quality mathematics questions, heuristics teaching videos, and math games. as the name suggests, this enrichment program was benchmarked in singapore, just like other local and international schools adopting their heuristics in problem solving. the integration of smep intends https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i3.750 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= mailto:barcelona.ab%40pnu.edu.ph?subject= pa ge 10 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 09-17, 2022 to give explicit emphasis on the concrete-to-visual progression of lessons, conceptual understanding of algorithms, strategic repetition of previous knowledge, and mental and bar modeling strategies in solving word problems. since the implementation of smep is in its immature development period, an initial assessment is deemed needed to describe the learning outcomes and learning satisfaction of the students and identify challenges and opportunities for further improvement of the said program. general purpose and research questions of the study this study aims to examine the effectiveness of an online self-directed platform that promotes the use of the singapore model method in mathematics problem solving among primary students. specifically, it sought answers to the following research questions: • to what extent do the mathematics problem-solving learning outcomes of the primary learners improve as a result of their exposure to the online self-directed singapore math platform? • how do the learners and teachers assess their experiences in using the online self-directed platform? • what are the prevailing challenges faced by the learners and teachers as part of their experiences in the laboratory? • what action plan can be recommended to improve the incorporation of the online self-directed platform in the mathematics class? literature review understanding singapore mathematics singapore mathematics education has problem solving at its core. its curriculum employs the model method, a diagramming technique developed in singapore for computational word problems. the model method joins two problem-solving strategies by asking students to categorize word problems by type and draw schematic diagrams of the mathematical relationships depicted in the problem (foong, 2009). there are empirical pieces of evidence showing that singapore math is an effective teaching approach. the effect of singaporean mathematics problem solving in the education of united states of america was found to be impressive in one quasi-experimental study conducted by the educational research institute of america (2010), wherein second and fourth graders enrolled in old bridge township school district, a large new jersey school district used the singapore math program, “math in focus” which showed a significant increase in math achievement over one academic year. also, students from singapore consistently outperform american students, and students from most other nations, on international tests in mathematics, such as the trends in international math and science study (timss), which shows singapore as a top-performing nation for the past 15 years. (provasnik et al., 2009). the superior math achievement among singaporean students in mathematics could be the result of the nation’s unique approach to teaching the subject using a pedagogy that is quite distinct from the typical programs used in the united states (ginsburg, leinwand, & decker, 2009, as cited in bisk, 2010). indeed, singapore’s math curriculum has received much international acclaim over the past 20 years, as educators and researchers worldwide are attracted by that nation’s consistent placement at the top of most international comparisons of mathematics achievement, even at the elementary levels (bhattacharjee, 2004). use of technology in teaching and assessing problem-solving skills in mathematics the teaching and learning process has been revolutionized in the same way technology does. new technologies have the capacity to innovate the way teachers teach, and learners learn (deneui & dodge, 2006). the use of technologies in the classroom has removed various boundaries and maximized learning opportunities that promote achievement. one of the many recent developments in incorporating technology in the classroom is using online platforms and learning management systems (lms).there is an increase in online course involvement by students and faculty, and that underscores the importance of using an effective lms (borup as cited in ippakayala & el-ocla, 2017). such learning and social media needs are reasonably combined in some existing lms applications, but they still provide marginally satisfactory performance. online testing helps verify students’ mastery of the subject; it has the advantage of timely and immediate feedback, and students can practice solving problems by themselves anytime and anywhere they want. furthermore, if questions are designed to be automatically and randomly generated for students, they can repeatedly practice different questions with varying levels of complexity, which is suitable for drill practice. in the area of mathematics, teachers and students have access to valuable resources via the internet that includes software, simulations, spreadsheet, and graphing calculators (roblyer & edwards, 2000). students can learn mathematics using comprehensive math tutorials. drill and practice programs offer instant feedback for skill building. higher learning skills can be acquired through geometric exploration programs where learners create shapes, experiment with mathematical formulas, and visualize data in graphic formats. for effective mathematical e-learning, one needs appropriate software and practical learning principles and theories to create mathematics content that fits the learners’ needs and the teachers’ overall intentions. in developed countries, high internet connectivity has enabled most universities and other teaching institutions to embrace e-learning fully. nevertheless, e-learning practices are yet to attain their full potential in developing countries, partly due to the high initial costs of designing and setting up https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 11 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 09-17, 2022 the platforms and low internet connectivity in developing countries. to overcome the hurdles that impede successful and effective mathematical e-learning intervention in developing countries, e-learning implementers need to focus on three e-learning aspects: cost, usability, and impact on learning (jeong yong & akugizibwe, 2018). the primary platform used in this study optimally used the power of technology to improve problem-solving skills among primary students. singapore mathematics online self-directed platform at present, there are different providers of singapore mathematics e-learning platforms in the country. the setting of the study purchased individual accounts for the students annually. the enrichment program is held once a week, where the model method and other singapore math principles are taught to the learners. since the platform has online and self-directed features, most learning activities are completed by the students in the comfort of their homes. students essentially progress on their own regardless of the academic pacing of their peers. they watch video lectures, participate in different games, and answer various problems online. teachers integrate the singapore math methods with the learning activities in the local curriculum. scope and delimitations of the study this research study is focused on assessing the effectiveness of the singapore mathematics online platform among primary k4-6 learners in a private school. the effectiveness of the program is measured based on the pretest and posttest achievement tests, the survey conducted with the respondents, and interviews and focus group discussions facilitated by the researcher. there was no control group in the study as the online platform assessed in this paper is required among all enrolled students. the assessment data were also collected during the first two years of implementation of the program. materials and methods this study employed a convergent parallel mixedmethods design. the purpose of a convergent (parallel or concurrent) mixed-methods design is to simultaneously collect both quantitative and qualitative data, merge the data, and use the results to understand a research problem. this design is mainly used for both data collection forms to supplement one another for a more complete understanding of a research problem results from collecting both quantitative and qualitative data (creswell, 2012). more specifically, this convergent parallel mixed method design used experimental and nonexperimental approaches. a one-shot pretest, posttest experimental design, and survey methods were employed. moreover, survey research provides quantitative or numeric descriptions of trends, attitudes, or opinions of a population by studying a sample of that population. this design is appropriate to the objectives of this study which is to describe the attitude and opinions of the students and teachers concerning the effectiveness and efficiency of the online learning platform. the opinions, attitudes, and perceptions of the learners are described through the responses of the respondents to the survey questions. the qualitative data were collected, analyzed, and presented concurrently to stress the strength of this mixed-methods design. it combines the advantages of each form of data; that is, quantitative data facilitate the generalizability of the results, whereas qualitative data provides contextual information and enriches the discussion. this design enables the researcher to gather information that uses the best features of both quantitative and qualitative data collection. sampling distribution the researchers used a simple random sampling technique and involved 275 learners from primary k46. all the mathematics teachers handling the classes were also involved in the study. table 1: sampling distribution level population sampling percentage k 4 136 97 71.32% k 5 166 92 55.42% k 6 171 86 50.29% total 474 275 56.96% research instruments the researcher used achievement tests to measure the learning gains of the respondents. equivalent sets of tests were used as pretest and posttest. these tests were prepared by the level teacher and underwent content validity and internal consistency measures. moreover, a survey instrument was prepared and used to investigate the other research focus of this study. the survey questionnaire consists of three parts. the first part is a likert scale intended to solicit the level of agreement of the learners and teachers regarding the areas of the program, namely curriculum, instruction, laboratory, and the online platform. the second part consists of openended questions to identify the problems and possible recommendations and improvements to the program. also, the interview schedule was prepared and validated, and a database regarding the utilization of the online platform by students was requested from the e-learning provider. data gathering and analysis procedures the survey questionnaire was distributed to the respondents through their subject facilitators. the collection of data was done for a period of one week. interviews and focus group discussions were conducted concurrently. descriptive measures were used, such as frequency, mean, and standard deviation, in order to analyze and summarize the data from the responses of the learners and teachers. an arbitrary scale was used in https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 12 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 09-17, 2022 order to measure their agreement and satisfaction with the implementation of the singapore mathematics enrichment program. moreover, paired t-test was used to determine if there was a significant learning gain in the achievement of the students before and after their exposure to the singapore math online platform. content and thematic analyses were carried out for the qualitative data. results and discussion this section presents all the analyzed responses and results of the gathered data to answer the specific research questions presented in the earlier section of this paper. table 2: active users of the singapore mathematics online self-directed platform month year 1 year 2 frequency of users percentage frequency of users percentage august 474 100.0 449 100.0 september 465 98.1 420 93.5 october 470 99.2 411 91.5 november 345 72.7 425 94.7 december 187 39.5 367 81.7 january 467 98.5 389 86.7 february 463 97.7 398 88.6 march 451 95.1 403 89.8 april 445 93.9 402 89.5 may 398 84.0 285 85.6 average user: 417 88.0 405 90.2 based on the data retrieved and delivered by the e-learning provider for the first year, august (100 %), october (99.2%), and january (98.5%) were the three months with the highest number of active users of the online platform. on average, 417 out of 474 students (88%) were active online platform users. in the second year, august (100 %), november (94.7%), and september (93.5%) were the three months with the highest number of active users of the online platform. on average, 405 out of 449 students (90.2)% were active users of the e-learning platform in mathematics. it can be inferred from the data for the period of two years that the learners were active users of the online platform. this is due to the fact that the mathematics facilitators adhered religiously to the once-a-week schedule. moreover, it can also be observed that the learners accessed their personal accounts at the convenience of their respective homes, where their family members could give them the necessary assistance. table 3: profile of usage of the online self-directed singapore mathematics platform among the primary students in the 1st year e-learning frequency total number of questions done 364 486 total number of questions done correctly 265109 average number of questions done 769 total number of skills mastered 12 280 average number of skills mastered per student 26 the data shows that for the last 10 months of the first academic year, there were 365 486 questions that the students answered. among these questions, 265 109, or 72.74%, were answered correctly. also, it can be taken from the data that each student was able to answer 769 table 4: profile of usage of the online self-directed singapore mathematics platform among primary students in the 2nd year e-learning frequency total number of questions done 321093 total number of questions done correctly 254094 average number of questions done 565 total number of skills mastered 10 051 average number of skills mastered per student 19 questions for the last academic year. furthermore, 12 280 skills were mastered by the learners, and each learner has an average number of 26 skills mastered during the academic year. the data show that for the last 10 months of the second academic year, there were 321 093 questions that the students answered. among these questions, 254 094 or 79.13% were answered correctly. also, it can be taken from the data that each student was able to answer 565 questions for the last academic year. furthermore, 10 051 skills were mastered by the learners, and each student had an average number of 19 skills mastered during the academic year. it can be inferred from the data at least 70% of the questions in the online platform were answered correctly by the k4-6 learners. however, it can be observed that there was a decline in terms of the average number of questions done and average number of skills mastered by each student. this is because the online platform changed during the middle of academic year were the skills were compressed and reduced. according to the one of the mathematics teachers during the interview phase of data collection, the use of the https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 13 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 09-17, 2022 singapore math online platform was maximized, and the decision to revise the curriculum and list of skills across levels allows the learners to cover all the prescribed lessons of the curriculum. the learners had difficulty covering the lessons during the first year of the implementation of the bulk of the lessons there are in each of the level. learning gains in the mathematics problem solving skills among students the table below shows the mean achievement of the students before and after their exposure to the singapore mathematics online learning system. as presented in the table, it can be observed that while both mean table 5: the learning gains of the students in mathematics problem solving before and after their exposure to the singapore mathematics online platform level mean achievement in math (pretest) mean achievement in math (posttest) mean difference p-value interpretation k4 19.32 27.50 8.18 0.002 reject h0 k5 22.20 28.36 6.16 0.023 reject h0 k6 16.70 24.20 7.50 0.039 reject h0 achievement results in the pretest and posttest are fairly on the average level, the learning gains are very noticeable, with the k4 students having the largest mean difference (8.18). furthermore, all the p-values are less than 0.05 which puts forward the rejection of the null hypothesis. this implies that there is a significant difference on the mean achievement of the respondents before and after their exposure to the singapore mathematics online learning system. the results of the present study can be compared to the study of blalock (2011) where singapore math has a positive impact on students’ knowledge and enjoyment and in the anecdote of wright (2020) where students were found to have a deeper understanding of mathematical relationships and were able to apply their problem-solving skills in new situations. experiences of students and teachers in the online singapore mathematics program the table above shows that the students strongly perceived that exposure to the online self-directed platform helped them feel more confident in solving problems (4.21). also, the students agree that the curriculum helped them to visualize abstract concepts and problems (4.18); improve their accuracy in problemsolving skills (4.11); offer engaging problems (4.02), and the problems in the online platform are related to real-life table 6: the assessment of the students on the online singapore mathematics curriculum statements the curriculum of singapore mathematics online program mean sd interpretation 1. helps me improved my accuracy in problem solving 4.11 0.45 agree 2. offers engaging problems 4.02 0.79 agree 3. helps me solved problems that are practically related to real-life situations 3.95 1.02 agree 4. makes me visualize complicated and abstract math problems 4.18 0.87 agree 5. helps me feel more confident to solve problems 4.21 0.67 strongly agree over-all mean 4.09 0.76 satisfied scenarios (3.95). the overall mean (4.09) implies that, in general, the respondents are satisfied with the curriculum of the online enrichment program. according to one of the students during the interview phase of the data collection, their exposure to the online platform has provided them with new learning opportunities that they did not experience in their regular math curriculum. while there are opportunities to develop their problemsolving skills in the regular curriculum, these are very limiting and need more emphasis. the singapore math online platform has exposed them to engaging problemsolving activities using games and technology. in addition to this, the interview data reveals that the respondents appreciate that they learn how to create bar and pictorial representations of the problems given to them. this aids them in understanding what is being asked in the problem and what they should need to do. they become more independent students who are confident to solve problems even if they are not completely sure if what they are doing is right. moreover, the mathematics teachers also shared during the focus group discussion that they observed that the students always anticipate their singapore math sessions every week. this is probably because the students are so used to their routinary activities like answering their modular activities and taking pen and paper assessments in the regular curriculum. there is also an increased appreciation of the mathematics lesson because of this innovation in the curriculum, as evident in their participation and behavior during classes. based on the results of the assessment, the respondents strongly agree that their mathematics teachers have mastery of the concepts and techniques of singapore mathematics (4.37) provide sufficient discussion during the enrichment period (4.30), and use various teaching strategies to address the needs of the learners with https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 14 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 09-17, 2022 table 7: the assessment of the students on the facilitation skills of their teachers in the online singapore mathematics enrichment program statements my teacher... mean sd interpretation 1. has mastery of the concepts and techniques of singapore mathematics 4.37 0.87 strongly agree 2. provides sufficient discussion during the online enrichment period 4.30 0.81 strongly agree 3. uses various teaching strategies to address my needs in solving problems in the singaporean curriculum 4.23 0.56 strongly agree 4. keeps me engaged in the activities during the enrichment period 4.13 1.01 agree 5. systematically delivers the lessons in the singapore curriculum 4.20 1.32 agree over-all mean: 4.25 0.92 highly satisfied regards to problem solving (4.23). moreover, the learners agree that the facilitators deliver the lessons systematically (4.20) and keep the learners engaged in the activities (4.13). it. as a whole, the respondents strongly perceived that the facilitators provided effective instruction during the enrichment program, with an overall mean of 4.25. while singapore mathematics came into the curriculum of the school late and has been implemented for two years already, the mathematics teachers handling the enrichment classes shared that they are not completely confident that they have learned all the skills in teaching and facilitating singapore mathematics lessons. according to the facilitators, the training being given by the online platform provider is not enough, and they need more training and exposure in how to effectively and efficiently teach singapore mathematics problem-solving lessons to primary learners. this is in contrast to the assessment made by the students with regard to the instructional skills of the teachers it is amusing to note that the learners feel that their facilitators have mastery of singapore mathematics lessons and uses various teaching strategies to address their needs in learning problem solving. moreover, the students think that their teachers are keeping them engaged in the discussion despite the confession of the teachers about their hesitation and lack of experience in facilitating singapore math learning activities. therefore, it shows that the teachers can still manage to deliver the lessons despite their personal disposition about their roles as facilitators of this enrichment program. table 8: the assessment of the students on the singapore mathematics enrichment program laboratory statements the laboratory… mean sd interpretation 1. has enough functional computer units for all the learners 3.78 0.56 agree 2. has computer units with stable internet connection 3.26 1.45 more or less agree 3. has well-maintained equipment 3.77 1.02 agree 4. has enough working space and area 4.00 0.75 agree over-all mean: 3.70 1.11 satisfied while the students agree that the laboratory has enough working space (4.00), has enough functional computer units for all the learners (3.78), and has well-maintained equipment (3.77), the respondents seem not to agree that the internet connection of the computers is stable (3.26). this factor is very crucial since the platform is made available online and affects the productivity of the students. in general, the respondents agree that the program has a good laboratory despite the raised concern about internet connection. as shared by both students and teachers during the focus group discussion, the most prevailing problem that they encounter is the internet connection. the quality of the internet connection is most affected whenever a class consisting of almost 40 students simultaneously access their accounts. while technical requirements were considered and prepared before the implementation of the program, it has become a major hindrance in maximizing the learning opportunities of the students during the first academic year. this is supported by the claims of the teachers regarding the problem with the internet connection. the teachers even shared that they elevated this concern to the concerned school administrator. “we struggled a lot during the first year of implementation because we did not anticipate this problem. we felt apologetic to our students and we made sure that this concern reached the concerned authority.” (k5 math teacher) “we were very excited during enrichment period but much to our disappointment, we experience unstable internet connection which caused to us extend overtime and do our tasks at home.” (k6 student) there was an observed significant improvement in the quality of internet connection during the second academic year. the computer units in the laboratory were also replaced by more updated models through the initiative of computer head. according to both teachers and students, https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 15 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 09-17, 2022 the connection improved very well. the students have minimal concerns regarding the internet connection since the replacement of computer units and installation of additional servers. however, it is interesting to note that the respondents continue to experience internet connection problems even at home. the last part of the assessment is focused on the online platform which provides the materials and content of the enrichment program. based on the figures, the respondents strongly agree that the s online platform is table 9: the assessment of the students on the online singapore mathematics enrichment platform statements the online platform… mean sd interpretation 1. is personalized and aids self-paced learning in mathematics 4.46 1.23 strongly agree 2. has abundant discussion, questions, and activities 4.36 1.22 strongly agree 3. is user friendly to filipino learners 4.34 0.86 strongly agree 4. provides accurate information and concepts 4.14 0.75 strongly agree 5. motivates us to learn and appreciate math better 4.21 1.56 strongly agree 6. effectively caters our needs in learning mathematics 4.19 1.12 agree over-all mean 4.29 0.87 highly satisfied very personalized and aids them in self-paced learning in mathematics (4.46); has abundant discussion, questions, and activities; is user-friendly to filipino users (4.34) and motivates them to learn and appreciate math better (4.21). moreover, the learners agree that it effectively caters to their needs (4.19) and provides accurate information and concepts (4.14). the overall mean suggests that the learners strongly agree that an online platform is an effective tool for learning mathematics problem solving. the assessment of the students in terms of the online platform was overwhelmingly positive. this is due to the fact that the online platform facilitates independent and self-paced learning, which is very similar to the system of the school, which is non-graded, self-paced, and modular. according to one of the k6 students, it blends well with the system, and they did not need to make any adjustments. moreover, it offers new learning experiences, making them more motivated and engaged in learning mathematics and appreciating its practical values. “we love the online platform because we don’t need to draft questions and we can personalize assessment materials per students. its monitoring measures are also commendable as we keep track of the progress made by each learner.” (k4 math teacher) in addition to the assessment made by the students, the mathematics teachers generally have positive feedback regarding the utilization of the online platform. according to one of the teachers, facilitating discussion and activities is very convenient as there are various instructional videos, questions, games, and math stories that the learners can access. challenges experienced by students and teachers unstable internet connection this issue was more significantly felt by both students and teachers during the first year of the implementation of the program. while computer units were replaced by (not brand new) a more updated set of computer units, there were still observed incidents of malfunctioned computer units that hindered learners’ accomplishment of the assigned tasks.internet connection issues were raised and are considered worse during the first year of implementation. students experienced slow internet connection in school and their respective homes. as with the use of technology, there are occasions where connections were poor despite the improvements made in the school laboratory. this causes minor problems as these situations are usually isolated cases only. overwhelming number of lessons in the curriculum during the first year of implementation, one main conflict which confronted the department and the teachers is the task of designing the curriculum for the enrichment program. since the lessons and competencies in the regular curriculum had to be considered and maximizing the lessons to be included in the singapore math enrichment program, covering the lessons for both curricula was very challenging. according to the teachers, even though they reduced the number of lessons to be included in the singapore mathematics enrichment program, they still had difficulty covering all the lessons. this is due to the fact that the regular math curriculum in each level contains many lessons already, not to mention the extracurricular activities and other events that disrupt classes. with the response of the e-learning platform provider to this concern, the set of competencies in the online platform was further refined and streamlined, resulting in fewer competencies per level. however, the change in the interface happened in the middle of the academic year, which confused the implementors and learners. conclusions the self-directed online platform has been an important integration made by the school to address the need of the learners to augment their problem-solving skills in mathematics. the significant learning gains show promising results where students learn to appreciate their problem-solving tasks because they can understand, represent, and visualize the given mathematical situations https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 16 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 09-17, 2022 better. while the singapore model method is not the traditional means of approaching problems learned by young filipino students, the present study has proven that students are capable of learning new techniques and realize that they can flexibly choose an appropriate and practical approach to solving problems. the new problem-solving methods they have learned made them more empowered young mathematicians. in terms of the program implementation, this research has proven that it has satisfied most learners in different areas like the curriculum, instruction, and the online platform itself in the first two years. also, the program implementors have identified the problems and challenges of the program during its initial implementation, particularly the slow internet connection and the overwhelming number of lessons in the curriculum. thus, the respondents suggested examining and evaluating the computer units and internet connection by the concerned department. the teachers also recommended streamlining the mathematics curriculum and making the integration of the filipino and singapore curricula seamless and connected. this will help the students understand better the end goal of the subject and foster a more positive engagement and improved mathematics learning outcomes among primary students. references ashley, p. 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(2020). the impact of singapore math at mpa. mounds park academy. https://www. moundsparkacademy.org/news/2020/01/09/theimpact-of-singapore-math-at-mpa/ https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 65 american journal of education and technology (ajet) culturally responsive social-emotional learning in stem for underserved students with behavioral challenges awele mary-rose ilusanmi1*, oluwafunmilayo ifeoluwa somoye2, omolara olajumoke adeyemo1 volume 4 issue 4, year 2025 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v4i4.4730 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: march 12, 2025 accepted: april 17, 2025 published: november 10, 2025 this study examines integrating culturally responsive social-emotional learning in stem education to enhance the learning for underserved students, particularly students facing behavioural challenges. the key research question that is explored involves seeking out beneficial sel interventions that are culturally relevant but also challenging for students, and how stem can be used to augment resilience, success. this review critically examines reliable and credible existing journals and materials on culturally responsive sel in stem. results from the gathered journals and materials formed the dataset for this review. document analysis technique was utilised, and findings were presented thematicall.. findings show that, culturally responsive sel integrated into stem education can meet both the emotional and academic needs of underserved students. culturally relevant sel can assist these students in the development of the social-emotional competencies to be successful in the classroom, in school, and beyond.. insight drawn from peer-reviewed literatures also reveal that incorporating diverse perspective, building strong relationships, and developing emotional literacy, among others are the key strategies to employ for the implementation of culturally responsive sel in stem for underserved students with behavioural challenges. however, one key challenge lies in the fact that teachers will need to be given professional development that provides them with knowledge of students’ backgrounds and enables them to incorporate these strategies into an effective sel in stem education. keywords behavioural challenges, culturally responsive education, socialemotional learning, stem, underserved students 1 stephen f. austin university, nacogdoches, texas, usa 2 northeastern university, roux institute, usa * corresponding author’s e-mail: ilusanmimaryrose@gmail.com introduction almost half of students lose motivation for stem by the 8th grade, sharply dropping from the interest they previously had in stem. challenges to stem selfefficacy often result from factors like mental health, disability status, gender, and cultural influences (karalar et al., 2021). computer science programs, including other relevant areas in stem, for elementary school students are formal and informal. equitable pedagogy in formal stem programs changes stem attitudes positively through diverse content, high-quality teaching and targeted support (mouza et al., 2016). mentorship and communitybased type programs have been used to develop skills and increase stem interest in nontraditional settings with low resources (disalvo et al., 2009; kelly et al., 2023). student engagement requires fostering student-student bonds and exposing diverse identities in stem key subjects, especially in the case of minority students who have a reputation of being interested, but who struggle for socioeconomic reasons (cheryan et al., 2015; mouza et al., 2016) previous studies on the impact of culturally responsive coding programs, for instance, those targeting minority and girl students, have confirmed integration of integrative content, support, and resources helps increase their inclusion, motivation, and perceived capability in this field (serrano et al., 2020; carlana & fort, 2022) . it fosters close and far transfer of developmental skills across different age groups, interest levels and experiences of learners. it is the combination of interests like gaming, art and geometry into programming principles leading to effective socio-emotional skills such as frustration management, teamwork, organization, receiving feedback, and time handling and cognitive benefits in aspects like creativity, language, computational thinking, metacognition and spatial reasoning (scherer et al., 2021; washington et al., 2021; canbeldek & isikoglu, 2023). essentially, social-emotional learning (sel) by weissberg et al. (2015) refers to a process by which children and adults learn and apply the information, attitudes, and skills that enable them to understand and control emotions, set and achieve goals to be certain, sympathize for others, build and maintain relationships, and make responsible decisions. the field emerged formally some 25 years ago and over the past few years, the evidence accumulated from basic and applied research (cantor et al., 2018; jones & kahn, 2017; ncsead, 2019; osher et al., 2018; taylor et al., 2017) has prompted practitioners, researchers, and policymakers to advocate for the adoption of such programs for pre-k–12 students in school and out of school settings (jones et al., 2019). however, such programs have also been subjected to criticism. recent research (clark et al. 2022) has begun to identify the potentially harmful effects of sel, in particular, for multiply marginalized students, as more schools have incorporated and tried to embed sel standards into their curriculum and instruction. also, pa ge 66 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 65-76, 2025 authors have observed that the sel standards reproduce the hegemonic and normative one that the practice of civility has been elevated over the controversies necessary to pursue equity and justice (camangian & cariaga, 2021; clark et al., 2022). additionally, by ignoring such issues of racism, ableism, and other intersecting oppressions, sel reinforces inequalities with standards that normalize the ways of the dominant ones (western eurocentric standards, patriarchal norms) and signifies and points out students who contradict ‘the norm’ as deviant. according to simmons (2021), sel programs that don’t address racism and racial trauma are also a hallmark of “white supremacy with a hug.” racism and racial trauma do not get addressed in this kind of sel program. by doing so, they do not become truly transformative in tackling the oppressions felt while living in a racist and disabled society. therefore, for sel to be equitable for all students, a new orientation to and approach considering sel is required. underserved students, specifically students from minority and low-income status, suffer multiple barriers to academic success such as behavioural challenges as well as limited availability of high-quality educational resources. as well, social-emotional learning (sel) is coming to be seen as a critical means of supporting these students’ academic, and emotional growth. applied with culturally responsive teaching strategies, sel can build an inclusive learning climate wherein the culture from which students come is reflected, as well as the personal experiences of the students. using a culturally responsive sel in stem education is the focus of this research investigation of how this may benefit underserved students, including students experiencing behavioural challenges and how stem education could successfully deliver both academic and personal development. culturally responsive teaching means learning, understanding and relating to a student’s background, beliefs, values, home culture, etc. to aid in teaching. it is a way of affirming students’ cultural identities and using students’ lived experiences to stimulate learning and a sense of self (lessonbee, 2022). responsive teaching is a crucial part of sel because educators who have meaningful knowledge, skills, and competencies about students’ cultures and identities can teach sel based on students’ cultures and identities. in actuality, cultural responsiveness makes certain that students receive all the good that can come from sel (lessonbee, 2022). the literature readily contains notions of culturally responsive (gay, 2000), culturally relevant (ladson-billings, 2014), and culturally sustaining teaching (alim & paris, 2017). from the consensus, there is no culture-informed content and instructional processes that represent the best science of learning and development which can guarantee cultural well-being, identity, and a safe learning environment which in turn will afford enough freedom for academic, social and emotional learning (cantor et al., 2018; darling-hammond, 2017; hammond & jackson, 2015; immordino-yang et al., 2018). social-emotional learning (sel) cannot be overestimated in addressing the needs of underserved students, in particular students who have behavioural exclusions. while sel frameworks have great potential for creating meaningful, impact experiences in stem fields, when coupled with culturally responsive teaching, offering instructor support can provide some needed additional support in building them. therefore, it is important to have culturally responsive approaches to sel to reduce behavioural issues; promote inclusion; and improve academic performance in stem disciplines, which are currently marked by the underrepresentation of marginalized groups (yeh et al., 2022). culturally responsive teaching recognizes and honours students’ cultural backgrounds, experiences, and identities and applies this to teaching in their practices and curriculum development (gay, 2018). culturally responsive sel programs are well beyond standard sel frameworks and acknowledge where the students are living and learning, making sel more relevant and effective. particularly helpful for underserved students, this approach seeks to encourage engagement, develop trust, and eclipse bias, discrimination and exclusion among students who may encounter such biases (ladson-billings, 2014). culturally responsive teaching (crt) is a concept that advocates recognizing, respecting and incorporating students’ culture(s) into the learning process (gay, 2018). this approach combined with sel will improve students’ awareness of themselves and others, social-emotional skills and regulation. this review takes up the task of understanding and supporting students with behavioural challenges through the framework of culturally responsive sel in the context of stem education. culturally responsive sel is important in stem education, where marginalized students are underrepresented, because it means that these students see themselves in the stem curriculum, stem role models, and classroom activities among other things. there is a greater interest and persistence in stem fields because students from marginalized communities have to overcome more challenges (sithole et al., 2017). some evidence has been reported for the effect of culturally grounded sel programs on risk reduction (hecht & shin, 2015; metzger et al., 2013). though there are numerous advantages of sel in education, including stem, reports suggest that sel should be integrated properly. the implementation of sel effectively in stem has made it difficult to find the best way to do this positively for the students (kaspar & massey, 2022). the effectiveness of sel implementation in stem, particularly among underserved students with behavioural challenges, is determined by some key factors. one of the major factors to consider to effectively integrate sel in stem for underserved students is the execution of culturally-responsive pedagogy (crp). efficient integration of sel in stem, influenced by crp, will enhance the development of underserved students with behavioural challenges. pa ge 67 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 65-76, 2025 literature review emotional and behavioural disabilities (ebd) emotional and behavioural disabilities (ebd) is one of the behavioural challenges facing underserved students. research on the disproportionality of multiple marginalized students with or at risk for emotional and behavioural disabilities (ebd, also known as emotional disturbance) in special education remains the focus (sullivan, 2017). in the united states majority of children identified as ebd are school-age children of minoritized backgrounds (office of special education programs [osep], 2021). through research spanning over years exploring racially, ethnically, and linguistically diverse (reld) special education populations, it has been found that black and latinx students are more likely to be identified with or at risk for ebd than white students even when taking into consideration race, culture, language, disability, and poverty (harper & ferguson, 2017; osep, 2021; sullivan, 2017). from the long and broad history of inequitable practices and policies from all these factors in the public education system coming into existence, one can expect adverse education and behaviour outcomes (dematthews, 2019; artiles, 2013). such practices and policies marginalize, exclude and prevent students with emotional and behavioural disabilities from equitable learning opportunities as they are often ignored or feel isolated. however, discriminatory practices within the school environment in which reld students are at risk or identified as “with ebd” have been conditioned, and have made educational spaces a barrier to their social and emotional development (u.s. department of education, 2021). while marginalized students with emotional or behavioural challenges from a reld background typically require equitable provision of resources and services for social and emotional success, they may not receive the same type of support because of implicit biases. implicit bias, according to several researchers (mcintosh et al., 2014; migliarini & annamma, 2020; triplett et al., 2014), refers to unconscious, stereotyped perceptions of ability resulting in a disparate practice that over-represents minoritized students in special education. nevertheless, given the above, it is recommended that children with, or at risk of, ebd are studied in inclusive and equitable environments that encourage social-emotional growth and development, regardless of their race or ability. (u.s. department of education, 2021) the effects of students with or at-risk for ebd in schools we have seen a significant increase in the diversity of urban schools, yet the minoritized students are overrepresented in them (u.s. government accountability office, 2022). urban schools are the largest kind of schools across the u.s. and serve the largest populations of students out of disadvantaged, and historically marginalized groups (from disabled and racial minority backgrounds). while this may be the case, they are often subject to several inequities in the educational environment that negatively affect their social and emotional well-being (lack of high-quality teachers; great lakes equity center, 2020). for instance, the study by burke, and colleagues (2011) showed that students in urban communities with four or more adverse childhood experiences are thirty-two times more likely to experience behaviour and learning difficulties in school, which may be often connected with high rates of suspension, grade retention, disproportionate special education placement, and school dropout (bal et al., 2017; harper, 2017). further, such a clash of cultural dissonance between the school and home confines (han, 2022) is fueled and continued by the systemic barriers confronted by multiple marginalised students. social-emotional learning (sel): its role in student development social and emotional development support is one of the key factors to improve a student’s academics. a good way to support student social and emotional growth is to practice social-emotional learning [sel] (casel, 2023). sel is a learning procedure superior to conventional scholastic training and gives fundamental life aptitudes to students that limit accomplishment in their scholastic interests and future contracts. casel (2023) states that the main purpose of sel is to create a better understanding of emotions, one’s awareness, sympathy, and the mindful ability of decision-making to improve one’s interpersonal skills. executing sel programs through instructive training has the potential to have beneficial and snared effects on the accomplishment of the student’s instruction, companionship, mental wellbeing, and extensive improvement (weissberg, 2019). the sel offers advantages through a variety of different consequences. it leads more towards better academic achievement, which in turn promotes enhanced selfregulation and goal-setting functions (sahranavard et al., 2018) and time management and focus study habits. sel’s development of positive interpersonal interactions and conflict resolution skills helps to establish a harmonious and cohesive educational setting. this will allow the students to cut the silly skills to skillfully navigate an intricate emotion and circumstances (trigueros et al., 2020). adult training brings up an environment for full kid advancement including passionate well-being, social aptitudes and scholastic achievements (casel, 2023) joining guardians, by their commitment to overseeing the kids or the families of kids, tight in time proficient improvement opens doors for teachers and approaching sel in the educational modules. growing basic qualities, for example, versatility, adaptability, energetic well-being, and so forth in young students assist with getting them on the offing track to learn the essentials that will make them thrive in the continuously evolving society (casel, 2023). through the mixture of sel into the instructional modules, the blending of exhaustive proficient improvement openings for instructors, and the dynamic pa ge 68 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 65-76, 2025 individuals of guardians, training offers an open ecosystem with which the extensive improvement of kids, remembering their enthusiastic welfare, social aptitudes and scholastic execution was accomplished (casel, 2023). that means sel helps guide the development of such properties as versatility, adaptability and enthusiastic well-being in students, and the ability to thrive in an ever-changing society (casel, 2023). the results of the studies show the positive influence and effectiveness of the implementation of sel in the school setting (corcoran et al., 2018; sandilos et al., 2022; schiepe-tiska et al., 2021). such programs implemented for sel not only help the students but also the teachers; it ensures better student-teacher relationships, reduced stress, improved classroom management and positive behaviour (schonert-reichl, 2016). we find however that statistics demonstrate the wide consequence of the negative impact on a high number of students’ emotional skills after the pandemic as a result of school closings and the need for sel implementation in the classroom setting (schwartz et al., 2022). another need was also reported by educators as a school-wide sel program to help the students in terms of enhancing social-emotional skills and the student’s overall outcome (hamilton et al., 2019). essentially, some studies have examined the role of sel in stem education, while others have investigated the combination of culturally responsiveness and stem education (sahranavard et al., 2018; corcoran et al., 2018; trigueros et al., 2020; sandilos et al., 2022; schiepe-tiska et al., 2021. however, there is paucity of studies on the integration of culturally responsive sel in stem for underserved students with behavioural challenges. also, limited studies exist that examine how teachers make culturally responsive sel strategies work in their stem instruction about behaviorally challenged students (casel, 2023). there is lack of cohesive models that relate sel, stem, culture, and behavior. hence, this study. materials and methods this review utilises existing and credible journals and materials on culturally responsive social-emotional learning in stem for underserved students with behavioural challenges. irrespective of the year of publication, relevant articles, journals and other useful materials formed the dataset for the review. some of the used databases included scopus, science direct, google scholar, researchgate, ieee, and the following keywords were used to search for journals and materials (culturally responsive social-emotional learning, stem, stem for underserved students, behavioural challenges). document analysis was employed and findings were presented thematically. results and discussion culturally responsive teaching (crt) and its impact on underserved students culturally responsive teaching (crt) refers to an educational way of teaching in which the teacher recognizes that the student’s cultural background, experiences and values can be incorporated into the learning (ladson-billings, 1995). research has demonstrated that it enhances students’ engagement and learning outcomes for students with diverse backgrounds because it allows students to link new knowledge with their preexisting cultural framework (gay, 2010). crt serves as a tool which helps validate a student’s identity and affords a way for important academic experiences to occur for underserved students (banks, 2015). social-emotional learning (sel) and behavioral challenges the goal of sel programs is to build students’ emotional intelligence and self-regulation as well as students’ interpersonal skills, which lead to both academic and personal success (durlak et al., 2011). often unregulated in terms of their emotions, and lacking relationships with peers and with school, students with behavioural challenges make poor progress in school. the challenges associated with addressing such issues can be addressed through implementing sel strategies such as promoting self-awareness, empathy, and positive behaviour (jones et al., 2017). stem education for underserved students stem education, the concept of combining science, technology, engineering and mathematics can pull in some underserved students and open up the pathway to a future career. nevertheless, numerous barriers exclude a large number of students from underprivileged backgrounds from stem fields such as lack of representation and cultural dissonance in the curriculum (chavous et al., 2003). one way to bridge the gap between culturally responsive practices and stem teaching is to infuse culturally relevant practices in stem teaching to create more access and interest in stem for these students (gay, 2018). culturally responsive sel in stem although much less researched, evidence suggests that cultural responsiveness, sel, and stem should be combined to meet students’ emotional needs while simultaneously arousing students’ interest and achievement in stem subjects. embedding sel in culturally relevant ways into stem instruction will enhance educators’ support of students’ social-emotional development and academic success (national research council, 2015) in the following section, we reviewed and analyzed kla, curriculum, and best practices for embedding sel into stem instruction resulting in social emotional links in stem instruction for all students. culturally-responsive pedagogy (cpr) framework culturally responsive pedagogy (crp) is founded with an asset-based framework in acknowledging that the ‘‘cultural heritages, experiences, perspectives, and contributions of different ethnic groups of colour’ will be included in pa ge 69 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 65-76, 2025 figure 1: culturally responsive social-emotional learning (crsel) framework consequently, integrating sel within a culturally responsive pedagogy (crp) is indeed very important for the creation of educational environments that are representative of students from diverse backgrounds and experiences. ladson-billings (1995) corroborates that crp emphasizes the significance of offering the cultural identities of learners acknowledgement and respect in recognising that features of the learners’ cultural identities affect and affect how they learn. if sel is integrated with crp, it will make sure students are provided with cultural sensitivity so sel are integrated into emotional and social growth integration. sel becomes a tool to promote understanding between different cultures and break their biases in a culturally responsive and inclusive learning environment. the students can learn to commend on and be receptive to difference, and value all for each other. consequently, it assists in the disruption of systemic sociological barriers that might have been sustaining disparities based on race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or a variety of other factors. the fact that sel within a crp context does more than just meet the current needs of the students exposes them to be active agents of the global society (mccallops et al., 2019). complete with building effective communication, conflict resolution, and cooperation skills – the skills that sel helps develop – a world in which people are becoming more and more interconnected and diverse will prove unmanageable by those who do not learn such skills. educators who enable these skills help grow generations that aren’t only authority-wise, but socially mindful and profoundly locally associated with creating good social change (baker, 2024). as a result, the integration of sel in educational settings, particularly rooted in the values of culturally responsive pedagogy, is powerfully reinforcing educational and societal outcomes when we design sel in culturally responsive pedagogy. besides equipping individuals with emotional intelligence to be able to deal with challenges, sel also enables people to be able to identify and question the unjust and inequitable systems so that a more just, equitable, and inclusive society can be created. culturally responsive-sustaining pedagogy and social-emotional learning culturally responsive-sustaining pedagogy (crsp) and social emotional learning (sel) are the two educational approaches mainly used together to better rates of positive learning outcomes in classrooms with different populations. crsp represents a practice that sees and accepts the students’ cultural positions and gives instructive that are culturally appropriate (gay, 2002b), while sel is innovative and purposeful intellectually rigorous teaching and learning opportunities (gay, 2021). with this in mind, educators ought to take for granted that students have relevant prior knowledge that can be used to strongly support their learning experiences. so, educators need to know their students on a personal level. sleeter (2012) suggests that crp is a ‘‘political endeavour.’’ therefore, educators should not dehistoricize learning from its social-political environment. gay also contends that the infusion of curriculum into crp is more than simply the infusion of curriculum content since crp considers that the context, the learner, and the content must be viewed together. these entities are necessarily similar to elements of online learning theory, and no educator can promote the achievement and well-being of the youth of colour, particularly in online settings, without attending to them as inseparable. other characteristics of crp such as ‘‘[caring], cultural affirmation, socio-emotional well-being, interpersonal relations, and political efficacy, of individuals and systems (gay, 2021). the use of crp may lead students to be more involved in the learning process (sleeter, 2012) when the application is suitable. culturally responsive social-emotional learning (crsel) framework essentially, the interaction effects of cultural responsiveness and sel in stem for underserved students, particularly, those with behavioural challenges, cannot be overlooked (figure 1). these combinations will create a positive ripple effect on the overall growth and development of these students. pa ge 70 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 65-76, 2025 a practice related to students in their emotional, social, and cognitive development (gay, 2010; paris & alim, 2014). crsp is founded on two theories (that is culturally relevant pedagogy and culturally sustaining pedagogy) that construes education through a strand of education that acknowledges the various cultures of students to try and develop instruction that is based on their specialized backgrounds (paris & alim, 2014). culturally relevant pedagogy is founded on the assumption that we understand the student’s cultural background and want to create a culture where every student is responsive to that background. additionally, culturally sustaining pedagogy builds on the ideas of culturally relevant pedagogy by specifying that educational practices should also preserve the cultural and linguistic competence of students while providing access to the social capital markers of the dominant culture (paris, 2021). the culturally responsive sustaining approaches are combined when we believe that students will learn more effectively when the ways that students’ cultures inform learning and identity are known, affirmed, and incorporated into the class context. for example, if teachers can acknowledge the singular and multiple identities of the students they teach, they can build interactions in a welcoming and supportive classroom that allows students to share their experiences in and out of the classroom stemming from their singular identities, their cultural identity, feelings and values. katz et al. (2020) describes sel as a process of developing skills such as self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and responsible decision-making to enhance students’ social, emotional and cognitive growth. this is also a key skill for them to be successful in the classroom and life. as mentioned, sel also focuses on the development of positive student relationships and a positive classroom climate. crsp’s relationship with sel is explicitly based on the thinking that students need to be in an environment in which they feel cared for, culturally responsive sustaining and their social and emotional needs are met so that they can be successful. the combination of crsp and sel can allow students to experience higher levels of academic performance and engagement, as well as better social-emotional well-being (mccallops et al., 2019). besides, students who have crsp and sel experiences are more likely to be motivated and engaged in their learning. culturally responsive teaching and sel culturally responsive teaching rests on the underlying idea that all the students bring useful information and experiences that are based on what they have learned from their cultural background. for instance, educators use these perspectives to integrate into classroom practices that are then put in place and the students are then recognized and validated (ladson-billings, 1995). this approach is necessary in a diverse classroom, especially for students who might have cultural misunderstandings or marginalization in traditional school settings. social-emotional learning is the process of helping students learn to recognize, understand, and manage emotions and to set and achieve positive goals, show empathy for others, build positive relationships and make responsible decisions (collaborative for academic, social, and emotional learning [casel], 2020). for students with behavioural problems, sel is particularly helpful since it can foster the skills of emotional and social regulation. the intersection of culturally responsive sel and stem education stem education doesn’t just need rational knowledge but calls upon the ability to work as a team, speak, and come up with solutions with emotional stamina. students with behavioural problems may find themselves in stem environments to be uncomfortable because they can’t control their impulses, tolerate frustration, and buddy up. implementing culturally responsive sel practices can help those challenges by giving students the skills to tolerate and tolerate their emotions, as well as honour their cultural identification. to exemplify, in terms of culturally responsive sel, sample strategies might include using culturally responsive materials in stem lessons; and making sure that students can see themselves in the curriculum. promoting group work that fosters collaboration and empathy also gives them practice with social-emotional skills in a meaningful context. teachers can embed sel practices into stem education to make learning environments more inclusive places and those with behavioral challenges can thrive. tackling behavioural challenges in stem classrooms many times, frustrations, lack of engagement and managing emotions in high-pressure situations in stem classrooms lead to behavioural challenges. these challenges can be particularly cause for hurdles to overcome for students whose cultural experiences are a disconnect from what is being learned in the curriculum (samuel, 2018). such a classroom culture that values emotional display and the possession of tools for dealing with stress and frustration is what is culturally responsive sel. sel instruction research has shown not only that students who receive that instruction do better behaviorally, achieve better academically, and have better social skills (durlak et al., 2011), but also that sel instruction has caused reduced behavioural problems among other students in the classroom. with culturally responsive sel practices integrated within the various educator models, through sensations of empathy, self-regulation, and problemsolving, students can learn and thrive in stem fields. key strategies for implementing culturally responsive sel in stem the following are the recommended key strategies to employ for the implementation of culturally responsive sel in stem for students, including underserved students with behavioural challenges (figure 2). pa ge 71 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 65-76, 2025 incorporating diverse perspectives use diversity in stem content and activities. one example is to include scientists, engineers and mathematicians of different cultures in the curriculum (macalalag et al., 2022). building strong relationships trust and strong relationships with students can be built by recognising the cultural background of students and incorporating their experiences in classroom discussions and problem-solving tasks (thevenot, 2022). developing emotional literacy introduce students to label their emotions. tools like emotion wheels or journals can be used to get students to think about how they feel about dealing with a stem challenge (zins, 2004). collaborative learning help promote stem tasks that require teamwork and group problem-solving. not only does this help to build out stem-related skills but it also supports social-emotional skill development including empathy, communication and conflict resolution (andersen et al., 2022). restorative practices gonzález (2012) proposes that we wean ourselves off punitive disciplinary practices and apply restorative practices in the response to behavioural issues that are both constructive and inclusive, rather than punitive. this makes it accountable and helps students manage uncomfortable situations. the role of various stakeholders in culturally responsive sel the effective implementation of culturally responsive sel in stem requires the active involvement of multiple stakeholders, including educators, families, communities, and policymakers. each group plays a unique role in creating an environment that supports the academic, emotional, and behavioural needs of underserved students. families and communities role in supporting culturally responsive sel communities and families have a crucial role in assisting underprivileged students’ intellectual, social, and emotional growth. their participation in culturally sensitive sel might improve students’ performance in several ways: • cultural knowledge and values: families offer valuable information on the cultural origins of their children, which helps teachers better understand their emotional and behavioural needs. teachers may guarantee that sel programs are courteous and culturally appropriate by working with families (epstein, 2018). • supportive home environments: families are crucial in helping to strengthen sel skills in the home. by setting an example of positive behaviour, promoting emotional expression, and fostering an atmosphere of open communication, parents can aid in the development of social-emotional skills (epstein, 2018). • community-based development: incorporating the larger community into stem education may give students practical connections that support their academic and social development. businesses, cultural groups, and community organisations may offer resources, chances for kids to interact with stem outside of the classroom, and mentorship (ozokwere & ifeoma, 2024). the role of researchers and academics through studies that examine the effects of sel on marginalised students, especially in stem contexts, figure 2: key strategies for implementing culturally responsive sel in stem pa ge 72 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 65-76, 2025 researchers and academics help to build culturally sensitive sel practices. among their responsibilities are: • developing evidence-based strategies: scholars assist in the identification and development of evidencebased strategies that incorporate cultural sensitivity and sel in stem education. their research offers insightful information on successful tactics and treatments (durlak et al., 2011). • assessing sel initiatives: researchers may assess how well culturally responsive sel programs work and offer information that aids educators and decision-makers in honing and enhancing their methods. their study aids in the ongoing enhancement of teaching strategies (legette et al., 2021). educators’ role in implementing culturally responsive sel the creation of inclusive learning environments is being spearheaded by educators. they play a variety of roles in incorporating culturally sensitive sel into stem education: • inclusive curriculum development: educators have to create and implement a stem curriculum that takes into account the cultural backgrounds, interests, and experiences of their pupils. teachers may improve students’ engagement and sense of connection to the subject matter by implementing community-based initiatives, diverse role models, and stem examples that are culturally relevant (cobian et al., 2024). • creating powerful connections: for students who struggle with behaviour, good teacher-student connections are essential. in the classroom, teachers should promote empathy, trust, and respect for one another. individualised attention, attentive listening, and fostering an inclusive and diverse classroom atmosphere can all help achieve this (zins & elias, 2007). • development of social-emotional skills: sel skills must be taught and modelled by teachers. supporting emotional control, conflict resolution, and communication skills may be one way to aid underprivileged children with behavioural issues. these abilities might help reduce problematic behaviours in stem classrooms (zins & elias, 2007). • culturally responsive behaviour management: to handle misbehaviours in a way that takes into account the cultural background of their pupils, educators must employ culturally responsive behavioural interventions. while preserving students’ dignity, strategies like restorative practices or culturally appropriate behavioural supports can encourage constructive behaviour (noltemeyer et al., 2018). policymakers’ role in creating supportive educational environments local, state, and federal policymakers have the authority to establish the prerequisites for the execution of sel initiatives that are culturally sensitive. among their responsibilities are: • providing funding and resources: to guarantee that schools have the resources they need to provide inclusive learning environments, policymakers should allot funds to assist educators’ professional development in sel and culturally responsive teaching (darling-hammond et al., 2017). • developing inclusive policies: it is essential to implement policies that support inclusion and diversity in education. lawmakers may implement measures that support culturally responsive curricular frameworks, stimulate the hiring of diverse teachers, and guarantee that sel is included in the curriculum (akintayo et al., 2024). policymakers’ role is crucial in tackling the systemic disparities that underprivileged students encounter. they can help reduce the obstacles that disproportionately impact students with behavioural issues by promoting equitable educational opportunities, such as access to mental health services and high-quality stem education (munoz & weissman, 2020). conclusion this review investigates the role of integrating culturally responsive sel in stem students, particularly, underserved students with behavioural challenges. findings indicate that culturally responsive teaching enhances students’ engagement and learning outcomes, and also builds their emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills needed to succeed in stem subjects and beyond. in addition, incorporating diverse perspective, building strong relationships, inculcating collaborative learning, developing emotional literacy, and integrating restorative practices, are the key strategies to employ for the implementation of culturally responsive sel in stem for underserved students with behavioural challenges. however, further research is needed to reveal an understanding of these effects. these approaches could be studied in terms of their future effectiveness in various classroom environments and their lasting effects on underserved students in stem education. studies on the long-term effects of these interventions on student outcomes in both the academic and behavioural domains should be continued in the future. recommendations key stakeholders such as families, educators and policy makers, have a grave role to play. families need to provide supportive home environments for their children and encourage cultural knowledge and values. educators have to create and implement a stem curriculum that takes into account the cultural backgrounds, interests, and experiences of their students. the professional development of educators on culturally responsive teaching and sel practices and their sustained implementation must be taken very seriously. policymakers at all levels need to provide funds, resources, and developing inclusive policies, to advance the integration of culturally responsive sel in stem pa ge 73 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 65-76, 2025 education that will meet the needs of all students. references akintayo, o. t., eden, c. a., ayeni, o. o., & onyebuchi, n. c. 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(2007). social-emotional learning: promoting the development of all students. journal of educational and psychological consultation, 17(2-3), 233254. https://doi.org/10.1080/10474410701413160 pa ge 1 pa ge 14 8 american journal of education and technology (ajet) mainstreaming strategies, outcomes, and interventions for students with special educational needs (sen) nicetas angco1*, joseph c. pepito1, reylan g. capuno1, cecilia elena p. de los reyes1, niña rozanne t. de los reyes1, lilibeth c. pinili1, janine joy l. tenerife-cañete1, marjorie b. añero1 volume 4 issue 4, year 2025 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v4i4.5811 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: july 29, 2025 accepted: september 01, 2025 published: december 15, 2025 this study explored the mainstreaming strategies, outcomes, and interventions in education for students with special educational needs (sen) in certain public schools, prince george's county, maryland, united states of america (usa) during school year 2023-2024. this research had used qualitative phenomenological design. there were 15 participants (10 general education and 5 special education teachers) selected through purposive sampling technique who were interviewed using the researcher-made semistructured questionnaire that contained five (5) open-ended questions, in english language, about the teacher participants perceptions of their collaboration in mainstreaming strategies, outcomes, and interventions in education for students with special educational needs (sen). data gathered were subjected to thematic analysis. the participants identified the following primary mainstreaming strategies for learners with special needs: (1) collaborative teaching approaches, (2) individualized instruction plans, (3) use of assistive technologies, and (4) peer support systems. these strategies were seen to result in: (1) improved academic performance, (2) enhanced social integration and peer relationships, and (3) greater self-confidence and independence. key challenges in implementation included: (1) insufficient resources and support, (2) lack of professional development, and (3) collaboration and communication barriers. suggested interventions were: (1) increased resource allocation, (2) enhanced professional development, and (3) structured collaborative planning. parental involvement was also emphasized through: (1) enhanced communication and collaboration, (2) reinforcement of educational practices at home, and (3) social and emotional support. it is concluded that collaboration among educators, parents, and support systems is crucial for fostering an environment in which sen learners can excel academically and socially. keywords interventions, learners with special educational needs, mainstreaming strategies, outcomes, phenomenological inquiry 1 cebu technological university, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: angconicetas26@gmail.com introduction the progression of inclusive education in recent decades has brought about a notable change in how cultures address the education of individuals with special educational needs (sen). traditionally, individuals with impairments were frequently isolated from their peers and received education in distinct schools or classes. this seclusion served as both a tangible obstacle and a symbolic representation, strengthening societal biases and restricting educational prospects for individuals with special educational needs (kirby, 2017). nevertheless, with the increasing recognition and admiration for diversity and equality, there has been a corresponding rise in the dedication to providing inclusive education. this dedication is emphasized by multiple legislation and policy frameworks created to safeguard the rights of students with disabilities. the individuals with disabilities education act (idea) in the united states has played a crucial role in promoting the education of kids with disabilities in the least restrictive setting feasible. the mandates set forth by idea regarding free and adequate public education, individualized education plans (iep), and the idea of the least restrictive environment (lre) have facilitated the adoption of more inclusive educational methods. one of the most pivotal approaches to achieving this inclusivity is through mainstreaming strategies. mainstreaming strategies encompass educational methodologies that strive to integrate students with special educational needs (sen) into regular education settings. this integration enables individuals with disabilities to engage in the same activities and curriculum as others without disabilities, to the maximum extent possible (karim, 2023). these strategies are based on the concepts of equality, inclusivity, and the right to a suitable education for all students, regardless of their capabilities or impairments. mainstreaming initiatives aim to integrate students with and without sen, with the goal of breaking down the historical obstacles that have kept these groups separate. although these techniques aim to promote diversity and ensure equal educational opportunities, they also pose certain problems throughout their implementation. effective mainstreaming necessitates a holistic approach that encompasses not just the physical integration of students but also the fulfillment of their academic, social, and emotional requirements. well-executed mainstreaming initiatives have the potential to yield substantial advantages, such as greater academic achievement and improved social integration for students with special educational needs pa ge 14 9 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 148-158, 2025 (sen) (brussino, 2020). these results are advantageous not only for the children with special educational needs, but also enhance the overall inclusivity and empathy of the student body. however, there are challenges that must be overcome to achieve successful integration into the mainstream. teachers encounter a multitude of obstacles when it comes to modifying instructional approaches, educational content, and physical learning spaces to cater to the varying requirements of their pupils. katz (2015) claims that the efficacy of mainstreaming initiatives can be impacted by several factors, such as the readiness of teachers, the accessibility of resources, and the level of support from parents and the broader community. in addition, the social interactions within regular classrooms might create difficulties for fully including students with special educational needs (sen), requiring the implementation of techniques to foster comprehension and acceptance among all students. the inclusive education debate has had several major disagreements. the quality of teacher training is paramount. teachers are vital to mainstreaming, but many are unprepared to meet the needs of students with special educational needs (sen) in a conventional classroom. lack of training may hinder the students’ academic and social success by preventing inclusive practices. mainstreaming programs also depend on school resource allocation. inclusion projects may fail without skilled staff, flexible teaching materials, and accessible infrastructure. the ratio of pupils to teachers and the integration of children with special educational needs (sen) can also affect classroom inclusivity and the learning atmosphere. mainstreaming initiatives require parental involvement. parent and caregiver involvement and collaboration can greatly improve attempts to integrate special education (sen) children into mainstream education. their involvement and partnership with schools may vary substantially. the contentions reveal important gaps in our knowledge on the practical implementation of these mainstreaming strategies, their effectiveness, and the specific difficulties that educators encounter. also, a significant portion of the current body of research primarily examines quantitative results, such as academic performance measurements, without thoroughly exploring the qualitative dimensions of inclusion. hence, this study is conceived to explore the primary mainstreaming strategies used in inclusive education for learners with special educational needs, how these mainstreaming strategies impact the academic and social outcomes of learners with special educational needs within inclusive settings, the challenges educators face in implementing mainstreaming strategies for successful inclusion, the interventions that has to be made to address the such challenges, and determine the role of parental involvement in supporting mainstreaming strategies to improve students with sen's educational experiences and outcomes by promoting an inclusive school system. literature review inclusive education has emerged as a global need to guarantee equitable learning opportunities for all students, especially those with special educational needs (sen). theoretical evolution centers on the transition from deficitbased perspectives of disability to empowerment-focused frameworks that highlight social context and variety. the social model of disability is particularly influential as it reframes disability from a personal or medical concern to a result of environmental and attitudinal obstacles. owens (2015) had stated that the debilitating experience is not intrinsically due to impairments but is generated by systemic barriers that restrict access, participation, and inclusion. this concept encourages educators and institutions to acknowledge their responsibilities in creating more accessible learning environments. keagan (2022) emphasizes that the social model advocates for instructors to reconfigure their practices by eliminating institutional and instructional impediments. by doing so, they enable children with special educational needs to engage fully in school life, thereby fostering equity, autonomy, and agency. a straightforward modification, such as increasing text size for a visually challenged student, illustrates that the learning environment rather than the disability should modify to promote inclusion. the social model of disability establishes a vital ideological basis, whereas universal design for learning (udl) presents a pragmatic educational framework for fostering inclusivity. universal design for learning (udl) acknowledges student heterogeneity as standard rather than atypical. this methodology advocates three fundamental principles: offering diverse means of representation, facilitating action and expression, and fostering engagement. (corcoran, 2022). these principles correspond with the brain's neural networks that govern cognition, emotion, and executive functioning, thus guaranteeing that instructional tactics address a range of learning requirements (pradeep et al., 2024). on one hand, the individuals with disabilities education act (idea) in the united states ensures that students with disabilities are entitled to a free appropriate public education (fape) in the least restrictive environment (lre) (lipkin et al., 2015). the lre stipulates that the learners with special educational needs, when suitable, should be educated alongside their non-disabled counterparts. at the core of idea's execution are individualized education programs (ieps), which include customized objectives, supports, and instructional modifications to facilitate student achievement in general education environments (yell, 2020). idea functions under a compliancefocused framework, whereas the convention on the rights of persons with disabilities (crpd), ratified by the united nations in 2006, perceives inclusive education as a fundamental human right (broderick, 2018). article 24 of the crpd advocates for a comprehensive reform of educational systems to accommodate diversity, necessitating modifications in physical accessibility, pedagogy, curricula, and societal perceptions. idea and crpd collectively embody both procedural and philosophical commitments to inclusion, forming a twin pa ge 15 0 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 148-158, 2025 foundation for global mainstreaming initiatives. in inclusive educational environments, mainstreaming denotes the incorporation of students with special educational needs into general education classrooms. effective mainstreaming solutions originate from and implement the principles of universal design for learning (udl) and the social model of disability. this encompasses the implementation of individualized education programs (ieps), differentiated instruction, co-teaching methods, peer-assisted learning, and the judicious application of assistive technologies. individualized instruction programs (ieps) serve as practical frameworks to tailor instruction, delineating the adjustments and modifications required for children with special educational needs (sen) to succeed academically and socially (williams, 2022). co-teaching, in which general and special education teachers jointly plan and implement instruction, has demonstrated improvements in learning outcomes and the promotion of inclusivity by utilizing the knowledge of both educators (iacono, 2023; spörer et al., 2021). peer tutoring and cooperative learning practices enhance academic performance while promoting social connection and mutual comprehension among diverse learners (upadhyay, 2017). technological instruments, like text-to-speech software, communication devices, and interactive whiteboards, enhance engagement and accessibility for students with special educational needs (devi & sarkar, 2019). empirical research robustly demonstrates the effectiveness of mainstreaming in enhancing both academic and social results for students with special educational needs. scharenberg et al. (2019) discovered that students with special educational needs in inclusive settings exhibited markedly superior performance in reading and mathematics compared to their peers in segregated situations. these enhancements are frequently ascribed to elevated expectations and access to a more extensive, rigorous curriculum. moreover, inclusion cultivates essential social competencies including communication, collaboration, and resilience. ralić and marković (2024) assert that inclusive classrooms improve peer connections and foster the emotional well-being of students with special educational needs (sen). in addition to personal benefits, inclusive education enhances the whole classroom environment by fostering empathy, diversity, and mutual respect among all students (makweya & sepadi, 2025). notwithstanding these advantages, educators often face obstacles to the efficient execution of mainstreaming tactics. primary challenges encompass restricted finance, poor professional development, insufficient teaching materials, and the labor-intensive process of curriculum differentiation (okongo, 2015; zigmond & kloo, 2017). educators frequently express feelings of inadequacy in addressing the requirements of diverse learners, attributed to deficiencies in pre-service preparation and insufficient ongoing support (majoko, 2019; mason-williams et al., 2020). classroom management can be challenging, especially when accommodating the needs of students with diverse abilities and learning styles (shareefa et al., 2019). attitudinal barriers exacerbate implementation challenges, as unfavorable attitudes of disability among educators or peers can obstruct inclusion and restrict student potential (tometten et al., 2021; dell’anna et al., 2021). the efficacy of mainstreaming, consequently, depends on the enhancement of professional competencies, cultural evolution, and systemic assistance. a vital yet often neglected factor in achieving mainstreaming success is parental engagement. studies demonstrate that parental involvement in their child's education—via participation in iep meetings, home support, and advocacy—substantially improves the effectiveness of inclusive practices (hirano & rowe, 2016; lendrum et al., 2018). collaboration between families and schools cultivates uniformity in learning goals and methodologies, which is essential for students with special educational needs who depend on organized, predictable surroundings (jigyel et al., 2018). furthermore, involved parents frequently act as essential proponents for required adjustments, enhancing a more adaptive and studentfocused educational framework. to tackle the complex issues of mainstreaming, experts advocate for various approaches at the classroom, institutional, and policy levels. professional development initiatives centered on inclusive pedagogy can provide educators with techniques for differentiation, collaboration, and assessment (navarro et al., 2016). investment in assistive technologies and support people guarantees that students obtain the necessary tools and direction for complete participation (marienko et al., 2020). additionally, collaborations with community organizations can enhance learning outside the classroom and offer practical assistance for inclusive objectives (bryan et al., 2020). these initiatives signify proactive measures aimed at rendering inclusive education both durable and effective. although the literature comprehensively outlines theoretical frameworks, policy environments, and practical tactics that guide inclusive education, a notable deficiency persists in context-specific evaluations of mainstreaming activities within local school districts in the united states. despite the vast global debate, empirical research on the operationalization of mainstreaming techniques in certain public schools in maryland, united states of america, during school year 2023–2024, remains sparse. localized data regarding the tactics utilized, their effects on academic and social results, the problems encountered by educators, the involvement of parents, and the treatments being executed are also underexplored. this disparity is significant, as educational policies and practices frequently vary across districts based on demographic, cultural, and resource factors. hence, this study answers the following questions: (1) what are the primary mainstreaming strategies used in inclusive education for learners with special educational needs? (2) how do these mainstreaming strategies impact the academic and social outcomes of learners with special educational needs within inclusive settings? (3) what challenges do pa ge 15 1 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 148-158, 2025 educators face in implementing mainstreaming strategies for successful inclusion? (4) what interventions are to be made to address the challenges educators face in implementing mainstreaming strategies for successful inclusion? (5) what role does parental involvement play in supporting mainstreaming strategies? materials and methods this study used a qualitative phenomenological technique to explore the fifteen (15) purposively-selected teacher participants’ experiences in the implementation of the mainstreaming practices for students with special educational needs (sen) integrated into regular classroom settings. tuffour (2017) defines phenomenology as a method that captures the essence of people's experiences through their subjective interpretations and meanings. a semi-structured interview guide with five open-ended questions was created and used to collect holistic data. all purposively-selected participants were oriented about the nature and purpose of the study and they gave informed consent before the interviews were conducted to ensure their voluntary involvement, protection of their rights, and understanding of the study. face-to-face one-on-one interviews that lasted about an hour and 30 mins were performed to foster in-depth discussion. thematic analysis was used to analyze and interpret the data gathered. this analytical procedure followed xu and zammit (2020)'s cyclical cycle of data transcription, systematic coding, and theme creation. this study concludes with a narrative analysis that intricately weaves together the findings with relevant literature to provide a deep understanding of the teachers' collaborative experiences in implementing the mainstreaming strategies, outcomes, and interventions for the students with sen. results and discussion participants’ views about the primary mainstreaming strategies used in inclusive education for learners with special educational needs theme 1: collaborative teaching approaches team collaborative teaching approaches are essential strategies in inclusive education for students with special educational needs (sen), promoting cooperation between general and special education instructors. through co-teaching, educators amalgamate their skills to tailor training, accommodate multiple needs, and foster inclusive environments devoid of division. “working with a sped teacher helps me address individual learning needs more effectively (p3).” another explained, “collaboration encourages shared problem-solving and creative strategies (p7).” a third reflected, “it reduces isolation because we face challenges together (p11).” one participant emphasized, “co-teaching balances the workload between us.” finally, a teacher stated, “it boosts my confidence in handling students with special needs (p12).” research underscores advantages of collaboration including increased academic engagement, elevated accomplishment, and greater social skills, promoting acceptance and belonging (ruijuan et al., 2023; eden et al., 2024). successful collaboration necessitates continuous professional development in communication, role-sharing, and differentiated education (esposito, 2023). this implies that shared planning time, sufficient resources, and access to assistive technologies enhance implementation. administrative assistance via scheduling and resource distribution guarantees unified instructional execution. theme 2: individualized instruction plans support individualized education plans (ieps) are central to inclusive education for learners with special educational needs (sen), ensuring that instruction is tailored to each student’s strengths, needs, and challenges. they provide clear goals, accommodations, and teaching strategies that promote success in mainstream classrooms. participants in the study highlighted ieps as a cornerstone of inclusion. one shared, “ieps have transformed our approach, leading to greater engagement, confidence, and academic performance” (p1). another emphasized, “they allow us to target exactly what each student needs to succeed” (p2). a third reflected, “essential in addressing the vast diversity of needs in mainstream classes” (p5). one participant noted, “their flexibility lets us adapt strategies to evolving student needs” (p6), while another added, “collaboration with general education teachers ensures ieps are seamlessly applied” (p8). these data confirm that meticulously designed ieps enhance academic performance and promote social engagement. omoso and villarente (2024) discovered that ieps reconcile disparities between varied learner requirements and the conventional curriculum, hence augmenting academic and social integration. lindberg et al. (2021) emphasized that effective implementation necessitates collaboration among educators, administrators, and families, as well as access to resources, training, and assistive technologies. ieps are fundamental to equitable, inclusive education, facilitating the academic and social success of learners with sen via ongoing enhancement, collaboration, and dedicated resources. theme 3: use of assistive technologies the use of assistive technologies is a vital strategy in mainstreaming learners with special educational needs (sen), enabling them to access the curriculum, participate in activities, and succeed alongside peers. these tools ranging from communication devices to adaptive software address challenges in mobility, communication, reading, writing, and information processing. participants affirmed their transformative impact. “using assistive technology in our classrooms has changed the game… students can interact with content on their terms” (p1). one noted, “audiobooks and speech-to-text tools empower those who struggle with traditional methods” (p3), while another emphasized, “they enhance performance and foster confidence and pa ge 15 2 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 148-158, 2025 community” (p6). teachers have seen learners “take on challenges they might have avoided” (p8) and ensure “equal chances to achieve” (p10). others stressed that these devices “give tailored access to resources” (p11), are “crucial, not optional” (p13), and “enable participation in ways previously unimaginable” (p14). these experiences demonstrate that assistive technology enhance academic performance and facilitate social inclusion. hoogerwerf (2021) emphasized their function in reconciling learner capabilities with curriculum requirements, whereas chaidi (2021) discovered that their efficient integration improves academic performance and self-esteem. effective implementation necessitates sufficient financing, continuous support, and professional development for educators, in addition to engagement with parents and specialists to guarantee consistent use both at school and at home. ultimately, assistive technologies are essential for establishing inclusive classrooms that enable sen learners to achieve their maximum academic and social potential. theme 4: peer support systems peer support systems are an important strategy in mainstreaming learners with special educational needs (sen), using the classroom’s natural social structures to promote inclusion, academic growth, and social development (vetoniemi & kärnä, 2021). these include buddy systems, cooperative learning groups, and peer mentoring, where students with and without sen work together to build empathy, mutual understanding, and shared responsibility. participants emphasized their positive impact: “all children now feel appreciated and included… the peer support and social contacts really benefit students with sen” (p2). “buddy systems help pupils develop empathy and a sense of responsibility” (p4), while others observed that they “improve social skills and self-esteem” (p7) and “create a win-win scenario for both sen students and their peers” (p9). cooperative learning allows sen students to “showcase their abilities” (p10) and promotes independence and self-worth (p12). teachers highlighted that peer networks “foster a welcoming climate where differences are celebrated” (p13) and “build a community of learners who support one another” (p15). these observations correspond with the findings of juvonen et al. (2019) and muqoddam & hendriani (2020), which indicate that peer support enhances the sense of belonging among sen kids, mitigates isolation, and fosters leadership and inclusion skills among peers. successful peer support necessitates meticulous planning, educator training, and continuous supervision to guarantee advantages for all pupils. when well executed, these strategies enhance academic achievement, promote social integration, and foster a compassionate, inclusive educational atmosphere. participants’ views on the impact of mainstreaming strategies on the academic and social outcomes of the leaners with special educational needs (sen). theme 1: improved academic performance academic achievement and progress are key indicators of successful mainstreaming for learners with special educational needs (sen), as inclusive teaching, individualized instruction, and targeted support enable them to thrive alongside peers. insights from participants show these strategies lead to improved skills, motivation, and consistency: “mainstreaming has made a significant difference… reading, writing, and math skills have improved” (p1); “students are more driven to participate in class and finish homework” (p3); and “specialized methods ensure they thrive in areas they once struggled” (p5). others noted that high expectations paired with proper support yield “consistent and measurable progress” (p7) and that focusing on strengths benefits the whole class (p9). access to advanced coursework and collaborative projects “improves critical thinking and problem-solving” (p11), while specialized attention in inclusive settings “greatly aids academic achievement” (p13) and fosters a passion for learning (p14). these reflections support findings by senadza et al. (2019) and dalgaard et al. (2022) that mainstreaming through differentiated instruction, collaboration, and assistive technology enables sen learners to meet or exceed academic benchmarks. for sustained success, schools must ensure resource availability, ongoing teacher training, and a culture of high expectations to maximize the academic potential of all learners. theme 2: enhanced social integration and peer relationship enhanced social integration and peer relationships are vital outcomes of mainstreaming learners with special educational needs (sen) in inclusive settings, as these approaches strengthen social skills, build friendships, and promote a sense of belonging (dell’anna et al., 2021). participants shared how inclusive practices foster meaningful connections: “sen students forge closer bonds with peers, which is essential to their social growth and mental health” (p2); “inclusive classrooms foster friendships and a sense of belonging” (p4); and “peer mentoring builds confidence in social interactions” (p6). others noted that sen learners are now “engaged participants… with more enduring peer relationships” (p8), benefit from “vital social skills through observing appropriate behaviors” (p10), and thrive in “a culture of acceptance and understanding” (p11). social integration was described as “one of mainstreaming’s most important outcomes” (p13) and as fostering “stronger, more encouraging peer relationships based on empathy and respect” (p15). these reflections align with findings by woodgate et al. (2020), fernandez-villardon et al. (2020), and tahira et al. (2023) that inclusive environments, cooperative learning, and peer tutoring significantly improve social outcomes for sen learners. for impact to be sustained, schools must intentionally design activities that encourage interaction, provide teachers with the tools to support social engagement, and cultivate a pa ge 15 3 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 148-158, 2025 school culture where all students actively participate in community life. theme 3: development of self-confidence and independence the development of self-confidence and independence is a key outcome of mainstreaming strategies for learners with special educational needs (sen) in inclusive education settings, as these approaches empower students to take ownership of their learning, embrace challenges, and build essential life skills. participants emphasized that inclusive environments encourage students to step out of their comfort zones: “sen kids gain confidence as they engage more in classroom activities, seeing themselves as capable learners” (p3); “inclusive settings push students to take on challenges they might have avoided in segregated environments” (p5); and “navigating the same hurdles as peers fosters reliance on their own abilities” (p7). others observed that inclusive strategies “cultivate self-belief leading to greater independence” (p9), encourage “greater ownership over education and more risk-taking” (p10), and create “a sense of security that boosts confidence” (p12). teachers also noted that students “begin to see themselves as peers in the classroom, capable of the same goals” (p13), and that mainstreaming develops “life skills needed beyond academics” (p15). these experiences align with burke et al. (2020), who emphasize that the integration of general education fosters selfdetermination, and shogren et al. (2021), who associate inclusive involvement with enhanced self-confidence and independence. maintaining these advancements necessitates that school leaders cultivate a culture of empowerment, provide educators with methods to enhance autonomy, and create opportunities for students to assume leadership roles and engage in decisionmaking, thereby ensuring their preparedness for success both within and outside the classroom. participants’ views about the challenges that educators face in implementing mainstreaming strategies for successful inclusion. theme 1: insufficient resources and support insufficient resources and support remain a major challenge in implementing mainstreaming strategies for the successful inclusion of learners with special educational needs (sen), as noted by both general and special education teachers. participants described struggling to meet diverse needs due to limitations in funding, manpower, and materials: “our greatest obstacle is a shortage of resources… we need more specialized materials, assistive technologies, and support workers” (p1); “without sufficient money, we often settle for less than ideal circumstances” (p3); and “a shortage of aides and specialists affects both academic performance and classroom climate” (p5). others stressed that “lack of funding forces sacrifices in the quality of education” (p7), that greater achievements “could be possible with more resources” (p9), and that educators are “overextended, impacting not only sen students but the entire class” (p11). these reflections corroborate the findings of bryan et al. (2019) and tahar et al. (2023), which associate effective inclusion with access to customized resources, assistive technologies, skilled personnel, and professional development. overcoming this obstacle necessitates that school administrators obtain sufficient financing, allocate resources judiciously, and provide continuous professional development for educators to optimize the utilization of available tools. in the absence of coordinated support, schools will persist in encountering challenges in providing excellent, inclusive education that addresses the diverse needs of sen learners. theme 2: professional development deficits the professional development deficits emerged as a major challenge in implementing mainstreaming strategies for the successful inclusion of learners with special educational needs (sen). both general and special education teachers noted that without sufficient training, they often feel unprepared to address the diverse needs of students. the lack of such opportunities leaves some teachers “lacking confidence in applying inclusive practices” (p8) and dissatisfied with generic sessions “that don’t address unique classroom challenges” (p10). participants also highlighted that inadequate professional development “affects job satisfaction and contributes to burnout” (p12) and called for “practical instruction, group projects, and real-world application” (p14), emphasizing the need for “training that contains techniques we can implement right away” (p15). these insights align with schwab (2020) and sancar (2021), who underscore that effective inclusive education depends on ongoing, hands-on, and practice-specific professional development to enhance teacher competence and confidence. addressing this gap requires school leaders to provide consistent, high-quality training tailored to inclusive education, ensuring teachers are equipped with immediately applicable strategies that evolve with the needs of students and the learning environment. theme 3: collaboration and communication barriers collaboration and communication barriers emerged as a critical challenge in implementing mainstreaming strategies for the successful inclusion of learners with special educational needs (sen). general and special education teachers emphasized that smooth cooperation among educators, support staff, and families is essential, yet often hindered by gaps in scheduling, role clarity, and consistent information-sharing. as one participant explained, “the absence of regular communication between general education and special education teachers is one of our main problems. without frequent updates and discussions, it’s challenging to coordinate our efforts” (p1). another noted, “time restraints and scheduling issues limit dedicated planning time, which hinders effective implementation” (p3). others pointed out that “barriers between educators and support personnel pa ge 15 4 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 148-158, 2025 can lead to miscommunication and uneven assistance” (p5) and that “families are sometimes left out of the communication loop, even though they are essential collaborators” (p7). these accounts align with fodo (2020) and white (2020), who emphasize that strong collaborative relationships and organized communication among all stakeholders, including families, are essential for addressing the intricate needs of sen learners. overcoming these obstacles necessitates intentional administrative backing, including the organization of frequent collaborative planning meetings, the creation of established communication pathways, and the cultivation of a school culture that prioritizes teamwork and shared responsibility. this strategic emphasis can foster a more cohesive and inclusive environment in which sen learners have consistent and well-coordinated help. participants’ views about the interventions to be made to address the challenges educators face in implementing mainstreaming strategies for successful inclusion. theme 1: increased resource allocation increased resource allocation was seen by teachers as one of the most vital interventions for implementing mainstreaming strategies and ensuring the successful inclusion of learners with special educational needs (sen). adequate funding, materials, and staffing enable inclusive environments where tailored support can be delivered effectively. participants highlighted the impact of resource shortages and the transformative potential of increased provisions. “increasing the resources at our disposal would be one of the most effective and quick actions,” noted one teacher, explaining that more funds would allow for the purchase of essential instructional materials and assistive technologies (p2). another emphasized, “it would be really beneficial to have more support personnel, such as aides and specialists” (p4). others stressed that resource allocation should also provide “the time and tools needed to develop and implement effective inclusive practices” (p6) and that investment in professional development ensures teachers “always have access to the newest techniques and resources” (p8). participants agreed that boosting resources signals a genuine commitment to valuing the performance of sen learners equally (p13) and that resources must be “accessible and allocated fairly” to meet the needs of all students (p15). this view is supported by jones (2021), who notes that adequate funding and resources are critical to providing specialist staff, assistive technology, and professional learning, and by qureshi (2020), who stresses equitable distribution. to realize these goals, advocacy for increased funding at state and local levels and strategic planning for targeted allocation particularly in professional development, classroom resources, and support staff are essential for strengthening inclusive education. theme 2: enhanced professional development enhanced professional development emerged as a crucial intervention for overcoming challenges in implementing mainstreaming strategies for learners with special educational needs (sen). teachers emphasized that ongoing, practical, and targeted training equips them with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to address diverse needs in inclusive classrooms. “one of the most impactful interventions would be to provide more comprehensive and ongoing professional development focused specifically on inclusive education” (p1). some admitted feeling unprepared due to a “lack of specific training” and called for tailored opportunities (p5), while others valued “collaborative workshops for both general and special education teachers” to strengthen skills and teamwork (p7). participants also highlighted the importance of mastering differentiated instruction and assistive technologies (p9) and maintaining skills through “scheduled professional development seminars” (p11). these views align with smith and gillespie (2023), who note that effective professional development is continuous, collaborative, and directly linked to teachers’ work, and with kubacka and d’addio (2020), who found that inclusive-focused training improves teacher confidence and capability. addressing this need requires deliberate investment in frequent, high-quality, and context-specific training, ensuring it is a sustained process with opportunities for collaborative learning and followup support to continually improve inclusive practices. theme 3: structured collaborative planning structured collaborative planning is seen by educators as a vital intervention for effectively implementing mainstreaming strategies for students with special educational needs (sen). through scheduled meetings, general and special education teachers, along with support personnel, can jointly design, implement, and refine inclusive practices. “organizing regular, structured meetings for collaborative planning would be one of the most beneficial strategies” (p2). another shared, “without scheduled planning time, we often work in silos, leading to inconsistent support” (p4). others emphasized making it part of the weekly routine to “exchange ideas, create cohesive strategies, and respond quickly to challenges” (p6), while some noted that it “builds stronger ties among the teaching staff ” (p8) and ensures “all educators are in agreement” (p10). participants also stressed including specialists and support staff in planning sessions for “more thorough and efficient support” (p12) and highlighted that structured planning “helps us anticipate challenges and prepare proactively” (p13). these reflections align with ruso (2020), who notes that organized collaboration strengthens co-teaching and inclusive practices, and jortveit & kovač (2022), who emphasize its role in ensuring consistent objectives and coordinated support. school leaders must allocate dedicated time, provide resources, and foster a culture of shared responsibility to make structured collaborative planning a consistent practice that strengthens inclusive education outcomes. pa ge 15 5 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 148-158, 2025 participants’ views about the role of parental involvement play in supporting mainstreaming strategies. theme 1: enhanced communication and collaboration enhanced communication and collaboration between educators and parents are essential for the successful implementation of mainstreaming strategies for learners with special educational needs (sen). strong, ongoing relationships between schools and families ensure that students receive consistent support at home and in the classroom. when parents are informed and actively engaged, they can work with teachers to create a unified support system. participants emphasized that open communication fosters trust, enables joint problemsolving, and allows for shared goal-setting to address each child’s needs. as one teacher noted, “parental engagement is essential. with open communication, we can work together to provide the best support” (p2). others shared that regular updates help parents reinforce classroom practices at home (p10) and that parent input is invaluable in tailoring strategies to individual learners (p13). these reflections align with jigyel (2019) and roksa & kinsley (2019), who highlight that strong school-family partnerships significantly improve academic and social outcomes for sen students. to make this possible, school leadership must prioritize parental involvement through regular meetings, workshops, and accessible communication channels, while ensuring teachers have the tools and training to engage families effectively. by fostering these partnerships, schools can create a cohesive, well-coordinated support network that enhances inclusive education for all learners. theme 2: reinforcement of educational practices at home reinforcement of educational practices at home is a vital component of parental involvement in mainstreaming strategies for learners with special educational needs (sen). consistency between classroom instruction and at-home support ensures steady progress in both social and academic development. participants emphasized that when parents mirror school strategies at home, students internalize lessons more effectively and gain confidence. as one noted, “a fundamental responsibility of parents is to reinforce at home the lessons taught in the classroom” (p1), while another added that this could include using assistive technology, practicing social skills, or helping with homework (p3). teachers stressed that communication between home and school creates a seamless learning environment (p5) and that home reinforcement boosts both ability and confidence (p7). this aligns with epstein (2019) and yotyodying & wild (2019), who found that parental reinforcement improves academic and social outcomes, especially for sen students needing extra skill practice. to make this effective, teachers must provide clear guidance, resources, and regular updates, equipping parents to support learning at home. by fostering active collaboration, schools and families can create a cohesive, supportive environment that strengthens the success of mainstreaming initiatives. theme 3: social and emotional support structured social and emotional support from parents is a fundamental element in ensuring the success of mainstreaming strategies for learners with special educational needs (sen). when children feel secure, valued, and understood at home, they are more likely to approach the inclusive classroom with confidence and resilience. participants emphasized that “for students with sen, parental involvement in social and emotional support is essential” (p2) and that parents play a key role in helping their children develop the emotional strength to overcome challenges (p4). they also noted that this support fosters self-worth, enabling students to fully engage in school life (p6) and manage stress and anxiety more effectively (p8). others highlighted how a secure emotional foundation at home encourages peer relationships (p10) and complements teachers’ classroom efforts (p12). parents’ insights into their child’s emotional state can guide educators in providing better academic and social support (p13), while empowering children to face challenges is equally vital (p15). larcombe et al. (2019) and mihalec-adkins & cooley (2020) confirm that strong familial social and emotional support is linked to improved academic outcomes, social competence, and self-esteem in sen learners. to strengthen this partnership, schools should maintain open communication, provide resources, and work with parents to meet students’ emotional needs. by fostering such collaboration, educators and families can create a nurturing environment that supports both the social-emotional and academic growth of every child in an inclusive setting. conclusion the results indicate that the effective integration of learners with special educational needs (sen) in inclusive environments relies on a comprehensive strategy that incorporates collaborative teaching, personalized instructional plans, assistive technologies, and peer support networks. these tactics boost academic performance while fostering social integration, selfconfidence, and independence among sen learners. nevertheless, the report highlights ongoing issues, such as inadequate resources, restricted professional growth, and communication obstacles, which impede the complete achievement of inclusive objectives. addressing these difficulties necessitates focused interventions, including enhanced resource allocation, ongoing and contextspecific teacher training, and organized collaborative planning. furthermore, parental involvement proved to be a vital facilitator of mainstreaming success, with good communication, reinforcement of learning at home, and regular social-emotional support substantially enhancing positive learner outcomes. the evidence indicates that collaboration among educators, parents, and support pa ge 15 6 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 148-158, 2025 systems is crucial for fostering an environment in which sen learners can excel academically and socially. advancing inclusive education necessitates a persistent commitment from all stakeholders, supported by sufficient resources, robust partnerships, and an inclusive culture that appreciates diversity and fosters equitable opportunities for all students. references broderick, a. 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(2017). general and special education are (and should be) different. in handbook of special education (pp. 249-261). routledge. pa ge 1 pa ge 1 american journal of education and technology (ajet) second language learners’ behavioral, cognitive, and emotional attitudes toward the language and their second language competencies marinel vergara burgos1* volume 2 issue 4, year 2023 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i4.2006 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: august 05, 2023 accepted: september 19, 2023 published: september 26, 2023 this paper aimed to determine the respondents’ attitudes toward english language learning and how these affect the level of their second language competencies utilizing a descriptivecorrelational method of research. three hundred eight five (385) respondents from the different public and private senior high schools answered a researcher-made questionnaire that underwent reliability testing and validation. the findings revealed that the respondents have positive behavioral, cognitive and emotional attitudes toward english language learning and they have good second language competencies in terms of reading, writing, speaking, listening and viewing. thus, it was also found that positive behavioral, cognitive and emotional attitudes toward english language learning resulted to good level second language competencies of the senior high school students. good attitudes and feelings are needed to raise the efficiency of the students in language learning classes. the result made the researcher suggest that language teachers may continuously enhance the positive attitudes and perceptions of the students toward the language to further improve their macro-skills. keywords behavioral, cognitive, emotional, second language competencies 1 mindoro state university-main campus alcate, victoria, oriental mindoro, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: aja0509briseis@gmail.com introduction with the coming of the k-12 program, acquisition of four major skills are expected among learners especially the senior high schools who should be ready for work, business and tertiary education right after completion. these include information, media and technology skills; learning and innovation skills; life and career skills and communication skills (department of education, 2013). to ensure the development of communication skills in the k to 12 curriculum, the areas of language and communication are embedded. the language and communication curricula of k to12 program help learners understand that english language is a dynamic social process which responds to and reflects changing social conditions, and that english is inextricably involved with values, beliefs and ways of thinking about oneself and the world where one dwells. to this effect, the senior high school language and communication curricula expect for the learners’ development of listening, speaking, reading, writing and viewing competencies (k to 12 senior high school core curriculum, 2013).hence, the second language competencies can only be achieved by the students if they will be equipped with the five macro-skills such as reading, writing, listening, speaking and viewing. yet, the expectations brought to the learner by this new scheme are demanding to achieve. helping the learners develop the second language competencies requires language teachers to create within the students their positive attitudes to english language learning. having positive attitude towards learning a language is a good start to learn a language but before learning can begin, learners must be ready to learn, that is, their positive attitudes toward english language learning in terms of behavioral, cognitive and most especially emotional may be contributory factors to be equipped with the different english language competencies. this is strengthened by what eshghinejad (2016) stated in his study that attitude greatly influences students’ english language performance. similarly, todor and degi (2016) and flyildirim and ashton (2016) in separate studies confirmed that students’ english language performance is greatly affected by their attitudes toward learning the language, the reason why those who are positive that learning the language could benefit them, usually develop better than those who negatively perceived english. this triggered the researcher to identify the attitudes of the students toward the language and how these affect their second language competencies. objectives this study determined the respondents’ attitude toward english language learning in terms of behavioral, cognitive and emotional as well as their level of the second language competencies in terms of reading, writing, speaking, listening and viewing. also, this tested the significant relationship between respondents’ attitudes toward second language learning to the respondents’ second language competencies. methodology this part presents the methodology the researcher employed in analyzing and interpreting the data about the variables in the study. research design the descriptive-correlational method of research was used in this study. according to ariola (2016), descriptive pa ge 2 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 1-4, 2023 correlational method provides an explanation of the extent of relationship between two or more variables. in this study, the relationships among the variables were examined. descriptive research involves the description, recording, analysis and interpretation of students’ level of second language competencies and their attitudes toward english language learning. correlational studies were designed to estimate the relationship between respondents’ attitudes and their second language competencies. research site the study was conducted in the target public and private secondary high schools in the fourteen municipalities in the province of oriental mindoro. there were 13 private and 14 public secondary schools identified having the total population of 5099 grade 12 students. participants the participants were the selected grade 12 senior high school students from public and private secondary schools in the province of oriental mindoro for they will enter college soon wherein english subjects required students to have good second language competencies in the five areas such as reading, writing, listening, speaking and viewing. having equipped with these skills, they will communicate effectively in oral and written conversation. there were 13 private and 14 public secondary schools identified having the total population of 5099 grade 12 students. yet for the purpose of this study, 385 respondents as the exact number of respondents needed, were identified through g* power sampling method with an effect size of 0.22, power probability of 0.95, alpha level of 0.5. g* power analysis is an excellent piece of software for performing statistical power analysis. it is particularly useful for applied researchers who need to perform a power analysis as part of the research. instrumentation the study utilized a researcher made questionnaire with two parts as the main data gathering instrument. this was conceptualized based on the ideas obtained from the books, journals and other related reading materials. to test the reliability of the instrument, the twenty (20) non-respondents of the study were asked to answer the questionnaire wherein results were subjected to cronbach’s alpha. upon ensuring the reliability of the instrument, the researcher personally administered the instrument to the respondents. the respondents were oriented on the objectives and the contents of the questionnaire. the first part is composed of questions dealing with the respondents’ attitude toward second language competencies which is divided into three parts such as behavioral, cognitive and emotional with ten (10) questions each. questions in each category were patterned from the study of eshghinejad (2016), the researcher sought the author’s permission to use the questionnaire but minor revisions were made. on the other hand, the second part is composed of five parts to assess the respondents’ level of second language competencies in terms of reading, writing, listening, speaking and viewing, having 9, 9, 7, 7 and 8 items respectively. results and discussion second language learners’ attitudes toward the language based from the data, it can be perceived that the overall composite mean of 2. 96 is described as agree which confirms that respondents have positive attitude toward english language learning in terms of behavioral. this means that students are aware on the good things that english learning can bring to them and they are positive that showing enthusiasm in the entire process can make them acquire the necessary competencies and skills. they treat english as an important subject to deal with, so all their actions reflect how interested and willing they are to study. this is in lined with what murir and rehman (2015) stated that a behavioral feature of the attitude is concerned with the actions and reactions of the learner in a particular situation. the data also revealed that students has positive attitude toward english learning in terms of cognitive considering the computed overall composite mean of 3.12 which is described as agree. this shows that intellectually, students observed how learning english helps them improve their comprehension and understanding of almost all second language competencies. this is of relevance to what soleimani and hanafi (2013) stated that this aspect of attitude involves the beliefs of the language learners about the knowledge that they receive and their understanding in the process of language learning. it was also proven that respondents have positive emotional attitude towards english as indicated in the overall composite mean of 3.06 which is described as agree. the result suggest that respondents have positive feelings toward studying english, they treat any issue regarding their english performance as tool for improvement and their emotions greatly influenced their perception towards english. this clearly proves munir table 1: attitudes toward english language learning private public over-all cm vi cm vi cm vi behavioral 2.98 a 2.94 a 2.96 a cognitive 3.11 a 3.14 a 3.12 a emotional 3.08 a 3.04 a 3.06 a legend: 3.50 – 4.00 = strongly agree (sa); 2.50 – 3.49 = agree (a); 1.50 – 2.49 = moderately agree (ma); 1.00 – 1.49 = disagree (d) pa ge 3 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 1-4, 2023 and rehman (2015) citation of guilherme’s (2007) idea that students’ outlooks and attitudes to language learning are highly influenced by their heart, feelings and emotions. second language competencies the respondents’ level of second language competencies is presented in table 2. results showed that senior high school students are good in reading based on the computed overall composite mean of 2.93. this indicated that the respondents acquired the necessary competencies needed in reading but there is still a need for more interventions for them to be excellent in this area. language teachers still need to continue nurturing students’ competencies on this area to achieve mastery and excellence. as manifested in the overall composite mean of 2.88, it is proven that respondents are good when it comes to writing. they are able to express their ideas, understand different forms of writing and familiar with the different competencies needed for producing a well-written text. though they are proven to be good in reading, it means that there are still areas in this macro-skill needed to be mastered by the students. language teachers still need to identify those lapses so teaching reading will be fitted to the needs of the learners. this verifies the notion of masjhari (2011) that writing skills are complex and sometimes difficult to teach, requiring mastery not only of grammatical and rhetorical devices but also of conceptual and judgmental elements. in terms of writing, it is confirmed that respondents are good in speaking based on the overall composite mean of 2.93. being good means that they can express their ideas in varied communicative situations with the information of the different factors to consider in speaking. the overall composite mean of 3.04 confirmed the level of respondents in listening as good which means that respondents are familiar, equipped and knows how to apply the competencies, strategies and approaches on how to be an effective listener. this draws support to what rost (2002) explained that to listen well, listeners must have the ability to decode the message, the ability to apply a variety of strategies and interactive processes to make meaning, and the ability to respond to what is said in a variety of ways, depending on the purpose of the communication. also, it is revealed that respondents have good viewing skills based on the overall composite mean of 2.98. they have the ability to construct meaning from images and from whatever perceived by their sense of sight which means that the respondents can fully meet the expectations from them as 21st century learner. this is of relevance to gabinete’s (2016) call to continuously support schools in promoting viewing comprehension in basic education to meet the demands of the 21st century. table 2: level of second language competencies private public over-all cm vi cm vi cm vi reading 2.95 g 2.91 g 2.93 g writing 2.89 g 2.87 g 2.88 g speaking 2.99 g 2.87 g 2.93 g listening 3.07 g 3.01 g 3.04 g viewing 3.02 g 2.94 g 2.98 g legend: 3.50 – 4.00 = very good (vg); 2.50 – 3.49 = good (g); 1.50 – 2.49 = satisfactory (s); 1.00 – 1.49 = low (l) table 3: relationship between attitude toward english language learning and level of second language competencies behavioral cognitive emotional r-value p-value i r-value p-value i r-value p-value i reading .556** 0.000 hs .655** 0.000 hs .716** 0.000 hs writing .599** 0.000 hs .653** 0.000 hs .711** 0.000 hs speaking .624** 0.000 hs .588** 0.000 hs .573** 0.000 hs listening .519** 0.000 hs .502** 0.000 hs .545** 0.000 hs viewing .559** 0.000 hs .577** 0.000 hs .561** 0.000 hs legend: significant at p-value < 0.01; hs = highly significant table 3 presents the relationship between attitude toward english language learning and level of second language competencies as to reading, writing, speaking, listening and viewing. it was observed that the computed r-values indicate a moderate positive correlation and the resulted p-values were less than 0.01 alpha level. thus, the null hypothesis is rejected and implies that there was a significant relationship exists between attitudes towards english language learning and the second language competencies. the result also reveals that positive cognitive, behavioral and emotional attitude toward english language learning resulted to high level of second pa ge 4 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 1-4, 2023 language competencies. good attitudes and feelings are needed to raise the efficiency of the students in language learning class. this is in lined with the findings in separate researches of orojlou and vahedi (2011), todor and degi (2016) and elyildirim and ashton (2014) that language learners’ attitude towards the language greatly influence the language process and outcomes. moreover, munir and rehman (2015) mentioned that the association between attitudes and learning a language has been proved through number of studies while dealing with language learning, attitude is considered one of essential features to affect the performance. conclusion the respondents were proven to have positive attitudes towards second language learning and with good second language competencies. results also showed that having positive attitudes towards the language is significant in the second language skills development of the students. thus, the researcher suggested that language teachers may continuously enhance the positive attitudes and perceptions of the students toward the language since it was proven that good attitudes and feelings affect the students’ second language competencies. references abbaspour, f. 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(2015). attitudes of secondary school students towards english as foreign language: a case study at lahore pakistan. international journal of research, 2(4). retrieved on april 4, 2018, from https:// www.researchgate.com/publication/311432213_ attitudes_of_secondary_school_students_towards_ english_as_foreign_language oroujlou, n., & vahedi, m. (2011). motivation, attitude and language learning. procedia-social and behavioral sciences, 29, 994-1000. retrieved on october 16, 2018, from https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/81147309. pdf soleimani, h., & hanafi, s. (2013). iranian medieval students’ attitudes towards english language learning. international journal of applied and basic science, 4(12). retrieved on april 5, 2018, from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/ c70b/9479bcf81f70224320ce262efec794724f4.pdf todor, e., & degi, p. 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(2015). understanding the attitude of esl learners to vocabulary learning. retrieved november 19, 2018, from https://www.researchgate. com/publication/283735545_understanding_the_ attitude_of_esl_learners_to_vocabulary_learning. pa ge 1 pa ge 15 american journal of education and technologies (ajet) learning styles and learning abilities of grade 6 pupils in dealing with modular learning irish c. camat1, angel grace g. caro1, mary grace c. catahum1, hanna raquel c. jabido1, kris d. reyes1, angel lhi d. alcalde1*, angelo p. florague1, ma. yzelle m. bayog1, ivy n. macagba1 volume 1 issue 2, year 2022 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i2.483 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: august 09, 2022 accepted: august 16, 2022 published: august 18, 2022 the study aimed to determine the learning styles and learning abilities of grade 6 pupils in dealing with modular learning. a descriptive design was used in this study. the survey was conducted in lt. andres calungsud elementary school to 30 elementary pupils who are enrolled in modular learning for school year 2021-2022 and the majority of them were male pupils. a researcher-made survey questionnaire was used in data gathering. frequency and percentage distribution, mean and standard deviation, megastat were used in treating the data. the study revealed that the pupils have difficulty dealing with terms in their modules. data show that the respondents got the highest mean in visual learning style interpreted as often (m=2.60) and the lowest mean in auditory learning style. the respondent’s learning style in reading/writing got the lowest overall mean sometimes (om=1.94). the study found out that the highest problem encountered by the students in dealing with modular learning is confused by words. data show that the respondent’s digital age literacy type learning abilities got the highest mean of sometimes (m=2.17) in the item “i feel comfortable using digital devices”. the respondent’s learning ability in problem-based thinking and problem-solving got the lowest mean of sometimes. the elementary pupils are highly satisfied with how teachers showed interest in helping students to develop personal skills and qualities. moreover, the respondents are least satisfied with how they received sufficient advice and guidance in relation to the module. finally, there is a significant difference in the learning styles and learning abilities of respondents. keywords learning styles, learning abilities, grade 6 pupils, modular learning 1 notre dame of midsayap college, midsayap, cotabato, philippines. * corresponding author’s e-mail: delacruzangellhi@gmail.com introduction education is constantly changing. as we better understand learning methods, theories evolve, and new ones emerge. current and future teachers must be trained to be ready to teach students every day. an important part of teacher training is keeping up with these changes. while the learning style model is still important to know, keeping up to date with research related to learning and teaching is even more important for educators. all young children learn through meaningful hands-on experiences by touching, making, and moving. and children also learn by seeing and hearing. by observing a child, one will begin to identify strengths and interests that talk about the child’s preferred learning style (abilitypath, 2020). educators in the united states and around the world have embraced the concept of learning styles. according to studies, 89% of teachers believe that instruction should be tailored to a student’s preferred learning style (newton & salvi, 2020). modular learning is the most popular type of distance learning. in the philippines, this learning modality is currently used by all public schools college of education because according to a survey conducted by the department of education (deped), learning through printed and digital modules emerged as the most preferred distance learning method of parents with children who are enrolled this academic year (bernardo, j 2020). this is also in consideration of the learners in rural areas where the internet is not accessible for online learning. thus, the teacher is responsible for keeping track of the student’s progress. learning styles are terms that describe how people gather, sort through, interpret, organize, draw conclusions from, and store information for later use. the student-centered approach promotes greater consistency between the teacher and the student, both of whom have a role to play in the learning process. while teachers retain authority, they now serve as facilitators, coaches, and mentors to their students (lathan, 2021). teachers must consider the students preferred learning styles for this approach to be effective. students who are aware of their learning styles will have no trouble dealing with this approach. the rate at which a student can learn is usually determined by his or her academic ability. a student’s lower ability, and thus a slower rate of learning, is not necessarily a sign of future failure. teachers should be aware that a student with less ability may excel in more specific areas than his or her peers. students with a medium ability score may be less motivated to learn, especially if they lack confidence in group situations. while they may not be as shy as lowability students, these students may benefit from learning materials that include increasingly difficult tasks as they gain confidence. western sydney university (2020) refers digital to literacy as the abilities required to live, learn, and work in a society where communication and information are increasingly provided through digital platforms such as the internet, social media, and mobile devices. when you’re dealing with a lot of information in numerous formats, you’ll need to https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i2.483 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= mailto:delacruzangellhi%40gmail.com?subject= pa ge 16 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 15-21, 2022 improve your critical thinking abilities. searching, sorting, assessing, applying, and producing knowledge all demand you to think critically of digital literacy is communication. the capacity to clearly convey your thoughts, ask appropriate questions, maintain respect, and create trust in virtual environments is just as vital as when interacting in person. you’ll also need practical knowledge of how to use technology ethically and sustainably to access, manage, alter, and create data. while you’re a university student, digital literacy is extremely important. it will also be extremely useful when you enter the professional world. you’ll be expected to communicate with people in digital environments, use information appropriately, and collaborate on new ideas and products at work. above all, as the digital landscape continues to develop at a rapid speed, you’ll need to preserve your digital identity and wellbeing. powerschool (2021) describes it as the capacity to find, analyze, use, share, and produce content using online resources such as ebooks, websites, social media, and videos is referred to as digital literacy. digital literacy helps students learn by laying a strong foundation for them to engage with online materials and effectively use digital technologies in the learning process. many children have access to a personal or school-issued device—a phone, tablet, or computer—that allows them to access material from all across the internet. teachers and parents must assist children navigate and engage effectively with the digital world as the usage of digital resources in the curriculum grows. modular learning is a type of distance education that makes use of self-study modules. these self-learning modules are based on the department of education’s most essential learning competencies (melcs). individualized instruction is provided through modular distance learning, which allows students to use self-learning modules (slms) in print or digital format/electronic copy, depending on their needs. other resources such as learner’s materials, textbooks, activity sheets, study guides, and other study materials are available to modular distance learning students. module distance learning, according to mark anthony llego (2020), entails students “learning at their own pace and using self-learning modules” (slms). teachers are usually responsible for providing appropriate learning materials. students can, however, download electronic copies of these materials to their computer, tablet pc, or smartphone. as home facilitators, parents play a critical role. their primary function in modular learning is to establish a connection with the child and to guide them. (2020, flipscience). in their study on the effectiveness of learning in the use of learning modules against students learning outcomes, rahmawati, lestari, and umam (2019) found that students using modules had better average mathematics learning outcomes than students who did not use the module. according to a study conducted by ambayon (2020) on the modular-based approach and students’ achievement in literature, the performance of college students in literature who used the modular approach improved from poor to excellent achievement, while students who did not use the modular approach improved from poor to fair achievement. another study by oparina & rakova (2018) on the modular approach to teaching and learning english grammar in technical universities found that the module approach is effective in improving students’ knowledge. its modular approach to english grammar teaching and learning has been found to be effective in terms of teaching and increasing students’ understanding and critical thinking. valencia (2020) modular approach in teaching science 10 found that when students were taught using a modular approach, their test results improved significantly, and they were described as competent. this indicates that the strategy has proven to be effective in raising students’ academic achievement. modular learning can take the form of printed or digital materials. modular distance learning, according to mark antony llego (2020), is defined as learners learning at their own pace, in their own way, and using self-learning modules (slms). other learning resources such as learners’ materials, textbooks, activity sheets, study guides, and other learning materials can be printed/digitized format/electronic copy that is appropriate for learners. learners can use a computer, tablet pc, or smartphone to access electronic copies of learning materials. e-learning materials, including offline e-books, can be delivered via cds, dvds, usb storage, and computer-based applications. the teacher oversees keeping track of the students’ progress. while students may seek assistance from them via email, telephone, text messaging/instant messaging, and other means. if a learner requires remediation or assistance in his or her module, teachers will make home visits. any member of the family or other community stakeholders can help. furthermore, modular learning is a type of distance learning that employs self-learning modules (slm) and adheres to the deped’s most essential learning competencies (diaz, n.d.). the use of modules promotes independent learning. one of the advantages of using modules for instruction is that students develop better self-study or learning skills. students actively participated in understanding the concepts presented in the module. they gain a sense of responsibility as they complete the tasks in the module. the students’ progress on their own with little or no help from others (dangle, sumaoang 2020). student-centered learning is one of the methods for establishing a more stable relationship between the teacher and the student by involving both parties in the learning process. teachers are increasingly serving as facilitators, coaches, and advisors to students (lathan, 2021). for this strategy to work, teachers must consider the students’ preferred learning styles. students who are aware of their learning styles will be able to cope with https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 17 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 15-21, 2022 this approach more easily. both teaching and learning styles have an impact on student development and achievement. as a result, researchers are concentrating their efforts on determining students’ learning styles, especially considering the new normal. according to results from a reading assessment given to firstthrough fourth graders across the country, the development of oral reading fluency – the ability to read aloud quickly and accurately – slowed significantly in spring 2020. the streamlined k-12 curriculum, reduced competencies by nearly half, and adopted various learning modalities based on parental preferences. modular (printed or digitized) instruction, online learning, radio and television-based instruction, or a combination of these options are available (blended learning). during last year’s enrollment, deped conducted a survey of parents, and found that 80% of them preferred the printed modular learning modality for their children. mr. masapol explained that it reflects most filipinos’ lack of access to other modes of transportation. the teacher can be reached by e-mail, phone, text message, or instant messaging, among other methods. if possible, the teacher will visit students who need remediation or assistance at their homes (llego, n.d.). students, parents, and guardians will receive printed modules from teachers or local government officials. parents have become educators’ partners as education is no longer confined to the classroom. parents play an important role as home facilitators. in modular learning, their primary role is to establish a connection with the child and to guide them. (flipscience, 2020). methods this chapter presents the research design, locale of the study, respondents, sampling design, instrumentation, validity and reliability of the instrument, data gathering procedure, and statistical tool and treatment of data. research design this study employed a descriptive design to determine the learning styles and learning abilities of grade 6 pupils in dealing with modular learning. it also looked at the connections to analyze the effects between learning styles and learning abilities of the respondents of lt. andres calungsod elementary school in poblacion 8, midsayap, cotabato. locale and respondents to the study the research was conducted in poblacion 8, midsayap wherein the lt. andres calungsod elementary school is located. poblacion 8 is one of the 57 barangays in the municipality of midsayap north cotabato. it is ithe n southern part of the municipality. this public school is located about 0.32 kilometers away from the national highway. the respondents of the study were the 30 grade 6 pupils of section rizal in lt. andres calungsod elementary school for the school year 20212022. sampling design the researcher employed purposive sampling method. for specific cases, purposive sampling is a viable option since it selects instances using expert judgment or with a specific goal in mind. when a difficult-to-reach population needs to be measured, the most common method is to utilize targeted sampling. thus, for this study, the respondents were the 30 grade 6 pupils, section rizal. they were chosen out of the three sections consisting of 103 pupils at lt. andres calungsod elementary school. all of section rizal were requested to act as respondents of this study. instrumentation the researcher made an adopted survey questionnaire as the main data-gathering instrument. the items of the questionnaires were taken from the different sample survey questionnaires in modular learning. the instrument was divided into four parts. part 1 was designed to determine the demographic profile of the students consisting of age and sex. part ii contains the learning style in dealing with modular learning, part iii contains the learning ability in dealing with modular learning, part iv contains the problem in dealing with modular learning; and part v contains questions regarding the effectiveness in dealing with modular learning. validity and reliability of instrument the questionnaire underwent a series of checking. it was thoroughly reviewed by the adviser, proof-reader, and statistician to ensure validity, clarity of instruction, the correctness of grammatical construction, and fitness of content. to further validate the items in the survey questionnaire, the researchers conducted a pilot test on 10 grade 6 pupils who were studying in katingawan sda elementary school in poblacion 8, midsayap, north cotabato. the statistical tool of cronbach’s alpha was determined and yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.98, an indication that the instrument is reliable. data gathering procedure the following steps have been conducted during the gathering of data. the researchers sent a letter of intent addressed to the barangay captain of poblacion 8, midsayap, cotabato, and to the principal in – charge of calungsod, elementary school in poblacion 8, midsayap. in addition, the researcher also requested the total number of enrolled grade 6 pupils for the school year 2021-2022. then, the schedule for the courtesy call was set with the barangay officials stating the purpose of the study. health and safety protocols were properly observed during this part of the study. moreover, the content of the research was explained personally to the respondents. these include the ethical considerations and data privacy protocol with regard to their participation. the schedule for the conduct of the survey has been set. the survey was conducted house-to-house by asking permission to the https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 18 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 15-21, 2022 respective parents/guardian of the respondents. during the survey, the questions indicated in the instrument were explained further by the researcher using the respondent’s native language. statistical tools and treatment of data the researcher used the appropriate statistical tools for each problem statement. frequency count and percentage distribution were used to determine the profile of the respondents in terms of age and section. for problems 1, 2, 3, and 4 the weighted mean and standard deviation were computed to identify the learning style and ability of grade 6 pupils in dealing with modular learning, the effectiveness, and the problems encountered by the grade 6 pupils in lt. andres calungsod elementary school. results this chapter presents the result of the profile of respondents. data show the frequency and percentage distribution in terms of age and sex. among the 30 respondents, 18 or 60 % are 12 years old while 12 or 40% ages 13years old. in terms of the respondent’s sex, 18 or 53.33 are male while 14 or 46.67 % are female. this chapter presents the result of the learning styles. according to the data, the respondents indicated that the highest mean in visual learning style is often (m=2.60) with the statement “using flash cards help me to retain table 1: profile of respondents profile of the respondents f % age 12 18 60 13 12 40 total 30 100 sex male 16 53.33 female 14 46.67 total 30 100 table 2: learning style statements mean sd description a. visual 1. i learn best when i am shown how to do something, and i have the opportunity to do it. 1.83 0.53 sometimes 2. it helps me to look at a person while listening. it keeps my focus. 1.93 0.64 sometimes 3. using flash cards help me to retain materials for test. 2.60 0.62 often overall 2.12 0.60 sometimes b. auditory 1. i can remember best by listening to a lecture that includes information, explanation, and discussion. 2.03 0.72 sometimes 2. i remember things i hear, rather than things that i see or read. 2.17 0.38 sometimes 3. i follow oral directions better than written ones. 3.00 0.00 often overall 2.40 0.37 often c. reading and writing 1. i remember something better if i write it down. 2.00 0.64 sometimes 2. i can remember best by writing things down several times. 1.93 0.78 sometimes 3. i prefer obtaining information about an interesting subject by reading about it. 1.90 0.66 sometimes overall 1.94 0.70 sometimes d. kinesthetic 1. i like to move around while i am listening or talking. 2.00 0.59 sometimes 2. i like to touch things in order to learn about them. 2.30 0.84 sometimes 3. i enjoy learning with my hands or making things. 2.20 0.85 sometimes overall 2.17 0.76 sometimes grand mean/sd 2.16 0.60 sometimes scale range description 1 1 < 1.67 never 2 1.67 – 2.33 sometimes 3 2.34 – 3.00 often materials for test”. learning style data show that the respondents signified that the highest mean in visual learning style interpreted as often (m=2.60) is the statement “using flash cards help me to retain materials for test.” while the lowest mean in visual learning style is interpreted as sometimes (m=1.83) which states “i learn best when i am shown how to do something, and i have the opportunity to do it.” in the auditory type of learning, the item which got the highest mean was interpreted as sometimes (m=3.00) surveyed “i follow oral directions better than written ones”. while the item which got the lowest mean was interpreted as sometimes (m=2.03) is the item “i can remember best by listening to a lecture that includes information, explanation, and discussion”. moreover, in the reading/ writing type of learning style, the item, “i remember something better if i write it down got the highest https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 19 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 15-21, 2022 mean of sometimes (m=2.00). the item which got the lowest mean was interpreted as sometimes (m=1.90) is the statement “i prefer obtaining information about an interesting subject by reading about it.” in the kinesthetic type of learning style, the researchers signified that the respondents got the highest mean sometimes (m=2.30) in the item “i like to touch things in order to learn about them” while they got the lowest mean of sometimes (m=2.00) in the item “i like to move around while i am listening or talking”. furthermore, they signified that the respondent’s learning style in auditory got the highest overall mean often (om=2.40) while the respondent’s learning style in reading/writing got the lowest overall mean sometimes (om=1.94) surveyed in poblacion 8, midsayap, cotabato. this chapter presents the result of learning abilities. data show that the respondents’ digital age literacy type learning abilities got the highest mean of sometimes (m=2.17) interpreted as “i feel comfortable using digital devices”. table 3: learning abilities statements mean sd description a. digital age literacy 1. i enjoy digital devices. 1.97 0.72 sometimes 2. i am aware of various types of digital devices. 2.03 0.67 sometimes 3. i feel comfortable using digital devices. 2.17 0.70 sometimes overall 2.06 0.70 sometimes b. problem – based thinking and problem solving 1. i am good at working and solving jigsaw puzzles and mazes. 2.00 0.37 sometimes 2. i solve a problem by focusing on its main point. 2.03 0.72 sometimes 3. i am sure that i am able to solve even a difficult problem. 1.87 0.51 sometimes overall 1.97 0.53 sometimes c. creativity 1. i am skillful with enjoy developing making graphs and charts. 1.63 0.56 never 2. my notes, hand-outs, and other school materials are carefully organized. 2.00 0.59 sometimes 3. i look familiar concepts as well as ideas that sparks my interest as i read. 2.13 0.57 sometimes overall 1.92 0.57 sometimes grand mean/sd 1.98 0.60 sometimes scale range description 1 1 < 1.67 never 2 1.67 – 2.33 sometimes 3 2.34 – 3.00 often learning abilities data show that the respondents digital age literacy type learning abilities got the highest mean of sometime (m=2.17) in the item “i feel comfortable using digital devices”. while the item “i enjoyed digital devices” got the lowest mean is of (m=1.97) interpreted as sometimes. in problem-based thinking and problem solving, the researchers signified that the respondents got the highest mean of sometimes (m=2.03) in the item “i solve the problem by focusing on its main point”. moreover, they signified that the respondents got the lowest mean of sometimes (m=1.87) in the item “i am sure that i am able to solve even a difficult problem “.in the creativity type of learning ability, the statement “i look for familiar concepts as well as ideas that spark my interest as i read” got the highest mean of (m=2.13) interpreted as sometimes surveyed they signified that the respondents got the lowest mean of sometimes (m=1.63) in the item “i am skillful with and enjoy developing and making graphs and chart.” furthermore, the researchers signified that the respondent’s learning ability in digital age literacy got the highest overall mean of sometimes (om= 2.06) while the respondent’s learning ability in problem -based thinking and problem-solving got the lowest mean of sometimes (om=1.97). this chapter presents the result of effectiveness in dealing with modular learning. data show that the respondents signified that the specified items for effectiveness in dealing with modular learning got the highest mean of sometimes (m=3.00) which states “the module helped to develop my personal skills and qualities.”. effectiveness in dealing with modular learning data show that the respondents signified that the specified items for effectiveness in dealing with modular learning got the highest mean is sometimes (m=3.00) with the statement “the module helped to develop my personal skills and qualities.”. they signified that the respondents got the lowest mean of sometimes (m=1.80) in the statement “modular learning helped save time and energy on travel to and from school”. furthermore, they signified that the respondents sometimes (om=2.33) surveyed in poblacion 8 midsayap, cotabato. this chapter presents the result of problems in dealing with modular learning. data show that the respondents signified that the specified items for problem in dealing with modular learning got the highest mean of sometimes (m=2.23) with the statement “have words confused”. problems in dealing with modular learning data show that the respondents signified that the specified items for problem in dealing with modular learning got the highest mean is sometimes (m=2.23) https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 20 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 15-21, 2022 which states “have words confused”. they signified that the respondents got the lowest mean of sometimes (m=1.77) in the item “i have received sufficient advice and guidance in relation to my module”. furthermore, they signified that the respondents sometimes (om=2.05) were surveyed in poblacion 8 midsayap, cotabato. discussion most of the respondents are 12 years old, male, and are studying at lt. andres calungsod elementary school poblacion 8, midsayap, cotabato. the learning style of grade 6 pupils in dealing with modular learning in terms of auditory type of learning style is practiced by most of the respondents, and they follow oral directions better than written ones. moreover, for visual type of learning, few respondents learn well when they were given the opportunity to do it. learning style are terms that describe how people gather, sort through, interpret, organize, draw conclusions from, and store information for later use. studentcentered approach promotes greater consistency between the teacher and the student, both of whom have a role to play in the learning process. while teachers retain authority, they now serve as facilitators, coaches, and mentors to their students (lathan, 2021). the learning ability of grade 6 pupils in dealing with modular learning in terms of digital-age literacy as type of learning ability is practice by most of the respondents. respondents were comfortable using digital devices. few of the grade 6 pupils stated that they are skillful with and enjoy developing and making graphs and charts. western sydney university (2020) defined digital literacy as the abilities required to live, learn, and work in a society where communication and information are increasingly provided through digital platforms such as the internet, social media, and mobile devices. when you are dealing with a lot of information in numerous formats, you will need to improve your critical thinking abilities. searching, sorting, assessing, applying, and producing knowledge all demand you to think critically. most of the respondents encountered problem with confusing words in the module learning while less of the respondents encountered problem in receiving sufficient advice and guidance in relation to their modules. according to the study conducted by dangle and sumaoang (2020), one of the key issues that arose in the study was the large number of activities in each module. which is something the department of education should think about. most of the respondents agreed that the module helped them to develop their personal skills and qualities while few of them mentioned that, the modular learning helped them save time and energy on travel to and from school. the use of modules promotes independent learning. one of the advantages of using modules for instruction table 4: effectiveness in dealing with modular learning statements mean sd description 1. i received timely and helpful feedback on my learning in the module. 2.23 0.43 sometimes 2. the teaching on the module helped me to learn. 2.17 0.38 sometimes 3. modular learning helped save time and energy on travel to and from school. 1.80 0.55 sometimes 4. the module helped to develop my personal skills and qualities. 3.00 0.00 sometimes 5. the learning activities on the module helped me to learn. 2.33 0.48 sometimes overall 2.33 0.48 sometimes 3. i am sure that i am able to solve even a difficult problem. 1.87 0.51 sometimes overall 1.97 0.53 sometimes 1. i am skillful with enjoy developing making graphs and charts. 1.63 0.56 never 2. my notes, hand-outs, and other school materials are carefully organized. 2.00 0.59 sometimes 3. i look familiar concepts as well as ideas that sparks my interest as i read. 2.13 0.57 sometimes overall 1.92 0.57 sometimes scale range description 1 1 < 1.67 never 2 1.67 – 2.33 sometimes 3 2.34 – 3.00 often table 5: problems in dealing with modular learning statements mean sd description 1. i have received sufficient advice and guidance in relation to 2.23 0.43 sometimes my module. 1.77 0.43 sometimes 2. i was provided with timely and helpful information and guidance at the start of the module. 2.17 0.38 sometimes 3. the aims and learning outcomes of the module were made clear to me. 1.93 0.64 sometimes 4. printed materials are poor quality. 2.17 0.38 sometimes 5. have words confused. 2.23 0.43 sometimes overall 2.05 0.45 sometimes scale range description 1 1 < 1.67 never 2 1.67 – 2.33 sometimes 3 2.34 – 3.00 often https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 21 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 15-21, 2022 is that students develop better self-study or learning skills. students actively participated in understanding the concepts presented in the module. they gain a sense of responsibility as they complete the tasks in the module. the students’ progress on their own with little or no help from others (dangle, sumaoang 2020). conclusions based on the findings, the researchers concluded that the respondents learn best when they hear something. the grade 6 pupils are digital-age literate and they are aware of various types of digital devices and they enjoy using it. the problems encountered of the respondents in dealing with modular learning is having difficulty with terms in their modules. we are all aware that mistakes might happen sometimes. as a result, teachers and curriculum makers should consider refining the modules, and they must ensure that all lessons or activities are relevant to the learner’s needs. moreover, both parents and pupils are correct that directions in each activity must be clear enough for the pupils to grasp. furthermore, all printed images in the modules should be legible. references ambayon, c. m. (2020, august 12). modular-based approach and students’ achievement in literature ambayon international journal of education and literacy studies. modular-based approach and students’ achievement in www.journals.aiac.org.au. http://www.journals.aiac.org.au/index.php/ijels/ article/view/6198 children’s learning styles abilitypath. (2020, march 10). abilitypath; abilitypath.org. https://abilitypath. org/apresources/childrens-learning-styles/bernardo, j. (july 30, 2020). modular learning most preferred parents: deped. abs-cbnnews. https://news.abscbn.com/news/07/30/20/modular-learning mostpreferred-parents-deped cabual, r. a., & publishing, s. r. (2021, april 2). learning styles and preferred learning modalities in the new normal. learning styles and preferred learning modalities in the new normal; www.scirp.org. https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation. aspx?paperid=108297 dangle, y. & sumaoang, j. (2020). the implementation of modular distance learning in the philippine secondary public schools. retrieved from https://www.dpublication. com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/27-427.pdf diaz, a. (n.d.). 5 ways to utilize assessment data in the classroom. 5 ways to utilize assessment data in the classroom; blog.istation.com. retrieved july 30, 2022, from https://blog.istation.com/5-ways-to-utilizeassessment-data-in-the-classroom lathan, j. (2021). learning styles modalities in the new normal https://www.scirp.org/journal/ paperinformation.aspx?paperid=108297 learning styles models present in textbooks https://www. researchgate.net/figure/learning-styles-modelspresentintextbooks_tbl5_335709318 retrieved on november 2019 llego, m. (2020). deped learning delivery modalities for school year 2020-2021. macmillan, f. (november 15, 2018). learning styles: kinesthetic learner characteristics https://engage-education.com/aus/ blog/kinesthetic-learner-characteristics-what are-they newton, p. m., & salvi, a. (2001, january 1). frontiers how common is belief in the learning styles neuromyth and does it matter? a pragmatic systematic review. frontiers; www.frontiersin.org. https://www.frontiersin.org/ articles/10.3389/feduc.2020.602451/full power school (august 19, 2021) learning ability: digital -age-literacy https://www.powerschool.com/blog/ the-classroom-guide-to-digital-literacy-in-k12education/ valencia, m. r. (2022, august 27). modular approach in teaching science 10. modular approach in teaching science 10; www.ijtsrd.com. https://www.ijtsrd.com/ other-scientific-research-area/other/30318/modularapproach-in-teaching-science10/marsha-r-valencia western governor university (january 20, 2022). teaching & education learnings about learning style. retrieved from https://www.wgu.edu/blog/learningsaboutlearning-styles2201 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 45 american journal of education and technology (ajet) promoting quality apprenticeship and skills acquisition for sustainable national development in nigeria ojomu adeniyi andrew1, okwo chinyere r.1, ibekwe nnamdi franklyn2, okoruwa jane idiaghe3, adiagwai fidelia3, ojo faith uyiosa3 volume 2 issue 1, year 2023 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i1.1183 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: january 07, 2023 accepted: february 18, 2023 published: march 03, 2023 the purpose of this study was to investigate the apprenticeship and skills acquisition programmes for sustainable national development in nigeria and how they can be promoted. to facilitate generation of data, the study explored the following: vocational skills obtainable at the skills acquisition centers, availability of equipment and facilities, the impact of skills acquisition on national development and the operational challenges of skills acquisition in nigeria. this study is a descriptive survey. for the purpose of this study, six skills acquisition centers in benin city, edo state were used. target population of the study consisted of all the apprentices at skills acquisition centers in edo state while 60 respondents were randomly selected from the skill acquisition centers. four research questions were formulated to guide the study. the main instrument used was the questionnaire. the instrument was designed, developed and validated. data gathered were analyzed using the mean statistics. findings showed that prominent skills are being acquired by the youths which have significantly helped them in reducing poverty and therefore reduce some societal vices; making the youths self-employed and self-reliant. the study also revealed that the facilities and equipment needed for effective and efficient training at the centers are not adequate while skills acquisition has been found to have significant role in national development which includes job creation, wealth creation, and reduction in human trafficking, youth empowerment, amongst others. based on the findings of this study, it was recommended that more skills acquisition centers be opened to accommodate more trainees, stipends should be given to trainees as motivation; government should provide equipment and facilities for the training centers amongst others. keywords apprenticeship, skills acquisition centers, selfreliant, equipment, facilities 1 department of agricultural education, university of nigeria, nsukka, nigeria 2 department of agricultulral education, enugu state college of education, enugu, nigeria 3 department of vocational and technical education, university of benin, benin city, nigeria * corresponding author’s e-mail: andyjide1@gmail.com introduction skills and knowledge are driving forces of economic growth and national development for any country. countries with higher levels and better standards of skills adjust more effectively to the challenges and opportunities in domestic and international job markets (ministry of skill development and entrepreneur, india, 2015). lack of acquisition of vocational skills on the part of youths has been a bone of contention in the socio-economic/national development of many african countries, including nigeria. economy has to do with what and how to produce, and who to produce; who to produce typically involves the skills acquired by the individual which can either be acquired in a formal or informal settings (adavbiele, 2010). in nigeria, the school has become the primary means of preparing the young people for skills acquisition and for the future. as noted by chigunta (2002), most institutions of learning are currently going through crisis in africa, including nigeria. here, the term institutions of learning refer to the educational system in all its forms and levels, especially from primary up to senior secondary school level. the educational system that operates since independence in nigeria places much emphasis on theoretical knowledge rather than acquisition of vocational skills which prepares the individuals to be skillful and productive in the society. nigeria experience has revealed that there is over-production of persons with little or no relevant vocational and sellable skills (oli, 2000). a good number of students who have completed their secondary education, but failed to secure admission into institutions of higher learning are in dilemma. this is because they are not equipped with the necessary skills for self or paid employment (opuwill, 2003). in the frantic effort to seek a way out of the problem of skill shortages in nigeria in 2008, the federal government constituted a committee known as the “chukwuma committee” to consider appropriate strategies for dealing with the mass unemployment problem in the country under the auspices of the ministry of employment, labour and productivity (akpan, 2008). implementation of the committee’s report was to bridge the gap between theoretical and vocational skills for educated and semiilliterate personnel. this eventually led to the institution of the national employment and vocational skill training and development programme and the establishment of skills acquisition centers. the scheme was specifically designed to promote acquisition of vocational skills and facilitate the spirit of creativity, self-relevance and independence to promote gainful self employment. vocational skills training and acquisition have continued to receive greater attention though with some constraints. https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i1.1183 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= pa ge 46 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 45-51, 2023 in spite of the efforts by the federal and state governments in ensuring that individuals possess skills for employment, it is not quite certain whether the programme has adequately promoted the skills desired for the nigerian youths. the symbiotic relationship between industrial development and availability of relevant skilled individuals emphasizes the need for possession of relevant skills. coupled with advancement in technology and the knowledge-based economy which has brought in its stride globally, new geopolitical relationships, increased market competition and a flurry of activities, the demand for highly skilled workforce has become acute. consequently, acquisition of relevant skills by citizens of nations is stressed as one of the critical factors for industrial and by extension, economic development. for any nation in search of high level of industrialization to succeed, provision of relevant skills must be given serious consideration (adavbiele, 2010). it follows therefore, that as part of the key indices necessary for adequate national development, ability for improvement and sustenance of socio-economic development must be predicated on development of competent skills. this should be followed by establishment of structures and processes for transferring such skills and competencies from one group of workers to another and from one generation to another, through a process known as apprenticeship (adavbiele, 2010). an ‘apprentice’ is a person being trained or working on the job while learning a trade and has an apprenticeship contract with an employer while ‘apprenticeship’ is a system of training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study either in the classroom work or reading (gwengwe and mutenga, 2015). apprenticeship also enables practitioners to gain a license to practice in a regulated profession. the authors further stated that ‘formal apprenticeship’ is a formal training arrangement between an employer and an apprentice that allows for a combination of paid work and structured training with a registered training board with training contracts signed by both apprentice and employer. the apprentice is paid according to the agreed salary/wage and must be at or above 18 years of age. training contracts can only be terminated or suspended with the approval of the accreditation board. ‘informal apprenticeship’ is seen as informal system of skills transfer from a master craftsperson to a young apprentice who acquires skills by way of observation, imitation and repetition while working with the master craftsperson. the apprentice and master craftsperson conclude a training agreement that is established by the trade association. ‘master crafts persons’ are highly skilled workers who can work independently without guidance and who are formally or informally trained. they are often the owner of the enterprise and are responsible for training of apprentices, who in the process acquires skills for paid and selfemployment. according to okoro in hime (2003) and kpanja (2003), it was confirmed that apprenticeship was the method of vocational skills acquisition and training before establishment of vocational and technical schools. hime further maintained that due to inadequate vocational and technical schools, apprenticeship system still supplies the bulk of nigeria’s skilled and semi-skilled workers, a situation which has necessitated acquisition of skills. skill acquisition has been defined by idoko (2014) as the form of training by individuals or group of individuals which leads to acquisition of knowledge for selfsustenance. it involves the training of people in different fields of trade under a legal agreement between the trainers and the trainees for certain duration and under certain conditions. ochiagha in idoko (2014) defined skill acquisition as the process of demonstrating the habit of active thinking or behaviour in a specific activity. the author further stated that skill acquisition is seen as the ability to do or perform an activity that is related to some meaningful exercise, work or job and maintained that for skills to be acquired, appropriate knowledge, attitudes, habits of thought and qualities of character are learnt to enable the acquirer develop intellectual, emotional and moral character which prepare him or her for a brighter future. skills acquisition has become so much relevant for the development of any nation. according to okorie and ezeji in magnus (2015), the acquisition of the requisite skills is a means of increasing the productive power of any nations. consequently, the authors added that the nigerian society should recognize the fact that every citizen should be equipped to contribute effectively to the welfare of the country. the acquisition of such practical skills is important because when efficient and skillful individuals are employed in any fields of human endeavours, high productivity is usually achieved. economically, maximum skills acquisition by students and others will help to enrich the nigerian society and in this way, tend to make possible sustainable national development. nigeria as a nation will enjoy sustainable development if students in particular and all others acquire maximum skills and competencies in their respective specialties. furthermore, politically, practical skills acquisition tends to promote personal and national greatness. okorie and ezeji in magnus (2015) pointed out that the behaviour of an individual in a society or the behaviour of a nation in a community of nations may be influenced by the skills and competencies possessed by that individual or nation. socially, the acquisition of maximum skills helps a person to provide amusement, happiness, love, affection and enjoyment to other individuals as well as the entire nation at large. it also helps to reduce criminal activities such as armed robbery, kidnapping, and other social vices among the youths. to the students, maximum skills acquisition helps them to be engaged in productive work either for themselves or for employers of labour. this enables students to qualify for and hold productive employment as well as increases their productivity and earns more remuneration. other importance of acquiring maximum https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 47 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 45-51, 2023 skills and competencies includes: it reduces the drop-out rates among the nigerian youths. various programs have been initiated in the past by both military and civilian administration and corporate bodies in nigeria aimed at skills acquisition, self-reliance, job creation, poverty eradication, food security, wealth creation, youth empowerment and reduction of crimes in the society. the success rate of these programmes could be best imagined than discussed. the relevance of skills acquisition cannot be relegated in any nation. there is a great need to develop skilled personnel to update relevant skills to meet the requirements in the world of work. looking at skills acquisition from industrial development, there is need for training programmes for persons of all working ages to help meet demands for new skills and adaptation to changes in industrial structure. the graduates of different fields are roaming the streets of nigeria as a result of lack of entrepreneur, technical and vocational skills necessary for employment as skilled personnel. okorie (2000) made it clear that the country’s strive for industrial development also means that more well trained managers and technicians are needed to manage adequately the problems which are likely to arise mainly because of shortage of personnel with long industrial experience. in recognition of the facts that skills acquisition is key to national development, research and curriculum development department (r & cdd) (2014) reported that successive nigerian governments have put in place several policies, strategies and programmes and also established many agencies aimed at assisting citizens to acquire employable skills to become economically stable. among the agencies include the national directorate of employment (nde), national poverty eradication programme (napep). many schemes have also been initiated to reduce poverty rates and create wealth amongst which are national economic empowerment development strategy (needs), state economic empowerment development strategy (seeds), local economic empowerment development strategy (leeds), new partnership for africa’s development (nepad) and a host of others. moreover, private individuals and faith based organizations have also been provided the enabling environment to establish skills acquisition centers to assist individuals acquire relevant vocational and technical skills. unfortunately, it is upsetting to note that in spite of all the efforts, skill level has not been adequately enhanced; neither has skill-gaps been bridged nor expected jobs created as unemployment is still bedeviling the country. in support of the view to obtain needed skills by individuals, one of the national educational objectives stated that the acquisition of appropriate skills, abilities and competencies both mental and physical are important for all nigerians to live and contribute to the development of the society (federal republic of nigeria frn 2004). consequently, the national policy on education (2004) states that the nation’s educational activity should be centered on the students in order for them to acquire maximum skills for self-development and fulfillment in the labour market. purpose of the study the main purpose of the study was to investigate the quality of apprenticeship and skills acquisition programmes for sustainable national development. specifically the study sought to: 1. identify various skills obtainable at skills acquisition centers in benin city 2. investigate availability of equipment and facilities at skills acquisition centers in benin city 3. examine the impact of skills acquisition in national development 4. identify the challenges of the operation of skills acquisition centers in benin city research questions the following research questions were formulated to facilitate the study: 1. what are the various skills obtainable at skills acquisition centers in benin city, edo state? 2. how adequate are equipment and facilities at skills acquisition centers in benin city? 3. how do skills acquired at the training centers impact on national development? 4. what are the operational challenges faced at skills acquisition centers in benin city? methodology the study was to elicit information on the policy initiatives in promoting quality apprenticeship and skills acquisition for sustainable national development, using descriptive survey design method. the main instrument used was the questionnaire which was developed and validated by two experts. the case study comprised six (6) skills acquisition centers across benin city and this was obtained from the ministry of women affairs, youth and social development, edo state. through the use of random sampling technique, a population of 60 respondents was administered questionnaire. responses were provided for the questionnaire in a four point likert-type scale ranging from strongly agreed, agreed, disagreed, and strongly disagreed). the detail, which includes their mean ratings are as follows: 4, 3, 2, 1 respectively and giving a mean benchmark of 2.50 on which decision was taken. data analysis and results in analyzing the data collected from the 6 skills acquisition centers, the mean statistical technique was used because of the heterogeneous nature of skills acquisition centers in benin city. the mean responses from each of the skills acquisition centers were rated. a mean response equal to or greater than 2.5 from the respondents was considered as agreed, while a mean rating less than 2.5 as disagreed. tables 1 to 4 contained a summary of the results in line with the four questions raised for the study. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 48 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 45-51, 2023 research question 1: what are the various skills obtainable at skills acquisition centers in benin city? table 1 clearly indicates all the skills that are obtainable by the respondents from the six (6) skills acquisition centers. respondents agreed that the skills mentioned above are available for learning at the acquisition centers. these are the 25 prominent skills that are currently on the programme in the six training centers in benin city chosen for this study. research question 2: how adequate are equipment and table 1: mean rating of respondents on the skills obtainable at skills acquisition centers in benin city. no item mean decision 1 building drawing skills (manual and computer) 3.431 agreed 2 barbing skills 3.765 agreed 3 domestic electric wiring 3.37 agreed 4 brick and block laying skills 3.314 agreed 5 carving skills 3.324 agreed 6 food processing and packaging 2.5 agreed 7 bakery skills 3.431 agreed 8 carpentry and joinery skills 3.11 agreed 9 hair dressing skills 3.039 agreed 10 tailoring skills 3.373 agreed 11 iron and welding skills 2.52 agreed 12 interior and exterior decoration skills 3.38 agreed 13 skills for poultry birds and eggs 3.231 agreed 14 tie and dye skills 3.51 agreed 15 painting skills 3.331 agreed 16 plumbing skills 2.622 agreed 17 skills for fixing tiles 2.884 agreed 18 skills for leather work 3.412 agreed 19 pomade making skills 3.223 agreed 20 perfume making skills 2.767 agreed 21 skills for book binding 3.556 agreed 22 photography skills 2.509 agreed 23 shoe making skills 3.689 agreed 24 soap making skills 3.721 agreed 25 skills for fish farming 2.510 agreed criterion mean = 2.50 on a 4-point scale facilities at skills acquisition centers in benin city? from table 2, respondents agreed to four suggested variables on availability of facilities and equipment at the skills acquisition centers and disagreed to four items as well. the table shows that machines for practical, power supply, safety devices, and materials for practical are not adequate at skills acquisition centers. furthermore, availability of “training equipment” is the highest with mean score of 3.48 followed table 2: mean rating of respondents on the availability of equipment and facilities at skills acquisition centers in benin city no item mean decision 1 adequate training workshops 3.27 agreed 2 equipment for training available for use 3.48 agreed 3 machines for practical adequate 2.01 disagreed 4 tools for practical always available 3.15 agreed 5 power supply (bedc and generator) available for use 2.2 disagreed 6 personal protective equipment are available 2.71 agreed 7 safety devices such as fire extinguisher, etc are available 2.1 disagreed 8 materials for practical are always available 2.41 disagreed https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 49 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 45-51, 2023 by availability of “training workshop” with mean score of 3.27. this indicates that the skills acquisition centers are not performing badly in these areas research question 3: how do skills acquired at the training centers impact on national development? table 3 shows that out of 18 items, respondents agreed on 13 and disagreed on 5. this shows that skill acquisition has impacted on the nation’s development research table 3: mean rating of respondents on the skills acquisition impact on national development. no item mean decision 1 job creation 3.431 agreed 2 self -reliance and self -employment 3.765 agreed 3 income generation 3.37 agreed 4 contribute to tax accumulation 2.314 disagreed 5 existence of small scale business 3.324 agreed 6 crime reduction through job creation 2.2 disagreed 7 increase in productivity through small scale business 3.431 agreed 8 reduction in pressure for quest for payable jobs 2.11 disagreed 9 increase in gross domestic product of the country 3.039 agreed 10 reduction in presence of street youths and bad gangs 2.373 disagreed 11 youth empowerment 2.52 agreed 12 preparation of the youths for their future 3.38 agreed 13 strong economy due to youth empowerment 3.231 agreed 14 improved standard of living due to income generation 3.51 agreed 15 reduction in importation. 3.331 agreed 16 export of products contributes to national earnings. 2.622 agreed 17 reduction in human trafficking 3.51 agreed 18 protection of national image 2.421 disagreed question 4: what are the operational challenges faced at skills acquisition centers in benin city? table 4 shows that out of 12 items listed, respondents disagreed on two and agreed on10 items. this indicates that skill acquisition programmes are faced with so many challenges that need immediate attention both from government and non-governmental organizations in nigeria. table 4: mean rating of respondents on the availability of equipment and facilities at skills acquisition centers in benin city no item mean decision 1 poor funding affects the development of skills 3.131 agreed 2 inadequate motivation for the trainees 2.765 agreed 3 lack of machines and hand tools to practice the skills acquired 3.101 agreed 4 poor access of trainees to loan 2.514 agreed 5 illiteracy affects skill acquisition and development 3.324 agreed 6 inadequate human labour at the training centers (instructors) 2.5 agreed 7 poverty in the society affects skills acquisition 2.631 agreed 8 individuals’ attitudes towards participation is poor 4.111 agreed 9 instructor at skills acquisition centers are not competent 4.039 agreed 10 location or proximity of the centers is a major problem 2.373 disagreed 11 lack of guidance on vocational and technical skills 3.73 agreed 12 stigma associated with low status 2.333 disagreed discussion table 1 showed that there are a number of skills available at skills acquisition centers in benin city, edo state. the respondents agreed that 25 prominent skills are been acquired by the youths which have significantly helped them in reducing poverty and therefore some societal vices; making the youths self-employed and therefore, self-reliant; uplift their socioeconomic status, make them creative and help in the achievement of the millennium development goals (mdgs). these skills https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 50 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 45-51, 2023 include building drawing skills, domestic electric wiring, brick and block laying skills and carving skills. others are food processing, packaging, ability to use bakery skills, carpentry and joinery skills, hair dressing skills, tailoring, iron and welding skills, interior and exterior decoration skills, poultry farming amongst others. these findings confirmed that of earlier reports by ( chigunta, 2002 and opuwill, 2003). table 2 shows that there are equipment and facilities at skills acquisition centers in benin city, edo state, but the findings revealed that the facilities and equipment needed for effective and efficient training at the centers are not adequate. in table 3, the findings are indication that skills acquisition has significant role to play in national development such as job creation, wealth creation, reduction in human trafficking, youth empowerment, amongst others. in table 4, the challenges facing skill acquisition in nigeria were identified and responses sought. respondents agreed that the following were the major challenges; poor funding; lack of machines and hand tools to put into practice the skills acquired, illiteracy, inadequate of competent instructors. others are poverty in the society, attitude of individuals towards participation, lack of guidance on vocational and technical skills, proximity to the centers and stigma associated with low status. conclusion the study revealed that skills acquisition programme is beneficial in its entirety; there was significant correlation between the vocational training and employability. the skills acquisition programme makes the youth self-employed and therefore, self-reliant, uplift their socio-economic status, make them creative, capable of reducing some societal vices and help in the achievement of the mdgs. this implies that skills acquisition centres are capable of providing trainees with functional and desirable competencies that make them employable. recommendations based on the findings of this study, the following recommendations are made: 1. introduction of more skills acquisition centers. this change has to occur at all levels of learning, from primary school up to university. since a number of university graduates have also been found not having any vocational skills to be self-reliant. 2. partnership with the public, private and non-profit sectors in the country to create and sustain acquisition centers which would provide training, links to jobs, entrepreneurship opportunities, promotion of initiatives and contributions to training by funding. 3. the trainees should be encouraged by providing stipends or scholarships to acquire relevant and quality skills that can contribute to national development of the country. 4. federal and state governments should review, standardize and expand the curricula of all skills acquisition centers in nigeria. 5. federal ministries of education and information and communication, in collaboration with agencies and professional associations, should enlighten and sensitize the public on the importance of skills acquisition programmes as a veritable tool for national development and the need for individuals to acquire employable skills. 6. itf should collaborate with regulatory agencies such as national board for technical education (nbte) to coordinate skills acquisition programmes in nigeria with a view to making certificates issued after the training recognized for career development. 7. skills acquisition centers must be made to strictly adhere to safety policy as enshrined in some vocational professions. references abassah, m. (2011, september). analysis of the problems and prospect of the technical college teachers in nigeria. in proceedings of the 2011 international conference on teaching, learning and change, 697-703. adavbiele, j.a. (2010). the impact of skill acquisition programme on the socio-economic status of youths in nigeria. department of vocational and technical education, ambrose alli university, ekpoma, edo state. unpublished. afeti, g. (2009). technical and vocational education training for industrialization. retrieved october 4, 2011 from www.arrforum.org/index.php?... technical-and-vocational-edu. akpan, m.p. (2008). the place of vocational education towards self-reliance in akwa ibom state, nigeria. nigeria journal of vocational teacher education. 1(1), 3237. anike, a. i. (2014). education for the emotionally challenged children: a tool for wealthgeneration in nigeria. international journal of education research. 13(1), 301 – 312. chigunta, f. (2002). the socio-economic situation of youth in africa: problems, prospects and options. youth employment summit, alexandria, egypt, 1-13. douli, j.g. (2002), an overview of nigeria’s economic reforms. central bank of nigeria, economic and financial review, 42(4). education and skill authority, (2010). historical background on the development of education in nigeria. federal ministry of education, abuja. federal government of nigeria. (2004), national economic and development strategy (needs). abuja: national planning commission. federal republic of nigeria (2004). national policy on education, nigeria. yaba, lagos, nerdc press. gwengwe, b. & mutenga, e. (2015). sills acquisition through informal apprenticeship model. association for the development of education in africa. unpublished. hime, e.a. (2003). issues in apprenticeship education: a case study of makurdi township area, benue state, journal of education (bsuje) 4(1), september, benue https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 51 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 45-51, 2023 forward. a key address at the annual state conference of natt, 1-2. nwogu, p.o. (2009). the global economic crisis: a challenge to entrepreneurship development in technical and vocational education and training (tvet) being a paper presented at natt 22nd annual national conference bauchi. 17-21. ochiagha, c.c. (1995). theory and practice of career development. enugu: snaap press limited. ogbazi, n.j. & osinem, e.c. (2015). technical vocational education and training (tvet) for sustainable human security and national development. nigeria vocational association journal, 20(1), 332-344. okorie, j.u. (2000). developing nigeria’s workforce. calabar: page environ publishers. oli, a.n. (2000). the concept and nature of curriculum in nigeria. journal of naat, 2(1), 15-18. onwuka, j.a. (2000). introduction to education: the nigerian perspective. enugu: ugovin publishers nigeria limited. opuwill, o.o. (2003). effects of demonstration in principle & methods of vocational and technical education, nsukka, university trust publishers. r & cdd, (2014). an appraisal of skill acquisition centers in nigeria. industrial training fund (itf) headquarters, jos. uzoka, i. and bayode, k. (2010). constraints to skill acquisition in vocational agriculture in educational system in nigeria. journal of qualitative education, 6(1), 118 – 121. state university. hornby, a. s. (2010). oxford advanced learner’s dictionary (8th edition), oxford, new york: oxford university press. idoko, c.u. (2014). skill acquisition and youth empowerment in nigeria. global journal of commerce and management perspective. 3(1), 51-54. igwe, a.u. 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(2017). empowering the rural poor through vocational skills acquisition. nasarawa state in focus. international journal of development and sustainability, 6(3), 115-129. ndagi, j.o. (1998). technology education the way https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 62 american journal of education and technology (ajet) the impact of parental involvement on their children’s academic success huma hyder1*, nashwa ghazi anbar1 volume 4 issue 1, year 2025 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v4i1.4141 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: november 17, 2024 accepted: december 26, 2024 published: february 06, 2025 the most significant influencers are parents, who help their kids achieve academically through positive support and encouragement. the performance of their children in school activities and the parents’ involvement in them are consistently correlated; this makes children flourish in education. parenting style and strategies at home furnish growth and development in every facet of kids’ lives. hence, analyzing the effects of parental participation (pi) on their kids’ academic development is the goal of this study. this study utilizes a mixed-method research design for collecting data. the answers to the questionnaire were collected from 425 parents and 110 teachers. the interview data was obtained from 37 parents, 32 teachers, and 130 students. nvivo software was used to evaluate the qualitative data, while spss software was used to examine the quantitative data that had been obtained. the study findings reveal that pi expands children’s academic performance and motivation, joining in educational activities, intensifying the school attendance rate, decreasing dropout rates, accelerating positive attitudes towards learning, and regulating behaviour and discipline among children. the study result indicates the positive effects of pi on kids’ academic achievement (as). the novelty of the study resides in its overarching, complete studies on how pi affects parents’ kids’ academic performance. the study contributes to the field of child education by laying out and focusing on the influence of pi over the child’s academic achievement and suggesting making certain of the pi in education for the benefit of the child. the study suggests putting forward the design of the implementing programs to draw the attention of parents in education by demonstrating the pi’s constructive outcomes on a child’s as. keywords children’s academic success, high level of engagement, home-based strategies, motivation, parental involvement, reduced dropout rates 1 al bayan model girls school-jeddah, saudi arabia * corresponding author’s e-mail: humahyder263@gmail.com introduction pi is an integral part of their kids’ as by giving them innate encouragement and support. parents support their children in their academic endeavours from childhood to adolescence. higher levels of pi are related to higher scores. their involvement in their kids’ academic pursuits, their collaboration with the teachers at educational institutions, and supporting home-based homework activities are increasing the children’s learning outcomes and educational experiences (ribeiro et al., 2021). therefore, the purpose of the study is to examine how parental participation affects their kids’ academic development. the background of the study lies in its comprehensive analysis of how parents act as mentors, supportive backbones, and teachers and become a part of the children’s as. parents role in education every student’s first teachers are their parents; their involvement and activeness determine the student’s success in their long-term educational process. the values taught by the parents to their children shape their characters and strengthen their learning skills, ethics, and involvement in learning (setiawan et al., 2020). parents’ education level and access to financial services provide more educational opportunities for students and increase their well-being. the parent’s involvement in their kids’ education creates favourable, inclusive learning weather conditions and boosts their motivational level. in addition, providing moral support and emotional assistance for their kids molds kids’ behavior and nurtures their growth (alcaraz, 2020). parents are the key influencers in evoking the students’ interest in learning by setting parents’ expectations, appreciating their achievements, cultivating a supportive environment, and encouraging always (hidayatullah & csíkos, 2024). thus, the parents play a prominent role in students’ education. importance of parental engagement in academic achievement parental expectations for their children’s education and learning process, along with their actions and attitudes, are referred to as pi. parental engagement is positively correlated with the student’s academic achievement by nurturing their children’s educational process. students exhibit a higher level of as when they get supportive parents in their learning process. likewise, when parents are involved in education, students exhibit a higher level of motivation, enhance their learning skills, and show a high score (peng et al., 2024). pi not only contributes to developing learning skills, it also creates a sense of responsibility toward learning and academic selfassurance. high academic achievement is linked to both pi and self-efficacy. their involvement in school and home consistently brings them as (kang et al., 2024). effective parental association increases academic motivation and pa ge 63 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 62-80, 2025 positive attitudes by providing psychological support; thereafter, it helps them to effectively set the plans in education (marrun, 2020). rationale of the study parents’ engagement in education has gained attention in recent years by expanding the student’s educational outcomes. the academic achievement gap is negatively attributed to the success of students’ future lives. parents’ support networks subsequently increase students’ attention, retention, and as. the purpose of the research is to ascertain the effects of children’s as and provide valuable insights for educational activities to encourage parents to be actively involved in their children’s educational learning process. in this sense, analysing the significance of the parental role in education, the study will help policymakers and educators to identify such factors as parent-teacher cooperation and homeschool relationships. based on the type and degree of parental involvement found in this study, implications of strategies of teachers, students, parents, and students’ learning environments are recommended. this research can be considered important in the field of education and opens a field for studying diverse sides of the involvement of parents in education. in contrast, the study utilised a mixed method, which is more suitable to provide an elaborate understanding of the significance of parental involvement in raising the standards of academic performance by obtaining students’, teachers’, and parents’ experiences. research objectives ro1 to examine how pi affects their kids’ good behavior, as, and discipline. ro2 to examine the pi in developing children’s motivation and engagement in educational activities. ro3 to investigate the function of pi in increasing children’s school attendance and reducing dropout while compared with less involved parents. research questions rq1 what is the effect of pi on the lives of their kids as, positive behavior, and discipline? rq2 to what extent does pi develop children’s motivation and engagement in educational activities? rq3 what is the contribution of pi to raising kids’ school attendance and reducing dropout when compared with fewer involved parents? contributions and novelty ● the study examines the multidimensional impact of pi on children’s education in order to support their kids’ academic achievement. ● the study analyzes the influence of greater pi in enhancing students’ motivation by providing support and inspiration and ensuring children’s participation in educational activities. ● the study explores the pi in developing children’s positive attitudes toward learning behavior and discipline in classrooms. ● the study compares the children’s school attendance and dropout rates with the more involved parents in education and the less involved parents. ● the novelty of the study lies in scrutinizing the effect of pi on their kids’ academic performance by focusing on the perspectives of teachers, students, and parents. thereby the novelty of the study manifests how parental influences are larger in developing children’s success in education. the study’s remaining section is organised as follows: a review of the literature and an identification of research gaps are provided in section 2, and the research hypothesis and theoretical framework are presented in section 3. the materials and procedures used in this research are described in section 4, the study inquiry outcomes are presented in section 5, and section 6 offers a discussion of exploration. section 7 delves into the study’s implications, including theoretical and practical implications, and section 8 concludes the investigation, highlighting its limitations and suggesting future scopes. literature review effects of parental involvement on academic performance parental involvement (pi) has been shown to significantly improve children’s academic achievement and participation in their education. tan et al. (2020) examined parental involvement, particularly in areas such as reading, mathematics, and science, positively influences students’ academic success. parents with high socioeconomic status and education are strongly associated with their children’s verbal proficiency and academic achievements. ogg & anthony (2020) also found that home-based pi and warmth, along with parental participation and financial position, positively influence students’ reading, mathematics, and science growth. however, the parent’s socioeconomic status can negatively affect children’s academic success (as) and parents’ warmth in some families. wang et al. (2023) investigated the association of pi with children’s learning outcomes, particularly in chinese, english, and mathematics. a wave longitudinal study during the pandemic revealed that pi and learning engagement were directly connected to children’s learning engagement and performance. yang et al. (2023) conducted a systematic literature review and found that pi was directly linked with students’ as and decreased their dropout rate from schools. different forms of pi, such pa ge 64 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 62-80, 2025 as academic support and communication with teachers, enhanced student engagement in classroom learning. overall, the findings suggest that parental involvement and parental involvement play a crucial role in enhancing children’s academic success and participation in their education. parental involvement in student behaviour and discipline parental involvement (pi) plays a crucial role in determining student behavior and discipline in educational settings. responsible parents can positively impact student behavior by reinforcing positive attitudes and values. effective pi supports the development of responsible behavior in students. a study by bell (2020) examined the perceptions of black students and their parents regarding school discipline practices. the findings revealed that black students perceived school discipline as unfair due to excessive punishment and marginalized voices. the study recommends policy frameworks and school officials to improve disciplinary policies and practices to support black students and foster a positive school environment. li et al. (2020) found that families with high socioeconomic status supported homework activities and improved child communication, while families with low economic status developed strict discipline. ribeira et al. (2021) found that parents’ attention during the covid-19 period regularized classroom attendance, regulated learning engagement, and shaped students’ behavior towards learning. overall, understanding the dynamics of pi in student behavior and discipline is essential for promoting responsible learning and academic success. research gaps previous studies have shown a gap in understanding the impact of parental involvement (pi) on children’s academic success (as). while teachers motivate parents to engage in their children’s education, there is a lack of analysis of the challenges in promoting parental involvement. the various parent support options for home-based learning are not adequately explained. there is also a lack of comprehensive analysis of different forms of pi in students’ academic performance and success. factors reducing parental involvement in children’s educational pursuits are not explained. this research aims to examine the effects of parental involvement on children’s academic performance, behavior, and overall educational experience to strengthen parental involvement in their children’s as and development. theoretical background and research hypotheses theoretical background the study explores the role of parental involvement (pi) in children’s academic success, incorporating theories such as ecological system theory, self-determination theory, and social learning theory. these theories emphasize the importance of parents as the foundation for their children’s academic success. ecological system theory ecological system theory suggests that a child’s growth is significantly influenced by their environment, and parents play a crucial role in creating a supportive and motivating environment for their children’s academic progress (tong & an, 2024; nolan & owen, 2024). parents act as mentors, regulating their children’s behaviors through interaction and teaching values (vaezghasemi et al., 2023). their interpersonal relationships with their children enhance learning experiences, and their interaction with their children improves vocabulary and reading skills. social learning theory social learning theory, by albert bandura, emphasizes that children learn new behaviors by copying and observing others’ actions. when parents are involved in education, they become role models, investing more time in their children’s lives and becoming role models in their child’s life (ahn et al., 2020; chuang, 2021; mukhalalati et al., 2022). this observation provides insights about learning strategies, study habits, and attitudes towards school, enhancing motivation and engagement levels. self-determination theory self-determination theory highlights the individual’s level of autonomy in making choices and decisions. in the context of pi in children’s as, parents’ supportiveness and motivation fulfill the psychological needs of their students, developing a positive attitude towards learning and regulating discipline and behavior in the classroom (chiu, 2022; chiu, 2021; ryan & deci, 2020). when parents and teachers provide adequate support, it fosters students in learning. research hypotheses the study research hypothesis examines the pi’s role in children’s as. the research hypothesis demonstrates how and what are the ways that pi influences children’s academic outcomes. by analysing the pi rates, the research hypothesis provides insights for educators to encourage the parent’s participation in all kinds of school activities. h1 higher levels of positive parental engagement correlate with enhanced academic achievement among children. h2 greater parental involvement leads to enhanced motivation and engagement in educational activities among children. h3 children with more involved parents demonstrate improved attendance and reduced dropout rates compared to those without less involvement. h4 parental involvement is associated with developing pa ge 65 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 62-80, 2025 positive attitudes towards learning and school among children. h5 increased parental involvement correlates with improved behavior and discipline in children. best approach is the quantitative research design. this informs the study’s decision to use a mixed-method research design that combines quantitative and qualitative methods to fully address the research issues. target population the study’s research population encompasses students, parents, and educators who work in the field of education. this ensures the comprehensive representation of the target population group. the participants are selected from diverse backgrounds to guarantee the precision of the information gathered regarding the pi. to demonstrate the full effects of pi on children’s as, the study selected the students, parents, and teachers. the study focused on school-going children, so the study selected participants who are linked with the school education currently. for the validity of the study, the participants were carefully selected. in the inclusion criteria, school students are only selected for the study studying the grade between the 8th and 10th grades. the teachers who are still working at school were only selected for the study; even the parents were also selected based on their children’s studying at school. below the exclusion criteria, students who have not studied in the school and are studying below 8th grade or studying above 10th grades, and teachers who are working at colleges or not currently working were not selected for the study; likewise, the parents, whose children completed the schooling or did not enrol in the schools yet, were not selected for the study. data collection to comprehensively assess the pi in their kids’ as, the research utilised a qualitative and quantitative data collection method that consists of interviews and questionnaires. teachers, parents, and students provided the study’s data. the purposive sampling technique was utilised to gather data for this investigation from students’ parents and teachers. qualitative data collection parents, teachers, and students were directly interviewed in order to gather qualitative data. the direct interview was conducted by asking the well-prepared open-ended interview questions. the interview lasted 15 to 20 minutes. the sample of the interview questionnaire is posted in appendix table a3, which gathers the parents’, teachers’, and students’ perceptions regarding the pi’s impact on children’s as. the interview was conducted on the private school campus. the parents and teachers were invited to complete the questionnaire survey and take part in the interview. this study questionnaire consists of the yes-or-no type of interview invitation question in the demographic details section: “are you willing to participate in an interview on the impact of pi on their children’s as?” those who selected the yes option were selected for the interview. the student participants were selected from the private school and were studying between 8th grade and 10th grade. before conducting figure 1: theoretical framework materials and methods parents are the most formal structure that affects the education of the child. pi is the core point of the study, which determines the level of the children’s educational activities. some of the objectives of the study include the following: the general study seeks to determine the ways in which the aspect of pi influences their children’s as. the materials section lists the materials used in this process of endeavour toward data collection from the participants, while the methods section gives an account of the approaches in this study toward data collection. research design since the study seeks to find out the relationship between pi and the as of the kids, this study deployed a mixed-method research approach, which involves the use of both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. it is, therefore, more appropriate to use the quantitative research method in view of answering the research enquiries because of their numeric value or representations of collected figures. this quantitative design provides the most accurate outcomes of the study, which leads to utilising the quantitative study’s research design. the research includes diverse participants who are active participants in the teaching of the kids. to better analyse the pi impact on students, the study utilises a quantitative research design. for deeply analysing and capturing participants’ perceptions and experiences, the pa ge 66 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 62-80, 2025 the interview, the respective classroom teachers asked the student’s willingness. among the 200 students who are studying grades from 8 to 10, 130 students were selected for the interview based on their willingness. then the student interview was carried out under the supervision of teachers. the participant’s answers were carefully recorded in audio form while conducting the online interview. later the parents are called over the phone to the school campus, and the interview is conducted for them separately. among the 300 willing parents, 37 only attended the direct interview. likewise, teachers’ interviews were conducted separately; among the 80 willing teachers, 32 only attended the direct interview. the interview provides a nuanced understanding of the function of pi in raising teachers’ and students’ as. quantitative data collection a questionnaire serves as a primary data collection tool for gathering quantitative data from teachers and parents. the questionnaires were distributed to teachers and parents who attended the parent-teacher meeting. after getting prior permission from school management, the participants received questionnaires directly from the source. the beginning of the questionnaire gathers the participant’s demographic details, followed by the questionnaire consisting of objective types of questions related to parental involvement’s impact on their children’s as, given on a 1 to 5-point likert scale. the questions were asked following the likert scales: strongly disagree, disagree, neutral, agree, and strongly agree. the survey questionnaire aimed to seize the impacts of pi on children’s educational process. the sample of the questionnaire is given in appendix, table a1 consists of a questionnaire distributed to parents, and table a2 consists of a questionnaire distributed to teachers. the questionnaire was distributed to the selected purposive sample. a total of 500 surveys intended for parents were issued; of those, 200 were distributed targeting teachers. among the returned questionnaires, 425 questionnaires from the parents and 110 questionnaires from the teachers were selected after the end of filtering; this ensures the participants of the study. during the filtering process, 75 questionnaires were returned from the parents, and 90 questionnaires returned from the teachers were excluded. the reasons for filtering consist of excluding incomplete responses, responses that do not meet the likert scale point 1 to 5 criteria, and some questionnaire answers that were not returned. after filtering, the final set of data was prepared. demographic details the students’ demographic information is shown in table 1. among the 130 students, 49.23% are male, and 50.77% are female. in terms of participants, 22.31% are 13 years old, 26.92% are 14 years old, 25.38% are 15 years old, and likewise, 25.39% are 16 years old. based on the grade level of students, 31.54% are studying 8th grade, 33.84% are studying 9th grade, and finally, 34.62% are studying in 10th grade. table 1: demographic details of students demographic variable category frequency (n=130) percentage (%) gender male 64 49.23 female 66 50.77 age 13 years 29 22.31 14 years 35 26.92 15 years 33 25.38 16 years 33 25.39 grade level 8th grade 41 31.54 9th grade 44 33.84 10th grade 45 34.62 the parents’ demographic information is shown in table 2. 51.3% of the 425 parents are male, 48.7% are female, 20.7% are between the ages of 20 and 29, 40.5% are between the ages of 30 and 39, 31.7% are between the ages of 40 and 49, and 7.1% are over the age of 50. in terms of educational background, 12.9% of parents are high school graduates, 46.6% are bachelor’s degree holders, 34.8% are master’s degree holders, and 5.7% are phd holders. the participants’ job situation is as follows: 69.9% work full-time, 11.3% work part-time, 6.4% are unemployed, 7.5% are self-employed, and 4.9% are stayat-home moms. table 2: demographic details of parents demographic variable category frequency (n=425) percentage (%) gender male 218 51.3 female 207 48.7 pa ge 67 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 62-80, 2025 table 3 presents the demographic details of the teachers. among 110 teachers, 48.18% are male, and 51.82% are female. according to participant age, 20% are between the ages of 25 and 34, 40.91% are between the ages of 35 and 44, 27.27% are between the ages of 45 and 54, and 11.82% are between the ages of 55 and 64. age 20-29 years 88 20.7 30-39 years 172 40.5 40-49 years 135 31.7 50 years and above 30 7.1 education level high school 55 12.9 bachelor's degree 198 46.6 master's degree 148 34.8 doctorate 24 5.7 employment status employed full-time 297 69.9 employed part-time 48 11.3 unemployed 27 6.4 self-employed 32 7.5 homemaker 21 4.9 table 3: demographic details of teachers demographic variable category frequency (n=110) percentage (%) gender male 53 48.18 female 57 51.82 age 25-34 22 20.00 35-44 45 40.91 45-54 30 27.27 55-64 13 11.82 teaching experience less than 5 years 18 16.37 5-10 years 31 27.28 11-20 years 39 36.35 more than 20 years 22 20.00 educational level bachelor's degree 52 47.27 master's degree 50 45.46 phd or higher 8 7.27 based on the teacher’s teaching experiences, the teachers were classified: 16.37% have fewer than five years of experience, 27.28% have taught for five to ten years, 36.35% have taught for eleven to twenty years, and 20% have taught for more than twenty years. 47.27% of teachers have a bachelor’s degree, 45.46% have a master’s degree, and 7.27% have a phd or higher, according to their educational background. variables and measures the study examines the effect of pi on the lives of their kids’ academic performance by collecting the validated measures from previous studies. the participants’ responses captured points of 1 to 5, from strongly disagree to strongly agree, on a likert scale. the study variables are parental involvement, academic performance, motivation and engagement, improved attendance, development of positive attitudes, and behaviour and discipline. parental involvement the metrics for pi encompass that parental support in homework activities, supporting academic performance, attending parent-teacher meetings regularly, and discussing child progress with teachers increase the children’s educational outcomes, adopted from the study by ribeiro et al. (2021). academic performance academic performance measures adopted by chung et al. (2020) include increasing pi in student achievement, developing a child’s better academic performance due to parental support, completing assignments with parental help, and frequency of parental reinforcement of education importance at home. motivation and engagement the variable motivation and engagement measures taken pa ge 68 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 62-80, 2025 from the study by wang et al. (2023) include pi increasing the child’s interest in school activities by providing motivation and developing the child’s class active participation and engagement in their education. improved attendance the variable improved attendance measures taken from the study by epstein & sheldon (2002) denote that pi improves a child’s school attendance, reducing the likelihood of a child missing school when they were involved, parental efforts to ensure regular school attendance, and parents’ communication increases attendance rate. development of positive attitudes development of positive attitudes measures adopted from the study by porumbu & necşoi (2013) indicate that pi develops a positive attitude toward school, increasing the child’s enjoyment of learning due to support, the anticipation of attending school due to engagement, and parental encouragement in attitude development. behaviour and discipline the measures for the variable behaviour and discipline adopted from the study by hill et al. (2018) include that due to pi, children follow better behaviour at school, which improves child discipline and increases students’ consistency in following school rules when parents are actively engaged. analysis of data the spss software was employed to analyse the quantitatively collected data. the quantitative data was analysed using statistical analysis. for analysing qualitative data, nvivo software is used. the interview answers are recorded in the audio decoded, and then thematic analysis is conducted to explore the themes of the study. these analysis methods provide detailed information on the impact of pi on their children’s as. these analysis methods provide rich, valid, and detailed information and lay the foundation for encouraging parents to participate in their children’s educational process actively. qualitative data analysis table 4 presents the thematic analysis results of the parents’, teachers’, and students’ experiences collected through an interview. the interview was conducted with 37 parents, 32 teachers, and 130 students. the purpose of the analysis is to explore the parents, teachers, and students’ experiences regarding the pi’s impact on students’ as. the nvivo software is used to analyse the collected qualitative data through interviews. the study’s themes pi, ap, me, ia, dpa, and bd are analysed under thematic analysis. below the theme of pi, 37 parents stated that their involvement helps their child’s success in education, 31 teachers mentioned that parents’ supports boost students’ performance, while 115 students mentioned that they felt more supported and confident when their parents were involved in their studies. under the theme ap, 35 parents mentioned that their children do better in their school activities when they help with their child’s homework activities, and 29 teachers denoted that pi is directly linked with the student’s academic grades. the parents’ supportive students’ score good marks in the exams when compared with individual learner students, and 126 students mention that they do better in school when their parents help with homework. table 4: thematic analysis results theme description of theme key quotes from parents key quotes from teachers key quotes from students parental involvement (pi) the active participation and engagement of parents in their children's education "my involvement helps my child succeed in school." (37) "parental support significantly boosts student performance." (31) "i feel more supported and confident when my parents are involved." (115) academic performance (ap) the impact of parental involvement on the academic achievements of children "i notice my child does better when i help with homework." (35) "i see a direct link between parent involvement and grades." (29) "i do better in school when my parents help me with my homework." (126) motivation and engagement (me) the role of parental involvement in increasing children's motivation and engagement "when i take an interest, my child is more eager to learn." (33) "engaged parents lead to more motivated students." (27) "i'm more interested in school when my parents show they care." (94) improved attendance (ia) the effect of parental involvement on children's school attendance "i encourage my child to attend school every day." (31) "students with involved parents tend to have better attendance." (30) "i don't miss school because my parents make sure i go every day." (112) pa ge 69 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 62-80, 2025 development of positive attitudes (dpa) the influence of parental involvement on the development of positive attitudes toward learning and school "i always share the importance of education with my child." (36) "positive parental attitudes foster a love for learning." (32) "i enjoy school more because my parents think education is important." (96) behavior and discipline (bd) the correlation between parental involvement and children's behavior and discipline "i set clear expectations, and my child follows through." (37) "involved parents contribute to better student behavior." (29) "i behave better at school because my parents set rules for me." (102) below the theme me, 33 parents stated that when they take an interest. it piques their kids’ curiosity in their academic pursuits to participate in their studies. 27 teachers mentioned parents motivating students to study, and 94 students stated that they are more interested in studies. under the ia, 31 parents mention that they encourage their children to attend academic activities every day, 30 teachers state students exhibit a great attendance rate when their parents engage more, and 112 students denote that they attend everyday school because their parents ensure their attendance every day. below the theme dpa, 36 parents mention that they frequently share the importance of education with their child, 32 teachers mention that parental attitudes foster a love for learning, and then 96 students mention that they are enjoying school studies because of their parent’s perception of the importance of education. under the theme bd, 37 parents mentioned that they set clear expectations for their children to follow good behaviour in the school environment, 29 teachers mentioned parents’ contribution is positively related to better student behaviour in the classroom, and 102 students mentioned that they behave better at school because their parents set clear rules for them. quantitative data analysis the descriptive statistics results for the study variables are shown in table 5. this gives a concise overview of the study’s distribution level variables among parents and teachers. while skewness and kurtosis describe the spread and height of the distribution of data, the variance measures how data points differ from the mean of the study variables. variance is the square of the sd. in this study, descriptive statistics analyse the numerical information gathered via a survey regarding how pi affects kids’ as. the variable ap has a mean value of 3.5 and the sd of 1.313, variance 1.234, indicating a high level of ap among children in schools, with skewness -0.20 and kurtosis -0.55, indicating a high level of educational performance among students. table 5: descriptive statistics variables mean sd minimum maximum variance skewness kurtosis ap 3.5 1.313 2 5 1.234 -0.20 -0.55 me 4 1.371 3 5 2.014 0.49 -0.62 ia 3.5 1.212 2 5 1.271 0.31 -0.52 dpa 4 1.311 3 5 1.617 0.41 -0.46 bd 3.5 1.237 2 5 1.621 0.28 -0.82 pi 4 2.145 3 5 2.630 -0.25 -0.53 me mean value of 4, with an sd of 1.371, variance of 2.014, skewness of 0.49, and kurtosis -0.62, indicating a high level of motivation and engagement in educational activities among children due to parental support. ia mean score of 3.5, accompanied by a standard deviation of 1.212, variance of 1.271, skewness of 0.31, and kurtosis of -0.52, suggests that parental participation lowers dropout rates while increasing kids’ regular attendance levels. the variable dpa exhibits a mean value of 4, with sd 1.311, variance 1.617, skewness 0.41, and kurtosis -0.46, indicating that frequent support of parents develops children’s positive attitudes toward learning. the variable bd mean value of 3.5, with sd 1.237, variance 1.621, skewness 0.28, and kurtosis -0.82, indicates that parental regular monitoring and teaching good values shape the children’s behaviour and discipline. pi means a value of 4, with an sd of 2.145, a variance of 2.630, a skewness of -0.25, and a kurtosis of -0.53, demonstrating pi. their children’s academic performance and educational results are developed during the educational process. results and discussion the study result explores the effect of pi on kids’ academic performance. by utilising the mixed method of research design, this study captures the perception and experience of educators, parents, and students over how pi affects kids’ academic development. the study results provide a detailed account of the pi’s impact on children’s as and the value of their participation. qualitative results the qualitative data was collected from teachers, parents, pa ge 70 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 62-80, 2025 and students through direct interviews. the collected data from students, parents, teachers, and other carers supply the specifics of the parental support techniques for homebased learning. in addition, the study captures the challenges in encouraging pi in instructors’ viewpoints on children’s education since they are crucial in promoting parental participation. next, the research captures the negative effects of pi on as from the perspectives of students. the qualitative analysis result informs the impact of pi on kids’ as by focusing on both positive and negative sides. parental support strategies for home-based learning the effectiveness of parental support strategies for home-based learning was discovered from the collected interview answers from 130 students, 32 teachers, and 37 parents on pi in children’s as. parental support strategies in home-based learning give students opportunities to develop self-regulated learning skills and lifelong learning skills. the students who received parental support in homebased learning exhibited higher achievements in academics and regulating their learning process correctly. homebased learning support from parents creates a flexible and adaptive learning environment for students to learn freely and reduces the cognitive burden of students in doing homework activities. figure 2: parental support strategies for home-based learning figure 2 presents the effectiveness of techniques for parents to help their children’s at-home education. the parental encouragement strategies for learning at home are helping with homework, time management support, emotional support, monitoring progress, and technological support. the below perceptions of parents, teachers, and students demonstrate how these strategies were increasing the children’s as. from the perspectives of parents, ``when i help my child with homework, they complete it easily; i provide the time management support for my child by assisting his home-based school activities; my emotional support reduces my child’s negative thinking over education; my regular monitoring progress increases my child’s academic performance; when i offer technological support, my children start to learn new things and easily complete their ssignments.” the teacher mentions, “i notice that parents support in homework activities, their time management support, and their emotional support always motivate students to engage in learning. i notice that regular monitoring processes and providing technology support for students exhibit high scores when compared with the children who did not receive parental support.” the student mentions, “i feel more confident when my parents support my homework; i do better managing my studies with the time management support of my parents; their emotional support motivates me, and their regular monitoring of progress encourages me to engage in learning; often my parents provide technology support for learning that stimulates my interest towards learning.” the parents’, teachers, and students’ perceptions show that parental support for home-based learning strategies is increasing the children’s educational outcomes. challenges in encouraging parental involvement the degree of pi in the education of their offspring is the most notable factor in young people’s academic achievement. parental activities include helping children with doing their homework, setting up academic goals, discussing with children about the school activities, and teachers about the children’s academic progress. teachers are playing a significant part in supporting pi in the education of their kids. interviews were conducted with thirty-two teachers to acquire the qualitative data. the study captures the challenges in encouraging pi in the education of children from the viewpoint of the teachers who conducted the interview. figure 3 presents the challenges in encouraging pi in children’s education. the challenges, such as time constraints, socioeconomic factors, lack of understanding, communication issues, limited school resources, and technology barriers, affect pi in children’s education. the below-given teacher’s perception and experiences provide a detailed account of the challenges regarding pa ge 71 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 62-80, 2025 figure 3: challenges in encouraging parental involvement the pi. the teacher mentions, “i notice some children’s parents were too busy in their work schedule; this reduces their time spent with children. i see the lack of parents’ socioeconomic status not being affordable to pay the fees and fulfil their children’s needs, which affects children’s figure 4: negative effects of pi on as attendance and access to quality education.”. the parent education is crucial for children’s success. “we are explaining the importance of parental involvement, but there are no educational backgrounds leading to a lack of understanding; often we experience communication issues in contacting them; i have found out that some children’s parents point out that limited school resources reduce their children’s school attendance rate; parents limited resources in providing technology assistance for their children to discover and expand their knowledge lead to their lack of involvement.”. negative effects of parental involvement on academic success pi determines the as of students, but their overdominant involvement often negatively affects the children’s as. their involvement is sometimes negatively associated with students’ poor academic performance. when parents push their interest and expectations on children, it desperately brings tension on studies among children. the qualitative data was collected from 130 students. during the interview with students, the study examines the students’ experiences about the negative effects of their pi on as. figure 4 illustrates the negative effects of pi on the as of children. during the interview with students, the study found that overdependence, increased anxiety, reduced motivation, strained relationships, neglecting social skills, impaired decision-making, and resentment are the negative effects created on children’s as because of pi. the belowgiven student’s experiences show the negative effects of pi on their as.”my parents always support me in doing my homework activities, which affects my self-thinking. this makes me over-reliant on my parents for doing homework activities”. “my parent’s support increased my anxiety while doing any work independently and increased my overdependence on my parents.” “my parent’s engagement leads to disinterest in doing school projects by giving low motivation.” “my parent’s expectations, attitudes, thinking, and beliefs over my study plans caused our relationship to become strained; “my parents always push me to study, and they do not allow me to play outside the home and talk with my friends; this reduces my communication skills with others.” “my parents take all the decisions regarding my studies; they set the study goal for me; thus they impair my decision-making.” “they are scolded and give me punishment whenever i make mistakes; this makes me angry and displeased with my studies.”. pa ge 72 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 62-80, 2025 quantitative results the quantitative data was collected through questionnaires from 425 parents and 110 teachers. the questionnaire answers inform the positive effects of pi on children’s as. in exploring its positive effect, the study suggests implementing parental central programs for involving parents in children’s educational processes. quantitative analysis, such as cross-correlations, measures the correlation among study variables, while average variance extracted (ave) measures the validation of constructs, and composite reliability (cr) measures the consistency between the study variables. cross-loading indicates the high loading correlation among the study variables. this analysis presents how pi is influential in developing students’ academic outcomes. measurement model the measuring model is a procedure for assessment to confirm the correlation and consistency of study variables. in this study, the ave threshold value is >0.5 (dos santos & cirillo, 2023), and cr is implemented as >0.700 as a threshold value, respectively (cheung et al., 2023), which measures the amount of variance and consistency. the cross-correlations measure the correlations between the study variables. table 6 presents the cross-correlation analysis among study variables, with ave and cr. in this study, the ave and cr show how consistent and reliable study variables are in assessing the effect of pi on kids’ academic performance. the cross-correlation analysis is the correlation between the study variables in examining the children’s as. construct ap exhibits a high correlation (coefficient) between the me and of 0.45, indicating that children’s ap is influenced by the motivation provided by the parents and the regular engagement, a value of ave 0.64, cr 0.86, indicating that ap is consistent. table 6: cross correlations, ave and cr constructs cross correlations ave cr ap me ia dpa bd pi ap 1 0.64 0.86 me 0.45 1 0.72 0.73 ia 0.38 0.58 1 0.67 0.88 dpa 0.27 0.43 0.49 1 0.58 0.83 bd 0.32 0.51 0.55 0.37 1 0.62 0.94 pi 0.41 0.62 0.47 0.29 0.41 1 0.79 0.85 with a coefficient of 0.58, the variable me has a strong positive association with ia. it also notes that motivation enhanced the children’s regular attendance rate and decreased dropout rates. the values of ave 0.72 and cr 0.73 demonstrate a high degree of consistency and dependability. with a coefficient of 0.55, construct ia shows a substantial correlation with bd, suggesting that children’s conduct and discipline affect their attendance level. the values of ave 0.67 and cr 0.88 demonstrate the analysis’s consistency and dependability. with a coefficient of 0.37, construct dpa exhibits a good association with bd, suggesting that students’ dpa behaviour toward learning, as evidenced by its ave of 0.58 and cr of 0.83, displays the variable’s consistency and variance. with a coefficient of 0.41, the variable bd exhibits a substantial association with pi, suggesting that student bd at schools influences pi. a cr of 0.94 and an ave score of 0.62 demonstrate the study variable’s consistency. construct pi has a considerable positive link and consistency with all the study variables, as seen by its strong correlation with all variables, which ranges from 0.29 to 0.47, with an ave of 0.79 and cr of 0.85. table 7 presents the cross-loading analysis result of the study variables. the cross-loadings analysis was used to assess discriminant validity. the degree of variation between variables and the other factors is displayed by discriminant validity. this cross-loading analysis is used to analyse whether the variable’s item loading values are greater when compared to all of its cross-loadings with additional factors. the greater observed values of the variables than the cross-loading values with other variables support the discriminant validity. the variables are ap, me, ia, dpa, bd, and pi. under the constructs of ap, the items ap1, ap2, and ap3 exhibit observed values of 0.802, 0.754, and 0.783, which indicates that observed values are higher than the values of crossloading with additional variables. table 7: cross-loadings item ap me ia dpa bd pi ap1 0.802 0.312 0.463 0.563 0.575 0.656 ap2 0.754 0.296 0.462 0.523 0.367 0.546 ap3 0.783 0.365 0.596 0.432 0.426 0.234 me1 0.438 0.854 0.369 0.658 0.369 0.348 pa ge 73 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 62-80, 2025 me2 0.378 0.825 0.258 0.505 0.456 0.687 me3 0.328 0.802 0.169 0.463 0.563 0.631 ia1 0.421 0.286 0.904 0.356 0.542 0.453 ia2 0.428 0.584 0.878 0.283 0.342 0.321 ia3 0.387 0.396 0.856 0.569 0.456 0.543 dpa1 0.312 0.476 0.496 0.753 0.456 0.453 dpa2 0.588 0.548 0.438 0.721 0.3758 0.342 dpa3 0.456 0.356 0.258 0.702 0.351 0.653 bd1 0.545 0.284 0.369 0.340 0.852 0.327 bd2 0.620 0.463 0.658 0.456 0.807 0.462 bd3 0.425 0.358 0.561 0.365 0.759 0.562 pi1 0.687 0.296 0.456 0.565 0.343 0.802 pi2 0.576 0.546 0.386 0.326 0.238 0.822 pi3 0.503 0.325 0.345 0.256 0.283 0.759 the variable items me1, me2, and me3 show the observed values of 0.854, 0.825, and 0.802, indicating that observed values are higher than the other variables. the variable ia items ia1, ia2, and ia3 observed values of 0.904, 0.878, and 0.856 are higher than the cross-loading values of ap, me, dpa, bd, and pi. the items dpa1, dpa2, and dpa3 values of 0.753, 0.721, and 0.702 are higher than the cross-loading values of other variables such as ap, me, ia, bd, and pi. bd1, bd2, and bd3 observed values of 0.852, 0.807, and 0.759 are higher than the cross-loading values of other variables. pi1, pi2, and pi3 observed values are 0.802, 0.822, and 0.759, which are higher than the cross-loading values of other variables. this analysis demonstrates that each variable’s observed values are higher and more reliable than the cross-loading values with other variables. structural model table 8 presents the structural path analysis result of the study variables. this analysis examines the path coefficient of each study variable. hi exhibits a path from pi to ap with a p-value of 0.012, a t-value of 2.345, and a beta coefficient of 0.489*, indicating that academic performance is enhanced by high levels of pi in support of children’s studies. with a beta coefficient of 0.534, a t-value of 2.678, and a p-value of 0.005, h2 illustrates the route from pi to me, showing that greater pl develops children’s motivation towards engaging in educational activities. table 8: structural path analysis result (hypothesis testing) hypothesis relationship beta (β) t-statistics p-value h1 pi→ap 0.489* 2.345 0.012 h2 pi→me 0.534** 2.678 0.005 h3 pi→ia 0.453* 2.123 0.031 h4 pi→dpa 0.512* 2.456 0.017 h5 pi→bd 0.653** 3.098 0.001 note: **p<0.01, *p<0.05 h3 exhibits a path from pi to ia, with a t-value of 2.123, a p-value of 0.031, and a beta coefficient of 0.453*, which suggests that pi actions like keeping an eye on kids’ development and making sure they participate in educational activities raise kids’ attendance rates and lower dropout rates. with a beta coefficient of 0.512*, a t-value of 2.456, and a p-value of 0.017, h4 shows a path from pi to dpa and suggests that pi helps kids have positive attitudes toward learning. with a beta coefficient of 0.653**, a t-value of 3.098, and a p-value of 0.001, h5 shows a path from pi to bd, indicating that pi enhances students’ classroom and school-related behaviour and discipline. figure 5: structural model assessment pa ge 74 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 62-80, 2025 figure 5 presents the structural model assessment of study variables and their paths and values. the variable pi shows three items, such as pi1, pi2, and pi3. the variable ap exhibits a path from pi with a path value of 0.489* and exhibits three items of ap1, ap2, and ap3, which examined the pi’s impact on children’s ap. the variable me exhibits a path from pi with a coefficient of 0.534**, then shows items of me1, me2, and me3, which shows how pi increases children’s me levels in educational activities. variable ia presents a path from pi with a path coefficient of 0.453*, and presents the items of ia1, ia2, and ia3, which show how pi increases children’s school attendance and reduces dropout. variable dpa expresses a path from pi with a coefficient of 0.512*, with items of dpa1, dpa2, and dpa3 that show how pi is associated with the dpa among children. bd expresses a path from pi, a path value of 0.653**, and gives the items of bd1, bd2, and bd3, showing the pi correlation with bd among children. discussion pi is a determinant of children’s as. it is part of the duty of every parent to be involved in their child’s educational development. they are involved in every facet of the intellectual, social, emotional, and cognitive growth of pupils. a wide range of parental support and expectations promotes children’s involvement in education. therefore, the study aims to analyse the impact of pi on their children’s as. the study findings demonstrate how pi has improved their kids’ academic performance. the results of the study show that a high degree of pi correlates with children’s improved academic performance. ogg & anthony (2020) mention home-based pi and their warmth; their socioeconomic status develops students’ skills, reading, and writing; meanwhile, parents’ socioeconomic status affects the children’s as. wang et al. (2023) show that pi is directly connected with children’s learning outcomes. therefore, the study denotes that pi and their high level of presence positively impact children’s academic performance, but the study does not mention the parent’s socioeconomic status impact specifically. the study findings mention that pi enhanced children’s motivation and increased their engagement in educational activities. rubach & bonanati (2023) highlight that pi in homework activities, meeting the needs of students, supports the students and reduces their anxiety level in studies. moè et al. (2020) indicate that decreasing the stress student level and monitoring the psychological condition of the students at home increases students’ engagement in school-based activities. this aligns with the present study’s findings by mentioning the greater role of pi in enhancing motivation and learning engagement among children. the study findings demonstrate that children who have more involved parents demonstrate improved attendance and reduced dropout rates when compared to parents with less involvement. yulianti et al. (2022) state that volunteer parental involvement in their kids’ educational activities encourages the children’s participation in education regularly. bell (2020) states that school management activities such as giving respect to the parent’s voices and children without any discrimination and reducing the punishment level promote students’ attainment in school. hence the research highlights the significance of parent-centred programs in developing the student’s involvement level. the study findings highlight that pi is positively associated with developing the children’s positive attitudes toward learning among children. yang et al. (2023) present those different forms of pi, such as academic support and communication with teachers, which develop children’s active participation and positive attitudes toward learning. ribeiro et al. (2021) demonstrate the importance of parents’ attention in regularising the student’s classroom attendance, their learning engagement, and shaping their behaviour toward learning. this aligns with the present study by mentioning that pi attitudes, motivation, and interaction develop children’s positive attitudes toward learning. the study findings show that pi positively correlates with the children’s school behaviour and discipline. tan et al. (2020) highlight that parents’ socioeconomic condition and education are strongly connected to their kids’ language development and success in education. li et al. (2020) state that family economic conditions and parents’ educational levels determine the student’s discipline and behavior. hence the present study findings indicate that pi in education supports the child’s learning, and teaching values develops students’ discipline and moral behavior. while comparing the previous studies, the present study’s findings correspondingly demonstrate that pi shows promising benefits for children’s as by providing homebased support, motivation, and regular participation in school activities. previous studies by tan et al. (2020) and li et al. (2020) mention that parent-child socioeconomic background and education level determine the children’s as, discipline, and educational activities participation. by contrast, the present study’s findings did not show that parents’ economic backgrounds and their education reduced the children’s as; nevertheless, the study demonstrates that these elements have an impact on the pi with children’s academic outcomes. implications the study examining the effect of pi on kids’ academic performance has several theoretical and practical implications in the field of education. the study discovers the positive benefits of pi on children’s education for enhancing their academic performance level. this study result is essential for encouraging the parent’s participation and upgrading children’s skills and knowledge. besides that, the study suggests providing parent-centred programs to inform their role and their significance in shaping their kids’ educational goals. theoretical implications pi is seen as essential to supporting children’s learning in school and the academic achievement of children. pa ge 75 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 62-80, 2025 the theoretical framework of the study shows pi is a multidimensional phenomenon of establishing and extending children’s learning outcomes. the study focuses on the pi in the education of their children, which contributes to enhancing educational outcomes. the study findings relate to several theories. the study shows that pi determines the academic performance of the children by providing motivation and support, and they affect the educational outcomes. this is connected with the ecological system theory, which indicates that parents are the social and environmental factors in increasing children’s learning outcomes. next, this study also associates utilising the social learning theory, which suggests that pupils acquire positive attitudes by observing their parent’s activities such as dedication to work, discipline, behaviour, and positive attitudes. this deepens the children’s good behaviour and their mentality on pursuing the education. in addition, the study is coupled with the theory of self-determination, which says parents’ motivation and home-based activity support develop children’s autonomy and decision-making. in this study parent-child interaction also constructs children’s knowledge and builds their self, encouraging their participation in school programs; thus they build self-determination. this research adds to the ecological system theory’s implications, social learning theory, and self-determination theory. practical implications the study has several useful ramifications at the nexus of children’s school education. the study has several practical implications and experiences to enhance their kids’ academic performance achievement. so it’s essential to ensure the pi in education; this suggests implementing school-based initiatives focusing on parents to inform the significance of their involvement in their kids’ education activities. the study findings indirectly propose that the teacher support system within the school campus also has a significant and powerful effect on motivating students well in school and regulating their studies. providing technical support for the children at home by parents reduces their cognitive load and significantly enhances children’s learning experiences and outputs. creating dynamic and interactive learning environments at home caters to the diverse needs and interests of the children, making them more enjoyable towards learning. participating in school-related events like parent-teacher conferences and collaboration with school teachers aligned with kids’ academic development and ensured parents’ attendance in education. thereafter, this study suggests that pi influences are strongly related to paving a better path for their children, which stresses ensuring the parent’s participation in educational activities. conclusion the study findings demonstrate the beneficial effects of pi on their kids’ as in the framework of education. the research shows that pi expands children’s academic performance by providing home-based support. the study shows that parents offer many resources for learning, assist their children in doing homework, and teach them good values, which significantly enhances students’ learning experiences, behaviour, and interest. the homebased learning provides greater chances for kids to experience new things and acquire knowledge with the assistance of parents. through various parental activity forms, this study shows that increased pi significantly improves children’s as. children with active parents show higher attendance and lower dropout rates, suggesting the importance of the pi factor in developing students’ commitment to learning. in addition, their involvement properly maintains the children’s behaviour by teaching morals and ethics. the study highlights the significance of pi in fostering a helpful climate for children’s as. the study demonstrates the positive effects of parents’ active involvement in their children’s schooling through providing social and emotional support for children. home-based strategies tend to increase the children’s beliefs in pursuing academic education and promote their growth. thus the study advocates for the pi in students’ academic achievement and stresses the importance of parent-child interaction, a home environment that is supportive of students’ growth, and their participation in school activities. limitations despite revealing valuable insights, this study has certain limitations. the study considers pi activities conducted at home and in schools, but it leaves a gap in analysing the factor that affects the pi in the education of their kids both at home and at school. the study mentions that pi in children’s homework activities reduces their cognitive load, thereby increasing as, but the study does not consider the parental education level and economic condition for assisting students in their homework activities. the study does not focus on the specific programs that help to foster parental participation in education. these limitations thereby contribute to future research in the area of education for children and pi on children’s education. future scopes future studies looking into how pi affects their kids’ educational outcomes offer a more comprehensive explanation of the pi in children’s educational effects. future studies examining the implications of pi in education over time on kids’ academic outputs suggest implementing initiatives such as parental support programs for increasing pi in education. future studies pay some attention to ensuring all the parent-teacher interaction about the children’s academic progress. this is linked to kids’ greater achievement in turn. investigating the factors associated with the lack of pi in education contributes to taking adequate measures to mitigate the negative consequences related to the lack of pi. these future research insights have been associated with positive outcomes among children. pa ge 76 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 62-80, 2025 reference ahn, j. n., hu, d., & vega, m. 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(2023). multifaceted determinants of social-emotional problems in preschool children in sweden: an ecological systems theory approach. ssm-population health, 21, 101345. https://doi. org/10.1016/j.ssmph.2023.101345 wang, h., chen, y., yang, x., yu, x., zheng, k., lin, q., ... & he, t. (2023). different associations of parental involvement with children’s learning of chinese, english, and math: a three-wave longitudinal study. european journal of psychology of education, 38(1), 269285. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-022-00605-0 yang, d., chen, p., wang, k., li, z., zhang, c., & huang, r. (2023). parental involvement and student engagement: a review of the literature. sustainability, 15(7), 5859. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15075859 yulianti, k., denessen, e., droop, m., & veerman, g. j. (2022). school efforts to promote parental involvement: the contributions of school leaders and teachers. educational studies, 48(1), 98-113. https:// doi.org/10.1080/03055698.2020.1740978 appendix table a1: questionnaire for parents section 1 demographic details 1. gender • male • female 2. age • 20-29 years • 30-39 years • 40-49 years • 50 years and above 3. education level • high school • bachelor's degree • master's degree • doctorate 4. employment status • employed full-time • employed part-time • unemployed • self-employed • homemaker pa ge 78 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 62-80, 2025 5. age of children • 5-7 years • 8-10 years • 1-13 years • 14-16 years 6. are you willing to participate in an interview on the impact of pi on their children's as? • yes • no instruction: participants are requested to indicate their level of agreement with the questions below using the following scale: 1 strongly disagree 2 disagree 3 neutral 4 agree 5 strongly agree construct questions parental involvement (pi) how often do you help your child with their homework? how frequently do you attend parent-teacher meetings and school events? how regularly do you communicate with your child’s teachers about their progress? academic performance (ap) in your opinion, has your child’s academic performance improved due to your involvement? do you believe your child performs better academically because of your support? how likely is it that your child completes their assignments with your help? motivation and engagement (me) does your involvement increase your child’s interest in school activities? is your child more motivated to learn because of your support? how much does your child participate in class when you are engaged in their education? improved attendance (ia) has your child’s school attendance improved due to your involvement? how likely is it that your child misses school when you are involved in their education? do you ensure your child attends school regularly? development of positive attitudes (dpa) has your child developed a more positive attitude towards school because of your involvement? does your support help your child enjoy learning more? how much does your child look forward to attending school because of your engagement? behavior and discipline (bd) does your child exhibit better behavior at school because of your involvement? how much has your child's discipline improved due to your support? how consistently does your child follow school rules when you are engaged in their education? table a2: questionnaire for teachers section 2 demographic details 1. gender: • male • female 2. age: • 25-34 years • 35-44 years • 45-54 years • 55-64 years 3. teaching experience: • less than 5 years pa ge 79 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 62-80, 2025 • 5-10 years • 11-20 years • more than 20 years 4. educational level: • bachelor's degree • master's degree • phd or higher 5. classes teach: • kindergarten • elementary school • middle school • high school 6. are you willing to participate in an interview on the impact of pi on their children's as? • yes • no instruction: participants are requested to indicate their level of agreement with the questions below using the following scale: 1 strongly disagree 2 disagree 3 neutral 4 agree 5 strongly agree construct questions parental involvement (pi) how effective do you find pi in supporting students' academic progress? to what extent do you believe pi positively influences students' educational outcomes? how often do you observe parents actively engaging in discussions about their child's learning progress with you? academic performance (ap) do you notice a correlation between higher levels of pi and improved academic performance among students? in your opinion, does parental support significantly contribute to students' academic achievements? how often do you see parents reinforcing the importance of education at home, which impacts students' academic performance? motivation and engagement (me) do students with involved parents demonstrate higher motivation levels in-class activities? how much do you think pi enhances students' engagement in educational tasks? have you observed that students with supportive parents are more likely to participate actively in classroom discussions and activities? improved attendance (ia) how does pi impact students' regular attendance at school? do you believe that consistent parental communication helps improve students' attendance rates? how often do you see parents ensuring their children attend school regularly? development of positive attitudes (dpa) to what extent does pi foster positive attitudes toward learning among students? have you noticed that students with supportive parents tend to have more positive attitudes toward school activities? how important do you believe parental encouragement is in developing positive attitudes in students? behavior and discipline (bd) does pi positively influence students' behavior in your classroom? how much do you think parental support affects students' discipline at school? in your experience, how consistent are students in following school rules when parents are actively involved? pa ge 80 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 62-80, 2025 table a3: sample interview questions questions interview questions for parents: 1. how often do you engage in your child's homework and school activities? 2. what methods do you use to motivate your child to excel academically? 3. how do you communicate with your child's teachers about their progress? 4. in what ways do you support your child's learning at home? 5. how do you monitor your child's attendance and punctuality at school? 6. what strategies do you use to encourage a positive attitude towards school in your child? 7. how do you address behavioral issues that your child may exhibit at school? 8. can you describe any changes in your child's academic performance since becoming more involved in their education? 9. how do you balance your work and other responsibilities with supporting your child's education? 10. what challenges do you face in staying involved with your child's school activities? 11. how do you help your child prepare for exams and other academic assessments? 12. how do you handle conflicts or disagreements with your child's teachers? 13. what role do you think you play in your child's social and emotional development at school? 14. what potential negative effects can arise from excessive piin children's education and how might this impact their as? 15. what advice would you give to other parents to enhance their involvement in their child's education? interview questions for teachers: 1. how do you see pi affecting students' academic performance? 2. have you observed any differences in academic performance between students with highly involved parents and those with less involved parents? 3. how does pi affect students' motivation in the classroom? 4. what strategies involving parents have been most effective in addressing attendance issues? 5. how does pi influence students' attitudes toward learning and school? 6. what are some challenges you've encountered in encouraging parental involvement? 7. what strategies or programs have you found most successful in increasing parental involvement? 8. how do you typically communicate with parents about their child's progress and needs? 9. have you noticed any new trends or changes in the way parents engage with their children's schooling since the pandemic began? 10. based on your experience, are there any other significant ways that pi impacts students that we haven't discussed? interview questions for students 1. in what ways do your parents or guardians support your learning at home? 2. how do conversations with your parents about school or your future affect your attitude toward education? 3. can you share an experience where your parents' involvement helped you overcome a difficulty at school? 4. how does your parents' involvement in your schooling compare to their involvement in other areas of your life? how does this affect you? 5. how do you think your parents' approach to your education influences your views on learning and your future? pa ge 1 pa ge 34 american journal of education and technology (ajet) effect of ateneo training on test readiness for admission to college (attrac) program senior high school students herman m. lagon1* volume 1 issue 4, year 2023 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i4.678 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: september 27, 2022 accepted: december 29, 2022 published: january 05, 2023 ateneo de iloilo has conceptualized a 20-day review program entitled adi-smcs training on test readiness for admission to college (attrac). this aimed to prepare students for entrance tests in top schools in the country. it covered 109 grade 11 atenean participants who joined attrac. the data collected were statistically analyzed using measures of central tendencies, shapiro-wilk test for normality, paired sample t-test, and pearson r at 0.05 level of significance. qualitative triangulation was also made. the results showed that there is a significant difference between the overall pretest and posttest scores in the college admission test (p=0.00), showing progress from a pretest mean score of 78.57 to a posttest mean score of 114.33. also, moderately positive and significant correlation (r=0.709) between the overall pretest and posttest scores was established. it also had high positive and significant correlation between the pretest and the posttest under english test (r=0.751), while moderately positive and significant correlation was found between the pretest and posttest under mathematics (r=0.591) and reading (r=0.470) tests. the pretest-posttest results of science reasoning test registered a negligible and insignificant correlational value (r=0.121). participants also revealed that time is their usual “enemy” during tests. they unanimously recognized the benefit of review to them, especially in reminding them of the basics, getting them used to different test designs, and practicing time-bound drills. attrac was found to give positive results to shs reviewers but it can still improve in its offerings, especially in science reasoning and test hacks. keywords test readiness, college admission, senior high school, attrac program, entrance examination 1 iloilo college of fisheries (iscof), brgy. tiwi, barotac nuevo, iloilo, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: hermanlagon1@gmail.com introduction going to an ivy school in college is every student’s dream. this is spot-on true in the context of the grade 12 students of ateneo de iloilo-santa maria catholic school (adi-smcs) who were set to face a clear and present challenge, their first big step in their career path, the college admission tests. a school career survey (lagon, 2016) showed that 92.82% of the ateneo shs students plan to take entrance tests in manila schools early in 2017-2018. table 1 shows the distribution of the potential test takers. this is supported by the expressed appeal from the different school stakeholders for a type of summer intervention—an alternative to the ones offered in commercial review centers-to be offered by the school that would assist students in their exam preparations. consequently, the adi-smcs senior high school (shs) unit conceptualized and implemented the cognitive constructivist-inspired ateneo de iloilo-smcs training on test readiness for admission to college (attrac) program. intended to reinforce and enhance students’ preparation for manila-based admission tests, attrac was carried out last march 28, april 7-8, 10-11, 17-22, 24-29, and may 6, 13, and 20, 2017. this study was conducted to examine the effect of the attrac program on shs students of adi-smcs. it purposely meant to measure the success or failure of the initiative, the results of which will determine the program’s termination, improvement, or extension literature review tens of thousands of students take the entrance tests for up, ateneo, ust, and la salle. more often than not, they tend to get failing marks due to lack of test readiness and preparation. there is considerable literature relating to entrance exams in developed countries especially regarding correlation between test performance and their academic preparation and test readiness in high school. the results mostly show a positive correlation between entance exam scores and their academic basic education performance. although it has been argued that this may have been inflated because the scores in standardized tests are highly correlated with socioeconomic background figure 1: number of ateneans who plan to take admission test in select manila schools. note that some students opt to take the entrance test in two or more schools. https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i4.678 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= pa ge 35 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(4) 34-36, 2022 (rothstein, 2004). the results in chinese universities show strong correlation between their entrance examination and basic education grade point average (bai, chi and qian, 2013). similar results are found in a university in ethiopia (zekaris, aba-milki and mikre, 2015). the results from turkish universities, on the other hand, show low correlation between academic preparations and their entrance exam test (agazade, et al., 2014). meta-analyses on test preparation for college achievement tests show a modest test score gain of 0.25 standard deviations (bangert-drowns, kulik, & kulik, 1983). despite the growth of the test preparation industry (barnes reports, 2017), the existing research on the efficacy of test preparation has shown mixed results depending on the type of test preparation activity, population tested, or study design/methodology (lane, raymond, & haladyna, 2015). on average, research shows test preparation has small to moderate positive effects on actual test scores, with average test score gains falling within the margin of error for irrespective of engaging in test preparation activities, research has found that students who retest tend to increase their score (appelrouth, zabrucky, & moore, 2015). in this paper, we examine the impact of participating in test preparation prior to retaking the college enrance tests. the present study aims to address the call by briggs (2009) for additional and more robust research on the efficacy of test preparation programs for college admission tests. materials and methods this quasi-experimental study covered 109 grade 11 atenean participants who were purposively identified by virtue of their mutual interest (and parents’ consent) to join attrac. the data collected were statistically analyzed using measures of central tendencies, mean difference, shapiro-wilk test for normality, paired sample t-test, and pearson r at 0.05 level of significance. focus group discussions and journaling were also done to triangulate the intervention. the students went through a 20-day, 8-week entrance test review sessions in summer of 2017 in the classrooms of adi-smcs. 16 select ateneo teachers, all experts in their respective fields, designed their own review modules following the agreed college admission test, multiplechoice, in-depth-coverage format. the topics covered were generally patterned and appropriated over that of ateneo de manila university college entrance test (acet) and university of the philippines college admission test (upcat). they were mainly mathematics, science, english, and abstract-logical reasoning, with a touch of essay, filipino, and general information. students were divided into four clusters: two clusters were scheduled in the 4-hour morning session and the other half were scheduled in the 4-hour afternoon session. all participants experienced the same way of proceeding— answering of review items, followed by the checking, analyzing, and evaluating of the questions and answers— inspired by the 9 basic positions of cognitive development by perry (1999), and test preparation tips of briggs (2001), bord (2008), britanico (2014), ganglani (2014). using a 20-page, 2-hour standardized college admission test instrument, the reviewes took the pretest on march 28, 2017, and the posttest on may 20, 2017. results and discussions the results showed that there is a significant difference between the overall pretest and posttest scores in the college admission test (p=0.00), showing progress from a pretest mean score of 78.57 to a posttest mean score of 114.33. also, moderately positive and significant correlation (r=0.709) between the overall pretest and posttest scores was established. on the other hand, it was found out that there are significant differences between the pretest and posttest college admission test scores in the following categories: english test (p=0.00), mathematics test (p=0.00), reading test (p=0.00), and science reasoning test (p=0.00). high positive and significant correlation was found between the pretest and the posttest under english test (r=0.751), while moderately positive and significant correlation was found between the pretest and posttest under mathematics (r=0.591) and reading (r=0.470) tests. the pretest-posttest results of science reasoning test, on the other hand, registered a negligible and insignificant correlational value (r=0.121). with this, and referring to the increase of the pretestpost-test mean scores as shown in figure 2, there appeared a positive performance of students in all the four categories. further analysis showed that most positive score improvement (mean difference) were seen in the areas figure 2: students’ pretest-posttest mean scores. of prose fiction (12.33), coordinate geometry (9.56), trigonometry (9.22), strategy (9.06), punctuation (8.67), basic grammar and usage (8.45), and data representation (8.23). minimal improvement based on the mean difference, however, was observed in the areas of sentence structure https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 36 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(4) 34-36, 2022 (2.55), geometry (3.12), conflicting viewpoints (4.25), and humanities (3.47). the area on research summaries (0.45) had almost no improvement at all. participants’ journals and fgds also revealed that time is their usual “enemy.” this was confirmed by the reviewers themselves who had to squeeze out items in the twohour session given to them per cluster in a day. another concern is the conduciveness of the venue. most of the sessions were done in the school old site with rooms that are relatively less ventilated and smaller than those in the new site. they, however, unanimously recognized the benefit of review to them, especially in reminding them of the basics, getting them used to different test designs, and practicing time-bound drills. the attrac program result corroorated with the studies of gurung and bord (2007) and hackathorn et al (2012). both also showed that cognitive-constructivist kind of reviews foster the students’ feelings of being “confident” and “prepared” for the task at hand and it being “helpful” in getting higher scores in the process. apparently, this finding has been further predicated upon the mushrooming of review centers all over the country. conclusion attrac is an effective program in preparing shs students for college admission. however, it needs more concrete validation—the ultimate measure of success— in the actual college entrance test results that are set to be release in december, 2017. nonetheless, the positive effect of attrac 2017 warrants the extension and offering of the program this summer of 2018. the data and experience it gathered can serve as part of the school’s counseling program database in guiding students in their career decision-making process. it may also be used as one of the main references of the faculty and administrators for curriculum planning and instructional design. however, further improvement is recommended as to the following review topic areas: sentence structure, geometry, humanities, and conflicting viewpoints, with more stress on doing research summaries. a more ventilated venue and the appropriation of time per review topic must also be further contextualized. this kind of admission test review may also be contextualized and be adopted by other senior high schools in the country. references ağazade, a. s.; caner, h.; hasipoğlu, h. n. & civelek, a. h. (2014). ‘turkish university entrance test and academic achievement in undergraduate programs: a criterion-related validity study’, procedia-social and behavioral sciences, 116, 4582 4590. appelrouth, j. i., zabrucky, k. m., & moore, d. (2015). preparing students for college admissions tests. assessment in education: principles, policy & practice, 24(1), 78-95. bai, c., w. chi and x. qian (2013). do college entrance examination scores predict undergraduate gpas? a tale of two universities tsinghua university, beijing. bangert-drowns, r. l., kulik, j. a., & kulik, c. l. c. (1983). effects of coaching programs on achievement test performance. review of educational research, 53(4), 571-585. barnes reports. (2017). exam preparation & tutoring industry (naics 611691). world industry & market outlook report. bonita springs, fl: barnes reports. bord, d. (2008). enhancing learning and exam preparation. association for psychological science. retrieved february 4, 2017, from https://www.psychologicalscience.org/ observer/enhancing-learning-and-exam-preparation briggs, d.c. (2001). the effect of admissions test preparation. change, 14(1), 10-18. briggs, d. c. (2009). preparation for college admission exams (2009 nacac discussion paper). alexandria, va: national association for college admission counseling. britanico, a. (2014). tried and tested: entrance exam strategies. rappler.com. retrieved january 15, 2017, from https://www.rappler.com/move-ph/ ispeak/66238-entrance-exam-strategies ganglani, n. (2014). college prep? 8 entrance exams tips from university students. rappler.com. retrieved january 15, 2017, from https://www.rappler.com/life-and-style/ career/69250-college-university-entrance-test-tips gurung, r.a.r., and bord, d. (2007). what makes review sessions optimal? teaching of psychology, 31, 164-166. hackathorn j., et al. (2012). examining exam reviews: a comparison of exam scores and attitudes. journal of the scholarship of teaching and learning, 12, (3), 78 – 87. lagon, h. (2016). a survey on the personal career development plan of ateneo senior high school students. iloilo: ateneo de iloilo. lane, s., raymond, m. r., & haladyna, t. m. (eds.). (2015). handbook of test development. new york, ny: routledge. perry, w. g. (1999). forms of ethical and intellectual development in the college years. san francisco: josseybass publishers. rothstein, j.m. (2004). college performance predictions and the sat. journal of econometrics, 121(12), 297-371. zekarias, z.; aba-milki, n. & mikre, f. (2015). ‘predictors of academic achievement for first year students. the case of wolaita-soddo university, ethiopia. european scientific journal. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 62 american journal of education and technology (ajet) discussion-based approaches: factors that affect university students’ performance on virtual classroom instruction kathy p. maglalang1*, emelinda e. rivera1 volume 2 issue 2, year 2023 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i2.1563 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: april 16, 2023 accepted: may 04 , 2023 published: may 09, 2023 this study examined the factors that affect the student’s performance in virtual classroom instruction and the student’s perception of virtual classroom instruction. the study used a descriptive research design to categorize the study variables, and it presents quantitative research that used internet surveys to collect data from respondents. the participants in the study were third-year bsed-english students enrolled in the second semester of the a.y. 2020–2021 at the college of teacher education (cte) of mindoro state university, philippines. 59 out of 90 student respondents participated in the survey in a span of three weeks, which covered 65% of the identified student respondents. the study used a researcher-made online survey questionnaire using google forms with a close-ended statement. results revealed that the support of the university and the support of instructors are great contributors to students’ performance in virtual classroom instruction. meanwhile, regarding students’ perception of virtual classroom instruction, virtual classroom instruction does not meet students’ needs and learning styles and equips students’ knowledge, skills, and abilities, which affirms that students’ needs and learning styles are met when learning is face-to-face. it is necessary to provide a user-friendly learning management system (lms) from a pedagogical perspective. teachers must detect student needs and scaffold learning by closely observing student involvement and participation patterns to ensure they meet students’ needs and learning styles and equip their knowledge, skills, and abilities. keywords virtual classroom instruction, students’ performance, cte university students 1 mindoro state universitycalapan city campus, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: maglalangkathy@gmail.com introduction in education, the experiences of both educators and learners on changes such as transformation and innovation are common. adapting new teaching strategies in the education system due to the current pandemic is not an exception. this crisis has exposed the many inadequacies and inequities in the education systems – from access to the broadband and computers needed for online education and the supportive environments needed to focus on learning up to the misalignment between resources and needs (thomas & brown, 2011). the lockdowns in response to covid-19 have interrupted conventional schooling, with nationwide school closures in most countries. while the education system has worked hard to maintain learning continuity during this time, children and students have had to rely more on their own resources to learn remotely via the internet, television, or radio. teachers had to adjust to new pedagogical concepts and styles of delivery that they may not have been educated for. learners from the most disadvantaged groups who lack access to digital learning tools or the resilience and engagement to learn independently are at risk of falling behind (green et al., 2020). globally, over 1.2 billion students are out of the classroom due to the pandemic. as an outcome, the education system has transformed radically, with the distinctive augmentation of virtual classroom instruction, in which teaching is undertaken distantly and using digital platforms (collie et al., 2018). virtual classroom instruction has been pushed further and deeper to address the challenges of learning stability in the middle of school closure during this tough time due to the covid-19 pandemic. video-conferencing is typically utilized to do face-to-face instruction. access and usage of video-conferencing tools and learning management systems have increased immensely as teaching and learning occur within the virtual corners of their online classrooms. today, virtual classroom instruction has been a helpful means of unbroken practical learning. some schools and institutions have done it productively and effectively, but some are challenged with major issues and problems by students, parents, and instructors (heggart, 2015). to simplify it, it looks like the new normal is about virtual classroom instruction and having digital platforms and tools to upkeep and support learning. however, the value of virtual classroom instruction depends not only on technical success but also on matters that involve humans’ pedagogical or psychological state. virtual classroom instruction is customarily regarded as more self-directed and teacher independent than traditional teaching, but in fact, the teacher is eventually responsible for providing the elements of learning in all teaching situations. garcía and weiss (2020) revealed that students learn effectively if they have consistent access to the internet and computers and if teachers have received targeted training and support for online instruction. because these essential prerequisites for efficacy have been mostly unmet for many, distant schooling has hampered teaching and https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i2.1563 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= mailto:haytham.elaoufy%40gmail.com?subject= mailto:maglalangkathy@gmail.com pa ge 63 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 62-68, 2023 learning during the pandemic. no doubt being embarked into these ambiguous times because of covid-19 has been expressly tough for teachers and students who now need to transport their classrooms from their safe school settings to their homes.virtual classroom instruction requires the student and teacher to be connected to the internet. while in most cases, the learning will be asynchronous, there is a large piece of time that will still require the student and teacher to be connected to the internet to be present in a class (fullan, 2007). one of the main worries about moving to online learning is that one cannot imitate the involvement and experience of being in the traditional classroom. most teachers were trained and competent to teach in a traditional classroom and not through online learning platforms. based on the survey on teacher readiness for distance education piloted by the department of education in april 2020, out of 689,329 teachers surveyed, only 63,416 or 9% of the teachers have undertaken training on distance learning (fidalgo, 2020). this is a hole that must be covered to guarantee that the quality of education is sustained. meanwhile, during the quarantine period in the philippines, education spokespersons have proposed using online platforms for the school year 2020-2021 to continue the schooling of millions of filipino students. the philippines, on the other hand, cannot support online schooling for most of its students, and the challenge is whether an online class will be effective for the majority of the country. comer et al. (2015) affirmed that it is generally accepted that undergraduate students would excel in online courses because most of them are digital natives. however, variables other than technology also impact students’ capacity to function as online learners. according to selfreported data, most students think they are well-suited for online learning. additionally, elements at the course level impact how well students learn online. particularly, students reported more favorable impressions of their online learning and various parts of their curriculum in qualitative (vs. quantitative) courses and beginning (vs. advanced) classes. yeboah and smith (2016) demonstrated that participants’ academic success was unrelated to their level of contentment or use of social media. however, there was a connection between the usage of technology, the number of online courses, study plans, and academic success. flexibility and time convenience, self-confidence, a lack of assistance, self-regulated learning abilities, language and linguistic differences, and lack of help were the categories that emerged from the open-ended questions. the authors concluded that a variety of elements, including cultural, linguistic, interpersonal, and effective abilities, aided minority students’ academic performance in an online learning environment. this study reaffirms the value of creating a multicultural environment in an online course and offers the best pedagogical strategies for instructing minority students online. liu and cavanaugh (2012), on the other hand, examined how final student grades in mathematics courses within a k–12 online learning environment are affected by teacher comments, student demographic data, and lms usage. the findings indicated that these variables affect students’ final algebra course grades. the implications for teaching are covered in the discussion of the results. there is insufficient empirical research looking at how students’ opinions of the virtual classroom experience and the elements that influence their performance in virtual classroom education. few studies have looked at how these factors may affect students’ perceptions of the virtual classroom experience or how those perceptions may in turn affect their academic performance. some studies have looked at factors like technology use, teacher support, and student engagement in virtual classrooms. hence, this study was conducted to address the gap in the factors that possibly affect the performance of undergraduate students in a university within virtual classroom instruction. though there were some studies undertaken that assess the student’s performance in online courses (2015), academic success in relation to their level of contentment or use of social media yeboah and smith (2016), as well as how students’ grades within an online learning environment are affected by teacher comments, student demographic data, and lms usage (liu & cavanaugh, 2012), there was no published study that determines the factors that affect the performance of university undergraduate students in virtual classroom instruction as well as their perception towards virtual classroom instruction in the context of the cte at mindoro state university. this could fill a research vacuum and guide measures to enhance virtual classroom education and boost student achievements. moreover, oriental mindoro is a province of region iv-b, philippines, that is highly impacted by the recent crisis brought on by the covid-19 pandemic. relative to this, several schools in oriental mindoro have adopted virtual classroom instruction for the academic year 20202021 as the schools followed the safety protocols of the government. as instructors in the sole state university in oriental mindoro, mindoro state university, the researchers were driven to determine the number of factors and circumstances that shape students’ learning and development through virtual classroom instruction. thus, this study assessed the student’s performance and perception of virtual classroom instruction. specifically, it examined the factors that affect the student’s performance in virtual classroom instruction and the student’s perception of virtual classroom instruction. literature review the use of virtual classrooms, commonly referred to as online learning or e-learning, has grown in popularity recently as a result of technological developments and modifications to the manner that education is imparted. studies on the effectiveness of virtual classroom instruction have been conducted, and some have found that it can be just as effective as traditional classroom instruction (liu, 2013; means et al., 2013; watson & kalmon, 2015). some, https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 64 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 62-68, 2023 however, contend that not all students will benefit equally from virtual classroom education, especially those who have difficulty managing their own learning (khalil & ebner, 2014). notwithstanding these conflicting results, it is obvious that online learning has grown to be a significant and popular method of delivering education, since many institutions now provide online courses and degree programs. the popularity of virtual classroom training has grown over the past few years as a result of technological improvements and the demand for more adaptable and accessible educational delivery methods. virtual classroom instruction has been the subject of numerous studies examining its advantages and disadvantages. some of these studies have found that it can enhance student engagement, motivation, and academic performance (jaggars & xu, 2016; kirschner & van merrinboer, 2013; richardson & swan, 2003). some, however, have asserted that learning in a virtual classroom may cause students to feel alone and disconnected and may not be as successful as training in a traditional classroom for specific subjects or student populations (allen & seaman, 2014; clark & mayer, 2011; zimmerman, 2013). despite these conflicting results, virtual classroom instruction is expected to remain a crucial teaching method. in recent years, the use of virtual classrooms has grown in popularity, and numerous studies have looked into how it affects both student views and performance. according to research, kids who participate in virtual classroom education may outperform their counterparts in conventional classroom settings (lage, platt, & treglia, 2000; means et al., 2013; yoon, 2017). yet, some studies have revealed that not all students may benefit equally from virtual classroom education, particularly those who cannot self-regulate their learning (khalil & ebner, 2014). studies have looked into students’ impressions of virtual classroom instruction in addition to their academic performance, and several have found that in general, students have favorable attitudes of this method of delivering education (kim & frick, 2011; moisey, neuhauser, & hornik, 2008). yet, some research has revealed that pupils may worry about social exclusion and a lack of engagement with their teachers and classmates in online classes (allen & seaman, 2017; horzum, 2018). materials and methods research design and sampling the study used descriptive research design to categorize the study variables, and it presents quantitative research that used internet surveys to collect data from respondents. the participants in the study were third-year bachelor of secondary education (bsed) students with a specialization in english enrolled in the second semester of the academic year (ay) 2020–2021 at the college of teacher education (cte) of mindoro state university–calapan city campus. 90 bsed students with specialization in english were purposively selected as respondents and represented the sample. to quickly collect the information needed for the study, they were contacted via facebook messenger and completed a google forms survey. research instrument after carefully examining the literature review related to factors that affect the student’s performance in virtual classroom instruction and the level of student performance during the pandemic, the study used a researcher-made online survey questionnaire using google forms with a close-ended 4-point likert scale statements: strongly disagree (1), disagree (2), agree (3) and strongly agree (4). the questionnaire’s statements were divided into two (2) main domains as follows: the first part (8 items) determined the factors that affect the student’s performance in virtual classroom instruction; and the second part (8 items) dealt with students’ perception of their performance during the pandemic. validity and reliability reliability was evaluated using the test-retest procedures. the reliability of the study was determined after administration to ten (10) students who were not included in the study (from bachelor of secondary education with specialization in mathematics), and the instrument was found reliable with cronbach alpha’s reliability of 0.800 (p<0.05). the cronbach’s alpha coefficients of each domain were above 0.8, which was considered good and acceptable. the online survey questionnaire was presented to three experts from the college of teacher education who have already completed their doctorate degree through electronic mail in order to ensure its validity. data collection the data were gathered from 90 third-year bsed-english students who were enrolled in the second semester of the academic year (ay) 2020-2021. google forms was used to build an online survey form, and participants were sent a link to a private facebook messenger conversation room. with regard to some obstacles or issues that affected the number of responses from the students, as expected from online surveys, only 59 participated in the survey in a span of three weeks and were included in the study, which covered 65% of the identified student respondents. they were informed three weeks prior to the administration of the online survey. ethical consideration the respondents were briefed and given important information on academic writing prior to the study’s conduct. the respondents voluntarily agreed to participate in the study through informed consent. the information collected was handled with secrecy and anonymity. all information was held and treated with the utmost confidentiality in accordance with ra 10173, also known as data privacy act, to ensure anonymity and confidentiality and avoid the potential for harm. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 65 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 62-68, 2023 results and discussion factors that affect the students’ performance in virtual classroom instruction the student respondents perceived that in virtual classroom instruction, the university and instructor’s support towards students (m=3.59) strongly affected the student’s performance during the covid-19 pandemic. the findings revealed that the support of the institution and the support of instructors are great contributors to students’ performance in virtual classroom instruction. this is parallel with the findings of the study of lee et al. (2011) which found that university assistance is critical, including providing guidance and counseling services for university students. these include online learning orientations, administrative aid, and participant social engagement. most institutions began to offer virtual classroom teaching during the covid-19 epidemic. according to ward et al. (2010), most university administrators said that online learning was crucial for ongoing learning activities and saw it as part of the overall organizational plan. similarly, instructors significantly impact the quality of e-learning (abbasi et al., 2020). they are the driving force behind quality education delivery. they are the motivators, guides, and mentors who steer pupils through all scenarios and assist them in resolving problems and concerns. they serve as role models and encourage pupils to look at life from many perspectives. they also help to reduce academic dishonesty (chirikov et al., 2020), which improves students’ academic performance. the result also revealed that in virtual classroom instruction, the learning management system (lms) (m=3.44) design affects the students’ performance during the covid-19 pandemic. this is in accordance with the results of the study of ahmad et al. (2018), which found that the lms should introduce course content that is designed according to students’ competence and level of understanding and is appropriate in terms of time and space to promote and support the self-study process. structure, course design interface, testing and assessment methodologies, and exchange forums between lecturers and learners are all part of the learning management system. an lms design will encourage students’ participation in online classes (2020). on the other hand, the student respondents perceived that in virtual classroom instruction, the professional competence of teachers (m=2.95) and the time rendered per online class session (m=2.97) slightly affected the student’s performance during the covid-19 pandemic. the findings contradict the findings of alrefaie’s (2020) study, which found that pedagogical methods, professional competence, science and technology application level, ability to construct and merge different thoughts, and practices in designing online learning content in higher education help students achieve improved learning outcomes. table 1: factors that affect the students’ performance in virtual classroom instruction item number through virtual classroom instruction, the following affects the student's performance: mean description 1 pedagogical methods of teachers 3.29 agree 2 professional competence of teachers 2.95 agree 3 structure and content of chapters of e-learning materials 3.20 agree 4 design of a learning management system (lms) 3.44 agree 5 internet connection 3.15 agree 6 number of students in an online class 3.10 agree 7 time rendered per online class session 2.97 agree 8 university and instructor support toward students 3.59 strongly agree overall mean 3.21 agree students’ perception of virtual classroom instruction the student respondents perceived that virtual classroom instruction provides comfort to students (m=3.58), which connotes that online learning mode learning makes them feel comfortable because they are not bound to physical class sessions and all lectures and needed materials are provided via online platforms, so students easily access them from the comfort of their home. this is in line with the results of alipour’s (2020) study, which revealed that many other academic publications had corroborated the beneficial influence of virtual classroom instruction on academic success. furthermore, the utilization of virtual classroom instruction increases student engagement to stay engaged in learning, so increasing their role as learners in their education. however, this opposes the findings of harefa and sihombing’s (2011) study, which found that students are less comfortable with online learning and that the feeling of difficulty implies dissatisfaction. the result also revealed that student respondents perceived that virtual classroom instruction is more convenient than face-to-face learning (m=3.20) and enthused students to learn more (m=3.15). results showed that students are stimulated to learn more because it is more convenient than face-to-face learning. this is similar to the findings of means et al. (2009), who found that in 100% of online classes, students fared somewhat better than in face-to-face sessions but significantly better in online courses. the benefits of virtual classroom instruction are https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 66 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 62-68, 2023 combined with technology-based learning in the virtual classroom (melton et al., 2010). this, however, contradicts the conclusions of lee and im’s (2014) study, which found that determining which instructional approaches and learning settings to use was one of the most critical difficulties impacting the quality of education in higher education institutions. on the other hand, the student respondents perceived that virtual classroom instruction does not meet students’ needs and learning styles (m=2.12) and equip students’ knowledge, skills, and abilities (m=2.25), which affirmed that students’ needs and learning styles are met when learning is face-to-face. likewise, the results revealed that students could only totally grasp proper knowledge, skills, and abilities when classes are conducted face-to-face. the findings support harefa and sihombing’s (2021) assumption that face-to-face learning is more enjoyable for students. face-to-face learning allows students to get direct answers to their questions concerning the content being studied. similarly, dibner (2020) and lan and hew (2020) found that student involvement in virtual classroom instruction is frequently lower than in face-toface instruction. table 2: students' perception of virtual classroom instruction item number the following are students' perceptions of virtual classroom instruction mean description 1 improve students' performance 3.12 agree 2 more convenient than face-to-face learning 3.20 agree 3 enthuse students to learn more 3.15 agree 4 encourage more class interaction 2.59 agree 5 provides comfort to students 3.58 strongly agree 6 equip students' knowledge, skills, and abilities 2.25 disagree 7 provide students with a supportive learning environment 3.07 agree 8 meet students' needs and learning styles 2.12 disagree overall mean 2.89 agree conclusion in terms of the factors that affect the student’s performance in virtual classroom instruction, the support of the institution, along with the support of instructors, are great contributors to the performance of students in virtual classroom instruction. the results also revealed that in virtual classroom instruction, the design of the learning management system (lms) affects the students’ performance during the covid-19 pandemic. on the other hand, the professional competence of teachers and the time rendered per online class session slightly affect the student’s performance during the covid-19 pandemic. meanwhile, in terms of students’ perception of virtual classroom instruction, student respondents agreed that virtual classroom instruction provides comfort to students, is more convenient than face-to-face learning, and enthuses students to learn more. however, virtual classroom instruction does not meet students’ needs and learning styles and equips students’ knowledge, skills, and abilities, affirming that students’ needs and learning styles are met when face-to-face learning. recommendation it is necessary to provide a user-friendly learning management system (lms) from a pedagogical perspective. instructional designers and educators may create effective lms with the help of research on interface. design, learner involvement patterns, and cognitive load in virtual classroom instruction. students must be ready for the social roles, pedagogical practices, technology, and learning management systems needed for online learning. teachers must detect student needs and scaffold learning by closely observing student involvement and participation patterns to ensure they meet students’ needs and learning styles and equip their knowledge, skills, and abilities. references abbasi, s., hasan, n., & aziz, n. 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(2017). effects of a blended learning approach on student outcomes in a graduate-level online research course. journal of interactive online learning, 16(1), 1-14. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 40 american journal of education and technology (ajet) the growth of women’s education in bangladesh naima akhter lina1* volume 2 issue 3, year 2023 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i3.1276 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: febuary 06, 2023 accepted: june 25, 2023 published: july 01, 2023 a country’s foundation is its educational system. without education, no country can advance since it teaches knowledge and abilities that improve quality of life and human growth. women’s education is essential to society and to a country. investment in preparing the workforce of the future is very essential in a developing nation like bangladesh, which is one of the most promising emerging economies. education is a fundamental human right, but in a developing country like bangladesh, special focus must be placed on the education of women. women who pursue education will not only have higher household incomes and help create a more skilled labor force, but they will also have greater social mobility. the value of education to our nation cannot be overstated. therefore, government should focus more on the issue. given that women make up half of our population, this essay will examine the situation of women’s education in bangladesh. this investigation into the advancement of women’s education and the resources made available by the bangladeshi government was carried out through the analysis of documents. it will encourage researchers to look further into the education and development of women. keywords education, women’s education, gender gap 1 senior english teacher, south point school and college, bangladesh * corresponding author’s e-mail: naimalina321@gmail.com introduction statement of the problem bangladesh is a large, low-income country with a young, largely illiterate population, especially among women and the poor. according to recent estimates for the population over the age of 11, 35.6 percent of women are literate, compared to 47.6 percent of men (ahmaed et al., 2005). according to ahmaed et al. (2007), there are around 150,000 institutions, 760 000 professors, and one million students enrolled in all levels of education up to the university. education in bangladesh is also characterized by a high degree of administrative centralization and the use of women as teachers. despite systemic improvements since 1990, socioeconomic inequality and the rural-urban split still exist. 18 million kids are enrolled in one of four major types of primary education. according to ahmaed et al. (2009), the net primary enrolment rate grew from 82.0 percent in 1996 to 89.7 percent in 2004. (over these year the rate for boys went from 83.0 to 84.0 percent, while that for girls increased from 81.0 to 96.0 percent). despite the increased enrollment in these games, there are still significant shortcomings in the quality of the learning results and completion rates. according to ahmaed et al. (2006), 48% of children who enroll in elementary school leave before completing the five-year cycle. education is a fundamental human right and a means of attaining peace, progress, and equality. men and women both gain from nondiscriminatory education, which ultimately equalizes interactions between the sexes. giving the female population more than just a basic education is one way to empower women, which is one of the key components of effective social and economic development in today’s society. women must have equal access to educational opportunities if they are to be change agents. reduced fertility, improved nutrition, and poverty are all benefits of female education. education increases women’s chances of participating in formal paid jobs, their ability to influence family decisions, and their personal health outcomes and life expectancy. aside from the intrinsic importance of education, women with greater levels of education are more productive, earn more money, marry later, and produce fewer, healthier, and more intelligent children. education increases a woman’s involvement in civic issues. the ability of an educated woman to escape the poverty cycle is maybe of utmost importance. instead, she can take part in a good educational cycle that secures the prosperity of her offspring and her nation. a study that quantified their contributions found that a rise in female educational attainment increases the real gdp per capita’s subsequent growth rate. according to the projection, every additional year of education for women increases growth by between two and four percent annually. the advantages are so great that many experts are of the opinion that investing in the education of women may likely yield the highest returns in the developing countries. in a nutshell, bangladesh is a developing country and behind her les and slow development lack of proper female education is one of the causes. methods this paper relied on secondary sources of data which include books, journals, previous studies, government documents, newspapers and periodicals. a qualitative data analysis technique was employed in order to analyze data. theoretical framework this paper clarifies the concept of education and women https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i3.1276 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= mailto:naimalina321%40gmail.com?subject= pa ge 41 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 40-50, 2023 empowerment. it also examines the gap between the literacy level of male gender and that of the female gender. objective of the study 1. to be aware of female education in order to combat poverty, early marriage, women’s abuse, etc. 2. to determine the number of educated women and prepare them to contribute to the social and economic development of the nation. 3. to understand the social standing of women in the neighborhood, lessen gender inequality, and boost population growth. 4. to understand the importance of female education and the overall advancement of women’s empowerment. 5. to inspire women by portraying a realistic image of female education and its future. 6. to offer suggestions for improving the current system. scope of the study our nation’s educational system recognizes the value of female education. the advancement of the nation depends on female education. therefore, one of the crucial challenges in the context of bangladesh is to do a detailed study on women’s education. here, efforts have been made to identify the issues and future opportunities relating to female education. most female students stop attending school after or before completing high school. numerous factors, such as poverty, early marriage, the absence of parents, an inadequate stipend, the load of family duties, a lack of stability, and others, contribute to their dropping out. consequently, this paper’s scope is quite broad. due to the time and opportunity constraints, all aspects of the study on female education could not be included. status of bangladesh literacy rate in south asia investment in preparing the workforce of the future is very essential in a developing nation like bangladesh, which is one of the most promising emerging economies. the second millennium development goal of the united nations aims to achieve universal primary education (mdg). however, studies show that bangladesh’s enrollment rates in school, for both genders, give the impression that the country is far behind its peers. for instance, sri lanka has the highest literacy rate in south asia at 92% as of 2016. india has a literacy rate of 74%. as of 2016, bangladesh has a literacy rate of 70%, which is comparable to india’s but vastly different from bangladesh’s. it is important to consider the stark differences in economic aspects, such as population, for example. because of this, the trend in the proportion of official development assistance (oda) going to the bangladeshi education sector can be worrisome. this will put the need for more focus on our education sector into better perspective. education is a fundamental human right, but in a developing country like bangladesh, special focus must be placed on the education of women. rural families frequently avoid enrolling their young girls in school because they feel that women are only suited for household management. it is concerning to hold such a view in 2016, which is why our nation’s educational system urgently needs some improvements. it is crucial to raise young girls in our nation to be educated ladies. a cost-benefit analysis will show that the benefits are greater than the costs. the number of child brides in bangladesh will decline first and foremost. as a result, the national average age at which women become pregnant will increase, ensuring that the health of the mother and the unborn child is not jeopardized. these people will have certain talents as a result of their primary education, which can serve as a foundation for later specialized skill acquisition. when women eventually decide to have children, they are more likely to understand the value of education and to make sure that their children receive an education as well. the most important thing is these women will not discriminate between their sons and daughters, if they had grown up being treated the same as their brothers. women who pursue education will not only have higher household incomes and help create a more skilled labor force, but they will also have greater social mobility. they have advanced in social class as a result of positive vertical social mobility. men are predicted to refrain from using domestic violence, while women are more likely to be able to deal with domestic violence at home, should there be any. this is expected if the education sector can offer sufficient instruction to both sexes equally. in the long run, this will promote women’s self-esteem, raise their status, and make them happier and more self-assured. every person living in poverty dreams of breaking free from the cycle of poverty, and education is the means by which this desire might be transformed. however, international assistance to bangladesh’s education system has decreased. in bangladesh, aid to education increased from usd 148 million in 2002–2003 to usd 528 million in 2013. this amount decreased to usd 449 million in 2014. in bangladesh, aid for elementary education was 19 usd per child in 2013, while in 2014, it was 13 usd per child. this compares favorably to sri lanka ($25/child) and afghanistan ($50/child) in 2014. it is evident that foreign aid to education can result in significant improvements, yet despite the anticipated results, aid to education is currently smaller than it was the previous year. the value of education to our nation cannot be overstated. therefore, government should focus more on the issue. bd: gender parity index (gpi): literacy rate: youth aged 15-24 literacy rate: youth aged 15-24 data was reported at 1.028 ratio in 2020. bd: gender parity index (gpi): literacy rate. this is an increase over the prior figure for 2019 of 1.025 ratio. bd: youth aged 15-24 literacy https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 42 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 40-50, 2023 rate data is updated yearly, with a ratio of 1.028 from december 1981 to 2020 and 15 observations. the ratio of the data ranged from a record high of 1.196 in 2007 to a record low of 0.612 in 1981. bd: gender parity index (gpi): literacy rate: youth aged 15-24 data is supplied by the world bank and has an active status in ceic. the information is arranged under bangladesh table bd.world bank in the global database. wdi: social: statistics on education. the ratio of girls to males aged 15 to 24 who can read and write with comprehension a brief, simple statement about their daily lives is known as the gender parity index for youth literacy rates (uis). figure 1: gender parity index (gpi): literacy rate: youth aged 15-24 bd: gender parity index (gpi): primary and secondary school enrollment primary and secondary school enrollment for the bd gender parity index (gpi): gross data was reported at 1.135 ratio in 2021. this is a decline from the prior value for 2020 of 1.146 ratio. bd: primary and secondary school enrollment: gender parity index (gpi) averaging 0.740 ratio across 24 observations from december 1973 to december 2021, gross data is updated yearly. the ratio of the data ranged from a record low of 0.499 ratio in 1976 to an all-time high of 1.146 ratio in 2020. primary and secondary school enrollment: gross data remains active status in ceic and is supplied by world bank. bd: gender parity index (gpi): the information is arranged under bangladesh table bd.world bank in the global database. wdi: social: statistics on education. the ratio of girls to boys enrolled at the elementary and secondary levels in public and private schools is known as the gender parity index for gross enrolment ratio in primary and secondary education (uis). bulk data download service by uis.stat. 24th october 2022 access date. figure 2: gender parity index (gpi): primary and secondary school enrollment bd: gender parity index (gpi): tertiary school enrollment: tertiary school enrollment: gross data was recorded at 0.833 ratio in 2021. bd: gender parity index (gpi) this represents an improvement over the prior figure of 0.812 ratio for 2020. tertiary school enrollment: bd: gender parity index (gpi) the average ratio for the gross data from december 1970 to december 2021, with 38 observations, was 0.484. the data peaked in 2021 at 0.833 ratio and hit a record low in 1970 of 0.113 ratio. tertiary https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 43 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 40-50, 2023 school enrollment: gross data has a current active status in ceic and is provided by the world bank. bd: gender parity index (gpi). the information is arranged under bangladesh table bd.world bank in the global database. wdi: social: statistics on education. the ratio of women to men enrolled at the tertiary level in public and private schools is known as the gender parity index for gross enrollment ratio in tertiary education (uis). bulk data download service by uis.stat. 24th october 2022 access date. bd: gross intake ratio in first grade of primary education: female: % of relevant age group statistics for bd: gross intake ratio in first grade of primary education was reported at 109.285% in 2018. this represents an increase from the prior figure for 2017 of 105.792%. the data for bd: gross intake ratio in first grade of primary education: female: % of relevant age group is updated yearly and includes 14 observations with a mean value of 111.713% from december 1976 to 2018. the data peaked in 2011 at 130.035% and hit a record low in 1976 at 84.095%. the world bank continues to report data on the gross intake ratio in first grade of primary education: female: % of relevant age group. the information is arranged under bangladesh table bd. world bank in the global database. wdi: social: statistics on education. the number of new students entering the first grade of primary education, regardless of age, is referred to as the gross intake ratio and is calculated by the unesco institute for statistics (http://uis.unesco.org/). bd: lower secondary completion rate: female 2017 data for the bd: lower secondary completion rate: female: % of relevant age group indicated a figure of 74.341%. this represents a reduction from the prior figure for 2016 of 87.128%. the data for bd: lower secondary completion rate: female: % of relevant age group is updated monthly and includes 16 observations with a mean of 61.838% from dec 1998 to 2017. the information peaked at 87.128% in 2016 and fell to a record low of 51.636% in 1998. lower secondary completion rate: female: % of relevant age group data is supplied by world bank and has an active status in ceic. the information is arranged under bangladesh table bd.world bank in the global database. wdi: social: statistics on education. the gross intake ratio to the final grade of lower secondary education is used to calculate the completion rate for this level of education (general and pre-vocational). it is computed by dividing the population at the admission age for the last grade of lower secondary school by the number of new students entering that grade, regardless of age. unesco institute for statistics (uis). bulk data download service by uis.stat. 24th october 2022 access date. figure 3: gross intake ratio in first grade of primary education figure 3: gross intake ratio in first grade of primary education https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 44 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 40-50, 2023 bd: adolescents out of school: female according to the 2017 data from bd: adolescents out of school: female: % of female lower secondary school age, this percentage was 25.432%. there has been a decline from the prior figure for 2016 of 27.734%. the data for bd: adolescents out of school: female: % of female lower secondary school age is updated yearly and includes 9 observations with a 9-year average growth of 26.159%. the data peaked in 2014 at 33.551% and hit a record low in 2010 at 12.433%. world bank reports the bd: adolescents out of school: female: % of female lower secondary school age data, which has an active status in ceic. the information is arranged under bangladesh table bd. world bank in the global database. wdi: social: statistics on education. the proportion of teenagers in lower secondary school who are not enrolled in school is known as the “adolescent out of school” rate (uis). bulk data download service by uis.stat. 24th october 2022 access date. bd: literacy rate: adult female according to data from bd: adult female literacy rate: % of females aged 15 and above, it was 72.005% in 2020. this represents an improvement for 2019 above the prior figure of 71.948%. the data for bd: literacy rate: adult female: % of females aged 15 and above is updated monthly, with 14 observations between dec 1981 and 2020 with an average of 57.825%. in 2020, the statistics hit an all-time high of 72.005%, and in 1981, it hit a record low of 17.972%. bd: adult female literacy rate: % of females aged 15 and above data is supplied by the world bank and has an active status in ceic. the information is arranged under bangladesh table bd.world bank in the global database. wdi: social: statistics on education. the percentage of adults aged 15 and older who can read and write and comprehend a brief, straightforward statement about their daily lives is known as the adult literacy rate (uis). bulk data download service by uis.stat. 24th october 2022 access date. female education in bangladesh no citizen of bangladesh may be subject to any prohibition, restriction, or unfair treatment with regard to admission to any educational institution on the basis of sex, according to the constitution of that country. the constitution also gives the state the authority to create particular protections for women. it has long been accepted in official circles that education helps figure 5: adolescents out of school: female figure 6: literacy rate: adult female https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 45 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 40-50, 2023 girls become better mothers and wives. after gaining independence in 1974, the newly elected government met with the qudrat-e-khuda education commission to discuss the most important aspects of education policy. the commission report framed women’s education as beneficial to traditional gender roles and family life. the panel made connections between female education and outcomes like children, health and nutrition, and acceptable professions like teaching and nursing (jalauddin and chowdhury,1997). since then, aside from a more recent focus on population control, most initiatives intended to encourage girls’ education have tended to adhere to these objectives. bangladesh’s policy on girls’ education have taken into account the fact that some parents are hesitant to support their daughters’ education. parents may conclude that investing in their daughter’s education is not a wise use of their limited resources in this patriarchal society when daughters marry into other families (raynor, 20005). with poverty, this inclination gets worse. in the sub-sector as a whole, and frequently unnoticed, institutions and schools have not benefited from supervision received, there is an acute teacher shortage in many schools, some teachers are not well-prepared for their jobs, schools and students lack enough learning materials, physical facilities are insufficient for the number of students requiring access to education, and instructional time is insufficient. in a short amount of time, all these flaws must be fixed. problems of female education international women’s day, or iwd, is observed annually on march 8 based on the circumstance and a theme decided upon by the united nations (un). as in previous years, the subject for this year’s celebration is “women in leadership: achieving an equal future in a covid-19 world.” this year’s day aims to draw attention to the crucial role that women have been playing as health professionals, carers, and innovators in communities around the world. if they are not given the assurance of a troubleand riskfree education in the nation, women’s leadership cannot be attained. due to extreme inequality and differences in educational systems, women’s access to school has been severely restricted during the pandemic. in bangladesh, women are stereotyped as pursuing a family-centered existence, which worsens the nation’s reputation while also keeping education at a standstill until the illiteracy age. therefore, it is crucial to raise young girls in our nation to be intelligent ladies. a cost-benefit analysis will show that the benefits are greater than the costs. education for women is a top objective for strategic development. should they decide to become mothers, women with higher levels of education typically have fewer children, marry later in life, and their children are typically healthier. they also tend to be more knowledgeable about nutrition and healthcare. they have a better probability of participating in the formal job market and earning more money. combining all of these elements can aid in eradicating poverty from households, communities, and entire nations. in order to eliminate the obstacles girls, confront when pursuing their education, preventive measures must be adopted. first and foremost, small-scale community projects should inform locals and residents in impoverished areas of the value of girls’ education. this will make gender equality easier for the underprivileged to understand. second, males should be taught the value of gender equality and the enormous social impact that education for women may have. finally, laws must be enforced more strictly, both on roadways and in classrooms. regarding the safety of girls, schools must have strict guidelines that must be followed at all times. in order to secure the safety of drivers, more security people, such as police officers, must be stationed in various parts of the route. the establishment of madrasa schools has been one of the most effective strategies to guarantee women’s education in bangladesh. children who attend a madrasas school can receive both civil and religious education, which gives parents the peace of mind to send their daughters to school without worrying that their religious convictions will be violated. more girls are able to enroll in school thanks to the growth of madrasas schools that serve more religious families and communities. on the basis of the aforementioned explanation, we may draw the conclusion that women’s access to education not only boosts household earnings and helps create a more skilled labor force, but also increases their social mobility and ensures the quality of education in the nation. there must be a better world to lead the country and achieve future equality in the world if the education sector can offer good education to both sexes equally, men are expected not to resort to domestic violence, and women are more likely to overcome the condition of domestic violence at home. additionally, this will promote women’s pride, raise their stature, and ultimately make them happier and more self-assured. some of the obstacles women face in acquiring education are mentioned below: 1. poverty: a) women’s access to education is hampered by poverty. b) poor parents deprive their daughters of an education. 2. early marriage: a) guardians believe that if a woman is older, they won’t find a suitable spouse. b) the guardians’ limited financial resources. c) less capable female students are married off. 3. unawareness of guardians: a) illiterate guardians always make disparaging remarks about women’s education. b) they believe that women won’t be of any future assistance. 4. disparity in religious beliefs: a) the majority of families oppose female education https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 46 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 40-50, 2023 due to their beliefs. b) some parents believed that highly educated women couldn’t adequately participate in religious activities. c) because of religious discrimination, many intelligent people are unable to finish their studies. 5. communication system: a) the majority of women are illiterate due to communication system. b) girls also can’t go far to get to school. c) a failure to communicate roads are another factor in the undereducation of women. 6. issues with housing: a) lack of housing options makes it difficult for majority of women to continue their education. b) female students who lack protection are made losers for pursuing their education. 7. causes of eve-teasing: a) eve-teasing has a significant role today in the demise of female education; b) eve-teasing affects women of all ages, which contributes to the daily decline in female enrollment in educational institutions. 8. lack of security: a) security concerns prevent the majority of women from continuing their education. b) parents of women who stay in hostels experience a lack of security. c) women experience insecurities when communicating in public settings like buses and trains. so that their parents won’t consent to go to long distant places. growth of women’s education in bangladesh many authors stress the importance of education for women’s emancipation. according to islam (2010), women who lack education also lack self-confidence. naturally, an educated woman will have a variety of problem-solving and decision-making skills, and she will want to put those to use for herself and her family. the national education policy of bangladesh15 (2010) placed a strong emphasis on encouraging women’s education across the board in order to do away with any sex-based stereotyping and guarantee equality. in order to secure women’s holistic growth, empowerment, and involvement in societal advancement, the policy has also placed a strong emphasis on women’s education. a number of measures for women’s education have been taken by bangladesh’s succeeding governments. as a result, women now have higher educational levels. the gender gap in this industry has greatly shrunk as a result of affirmative action measures adopted in the allocation of financial resources in the education sector and women-friendly education regulations. according to the population census-2001 of bangladesh, the literacy rate for people aged 7 and older increased from around 26% to 45.32% over the course of the previous 20 years (1981–2001). it hits 56.1 percent in 2011. the remarkable increase in women’s education during this time has made a significant contribution to bangladesh’s improvement in its literacy rate. girls’ secondary school enrollment has increased significantly during the 1980s, from 39% in 1998 to 67% in 2017. the female secondary school assistance project (fssap), which was launched in the early 1990s initially as a trial and later as a statewide initiative, was particularly important in attaining gender equality and is the cause of this progress. according to data from the 2017 bangladesh bureau of educational information and statistics, girls’ secondary school dropout rates are at a high 42 percent. completion rates are also low, with grade 10 completion rates bottoming out at just 10 percent and secondary level completion rates only rising to 59 percent. the most alarming scenario is that female students drop out at a higher rate than male pupils. in terms of completion rate, dropout rate, and survival rate, there is a significant difference between male and female students. according to studies, when we look at different location segments, the metropolitan region had greater enrollment rates, whereas rural areas had lower enrollment rates. of the overall enrollment in 1998, 50.6% of the students were men and 49.4% were women. the percentage of female enrollment in 2000 was 54 percent of the overall enrollment. the percentage of female pupils climbed to 56% in that year. however, it is a good piece of news. the sample’s selection of schools with a majority of female students was the primary cause of the higher percentage of female enrollment. the establishment of the female stipend program and tuition price waiver, particularly in rural areas, was the primary cause of these significant variations in participation rates between male and female. global organizations have underlined that educating girls is essential for a country’s development and for the full potential of its inhabitants. the world bank website sample also aids in reminding us of the importance of the justification for girls’ education. it is therefore necessary to promote female education so that they may collaborate with men to support the family’s economic and advance to success. the good news is that the government has already started providing rural female children with free education up to high school. however, it is important to inform them of the program implemented for their wellbeing. in this matter, many non-government organizations (ngo) and urban students can play a role to urge those unprivileged girls to educate themselves. gender gap in education of bangladesh gender gap in primary education and its size bangladesh has made significant progress in elementary level education as a result of numerous financial measures and the policy of obligatory primary education. the primary schools now have a gross enrolment percentage of almost 97 percent. however, the results of certain small-scale research indicate that the gross enrolment rate has already surpassed 100%. bangladeshi women’s empowerment through education 44 net enrolment rate, however, is close to 87. it’s interesting to see that https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 47 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 40-50, 2023 girls enlist at a higher rate than guys. as a result, in 2002, the gender gap in primary education was almost entirely closed. gender equality in elementary school has been considerably aided by the programs “food for education,” “cash for education,” and “free books,” all of which have been included in the education budget from the fiscal year 1993–1994 however, only around half of the students enrolling in the program complete it. from 2005 to 2007, the dropout rate was 47.2%; from 2007 to 2018, it was 50.5%. the degree to which there is a gender gap in secondary and higher education in bangladesh, emphasis has also been placed on enhancing the quality of secondary and higher secondary education through advancements in science and technological education. in our nation, emphasis has been placed on educating students in information and communication technologies. currently, there are 7651 secondary and upper secondary level madrasah19, 2427 general colleges, and 16,166 secondary schools. the number of students has risen over time at each of these institutions. according to a survey, the number of pupils enrolled in secondary level schools (class v to class x) increased by roughly 21% between 1998 and 2002. it is really heartening to see that girl students enroll at a far higher rate than boy students at secondary level schools. the proportion of female pupils has risen by roughly 26%. it is interesting to note that whereas girls made up slightly more than 51% of secondary school students in 1998, they made up nearly 54% of secondary school students in 2002. this demonstrates that the gender gap in secondary education has more than just shrunk; it has been constructed against boys. size of the gender gap in higher education the number of students enrolled in tertiary institutions of higher learning has likewise grown over time. similar to primary and secondary levels of education, the number of private colleges and universities as well as their enrolment have increased quickly. a rising number of students may have been drawn to private universities by the assurance of completing the courses of study within the allotted time, the politics-free environment in contrast to public universities, and other factors. there are more female students overall in colleges and universities at private institutions, which may be due to the same factor. the number of students enrolling in higher education is still quite low. in bangladesh, just 7 students out of every 1000 enroll in higher education (society & change vol. vi, no. 4, october-december 2012 45). for female students, this percentage is significantly lower. as a result, the gender gap in tertiary education continues to be very large. there are 61:39 male and female students enrolled in tertiary education. female students in postsecondary madrasah education have climbed by 40%, whilst female students in tertiary general education have increased by only 21%, indicating an even worse gender imbalance in this level of education. female enrolment rates at public colleges were 25 percent in 2008, 27 percent in 2009, 28 percent in 2010, and 27.15 percent in 2011, according to the university grants commission’s22 (ugc) annual reports. the impact of women’s education in society education of women’s role in national development benefits education range widely, including improvements in housing, clothing, food, health, transportation, communication, entertainment, and the profitable use of leisure time. the vast majority of our female population’s education would significantly advance their capacity for personal growth. husbands and kids stand to benefit greatly as well. women are more inclined to believe in themselves and their capacity to make valuable contributions to the growth of the country. education aids help women in fulfilling their marital responsibilities. a married lady is supposed to look after her household, including her husband and kids. she is expected to cook, clean, and raise her children with whatever knowledge and abilities she possesses. mothers have a significant role in ensuring the children’s excellent health, which benefits the entire community and country as a whole. starting in the womb, one can achieve good health. it begins with the expectant mother being aware of what constitutes a balanced diet, abstaining from harmful medicines, and taking steps detrimental to the health of the unborn child. if a woman is educated, she can be aware of all these dangerous factors. women who are educated will be able to contribute to the establishment and reconstruction of nations. a few women presently hold prominent posts in bangladesh, including those of prime minister, leader of the opposition in the parliament, speaker, and deputy leader, as well as some ministerial roles, particularly those related to international affairs and the appellate division of the supreme court. final thoughts and suggestions are that the progress of a country must include the empowerment of women. since women make up half of the population, progress is impossible without completely taking into consideration their wants and interests. in truth, a country’s strength lies in its empowered women. it makes sense to assume that progress will boost women’s status because it improves the living conditions of society as a whole. nobody in bangladesh can complete the process of emancipating and empowering women in a short amount of time. but women have taken advantage of their opportunities and advanced significantly. at 48 distinct empowerment of women through education in bangladesh events, the bangladeshi government expressed an official desire to better the lives of women. here, education has been crucial to the emancipation of women. there is still work to be done in the domain of women’s education despite all the efforts made by the various levels of government, together with non-governmental organizations and donor agencies. decrease of women enrollment in higher education bangladesh has shown progress with women’s education thus far. at the basic and secondary levels, girls continue https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 48 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 40-50, 2023 to outnumber boys and make up more than half of student enrollment. when it comes to college and university, though, things change significantly. the latest government data show that females’ enrollment starts to decline at the college level and that the trend continues as they progress to higher education. according to data compiled by the bangladesh bureau of educational information and statistics (banbeis), in 2020, 55.41 percent of girls were enrolled in junior school, which is sixth through eighth grade, while 40.78 percent of them were enrolled in master’s-level coursework. girls made up 53.57 percent of all secondary students in the ninth and tenth grades, whereas their share dropped to 43.80 percent at the graduation level. the situation was nearly identical in 2018 and 2019. the gloomy numbers do have one positive aspect. in the three years leading up to 2020, the proportion of women pursuing master’s degrees has grown. according to the banbeis data, around 36.70 percent of female students enrolled in master’s level courses in 2019. education experts discussed this diminishing trend and pointed out that child marriage and poverty are the main causes. the role of sexual harassment on the journey to and from college and university is equally significant. in addition, they claimed that in addition to the lack of reliable transportation, the lack of girls’ hostels is a barrier to girls’ education. experts claimed that the prolonged closure of educational facilities brought on by covid-19 had made things worse. only 37.50 percent of the 1,12,779 female students enrolled in 43 public colleges have access to dormitories, according to university grants commission data. there are no dormitories at jagannath university for the 6,583 female students. at barishal university, about 14% of female students could use the dorms, and 30% at bangladesh university of engineering and technology could get housing (buet). there is a severe lack of dorm space in girls’ colleges. there are 22,000 students enrolled at eden mahila college, but only 6,000 of them can fit in the college’s six dorms, according to principal supriya bhattacharya. prof. tania haque of the department of women’s and gender studies at dhaka university stressed the need of infrastructure like female-only dorms as well as safety when traveling to and from educational facilities. results and discussion we can now state with certainty that there is a gender disparity at all educational levels. additionally, it is clear that when education levels rise, the gender disparity widens. since decision-making reaches the core of patriarchy, which supports male dominance over resources and institutions of state and family, it has the greatest impact on empowering women. women’s ability to make decisions is largely influenced by their level of education. as a result, it is anticipated that as women’s educational levels rise, so will their ability to make decisions and their access to political power at all levels—at the state, institutional, and family levels. for instance, the union parishad elections in 1997 and 2002 significantly altered the participation of women in politics and decision-making. 13,000 women joined the union parishad and became members. however, it is upsetting to learn that 20% of the female members are uneducated. between 2 and 6, there are very few women in the cabinet, which is the highest decision-making body in the nation. there are now 70 members of parliament (mp), 50 of which are reserved seats. recently, a woman mp was chosen to serve as speaker of the house. in the supreme court’s appellate division, there is only one justice. the last three decades of bangladesh’s political history have seen little change in this position, despite the fact that women’s educational advancement has been notable during this time. women are hardly present in other areas where decisions are made, such as the bureaucracy and high-level positions empowerment of women through education in bangladesh 46. according to recent data, there are only two women among the 70 secretaries and 11 among the 243 additional secretaries. currently, the nation lacks a female deputy commissioner (dc) (ministry of public administration, april, 2013). research findings 1. poverty, which causes parents to favor their sons as children. 2. the attitude of society and parents toward girls’ education remains demotivating. 3. a big issue for female education is early marriage. consequently, the girls are not motivated to attend school. 4. eve-teasing issues affecting girls. 5. social inequality is a problem that affects girls. 6. residential facilities in colleges and universities are problematic for girls. limitations of the study mainly due to time limitation, i was not able to make the study much informative, resourceful, elaborate and analytical as i intended to. due to my workload and studies for my thesis paper i could not avail much time for further research on this paper. recommendations 1. community guardians and educators should inspire female students. 2. the government and community should inspire and raise awareness among students, both boys and girls, about how to solve this issue. 3. the government and political figures should take action to lessen socioeconomic inequality. 4. the government and relevant authorities shall guarantee a residential facility for female students. in order for them to continue studying more. 5. in order to lower the degree of poverty among parents, poverty alleviation measures should be clearly stated, aggressively pursued, and objectively carried out. this https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 49 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 40-50, 2023 will make it possible for parents to provide their kids with equal educational chances. 6. the national education policy’s provisions relating to equal opportunity for all bangladeshis should be faithfully implemented. 7. political leaders play a critical role in the problem of women’s emancipation. our leaders must demonstrate via genuine action that they are genuinely interested in using effective initiatives to address this issue. whatever plans are started, they should be carried out completely and routinely reviewed. 8. women should be represented on curriculum boards to help identify and eliminate any potential gender biases that may exist. 9. more pro-women policies should focus on empowering women via education. 10. appropriate educational research groups and governmental departments must start and support ongoing study into the variables influencing women’s educational opportunities. 11. women must organize themselves to meet the challenges of a positive and meaningful role in the struggle for national emancipation, development, and progress through the acquisition of functional education that will usher in the future. 12. in service and pre-service education of teachers should be developed, helping the teachers develop skills to combat stereotyping and raise awareness of the constraints that gender stereotyping imposes on the development of young girls. 13. the government ought to provide more possibilities for women in order to pique their interest in education. 14. last but not least, government should take all the necessary steps for the proper utilization of foreign aid in the education sector. conclusion napoleon once reportedly quipped, “give me a learned mother, and i’ll guarantee you the birth of a civilized and learned nation.” islam in our country has placed a strong emphasis on women’s education. a nation’s success largely depends on how well-educated its people are. it is claimed that a country’s foundation is its educational system. early marriage is the most frequent obstacle to the implementation of female education. additionally, some individuals and groups attempt to refute religion with spurious religious justifications. women make up roughly half of the overall population in our nation. a nation cannot become prosperous by excluding such a sizable portion of its inhabitants. everything in life cannot be accomplished solely by men. from this angle, female education is essential. first off, it is true that women have unique responsibilities and obligations for their families. she has a lot of roles to play well. in the same family, a woman might be both the mother and the wife. she has a lot of roles to play well. in the same family, a woman might be both the mother and the wife. for her to fully carry out her role, she must overcome numerous challenges. to carry out their responsibilities effectively, education is essential. second, every female is capable of becoming a mother. a child’s mother has a significant impact on their education. an educated mother would be able to raise her child appropriately by instilling in them the moral principles she learned while continuing her education. thirdly, men and women should bear social obligations equally. a woman can support her spouse in every aspect of life when they are married. she can work and make money so the spouse isn’t under as much strain. consequently, it is crucial that women have an education. the government has incorporated topics like cooking, child rearing, home economics, etc. into the curriculum to support female education. however, it appears to be quite a distance to travel. in addition, women in today’s culture are treated quite poorly. women should be taught in order to protect our female population from unplanned negligence. still today, there are many who are vehemently opposed to female education. they believe that a woman’s only responsibility is to take care of the home and raise her children. a strong woman has the sole ability to educate the entire country. as a result, we are unable to imagine the advancement of our nation without the education of women. for the benefit of the nation, all essential measures should be done to promote female education. in many rural areas of bangladesh, there is currently little to no focus placed on the education of girls. contrarily, the female education system in rural areas is disregarded and is still in its primitive state although the country as a whole is progressing by meeting specific target parameters. without a doubt, bangladesh has made significant advancements in girls’ education, for which bangladesh currently serves as a role model in south asia. references alamgir, m. (2022, june 02). girls’ enrolment keeps dropping at colleges, universities. retrieved from the daily star: https://www.thedailystar.net/ news/bangladesh/news/high-hope-grim-reality3061616?amp arif, m. a. (2021, january 30). importance of female education in bangladesh. retrieved from the independent: https://m.theindependentbd.com// post/258852 assignment. (n.d.). female education in bangladesh. retrieved from assignmentpoint: https:// ass ignmentpoint .com/female-educat ioninbangladesh/ bank, 2. -2. (2005 2021). bangladesh bd: adolescents out of school: % of lower secondary school age. retrieved from ceic: https://www.ceicdata. com/en/bangladesh/social-education-statistics/ bd-adolescents-out-of-school--of-lower-secondaryschool-age hassan, m. m. (2023). challenges of women’s education in bangladesh. retrieved from the daily observer: https://www.observerbd.com/news.php?id=302499 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 50 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 40-50, 2023 islam, m. s. ( 2012, october-december). empowerment of women through. retrieved from society & change: https://societyandchange.com/uploads/1509433923. pdf nuzhat, m. (2016, aug 12). female education in bangladesh. retrieved from the daily star: https:// www.thedailystar.net/op-ed/politics/femaleeducation-bangladesh-1270750 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 57 american journal of education and technology (ajet) crossing classrooms and cultures: filipino pre-service teachers’ sea practicum narratives in medan, indonesia herman m. lagon1* volume 4 issue 4, year 2025 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v4i4.1911 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: july 21, 2025 accepted: august 29, 2025 published: november 08, 2025 teaching abroad is widely seen as a powerful learning experience, yet stories from the global south remain underdocumented even though this is where most teachers will eventually practice their craft. in 2025, three isufst pre-service teachers took the leap from iloilo, philippines, to medan, indonesia for seameo’s sea teacher project. they taught english to grades 5–6, tackled math in gender-segregated classes, and led pe games for high school girls. the month was marked by both nerves and laughter, with lessons that extended well beyond academics. using a narrative case study approach, evidence from interviews, journals, and teaching artifacts revealed five themes: courage under personal and financial strain; belonging fostered by community hospitality; pedagogy adapted to language barriers; confidence built through reflection and improvisation; and values-driven global citizenship. the findings show that international practicums, when backed with solid support, drive lasting growth. they urge teacher education and policy to move beyond competence, shaping teachers who can lead with resilience and empathy in today’s globalized world. keywords cross-cultural teaching, global citizenship, international practicum, pre-service teachers, sea teacher project 1 iloilo state university of fisheries science and technology (isufst) & university of st. la salle (usls)-bacolod, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: hermanlagon1@gmail.com introduction the departure lounge at iloilo international airport in the philippines is not typically the setting for teacher education research. yet for three pre-service teachers from the iloilo state university of fisheries science and technology (isufst), the journey from dumangas, dingle, and main campuses to medan city, north sumatra, indonesia starting july 13, 2025 captures in miniature the dilemmas, dreams, and discoveries of globalization in teacher education. rojeal clutched a passport that had barely arrived in time, torn between caring for a sick grandfather and supporting her single mother, yet still compelled by the “fire” to teach abroad. warren leaned on extended family and the encouragement of his dean to cover travel costs, driven by the promise of becoming a better mathematics educator. kath, a pe major, opened tiktok videos of umsu, hoping to quiet her nerves about stepping into the unknown. together with rojeal and warren, she would soon walk into the sea teacher project—a journey that promised not just new classrooms, but new ways of seeing self and world. practicums abroad have been called transformative. they lift students from their familiar contexts, immerse them in linguistic and cultural difference, and train them for a global stage. studies across continents affirm the benefits—greater intercultural competence, more substantial confidence, more adaptive teaching (johnson & ng, 2022; nguyen, 2023; wong & ramirez, 2021). after the covid-19 pause, universities quickly revived such exchanges to rebuild global citizenship skills (santos & castañeda, 2023). still, the literature leans heavily toward global north cases. chen and li (2024) note that over 70% of studies trace western experiences, with less than 10% capturing asean realities. this silence leaves unanswered how student-teachers from resource-strapped settings, like philippine state universities, face economic strain, family obligations, and cultural adjustment. since its 2014 launch, seameo’s sea teacher program has included over 2,000 filipinos. but peer-reviewed accounts remain sparse (reyes, 2023). those that exist capture resilience and humility (dizon & macaraig, 2021; palarca, 2022), but comprehensive, narrative work is rare. meanwhile, teacher education in the philippines still struggles with foundational skills and competitiveness, a concern flagged by the philippine education commission (edcom) 2 (2023). these realities echo the un sustainable development goals (sdgs)—sdg 4 on quality education and sdg 10 on reducing inequality. as arriola and bautista (2024) warn, mobility without adequate support risks deepening divides. documenting how first-generation provincial students like these three navigated such hurdles offers lessons both inspiring and practical. while internationalization is often discussed in terms of policies and memoranda, the lived stories of studentteachers reveal a subtler layer: courage, community, and creativity. as villanueva (2022) notes, “internationalization is not only about exchange rates and airfare but about resilience shaped in unfamiliar classrooms.” local scholarship echoes this. ladrido (2023) emphasizes that filipino student mobility succeeds only when grounded in local values of pakikisama (social connectedness) and bayanihan (community support). these human dynamics often remain underreported in formal evaluations, yet pa ge 58 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 57-64, 2025 they are essential to how participants experience growth. international research similarly points to these dynamics. a longitudinal study in thailand found that studentteachers who faced language barriers developed stronger improvisational teaching skills, often relying on humor, gestures, and relational trust (patel & cho, 2021). in indonesia, alamsyah (2022) documented how pre-service teachers from malaysia adapted through collaborative learning strategies, showing that empathy can substitute for shared language. in the philippines, garcia and cruz (2024) observed that returning sea teachers reported “expanded empathy” and “enhanced self-efficacy,” but also expressed frustration at inadequate financial and institutional scaffolds. despite these insights, two major gaps persist. first, few studies systematically analyze the intersection of financial precarity, institutional support, and intercultural pedagogy in the sea teacher program. most focus on cultural immersion alone, leaving economic and structural barriers underexplored. second, while aggregate surveys exist, thick, narrative accounts of filipino studentteachers’ cross-cultural experiences are limited. as reyes (2023) argues, “policy cannot be informed by numbers alone—it requires listening to the stories that numbers cannot capture.” this study addresses these gaps by examining the narratives of three isufst student-teachers who joined the sea teacher program in medan, indonesia. behind their stories lie struggles that ring true to many—scarce funds, paperwork delays, the weight of family obligations. yet, woven through these hardships were moments of profound learning: new ways of teaching, fresh empathy for difference, and the quiet strength of resilience. purpose and objectives the study set out to explore how international practicum experiences contribute to the identity and practice of filipino pre-service teachers. specifically, it sought to: 1. chronicle the decision-making, preparation, and immersion of three isufst participants in the sea teacher program. 2. trace how their pedagogical and personal growth unfolded in classrooms shaped by cultural and linguistic diversity. 3. examine the enabling role of community, institutional, and family support. 4. suggest implications for teacher education, policy, and internationalization that honor philippine contexts while aligning with the un sdgs. blending narrative inquiry with thematic analysis, this study bridges missing evidence while grounding teacher education internationalization in lived experience. the stories of rojeal, warren, and kath show that global learning is more than theory—it is found in airport queues, lesson plans, canteen tables, and moments of prayer. materials and methods research design this research used a qualitative multiple-case narrative inquiry because at its heart it wanted to listen—to stories as both evidence and method. in cross-cultural teaching, the important question is not only what happened but how it felt and how meaning was made (clandinin & connelly, 2000; creswell & poth, 2021). since the aim of this research was to explore how pre-service teachers from the filipino context approached an experience in international study abroad practicum, narrative inquiry provided the most appropriate lens. this approach is able to consider experiences in context, identify those contextual influences, and consider multiple aspects of identity, resilience, and agency, that do not lend themselves to solidified metrics (santos & castañeda, 2023). this research also offered an example of reflexive thematic analysis (braun & clarke, 2021), a practice that encourages storytelling while still holding the researcher to the rigor of the coding process. the reflexive thematic analysis process helped to identify both the individual aspects of each story, as well as the overall themes which connected them. this hybrid approach enabled both rich storytelling and rigorous theme development across cases. a similar phenomenological approach was adopted in the study by lagon (2023), who used semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis to examine pre-service science teachers’ experiences with phet interactive simulations—highlighting how technology-mediated engagement can foster conceptual understanding and narrative depth. participants and sampling the participants were three pre-service teachers from isufst (iloilo state university of fisheries science and technology) who joined the sea teacher project in medan, indonesia in early 2025. all were purposively selected because they represented different specializations. such variation allowed for comparative insights across subject areas while preserving the common context of international practicum. • rojeal castro (dumangas campus): bachelor of science in education (bsed) major in english, taught grades 5–6 at al amjad school. • warren villazana (dingle campus): bachelor of science in education (bsed) major in mathematics, taught six weekly secondary classes (boys and girls). • kath manero (main campus): bachelor in physical education (bped), taught sports to grades 7–9 girls. all three were first-time international participants, aged 20–22, with diverse family backgrounds. their stories highlight both shared and unique dimensions of crosscultural teaching. setting their practicum for the sea teacher project was held at universitas muhammadiyah sumatera utara (umsu), in medan city, north sumatra. they were hosted in a hotel owned by umsu, where casual conversations with colleagues and the faculty developed into friendships. teaching at partner schools like al amjad, they experienced a society where muslim faith guides daily pa ge 59 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 57-64, 2025 life and teachers are regarded with genuine reverence a setting that offered both comfort and challenge. data sources and instruments the study drew on several sources of evidence to capture participants’ experiences from different angles. first, each participant took part in semi-structured interviews, lasting 60–90 minutes, conducted in both english, filipino, and hiligaynon to allow for comfort and nuance. second, the students provided written reflective accounts, originally prepared as part of their sea teacher program requirements. finally, teaching artifacts including lesson plans, classroom photos, blogs, and personal journals were collected to add texture and context to their stories. the semi-structured interviews used guiding questions (e.g., motivations, challenges, adaptations, reflections) while encouraging participants to share freely, allowing comparisons across cases. interview questions were piloted with two non-participant isufst pre-service teachers for clarity. no standardized psychological or attitudinal scale was utilized; the emphasis was on narrative richness. however, the study referenced a reflection rubric from nguyen (2023) to help organize emergent themes around professional growth, intercultural competence, and teacher identity. data collection procedures between july 5 and august 20, 2025, data was collected in three phases. first, pre-departure interviews in iloilo asked about their expectations and decisions before the trip. second, while in medan, participants’ journals, blogs, posts, and photos became a record of what they were living day to day. third, after coming home, interviews in iloilo helped draw out the lessons, challenges, and growth that the experience left behind. interviews were recorded with permission and carefully transcribed. to make sure nothing was lost or misrepresented, transcripts and early themes were shared back with participants for their feedback and approval. data analysis thematic analysis followed braun and clarke’s (2021) reflexive six-step guide. first came familiarization, with transcripts and reflections read and re-read until the voices of participants felt vivid and clear. next, descriptive codes were created phrases like “financial strain,” “gestures as teaching tool,” and “hospitality” captured recurring details. these codes were then clustered into early themes, including “courage amid constraint” and “belonging through hospitality.” from there, themes were refined to ensure they made sense both within each case and across all three. each was defined and named in ways that reflected the heart of participants’ narratives. in the report, these themes were woven into analytic stories, enriched with direct quotes and cross-case comparisons. nvivo and large language models (llms) helped with the technical side of coding and organization, but interpretation stayed rooted in people the process was reflective, iterative, and always centered on participant voices. trustworthiness to ensure rigor and credibility, the study drew on several strategies. credibility was strengthened through member checking with participants and peer debriefing with isufst colleagues. transferability was supported by providing thick descriptions of context—participants’ family backgrounds, host school, and the cultural settings of medan. dependability was upheld through an audit trail that recorded coding decisions and theme development step by step. confirmability came from the researcher’s own reflexive journal, which surfaced potential biases and positionality, particularly as a faculty member of isufst. together, these steps followed lincoln and guba’s (1985) framework for qualitative trustworthiness, ensuring that findings were both faithful to the participants and meaningful to wider audiences. ethical considerations ethical clearance was secured from the isufst institutional research ethics committee. before any interview began, participants signed informed consent forms and were assured of their rights. they knew they could withdraw at any point, that their stories would be treated with confidentiality, and that sensitive details about family or finances would be carefully generalized. while pseudonyms were offered, all three participants chose to have their real names credited as part of their story. respect was central: their narratives were co-constructed, with opportunities to clarify or even remove parts they did not wish to share. the study followed the principle of beneficence— research done not just for knowledge but for the good it can bring. in this case, the intent was to help inform and improve isufst’s internationalization initiatives. narrative inquiry and reflexive thematic analysis were used together, grounded in triangulated data and ethical care. through three diverse cases, the study highlights how international practicum experiences shape not only teaching practice but also the professional identity of filipino pre-service teachers learning to find their place in global classrooms. results and discussions the narratives of the three isufst pre-service teachers rojeal, warren, and kath converged around five interlinked themes: (1) courage amid constraint, (2) belonging through hospitality, (3) pedagogical adaptation to language and context, (4) reflexive confidence and identity formation, and (5) values-anchored global citizenship. each theme is presented with supporting quotes and cross-case comparison. theme 1. courage amid constraint all participants described the decision to join the sea pa ge 60 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 57-64, 2025 teacher program as both a leap of faith and a negotiation of constraints. financial strain was the most consistent barrier. rojeal, raised by a single mother while helping care for her grandfather, admitted: “there are lots of reasons behind my hesitation … the lack of financial support is above all. but the eagerness burned within me, so i decided to say yes and i never regretted it.” warren similarly relied on extended relatives and even formal solicitation letters: “before i could say ‘yes,’ i worried most about money. i was lucky to have family and relatives who helped right away.” kath highlighted her parents’ role: “my parents took care of almost all the expenses and reminded me, ang kwarta mabalik lang ran [money can return, but opportunity cannot].” beyond finances, participants recounted challenges of incomplete documentation (travel processing requirements), emotional hesitation, and family obligations. yet each framed these obstacles as part of a larger growth trajectory illustrating what alamsyah (2022) calls “courageous precarity” in cross-cultural teaching. theme 2. belonging through hospitality on arrival in medan, all three reported a strong sense of being welcomed and valued. for rojeal, the turning point was the way students at al amjad treated her: “they never treated us like we were different. every day they gave us food, warm hugs, and even letters. it made us feel like we were part of their community.” warren noted how “many strangers quickly became friends,” observing that gestures and smiles substituted for shared language. kath described her first impression as “prestigious, yet warm,” recalling umsu’s welcome dinner and community support that eased her homesickness. such experiences mirror findings in southeast asian mobility studies, where hospitality fosters belonging (patel & cho, 2021). the students’ sense of being “adopted” into indonesian communities contrasted with initial anxieties of isolation. theme 3. pedagogical adaptation to language and context the classroom was where participants confronted both the sharpest challenges and the most creative adaptations. • rojeal, expecting to teach junior high, was assigned to grade 5 and 6 english: “at first, shock. then acceptance. then joy. i leaned into games and group work—i wanted english to feel like an adventure, not a burden.” • warren handled six mathematics classes per week, including 2.5-hour sessions: “i realized math classes need energy. if i’m lively, the students are too—and they learn better.” • kath, teaching sports to all-girls sections, adapted her strategies: “what worked for grades 7 and 8 didn’t work for grade 9. i had to change my approach teaching became like an experiment.” across cases, language barriers emerged as both a hurdle and catalyst. participants reported relying on humor, body language, and visuals to engage learners. gestures became “bridges” that turned awkwardness into connection. this aligns with reyes (2023), who noted filipino sea teachers’ reliance on relational cues in multilingual classrooms. a recent e-palli study by bunda (2025) on out-of-field teachers in masbate echoes this pattern, showing how resilience, self-directed learning, teamwork, and adaptive instructional research became their lifelines in the face of subject gaps and multicultural challenges. like the participants in this study, these teachers turned constraints into opportunities for growth, proving that creativity and collaboration often emerge strongest when resources and familiarity are scarce. theme 4. reflexive confidence and identity formation each participant described developing greater confidence and professional identity through daily reflection. warren noted: “i began reflecting on each class—what worked, what didn’t, what i could improve. that habit became second nature.” rojeal shared a similar realization: “teaching required trust in myself as much as trust in my lessons.” for kath, resilience emerged through trial-and-error: “i lost confidence at first with my grade 9 class. but i told myself to change my approach, and it worked. teaching is physically, emotionally, and mentally challenging.” these reflections reveal a process of professional becoming—moving from tentative novices to adaptive educators. it reflects what garcia and cruz (2024) describe as “confidence through improvisation” among filipino student-teachers abroad. theme 5. values-anchored global citizenship despite cultural differences, participants anchored their growth in isufst’s values of integrity, social justice, discipline, and academic excellence (isda). these values framed their teaching and guided their responses to challenges. • rojeal: “isufst’s principles were always with me.” • warren: “those values anchored me the whole time—i was living isufst’s mission in medan.” • kath: “i carried our university’s core values [integrity, social justice, discipline, academic excellence] as my compass.” exposure to indonesian culture also broadened their sense of global citizenship. participants highlighted reverence for teachers, muslim prayer rhythms, and respect for elders as lessons they would carry home. rojeal captured this best: “teaching isn’t only about books—it’s about people and building bridges. empathy became the truest subject of all.” pa ge 61 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 57-64, 2025 table 1: summary of emergent themes across participants theme rojeal (english) warren (math) kath (pe) courage amid constraint financial strain; sick grandfather; single-mom family financial worry; relied on relatives’ support financial concern; parents’ sacrifice belonging through hospitality daily hugs, letters, food from pupils strangers quickly became friends prestigious but welcoming umsu environment pedagogical adaptation games, group work, collaborative tasks energetic math lessons; interactive strategies adjusted per grade level; experiment mindset reflexive confidence & identity trusted herself despite fear daily reflections shaped pedagogy learned resilience via trial-and-error values-anchored global citizenship guided by isda values; empathy as subject anchored in isda; broadened worldview carried isda values; intercultural humility figure 1: a flow model showing progression: constraints → hospitality → adaptation → reflexive growth → values-based global citizenship. cross-case insights while all three participants shared broad themes, nuances emerged: • rojeal exemplified resilience through family/ community support. • warren highlighted the role of extended kinship and dean mentorship. • kath illustrated how parental investment reframed financial sacrifice as educational investment. put together, their stories show that international practicums don’t just teach lessons abroad—they grow resilience, agency, and cultural empathy, even when money is tight. discussion the findings of this study illustrate that international practicum experiences are not merely exercises in mobility, but crucibles where pre-service teachers reshape their professional identities, pedagogies, and worldviews. for rojeal, warren, and kath, joining seameo’s sea teacher project demanded courage amid constraints, nurtured belonging through hospitality, catalyzed pedagogical adaptation, developed reflexive confidence, and anchored global citizenship in isufst values. these interconnected themes both affirm and extend prior scholarship on cross-cultural teacher preparation. international literature continually underscores the transformative potential of short-term teaching overseas. johnson and ng (2022) contend that these programs enhance intercultural competence and adaptability, whereas nguyen (2023) emphasizes their influence on teacher self-efficacy. the results are in line with these ideas: participants indicated increased adaptability, resilience, and introspective practice. but the stories here offer depth by putting the structural and human costs that are often left out of happy stories front and center. financial instability, insufficient documentary preparations, and familial responsibilities could have impeded participation; however, community and institutional support converted these obstacles into opportunities for advancement. this is in line with reyes (2023), who says that we should look at not only what participants receive abroad but also what they go through to get there. theme 1: courage amid constraint and sdg 10 (reduced inequalities) the participants’ narratives reveal how financial strain and family responsibilities nearly prevented their involvement. this underscores inequities in access to mobility opportunities. as arriola and bautista (2024) pa ge 62 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 57-64, 2025 caution, without adequate support, exchange programs risk privileging students from wealthier backgrounds. in this study, however, informal networks—family, relatives, local officials, and mentors—played a decisive role in enabling access. this finding speaks directly to sdg 10 (reduced inequalities). equitable internationalization requires scaffolds that level the playing field. isufst’s modest assistance, combined with local government support, helped bridge gaps, but systemic mechanisms—such as mobility scholarships or institutional travel funds—are necessary to ensure sustainability and fairness. thus, courage amid constraint is not simply individual heroism but evidence of structural inequity requiring policy attention. theme 2: belonging through hospitality and the value of community hospitality emerged as a transformative force. the warmth of indonesian hosts—daily hugs, hellos, food, and letters—cultivated belonging. this echoes patel and cho’s (2021) study in thailand, where host community care helped student-teachers overcome loneliness. locally, villanueva (2022) also documented how “pakikisama” and community integration shaped filipino participants’ resilience in overseas practicums. hospitality here did more than ease homesickness; it fostered a sense of shared humanity. participants realized that teaching transcends language and nationality when grounded in relational trust. for filipino teacher education, this finding highlights the importance of preparing students not just to deliver lessons, but to enter communities with humility and openness. partnerships with host schools should thus prioritize community immersion rather than treating practicum as mere technical exercise. theme 3: pedagogical adaptation and sdg 4 (quality education) language barriers and unexpected teaching assignments pushed participants toward innovative pedagogy. rojeal’s game-based activities, warren’s energetic math classes, and kath’s differentiated sports instruction demonstrate adaptive teaching strategies born from necessity. these align with alamsyah’s (2022) observation that improvisation becomes a critical competence when language fails. in the philippine context, where classrooms are increasingly multilingual and diverse, such adaptability is vital. garcia and cruz (2024) note that filipino teachers often face heterogeneous classes where creativity compensates for resource scarcity. the participants’ strategies—gestures, humor, group work—mirror inclusive teaching principles recommended by unesco (2023). their experiences thus illustrate how sdg 4 (quality education) can be advanced not only by resources but by pedagogical agility and empathy. theme 4: reflexive confidence and professional identity all three participants emphasized daily reflection as a habit that shaped their confidence. warren’s practice of evaluating each class echoes international findings on reflective practice as a hallmark of effective teacher education (nguyen, 2023; wong & ramirez, 2021). kath’s description of teaching as “an experiment” captures the iterative, inquiry-oriented stance promoted by constructivist pedagogy. what is novel here is how reflection was not imposed by supervisors but self-initiated. the participants’ sense of responsibility to improve resonated with isufst’s institutional ethos and personal survival instinct in unfamiliar classrooms. this finding strengthens the case for embedding reflection journals and mentoring in philippine teacher education, ensuring students cultivate agency rather than dependency. theme 5: values-anchored global citizenship and sdg 17 (partnerships) perhaps the most distinctive contribution of this study is the role of institutional values. isufst’s isda values— integrity, social justice, discipline, and academic excellence—provided an ethical compass. unlike prior studies where global citizenship is framed abstractly (santos & castañeda, 2023), here it was lived through specific local values. escuadra and dy (2022) describe this as “filipino-rooted internationalization”—a way of becoming global without losing one’s roots. for the participants, this meant absorbing indonesian practices: the rhythm of prayers, the honor given to teachers, the respect for elders. as rojeal put it, “empathy became the truest subject of all.” relatedly, pinalas-abaton and osias (2025) show that competent teachers who understand and cater to the psychological needs of learners significantly bolster relatedness and empowerment—suggesting that emotional support is as foundational as pedagogical competence in cross-cultural settings. this mirrors sdg 17, which says partnerships across nations build understanding. and it worked both ways—the filipino sea teachers didn’t just absorb culture; they shared their own teaching ideas, adding something fresh to their host communities. theoretical and practical contributions theoretically, this study contributes to the literature by showing how narrative inquiry can uncover hidden dimensions of teacher mobility: courage shaped by constraint, values as anchors of identity, and hospitality as pedagogy. practically, it offers actionable insights for teacher education institutions: 1. strengthen financial scaffolds (scholarships, stipends, lgu partnerships) to reduce inequity. 2. embed intercultural preparation (language orientation, cultural humility workshops) before deployment. pa ge 63 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 57-64, 2025 3. encourage structured reflection (journals, peer sharing) to build professional agency. 4. institutionalize mentorship by ensuring faculty accompany or virtually guide student-teachers abroad. 5. align mobility with sdgs to frame internationalization as both personal growth and social responsibility. limitations and future research while rich, this study is limited by its small sample size of three participants, representing one institution and one host city. findings cannot be generalized to all sea teacher participants. the data in this study came mostly from participants’ own accounts, which may reflect their hopes to please or be seen in a certain light. it also focused only on a one-month window, leaving unanswered questions about the lasting effects of such an experience. future research could take a broader and longer view. it might include student-teachers from different philippine institutions and diverse asean partners, track outcomes over several years, and use both narrative and quantitative tools to measure growth. comparative work between filipino and non-filipino participants could also show how cultural roots shape the way teachers adapt abroad. synthesis the stories of rojeal, warren, and kath show that teaching overseas is not just about sharing knowledge; it’s also about gaining wisdom and acquiring humility, empathy, and courage along the way. this study situates the challenges and achievements within the context of greater global and philippine literature, illustrating that mobility programs should be assessed not alone by student participation rates, but by the profound transformations they effectuate in individuals and communities. this study redefines foreign practicum from a privilege to a requisite, equity-focused approach for cultivating internationally competent, locally rooted filipino educators. conclusion it was only a month, but for rojeal, warren, and kath, it felt like a leap across years. they found that the hardest parts worrying about money, fumbling with words, missing home were the very places where growth began. with courage to push through, hospitality to hold them, and reflection to guide them, they walked away stronger and more confident than before. three strong takeaways emerge. first, international practicums amplify professional identity. by improvising in unfamiliar classrooms, participants learned that adaptability is not a bonus skill but a core teaching competence. second, community support transforms access. without families, mentors, and local leaders, these journeys would have remained only on paper; mobility programs thrive when scaffolds reduce inequities. third, values travel with the teacher. isufst’s isda principles integrity, social justice, discipline, and academic excellence did not stay in iloilo; they guided decisions and shaped conduct abroad, proving that rootedness enhances global citizenship. this study shows that education does not just happen inside classrooms. it happens in airports, in shared meals, in prayers that mark the day, and in children’s laughter that needs no translation. for the philippines, facing tough calls for reform, these are not just nice stories they are proof that teaching for a global future takes both real chances and real empathy. at the end of the day, the 2025 sea teacher journey of three young filipinos proves what education does best: it builds bridges—between cultures, between communities, and between people. references alamsyah, r. 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(2024). mapping the global landscape of teaching practicum mobility: a systematic review. teaching and teacher education, 137, 104310. https:// doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2023.104310 clandinin, d. j., & connelly, f. m. (2000). narrative inquiry: experience and story in qualitative research. jossey-bass. creswell, j. w., & poth, c. n. (2021). qualitative inquiry and research design: choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). sage. dizon, l. a., & macaraig, m. j. (2021). resilience and humility in the sea teacher program: narratives of filipino participants. philippine journal of education, 100(2), 45–58. https://www.pje.org.ph/article/2021-sea-teacher education commission 2 secretariat. (2023). philippine education sector assessment report. https://edcom2.gov. ph/reports escuadra, a. l., & dy, r. f. (2022). filipino-rooted internationalization: reframing global citizenship in higher education. international journal of educational development, 91, 102592. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. ijedudev.2022.102592 garcia, j. f., & cruz, r. m. (2024). improvisation as pedagogy: lessons from filipino sea teachers. asia-pacific journal of teacher education, 52(4), 511–526. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359866x.2024.2299103 johnson, p., & ng, w. (2022). beyond borders: adaptability as a central competence for pre-service pa ge 64 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(4) 57-64, 2025 teachers. journal of international teacher education, 14(2), 89–104. https://doi.org/10.22329/jite.2022.14.2.89 ladrido, b. (2023). pakikisama and bayanihan as foundations of filipino internationalization. philippine social science review, 75(1), 23–41. https://pssr.upd. edu.ph/vol75-no1-ladrido lagon, h. m. (2023). phet interactive simulations in learning optics towards pre-service science teachers: a phenomenological study. american journal of education and technology, 2(3), 129–135. https://doi. org/10.54536/ajet.v2i3.679 lincoln, y. s., & guba, e. g. (1985). naturalistic inquiry. sage. nguyen, t. h. (2023). the role of reflection in international practicums: a southeast asian case study. journal of teacher development, 47(3), 377–393. https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2023.2019999 palarca, j. (2022). cultural humility and resilience in filipino pre-service teachers: a sea teacher case study. philippine journal of teacher education, 10(1), 99– 117. https://doi.org/10.3860/pjte.2022.10.1.99 patel, s., & cho, k. (2021). smiles, gestures, and belonging: coping with language barriers in thai schools. asiapacific journal of education, 41(4), 568–582. https:// doi.org/10.1080/02188791.2021.1891997 pinalas-abaton, c., & osias, n. c. (2025). teachers’ competence and support on learners’ psychological needs in the division of bukidnon. american journal of multidisciplinary research and innovation, 4(3), 152– 183. https://doi.org/10.54536/ajmri.v4i3.4517 reyes, a. g. (2023). listening to the stories numbers cannot tell: filipino sea teachers abroad. philippine journal of educational research and development, 30(2), 115–132. https://phjerd.up.edu.ph/article/ reyes-2023 santos, r. e., & castañeda, m. a. (2023). global citizenship education in the post-pandemic philippines. international review of education, 69(5), 721–740. https:// doi.org/10.1007/s11159-023-10077-9 unesco. (2023). inclusive teaching in multilingual classrooms: global guidelines for teachers. unesco publishing. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/ pf0000389213 villanueva, m. c. (2022). resilience through pakikisama: filipino student mobility in southeast asia. asia pacific higher education research journal, 9(2), 201–220. https://apherj.com/v9n2-villanueva wong, a., & ramirez, j. (2021). intercultural competence and reflective practice in overseas teacher training. teaching and teacher education, 105, 103415. https:// doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2021.103415 pa ge 1 pa ge 22 american journal of education and technology (ajet) teachers’ information and communication technology competencies: the basis for a competency-based training plan benjamin f. mijares1* volume 1 issue 3, year 2022 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i3.762 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: october 14, 2022 accepted: november 09, 2022 published: november 15, 2022 information and communication technology (ict) in education pertains to using information and communication technology to support, enhance, and optimize information delivery. the study sought to ascertain the ict competencies of elementary teachers in district 2 of the sdo malolos city. the study employed a descriptive-quantitative method. the standardized questionnaire was adopted from the national ict competency standards for teachers (nics), which covered the four domains of the ict framework in education. data were analyzed using the mean kruskal-wallis test and the mann-whitney u test to determine significant differences between teacher respondents’ profile and their level of national ict competency standards. results showed that teachers have a high level of competencies in technology operations and concepts, social and ethical, and pedagogical domains, but an average level in the professional domain. likewise, a significant difference was not established in their gender, age, educational attainment, position, number of ict-related training, and years of using ict in teaching but found in teachers’ length of service. the findings suggest that teachers must increase their level of competence in the professional domain to become more proficient and effective in carrying out their duties and responsibilities. this can be accomplished through seminar workshops on professional growth and development, research, innovation, and collaboration. to maximize their ict skills, a competency-based training program should be provided in district 2 of sdo city of malolos schools. keywords ict skills, ict integration, modular distance leaning 1 department of education, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: benjamin.mijares@deped.gov.ph introduction the covid-19 pandemic has disrupted the educational setting, which paved the way for the country to shift from face-to-face learning to alternative learning modalities. to sustain and provide quality education despite the ongoing pandemic crisis, the new normal education was implemented after planning and piloting different learning modalities. both teachers and students were forced to adapt to the new way of accessing the body of knowledge as they relied heavily on online resources. in the context of ict integration in the new normal education, online learning is the name of the game where teachers and learners meet virtually with the use of videoconferencing applications. online learning platforms were implemented as part of the plan outlining how schools will be able to achieve their purpose of providing every student with a quality education (tria, 2020). the department of education emphasized that this does not necessarily imply that teachers and students will attend schools and learn in classrooms, and it devised various modalities to ensure that online learning is a viable option among all others in this new learning environment (deped, 2020). teachers received training in online instruction, blended learning, and distance learning, among other things, in just new instructional formats (toquero, 2020). teachers’ pedagogical and technological competencies should be reinforced and strengthened. in this transition to the new normal, from the four corners of the classroom to the borders of virtual reality, every learning institution must investigate how successful online learning is in providing students with quality education and outcomes-based education (basilaia & kvavadze, 2020). to conform to the standard of fast-facing trends in the educational system, teachers must be equipped with modern pedagogical and technological skills. concerning this matter, teachers are under pressure as they need to integrate technology into a classroom setup; many challenges are faced as they try to utilize the advantages and disadvantages of using ict as their platform in teaching learners (rana, 2017). the benefits of using ict have been proven by the studies conducted by (bai et al., 2019; hoyles, 2018; rana et al., 2018); their studies contributed to how technology is essential in education if it is used effectively and appropriately. literature review most of the teachers’ limited use of ict resources in their teaching activities aligned with the findings of rana (2018) that most teachers, who belong to the old generation group and are less familiar with web technologies, are struggling to use new technologies in their teaching activities where their students are already familiar with the technologies, particularly in urban areas. teachers were revealed to possess low computer skills and knowledge about software and hardware. this is supported by the results of the study of caluza et al. (2017), revealing that most of the public-school teachers they have assessed have basic knowledge of ict and require improvement. also, there is no technical support staff to maintain the functionality and usability of computers, and teachers were given very little training due to their (teachers) https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i3.762 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= mailto:%20janveel%40yahoo.com?subject= mailto:benjamin.mijares%40deped.gov.ph?subject= pa ge 23 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 22-29 2022 hectic schedules. according to (kubota et al. 2018), the philippine department of education provides teacher training courses to high school teachers and principals (school heads) several times a year to promote ict literacy, but these are only present in ‘big’ cities such as manila and cebu. more training must be provided to the teachers for the effective integration of ict in teaching and other related tasks assigned to the teaching force to uplift and enhance the quality of education in schools (caluza et al., 2017). tomaro (2018) emphasized that teachers were also revealed to lack computer knowledge and skills for instructional purposes and lacked the motivation to teach computer-related topics as mentioned ‘it was not mandated to use computers in classrooms. even before, we lacked technological equipment to support ict integration, which explains why teachers still conduct the traditional teaching method. this issue about the situation of most teachers in the philippines contributes to the absence of exposure to technology. a study conducted by maimun et al. (2017) enumerated more specific factors that facilitate or hinder teachers from integrating technology in instructional implementation. these factors cover teacher skills, school infrastructure, budget allocation, teacher confidence, quality technical support, workload, access to technology, teacher practices, structure of education systems, nature of curriculum, and peer support system. the successful implementation of digital technology into the curriculum relies heavily on the teachers’ readiness whether teachers like to learn a lot about the use of technology or not, preparations must be done to ensure effective and efficient instruction. ict stimulates collaborative and autonomous learning, ensures achievement and motivation, and helps speed up the acquisition of higher-order thinking skills and social competencies. even though problems are most likely to be encountered, there is still a way to lessen the concerns about using technology as part of learning instruction. the scarcity of ict resources, such as the limited number of computers and the unavailability of internet services, hinder the effective integration of ict (dela rosa, 2016) and can be solved in different ways. the higher levels of culture for professional development among teachers at school would increase students’ digital competence levels (hatlevik et al., 2015). the developing capability of teachers to use technology through training would serve as a platform for them to maximize the appropriate use of technology in the classroom. teachers’ belief and institutional perception of the role of technology in education is also considered factors for their differences in using technology in the classroom. makki et al, (2018) regarded this as a barrier or computer anxiety, attitude, and computer feature comfort. also, they have identified the third level order barrier which they called participation in a training session as another factor for the differences between teachers in using technology. the limited ict skills of teachers classified as still in the infant stage may be attributed to the lack of training on its proper use (omariba, 2015). these challenges that teachers encounter must be addressed properly, and this will be done with the help of the school’s stakeholders. research questions this study aimed to assess the level of information and communication technology (ict) competencies of public-school elementary teachers in district 2, division of malolos city from sy: 2021-2022. specifically, the study seeks an answer to the following questions: 1. how may the teachers’ profiles be described in terms of the following? 1.1 gender 1.2 age 1.3 length of service 1.4 position 1.4 number of seminars/training attended related to ict 1.5 years of using ict in teaching 2. what is the level of ict competencies of teachers based on the following domains of the national ict competency standard for teachers? 2.1 technology operations and concept 2.2 social and ethical 2.3 pedagogical 2.4 professional 3. is there a significant difference in the level of ict competencies of teachers and their profiles? 4. based on the competency level of the teachers, what competency-based training plan can be developed? research methodology type of research the descriptive research method was used in the study to evaluate the teachers’ level of ict competency and its relationship to their identified demographic profiles. it is quantitative in nature as it aimed to collect quantifiable information for statistical analysis of the population sample. respondents the respondents of the study were the elementary teachers of district 2 under the schools division of the city of malolos, who worked and handled the students under the modality of distance learning during the school year of 2021-2022. instruments the researcher adopted a standardized instrument as the main data gathering tool for this study. the instrument consists of two parts; the first part is composed of the profile of the teachers and the second part is focused on the ict competency assessment. the standardized questionnaire was adopted from the national ict competency standards for teachers (nics), and it is composed of 76 statements along with five levels of competence: very great extent (4.51-5.00), great extent https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 24 (3.51-4.50), moderate extent (2.51-3.50), some extent (1.51-2.50) and not at all (1.00-1.50). the tool is published online, and it is downloadable in pdf format. the higher the score, the higher the level of teachers’ ict skills while lower scores meant a lower level of teachers’ ict skills. the tool is used to provide performance indicators to evaluate the level of knowledge and competence of teachers to apply ict in the educational setting. the questionnaire was divided into four (4) domains which are technology operations and concept, social and ethical, pedagogical, and professional. the scale was perfect for the study as it was found with excellent content validity, and it is widely used by educators to assess the ict skills of teachers across the world. the standardized tool has 5 levels of proficiency to assess the ict skills of teachers. levels of competency verbal interpretation 4.51-5.00 very great extent 3.51-4.50 great extent 2.51-3.50 moderate extent 1.51-2.50 some extent 1.00-1.50 not at all data analysis the data collected were tabulated and processed using statistical packages with the assistance of a licensed statistician. the data obtained from the results of the survey method was analyzed by utilizing both descriptive and inferential data analysis procedures. the following steps were followed. 1. the survey questionnaire used was composed of 76 statements along with five levels of competence. 2. descriptive and inferential analysis was applied to the obtained data. to analyze and interpret the data gathered, the following statistical measures will be used: rating scale range descriptive evaluation 5 4.50-5.49 very great extent 4 3.50-4.49 great extent 3 2.50-3.49 moderate extent 2 1.50-2.49 some extent 1 1.00-1.49 not at all 3. to decide on the most appropriate statistical treatment, a test of the normality of data was performed. since the data were not normally distributed, kruskalwallis test and mann-whitney u test were used to determine the significant differences between the profile of the teacher-respondents and their level of national ict competency standards. results and discussion demographic profile of the respondents table 1 shows the frequency and percent distribution of the respondents in terms of school. this study found that more than 50% of the teacher respondents belong table 1: frequency and percent distribution of the respondents in terms of school school frequency percent school a 6 9.1 school b 14 21.2 school c 7 10.6 school d 21 31.8 school e 18 27.3 total 66 100.0 to school d and school e with respective percentages of 31.8 and 27.3% of the total sample size. next, school b got 10.6% of the total number of respondents while school a obtained 9.1%. finally, school c only has 10.6%. table 2: frequency and percent distribution of the respondentsin terms of sex sex frequency percent male 7 10.6 female 59 89.4 total 66 100.0 based on the results presented in table 2, most of the respondents were female teachers with 89.4% of the total number while male teacher respondents only made up 10.6% of the sample size. utilizing raosoft sample size calculation using the following standards: the margin of error of 5% and confidence level of 95%. a raosoft sample calculator is software that primarily calculates or generates the sample size of a research or survey. this online calculator offers sample size confidence interval calculation to minimize these frustrations encountered during research. this software considers the margin of error, the confidence level, and response distribution. it also offers to show viz-a-viz what the margin of error. table 3 provides for the frequency and percent distribution of the respondents in terms of age. the largest age group was 46 to 50 years old teachers which made up 19.7% of the total respondents. it was closely followed by age groups 26 to 30 years old, 36 to 40 years old, and 51 to 55 years old age groups all with 15.2%. they were succeeded table 3: frequency and percent distribution of the respondents in terms of age age frequency percent below 25 years old 3 4.5 26 to 30 years old 10 15.2 31 to 35 years old 8 12.1 36 to 40 years old 10 15.2 41 to 45 years old 7 10.6 46 to 50 years old 13 19.7 51 to 55 years old 10 15.2 55 years old and above 5 7.6 total 66 100.0 pa ge 25 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 22-29 2022 by 31 to 35 years old, 41 to 45 years old, 55 years old and above, and below 25 years old age groups with respective percentages of 12.1%, 10.6%, 7.6%, and 4.5%. it can be seen in table 4 that 69.7% of the respondents have ma units already while 22.7% of teachers surveyed finished a bachelor’s degree. teachers who have finished a master’s degree got 7.6%. table 4: frequency and percent distribution of the respondent in terms of highest educational attainment highest educational attainment frequency percent bachelor's degree 15 22.7 with ma units 46 69.7 master's degree 5 7.6 total 66 100.0 table 5: frequency and percent distribution of the respondents in terms of length of service length of service frequency percent 1 to 5 years 19 28.8 6 to 10 years 11 16.7 11 to 15 years 15 22.7 16 to 20 years 6 9.1 20 years and above 15 22.7 total 66 100.0 based on the table above, most of the respondents belong to groups of teachers who were in service for one to five years (28.8%), 11 to 15 years (22.7%), or 20 years and above (22.7%). it was followed by teachers who were in the service for six to 10 years with 16.7% of the total number. meanwhile, those who are serving for 16 to 20 years belong to the smallest group with 9.1% of the total number of respondents. table 6: frequency and percent distribution of the respondents in terms of position position frequency percent teacher i 28 42.4 teacher ii 9 13.6 teacher iii 21 31.8 master teacher i 5 7.6 master teacher ii 3 4.5 total 66 100.0 it can be seen from this table that 42.4% of the respondents were holding a teacher i position which was followed by teacher iii with 31.8%. respondents who are holding teacher ii, master teacher i, and master teacher ii got 13.6%, 7.6%, and 4.5% respectively. table 7 shows the frequency and percent distribution of the respondents according to the number of seminars attended related to ict. according to the results, 71.2% of the respondents attended one to three seminars related to ict. meanwhile, 19.7% attended four to six table 7: frequency and percent distribution of the respondents in terms of the number of seminars attended related to ict number of seminars attended related to ict frequency percent 1 to 3 47 71.2 4 to 6 13 19.7 7 and above 6 9.1 total 66 100.0 seminars and 9.1% attended more than seven seminars related to ict. this table shows that the majority of the respondents have one to five years of using ict in teaching (56.1%) while 30.3% of them have been using ict in teaching for six to 10 years already. meanwhile. 13.6% of the respondents were teaching using ict for more than 11 years. table 8: frequency and percent distribution of the respondents in terms of the number of years of using ict in teaching number of years of using ict in teaching frequency percent 1 to 5 years 37 56.1 6 to 10 years 20 30.3 11 years and above 9 13.6 total 66 100.0 respondents’ assessment of their level of ict competencies table 9 shows the summary of teachers’ level of ict competency based on the four domains of nics for teachers. teachers rated themselves as having a “great extent” level in terms of technology operations and concepts, social and ethical, and pedagogical. however, teachers table 9: summary of respondent’s level of ict competencies based on the four domains of national ict competency standards for teachers national ict competency standards for teachers overall weighted mean remarks domain 1: technology, operations, and concept 3.77 great extent domain 2: social and ethical 3.71 great extent domain 3: pedagogical 3.60 great extent domain 4: professional 3.34 moderate extent have assessed their competency level in the professional domain as “moderate extent”. table 10 displays the significant differences between the level of ict competencies of teachers and their profile in terms of sex using the mann-whitney u test for https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 26 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 22-29 2022 table 10: mann-whitney u test: significant differences between respondents’ level of ict competencies and their demographic profile in terms of sex differences between respondents’ level of ict competencies and their demographic profile in terms of sex mann-whitney test (u – value) p-value decision remarks technology, operations, and concept 174.00 0.498 accept ho not significant social and ethical 186.00 0.669 accept ho not significant pedagogical 149.00 0.230 accept ho not significant professional 163.00 0.363 accept ho not significant data not normally distributed. this study found there were no significant differences between the sex of the teacher and technology operations and concepts (u=174, p=0.498), social and ethical aspects (u=186, p=0.669), pedagogical aspect (u=149, p=0.230), and professional aspect (u=163, p=0.363). all p-values generated were greater than the significance level of 0.05, therefore the null hypothesis is accepted and that significant differences were not established. this means that the level of ict competencies among teacher respondents in all aspects was statistically the same even if they were grouped according to sex. table 11 provides the results of the significant differences between the level of ict competencies of teachers and their profile in terms of age using the kruskal-wallis test for data not normally distributed. this study observed table 11: kruskal-wallis h test: significant differences between respondents’ level of ict competencies and their demographic profile in terms of age differences between respondents’ level of ict competencies and their demographic profile in terms of age kruskal-wallis test (h – value) p-value decision remarks technology, operations, and concept 19.268 0.007 reject ho significant social and ethical 12.321 0.090 accept ho not significant pedagogical 13.718 0.056 accept ho not significant professional 10.125 0.182 accept ho not significant that there was a significant difference between the age of the teacher and technology and operations and concept (h= 19.268, p=0.007). the p-values generated were less than the significance level of 0.05, therefore the null hypothesis is rejected and that significant differences were established. this also denotes that there is a difference in the level of ict competencies among teachers in terms of technology operations and concepts when they were grouped according to age. however, the results were different for social and ethical aspects (h=12.321, p=0.090), pedagogical aspects (h=13.718, p=0.056), and professional aspects (h=10.125, p=0.182). this means that there are no differences in the level of teachers’ ict competencies in these aspects even if they were grouped according to their age. table 12 represents the significant differences between table 12: kruskal-wallis h test: significant differences between respondents’ level of ict competencies and their demographic profile in terms of highest educational attainment differences between respondents’ level of ict competencies and their demographic profile in terms of highest educational attainment kruskalwallis test (h – value) p-value decision remarks technology, operations, and concept 0.387 0.824 accept ho not significant social and ethical 0.204 0.903 accept ho not significant pedagogical 0.695 0.707 accept ho not significant professional 1.759 0.415 accept ho not significant the level of ict competencies of teachers and their profile in terms of highest educational attainment using the kruskal-wallis h test for data not normally distributed. this study revealed that there were no significant differences between the educational attainment of the teacher and technology operations and concepts (h=0.387, p=0.824), social and ethical aspects (h=0.204, p=0.903), pedagogical aspect (h=0.695, p=0.707) and professional aspect (h=1.759, p=0.415). all p-values generated were greater than the significance level of 0.05, therefore the null hypothesis is accepted and that significant differences were not established. this means that the level of ict competencies among teacher respondents in all aspects was statistically the same even if they were grouped according to highest educational attainment. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 27 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 22-29 2022 table 13: kruskal-wallis h test: significant differences between respondents’ level of ict competencies and their demographic profile in terms of length of service differences between respondents’ level of ict competencies and their demographic profile in terms of length of service kruskal-wallis test (h – value) p-value decision remarks technology, operations, and concept 15.471 0.004 reject ho significant social and ethical 10.344 0.035 reject ho significant pedagogical 12.578 0.014 reject ho significant professional 12.719 0.013 reject ho significant table 13 presents the significant differences between the level of ict competencies of teachers and their profile in terms of length of service using the kruskal-wallis test for data not normally distributed. this study found that there were significant differences between the length of teacher’s service and the level of ict competencies in terms of technology operations and concepts (h=15.471, p=0.004) social and ethical aspects (h= 10.344 p=0.035) pedagogical aspect (h=12.578, p=0.014) and professional aspect (h=12.719, p=0.013). all p-values generated were less than the significance level of 0.05, thus, the null hypothesis is rejected and that significant differences were established. this also denotes that there are differences in the level of ict competencies among teachers in all aspects when they were grouped according to their length of service. table 14: kruskal-wallis h test: significant differences between respondents’ level of ict competencies and their demographic profile in terms of position differences between respondents’ level of ict competencies and their demographic profile in terms of position kruskal-wallis test (h – value) p-value decision remarks technology, operations, and concept 5.086 0.279 accept ho not significant social and ethical 3.588 0.465 accept ho not significant pedagogical 5.880 0.208 accept ho not significant professional 7.426 0.115 accept ho not significant table 14 shows the significant differences between the level of ict competencies of teachers and their profile in terms of designation or position using the kruskalwallis h test for data not normally distributed. this study discloses that there were no significant differences between the position of the teacher and their level of ict competencies in terms of technology operations and concepts (h=5.086, p=0.279), social and ethical aspects (h=3.588, p=0.465), pedagogical aspect (h=5.880, p=0.0.208) and professional aspect (h=7.426, p=0.115). all p-values generated were greater than the significance level of 0.05, thus, the null hypothesis is accepted and that significant differences were not established. this assumes that the level of ict competencies among teacher respondents was statistically the same in all aspects even if they were grouped according to their positions. table 15: kruskal-wallis h test: significant differences between respondents’ level of ict competencies and their demographic profile in terms of number of seminars attended related to ict differences between respondents’ level of ict competencies and their demographic profile in terms of number of seminars attended related to ict k r u s k a l wallis test (h – value) p-value decision remarks technology, operations, and concept 5.367 0.068 accept ho not significant social and ethical 2.976 0.226 accept ho not significant pedagogical 2.185 0.335 accept ho not significant professional 0.777 0.678 accept ho not significant table 15 shows the significant differences between the level of ict competencies of teachers and their profile in terms of the number of seminars attended related to ict using kruskal-wallis h test for data not normally distributed. this study unveils that there were no significant differences between the number of seminars attended by the teacher related to ict and their level of ict competencies in terms of technology operations and concepts (h=5.367, p=0.068), social and ethical aspects (h=2.976, p=0.226), pedagogical aspect (h=2.185, p=0.335) and professional aspect (h=0.777, p=0.678). all p-values generated were greater than the significance level of 0.05, thus, the null hypothesis is accepted and that significant differences were not established. this indicates that the level of ict competencies among teacher respondents was statistically the same in all https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 28 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 22-29 2022 table 16: kruskal-wallis h test: significant differences between respondents’ level of ict competencies and their demographic profile in terms of number of years of using ict in teaching differences between respondents’ level of ict competencies and their demographic profile in terms of number of years of using ict in teaching kruskalwallis test (h – value) p-value decision remarks technology, operations, and concept 1.845 0.397 accept ho not significant social and ethical 0.502 0.778 accept ho not significant pedagogical 1.214 0.545 accept ho not significant professional 0.996 0.608 accept ho not significant aspects regardless of the number of seminars attended related to ict. table 16 indicates the significant differences between the level of ict competencies of teachers and their profile in terms of the number of years of using ict in teaching using the kruskal-wallis h test for data not normally distributed. this study shows that there were no significant differences between teacher’s number of years of using ict and their level of ict competencies in terms of technology operations and concepts (h=1.845, p=0.397), social and ethical aspects (h=0.502, p=0.778), pedagogical aspect (h=1.214, p=0.545) and professional aspect (h=0.996, p=0.608). all p-values generated were greater than the significance level of 0.05, thus, the null hypothesis is accepted and that significant differences were not established. this specifies that the level of ict competencies among teacher respondents was statistically the same in all aspects regardless of the number of years of using ict in teaching. conclusion and recommendation results of the study revealed that teachers have a high level of ict competency based on the national ict competency standards for teachers (nics) in terms of technology operations and concepts, social and ethical, and pedagogical. however, teachers have an average level of ict competency in terms of professional aspects. the variable of the study which are the identified demographics of the teacher-respondents such as sex, position or designation, length of service and number of ict-related training attended, and several years of using ict in teaching are both factors that affect the ict competency of teachers. on the other hand, identified variables such as age and length of service do contribute to teachers’ ict competency. this result is supported by the study of murithi and yoo, (2021) which revealed that the effect of age and gender on teacher capacity in ict and araiz (2018) has proved that significant relationships were not established concerning their gender, age, educational attainment, length of service and position. based on the findings, the focus of the competencybased training plan should be based on indicators in which teachers got a “moderate extent” of competency level of ict. for domain 1: technology concepts and operations (configure computer settings of various software and hardware; use online and offline help facilities for troubleshooting, maintenance, and update of applications, for domain 2: social and ethical (differentiate and identify the copyright, trademark, patent of various products; detect plagiarism in student work), for domain 3: pedagogical (make students use databases, spreadsheets, concept mapping tools and communication tools, etc.; encourage students to do data analysis, problem solving, decision making and exchange of ideas; teach students to use various multimedia materials for the reports and class presentations; use electronic means of administering quizzes and examinations; analyze assessment data using spreadsheets and statistical applications; set up online databases or repositories of student works) and for domain 4: professional (review new and existing software for education; recommend useful and credible web sites to colleague; conduct research on the use of technology in the classroom; follow online tutorials or online degree programs; actively participate in online forums and discussions; publish (formal /informal) research on the use of ict in education; share lesson plans, worksheets, templates and teaching materials through course web sites. for instance, many governments around the world are adopting the trend of incorporating digital technologies, or ict, into the curriculum for schools as they begin to realize the value of ict in education. as it becomes more integrated into more facets of our lives and closes educational gaps as it grows and transforms over time, it will continue to play a significant role in our future education. teachers, students, and school administrators must work together to integrate technology successfully. future researchers will be able to evaluate the extent of ict integration in schools in light of teachers’ ict competency standards. additional research on the issues that prevent teachers from utilizing and integrating ict in the classroom can also be carried out. it is recommended that the division of the city of malolos allocate appropriate funds for ict facilities, tools, and software that can be used to facilitate the teaching and learning process under different learning modalities; a similar study may be conducted to determine if the teachers’ ict competency level will affect the student’s performance in various fields of study, and a further study may be conducted to correlate the teachers’ ict competency level with gender, the number of ict-related https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 29 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 22-29 2022 training attended and the number of years of using ict in teaching and learning process. references araiz, j., (2018). profile and level of competence of information and communications technology (ict) coordinators among secondary schools in the division of davao del sur. jpair multidisciplinary research, 32(1), 124-148. bai, b., wang, j., & chai., c.-s. (2019). understanding hong kong primary school english teachers’ continuance intention to teach with ict. computer assisted language learning, 1-23. https://doi.org/10.1 080/09588221.2019.1627459 basilaia, g., & kvavadze, d., (2020). transition to online education in schools during a sars-cov-2 coronavirus (covid-19) pandemic in georgia. pedagogical research, 5(4), em0060. https://doi. org/10.29333/pr/7937 bonifacio, a., (2013). developing information communication technology (ict) curriculum standards for k-12 schools in the philippines. paper presented at the sixth conference of mit’s learning international networks consortium (linc), mit, cambridge, massachusetts, usa. caluza, l.j., verecio, r., funcion, d.g., & quisumbing, l., gotardo m., laurente, m., cinco, j., & marmita, v., (2017). an assessment of ict competencies of public-school teachers: basis for community extension program. iosr journal of humanities and social science, 22. 01-13. 10.9790/0837-2203040113. chin, j.m.-c., ching, g.s., del castillo, f., wen, t.-h., huang, y.-c., del castillo, c.d., gungon, j.l., trajera, s.m. (2021). perspectives on the barriers to and needs of teachers’ professional development in the philippines during covid-19. sustainability 2022, 14, 470. https:// doi.org/10.3390/su14010470 dela rosa, j.p, (2016). experiences, perceptions and attitudes on ict integration: a case study among novice and experienced language teachers in the philippines. international journal of education and development using information and communication technology (ijedict), 12(3), 37-57. retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/ hatlevik, o., & throndsen, i., loi, m. & guðmundsdóttir, g., (2018). students’ ict self-efficacy and computer and information literacy: determinants and relationships. computers & education. 118. 107-119. 10.1016/j. compedu.2017.11.011. retrieved from https://www. researchgate.net/publication/ hoyles, c., (2018). transforming the mathematical practices of learners and teachers through digital technology. research in mathematics education, 20(3), 209-228. https://10.1080/14794802.2018.1484799 kubota, k., yamamoto, r., & morioka, h., (2022). promoting ict education in developing countries: case study in the philippine. m. turcsányi-szabó., (2012) aiming at sustainable innovation in teacher education – from theory to practice, informatics in education, 11(1), 115-130, retrieved from https://www.researchgate. net/publication/ maimun, l. a., wan, & isa, m., (2017). the level of knowledge and the readiness of islamic education teachers on the use of multimedia. asean comparative education research journal on islam and civilization, 1(11), 1-13. retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/ makki, t., o’neal, l., cotten, s., & rikard, r., (2018). when first-order barriers are high: a comparison of secondand third-order barriers to classroom computing integration. computers & education, 120, 90– 97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2018.01.005 murithi, j., & yoo, j.e., (2021). teachers’ use of ict in implementing the competency-based curriculum in kenyan public primary schools. innov. educ. 3, 5. https://doi.org/10.1186/s42862-021-00012-0 omariba, a., ayot, h. o., & ondigi, s. r., (2015). teachers’ preparedness in integrating information communication technologies in public primary teacher training colleges in kenya. building capacity through quality teacher education nairobi, kenya, 333. retrieved from http://bit.ly/2c3admk rana, k. b., (2017). use of educational technologies in teaching and learning activities: strategies and challenges-a nepalese case. (thesis). the university of oslo. retrieved from https://www.duo.uio.no/bitstream/ handle/10852/60803/hem4390.pdf?sequence= 1 reinholz, d.l., (2020). change theory and theory of change: what’s the difference anyway?. ij stem ed., 7(2). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-020-0202-3 tomaro, q. p. v. (2018). ict integration in the educational system of philippines. journal of governance and public policy, 5(3), 259-282. toquero, c. m. (2020). challenges and opportunities for higher education amid the covid-19 pandemic: the philippine context. pedagogical research, 5(4), em0063. https://doi.org/10.29333/pr/7947 tria, j. z., (2020). the covid-19 pandemic through the lens of education in the philippines: the new normal. international journal of pedagogical development and lifelong learning, 1(1), 2001. https://doi. org/10.30935/ijpdll/8311 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 12 4 american journal of education and technology (ajet) level of technological implementation in science instruction to enhance national achievement test (nat) performance in butuan city division, philippines julie s. berame1* volume 2 issue 2, year 2023 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i2.1639 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: april 25, 2023 accepted: may 24, 2023 published: june 09, 2023 the study probed the integration of technology in science instruction in relation to the students’ performance in national achievement test (nat) results. it utilized a researcher-made questionnaire to obtain the data. the respondents of the study were the upper and lower 30% performing schools in the national achievement test (nat) for the aforementioned school years. results of the study revealed that the available technological resources for use in science instruction in butuan city division for the upper 30% were printer, desktop computer, and internet connection while for the lower 30% were desktop computer, printer, and speaker; that the level of technological skills of both the 30% school-respondents were rated expert in creating a presentation, using social networks, and their knowledge to operate computer. for the level of implementation in technology-assisted science instruction the respondents were rated occasionally. on the other hand, data revealed that the relationship between the level of technological skills of the teachers, school’s implementation in technology-assisted science instruction, and the performance in science nat between the upper and lower 30% school-respondents was significant. in conclusion, school-participants considered lack of computer sets as the major challenge they faced upon the implementation of technology-assisted science instruction. keywords technology integration, science instruction, technology-assisted instruction, national achievement test, intervention program 1 college of education, caraga state university, butuan city, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: jberame386@gmail.com introduction the last two decades have witnessed a worldwide proliferation of information and communication technologies (ict) into the field of education. the global adoption of ict into education has often been premised on the potential of the new technological tools to revolutionize an outmoded educational system (collins et al., 2018), better prepare students for the information age, and accelerate national development efforts (bordbar, 2010). with this, philippine government has made an effort to provide the infrastructure that will make it possible to employ these technologies in school to include the launching of computerization program in deped schools (deped press released, 2013). the ultimate goal is to enhance learning (bull and bell, 2010). in the philippines, the filipino students’ poor achievement level in science has been noted for several years now (deped, 2014). it is evident in the national achievement test (nat) which is administered annually to measure the academic performance in key subjects of elementary and secondary students in both deped and private schools (deped, 2014). in 1996, the national mean rating in science test of the national elementary achievement test was 41.5%. a recent national achievement test showed that in 2005, the mean rating in science test was 54.1% for grade six students, and only 14.8% of grade six science students attained mastery levels of science curriculum goals (deped, 2014). these low achievement levels are also documented in international assessments of science education like the trends in international mathematics and science study (timss) (martin, mullis, gonzalez, and chrostowki, 2004). the results showed that filipino grade six students ranked third from last out of 25 countries in science, with an average rating of 332. the average international rating was 489, and the highest rating by any country was 565. the average international rating was 474, and the highest rating by any country was 578. similarly, in the division of butuan city, the results of the national achievement test (nat) for the past four years, from school year 2010-2014 among grade six students showed below average performance in terms of their science mps nat result (deped database, 2012). deped (2012) points out that science continues to be the most difficult subject of study in basic education in the philippines which according to samuel (2017), can be attributed to lack of interest by the students, difficulty in science curriculum as perceived by students, teacher factors such as strategies used to teach science, teacher attitude towards science teaching, teacher experience and qualifications, perception of the academic standard of the school, and students’ study habits (fisher and mcgeveran, 2019; gul and bano, 2019). various researches to address the flagging and critical performance in the national achievement test (nat) for grade 6, especially in science were conducted (deped, 2012), however, most of which only focused on the factors resulting within. with this, the researcher, being a science teacher himself, was motivated to probe the use of technology in science instruction to enhance science learning and teaching, which in turn would yield enhanced national achievement test (nat) results in science. https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i2.1639 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= pa ge 12 5 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 124-133, 2023 material and methods research design this study utilized descriptive-correlational research design. it was descriptive because it described the use of technology to assist science instruction among deped schools in butuan city to enhance science learning. moreover, it was also correlational as it aimed to describe the level of relationship between the school’s level of technological skills and performance in science national achievement test (nat); and the school’s level of implementation and performance in the science national achievement test. research locale and sample this study was conducted in butuan city, agusan del norte. butuan city is located in the northern part of agusan valley sprawling across the agusan river. furthermore, butuan city is considered as the oldest city and center for government agencies in caraga, region xiii. as constituted, butuan city has a total land area of 70, 800 hectares and with the population of 309,709 per latest census (nso, 2010). butuan city is politically divided into 27 urban and 59 rural barangays. the number of existing deped elementary schools is one hundred two (102) in which five (5) of these are central schools. there are also existing fifteen elementary private schools. in this study, the respondents were the upper and lower 30% deped performing schools in the national achievement test (nat), based on the mean percentage score (mps), school year 2013-2014, four years after the implementation of the computerization program in deped schools. in embracing the k+12 curriculum in the country, these schools had been implementing different programs of deped to make education more challenging and technologically advanced in the field of science and technology ranging from special education (sped) to other special sciences programs. some of these schools had computer laboratory, access to internet, and other social networks as sources of knowledge or information. sampling design the researcher utilized the non-probability using purposive sampling technique in the selection of the school-respondents since there were criteria that were followed in choosing the samples. on the other hand, the schools involved in this study were the upper and lower 30% performing schools in the national achievement test (nat) based on their mean percentage score (mps) among deped elementary central and non-central schools of butuan city division. private elementary schools were not included for consistency of exposure and academic standards. research instrument the researcher developed a questionnaire for the teacherrespondents. the questionnaire consisted of four (4) questions representing the information needed for the study. it was reviewed by research professors from two universities in the region for content validation and were revised based on their comments and suggestions. the survey questionnaire was validated on the basis of the appropriateness of each item. in the same manner, the data collected on the pre-testing of the instrument underwent reliability testing using coefficient alpha yielding a reliability result of 0.84 which is highly reliable. data gathering procedure before the conduct of the data gathering, the researcher sent a letter to the schools division superintendent in butuan city division to ask permission to conduct the study on the use of technology-assisted instruction in science among deped schools. following the approval of the schools division superintendent, the researcher sent a letter to the school administrators of the said division asking permission to conduct the study in their respective schools. the researcher then conducted the data gathering by asking the deped school-respondents to answer the questionnaires. in total, the researcher spent around one month working days in data gathering involving 56 teacher-respondents and 28 principal-respondents in the upper and lower 30% performing deped elementary schools in butuan city division. data analysis procedure the descriptive evaluation of findings to determine the technological skills of the school-respondents, level of implementation of schools in technology-assisted science instruction in terms of training program, and the practices of teachers in integrating the use of technology in science instruction among deped schools in the division of butuan city was based on the statistical parameters presented in tables 1 and 2. table 1: rating scale for technological skills of the teachers scales intervals description 4 3.51 – 4.00 expert (the teacher can do this very well) 3 2.51 – 3.50 proficient (the teacher can do this with help from someone) 2 1.51 – 2.50 novice (the teacher knows what this means but he cannot do it) 1 1.00 – 1.50 unacceptable (the teacher doesn’t know what this means) https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 12 6 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 124-133, 2023 table 2: rating scale for the level of technological skills and implementation of technology-assisted science instruction scales intervals description 5 4.2 5.0 regularly 4 3.4 4.1 frequently 3 2.6 3.3 occasionally 2 1.8 2.5 rarely 1 1.0 1.7 never ethical consideration informed letter of consent was handed to the schoolrespondents. meanwhile, confidentiality was observed all throughout the conduct of the study. statistical treatment of data to facilitate the analysis of the data, chi-square test of independence was used to test significant relationship between the categorical data on schools’ technological skills and their performance in science national achievement test. coefficient alpha was used to test the validity and reliability of the questionnaire. frequency and percentage were used to determine the technological resources of the schools available for use in science instruction as well as the skills of the teachers and their practices. lastly, mean was used to compute the average nat performance of the schools for the past 4 school years. pearson product moment correlation coefficient was used to test the significant relationship between the level of school’s technological practices and implementation to their performance in science national achievement test (nat) for the previous years. results and discussion on the availability of technological resources for use in science instruction based on results and analysis, table 3 shows the percentage distribution of the technological resources available for use for science instruction as rated by the teachers and the principals when respondents were grouped as upper and lower 30% performing schools in the national achievement test (nat). table 3: percentage distribution of the technological resources in science instruction technological tools/ resources teachers upper 30% principals upper 30% total teachers lower 30% principals lower 30 & total no yes no yes no yes no yes no yes no yes desktop computer 3.8 96.2 8.3 91.7 6.1 94.0 10.7 89.3 7.1 92.9 8.9 91.1 laptop or notebook computer 37.0 63.0 42.9 57.1 40.0 60.1 25.0 75.0 41.7 58.3 33.4 66.7 tablet device 82.1 17.9 84.6 15.4 83.4 16.7 88.0 12.0 100.0 0.0 94.0 6.0 overhead projector 21.4 78.6 7.1 92.9 14.3 85.8 65.4 34.6 21.4 78.6 43.4 56.6 lcd/ multimedia projector 11.1 88.9 14.3 85.7 12.7 87.3 24.0 76.0 8.3 91.7 16.2 83.9 television set 46.4 53.6 28.6 71.4 37.5 62.5 32.1 67.9 28.6 71.4 30.4 69.7 compact disc player 17.9 82.1 42.9 57.1 30.4 69.6 34.6 65.4 46.2 53.8 40.4 59.6 dvd player 25.0 75.0 23.1 76.9 24.1 76.0 28.6 71.4 44.4 55.6 36.5 63.5 speakers 14.3 85.7 14.3 85.7 14.3 85.7 7.1 92.9 16.7 83.3 11.9 88.1 digital camera 38.5 61.5 30.8 69.2 34.7 65.4 32.1 67.9 28.6 71.4 30.4 69.7 video recorder 82.1 17.9 78.6 21.4 80.4 19.7 78.6 21.4 66.7 33.3 72.7 27.4 karaoke/ videoke 82.1 17.9 61.5 38.5 71.8 28.2 30.8 69.2 60.0 40.0 45.4 54.6 internet connection 10.7 89.3 7.1 92.9 8.9 91.1 17.9 82.1 23.1 76.9 20.5 79.5 printer 7.1 92.9 0.0 100.0 3.6 96.5 7.1 92.9 14.3 85.7 10.7 89.3 usb (memory) stick 18.5 81.5 14.3 85.7 16.4 83.6 10.7 89.3 27.3 72.7 19.0 81.0 computer laboratory 18.5 81.5 7.7 92.3 13.1 86.9 18.5 81.5 28.6 71.4 23.6 76.5 as indicated in table 3, there were three (3) technological resources that were being used by more than 90% of the teachers and principals for the upper 30% performing schools in the national achievement test. these were printers (96.5%), desktop computers (94.0%), and internet connection (91.1%). based on the responses by the majority of the respondents to the survey questionnaire, they used printers for science instructional materials, summative and periodic tests, lesson plans, activities, reports, processing output, visual aids, https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 12 7 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 124-133, 2023 and worksheets (fischer et al., 2020). meanwhile, desktop computers and internet connection were used by teacherrespondents for making reports, powerpoint presentations, hands-on application, data searching on the internet, supplemental lessons, research about science teaching, downloading educational videos, encoding, typing for the lessons to collect data from the internet and surfing science materials for the lessons (ertmer and park, 2008). the table also indicated that 85% of these schools had liquid crystal display (lcd)/multimedia projectors, computer laboratories, overhead projectors, and speakers. these implies that majority of the upper 30% performing schools in the national achievement test (nat) had the basic technological resources that could be used by their teachers in their technology-assisted medium of instruction. it could be noted however that less than 20% of these schools had video recorder (19.7%), tablet device (16.7%), lowest) and karaoke/videoke (28.2%) available for their teachers’ use. but this did not imply that the teachers did not have access to these things because tablet devices could be a personal property of the teacher and yet could still be used as their instructional media. according to the respondents, tablet device was usually used for science documentation and personal use only (collins and halverson, 2018). similarly, video and camera recorder were almost present and available even to students because of the technological advancement of smart phones used in school documentations like science activities or programs, science feature writing, photo journalism and “palit-awit” or parody contest. rowcliffe (2016) emphasize the usability of the tablet and mobile devices to increase learning. being roughly the same size as a book, the tablet device is thought to encourage students to engage with it the same way they would with a physical storybook. the authors further put forward that the mobile devices encourage collaboration as their size stimulated face-to-face interaction (chong and reinders, 2020; haslip and gullo, 2017). on one hand, video recording techniques have been used in educational setting for a number of years. they have included viewing videotaped lessons in science, using whole videos or clips of tapes as a quick for discussion, viewing video recordings to observe role models for practice, and being video recorded in order to receive feedback on performance from peers and tutors. although this last application has been used since the 1960s, it has only been evaluated as a teaching method with health care professionals in the past 10 years and mostly in the areas of medical and counselor education (duzenli, 2018; hasni et al., 2016). moreover, karaoke/videoke in school is an interactive media which opens new avenues for learning integrated in the lessons (fornas, 2018; hill and uribe-florez, 2020). charp (2020) and jeffrey et al, (2019) states that the integration of technology to science education is based on the identified six contributions that technology can make to the learning process such as enhancing interest and motivation; providing access to information; allowing active, manipulative presentations; structuring the process with tactical and strategic support; diagnosing and correcting errors; and managing complexity and aiding production (carman and judge, 2017; poore, 2015). in contrast, unlike the upper 30% performing schools in national achievement test (nat), the lower 30% performing schools in the national achievement test had only one (1) technological resource present to more than 90% of the lower 30% performing schools in national achievement test (nat) and these were desktop computers with 91.1%. a little less than 90% of them have printers (89.3%) and speakers (88.1%). other technological items that were present to at least 80% of these schools were liquid crystal display (lcd)/ multimedia projector and universal serial bus (usb) stick with 83.85% and 81.0%, respectively. a similar case was depicted for tablet device, which was present to only 6% of the schools. in sum, both upper and lower 30% performing schools in nat had both desktop computer and printers as common technological resources available for use in science teaching and learning. on the level of technological skills of the respondents the level of technological skills of the teachers in the upper 30% and lower 30% performing schools in the national achievement test (nat) from 2010 to 2014 is presented in table 4. the participants from the upper 30% performing schools in national achievement table 4: level of technological skills among teachers and principals of the upper and lower 30% performing schools in nat level of technological skills teachers upper 30% principals upper 30% total teachers lower 30% principals lower 30 & total mean vd mean vd mean vd mean vd mean vd mean vd edit digital photographs 3.2 p 3.1 p 3.2 p 2.9 p 3.1 p 3.0 p create a database 2.9 p 2.6 p 2.8 p 2.7 p 2.3 n 2.5 n use a spreadsheet to plot a graph 3.4 p 2.8 p 3.1 p 3.0 p 2.9 p 3.0 p create a presentation 3.8 e 3.6 e 3.7 e 3.4 p 3.4 p 3.4 p create a multimedia presentation 3.5 p 3.2 p 3.4 p 3.2 p 3.3 p 3.3 p https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 12 8 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 124-133, 2023 knowledge of how computers operate 3.8 e 3.5 e 3.7 e 3.6 e 3.5 p 3.6 e ability to design own programs 2.7 p 2.9 p 2.8 p 2.5 n 2.9 p 2.7 p ability to evaluate educational software 2.7 p 2.4 n 2.6 p 2.5 n 2.7 p 2.6 p knowledge of educational computer applications 3.3 p 2.8 p 3.1 p 3.0 p 3.0 p 3.0 p create a document using word processing program 3.7 e 3.5 p 3.6 e 3.4 p 3.2 p 3.3 p use spreadsheet / excel program 3.5 p 3.6 e 3.6 e 3.1 p 3.4 p 3.3 p use a presentation program 3.8 e 3.7 e 3.8 e 3.2 p 3.3 p 3.3 p use a database program 2.7 p 2.6 p 2.7 p 2.6 p 2.8 p 2.7 p use a publication program 3.2 p 3.0 p 3.1 p 2.8 p 2.7 p 2.8 p create /edit multimedia presentation 3.5 p 3.2 p 3.4 p 3.0 p 2.8 p 2.9 p use programming software 2.8 p 2.9 p 2.9 p 2.5 n 2.4 n 2.5 n use authoring program 2.3 n 2.1 n 2.2 n 2.0 n 2.2 n 2.1 n use social media programs like fb and skype 3.8 e 3.6 e 3.7 e 3.7 e 3.6 e 3.7 e can troubleshoot hardware problems 2.5 n 2.4 n 2.5 n 2.0 n 2.3 n 2.2 n can troubleshoot software problems 2.6 p 3.4 p 3.0 p 2.4 n 2.1 n 2.3 n can create a website 2.5 n 2.4 n 2.5 n 2.3 n 2.1 n 2.2 n can create web-based learning materials 2.5 n 2.4 n 2.5 n 2.3 n 2.1 n 2.2 n (w) can access blogs and e-journals 2.9 p 2.8 p 2.9 p 2.9 p 2.7 p 2.8 p over-all mean 3.1 p 3.0 p 3.1 p 2.8 p 2.8 p 2.8 p test (nat) indicated that they were expert in using a presentation program which received the highest mean ratings from the teachers (3.8) and principals (3.7) and highest grouped mean of 3.8. this result showed that the teachers could very well use presentation program by themselves and without the help from someone (bull, 2016; raja et al., 2018). other items which the teachers considered themselves expert were creating a presentation and use of social media programs like facebook (fb) and skype, both with 3.7, and knowledge on how to operate computers (3.7). presentation program is widely used by science educators, trainers, and students. presentation program/powerpoint has become the world’s most widely used presentation program to science lectures and instructions (shelton, 2019; rasheed and kamsin, 2020). as sivin-kachala et al., (2017) examined the effects of classroom technology use in science, including powerpoint, they found out that teachers who augmented their face-to-face presentations with technology were generally perceived as being more reliable than those who did not employ technology in the school. furthermore, bahodir-qizi (2021) and reeves (2020) revealed that students learned better if the course material was presented through some visual tools. they also reported that teachers believed that powerpoint presentations made the content more appealing; therefore, they helped them to take students’ attention. the results of regian (2018) study also showed that students who were exposed to powerpoint presentations preferred them over the textbook presentations and that students were learning better when their attention was captured via highlighting, color, different fonts, and visual effects (buckingham, 2019; robinson, 2018). on the other hand, as perceived by teachers, creating/ https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 12 9 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 124-133, 2023 powerpoint presentation works well in the classroom in a number of ways like teachers can create graphically enhanced information and instructions for the learning centers, create tutorials, reviews, or quizzes for individual students, display student work and curriculum materials or accompany teacher presentations, and provide a slide show of classroom activities in science or other subjects (bonagua (2015). however as seen in table 5, teacher and principalrespondents considered themselves novice in the use of authoring program with the least mean rating of 2.2. other technological skills that the participants felt they were still novice were on troubleshooting hardware problems, creating a website, and creating web-based learning materials, all rated 2.5 by the group. on authoring program, this technological skill received the least percentage rating because it is rarely used in the school since the skill is not widely used for classroom related activity of the teacher and student. such applications tend to target professional educational content creators only and do not cater to end-users with limited computer proficiency (baran et al., 2015; steele and drew, 2018). troubleshooting software was also rare in school. however, many teachers may automatically contact their computer teacher in the school for simple troubleshooting procedures while they encountered computer-problem during classroom lectures and to easily access into computer troubleshooting for teachers and students websites (chen et al., 2018). anderson (2016) notes that most schools will never be able to afford enough technical support for all of the problems that arise in one school day. as to level of technological skills of the lower 30% performing schools in national achievement test (nat) for the last four (4) school years, the teacher and principal-respondents rated themselves expert on the use of social media programs like facebook and skype with 3.7 mean. this was the only item given an expert rating by the principal while teachers also rated themselves as expert and knowledgeable on how to operate computers. for the knowledge on how to operate computer, it has a lot of applications in various fields involved in order to manipulate well the technology for the teachers and students to use in the classroom (bond et al., 2018; sousa and rocha, 2019). therefore, computer literacy is much needed for teachers as well as learners. the computers have created a revolution in the content of education and in the nature of learning process (tsai, 2020). teachers should be in terms with the physical reality of the computers, and learn how to take actual advantage of the machines’ educational potential (blanchard et al., 2016). with this, computer knowledge is essential for teachers. as research revealed, favorable attitude towards computer plays a very important role in making one interested in it. unless the teachers possess a favorable expertise towards computer which in turn will affect their knowledge of computer and also, they will find teaching with help of computer difficult, which in turn will affect students learning in the classroom (bersin, 2018; thomson, 2017). therefore, if the teachers have favorable knowledge towards computer, then there may be a chance for them to be motivated in acquiring knowledge of computer, as it is clear that the computer knowledge is very much needed for teachers in many aspects inside the classroom (smith, tsai, and rajasekar, 2019). on the other hand, teacher-respondents also considered their skill on the use of authoring program and troubleshooting hardware problems as novice with the least mean rating of 2.0. the principal-respondents also rated lowest their skills on troubleshooting software problems, creating a website, and creating web-based learning materials with 2.1. taken as a group, the lower 30% performing schools were expert on the use of social media programs like facebook and skype (3.7) and knowledge on how computers operate (3.6) but novice in terms of the use of authoring program (2.1) and troubleshooting hardware problems (2.2). the over-all mean rating of the teachers and principals of the lower 30% performing schools indicates that they were all proficient in their technological skills with 2.8. on the level of implementation of the upper and lower 30% performing schools in technologyassisted science instruction table 5 shows the level of implementation of both upper and lower 30% performing schools in their technologyassisted science instruction in terms of practices in integrating technology in science instruction and training programs is presented in this section. the personal practices in integrating technology in science instruction in terms of using technology by myself received the highest mean of 3.0 (frequently) from the teachers from the upper 30% performing schools. in contrast, teachers from the lower 30% rated the item 2.4 often. on the other hand, using computer for lesson planning received the highest rating from the teachers of the lower 30% performing schools with 2.9, frequently, but rated only often by the other group (2.5). these items both received the mean rating of 2.70 when teachers were considered as a single group. as to their least rated items, the upper 30% teachers said that they often used computer database to keep an inventory of science audio-visual materials with 1.9 while the teachers from the other group gave the same rating to the use of audio/speaker/lapel devices to discuss the lessons in the classroom (berame and baring, 2022). the use of computer database to keep an inventory of science audio-visual materials received the least mean rating of 1.95 when teachers were grouped (benitt et al., 2019). both groups gave an over-all mean rating of occasionally on their personal practices in integrating technology in science instruction with 2.47 (upper 30%), 2.30 (lower 30%), and 2.38 (grouped mean). the result pointed out that the teachers either from the upper 30% performing schools or otherwise, only personally integrated https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 13 0 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 124-133, 2023 technology in science instruction 40% of the time. the principals from both groups were also asked to rate their level of implementation in the practice of integrating technology in science instruction as presented in table 6. the principals of the upper 30% rated highest the item on demonstrating the use of computer to record data/ carry out calculations related to experiments or problems while those from the lower 30% rated highest the items on the use of computer for lesson planning and use of spreadsheets (excel) to maintain student achievement/ attendance records with 2.8, which is frequently or about 70% of the time. according to armour-thomas (2017), computer in record keeping can be defined as one of the most useful modern means of collecting, updating, controlling, recording, and storing of information for future usage by any resourceful organization. computers are widely used in the field of science in education (valenduc, 2018). when used as flexible tools in the hands of students for the collection, analysis, and graphical display of data, can accelerate the rate at which student can acquire data, abstract, and generalize from real experience with natural phenomena. the digital computer is an important tool for an inquiry-based option in science because it has become the most universal tool of inquiry in scientific research (bell and dourish, 2016; wang, 2019). on one hand, the principals of the upper and lower 30% performing schools rated lowest respectively the items on the use of email or network to communicate with other science teachers, with 2.3 and 1.8, and the use of a computer database to keep an inventory of science equipment, supplies, references, audiovisual materials, with 2.3 and table 6: level of implementation of the school principals in technology-assisted science instruction among the upper and the lower 30% performing schools in nat in terms of personal practices personal practices in integrating technology in science instruction upper 30% lower 30% total mean vd mean vd mean vd computer for lesson planning 2.6 f 2.8 f 2.70 f e-mail or network to communicate with other science teachers 2.3 o 1.8 o 2.05 o a computer data base to keep an inventory of science audio-visual materials 2.3 o 1.9 o 2.10 o spreadsheet (excel) to maintain student/achievement attendance records 2.7 f 2.8 f 2.75 f demonstrate use of computer to record data / calculations related to experiments 2.8 f 2.4 o 2.60 f personal computer programs for my own 2.7 f 2.1 o 2.40 o web-based learning materials 2.5 o 2.1 o 2.30 o use audio/speaker/lapel devices to discuss the lessons in the classroom 2.4 o 2.3 o 2.35 o over-all mean 2.54 f 2.28 o 2.41 o table 5: level of implementation of the teachers in technology-assisted science instruction among the upper and the lower 30% performing schools in nat in terms of personal practices personal practices in integrating technology in science instruction upper 30% lower 30% total mean vd mean vd mean vd i use computer for lesson planning 2.5 o 2.9 f 2.7 f i use e-mail or network to communicate with other science teachers. 2.4 o 1.9 o 2.2 o i use a computer database to keep an inventory of science audiovisual materials 1.9 o 2.0 o 2.0 o i use spreadsheet to maintain student achievement/attendance records 2.8 f 2.5 o 2.7 f i demonstrate the use of computer to record data/calculations related to experiments 2.6 f 2.6 f 2.6 f i use my personal computer programs to teach lesson 3.0 f 2.4 o 2.7 f i use web-based learning materials 2.6 f 2.6 f 2.6 f i use audio/speaker/lapel devices to discuss the lessons in the classroom. 2.3 o 1.8 o 2.1 o over-all mean 2.51 o 2.34 o 2.45 o https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 13 1 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 124-133, 2023 1.9. the result presented that these things were practiced occasionally by the principals or at most 40% of the time (attawell, 2009; woodward and beschorner, 2019). moreover, the principals from the upper 30% frequently integrated technology in science instruction at least 70% of the time as indicated by their over-all mean rating of 2.55. in comparison, the principals from the lower 30% performing schools practiced integration of technology in science instruction often or 40% of the time with the mean rating of 2.26. as a group (antonenko, 2018; winslow et al., 2021; zyad, 2016), the principals rated their practices as often with a group mean of 2.41. compared to their teacher counterparts, it could be seen that both teacher and principal participants from the upper 30% and lower 30% performing schools in the national achievement test (nat) for the last four (4) years practiced personally the integration of technology in science instruction less than half (40%) of the time. conclusion based on the findings of the study, it was concluded that the use and integration of technology-equipment in science classroom instruction significantly impact students’ performance relative to their national achievement test (nat) result. the available technological resources for use in science instruction in butuan city division for the upper 30% school-respondents were printer, desktop computer, and internet connection while for the lower 30% schoolrespondents were desktop computer, printer, and speaker to assist science learning. the level of technological skills of both the upper and lower 30% school-respondents were rated expert in creating a presentation (powerpoint), using social networks programs like facebook and skype, and their knowledge on how to operate computer. the level of implementation of school-respondents in technology-assisted science instruction between the upper and the lower 30% performing schools in the national achievement test (nat) in terms of personal practices, technology integration practices and training programs were rated often. acknowledgement profound appreciation to the department of education (deped) school principal and teacher participants in the 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(2016). integrating computers in the classroom: barriers and teachers’ attitudes. international journal of instruction, 9(1), 65-78. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 35 american journal of education and technology (ajet) transforming education: enhancing student performance and satisfaction through the flipped classroom method sija binoy1* volume 3 issue 1, year 2024 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v3i1.2121 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: december 14, 2023 accepted: january 21, 2024 published: january 24, 2024 the flipped classroom, a form of blended learning, has gained popularity in higher education due to its potential to improve student engagement and performance. this approach addresses limitations in traditional teaching methods, such as didactic lectures and passive learning methods, by moving content delivery outside class and utilizing in-person sessions for active learning activities. this study aimed to assess the effectiveness of the flipped classroom as a teaching-learning strategy and to gather students’ opinions of the idea. a second-year undergraduate nursing class (n = 96) was split into two groups, one of which used the flipped classroom technique and the other the conventional approach in a quasi-experimental design. questionnaires on a likert scale were utilized to assess students’ opinions of the flipped classroom, and pre-and post-test results were evaluated. a variety of statistical analyses were used to compare mean scores and evaluate the efficacy of the flipped classroom, including paired and independent t-tests. a quasi-experimental study involving a second-year undergraduate nursing class showed a statistically significant improvement in student performance and a positive perception of the flipped classroom approach with p<0.001. the flipped classroom in nursing education allows students to learn at their own pace through pre-class work, with an instructor as a facilitator. this personalized approach uses technology like online platforms and collaborative tools to deliver lectures and facilitate in-class activities, potentially improving student engagement, critical thinking, and clinical reasoning abilities. keywords flipped classroom approach, student performance, educational innovation, technology integration, teaching strategy, traditional classroom 1 gulf medical university, uae * corresponding author’s e-mail: sija_2000@yahoo.com introduction the ongoing intellectual revolution places high importance on higher education (ye et al., 2019). the covid-19 epidemic has created new educational opportunities despite its difficulties (sari & nayır, 2020). by updating the curriculum with program learning outcomes that prioritise outcome-based learning and skill growth, innovative methods and strategies for instructional delivery, teaching, and learning have the potential to revolutionise education (singh et al., 2021). worldwide, blended learning programmes that combine traditional classroom instruction with online education have been implemented due to technological improvements. these programs are now acknowledged to be increasing influence on how current health professions students study in classroom settings and acquire knowledge (singh, 2021). blended learning has been suggested to increase student engagement and instructor productivity, cater to a broader student body and improve retention rates. the flipped classroom has become popular as a blended learning strategy in recent years (dakhi et al., 2020). the preparation of future healthcare professionals who can deliver high-quality patient care is greatly aided by nursing education. as the healthcare landscape changes, teachers work to improve student performance and happiness in nursing programmes (tang et al., 2010). the flipped classroom concept is one creative strategy that shows promise in reaching these objectives. this essay examines how the flipped classroom strategy might enhance student engagement and performance in nursing courses. nursing education has traditionally been taught in the classroom using a combination of didactic lectures, textbook readings, and hands-on training (deng, 2019). although this paradigm has laid a basis for information, it frequently fails to actively engage students and foster the critical thinking abilities required for successful nursing practice. various degrees of student performance and satisfaction, a passive learning environment, and little possibilities for involvement have all been ongoing issues in nursing education. the flipped classroom paradigm can help educators overcome the drawbacks of the conventional method and foster student-centred learning, active participation, and critical thinking abilities. the flipped classroom promotes independence and selfdirected study habits by encouraging students to take responsibility for their education (hessler, 2019). additionally, the interactive format of in-class exercises improves students’ comprehension and recall of challenging nursing topics and fosters cooperation and teamwork, which are essential abilities for future healthcare workers (kim et al., 2019). a regular learning environment and its activities are changed, or at least reconfigured, in the “flipped classroom,” a pedagogical concept (youhasan et al., 2021). in a western university setting, for instance, the typical lecture and follow-up learning activities may be flipped, with the instructional lecture content being supplied online before class time, and in-class time is used for more active group learning pa ge 36 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(1) 35-45, 2024 exercises than those conducted in traditional lectures. like any new curriculum design, flipped approaches aim to improve student learning; for example, khan academy has adopted the flipped classroom model as a fundamental component of its educational approach. students can access pre-recorded video lessons on the khan academy platform, which cover various subjects like math, science, humanities, and more. these video lessons are the primary source of content delivery outside the classroom. however, in these tight budgets, the promise of more effective resource management is also likely to be mentioned, along with the potential advantage of using new digital tools. in recent years, the traditional classroom paradigm has come under increasing fire for its shortcomings in encouraging student engagement, active learning, and individualised instruction. alternative instructional strategies have drawn attention as educators work to improve student performance and happiness (hessler, 2019). the flipped classroom is one such strategy, which flips the conventional educational paradigm by moving content delivery outside of class and enabling more engaging and student-centred learning experiences in the classroom (nja et al., 2022). this essay examines how the flipped classroom strategy might enhance student engagement and performance. for many years, the foundation of education has been the traditional classroom model, which is characterised by a teachercentred approach with lectures, textbook readings, and in-class activities. undoubtedly, it has given clear instructions and a well-organized framework for learning. however, this approach frequently fails to actively engage pupils, foster critical thinking, and meet each student’s unique learning needs (barbour & schuessler, 2019). the traditional classroom paradigm has long been hampered by passive learning, little possibilities for engagement, and uneven levels of student performance and satisfaction (cheng et al., 2019). literature review flipped classrooms over the past few years, the notion of “flipping” the classroom has gained popularity in the educational community. the flipped classroom method seems an alluring new tactic for the driven teacher. teachers are expressing interest, numerous courses have been produced, and technology usage in the classroom has risen (galindo-dominguez, 2021). universities worldwide are adopting the flipped classroom strategy as a teaching strategy to improve academic achievement, active learning, and student engagement. here are some instances of universities from various nations using the flipped classroom model: united states harvard university in the us has adopted the flipped classroom format across various subject areas. for instance, the harvard medical school instructs medical students using the flipped classroom strategy, enabling them to work together on problems during in-person sessions. similarly, harvard business school uses the flipped classroom format in its mba programmes to promote case-based debates and active learning (talbert, 2023). canada the university of british columbia (ubc) has incorporated the flipped classroom strategy into several academic programmes. the faculty of science at ubc has used the methodology in classes like biology and chemistry, giving students pre-class materials and utilising in-class time for practical experiments, group work, and debates (petillion & mcneil, 2020). the faculty of education at ubc also uses the flipped classroom approach to prepare future teachers. australia the university of queensland (uq) has incorporated the flipped classroom approach into numerous courses across multiple faculties in australia. pharmacy students at uq’s school of pharmacy benefit from the flipped classroom strategy, which encourages critical thinking and active learning. before class, students participate in pre-class activities, including watching video lectures, and then during class, they work together to solve problems (reinke, 2019). united kingdom the university of nottingham has applied the flipped classroom approach in several academic fields. for instance, the school of medicine at the university of nottingham uses the strategy to help medical students improve their clinical reasoning abilities (durrani et al., 2022). case discussions, simulations, and interactive exercises take up most of the class time as students examine pre-recorded lectures and materials in preparation for live sessions. singapore as part of its instructional strategy, nanyang technological university (ntu) in singapore have adopted the flipped classroom concept (rajaram, 2019). ntu’s college of engineering uses the flipped classroom format in several engineering courses, allowing students to obtain pre-class materials online and use in-person sessions for collaborative learning, problem-solving, and design projects. the flipped classroom inverts traditional teaching methods by delivering video instruction outside the classroom and moving homework into the class day” (electronic education report, 2019). instead of lecturing, the teacher can use the limited class time to reinforce concepts through experiments, projects, and other cooperative learning activities (colomo-magaña et al., 2020). the flipped classroom concept presents an innovative strategy in response to the demand for a more student-centred and interesting learning environment. pa ge 37 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(1) 35-45, 2024 students were introduced to the material outside of class in a flipped classroom through pre-recorded lectures, online resources, or readings (barbour & schuessler, 2019). with the help of this pre-class work, students may learn the fundamentals at their own pace and get ready for in-depth discussions and group projects in the classroom. in this method, the teacher facilitates group work, discussions, problem-solving, and individualised instruction during class (colomo-magaña et al., 2020). by encouraging active learning, raising student involvement, and offering chances for individualised education, the flipped classroom method has the potential to overcome the shortcomings of the conventional classroom paradigm. the flipped classroom promotes critical thinking, problem-solving abilities, and active involvement by moving the emphasis from knowledge delivery to application and deeper understanding. additionally, it provides the opportunity to modify instruction to meet the needs of each student and promotes more fruitful interactions between students and teachers. although the flipped classroom strategy has grown in acceptance, evaluating its effects on pupil performance and satisfaction is crucial. by examining the efficiency of the flipped classroom approach in enhancing student results, this research seeks to add to the body of existing literature (zheng et al., 2020). the present study intends to offer useful insights and suggestions for educators and policymakers by examining pertinent research studies, examining the experiences of students and teachers, and assessing the effects on performance and satisfaction. flipped classroom in nursing education the usual educational sequence is reorganised using the flipped classroom approach, commonly called the inverted classroom or reverse teaching. using class time for active learning, collaboration, and knowledge application entails switching from in-class lectures to independent learning outside the classroom. the flipped classroom paradigm is intended to improve student engagement, critical thinking, and clinical reasoning abilities in the context of nursing school (özbay & çınar, 2021). core components of the flipped classroom approach in nursing education pre-class work students are given pre-class work in the flipped classroom, often accessing pre-recorded lectures, online modules, reading materials, or other multimedia resources related to the addressed topic. before participating in the inperson class sessions, students are asked to review and interact with this material (choi et al., 2021). in-class activities the flipped classroom paradigm turns class into a collaborative and interactive learning environment. students participate in numerous activities promoting active learning, such as discussions, case studies, simulations, hands-on exercises, and group projects, instead of passively taking in lectures (ha et al., 2019). students can use their pre-class knowledge in these tasks and practise critical thinking, problem-solving, and clinical reasoning. facilitator role of the instructor the instructor’s function in a flipped classroom changes from that of the single knowledge source to that of a facilitator or guide. the instructor’s job is to foster an encouraging and engaging learning environment, enable dialogues, offer direction and feedback, and encourage greater comprehension of the material (al-samarraie et al., 2020). the instructor may also conduct in-class tests or formative evaluations to determine whether students have understood the material and pinpoint areas needing more explanation or attention. technology integration technology is crucial to adopting the flipped classroom model in nursing education. pre-recorded lectures or instructional resources are distributed through online platforms, learning management systems (lms), or videosharing websites. technology tools like online discussion boards, collaborative platforms, or simulation software may promote communication, cooperation, and active learning during in-class activities (wawan et al., 2022). personalised learning and individualised instruction the flipped classroom paradigm allows more individualised instruction and personalisation. the pre-class materials are flexible enough for students to work through at their own pace and return to them as necessary. the ability of the instructor to address unique student requirements, offer individualised advice, and customise feedback depending on each student’s progress and comprehension is made possible by in-class activities (koppad). beginning of flipped classroom the flipped learning network states that in 2004, teachers jonathan bergman and aaron sams started working at woodland park high school in woodland park, colorado, where they were appointed as the new chemistry department for the institution. they were eager to discover a means to reach more of their pupils after realising that their students frequently missed class due to prolonged travel for sports and other activities. the team started by turning their powerpoint slides into a voiceover and annotation-enhanced video file. by the spring of 2007, they employed screen capture software to record live lectures and upload them online for easy student access (oudbier et al., 2022). aaron used the flipped technique while teaching, and jonathan used the conventional approach. both teachers have received the presidential award for excellence in math and science teaching. in addition, they assert that “many teachers from around the world have adopted the model and are using it to teach pa ge 38 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(1) 35-45, 2024 spanish, science, math, elementary, middle, high school, and adults” in addition to “changing their classrooms.” additionally, the two collaborated on the 2012 book flip your classrooms: reach every student in every class every day (webb & doman, 2020). implementation of a flipped classroom as more blogs, articles, and social networks have been created to share ideas and compare data, teachers have indicated an increasing interest in flipping the classroom. according to greg toppo, who wrote an article for usa today, “flipped classrooms have even attracted the attention of funders like the bill & melinda gates foundation, which has become a major backer of khan academy, a non-profit repository of nearly 2,400 free instructional videos” (plota & karalis, 2019). traditional classroom in traditional classroom instruction, the instructor frequently acts as the principal source of knowledge by giving direct instruction. students must take notes, which are then used in a guided practise activity and a formative evaluation to determine how much homework will be given on a particular topic. other tasks or projects might be given if students demonstrate mastery of the material. if not, the teacher might take time to explain misunderstandings and respond to questions from pupils who want to ask them (serrano et al., 2019). strengths of the traditional classroom model direct instruction the conventional paradigm enables the teacher to impart knowledge directly to the pupils, clearly outlining concepts and topics. structure and organization the model often adheres to a well-structured curriculum with clear learning objectives, lesson plans, and assessments. teacher expertise the teacher’s skills and experience are essential to the classroom since they enable pupils to gain from their expertise and leadership. classroom management the traditional approach offers a structured classroom management setting and defined expectations for the student’s duties. limitations of the traditional classroom model limited student engagement the traditional approach frequently prioritises passive learning, when students primarily serve as consumers of knowledge rather than active contributors to the learning process. this insufficient involvement may cause apathy and decreased motivation. passive learning the traditional paradigm, which emphasises lectures and teacher-led activities, may not promote critical thinking, problem-solving, or self-directed learning because students are primarily expected to learn and retain knowledge. varying levels of student performance students with diverse learning requirements, abilities, and interests may find it difficult to stay up or may not be sufficiently challenged due to the one-size-fits-all approach. the performance and accomplishment of students may differ as a result. lack of personalisation as instruction and activities are not adjusted to meet the requirements, learning preferences, or interests of each student, the traditional model frequently falls short of personalization and differentiation. limited feedback and interaction the teacher-centred method may restrict opportunities for fruitful student-teacher communication and prompt feedback, impeding students’ capacity to get direction and explanation. these limitations underline the demand for educational strategies that address these issues and improve student engagement, active learning, and specialised instruction. one such strategy is the flipped classroom method, which seeks to get around these restrictions by giving students more chances for student-centred learning, collaboration, and critical thinking. flipped v/s traditional classroom figure 1: students work approach in the flipped classroom figure 2: students’ work approach in the traditional classroom pa ge 39 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(1) 35-45, 2024 why flip classroom instruction? an ap calculus teacher, stacey roshan, advocates for a method where students watch lessons at home and replay confusing sections. if they still struggle, they ask a friend or roshan the following day. this approach encourages students to find solutions instead of giving up. however, some students dislike flipping because it requires active involvement in their learning process, making the content more challenging if students are not intrinsically motivated. policymakers, scholars, and advocacy groups are seeking more evidence that students are truly learning in college (hang). perspectives of policymakers, scholars, and advocacy groups highlights the opinions of academics, policymakers, and advocacy organisations regarding the flipped classroom strategy. in terms of student learning and overall educational success, it suggests that these stakeholders have a stake in evaluating the impact and results of this educational technique. materials and methods a pre-test and post-test questionnaire with a quasiexperimental design was created to determine the degree to which the study’s goals have been met. the student’s perspective of their flipped learning process was investigated using a quantitative methodology. the participants were given evaluation tests before and after the flipped classroom learning approach. with the aid of the statistical software packages epi info version 5.0 for windows and statistical package for social sciences version 17.0, the sample size was calculated for a finite population. the 96-person second-year undergraduate nursing class was the subject of the study. it was conducted in a chosen nursing college for three months, from september to november 2021. the institutional ethical committee granted permission after receiving ethical clearance. the students in the current study were split into two groups using a practical sampling technique. the 48 people in each batch were sorted into two groups using the odd-even number method. batch i was a group that participated in flipped learning, whereas batch ii was a traditional group. each student in both batches provided their informed permission. the themes chosen for this study were taken from the adult health nursing course, including digestive system illnesses, circulatory system disorders, and respiratory system problems. a “flipped class” folder was initially made and distributed among the students in batch i on google drive. that folder had three topic folders where learning objectives, recorded webinars, videos, learning content, and reading recommendations were shared a week earlier. access instructions were posted inside the folder for the participants to access the information for that week. a discussion forum was also developed to allow students to post their queries and doubts for discussion with the facilitator or teacher. the subjects were to be discussed for thirty minutes. the students completed the worksheet after discussing the subject. the facilitator/teacher led batch ii’s traditional instruction in this manner. following the completion of each topic, multiple choice questions of the same type were provided for the pretest and posttest. after 10 days of finishing all three topics, a test was given. the surveys are useful since they quantify nature and make it simple for researchers to gather data from many respondents. a 10-item opinion survey was distributed to batch i students to ascertain their opinions on the flipped classroom idea. the evaluations were made using a likert figure 3: student benefits over flip classroom stacey roshan’s flipped classroom method in ap calculus emphasises the method that ap calculus teacher stacey roshan promotes, in which students view classes at home and seek clarification on murky passages the following day. roshan’s approach places a strong emphasis on problem-solving and self-directed learning. encouraging students to find solutions through active involvement it emphasises the value of problem-solving, asking for peer assistance, and growing a sense of ownership over one’s education. challenges of the flipped classroom approach possible drawbacks of the flipped classroom approach. it recognises that the method calls for active participation from students, which can be more difficult if they lack intrinsic desire or have difficulty with self-directed learning. seeking evidence of student learning in college relates to the ongoing search for proof that college students are learning using the flipped classroom strategy. it implies that decision-makers, academics, and advocacy organisations are actively looking for facts and research to confirm the efficacy of this pedagogical approach. pa ge 40 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(1) 35-45, 2024 scale, where one represents “strongly dissatisfied” and five represents “strongly satisfied.” data was gathered, coded, and entered into an excel sheet. before data analysis, the tool’s level of validity and reliability was approximately estimated. for comparing the means of the pre-and post-tests for each topic, a paired t-test was computed. additionally, using an independent t-test, the results of the summative exams for batch i (flipped classroom) and batch ii (traditional technique) were compared. the student perception of the flipped classroom concept was calculated from the 5-point likert scale scores and expressed as a percentage. results the study’s objectives were to assess the effectiveness of the flipped classroom as a teaching-learning strategy and to gather students’ opinions of the idea. both indices of central tendency and variability (standard deviation) measurements were quantified using descriptive statistics. when the mean scores from the pretest and posttest for each topic were compared, it was discovered that the mean difference in the scores was statistically significant. table 1: comparison of the pretest and posttest mean scores for the adult health nursing course's three chosen themes using the flipped classroom (batch i) and traditional approach (batch ii) groups topic 1 topic 2 topic 3 pretest scores posttest scores pretest scores posttest scores pretest scores posttest scores flipped classroom (batch i) n = 48 9.57 12.61 9.67 12.85 9.51 13.19 conventional method (batch ii) n = 48 7.65 10.10 5.59 09.89 5.87 10.01 figure 4: comparison of pretest and post-mean scores of the flipped classroom (batch i) and conventional method (batch ii) for three selected topics in adult health nursing course source by author table 2: compares mean test scores for the traditional approach (batch ii) and the flipped classroom (batch i) (n=96) groups batch i n = 48 batch ii n =48 mean scores mean sd mean sd 15.51 3.75* 9.59 3.89 sd=standard deviation, independent t-test * p<0.0001 figure 5: compares mean test scores for the traditional approach (batch ii) and the flipped classroom (batch i). source by author pa ge 41 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(1) 35-45, 2024 findings revealed favorable perceptions of the teachinglearning process concerning the second objective. responses from students who filled out the opinion survey were compiled. 96% of students said the flipped classroom approach was more engaging than the traditional approach. ninety-eight percent of respondents said that using a flipped classroom helped students study on their initiative, and 92% said it helped them develop critical and creative thinking skills. table 3: students’ perceptions of the flipped classroom concept as a teaching-learning process are quantified by frequency and percentage (n = 48) sn statements strongly agree agree neutral disagree strongly disagree 5 4 3 2 1 1. learning objectives of the topic are clearly defined one week prior to the actual session 30 (62.5%) 16 (33.33%) 2 (4.17%) 2. learning foundational content before the actual session enhances my comprehension of the material. 29 (60.42%) 13 (27.08%) 1 (2.08%) 5 (10.42%) 3. viewing webinars and videos and taking notes helped me better understand the content. 27 (56.25%) 17 (35.42%) 4 (8.33%) 4. felt well prepared to perform worksheets after going through the learning material. 29 (60.42%) 18 (37.5%) 1 (2.08%) 5. attention is drawn to the learning and teaching process and promotes collaborative learning. 27 (56.25%) 16 (33.33%) 1 (2.08%) 4 (8.33%) 6. flipping the classroom allows me to ask more questions during the discussion. 27 (56.25%) 15 (31.25%) 2 (4.17%) 4 (8.33%) 7. the flipped classroom also promotes selfdirected learning. 32 (66.67%) 15 (31.25%) 1 (2.08%) 8. the flipped classroom did not refrain from my interaction with teachers. 28 (58.33%) 16 (33.33%) 2 (4.17%) 2 (4.17%) 9. the flipped classroom allows me to practice my critical and creative thinking skills. 29 (60.42%) 15 (31.25%) 2 (4.17%) 2 (4.17%) 10. the teacher was able to engage during the flipped classroom session. 35 (72.92%) 11 (22.92%) 1 (2.08%) 1 (2.08%) 11. this method of instruction is more engaging than the conventional method. 39 (81.25%) 7 (14.58%) 2 (4.17%) 12. it is an enjoyable method of learning. 33 (68.75) 12 (25%) 3 (6.25%) figure 6: students’ perceptions of the flipped classroom concept as a teaching-learning process are quantified by frequency and percentage source by author pa ge 42 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(1) 35-45, 2024 discussion increased participation in educational activities the flipped classroom approach, sometimes called the inverted classroom paradigm, has been adopted by various academic disciplines and learning contexts worldwide. the author reviewed the factors that contributed to the success of the flipped classroom (hew & lo, 2018). the six main factors that affected the effectiveness of the flipped classroom were student characteristics, teacher characteristics, implementation, task characteristics, outside-of-class activities, and inside-of-class activities. the level of learner autonomy, the role and motivation of the teacher, the method of evaluation, and prompts or feedback for self-study are all mediating factors. these factors may be strengthened by structuring the learning process and concentrating teacher preparation on competencies and learning-and-teaching strategies essential in the flipped classroom. after conducting a meta-analysis of comparative studies about traditional teaching methods, hew and co-investigators found that the flipped classroom strategy in health professions education considerably enhances student learning. furthermore, the flipped classroom method worked better when instructors gave assessments at the beginning of each in-class period. most respondents preferred flipped courses over regular classrooms (limniou et al., 2018). this study determined whether flipped classrooms effectively taught important concepts in adult health nursing and how the students perceived them. the design includes interactions between students, involvement with the facilitator, and active learning through group discussions on a forum. the flipped class approach dramatically increased the mean post-test scores and overall scores. based on the findings from the student’s perception of the flipped classroom, it can be concluded that the students generally had positive views of their learning experiences. according to studies by limniou and lyons, students had similar preferences, and noticeable differences were seen in the students’ responses to questions about the teacher’s role in the teaching approach, the improvement of higher-order thinking abilities (hots), and the choice of instructional resources. these results demonstrate the critical interdependence between selecting educational resources and activities, teachers’ participation in the flipped classroom strategy, and their attitudes and behavior toward technology (barkley, 2015). the outcomes were consistent with what was discovered in the recent investigation. barkley claims that instructors who participated in flipped class design considered the experience “exalting,” with good student learning and engagement. the design and implementation phases improved student learning and were enjoyable and enlightening experiences. the ability of the teachers to provide at-risk students with extra encouragement and attention was the biggest benefit (oliveira-kumakura et al., 2018). accordingly, hee-jung and sun-yen conducted a pre-post-experimental study and found that integrating blended learning into nursing education can significantly increase nursing students’ critical thinking (tørris et al., 2022). better comprehension of concepts and academic success a scoping review conducted by leidl, ritchie, and moslemi expressed the increased utilization of blended learning in writing nursing instructions, extending to decentralized and adaptable learning styles in nursing education (oh & yang, 2019). another study in consensus with implementing the blended instruction method for integrating evidence-based practice into nursing core courses depicted enhanced nursing students’ competence in self-directed learning, cognition and expertise in utilizing evidence (kiviniemi, 2014). the impact of the blended learning approach was found to be statistically significant in health services education irrespective of the students preceding year’s academic achievement and success (yang et al., 2021). the flipped classroom represents an ongoing paradigmatic shift in education from passive teacher-centered instructional strategies to active student-centered learning strategies. the study was conducted to understand the efficacy of flipped classroom concepts in teaching nephrology compared to traditional lecture-based teaching. 62 medical students were involved. the results suggest that flipped classroom was beneficial compared to the traditional method for comprehending concepts, critical thinking, management and teamwork (zhu et al., 2020). zhu, lian and ergstorm conducted a quasi-experimental design with 200 students undergoing nursing, dental and medical ophthalmology course. the study’s findings suggested that students’ self-rated learning ability improved significantly, and the three factors that drastically improved were ‘learning goals’, ‘self-efficacy & social learning’ and ‘problemsolving’. the students performed very well in the skill examination, indicating a positive impact and improved cognition (martínez-jiménez & ruiz-jiménez, 2020). another set of authors also suggested that summativeformative assessment improved with flipping courses compared to traditional lectures (unal & unal, 2017). unal and unal also stated that the flipped classroom model demonstrated higher student learning gains, more positive student perception, and higher teacher satisfaction than the traditional model. this study added evidence to the current literature that, if the conditions are properly set, the flipped classroom could be an extremely effective learning style (clark et al., 2022). personalized learning approach as suggested by the studies conducted by clark et al., flipped classrooms encouraged adaptive learning by students, which brought positive changes in the perception of the classroom environment, preference for instruction, independent learning and self-motivated learning. the emerging literature in medical education has also suggested that adaptive learning and flipped classrooms will be vital in post-pandemic instruction pa ge 43 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(1) 35-45, 2024 (nouri, 2016). according to nouri, a flipped classroom is a supporting tool that positively changes students’ attitudes, motivation and effective learning. even the low achievers perceived this mode of instruction as interesting and effective (wang & jou, 2023). wang and jou reflected that flipped classrooms allowed self-directed learning and cognitive flexibility. the study results laid a foundation for designing the classroom environment with differentiated instruction (moffett, 2015). conclusion the flipped classroom approach offers individualized learning experiences by assigning pre-class work, allowing students to engage with content at their own pace and revisit it as needed. this flexibility allows students to cater their learning to their unique needs and styles, improving academic performance. the model promotes active learning and higher-order thinking skills through in-class activities, fostering deeper understanding and transferability of knowledge to real-world contexts. the flipped classroom method facilitates collaboration and teamwork, fostering social interaction, communication skills, and a sense of community. technology, such as online platforms, learning management systems, and video-sharing websites, facilitates self-paced learning and, communication and interaction, even outside traditional class hours. limitation the study’s limitations include peer influence on the student’s response and the data collected from two groups; one was a traditional classroom, and another form was a flipped classroom. one of the study’s major limitations was that the approach was applied to three systems only, limiting the scope and impact of the study. furthermore, teachers need to be provided with more training for smoother implementation of the flipped course. also, including a larger sample size would help improve the statistical significance. novelty of research the study explored the use of a flipped classroom model in adult health nursing education, focusing on developing clinical reasoning and critical thinking skills for future medical professionals. it used objective metrics and qualitative surveys to assess students’ experiences and incorporates practical information on digital resources and technological tools. comparing the approach with conventional teaching methods offers a nuanced perspective on the benefits of each method. the research contributed to the growing body of information on cutting-edge pedagogical approaches in healthcare education. contribution to knowledge this study investigated the flipped classroom model’s impact on adult health nursing education, focusing on its effectiveness in improving critical thinking and clinical reasoning skills. it used quantitative and qualitative methods to understand students’ perceptions and learning objectives. furthermore, key themes in adult nursing were identified, and digital resource development and application were analysed. research gap this research focused on the implementation of the flipped classroom model in adult health nursing education, aiming to fill a knowledge gap by analysing students’ perspectives and experiences and offering customised insights for creating unique curricula and instructional tactics. ethical considerations concerning 11/01/2021, the ethical committee approved this research project under number pcn/9628/2021. the ethical concerns of both the qualitative and quantitative investigations were taken into account by the researchers. participants in this study were free to leave the study at any time. acknowledgements the authors appreciate and acknowledge all the students at the nursing college who consented and participated in the study. any agency or organization did not fund this research. references al-samarraie, h., shamsuddin, a., & alzahrani, a. i. 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(2020). use of a flipped classroom in ophthalmology courses for nursing, dental and medical students: a quasiexperimental study using a mixed-methods approach. nurse education today, 85, 104262. pa ge 1 pa ge 22 american journal of education and technology (ajet) strategic instructional materials (sim) and students’ academic performance in mapeh (music, arts, physical education and health) r.k.s. lucas1, e.a. morbo1* volume 4 issue 3, year 2025 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v4i3.4858 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: march 24, 2025 accepted: april 27, 2025 published: august 01, 2025 strategic instructional materials (sim) are designed to enhance learning by integrating multimedia resources, aiming to foster student engagement and improve overall academic performance. this study investigates the effectiveness of sim in mapeh (music, arts, physical education, and health) education, focusing on its impact on student achievement and engagement in the subject areas. a true-experimental design was employed with 44 students from san jose national high school – lnhs annex, divided into two groups: an experimental group using sim and a control group receiving traditional teaching methods. pretests and posttests were administered to assess performance across the four mapeh components. the findings revealed significant improvements in the posttest scores of the experimental group, indicating that sim positively influenced student performance. these results support mayer’s cognitive theory of multimedia learning, which underscores the effectiveness of high-quality instructional materials in facilitating learning. the use of multimedia resources such as videos, interactive simulations, and graphics allowed the experimental group to engage more dynamically with the materials, enhancing their understanding of mapeh concepts. while sim contributed to improved student performance, the study suggests that more work is needed to foster creativity and critical thinking. further research is recommended to explore how sim can be optimized for higher-order thinking and to assess its long-term impact on student participation and learning outcomes. overall, sim presents a promising approach to improving student learning, particularly in resource-limited environments, and can contribute to advancing academic excellence in mapeh education. future studies should explore its potential in developing 21st-century skills. keywords mapeh education, multimedia instruction, sim effectiveness, student achievement and teaching strategies 1 graduate school, sultan kudarat state university, ejc montilla, tacurong city, 9800, sultan kudarat, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: emymorbo@sksu.edu.ph introduction mapeh (music, arts, physical education, and health) is an integral part of the curriculum that fosters holistic development in learners, promoting not only academic skills but also physical, emotional, and cultural well-being. however, many students struggle to meet mapeh competencies, facing challenges that stem from a lack of resources, instructional gaps, and varying socio-economic backgrounds. these difficulties highlight the need for strategic instructional materials (sims) tailored to address learners’ unique needs. across the world, challenges that students face in mapeh (music, arts, physical education, and health) subjects are often linked to a lack of culturally relevant and engaging materials. in most global contexts, learners face challenges in physical education because of the restricted access to resources and facilities and insufficient specialized teaching materials that address diverse learning needs (berg & mackenzie, 2019). additionally, teachers lack proper training in incorporating arts and health education in their curriculum, and this hinders learners from achieving anticipated competencies (mertala, 2020). to add to the problem, the increasing emphasis on standardized testing in schools can marginalize subjects like arts and physical education, further depriving students of a well-rounded education (o’neill & mcmahon, 2021). in the philippines, the challenges in teaching mapeh are even more pronounced, particularly in rural and underserved areas. studies show that students in these regions lack access to adequate learning materials, proper facilities, and qualified teachers who can effectively teach all components of mapeh (castillo & salva, 2021). research reveals three key challenges that have yet to be addressed in mapeh education. first, there is limited exploration of how culturally relevant resources and localized content could enhance student engagement in mapeh in rural settings (luna, 2019). second, there is a need for studies examining the impact of teacher training specifically tailored to mapeh, as many teachers feel unprepared to cover the full breadth of the subject, especially in remote areas (villanueva & santos, 2018). finally, there is a lack of research on the potential of technology-assisted learning tools to overcome the material and resource shortages often seen in rural mapeh education (garcia & de leon, 2022). these challenges underscore a significant gap in both the availability and quality of instructional resources that could support learning in mapeh. in south central mindanao, particularly in remote areas, issues surrounding mapeh competencies are compounded by cultural and linguistic diversity. learners often face barriers in understanding and applying pa ge 23 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 22-40, 2025 mapeh concepts due to language differences and the absence of culturally responsive teaching strategies (lopez & maquiling, 2022). there is a possible source of research and innovation regarding the development of sims designed and customized for south central mindanao students that is available despite the fact that there have been attempts to enhance education in mapeh. research in south cotabato emphasizes the importance of localized education interventions that are attuned to the region’s various ethnic groups (santos & domingo, 2020). moreover, community-driven curriculum development programs have been effective in filling the gap between theory and practice in south cotabato education (villanueva, 2023). additionally, there is a noticeable gap in the availability of materials that reflect students’ cultural backgrounds, which can impact their motivation and engagement in mapeh subjects (lee & dalgarno, 2021). another challenge is the limited research on effective methods for incorporating indigenous knowledge and local art forms into mapeh education, especially in diverse or multicultural classrooms (sahni & wilbur, 2022). finally, assessments in mapeh are often standardized, which may not accurately reflect students’ competencies or progress, particularly for those from underrepresented or marginalized communities (chen & garcia, 2023). most learners are hindered by the absence of localbased materials, which discourages their motivation and comprehension. the lack of localized content and the poor availability of trained teachers also hinder the teaching of mapeh. the creation of sims suitable for the linguistic diversity of areas such as south central mindanao would assist in this regard. literature review strategic instructional material (sim) in mapeh has been well-established as an important element in fostering student motivation and learning achievements across different educational environments, such as music, arts, physical education, and health (mapeh). worldwide, teachers have employed sim in meeting the divergent needs of students through individualized instructional materials that match definite learning goals (johnson & larson, 2018). for instance, in the us, smith et al. (2019) study exemplifies the utility of sim to reinforce student learning and retention of complicated mapeh concepts. it was revealed that the incorporation of multimediaenriched learning materials, such as videos, interactive modules, and computer simulations, had a remarkable impact on the learning performance of students in mapeh courses (davis & johnson, 2021). similarly, in europe, research in spain by pérez and gonzález (2020) stressed the significance of culturally appropriate sim in mapeh instruction. the study showed that incorporating local cultural components in teaching materials not only increased students’ participation but also encouraged more appreciation for arts and physical education (rodríguez & fernández, 2018). application of strategic materials that mirror the cultural backgrounds of students was shown to be very effective in increasing active involvement and enhancing overall academic achievement in mapeh (martínez & lópez, 2021). in the philippines, the implementation of strategic instructional materials in mapeh has also been promising, especially in addressing the specific problems of filipino learners. reyes and dela cruz (2018) conducted a study on the effect of sim on the performance of students in mapeh in public high schools in the philippines. the research indicated that students who learned with sim performed better on tests than those taught traditionally (torres & reyes, 2019). the research explained the improvement as being due to the contextualization of instructional materials, making learning more relevant and meaningful to filipino learners (castillo & salva, 2020). more studies by mendoza (2020) concentrated on the construction and application of sim for instructing mapeh in remote parts of the philippines. the research highlighted the necessity for teaching materials that are tactically planned and available to students in distant areas (santos & domingo, 2021). the utilization of locally accessible resources and technology-aided materials was emphasized as a major contributor to enhancing student participation and learning achievement in mapeh (garcia & de leon, 2022). mendoza’s study also emphasized the significance of teacher training in utilizing sim effectively, as teachers are responsible for maximizing the potential of these materials (villanueva & santos, 2018). in comparing the global and philippine contexts, a few similarities and contrasts appear. globally, an emphasis on multimedia and contextually relevant materials is consistent with the philippine strategy of sim in mapeh (smith et al., 2019). both contexts appreciate the potential of strategic materials to increase student interest and learning outcomes (johnson & larson, 2018). yet, the philippine context is more concerned with the accessibility and contextualization of sim, especially in rural and underserved communities. this concern is an extension of the overall challenges of the philippine education system, where resource constraints and geographical inequalities are more significant (reyes & dela cruz, 2018). in addition, while foreign studies tend to underscore the application of sophisticated technology in sim, e.g., computer simulations and interactive websites, the philippine situation often stresses the necessity of inexpensive, locally available materials (pérez & gonzález, 2020). this is to highlight the requirement for sim that is both innovative and utilitarian, with regard to the various socio-economic conditions of filipino learners (mendoza, 2020). the emphasis on affordability and access guarantees that educational materials are always relevant and effective, even in environments with limited resources (castillo & salva, 2020). pa ge 24 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 22-40, 2025 content internationally, the quality of strategic instructional materials (sims) is closely tied to the relevance and alignment of content with learning objectives. effective sims are designed to engage students in critical thinking and apply knowledge in real-world contexts (blair et al., 2020). in the united states and europe, the integration of culturally responsive content that respects learners’ diverse backgrounds has been found to improve student engagement and learning outcomes (banks, 2019). in asia, content quality is also emphasized through the integration of technology, where digital content is often used to supplement traditional materials (chen & chan, 2020). in the philippines, content quality in sims focuses on contextualization and localization, which allows materials to be more relatable to students’ daily lives and experiences (cruz & remo, 2019). the department of education (deped) has continuously advocated for sims that are aligned with the k-12 curriculum and address specific learning competencies (deped, 2020). however, challenges remain in ensuring that all content is inclusive, particularly in multicultural regions like mindanao (garcia & lim, 2021). mechanics in global contexts, the dynamics of sims define the precise and concise instructions, readability, and usability for learners with different abilities. according to a study conducted by wilson et al. (2019), effective sims were identified as having easy-to-use formats, simple navigation, and flexible structures to support varied learning paces and learning styles (davis & johnson, 2021). digital platforms have further enriched the mechanisms of sims by providing embedded quizzes and multimedia materials that are interactive in nature, enabling more dynamic and interesting learning experiences (kearney & maher, 2020; rodríguez & fernández, 2018). in the philippines, the mechanics of sims are evaluated based on how well they align with deped’s guidelines for the development of instructional materials. this includes the clarity of instructions, simplicity of language, and step-by-step procedures for students to follow (santos & velasco, 2020). given the diversity of learners, particularly in regions like south central mindanao, sims often require translation or adaptation to local languages and dialects to ensure comprehension (ramos & flores, 2021). organization globally, well-structured sims are needed to improve learning effectiveness. the coherent sequence of topics, readable headings, and uniform formatting are regarded as essential features of good sims (mckenney & reeves, 2018). in global classrooms, particularly in blended and online courses, well-structured materials assist students in staying on course and lowering cognitive load (sung & mayer, 2020). sims are generally broken down into manageable chunks, with well-delineated learning outcomes, formative assessment, and reflective points (gagné & briggs, 2019; williams & larkin, 2021). in the philippines, sims are organized to cater to the specific learning needs outlined in the k-12 curriculum. the organization is typically structured around modular learning, with each module focusing on distinct competencies (deped, 2020). research indicates that sims in the philippines often suffer from a lack of coherence and integration across subjects, which can confuse learners (villanueva & ramos, 2020). this issue is more pronounced in remote areas where teachers may lack the proper training to effectively organize and implement sims (rodriguez & santos, 2021). overall package the overall sim package incorporates not just content and mechanics but the aesthetic appeal, interactivity, and usability of the materials as well. across the world, quality sims are typically known for their graphical appearance, interactive formats, and multi-modal learning opportunities (brown & davis, 2020; miller & hernandez, 2021). effective sims also involve various types of media, such as videos, infographics, and interactive exercises, to cater to different learning styles and keep the students engaged (murray et al., 2021; johnson & larson, 2019; lee & watson, 2020; green & roberts, 2018). in the philippines, the overall package of sims is judged by their adaptability to different learning environments, including remote and low-resource settings (delos reyes & cruz, 2021). while some sims are available digitally, most students, particularly in rural areas, rely on printed versions. a study by aquino and de leon (2020) highlighted that printed sims often lack the interactive elements present in digital versions, limiting their effectiveness. despite these challenges, the overall package of sims in the philippines is gradually improving as more efforts are being made to incorporate multimedia elements and ensure equitable access across different regions (salvador & valenzuela, 2021). level of students’ academic performance in mapeh the academic performance of students in mapeh (music, arts, physical education, and health) is a significant indicator of their understanding and skills in various aspects of the subject. according to bernardo et al. (2020), students’ academic performance in mapeh is often influenced by their level of engagement and interest in the subject, as well as the availability of instructional materials. mapeh subjects require practical applications and creative expression, and when these are not supported by innovative teaching strategies, student performance tends to remain at a moderate or low level (santos & lopez, 2020). moreover, williams and brown (2021) emphasized that academic performance in mapeh is highly dependent on students’ exposure to hands-on activities and skill-based learning, suggesting that traditional teaching approaches may not yield high academic outcomes in mapeh. pa ge 25 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 22-40, 2025 the presence of learning facilities and resources has a great impact on students’ academic performance in mapeh since research indicates that sufficient infrastructure and learning materials increase the outcomes of students, while limited resources hinder achievement, especially in practical subjects (lópez-zavala et al., 2024; zamora & ramos, 2023). however, in schools with limited resources, students’ performance typically remains average or sub average since research has established that poor access to learning materials, classrooms, and trained educators negatively impacts academic performance (lópez-zavala et al., 2024; unesco, 2017). furthermore, clark and mayer (2016) noted that using multimedia instructional materials in teaching mapeh enhances cognitive processing, allowing students to better understand the content and improve their academic performance. this further highlights the need for accessible learning materials and structured instructional methods to boost students’ performance in mapeh. the teaching approach and instructional delivery also significantly impact the academic performance of students in mapeh. following mayer (2017), instructional approaches that actively engage students—e.g., multimedia presentation and performance tasks—support higher academic performance in subjects needing practical and creative skills like mapeh. mayer’s work stresses that multimedia instruction well-designed to combine words and pictures aids deeper learning through active cognitive processing. this strategy is especially efficient in subjects amenable to visual and experiential learning strategies. similarly, current research confirms the notion that welldesigned instructional materials aligned with students’ learning requirements improve understanding and skill acquisition, resulting in better academic performance. kabilito (2024) emphasizes that instructional materials are key to effective instruction by providing visual aids, hands-on activities, and interactive tools that enhance understanding. likewise, adebule and ayoola (2016) established that the use of suitable instructional materials greatly improves student performance by promoting active learning and practical application of knowledge. moreover, current research underscores the significance of formative assessments and ongoing feedback in supporting student learning outcomes, especially in vocational subjects such as music, arts, pe, and health. yildirim (2021) concluded that the implementation of formative assessments greatly enhances students’ learning across different levels of education. likewise, wiliam (2019) points out that effective formative assessment practices, including the clarification of learning intentions and the giving of actionable feedback, are crucial for enhancing student performance. this means that when teachers implement well-designed instructional strategies, students tend to perform better academically, as they gain a deeper understanding of the subject matter and practical skills. furthermore, the academic performance of students in mapeh is also influenced by student engagement, teacher effectiveness, and classroom environment. jafari and asgari (2020) established that a positive classroom climate and effective teacher-student interaction are directly related to improved academic performance, while these two also boost motivation in students. likewise, current research has validated the perception that a positive school climate benefits the learning environment and helps in student performance. for example, shindler et al. (2016) discovered that positive school climate predicts a school’s capacity to promote student achievement. in the same token, wang and degol (2017) established that high academic expectations and supportive student-teacher relationships result in better academic performance. catalano et al. (2019) also emphasized that a positive school climate, coupled with clear academic expectations and strong relationships, contributes to better student behavior, less absenteeism, and improved academic achievement. similarly, santos and lopez (2020) mentioned that students who receive active instructional guidance from their teachers tend to perform better academically in mapeh. on the other hand, bernardo et al. (2020) emphasized that lack of instructional materials, limited classroom resources, and passive teaching methods result in low or average academic performance in mapeh. this implies that for students to achieve high academic performance, schools must ensure the availability of teaching resources, teacher training, and practical activities that engage students in learning mapeh subjects. overall, several studies have consistently shown that the level of students’ academic performance in mapeh is highly influenced by instructional materials, teaching approaches, classroom resources, and student engagement. according to clark and mayer (2016), maximizing the use of instructional materials such as strategic instructional materials (sim) significantly enhances students’ academic performance, particularly in skill-based subjects like mapeh. for instance, matias and agapito (2022) revealed that interactive multimedia learning substantially enhanced students’ academic performance and engagement amid the covid-19 pandemic. likewise, cherif (2024) illustrated that incorporating multimedia tools like canva and powtoon resulted in significant improvements in students’ academic achievement and classroom behavior. lastly, nisar et al. (2019) established that efficient classroom management and instructional materials had a positive effect on students’ academic achievement. likewise, cutillas et al. (2023) emphasized that classroom design factors, including natural lighting and technology integration, are essential in enhancing students’ performance. learners’ difficulties in mapeh competencies students worldwide experience numerous issues in learning mapeh (music, arts, physical education, and health) skills due to reasons like curriculum planning, socio-economic status, and cultural mindsets towards these disciplines. in mccarthy et al. (2019) research, pa ge 26 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 22-40, 2025 they established that students in the united states find mapeh subjects difficult because they do not have the focus placed on these aspects of education by the general learning structure. arts and music get sidelined, with no adequate provision of time to learn these subjects, thus compromising students’ proficiency (smith & johnson, 2020; williams & hernandez, 2018; brown & taylor, 2021). likewise, in australia, white and gard (2020) pointed out the difficulties in physical education (pe) where students are not motivated and interested because of a curriculum that fails to address varied interests and capabilities. this is further exacerbated by the high rate of sedentary lifestyles among students, making it even more difficult for them to achieve pe competencies (brown & carter, 2019; green & lee, 2021; wilson et al., 2018). in the european context, a study by de vries (2018) revealed that cultural differences play a significant role in how students engage with mapeh subjects. in countries with a strong cultural emphasis on the arts, students tend to perform better in these areas. however, in regions where there is less cultural support for arts and physical education, students exhibit lower competency levels. in the philippines, students also face parallel but situationspecific challenges in mapeh skills. in accordance with lacsamana (2021), among the major issues is the inadequate facilities and resources allotted for mapeh subjects, especially in public schools. insufficient musical instruments, art materials, and sporting equipment hinder the learning opportunities of students in such activities (santos & reyes, 2019; de leon, 2021). in addition, there are cultural attitudes in the philippines where academic subjects such as mathematics and science are considered more important than mapeh, according to de vera (2020). the reason for the cultural bias is that they receive fewer hours and attention, and hence lower student interest (torres & dela cruz, 2020; navarro, 2021). moreover, cultural attitudes in the philippines often prioritize academic subjects like mathematics and science over mapeh, as noted by de vera (2020). this cultural bias results in less time and attention being devoted to mapeh, leading to lower student engagement and proficiency in these subjects. another significant factor is the teachers’ proficiency and training in mapeh subjects. a study by flores and medina (2022) emphasized that many teachers in the philippines are not adequately trained in all four areas of mapeh, particularly in music and arts. this lack of specialized training impacts their ability to effectively teach and inspire students in these competencies. while international settings, particularly in western countries, have started to address these issues through policy changes and increased funding for arts and physical education (jones & green, 2018), the philippines still faces significant hurdles in overcoming these challenges. addressing these difficulties requires a holistic approach, including curriculum reforms, improved teacher training programs, and increased investment in resources and facilities dedicated to mapeh subjects. factors affecting learners’ difficulties in mapeh (music, arts, physical education, and health) throughout the world, there are numerous factors that explain learners’ struggles in mapeh subjects, such as socio-economic status, limited resources, and poor teacher training. in most developing nations, the insufficiency of educational facilities like musical instruments, art supplies, and sporting facilities slows down the effective delivery of mapeh subjects. kim et al. (2019) point out in a study that socio-economic differences largely influence the students’ access to quality education in mapeh, which has resulted in a large disparity of learning achievements between students of different socio-economic classes (santos & lopez, 2020; williams & brown, 2021). additionally, in most schools globally, mapeh subjects tend to be less prioritized than core core academic subjects such as mathematics and science, which leads to less instructional time and lower student interest (gomes et al., 2020; miller & thompson, 2019; o’connor & lee, 2021). teacher competence is also a very important factor that influences the performance of learners in mapeh. in a study conducted by smith and spencer (2021), poor professional development and training opportunities for teachers of mapeh result in inadequate pedagogical skills and knowledge, thereby increasing students’ challenges in such subjects (jackson & roberts, 2020; turner & harris, 2019; lee & harris, 2021). this is especially common in areas where mapeh is not a core subject, and therefore receives less emphasis in teacher education programs. in the philippines, learners’ challenges in mapeh subjects are both culturally and structurally influenced. the absence of facilities and equipment in most public schools has a significant effect on the teaching-learning process in mapeh. according to abanador et al. (2020), many schools in rural areas do not have the necessary equipment for physical education, such as sports gear, gymnasiums, or even open spaces for activities (castillo & salva, 2019; dela cruz et al., 2021; ramos & tan, 2020). similarly, the absence of musical instruments and art materials hinders students’ ability to fully engage in music and arts classes. cultural considerations also come into play in the philippine situation. mapeh subjects, particularly music and arts, are at times considered secondary to other subjects such as mathematics, science, and english. this may result in reduced student motivation and participation in mapeh classes (garcia & santiago, 2019; de vera, 2020; mendoza & cruz, 2021). moreover, the conventional teaching approaches normally employed in mapeh that are not consistent with the multiple learning styles of students can cause learning problems (pineda & lopez, 2020; santos & garcia, 2018; ramos & tan, 2021). the philippines’ teachers’ competence in mapeh is also an issue. most of those teaching mapeh subjects are generalists instead of specialists, especially in the pa ge 27 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 22-40, 2025 countryside and impoverished regions. general lack of expert training may cause ineffective instruction and assistance to the learners, so it may prove hard for the learners to accomplish mapeh competencies (dela cruz, 2019; reyes & dela cruz, 2020; santos & mendoza, 2021). the requirement for ongoing professional training and development for mapeh teachers is important in responding to such challenges (villanueva & santos, 2020; garcia & hernandez, 2021). importance of strategic instructional material (sim) in mapeh in the global education scene, the importance of strategic instructional material (sim) in the fields of music, arts, physical education, and health (mapeh) has been widely noted. sim is intended to enrich the learning process by offering structured, interactive, and contextbased content. as darling-hammond et al. (2019) explain, the application of sim in art education, for instance, facilitates deeper learning by interweaving creativity and critical thinking skills to create a more comprehensive approach to learning (anderson & thompson, 2020; roberts & glover, 2018). in physical education, sim has been proven to enhance physical literacy and student engagement, important for lifelong well-being and health (bailey et al., 2021; kelly & van der merwe, 2019; jenkins & martin, 2020). furthermore, in the arts and health education domains, sim is vital for catering to diverse learning needs and ensuring that students from different cultural backgrounds can relate to and understand the content. the adaptability of sim allows educators to tailor lessons that meet the specific needs of their students, enhancing both participation and achievement (garcía & weiss, 2019). in the philippines, the department of education (deped) has highlighted the significance of sim in mapeh as part of the k to 12 curriculum reform. sims are viewed as integral tools for the accessibility and effectiveness of learning, particularly in places where resources are scarce. sims, as indicated by bernarte et al. (2020), have been significant in enhancing learner performance in mapeh topics through well-formulated and easily understandable teaching instruction that meets the national educational requirements (de leon et al., 2021; ramos & dela cruz, 2020; garcia & mendoza, 2021). the use of sim in the philippine setting has been particularly beneficial in remote and underserved areas, where traditional resources may not be readily available. by using sim, teachers can deliver quality education that resonates with students’ cultural and social contexts, which is crucial in subjects like arts and physical education (flores & obillo, 2019). additionally, sims have been reported to improve student engagement and motivation in health education by presenting information in a way that is both informative and relevant to students’ lives (llego, 2021). overall, both international and philippine settings highlight the critical role of sim in enhancing the delivery and effectiveness of mapeh subjects. the strategic use of these materials not only supports better educational outcomes but also ensures that learning is inclusive, engaging, and contextually appropriate. materials and methods research design the study employed a quantitative true-experimental design to determine the effect of strategic instructional material (sim) on the academic performance of grade 7 students in mapeh at san jose national high school lapuz nhs annex, division of south cotabato, for sy 2024-2025. quantitative research involves collecting and analyzing numerical data to identify patterns, relationships, or trends, often using statistical tools for analysis (mertler, 2016). this study aims to measure the impact of sim intervention by comparing student performance across groups, ensuring the findings are generalizable for further educational development (robson, 2018). objective research instruments such as tests, surveys, and questionnaires were used to obtain evidence-based conclusions on the effectiveness of sim (babbie, 2017). true-experimental designs work well in determining causal relationships since they enable independent variable manipulation and extraneous control, which maximize internal validity (mertler, 2016). it is the most powerful approach for ascertaining causal effects given random assignment and variable control. by isolating intervention effects, this design ensures a rigorous evaluation of sim’s effectiveness in improving student performance (fraenkel, wallen, & hyun, 2019). this methodological approach strengthens hypothesis testing and cause-andeffect analysis, making it a robust framework for assessing sim’s impact on student learning outcomes (creswell, 2018). respondents of the study the respondents of this study were the selected fortyfour (44) grade 7 students at san jose national high school lapuz nhs annex, division of south cotabato, with 22 assigned to the control group and 22 to the experimental group. the selection of 44 grade 7 students, equally divided between the control and experimental groups, was well-justified to assess the impact of strategic instructional materials (sim) on students’ academic performance in mapeh (music, arts, physical education, and health). a sample size of 44 students provided a manageable yet statistically relevant group, yielding meaningful data without overextending resources (creswell & creswell, 2018). dividing the respondents equally into control and experimental groups enabled a comparative evaluation of conventional instruction methods against sim-facilitated procedures, allowing researchers to draw more accurate conclusions about the effectiveness of sims on academic performance (fraenkel et al., 2019). true-experimental designs improve internal validity by controlling extraneous variables so that observed effects can be attributed more convincingly to the intervention. holgado-tello et al. pa ge 28 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 22-40, 2025 (2016) also highlighted the significance of design features and measurement problems in determining causal relationships. current research supports the fact that random assignment increases internal validity by limiting bias and establishing equivalence between groups. holgadotello et al. (2016) focused on design and measurement aspects to determine causal relations. the structure of this sample also supported the controlled testing of sim, isolating its influence on mapeh subjects from external factors that could distort the findings. such a setup had been demonstrated to provide insights into the effects of instructional materials on student achievement, particularly in mapeh, where different subject areas could benefit from improved instructional materials (slavin, 2019). additionally, current research supports that experimental designs, such as random assignment, enable researchers to make accurate inferences regarding the effect of interventions on student performance, attributing changes in outcomes to the intervention itself. kim and steiner (2016) emphasize the application of quasiexperiments to estimate causal effects when randomized experiments cannot be conducted. sampling technique this study employed total enumeration to select the 44 grade 7 students at san jose national high school lapuz nhs annex, division of south cotabato, with 22 assigned to the control group and 22 to the experimental group. simple random sampling was particularly beneficial in educational research as it reduced selection bias and enabled researchers to make accurate inferences from the sample to the population (etikan & bala, 2017). by having 22 students in both the control and experimental groups, the research aimed to control for the effects of the sim intervention on student performance in mapeh by minimizing confounding variables and ensuring that any observed differences could be attributed to the instructional materials used (creswell & creswell, 2018). furthermore, current research verifies that total enumeration sampling improves research precision by including the entire target population, minimizing sampling bias. mujere (2016) highlighted the advantages of using this method, especially in small and well-defined populations, providing accurate and complete data acquisition. locale of the study this research was conducted at san jose national high school lapuz nhs annex, division of south cotabato, during the school year 2024-2025. san jose national high school lapuz nhs annex was a typical school in the division of south cotabato that provided a conducive environment for examining the specific challenges encountered by students in the mapeh subject. the school’s demographic and educational profile aligned with the study’s objectives, as it served a diverse student population, including learners from various socioeconomic backgrounds. this diversity was crucial for developing instructional materials that were inclusive and effective (deped, 2018). additionally, this setting reflected the broader educational challenges found in many rural and semi-urban areas of the philippines, where resource limitations and socioeconomic factors impacted student learning experiences (lacsamana, 2021). the diversity of the student body enabled the study to address different learning needs, ensuring that the instructional materials developed could accommodate students with varying backgrounds (de vera, 2020). furthermore, by limiting the study to this particular school, the research provided insights that could be applied to other similar schools in the region (bernarte et al., 2020). the school had been recognized as needing greater instructional support in mapeh, particularly due to the variations in student performance in these subjects. this was consistent with research conducted by the division of south cotabato, which highlighted the need for special interventions in mapeh to improve overall student performance (department of education, 2019). the results of the study, therefore, had concrete implications for enhancing teaching practices at the school and potentially at the division level. moreover, previous research emphasized the importance of addressing gaps in academic competence in specialized areas such as mapeh by developing customized learning materials to enhance student participation and performance more effectively (mendoza, 2020; garcia & santiago, 2019). these interventions were essential in ensuring that mapeh courses received the necessary attention and funding to help students achieve the required competencies (abanador et al., 2020). research instruments the main instrument of this study was the developed strategic instructional material (sim) used in the experimental group. the strategic instructional material (sim) for mapeh 7 was validated in terms of its content, mechanics, organization, and overall package. the evaluation tool used to evaluate the instructional materials was adopted from the study of sabal (2023). this was validated by three experts who are familiar with the development of ims in mapeh (brown & green, 2019; reiser & dempsey, 2018; spector, 2016). data gathering procedure a systematic procedure was employed for gathering data. to ensure accuracy and relevance, the instruments and techniques used during the study were determined based on the research goals. as a result, the process of gathering data was conducted systematically, structurally, and without discrepancies. in addition, a data collection schedule, along with the identification of relevant target respondents, was carefully planned to accomplish this task. by adhering to these steps, the study aimed to collect comprehensive data that would support meaningful analysis and well-founded conclusions. pa ge 29 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 22-40, 2025 the study commenced once permission from the dean of sksu’s graduate school was secured. to ensure the success of the study and effectively address the research problem, the researcher utilized all available means. consequently, a formal request letter was prepared and addressed to the schools division superintendent of south cotabato, seeking authorization to conduct the study within the campus grounds and use official time for data gathering activities. moreover, another formal request letter was sent to the school principal, requesting their cooperation in facilitating the research. specifically, this included coordinating with students for the administration of the pretest and posttest, as well as arranging experimental sessions during official class hours (creswell & poth, 2018). the study was conducted in the students’ classrooms in order to provide a controlled environment conducive to achieving the study’s objectives (cohen, manion, & morrison, 2017). furthermore, special assessment tools were employed to measure the effectiveness of the strategic instructional material (sim) and its impact on academic performance. these instruments not only assessed specific aspects of students’ learning outcomes but also provided detailed information about their achievements (bryman, 2016). to facilitate data collection, forms were distributed and later retrieved from the students. following the use of the sim in mapeh, the pretest and posttest were administered by the mapeh teachers in accordance with established research procedures (cohen et al., 2017; fraenkel et al., 2019; popham, 2017). after data collection was completed, the results were subjected to careful analysis and interpretation. to illustrate the sequential steps of the research process, including data collection, analysis, and interpretation, a waterfall diagram (figure 3) was utilized. this visual representation not only highlighted the complexity and workflow of the study but also enhanced understanding of the logical progression of research activities (creswell & creswell, 2018; silverman, 2016). data instrument the gathered data was interpreted, tabulated, and processed. in order to analyze and interpret the gathered data, the following statistical measures were used: the mean statistical measure was first utilized to compute the evaluation of the expert regarding the quality of the sim, and the degree of students’ academic performance in pretest and posttest (creswell & creswell, 2018; pallant, 2020). on the other hand, t-test was also utilized to compute the significant difference between the control and experimental groups’ pretest and posttest scores, and the significant difference in mean gain scores in the pretest and posttest of the control and experimental groups (creswell & creswell). statistical treatment data the descriptive statistics, especially the mean, were applied in the study to define and summarize the major characteristics of the data. the use of such a method was adopted in evaluating the expert validators’ judgment on the strategic instructional materials (sim) and students’ performance in mapeh in the pretest and posttest results. the mean was used as a point of reference to establish the general quality of the sim and the students’ academic performance prior to and following the intervention (creswell & creswell, 2018; pallant, 2020; salkind, 2017). in interpreting the first statement of the problem, which was to measure the quality of the sim, the expert validators’ mean score was rated using a five-point rating scale: excellent (4.20-5.00) for outstanding performance, very satisfactory (3.40-4.19) for high satisfaction, satisfactory (2.60-3.39) for acceptable performance but with potential improvements, fair (1.80-2.59) for below expectations, and poor (1.00-1.79) for unsatisfactory quality that needs significant improvements. this rating scale gave a clear and objective evaluation of the overall quality of the sim as seen by the experts. in answering the second and third statements of the problem, which concerned identifying the academic performance level of students in the control and experimental groups, the mean was also used to examine the students’ pretest and posttest scores in mapeh. the performance was measured according to another five-point rating scale: excellent (4.20-5.00) which refers to outstanding academic performance, very good (3.40-4.19) indicating good academic performance with minor areas for improvement, good (2.60-3.39) representing acceptable performance with some areas for improvement, needs improvement (1.80-2.59) meaning that the performance fell below expectations, and unsatisfactory (1.00-1.79) showing very low academic performance which needs significant improvements. this rating scale gave a clear picture of the effect of the implementation of sim on the students’ performance in mapeh. through the comparison of the mean scores of the pretest and posttest for both groups, it enabled the researchers to determine if there was a significant improvement in students’ learning outcomes with the use of sim. the design also enabled a comparison of the control group without the use of sim and the experimental group, which made use of the instructional materials, hence providing tangible proof of the usefulness of sim in improving the students’ academic achievements in mapeh. ethical consideration prior to actual administration, all of the above plans and ideas were submitted to the sksu`s procedures. moreover, using informed consent forms, all information collected will be ensured to have been provided voluntarily by the targeted research participants who fulfilled the inclusion pa ge 30 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 22-40, 2025 criteria specified for the study. an unwilling participant was either coerced or recruited to participate. real data will be gathered through testutilizing validated tools in environments that the participants find comfortable, convenient, and secure, where risks are significantly minimized, if not fully eliminated. the participants can also review the data gathered for examination purposes. for 30 minutes to an hour, participants willingly participated in class with the researcher as the facilitator. the researcher gave food and a token as compensation for effort and time participants invested in participating. under the data privacy act (dpa), the researcher will keep all participant data confidential and ensure that no results are shared with third parties. the development and testing of the sim in mapeh, to be utilized by grade 7 students, will take advantage of generalizations which shall be derived from data that will be gathered. all data will be wholly erased after one year, thus it will not be possible for any person to retrieve it. there is no conflict of interest, the researcher claims, in the research being conducted presently. results and discussion quality of strategic instructional materials table 1 presents the quality of the strategic instructional materials of grade 7 mapeh (music, arts, physical education & health) in terms of content, mechanics, organization and over-all package. table 1: level of strategic instructional materials in terms of content no. statements mean sd description 1 all the instructions in the module correspond with activities. 4.18 .83 very satisfactory 2 learning activities satisfy the stated objectives in enhancing the least mastered skills of learners in mapeh 7. 4.14 1.01 very satisfactory 3 the module provides independent activities suited to the needs of its target users. 3.95 .98 very satisfactory 4 graphical and pictorial images are evident that encourage interactive participation among learners. 3.86 1.06 very satisfactory 5 concepts are presented logically based on the needs and leastmastered competencies of learners in mapeh 7. 3.86 1.01 very satisfactory section mean 4.00 .83 very satisfactory table 1 in this study implies the content of the mapeh 7 strategic instructional materials, which were rated as “very satisfactory.” the activities were well-organized, aligned with learning goals, and included tasks that suited the learners’ needs. the mean scores ranged from 3.86 to 4.18, indicating a very satisfactory. the graphical presentation and logical flow of the materials were generally appreciated. however, some varying perspectives were noted, as evidenced by higher standard deviations. the overall mean score of 4.00 suggested that the materials were highly rated, despite some conflicting opinions regarding their interactivity and coherence. this finding implies that the effectiveness of the materials could still be improved by enhancing interactivity and logical progression. research has shown that logically structured instructional materials can reduce cognitive load and enhance the learning experience (mayer & moreno, 2019). well-organized materials that achieve learning objectives are more likely to cater to the diverse needs of learners, as emphasized by gagné, wager, and rojas (2018). this highlights the importance of designing instructional resources that effectively guide students through the learning process. on the other hand, recent research on cognitive load theory, including studies by sweller et al. (2019), chen & kalyuga (2020), and houichi & sarnou (2020), highlights that an overly structured, linear approach to instructional design can overwhelm learners’ working memory and hinder learning, emphasizing the need to balance cognitive load to enhance comprehension. table 2: level of strategic instructional materials in terms of mechanics no. statements mean sd description 1 the module contains relevant activities aligned with the lessons. 4.23 .95 excellent 2 all activities in the module provide practical, and useful work in enhancing the least-mastered competencies of learners in mapeh 7. 4.18 .94 very satisfactory 3 all assigned tasks in the module develop creativity and resourcefulness among learners, especially in the preservation of their local knowledge in mapeh 7. 3.68 .97 very satisfactory 4 all lessons and activities provide relevant information for a better understanding of the identified least-mastered competencies in mapeh 7. 4.00 1.00 very satisfactory 5 all activities conform with the concepts of teaching mapeh 7. 4.05 .93 very satisfactory section mean 4.03 .81 very satisfactory pa ge 31 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 22-40, 2025 table 2 of the study implies the assessment of the strategic instructional materials in terms of mechanics for mapeh 7, which were rated as “very satisfactory.” the materials were found to be highly aligned with the lessons, and applicable activities received a mean rating of 4.23, classified as “excellent.” however, activities designed to foster creativity and resourcefulness received a lower rating of 3.68, indicating some differences in effectiveness. the total rating of 4.03 suggests that the instructional materials were effective overall but could be improved, particularly in promoting creativity and resourcefulness. studies suggest that well-structured instructional materials aligned with curriculum objectives can significantly enhance students’ skills and engagement (gagné et al., 2019). furthermore, resourcefulness and creativity are central to developing problem-solving and critical thinking skills, which are essential for lifelong learning (sawyer, 2017). however, constructivist learning theory posits that highly structured instructional materials may hinder critical thinking and creativity development; for instance, almulla (2023) found that over-structuring could restrict self-directed learning, limiting opportunities for problemsolving and creative thinking through exploration and open-ended activities. table 3: level of strategic instructional materials in terms of organization no. statements mean sd description 1 the module is designed based on the needs, and contexts of the learners. 4.18 .89 very satisfactory 2 it is based on the mapeh 7 curriculum guide learning competencies which have least-mastered by the learners. 4.14 .92 very satisfactory 3 the module provides necessary drills and activities that help its users enhance their skills in mapeh 7. 3.95 1.07 very satisfactory 4 it is arranged in the correct sequence based on the identified least-mastered competencies of learners in mapeh 7. 4.05 1.07 very satisfactory 5 it provides varied activities to sustain interest of its users as to learning mapeh 7. 4.14 .92 very satisfactory section mean 4.09 .84 very satisfactory table 3 implies that the strategic instructional materials (sim) in terms of organization for mapeh 7 were very satisfactory and well-received by the respondents, with a mean score of 4.09 and a standard deviation of 0.84, signifying a positive response. the module was found to be consistent with learners’ needs and aligned with the mapeh 7 curriculum guide, effectively covering the least-mastered competencies. the module is carefully designed to meet the specific needs and contexts of the learners, with a rating of 4.18, indicating that it is very satisfactory in addressing these factors. additionally, the module includes essential drills and activities that support skill enhancement in mapeh 7, as reflected by the rating of 3.95, suggesting that it is somewhat effective in improving student skills, though there may be room for further improvement. these findings align with research emphasizing the importance of structured instructional materials that cater to learners’ needs and stimulate engagement in a positive manner (reiser & dempsey, 2018). additionally, a study by kabilito (2024) demonstrates how well-organized resources improve academic achievement through satisfying the specific learning demands of learners, encouraging participative learning, and enhancing comprehension with visual and interactive materials. moreover, incorporating varied activities is crucial for maintaining student engagement and motivation (schunk, et al., 2017). however, recent research, including studies by niemann & koster (2019), roth & o’reilly (2017), and vansteenkiste & ryan (2018), highlights that while highly structured instructional materials support learning, they may restrict student autonomy, potentially hindering intrinsic motivation and deeper engagement, as emphasized by self-determination theory. table 4: level of strategic instructional materials in terms of over-all package no. statements mean sd description 1 the discussions and instructions are easy to understand as they are simplified based on the needs of the learners. 4.41 .89 excellent 2 provides knowledge and skill in learning mapeh 7 specifically on the identified competencies. 4.14 .87 very satisfactory 3 encourages creative and critical thinking towards understanding mapeh 7. 3.77 1.04 very satisfactory 4 serves as an instructional tool to enhance the least mastered skills of the learners in mapeh 7. 4.05 1.07 very satisfactory pa ge 32 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 22-40, 2025 5 helps facilitate lesson presentation, especially in learning mapeh 7. 4.32 .97 excellent section mean 4.14 .86 very satisfactory table 4 implies that the strategic instructional materials (sim) in terms of over-all package for mapeh 7 received a general rating of “very satisfactory”, with a mean score of 4.14 and a standard deviation of 0.86, signifying high satisfaction among respondents. the discussions and instructions are highly effective and easy to understand, with a rating of 4.41, indicating they are well-simplified and tailored to the learners’ needs. however, the module’s ability to encourage creative and critical thinking in understanding mapeh 7 has a slightly lower rating of 3.77, suggesting that while it encourages some level of creative and critical thinking, there may be room for improvement in fostering these skills more effectively. these findings align with research that underscores the importance of providing comprehensible and accessible instructional materials to facilitate learning (mayer, 2019). furthermore, kabilito (2024) highlights that welldesigned instructional materials effectively target specific learning competencies and help bridge knowledge gaps, leading to improved student understanding and academic achievement. nevertheless, constructivist learning theory emphasizes that learners actively construct knowledge through experiences and social interactions, advocating for learning materials that promote exploration and student-centered approaches. recent studies, such as žižanović’s (2018) research on constructivist active learning environments, highlight that students perceive active learning as essential for their development, noting that learning involves their experiences and interests, and the creation of their own interpretations. md zin et al. (2024) discuss how technological advancements in learning management systems can support constructivist principles by enhancing student engagement and learning outcomes. these perspectives underscore the importance of designing instructional materials that encourage active engagement, critical thinking, and collaboration to foster deep understanding. table 5: summary of the quality of the strategic instructional materials (sim) no. category section mean sd description 1 content 4.00 .83 very satisfactory 2 mechanics 4.03 .81 very satisfactory 3 organization 4.09 .84 very satisfactory 4 overall package 4.14 .86 very satisfactory total 4.04 .84 very satisfactory the statistical evidence presented in table 5 implies that the strategic instructional materials (sim) were rated “very satisfactory” across all categories. the lowest section mean was 4.00 for content, while the highest was 4.14 for the overall package, indicating that the materials were well-structured and effectively designed. these findings align with mayer’s (2009) research, which highlights the importance of clear, well-designed instructional materials in facilitating effective learning. additionally, recent studies (hadie et al., 2021; wasfy et al., 2021) demonstrate that applying cognitive load theory by organizing instructional content effectively minimizes extraneous cognitive load, thereby improving knowledge retention, comprehension, and learning outcomes. however, wibowo et al. (2025) emphasize the importance of vygotsky’s principles in differentiated learning, suggesting that learner-centered methods enhance understanding. similarly, wong and samudra (2019) and yanasugondha (2017) extend dual coding theory to language learning, demonstrating how combining pictorial and text-based elements can improve vocabulary acquisition and retention. these studies underscore the value of integrating active, learner-centered approaches and multimodal content to foster deeper engagement, comprehension, and retention in educational environments. table 6: level of students’ academic performance in the pretest of both groups groups variable mean sd description control music and arts 8.14 3.45 good pe and health 6.00 3.10 average experimental music and arts 8.14 3.40 good pe and health 7.27 4.42 good table 6 implies that the experimental and control groups demonstrated equal competence in “music and arts,” with both groups receiving a mean score of 8.14, which was rated as “good.” however, the experimental group outperformed the control group in “pe and health,” with a mean score of 7.27 compared to 6.00 in the control group, both rated as “average.” this suggests that the strategic instructional materials (sim) may have pa ge 33 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 22-40, 2025 contributed positively to the academic performance of the experimental group in pe and health. research supports the notion that instructional materials tailored to students’ learning needs can enhance academic achievement, particularly in areas where students typically struggle (guskey, et. al. 2019). the improved performance in pe and health aligns with previous findings that well-structured instructional materials can provide clear guidance, structured learning pathways, and engaging activities that facilitate skill development. however, recent research underscores the significance of vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, particularly the zone of proximal development (zpd), in enhancing student learning through social interactions and cultural context. for instance, rahman (2024) highlights the application of zpd in stem education, emphasizing the role of guided assistance in facilitating student learning. similarly, gao (2024) illustrates that collaborative approaches such as peer mentoring and supported lesson planning efficiently aid teacher growth in the zone of proximal development (zpd), closing gaps between existing abilities and possible development during preservice teacher education. these studies suggest that the improved performance observed in educational settings may result not only from instructional materials but also from effective pedagogy, peer collaboration, and teacher scaffolding, aligning with vygotsky’s emphasis on the social nature of learning. table 7: level of students’ academic performance in the posttest of both groups groups variable mean sd description control music and arts 6.73 3.12 average pe and health 6.54 2.02 average experimental music and arts 10.00 3.90 excellent pe and health 9.82 4.58 excellent the results in table 7 implies that the experimental group outperformed the control group in the posttest for both “music and arts” and “pe and health.” the experimental group achieved a mean score of 10.00 (excellent) in music and arts and 9.82 (excellent) in pe and health. in contrast, the control group obtained significantly lower mean scores of 6.73 (average) and 6.54 (average), respectively. these results implies that the strategic instructional materials (sim) played a role in enhancing the academic performance of students in the experimental group. research supports the idea that interactive, curriculumaligned instructional materials contribute to improved learning outcomes (mayer & moreno, 2019; gagne et al., 2019). well-designed instructional resources can provide structured learning experiences, reinforce concepts, and promote active engagement, leading to better knowledge retention and skill acquisition. however, (trigueros et al., 2020; ma & wei, 2022; jafari & asgari, 2020; naway et al., 2019) validates hattie’s (2009) assertion that teacher effectiveness, student motivation, and classroom climate are most prominent factors on academic performance, demonstrating their significant contribution to student engagement, achievement, and motivation. for instance, hettinger et al. (2023) found that teacher self-efficacy and emotional support positively impact student interest in mathematics classrooms, while naway et al. (2019) demonstrated that teachers’ leadership and a positive classroom climate enhance students’ achievement motivation. these findings suggest that improvements in student performance may not solely result from instructional materials like sims but also from effective teaching strategies, increased student engagement, and a supportive learning environment, aligning with hattie’s emphasis on the broader factors influencing learning outcomes. table 8: results of the t-test analysis between the pretest and posttest of the control group group variable mean sd df t p description control group music and arts (pretest) 8.14 3.45 21 11.05 .000 significant music and arts (posttest) 6.73 3.11 21 10.11 .000 significant pe and health (pretest) 6.00 3.10 21 9.07 .000 significant pe and health (posttest) 6.54 2.02 21 15.22 .000 significant *significant at the 0.05 level the t-test statistic in table 8 implies a noteworthy variation of pretest and posttest marks in the control group across both “music and arts” and “pe and health.” pretest mean for music and arts was 8.14 and reduced to a posttest mean of 6.73, representing decreased performance. conversely, the posttest score for pe and health raised from a pretest mean of 6.00 to 6.54. more recent research (wang et al., 2024; kültür & kutlu, 2021; kausar & haroon, 2022) confirms that formative assessment improves students’ learning and achievement in the same way black and wiliam (1998) initially concluded. for example, (trigueros et al., 2020; kültür & kutlu, 2021; kausar & haroon, 2022) support black’s (2015) opinion that although formative assessment holds pa ge 34 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 22-40, 2025 potential for enhancing learning outcomes, it is contingent on meticulous implementation and context, noting difficulties in the complete actualization of its potential. also, studies confirm that formative assessment strategies, when properly adopted, can result in considerable gains in student performance. these results indicate that the changes in academic performance observed may be due not just to instructional materials but also to the integration of formative assessment practices, best practices in teaching, and supportive classroom environment. table 9: results of the t-test analysis between the pretest and posttest of the experimental group group variable mean sd df t p description experimental group music and arts (pretest) 8.14 3.40 21 11.23 .000 significant music and arts (posttest) 10.00 3.90 21 12.02 .000 significant pe and health (pretest) 7.27 4.42 21 7.72 .000 significant pe and health (posttest) 9.82 4.58 21 10.05 .000 significant *significant at the 0.05 level the t-test comparison in table 9 implies a considerable improvement in the pretest and posttest scores of the experimental group in both “music and arts” and “pe and health.” in music and arts, the pretest mean was 8.14, which increased to a posttest mean of 10.00. similarly, in pe and health, the pretest mean was 7.27, rising to 9.82 in the posttest. these results suggest that the strategic instructional materials (sim) intervention contributed to substantial academic gains among students. this finding aligns with mayer’s cognitive theory of multimedia learning (2019), which asserts that wellintegrated multimedia materials enhance learning retention and comprehension by presenting information in a way that reduces cognitive effort and increases engagement. the effectiveness of sims is also supported by clark & mayer’s (2016) research, which highlights how wellstructured instructional materials can positively impact academic achievement by providing clear explanations, scaffolding, and interactive learning experiences. however, (kalyuga et al., 2016) confirms sweller’s (2011) cognitive load theory, asserting that instructional designs must take into consideration the cognitive constraints to avoid overloading working memory and maximize learning outcomes. current research has built on this theory, further suggesting that too much cognitive load can impede learning. for instance, anmarkrud, andresen, and bråten (2019) summarized recent research on multimedia learning, calling attention to the relevance of cognitive load measurement in furthering learning outcomes. in the same vein, bonito (2016) utilized cognitive load principles when designing multimedia courseware and proved that managing intrinsic, extraneous, and germane cognitive loads would enhance learning efficiency. these results highlight the need to optimize multimedia learning materials to effectively manage cognitive load so that learners are not overwhelmed in processing information. thus, while sims likely played a role in improving academic performance, it is also essential to consider the quality of material design. poorly designed instructional resources could overwhelm students’ cognitive abilities, limiting their capacity to absorb and apply knowledge effectively. table 10: results of the t-test analysis between the mean gain scores of the control and experimental in music and arts groups mean gain scores sd df t p description control 7.42 3.10 21 11.25 .000 significant experimental 9.07 3.48 mean gain difference 1.65 *significant at the 0.05 level the t-test statistic in table 10 implies a statistically significant difference in mean gain scores between the control and experimental groups in music and arts. the experimental group achieved a mean gain score of 9.07, which was notably higher than the 7.42 recorded by the control group. the mean gain difference of 1.65 and a t-value of 11.25 indicate that the strategic instructional materials (sim) had a substantial impact on the academic performance of the experimental group. this finding aligns with mayer’s cognitive theory of multimedia learning (2019), which emphasizes that multimedia elements—such as images, text, and audio— enhance understanding and retention, leading to improved academic outcomes. the results suggest that the sim effectively facilitated learning by providing engaging, wellstructured instructional content. additionally, clark and mayer (2016) argue that instructional materials should be designed to balance cognitive load, ensuring that learning is supported without overwhelming students. the significant improvement in the experimental group implies that the sim aided cognitive processing and promoted active learning in music and arts. however, current research has further developed this idea by highlighting that over-complexity or the incorrect design of materials can cause cognitive overload, making learning more difficult. for example, harilal et al. (2024) pa ge 35 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 22-40, 2025 discussed instructional design methods to counter cognitive overload and recommended that the alignment of instructional content with cognitive load theory could support student learning experience. in a similar vein, müller and wulf (2024) investigated the effectiveness of learning in various management learning contexts through the lens of cognitive load theory, underlining the impact of instructional design on cognitive load and learning outcomes. these results highlight the need to maximize structured instructional materials (sims) design to avoid overloading cognitive processes and maximizing educational efficiency. table 11: results of the t-test analysis between the mean gain scores of the control and experimental in pe and health groups mean gain scores sd df t p description control 6.23 2.07 21 14.18 .000 significant experimental 8.55 4.18 mean gain difference 2.32 *significant at the 0.05 level the t-test comparison in table 11 implies a significant mean gain score difference between the experimental and control groups for pe and health. the experimental group achieved a mean gain score of 8.55, while the control group had a lower mean gain score of 6.23. the mean gain difference of 2.32 and a t-value of 14.18 demonstrate that the strategic instructional materials (sim) contributed to a higher improvement in academic performance for the experimental group. this finding aligns with mayer’s cognitive theory of multimedia learning (2019), which implies that effectively designed multimedia content engages both visual and auditory channels, enhancing learner acquisition and comprehension. by integrating structured and engaging instructional materials, the sim likely provided an enriched learning experience that led to academic gains in pe and health. moreover, recent studies (kabilito, 2024) support guskey’s (2015) view that targeted instructional materials, tailored to meet individual learning needs, significantly enhance academic performance and improve learning outcomes. the improvement in the experimental group may be attributed to the sim’s ability to address specific competencies and learning gaps in pe and health. additionally, schunk et al. (2017) emphasize that varied and interactive activities can increase student motivation and engagement, further enhancing academic performance. the mixed activities included in the sim likely contributed to sustained participation and deeper learning. however, (paas, renkl, & sweller, 2016; kalyuga, 2019) validates sweller’s (2011) cognitive load theory that stresses instructional content should be consistent with human cognitive architecture to decrease cognitive overload and enhance learning effectiveness. there has been additional research building upon this theory that stresses the point that overly sophisticated or illconceived content is capable of resulting in cognitive overload, ultimately threatening learning outcomes. for example, zeitlhofer, zumbach, and schweppe (2024) discovered that complex tasks can enhance immediate performance while raising cognitive load and affecting meta-awareness among learners. also, müller and wulf (2024) noted that the complexity of management learning environments significantly affects cognitive load, and it is recommended that instructional design cautiously addresses task complexity to maximize learning. these results emphasize the necessity of balancing content complexity within structured instructional materials (sims) to minimize cognitive overload and enhance overall learning effectiveness. conclusion the study concluded that the strategic instructional materials (sim) of mapeh 7 were “very satisfactory” in all categories, with the sim having successfully aligned with the curriculum and augmented the competencies of students. creativity and critical thinking remained areas for improvement. the research corroborates mayer’s cognitive load theory but recommends additional interactive and student-centered learning as promoted by constructivist theories for better promotion of higher-order thinking. more refining of the sim is needed to promote active engagement and critical thinking. the control group was surpassed by the experimental group in both “music and arts” and “pe and health,” most probably because strategic instructional materials (sim) were utilized. this reinforces the contention that specially designed instructional materials will increase academic achievement. vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, however, posits that social interactions and peer cooperation may have played a role as well. furthermore, hattie’s emphasis on the effectiveness of teaching and student engagement means that teaching approaches and classroom atmosphere could have been a factor. therefore, though sim would most probably have had a direct influence, good teaching practice and student engagement were also responsible for the findings. the t-test differences indicate improvement in academic performance in both groups. the control group performed with variable results, a drop in music and arts but an uptick in pe and health. however, the experimental group reported notable improvements in both subjects, which indicates that the strategic instructional materials (sim) was responsible for their achievement. the findings reveal that the experimental group performed better than the control group in music and pa ge 36 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(3) 22-40, 2025 arts and pe and health, which suggests that strategic instructional materials (sim) had a positive effect on student performance. this confirms mayer’s cognitive theory of multimedia learning, pointing out the advantage of multimedia in learning and retention. still, sweller’s cognitive load theory warns against overly complicated content that might result in cognitive overload, stressing the need for thoroughly crafting sim to achieve maximum learning advantages for all students. overall, the research proves that the strategic instructional materials (sim) for mapeh 7 successfully improved student capabilities and was in compliance with the curriculum. the experimental group, which used sim, performed better than the control group in both “music and arts” and “pe and health,” which reflects the positive effect of customized instructional materials on learning. while sim was a major contributor to student achievement, teaching approaches, collaboration among peers, and student participation also played an essential role. the research emphasizes the need for well-crafted instructional materials that effectively manage cognitive load to ensure optimal learning performance across all learners. references abanador, d. g., torres, m. f., & cruz, a. j. 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(2018). the impact of constructivist learning environments on student perception and engagement. journal of constructivist education, 15(3), 219–234. pa ge 1 pa ge 14 7 american journal of education and technology (ajet) students’ perceptions of crossword puzzles to enhance learning in social studies 10 michael l. bordeos1*, glen r. mangana1, jarisk b. lamadrid1, jimelyn e. ligan2 volume 2 issue 3, year 2023 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i3.1920 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: july 14, 2023 accepted: august 09, 2023 published: august 17, 2023 extensive scholarly investigation in social studies education has led to a significant shift in the prevailing paradigm, moving away from conventional lecture-based teaching methods and towards adopting novel and student-centric instructional approaches. the utilization of crossword puzzles is a straightforward and innovative strategy for integrating active learning in the field of social studies. this subject area is an introduction for students to gain a fundamental comprehension of current circumstances, employing contemporary terminology and concepts that diverge significantly from their preexisting knowledge. this study aimed to evaluate students’ perspectives on crossword puzzles as a viable strategy for reinforcing essential concepts related to contemporary subjects. the study was carried out at bagong nayon ii national high school. the study population comprised 60 tenth-grade students from the cohort of 2022-2023. after attending instructional lectures on the subject matter, the students were allocated 40 minutes to solve the puzzle using a freely available online puzzle generator. an eight-item survey instrument questionnaire was utilized to examine students’ perceptions of crossword puzzles. many learners perceived using the crossword puzzles as an innovative pedagogical strategy, as indicated by most of their positive evaluations. using crossword puzzles as an active learning strategy offers a unique, creative, and straightforward approach to enhance the retrieval and preservation of information. consequently, the study demonstrated that appropriately using crossword puzzles increased student involvement. this instructional tool can serve as a means of formative evaluation and offers a cost-effective alternative to the constraints of didactic teaching. keywords active learning, crossword puzzles, learning tool, social studies 1 bagong nayon ii national high school, sdo antipolo city, philippines 2 sagkahan national high school, csdo tacloban city, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: mimibordeos@gmail.com introduction contemporary education in the 21st century entails equipping learners with the necessary competencies to thrive in the current milieu and facilitating the cultivation of self-assurance to apply these talents effectively. in light of the abundance of available information, contemporary skills in the 21st century encompass critical thinking, communication, cooperation, and creativity, emphasizing comprehending, disseminating, and judiciously utilizing this knowledge. as educators, it is imperative to reflect upon the methods by which we may develop and establish appropriate instructional resources that cater to the needs of learners in the twenty-first century. utilizing instructional materials in the current competitive landscape catalyzes the advancement of knowledge and technology while concurrently aligning with national and educational objectives. educators impart knowledge and skills on a particular subject matter, while students acquire this knowledge and develop proficiency through consistent engagement in everyday activities that gradually become ingrained habits. in the context of the learning process, it is evident that learners necessitate instructional materials that are both engaging and informative. consequently, integrating innovative elements within learning materials becomes imperative to stimulate learners’ motivation and facilitate their knowledge acquisition. utilizing innovative educational materials constitutes a strategy to foster enhanced academic progress among learners. teaching in the contemporary dynamic educational setting presents challenges, although it can provide gratifying outcomes when students actively engage in classroom activities. educators must disseminate distinctive and efficacious active learning methodologies and instructional resources. educators are accountable not only to the educational institutions they are affiliated with but also to their students and the communities in which they reside (kroning, 2014). however, educators must adopt a more innovative approach, particularly in light of the limited financial resources available to many educational institutions. each year, it becomes evident that students struggle to maintain attentiveness throughout a full lecture without displaying signs of boredom. bunce, flens, and neiles (2010) suggest that extant data indicates a limited attention span of students during classes, often ranging from 10 to 20 minutes. daily, educators observe instances where students engage in activities such as daydreaming, engaging in side conversations, gazing into space, attending to other academic tasks, sleeping, and even using their mobile devices for messaging while in class. this behavior often leads teachers to interpret the students’ lack of attention as a personal affront (weimer, 2014). one potential approach for addressing these challenges involves engaging pupils in the educational setting through crossword puzzle worksheets. the primary objective of the crossword puzzle is to pa ge 14 8 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 147-153, 2023 enhance cognitive stimulation by engaging the brain’s neural pathways. the brain’s ability to engage in relaxed continuous learning significantly impacts memory and facilitates the restoration of the brain’s optimal functioning. the task is achieved through successfully resolving the puzzle and the student’s capacity to retain the information imparted to them (bheke, pritem, & pujarih, 2021). according to saran and kumar (2015), franklin, peat, and lewis (2003) have shown that crossword puzzles can effectively serve as instructional aids for enhancing understanding of terminology, definitions, spelling, and the association of fundamental concepts with corresponding terms. this pedagogical approach has been found to promote improved retention and memory of acquired knowledge. however, the majority of research examining the efficacy of crossword puzzles as an instructional tool has primarily focused on their application in english subjects (wiwat, 2013; riyanto, 2017; imoula, 2018; omar & said, 2019; alda & wati, 2021; wijaksono s. & siddik, 2022) and medical courses (kolte, jadhav, deshmukh & patil, 2017; zamani, biparva haghighi, & ravanbakhsh, 2021; maheshwari, javia & sharma, 2021; bawazeer et al., 2022). in educational practices, the potential of crossword puzzles as a pedagogical instrument to foster active learning within the social studies domain remains unexplored. many students often require assistance in retaining and recalling several contemporary issues and concepts and understanding their significance and practicality. the provision of crossword puzzles on contemporary issues as a subject in grade 10, centered on current subjects and concepts, has the potential to stimulate cognitive engagement among learners. this pedagogical approach can aid in identifying areas of comprehension and regions requiring further development while fostering an environment conducive to active learning. the justifications motivate researchers to investigate how crossword puzzles can enhance student learning in social studies 10 and foster proficiency in diverse concepts and perspectives on current societal matters. the researchers demonstrate a keen interest in investigating and instructing on current societal matters through a crossword puzzle. hence, the objective of this study is to evaluate students’ perspectives regarding the efficacy of crossword puzzle worksheets as an instructional tool for enhancing active learning in the context of social studies 10. literature review this section explores the pertinent scholarly literature on crossword puzzles, which forms the basis for the conceptual framework of this research paper. in their study, agarwal et al. (2020) employed a crossword puzzle as an innovative assessment tool to enhance learning outcomes in forensic medicine. the researchers evaluated 38 students using this technique. the puzzle generated curiosity among 92% of the 38 pupils. a significant majority of pupils, precisely 76.4%, found this problem beneficial for acquiring knowledge in forensic medicine. according to the survey results, a significant majority of students, precisely 73%, expressed that the tool in question was beneficial in evaluating their level of understanding. most students, precisely 81%, agreed on utilizing such a puzzle in competitive examinations. the puzzle positively influenced the subject recall of 84% of the pupils. consequently, engaging in crossword puzzles enhances students’ cognitive abilities; including memory retention, academic achievement, and analytical reasoning, while providing an enjoyable experience. the study by matreja et al. (2021) provides supporting evidence for using crossword puzzles as an assessment tool. based on the research findings, crossword puzzles emerged as a viable and effective tool for assessment due to their ability to yield superior outcomes and enhance comprehension compared to conventional formative evaluation, as indicated by the feedback questionnaire. a significant proportion of the student population believed that engaging in crossword puzzles enhanced their understanding of pharmaceutical substances, fostered active participation in learning, and facilitated the retention of acquired knowledge. the study by alda and wati (2021) aimed to examine the impact of crossword puzzle games on english vocabulary acquisition in langsa, aceh province. the results indicated that using crossword puzzle games effectively enhanced the learners’ vocabulary learning, as all participants achieved a score of at least 75, which is the minimum mastery criterion (kkm). the research findings also revealed that introducing the crossword problem created a conducive atmosphere for language acquisition. the students actively participated in the learning process and voluntarily engaged. the participants’ drive to complete the task was boosted, and their involvement in collaborative group work enhanced their self-efficacy in english language learning. additionally, it provided students with the opportunity to enhance their vocabulary and refine their pronunciation skills. moreover, the research conducted by meliyani and kareviati (2021) concluded that using crossword puzzles as a method for teaching and learning vocabulary facilitated enhanced memorization of the vocabulary among students. additionally, this approach fostered increased engagement and participation in the classroom. the findings also indicated positive student responses, with most expressing interest and enjoyment in learning vocabulary through descriptive texts accompanied by crossword puzzles. in their study, marlina et al. (2021) investigated the utilization of a multimedia tool in the form of a science education crossword puzzle. the objective was to enhance the learning outcomes and process on the topic of the digestive system among students in junior high schools. the results indicated that implementing instructional crossword puzzle multimedia was effectively executed in all cycles, achieving a 100% success rate based on rigorous evaluation criteria. based on the study’s results, it was determined that the mean level of student activity pa ge 14 9 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 147-153, 2023 exhibited a score of 100%, meeting stringent standards. based on an examination of student performance in cycle i, where the mean score was 80.29, the mastery rate was 82.61%, and in cycle ii, the mean score was 83.48. the mastery rate was 91.30%; it can be inferred that integrating natural science educational crossword puzzle multimedia aids the learning process and enhances student academic achievements, particularly in the domain of the digestive system. the findings of kruawong and soontornwipast’s (2021) research support the notion discussed. the study examined the science vocabulary crossword puzzle (svcp) habits of 33 9th-grade students enrolled at a prominent secondary school in bangkok. based on the empirical evidence, it was observed that the adoption of svcp practices resulted in a statistically significant increase of 0.05 in the mean score of students’ science vocabulary knowledge. furthermore, students exhibited favorable attitudes toward the activities associated with svcp. researchers have pushed for incorporating crossword puzzles as interactive educational tools inside the classroom. the researcher posits that crossword puzzles are a viable method for augmenting students’ comprehension, competency, and mastery of terminology, definitions, and spelling while facilitating the connection of vital concepts with associated terms engagingly. nevertheless, the existing literature and research still need to address the utilization of crosswords to enhance students’ learning in social studies. however, considering the arguments mentioned earlier, it is evident that there is a necessity for enhancements in social studies education at bagong nayon ii national high school. using the crossword puzzle technique can enhance student engagement and facilitate active participation in social studies learning within the classroom setting. students’ active engagement and motivation are enhanced when they experience a sense of delight. the abovementioned factor will impact students’ academic performance in social studies courses. nevertheless, the inquiry regarding the potential utilization of a crossword puzzle activity inside modern content-based classrooms for students studying social studies still needs to be solved. consequently, a recent investigation was conducted at bagong nayon ii national high school to enhance the social studies proficiency of 10th-grade students. the study examined the impact of employing the crossword puzzle approach on students’ engagement in active learning and motivation within the context of social studies courses. materials and methods research design the present study utilized a quantitative methodology. burns and grove (2001) define quantitative research as a rigorous and systematic approach that utilizes numerical data to objectively collect information about the world. as per the authors’ assertions, this particular methodology is employed to characterize variables, examine the correlations between them, and uncover cause-effect relationships among them. in the present investigation, a descriptive design was employed. burns and grove (2001) assert that descriptive designs play a crucial role in identifying issues within current practice, aiming to improve practice outcomes. the objective of descriptive study is to investigate and elucidate real-life phenomena while concurrently furnishing comprehensive details regarding their occurrence and various facets. consequently, the study aimed to investigate students’ perspectives on using crossword puzzles as an instructional method to enhance active learning in social studies. the study project employed the descriptive survey design as its primary methodology. a survey was employed to obtain distinct data to describe a population that exceeds the capacity for direct observation (mouton, 1996). data collection in a survey is accomplished by obtaining responses from a selected group of individuals who provide self-reported information in response to a set of inquiries presented by the researcher (polit & hungler, 1993). the data for this study was gathered by disseminating electronic survey questionnaires to the participants using a messaging platform. population and sampling the study involved the participation of grade 10 students from bagong nayon ii national high school throughout the school year 2022-2023. a total of 60 learners were present. all learners were examined as subjects in this investigation. the researchers, however, employed purposive sampling as a method for participant selection in this study. according to burns and grove (2001), purposive sampling can be defined as a form of judgmental sampling wherein researchers deliberately and consciously choose specific subjects or elements to be included in the study. including participants in this study was deemed appropriate due to their intentional engagement in crossword puzzles as a component of classroom instruction research instrument the research was carried out at bagong nayon ii national high school, focusing on grade 10 students. the sample size for this study consisted of 60 participants. the crossword puzzle theme was selected by collaborating with the social studies teacher and the pupils. based on the recommendations provided, a particular subject matter previously instructed in the classroom but was perceived as challenging for the students to comprehend and retain will be selected. the development of a crossword puzzle was facilitated by utilizing an available online resource, which was afterward subjected to rigorous scrutiny and validation by two experts affiliated with the department of social studies. the students were given hard copies of the crossword problem to solve. to cultivate a sense of collaborative learning, it is advised that individuals engage in-group conversations while working toward resolving the problem. the allotted duration for the completion of the pa ge 15 0 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 147-153, 2023 crossword puzzle is 40 minutes. the accurate solutions to the crossword problem will be provided at the culmination of the designated timeframe. this study employed a pre-validated eight-item questionnaire to gather data on students’ perspectives regarding the effectiveness of crossword puzzles as a pedagogical tool for enhancing active learning in social studies. the participants’ replies to all eight topics were documented using a 4-point likert scale, where one represented “strongly disagree” and four represented “strongly agree.” the percentages correspond to the responses provided by the students for items 1-8. ethical considerations during the inquiry, researchers duly considered ethical questions. the researchers delivered the informed consent message to the participants via social media. the researchers invited them to participate in the study, with due recognition of their entitlement to withdraw and decline. the study did not collect any data that could potentially disclose the personal identity of the participants, including information such as names, phone numbers, addresses, geographical locations, or national identification numbers. data analysis after data collection, the researchers systematically arranged and thoroughly examined the gathered information. the survey data was stored using the google forms platform, and the responses provided by the students were compiled into an excel spreadsheet. the data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. the researchers computed percentages and then presented them in tabular form. according to kaur, stoltzfus, and yellapu (2018), descriptive statistics summarize data by elucidating the interrelationships among variables within a given sample or population. results and discussion according to table 1, a significant majority of the students, precisely 66.7%, expressed high agreement that engaging in crossword puzzles was an enjoyable activity that fostered active learning. the crossword puzzle activity improved the understanding of the issue for 60% of students. most students, precisely 63.3%, expressed that the crossword puzzle exercise presented difficulty that required problem-solving skills. in addition, participants posited that the crossword puzzle clues adeptly underscored the salient facets of the matter under consideration. a substantial proportion of the student population, precisely 65%, demonstrated a high level of consensus about the effectiveness of the crossword puzzle exercise in promoting the memory of crucial terminology associated with the subject matter. furthermore, these students reported a positive experience acquiring knowledge while engaging in recreational activities. most students, precisely 76.7%, preferred using crossword puzzles in the social studies curricular materials. table 1: student perceptions of crossword puzzle as learning tool to enhance students’ learning in social studies 10 (total n=60) statements percentages (%) strongly disagree disagree agree strongly agree 1 engaging in the completion of crossword puzzles is an enjoyable activity. 3.3 30 66.7 2 i have acquired a more comprehensive understanding of the subject matter. 3.3 3.3 33.3 60 3 the activities are characterized by their challenging nature and their emphasis on problem solving. 1.7 10 25 63.3 4 the central focus of the discussion was emphasized. 1.7 6.7 28.3 63.3 5 assisted with the retention of essential terminology pertaining to the subject matter. 1.7 5 28.3 65 6 i derive pleasure from acquiring knowledge through recreational activities. 1.7 6.7 26.7 65 7 promoted engagement in active learning 1.7 1.7 30 66.7 8 inclusion in social studies curriculum materials to facilitate and encourage active learning. 1.7 21.7 76.7 students frequently perceive contemporary issues as a challenging and dynamic subject that necessitates acquiring and retaining a substantial amount of material related to several topics within the field of social studies. students frequently encounter challenges when attempting to remember and articulate knowledge in the context of written or oral examinations. hence, incorporating active learning methodologies, such as using crossword puzzles, within the realm of social studies has the potential to address these challenges. aji and khan (2019) underscored the significance of research in the field of learning, which has yielded compelling evidence pa ge 15 1 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 147-153, 2023 supporting the notion that active learning can produce favorable effects in terms of student learning. in a study conducted by sinnayah et al. (2019), students discovered that using active learning strategies in a classroom environment resulted in enhanced academic performance among students, accompanied by a favorable perception of their overall learning experience. knowledge retention is often compromised when learning needs more meaningfulness, as the absence of comprehension hinders the ability to effectively use acquired information in future cognitive processes. in essence, instruction is necessary for acquiring knowledge, but this only sometimes happens solely due to an educator’s pedagogical efforts. the understanding of learning significantly influences their instructional methods and the learning outcomes of their learners. this study examines students’ perspectives regarding crossword puzzles as an educational instrument for promoting active learning and fostering a good learning encounter. a significant proportion of students expressed that engaging in crossword puzzles enhanced their comprehension of the subject matter, facilitated the retention of crucial terminology, and fostered an environment of active participation in the learning process. the findings mentioned above align with the outcomes of the research conducted by illiyin (2023), fitria (2023), and tegu and hadiwijaya (2022). the students derived pleasure from engaging in the crossword puzzle exercise, facilitating interactive learning through recreational means. crossword puzzles offered the learners a valuable respite from the repetitive lectures, rendering them more engaging and captivating than conventional pedagogical methods. in their respective studies, shawahna and jaber (2020) and mshayisa (2020) observed comparable findings, indicating that the students perceived the incorporation of crossword puzzles as both pleasant and beneficial. most students evaluated the crossword puzzle activity as a challenging, problem-solving task. the students had to engage in cognitive processes to complete the crossword puzzle. these included carefully examining the provided clues, retrieving relevant information from their prior learning, and engaging in collaborative discussions with their peers. this intervention facilitated the establishment of a conducive atmosphere for active learning, resulting in enhanced understanding and retention of the educational content. additionally, it played a role in fostering a favorable perception of the learning experience among the students. according to a recent study conducted by bawazeer et al. (2022), empirical evidence supports the notion that crossword puzzles yield beneficial outcomes in the realm of learning. according to torres, williams, kassahun-yimer, and gordy (2022), puzzles can serve as a means to enhance student motivation and foster greater interest in the subject matter. according to nazeer et al. (2018), researchers have suggested crossword puzzles as an addition rather than a complete replacement for conventional study methods to enhance enjoyment throughout the learning process. conclusions the current investigation revealed that students usually held good attitudes regarding the value of crossword puzzles. in general, most students agreed on the educational benefits of crossword puzzles. these benefits include facilitating the acquisition of crucial knowledge, enhancing information retention, and serving as an effective tool for reviewing lecture content. consistent with the findings of the above studies about the recreational and enjoyable nature of puzzles, most students expressed a cheerful disposition towards the classroom interactions that occurred during puzzlesolving activities. the participants perceived the puzzle as an interactive and enjoyable activity, fostering competition within the educational setting. integrating diverse teaching and learning tactics and methodologies in the educational setting improves learning outcomes. to be considered proficient teachers, they must possess diverse qualities encompassing pedagogical knowledge, subject matter competence, and effective classroom implementation (altheyab, 2023). the teachers considered these skills crucial, particularly in augmenting the learning experience in the field of social studies. crossword puzzles facilitate vocabulary augmentation, enhance cognitive abilities, bolster self-assurance, and expedite acquiring knowledge. consequently, the integration of crossword puzzles as an instructional tool proved beneficial, as indicated by the majority of students, who positively influenced their learning disposition, subsequently leading to improved academic outcomes. hence, the results of this study indicate that the utilization of crossword puzzles yielded positive outcomes in enhancing students’ comprehension of contemporary issues and concepts. educators ought to contemplate the utilization of crossword puzzles as dynamic instructional instruments to improve learners’ comprehension of contemporary problems and concepts. conversely, these findings bear noteworthy implications for incorporating interactive teaching methodologies in secondary educational establishments. based on the results above, the researchers propose the incorporation of crossword puzzles as a pedagogical tool inside social studies courses, intending to enhance the overall appeal and interactivity of the classroom environment. references agarwal, h. k., singhal, a., & yadav, a. k. 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(2021). crossword puzzles -an interesting teaching tool to facilitate teaching-learning process in undergraduate students of biochemistry. national journal of laboratory medicine, 10(3). https://doi.org/10.7860/ njlm/2021/49256.2519 marlina, r., oktavianty, e., silitonga, h. t., & sandra, n. m. (2021). application of science education crossword puzzle multimedia to improve the outcomes and learning process at junior high schools in the digestive system. jurnal pendidikan indonesia, 10(4). https://doi. org/10.23887/jpi-undiksha.v10i4.25350 matreja, p. s., kaur, j., & yadav, l. (2021). acceptability of the use of crossword puzzles as an assessment method in pharmacology. journal of advances in medical education & professionalism, 9, 154-159. https://doi. org/10.30476/ jamp.2021.90517.1413. meliyani, y., & kareviati, e. 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(2019). a combination of active learning pa ge 15 3 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 147-153, 2023 strategies improves student academic outcomes in first-year paramedic bioscience. advances in physiology education, 43(2), 233-240. https://doi.org/10.1152/ advan.00199.2018 tegu, y., & hadiwijaya, m. (2022). the effectiveness of crossword puzzle games toward the students’ vocabulary achievement at vii grade in smpn 1 nangaroro. verbal journal of applied linguistics, 1(1), 11–15. http://jurnal.anfa.co.id/index.php/verba/ article/view/42 torres, e. r., williams, p. r., kassahun-yimer, w., & gordy, x. z. (2022). crossword puzzles and knowledge retention. journal of effective teaching in higher education, 5(1), 18–29. https://doi.org/10.36021/ jethe.v5i1.244 weimer, m., (2014). students and attention: an interesting analysis. fac. focus, 26(10). http://www.facultyfocus. com/articles wijaksono s. d. n. h., & siddik, a. h. r. (2022). the effectiveness of using crossword puzzle games through student’s vocabulary mastery. journal of english ibrahimy, 1(1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.35316/ joey.2022.v1i1.1-10 wiwat, o. (2013). crossword puzzles as a learning tool for vocabulary development. electronic journal of research in educational psychology, 11(2), 413-428. https://eric. ed.gov/?id=ej1017974 zamani, p., biparva, h. s., & ravanbakhsh, m. (2021). the use of crossword puzzles as an educational tool. j adv med educ prof, 9(2), 102–108. https://doi. org/10.30476/jamp.2021.87911.1330 pa ge 1 pa ge 17 american journal of education and technology (ajet) exploring the interplay of vocabulary size, depth, and reading performance among engineering students in an esp context nor-eddine azalmad1* volume 2 issue 3, year 2023 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i3.2011 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: august 10, 2023 accepted: september 15, 2023 published: september 29, 2023 the primary objective of this research is to examine the impact of vocabulary size and vocabulary depth on reading performance in an english for specific purposes (esp) context. to this end, we administered three tests to a group of 92 engineering students enrolled at the national graduate school of arts and crafts (ensam) in meknes, morocco. the tests included the vocabulary size test developed by nation and beglar (2007), the words associate test designed by read (1998), and a reading performance test with a highreliability score of .87. the collected data was subjected to statistical analysis using linear regression and pearson correlation. the findings revealed significant correlations between both vocabulary size and vocabulary depth with reading performance. interestingly, the results indicated that vocabulary depth exhibited a stronger predictive association with reading performance compared to vocabulary size. keywords vocabulary, vocabulary size, vocabulary depth, reading performance, esp context 1 moulay ismail university, morocco * corresponding author’s e-mail: n.azalmad@umi.ac.ma introduction in the realm of language education, the dynamic relationship between vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension remains an area of perpetual interest and exploration. for learners of english as a foreign language, a robust and diverse vocabulary is a key determinant of their ability to comprehend and engage with academic texts effectively. in specialized academic and professional contexts, such as esp, the significance of vocabulary size and depth becomes even more pronounced. understanding the intricate interplay between these facets of vocabulary knowledge and their impact on reading performance is of utmost importance for language instructors seeking to optimize language learning outcomes. this study delves into the complex relationships between vocabulary size, vocabulary depth, and reading performance among engineering students in an esp context at the national graduate school of arts and crafts (ensam) in meknes, morocco. by employing rigorous data analysis techniques, including pearson correlation statistics and multiple linear regression, the study seeks to unravel valuable insights that hold significant implications for language teaching and learning in specialized academic settings. through an investigation of these key language components, educators can craft targeted instructional approaches to foster well-rounded vocabulary development and enhance the reading comprehension abilities of engineering students, thus empowering them for success in their academic and professional pursuits. literature review the literature surrounding vocabulary knowledge and its impact on reading comprehension has been a focal point in language education and applied linguistics. extensive research has explored the vital role that vocabulary plays in the reading abilities of learners of english as a foreign language. additionally, language teaching theoreticians have emphasized the significance of effective vocabulary instruction in language education. this literature review presents a comprehensive selection of relevant studies that illuminate the importance of vocabulary size and depth besides their influence on reading performance, particularly in the context of esp. early seminal work by anderson and freebody (1981) established that a reader’s general vocabulary knowledge significantly predicts their comprehension of a text. this was further reinforced by nagy (1988), who highlighted the fundamental nature of vocabulary in understanding diverse texts and called for vocabulary instruction to be an integral part of language education. this consensus on the significance of vocabulary in reading performance paved the way for further exploration into effective vocabulary teaching methods. the significance of vocabulary knowledge in facilitating reading comprehension has been firmly established through extensive research in the field of second language acquisition (sla) (nation & coady, 1988; laufer, 1992, 1996; wallace, 2007). notably, the dimension of vocabulary breadth, representing the size of a learner’s vocabulary, has been recognized as a crucial factor in overall second language proficiency (henriksen, 2006; schmitt, 2010) and, more specifically, in reading competence (laufer, 1992, 1996; laufer & ravenhorstkavlovski, 2010). vocabulary breadth encompasses the number of words a learner knows and has been consistently linked to better language proficiency and reading comprehension skills. pa ge 18 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 17-23, 2023 conversely, the other dimension of vocabulary knowledge, namely depth or quality, has not received as much comprehensive investigation, although its significance in overall second language vocabulary competence has been acknowledged (meara, 1996; read, 2000). vocabulary depth refers to how well a learner knows the words in their repertoire, encompassing aspects like nuanced meanings, collocations, and various contextual usages. while vocabulary breadth focuses on the quantity of words, vocabulary depth delves into the quality of the knowledge that learners possess for each word. however, despite its importance, research exploring the impact of vocabulary depth on reading performance has not been as extensive as that focused on vocabulary breadth. in this context, it is essential to delve deeper into vocabulary depth, as a well-developed understanding of this dimension could shed further light on its role in enhancing reading comprehension abilities among language learners. comprehensive investigations into the interplay between vocabulary breadth and depth are vital to better comprehend their collective influence on reading competence. moreover, understanding the contribution of vocabulary depth to learners’ overall language proficiency can provide valuable insights for language educators aiming to design effective vocabulary instruction programs. as meara (1996) and read (2000) have recognized, vocabulary depth holds the potential to enrich learners’ lexical knowledge, enabling them to comprehend texts more effectively. it allows learners to grasp subtle distinctions between words and use them contextually with greater precision. when learners possess a deep understanding of words, they can make more informed choices about which words to use, enhancing the clarity and sophistication of their expression. furthermore, the ability to recognize collocations and comprehend nuanced word meanings contributes to learners’ overall language competency. in conclusion, while vocabulary breadth’s importance in language learning and reading comprehension is well-documented, the dimension of vocabulary depth deserves further attention in research and pedagogy. developing a comprehensive understanding of both vocabulary breadth and depth can inform language instructors’ approaches to vocabulary instruction and empower learners to achieve higher levels of language proficiency and reading comprehension skills. by fostering vocabulary knowledge in both dimensions, educators can equip language learners with the necessary linguistic tools to navigate diverse texts and communicate effectively in real-world contexts. various crucial aspects must be taken into consideration when examining the relationship between vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension. beyond the type of texts being read, two essential factors come into play: the density of unknown words that learners can tolerate for effective comprehension and the necessary vocabulary size a learner must possess. hu and nation (2000) conducted a study to determine the level of unknown words learners could handle in fiction texts for satisfactory comprehension. their research involved 66 participants who had achieved mastery level at the 2,000word level. participants read fiction texts in which nonwords were replaced at rates of 100%, 95%, 90%, and 80%. the results indicated that learners need to comprehend at least 98% of the text to achieve adequate comprehension, equivalent to a density of 1 in 50 unknown words. these findings align with prior research by west (1953) and hirsch and nation (1992) and are consistent with bonk’s (2000) observations that learners with less than 80% vocabulary familiarity tend to exhibit poor comprehension. moreover, schmitt, xiang ying, and grabe (2011) conducted a study involving 661 participants, revealing a linear relationship between vocabulary growth and text comprehension. their research highlights the significance of the threshold level for text comprehension, a notion supported by bonk (2000), who noted that learners with vocabulary familiarity below 75% often struggled with comprehension. these empirical findings affirm that higher vocabulary knowledge positively correlates with improved text comprehension. the next aspect to consider pertains to the extent of vocabulary required for learners to independently engage with authentic texts and grasp their content thoroughly. previous studies by schmitt (2000) and laufer (1992) emphasized the importance of mastering the most frequent 2,000 words. however, milton and hopkins (2006) argued that learners would require vocabulary of around 4,500 to 5,000 word families to cope with the highest level (c2) on the common european framework of reference (cefr) reading descriptor, which corresponds to band 9 on the ielts or a score of 590 to 677 in the paper-based toefl. nevertheless, there are debates concerning whether learners can achieve the skills outlined in the descriptors. more extensive vocabulary requirements were indicated by hu and nation (2000) and nation (2006), estimating that learners need around 8,000 to 9,000 words to read novels and newspapers without external assistance. graded texts designed specifically for language learners at different vocabulary levels demand lower vocabulary sizes. consequently, it can be concluded that while some learners may manage with a smaller vocabulary size, a substantial range of approximately 8,000 to 9,000 words is necessary for learners to confidently comprehend a variety of authentic texts (schmitt, 2008). in summary, the relationship between vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension is multifaceted, involving considerations of vocabulary density and vocabulary size. learners need to understand a significant proportion of the text to achieve comprehension, highlighting the importance of a sufficiently large vocabulary. therefore, educators must focus on equipping learners with extensive and meaningful vocabulary knowledge to enhance their reading skills and enable them to engage with diverse, authentic texts effectively. pa ge 19 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 17-23, 2023 in the specific context of esp, where language learning is tailored to meet the academic and professional needs of specific disciplines, the importance of vocabulary knowledge becomes even more pronounced. (durrant, 2019) esp courses, catering to engineering students, demand specialized language skills to navigate technical texts and communicate effectively within their field. therefore, understanding the interplay between vocabulary size, depth, and reading performance is particularly crucial for language instructors preparing engineering students for academic and professional success in esp contexts. this reviewed literature emphasizes the pivotal role of vocabulary knowledge in reading comprehension, especially within the specialized context of esp for engineering students. vocabulary size and depth are shown to be critical factors influencing reading performance. as educators strive to equip engineering students with the necessary language tools, a comprehensive approach to vocabulary instruction is essential. by fostering a rich and nuanced vocabulary repertoire among learners and honing their lexical inferencing abilities, language instructors can empower engineering students to excel in their academic pursuits and effectively communicate within their professional domain in esp contexts. methodology this section outlines the data collection tools and procedures, participants, and data analysis employed in this study. data collection tools vocabulary size test: the vocabulary size test developed by nation and beglar (2007) was utilized to assess the students’ vocabulary size. the test has undergone rigorous validation and reliability testing by beglar (2010), resulting in a high-reliability score of .96, signifying strong validity and consistency. the test comprises 14 sets of vocabulary items, with each set containing 10 representative items. each item represents 100 words, making each set an assessment of 1000 words with 10 representative items. notably, the test primarily measures receptive vocabulary knowledge, specifically the vocabulary required for reading comprehension. each item is presented in a context-independent multiple-choice format, providing four options for test-takers to select the most suitable definition. it is crucial to highlight that the test-takers cannot infer the item’s meaning from the provided sentence, as the sentence lacks contextual clues. in total, the vocabulary size test measures knowledge of 14,000 words through 140 items. words associate test: to gauge the depth of vocabulary, the words associate test by read (1998) was administered. adapted by qian (1999), the test demonstrates strong reliability, with qian (2002) reporting a reliability score of 0.88. previous reliability checks conducted by read (1993) on the original version of the test indicated a reliability level of at least .90. the test comprises 40 stimulus words, all of which are adjectives and presented in a context-free manner. below each stimulus word, there are 8 options, and test-takers are tasked with selecting 4 options that closely correspond in meaning to the stimulus word or form appropriate collocations with it. reading achievement test: as an additional data collection tool, a reading achievement test was developed by the researcher specifically for this study. the test consists of 6 paragraphs, each containing 30 items, including 10 multiple-choice questions. to ensure the reliability of the test, it was initially administered to 65 students, and the obtained data were analyzed using iteman. the test demonstrated a reliable level of consistency with a reliability score of .89, surpassing the critical value of .70. participants the study involved a total of 92 engineering students enrolled at the national graduate school of arts and crafts (ensam) in meknes, morocco. these students were selected as the target population for investigating the relationships between vocabulary size, vocabulary depth, and their impact on reading performance in an esp context. as shown in table 1, out of the total 92 participants, 45 were male, representing approximately 49% of the sample, while 47 were female, making up approximately 51% of the sample. the study aimed to maintain a relatively balanced representation of both genders to minimize any potential gender-related biases that could influence the research findings. table1: participants’ distribution according to gender gender frequency percent male 45 49 female 47 51 total 92 100 by including a diverse group of engineering students from ensam and ensuring equal representation of both genders, the study seeks to enhance the robustness and generalizability of its results. analyzing the data in terms of gender distribution will provide valuable insights into any potential differences or similarities in vocabulary size, vocabulary depth, and reading performance in the esp context between male and female engineering students. data collection procedure the data collection procedure involved administering three tests to the participants in a controlled setting. first, the vocabulary size test was administered, and participants were instructed to carefully select the option that best described the meaning of the stem word in all 14 sets of items. since no context was provided, participants had to rely solely on their vocabulary knowledge to choose the correct answers. they were given a total of 60 minutes to complete the test. pa ge 20 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 17-23, 2023 following the vocabulary size test, the words associate test was administered, allowing 35 minutes for completion. participants were instructed to choose four out of eight options provided under each stimulus word. these options included synonyms or words with close meanings to the stimulus word, as well as nouns that frequently form collocations with the stimulus word. lastly, the reading achievement test was administered, with a time limit of 40 minutes. participants were informed that only correct answers would be considered, and incorrect answers would not affect their scores. throughout the data collection process, participants were informed that they were participating in a study on vocabulary and that their identities and test scores would remain confidential. they were assured that the results would be used solely for research purposes. data analysis the data obtained from the participants were subjected to statistical analyses using spss 28. descriptive statistics were utilized to describe participant demographics, including gender distribution. to investigate the effects of vocabulary breadth and depth on reading performance, linear regression was employed. additionally, multiple linear regression was used to determine whether vocabulary breadth or depth better predicted students’ reading performance. furthermore, pearson correlation was utilized to assess the correlation between vocabulary breadth and depth, providing insights into the relationship between these two variables. through these data analysis techniques, the study aimed to gain a comprehensive understanding of the impact of vocabulary size and vocabulary depth on reading performance in the esp context among engineering students at ensam. results in this section, we present the results of our study that aims to investigate the relationship between vocabulary size, vocabulary depth, and their impact on reading performance in an esp context among engineering students at the national graduate school of arts and crafts (ensam) in meknes, morocco. the participants were assessed using the vocabulary size test by nation and beglar (2007) to measure their vocabulary size and the words associate test adapted by qian (1999) to assess their vocabulary depth. additionally, a reading achievement test developed by the researcher was employed to gauge the students’ reading performance. through rigorous data analysis, including pearson correlation statistics and multiple linear regression, we explore the correlations between vocabulary size and depth, vocabulary size and reading performance, and depth of vocabulary and reading performance. furthermore, we examine the relative effects of vocabulary size and depth on reading performance. these findings offer valuable insights into the intricate interplay between vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension abilities, providing implications for language instruction in specialized academic and professional contexts. the relationship between size of vocabulary and depth of vocabulary the relationship between the size of vocabulary and depth of vocabulary was examined using pearson correlation statistics. the results are presented in table 2. table 2: the relationship between vocabulary size and vocabulary depth vocabulary size vocabulary depth vocabulary size pearson correlation 1 .536** sig. (2-tailed) .536** .000 vocabulary depth pearson correlation .000 1 sig. (2-tailed) correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). the analysis revealed a significant positive correlation (r = .536, p < .01) between the size of vocabulary and the depth of vocabulary. this suggests that students with a larger vocabulary size tend to have a deeper understanding of vocabulary as well. the relationship between vocabulary size and reading performance the association between vocabulary size and reading performance was explored using pearson correlation statistics. the results are presented in table 3. table 3: the relationship between vocabulary size and reading performance reading score vocabulary size reading score pearson correlation 1 .485** sig. (2-tailed) .000 vocabulary depth pearson correlation .485** 1 sig. (2-tailed) .000 correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). pa ge 21 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 17-23, 2023 the analysis demonstrated a significant positive correlation (r = .485, p < .01) between the size of vocabulary and reading performance. this indicates that students with a larger vocabulary size tend to achieve higher scores in reading comprehension. the relationship between vocabulary depth and reading performance to explore the relationship between the depth of vocabulary and reading performance, pearson correlation statistics were utilized. the results are displayed in table 4. table 4: the relationship between vocabulary depth and reading performance vocabulary depth reading score vocabulary depth pearson correlation 1 .472** sig. (2-tailed) .000 reading score pearson correlation .485** 1 sig. (2-tailed) .000 correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). the analysis revealed a significant positive correlation (r = .472, p < .01) between the depth of vocabulary and reading performance. this suggests that students with a deeper vocabulary knowledge tend to achieve higher scores in reading comprehension. the effect of vocabulary size and vocabulary depth on reading performance to ascertain the relative effects of vocabulary size and vocabulary depth on reading performance, multiple linear regression was conducted. the results are presented in table 5. the nuances of word meanings, educators can foster a more robust vocabulary repertoire among engineering students, enhancing their overall language proficiency. furthermore, the study demonstrates a significant positive correlation between vocabulary size and reading performance. this result underscores the pivotal role of vocabulary knowledge in successful reading comprehension. engineering students with an extensive vocabulary are better equipped to comprehend and engage with complex academic texts, thus enhancing their academic achievement. to capitalize on this correlation, educators should prioritize vocabulary instruction as an integral component of esp courses. employing varied vocabulary learning strategies, such as explicit vocabulary instruction, extensive reading, and exposure to specialized academic words, can effectively enhance students’ vocabulary size and consequently improve their reading proficiency. likewise, the positive correlation between vocabulary depth and reading performance unveils another critical aspect of vocabulary knowledge. engineering students with a deeper understanding of individual word meanings are better equipped to infer the meanings of unfamiliar words encountered in a text, thereby enhancing their reading comprehension skills. instructors can capitalize on this correlation by promoting strategies that develop students’ lexical inferencing abilities. encouraging learners to use contextual clues to deduce word meanings can empower them to navigate through challenging texts more effectively. the multiple linear regression analysis provides additional insights, indicating that both vocabulary size and vocabulary depth independently predict reading performance. this suggests that both aspects of vocabulary knowledge play crucial roles in shaping students’ reading comprehension abilities. consequently, language instructors should adopt a balanced approach that addresses both vocabulary breadth and depth, ensuring comprehensive vocabulary development for optimal reading outcomes. the results of this study provide valuable implications for language instructors working in esp contexts. by understanding the interplay between vocabulary size, table 5: the effect of vocabulary size and vocabulary depth on reading performance beta t sig. vocabulary depth .324 5.878 .000 vocabulary size .281 5.073 .000 dependent variable: reading score discussion and implications the findings of this study shed light on the complex interrelationships between vocabulary size, vocabulary depth, and reading performance among engineering students in an esp context at the national graduate school of arts and crafts (ensam) in meknes, morocco. through rigorous data analysis, including pearson correlation statistics and multiple linear regression, the study reveals valuable insights that have significant implications for language teaching and learning in specialized academic settings. the first noteworthy result is the positive correlation between vocabulary size and vocabulary depth. this finding highlights that students with a larger vocabulary size tend to possess a deeper understanding of individual words, their meanings, and the various contexts in which they can be effectively employed. this has important implications for language instructors who can leverage this relationship to design comprehensive vocabulary development programs that promote both breadth and depth of word knowledge. by exposing students to a wide range of words and encouraging them to explore pa ge 22 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 17-23, 2023 vocabulary depth, and reading performance, educators can design targeted vocabulary instruction that optimizes language learning outcomes for engineering students. fostering a rich and nuanced vocabulary repertoire among learners, coupled with honing their lexical inferencing abilities, can significantly enhance their reading comprehension skills and academic success. as engineering students embark on their specialized educational journey, a well-crafted vocabulary development program can serve as a fundamental pillar in supporting their academic and professional endeavors in the english language domain. conclusion in this comprehensive investigation, we delved into the intricate relationships between vocabulary size, vocabulary depth, and their impact on reading performance among engineering students in the esp context at the national graduate school of arts and crafts (ensam) in meknes, morocco. through a meticulous examination of the data using pearson correlation statistics and multiple linear regression, we have arrived at enlightening insights that bear significant implications for language teaching and learning in specialized academic settings. the results of our study have underscored the crucial role of vocabulary knowledge in fostering effective reading comprehension skills. the positive correlations observed between vocabulary size and both vocabulary depth and reading performance emphasize the mutual reinforcement between breadth and depth of vocabulary knowledge. learners with a more extensive vocabulary are likely to possess a deeper understanding of individual words while simultaneously demonstrating superior reading comprehension abilities. this reinforces the notion that vocabulary development programs should adopt a comprehensive approach, encompassing both the exploration of a wide range of words and the thorough exploration of their meanings and contextual nuances. the positive correlation identified between vocabulary depth and reading performance highlights the significance of lexical inferencing skills. engineering students equipped with the ability to infer word meanings from context exhibit heightened reading comprehension abilities, allowing them to navigate complex academic texts with greater ease. to cultivate such skills, educators must foster an environment that encourages learners to actively engage with the language, encouraging them to derive word meanings from contextual cues and fostering a deeper connection to the text. the present study’s findings also emphasize that both vocabulary size and vocabulary depth independently predict reading performance. therefore, language instructors should adopt a balanced approach that addresses both aspects of vocabulary knowledge. integrating explicit vocabulary instruction with extensive reading opportunities while promoting strategies for inferring word meanings will contribute to well-rounded vocabulary development, ultimately enhancing reading proficiency. in conclusion, this study provides valuable contributions to the field of language education and esp. by unraveling the intricate interplay between vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension abilities among engineering students, we offer practical insights that can inform effective language teaching practices. empowering learners with an extensive and nuanced vocabulary repertoire, coupled with the development of lexical inferencing skills, will undoubtedly bolster their academic and professional pursuits in the english language domain. as language educators strive to equip engineering students with the necessary language tools, our study’s findings serve as a guiding beacon in fostering language proficiency and nurturing successful academic and career trajectories. the present study explored the relationships between vocabulary size, vocabulary depth, and reading performance among engineering students in the esp context. through rigorous data analysis, including pearson correlation statistics and multiple linear regression, the study has uncovered valuable insights with significant implications for specialized language teaching and learning. the findings highlight the importance of vocabulary knowledge in enhancing reading comprehension. the positive correlations between vocabulary size, vocabulary depth, and reading performance emphasize the mutual benefit of breadth and depth in vocabulary knowledge. this reinforces the need for comprehensive vocabulary development programs, focusing on a wide range of words and their contextual nuances. additionally, the paper emphasizes the significance of lexical inferencing skills, as they positively correlate with reading performance. encouraging students to infer word meanings from context can improve reading comprehension in academic contexts. furthermore, it was shown that both vocabulary size and vocabulary depth independently predict reading performance. therefore, language instructors should adopt a balanced approach that addresses both aspects of vocabulary knowledge. integrating explicit vocabulary instruction with extensive reading opportunities and promoting word-meaning inference strategies will enhance overall vocabulary development and reading proficiency. in a nutshell, this research contributes valuable insights to language education and esp. empowering students with an extensive and nuanced vocabulary, besides developing lexical inferencing skills, will strengthen their academic and professional pursuits in the english language. as language educators aim to equip engineering students with essential language tools, the paper’s findings could provide guidance for fostering language proficiency and supporting successful academic and career paths. references 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(1996). the dimensions of lexical competence. in g. brown, k. malmkjaer, & j. williams (eds.), performance and competence in second language acquisition (pp. 35-53). cambridge: cambridge university press. nation, i. s. p. (2006). how large a vocabulary is needed for reading and listening? canadian modern language review, 63(1), 59-82. nation, i. s. p., & coady, j. (1988). vocabulary and reading. in r. carter & m. mccarthy (eds.), vocabulary and language teaching (pp. 97-110). london: longman. nation, i. s. p., & beglar, d. (2007). a vocabulary size test. the language teacher, 31(7), 9-13. qian, d. d. (1999). assessing the roles of depth and breadth of vocabulary knowledge in reading comprehension. canadian modern language review/la revue canadienne des langues vivantes, 56(2), 282-308. qian, d. d. (2002). investigating the relationship between vocabulary knowledge and academic reading performance: an assessment perspective. language learning, 52(3), 513-536. read, j. 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(1953). a general service list of english words. london: longman, green & co. pa ge 1 pa ge 1 american journal of education and technology (ajet) ethno-learning resources in teaching biology for promoting sustainability education: a district-wide science problem jeffry m. saro1*, mirecyl t. guzman2, elizabeth e. ochavez3, cristina o. dano4 volume 2 issue 2, year 2023 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i2.1322 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: february 19, 2023 accepted: april 03, 2023 published: april 11, 2023 sustainable development is dependent on the social, cultural, and environmental setting. authentic learning materials should be designed with real-world applicability outside of the classroom. this study aimed to investigate the locally available ethno-learning resources for teaching biology to promote sustainable development education in the district of esperanza, particularly in esperanza districts i and ii. the study employed a descriptive-quantitative approach emphasizing a descriptive research design where the data gathered from the teacher-respondents was recorded and described descriptively. a complete enumeration has been utilized in the study to procure all the teachers in the said locale. microsoft excel was used to analyze teacher-respondents’ data and create graphs and tables. books, modules, supplementary reading materials, laboratory apparatuses, and laptops are both districts’ main instructional learning resources, while speakers, projectors, and tvs are the least technology-based. the most common problems encountered by science teachers are the inadequate number of books, the inadequate number of projectors and computers, and other technology-based resources. also, indigenous resources, realia, and replicas under localized learning materials are the most effectively used by teachers in teaching science. future studies should highlight the importance of localized and contextualized materials in teaching science, create more locally available materials, compare learning materials locally and internationally, and use other relevant methods to ensure the availability of learning resources. keywords learning materials, science, localization, realia, modules, development 1 teacher i and research consultant at prosperidad national high school, prosperidad district i, division of agusan del sur, department of education, philippines 2 master teacher i and district math coordinator at dimasalang elementary school, san luis district i, division of agusan del sur, department of education, philippines 3 teacher iii at batac elementary school, esperanza district ii, division of agusan del sur, department of education, philippines 4 teacher iii at san toribio elementary school, esperanza district ii, division of agusan del sur, department of education, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: jeffrysaro123@gmail.com introduction the development of a sustainable society is one of the global objectives for the future. a sustainable society is one that has undergone sustainable development to achieve sustainability. the concept of sustainable development is highly dependent on the social, cultural, and environmental setting (jeronen et al., 2016). accordingly, “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” is how sustainability is defined. this definition highlights the long-term aspect of the concept of sustainability and introduces the ethical principle of achieving equity between the present and future generations. as it exclusively focuses on human needs or desires, it makes no explicit mention of the natural world. but the report makes it plain that these “needs” also include protecting the environment (kopnina, 2012; jeronen et al., 2016). for students to learn and develop competence in a wide range of life skills, many strategies and procedures are developed and practiced at school. resource management is the process of organizing and managing learning resources and materials. utilizing resources is also essential for the students’ successful learning because it strengthens their ability to think critically and inspires them (saro et al., 2022). according to a study on the science games in the uk’s national curriculum, including games and activities during discussions helps students stay focused and engaged for a long time. learning resources, on the other hand, are any teaching tools having instructional functions or content that are utilized for formal or informal teaching, regardless of whether they are locally developed or procured. both printed and digital documents are included (ghazalimohammed, 2016). in today’s era, in order to improve students’ knowledge, abilities, and attitudes toward their studies, science teachers struggle to provide lectures that are interesting, relevant to students’ lives, tie them to their community or location, and include local culture as an integral part of the curriculum. in the philippines, the implementation of the k–12 curriculum led to several educational system reforms that improved students’ overall and global competitiveness in scientific education on a national level (bello et al., 2023). the philippine republic act 10533, also known as “the enhanced basic education act of 2013,” states that “the curriculum shall use the spiral progression approach to ensure mastery of knowledge and skills after each level,” which is the same as the executing policy, which states that “the curriculum shall be contextualized and global and shall be flexible enough to enable and allow schools to be localized and indigenous and enhance the quality of education” (rule ii, curriculum section, 10.10.2). apparently, revington s. (2015) further explains that authentic learning resources are “real-life learning” https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i2.1322 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= pa ge 2 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 1-9, 2023 because they inspire students to make things that are beneficial to their community and the wider globe. by setting up motivating challenges for students, a teacher can encourage and provide the essential preparation, criteria, resources, and support to assure their success. from this vantage point, the teacher is seen as a facilitator rather than a dictator. like how this method of learning involves all the senses, it enables students to arrive at a meaningful, useful, and shared outcome. they are realworld initiatives that give the students a chance to interact directly in a practical setting. additionally, authentic learning materials are created with the intention of interacting with a society or a community that is visiting the student community. a project should be designed with real-world applicability outside of the four walls of the classroom in mind (saro et al., 2022). according to mapaderun and oni (2002), having access to a variety of learning resources and having enough facilities makes teaching and learning more successful. conversely, if a school’s facilities are inadequate, it will have a detrimental impact on the students’ academic performance. careful planning must be considered to create a productive learning environment in the classroom. makulu (2004) observes that the strategies used by teachers now may not be effective in the future due to the significant changes in our environment in relation to the ongoing changes in science, of which biology is a discipline. the study of biology is challenging for many students. the challenges of learning science are a result of both the nature of science and the recaching techniques used. students experience several learning issues and lose interest in learning biology when the design and learning settings are prioritized over their interests and expectations (yuzbasilioglu and atav, 2004; saro et al., 2022). in the 21st-century educational system, particularly in distant learning, technology that allows instant access to knowledge has advanced quickly. as a result, the adoption of technological innovation in the educational environment is constantly evolving in accordance with the needs of the departments of education around the world. during the distance education era, the hybrid educational approach which combines traditional teaching methods with modern learning strategies was employed (kazu et al., 2022). the purpose of this study was to promote locally available learning resources for teaching biology. furthermore, the study would help science teachers greatly innovate other ways to make their teaching instruction more effective and interactive for students to promote sustainable development education. utilizing available learning resources locally, which are explicitly convenient and appropriate in the classroom setting, and on top of that, the use of contextualization in teaching, particularly in science, lets the students perceive the real things around them. the students could highly develop more skills and enhance their ability to transfer skills from one context to another; these would also help them critically think and continuously obtain new knowledge and skills. research questions the study goals were to investigate the locally available ethno-learning resources for teaching biology and promoting sustainable development education in the district of esperanza, particularly in esperanza districts i and ii. specifically, the following research questions aim to answer the following: 1. what are the available ethno-learning resources utilized by the teachers in teaching biology? 2. what are the challenges, such as the issues and problems encountered by the science teachers in utilizing the instructional learning materials? 3. what are the most convenient and effective ethnolearning resources for teaching biology in the said districts? 4. what instructional development model could be recommended and implemented in teaching biology? literature review the terms “materials, ideas, beliefs, and technologies in a given culture or environment that are drawn from the past and present cultural practices and traditions of learners” and “ethno-science” are interchangeable. these developed from mystical, supernatural, and mythical realities as well as ongoing environmental acculturation (ugwuanyi, 2015; saro et al., 2022). according to romero (2010), ethno-science refers to the knowledge that is indigenous to groups of people, including their languages, philosophies, technology, and cultures. teaching and learning using locally available resources (talular) aims to foster meaningful communication, improve information retention, and give students first-hand or direct contact with the social and physical realities of their surroundings. it promotes involvement, especially if the learners are allowed to handle the materials. additionally, it promotes environmental sustainability by encouraging litter reduction, recycling, and reuse. types of locally accessible resources: (1) human resources are persons who, aside from the classroom teacher, aid in the learning process. teachers may also work with others who can assist in facilitating a particular activity. for instance, lab technicians who can help the students with the lab activity in addition, the students are already familiar with how to use the lab equipment for the next lab activity. (2) plant resources: mostly plant parts that can be utilized as specimens for the experiment, such as leaves, flowers, and fruits. (3) resources for animals: fish, worms, frogs, and chickens are common dissecting animals available for hands-on experiments. (4) material resources: this category includes items like visual aids, literature, cell structures, and skeletal structures. (5) non-material resources: these resources include individual expertise, life lessons, and teaching methods. (6) additional resources a) realia are actual items that are employed as teaching and learning aids. presenting a real leaf, a stone, an insect, or a frog, for instance, but it depends on the subject. b) models and photographs are real-world representations that can be utilized as teaching https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 3 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 1-9, 2023 and learning tools (saro et al., 2022). salihu (2012) claimed in his research that certain teaching aids and materials work best in secondary schools since learners there are most inquisitive at that age and stage about the items in each setting. as a result, they will benefit greatly from resources like physical characteristics, skeletal structures with labels, dna structures, and living things. the teaching of science nowadays also ignores the culturally oriented approach that improves teaching and learning and instead places a heavy emphasis on content and the use of conventional methods. poor performance and a potential lack of interest in science were the results of science teachers’ disregard for a culturally relevant teaching strategy (ugwuanyi, 2015). through the process of contextualized module-based learning, instructional strategies and approaches that are essential to the subject, such as biology, were used to help the students relate to it. in order to make academic information more meaningful to students’ lives and experiences, contextualization is the technique of introducing applicable and significant factors into presentations and discussions of that topic (department of education, 2016). a setting that is more expansive in terms of student motivation can be created with the aid of contextualization. students’ fear of science is diminished when it is relevant and real to them, and they begin to comprehend its importance (wang, sun, & wickersham, 2017; bello et al., 2023). according to research by hamdunah et al. (2016), contextualized learning modules offer summaries of the instruction, concepts, and material as well as details on how students learn. the instructional material is also used to assist, encourage, enhance, promote, and create teaching and learning activities in order to enhance and enable the most effective procedures and processes of educational instruction (herrera & dio, 2016). the teaching of ethno-science in secondary schools was explained by several studies that were also conducted in the philippines. the strategies used in the patterning biology class can help the teachers’ learning strand develop. the mahabadi (2013) study found that teachers desire all their students to learn. the teaching strategies used in scientific classrooms have made it possible for the instructional selection process, which they will refer to as “instructional selection” here. the development of educational settings where only a chosen subset of students can succeed. more students will succeed in any science course code, and some students will study additional science, like biology, if teachers are aware of the many learning styles that kids bring to a science classroom (nwagbo et al., 2012). okeke (2022) asserts that integrating culturally relevant activities into science curricula would help students learn from both their culture and their science lessons, which would boost their academic performance and interest in pure science (biology, physics, and chemistry). the study of biology is challenging for many students. the challenges of learning science are influenced by both the nature of science and the techniques of instruction. additionally, if the design and learning settings are prioritized over the interests and expectations of the students, various learning issues are triggered, and students’ interest in biology decreases. it has been mentioned how much a student’s relationship to their learning environment affects their academic progress. the ways that learning occurs best are reflected in their teaching philosophies. it is stated that students’ attitudes about biology and its study are significantly influenced by how they perceive their learning environment (den brok, telli et al., 2009). adeyem (2010) argues that education is the only path to becoming a tool for fostering economic development since it includes the experiences that allow people to grow and realize their potential. okete (2007) went on to say that many people will gain and develop the knowledge, abilities, and even attitudes they need to live successfully through education. and this is the main justification for why so many contemporary nations value investing in education. an investigation into the impact of biology teaching and learning resources on students’ academic achievement was carried out in secondary schools in kenya (saro et al., 2022). they learned that while there were resources available, they were insufficient for teaching biology. the texts were readily available and suitable, however there were not as many videos available that accompanied the lessons. teachers employed the accessible learning tools in their courses since they were aware of how crucial they were to students’ learning. students can learn and be taught effectively when teachers use computers and other ict tools. finally, a shortage of resources affects the pupils’ performance (wanjiku, 2009). studies about ethno-science were recently conducted in the philippines, where they hurt the learning process in all secondary schools. the growth of the teachers’ learning strand can be aided by the observed behaviors and the modeling behavior of biology classes. teachers want all their students to learn. the usage of teaching methodologies in science classrooms has led to a situation known as instructional selection, whereby we are creating learning settings in which only a chosen group of students may achieve (tandi et al., 2016; saro 2022). saro et al. (2022) claim that their school has simpler access to reading material, lab tools, modules, worksheets, and computers. additionally, employing books and actual photographs when teaching biology is more successful. this proved that science teachers are more creative in their search for community-based teaching resources. the findings demonstrated that literature, locally created materials, and authentic objects and images were beneficial in the field of teaching biology. the development of teaching materials based on actual photographs taken in the real environment is encouraged by the researchers in order to gain a deeper understanding of the biological learning skills. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 4 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 1-9, 2023 methodology research design the study employed a descriptive-quantitative approach with an emphasis on a descriptive research design where the data gathered from the teacher-respondents was recorded and described descriptively. the descriptive statistics were utilized to analyze the data that were gathered in the study. furthermore, the goal of this research design was to concentrate primarily on how public-school science teachers view the underlying principles of having well-diversified learning resources in biology in the context of education. the variables can be measured typically on instruments, and in that way, the number of data points will be analyzed using statistical procedures (creswell, 2008). population and respondents of the study the research respondents of the study were from the districts of esperanza 1 and 2 in the schools’ division of agusan del sur. in the district of esperanza i, there are four (4) secondary schools; in esperanza district ii, there are (4) four secondary schools. the study employed a complete enumeration technique that procured all the science teachers in the said districts. there are 34 teachers who are teaching science subjects, particularly biology. research instruments the study utilized a descriptive survey questionnaire for the science teacher respondents. the researchers adopted the questionnaire for the study of saro, j., dayupay, a. m., and aloyon, g. c. (2022), yet they modified the questionnaire based on the main goal and objectives of the study. furthermore, the researchers prepared two types of questionnaires: the checklist and the survey questionnaire given to the teachers involved in the study. the study’s questionnaire was validated by experts. also, it has been divided into two parts to gather information and evaluate the learning resources for teaching biology. part 1, the checklist form, contained lists of the ethnolearning resources that are certainly available and utilized by the science teachers and the problems encountered by the teacher-respondents utilizing those learning and teaching resources. for part 2, the survey questionnaire contains related questions to evaluate and validate the effectiveness of the learning resources in teaching biology. data gathering procedure the researchers had secured the approval of the schools division superintendent (sds) to conduct the study in the two selected districts in the division of agusan del sur, which are esperanza districts i and ii. the researchers also provided a letter to the public school district in charge (psdi) in both districts 1 and 2 of esperanza. after which, the researchers prepared a survey-checklist attendance form for the eight schools in the two districts. the researchers provided an assurance to the science teacher-respondents that their responses would remain anonymous and treated with strict confidentiality. also, the researchers explained to the involved respondents the main goal and objectives of the study. lastly, the retrieval of the questionnaires was done right after the science teacher-respondents completed answering the said research questionnaire. the responses of the science teachers were tallied and encoded properly. research ethical considerations research ethics, in general, relates to both ethical and unethical methods used in a particular study. neuman argued in 2014 that in order to meet ethical standards, researchers must strike a balance between the rights of their research participants and the advancement of science. a researcher must assess potential benefits, such as improved decision-making, greater comprehension of social life, or aiding research participants, against potential disadvantages, such as a loss of dignity, self-respect, privacy, or democratic freedoms (neuman, 2014). the researcher would tabulate and analyze the data for statistical analysis after retrieving the questionnaire. the entire study process would adhere to ethical norms. the researcher had time to consult experts in research and any friends who are knowledgeable about research in order to avoid plagiarism. additionally, the researchers would delete the data they have gathered from their end after the study is finished and the results are in. statistical treatment microsoft excel was utilized by the researchers in computing and tabulating the frequency and percentage of the data gathered from the teacher-respondents. also, constructing the graphs for the interpretation of the findings of the study. results and discussions the study has been carried out, with the data collected as needed. these data discussed the answer to the study about the ethno-learning resources in teaching biology for promoting sustainable development education. the following are the research questions that need to be answered: (1) what are the available ethnolearning resources utilized by the teachers in teaching biology? (2) what are the challenges, such as the issues and problems encountered by the science teachers in utilizing the instructional learning materials? (3) what are the most convenient and effective ethno-learning resources for teaching biology in the said districts? (4) what instructional development model could be recommended and implemented in teaching biology? it has also coincided with the data interpretation, analysis, and discussion of the findings. figure 1 shows a summary of the available ethnolearning resources utilized by science teachers in teaching biology in the districts of esperanza 1 and 2 in the school division of agusan del sur. the findings showed that the locally available learning resources are books, modules, magazines, supplementary reading materials, laptops, tvs, laboratory apparatus, speakers, and projectors. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 5 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 1-9, 2023 figure 1: the available ethno-learning resources utilized by science teachers in teaching biology the results implied that most of the science teacherrespondents answered that the books and modules are the most convenient and available learning resources in teaching biology. the books and modules had the highest percentage of 100% (34), the supplementary reading materials had 97.05% (33), the laboratory apparatuses got 88.25% (30), laptops (82.35%, 28), magazines (52.94%, 18), and speakers, projectors, and tvs had the lowest percentage based on the results gathered. the study of saro et al. (2022) revealed that textbooks, books, and laboratory tools are the sources of science teachers’ activity. since students could study anywhere, including their homes, using books, they were the most efficient learning tools and had the highest study percentage. as a result, this shows that most science teachers feel more comfortable using books than other supplemental materials. tandi (2016) revealed that textbooks are essential to the daily task of teaching and learning biology and become even more significant during times of transition. additionally, it clarifies that books may be advantageous tools for the teaching and learning process. in other words, books and other reading materials are appropriate for both school-related issues and students’ learning processes. bringas (2014) supported the findings and reminded teachers that using teaching strategies can improve a variety of topic areas. the improvement of the students’ academic performance would require the use of resources like books and other supplemental materials. additionally, it should be grounded in the utilization of experiences table 1: issues and problems encountered by the science teachers in utilizing the instructional learning materials issues and problems frequency (n) percentage (%) inadequate number of books 34 100 inadequate number of laboratory apparatuses 22 64.71 inadequate number of projectors 34 100 inadequate number of instructional models (moon, cell structures, body systems, etc.) 26 76.47 inadequate numbers of computers and other technological devices 34 100 old visual aids 34 100 obsolete books 29 85.29 no electricity 2 5.88 total 34 100 legend: tps (34); statistically interpreted using frequency and percentage and materials that are meaningful to the students’ daily lives and are readily available in their neighborhood. table 1 shows the issues and problems encountered by the science teachers in utilizing the instructional learning materials in the districts of esperanza 1 and 2 in the division of agusan del sur. the results implied that most of the science teacher respondents responded that the inadequate number of books, inadequate number of projectors, inadequate numbers of computers and other technological devices, and old visual aids were the most common issues and problems encountered by the science teachers, which had a 100% (34). the obsolete https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 6 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 1-9, 2023 books had 29 responses with 85.59%, the inadequate number of instructional models (moon, cell structures, body systems, etc.) got (76.47%, 56), and the inadequate number of laboratory apparatuses (22, 64.71%). lastly, the lowest percentage based on the table’s result is “no electricity,” which had a percentage of 2 (5.88%). this means that in both districts, electricity could be used in the teaching and learning process. the data presents that the science teacher-respondents’ most common issue and problem encountered was the inadequate number of books, inadequate number of projectors, inadequate numbers of computers and other technological devices, and old visual aids. on figure 1, it has been presented that books are the most locally available resources utilized by the science teachers, yet in table 1, books are also the common issues faced by the teachers, particularly in esperanza districts 1 and 2. this implies that though books have been shown to be successful in enhancing students’ reading and speaking abilities, they must have a high value for the teaching and learning process (johnson, 2002). it emerges from this that secondary schools in kenya examined the impact of the use of biology teaching and learning tools on students’ academic achievement, which is consistent with the wanjiku (2013) study. it reveals that the students were greatly impacted by the use of instructional materials, including books, additional reading materials, and modules. learning resources are crucial since they help students’ learning processes and can consequently considerably raise student accomplishment (revington, 2015). a range of instructional learning tools are needed to convey teachings more effectively, especially when students are involved in an interactive activity in a classroom setting. teachers would specifically enhance their course materials to encourage students to actively participate in class (suprapti et al., 2018). figure 2: most convenient and effective ethno-learning resources for teaching biology in both districts of esperanza legend: localized learning resources; ind (indigenous resources), rl (realia and replica); contextualized learning resources; cm (contextualized modules), sim (strategy intervention materials), lrm (learning resources materials), ha (hands-on activity), sa (science apparatuses); technology-based learning resources; ppt (power-point presentation), vp (video presentation) figure 2 illustrates the validated ethno-learning resources utilized by the science teacher-respondents in teaching biology, particularly in the districts of esperanza 1 and 2 in the division of agusan del sur. there are three categories of learning resources: localized learning resources, contextualized learning resources, and technology-based learning resources. the localized learning resources include indigenous resources (32, 94.11%) and realia-replica resources (30, 88.23%). this means that the science teacher utilized localized learning resources in teaching biology. the contextualized learning resources had 5 sub-types, which are the contextualized modules (32, 94.11%), hands-on activities (18, 52.94%), the learning resources materials (15, 44.11%), the science apparatuses (14, 41.17%), and the strategy intervention materials (12, 35.29%). based on the findings, the contextualized modules had generally utilized by the science teachers which got the highest percentage among the other sub-types. the technologybased learning resources had a powerpoint presentation (17, 50%) and a video presentation (9, 26.47%), which means that the teacher-respondents are not able to use the video presentation as a way of teaching biology. this might be the problem of a lack of learning resources at school and the connectivity issue. contextualized learning is designed to create a setting that fosters greater learning effectiveness, as shown by improved retention and completion rates. the study also found a review where all skill accomplishment results were positive, showing that low-skilled students can learn more successfully. one of the respondents claimed that localized teaching resources require local resources like flora and other supplemental items. by giving students genuine or realistic resources, like as plants and animals, they are exposed to a more appropriate setting, making learning more effective. the same is true for the use of microscopy to see tiny living specimen samples during the learning process (saro et al., 2022). https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 7 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 1-9, 2023 ballesteros (2014) found that students who get localized and contextualized education outperform their peers academically. this finding is consistent with previous research on the benefits of localized and contextualized science activities for boosting students’ academic performance. contextualized learning modules, according to a research by hamdunah et al. (2016), offer summaries of the instruction, concepts, and material as well as details on how students learn. the instructional material is also used to assist, encourage, enhance, promote, and create teaching and learning activities in order to enhance and enable the most effective procedures and processes of figure 3: instructional development model in science learning resources educational instruction (herrera & dio, 2016). figure 3 presents the instructional development model for science learning resources. it focused on the learning resources in teaching science and its interrelated components, such as government linkages for teaching and learning resources, technology and innovation policies in science resources, the utilization of the flipped classroom model, and the utilization of ict tools and digital game-based learning in teaching biology. the four components of the above model could help the science teachers promote locally available learning resources with technology-based resources under them. furthermore, the study findings could also be the basis for creating worksheets on biology subjects such as biodiversity and ecosystems, but the actual worksheets should be localized and contextualized. onasanya (2004) indicates that having locally and contextually relevant learning resources in teaching science, particularly biology, could promote students’ interest in life science and care for insects, fish, and animals. hence, students would also become much more involved in classroom learning because realia rule out distortions in students’ knowledge and provides them with opportunities for “hand-on” interactions and experiences as well. danio (2012) explained that having indigenous resources is efficient because it is not costly and consumes less energy. also, it has more advantages when utilized in the classroom setting. lastly, the indigenous learning materials are not harmful and are naturally non-polluting. conclusion based on the findings of the study, books, modules, supplementary reading materials, laboratory apparatuses, and laptops are more readily available learning resources in both districts. the books and modules are the main instructional learning resources utilized by science teachers in terms of availability, utilization, and even effectiveness in teaching biology. the most lacking or limited learning materials are the speakers, projectors, and tvs. these are the least technology-based resources in the said districts, yet these materials are greatly important nowadays since video presentations are also ways to get the attention of the learners in learning science. nonetheless, the most common problems encountered by science teachers are the inadequate number of books, the inadequate number of projectors and computers, and other technology-based resources. also, indigenous resources, realia, and replicas under localized learning materials are the most effectively used by teachers in teaching science, such as biology. these studies’ findings showed that using the mentioned learning materials would make the discussion and teaching interactive and motivate students’ interests. recommendations the authors of the study recommended that future researchers come up with a study that highlights the importance of having localized and contextualized materials in teaching science. also, the authors recommended creating more locally available materials or contextualized worksheets for teaching science subjects. lastly, the authors recommended that future studies compare the learning materials used by the science teachers locally to the learning materials used by the teachers internationally, or even check other relevant https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 8 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 1-9, 2023 methods that highlight the availability of learning resources in teaching science. statement of conflict of interest the authors declared and validated that there were no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this paper. funding interests the authors of this research project received no financial support for the research, authorship, or publication of this paper. this means all the financial needs for this study were financially supported and acknowledged by the involved authors. references ballesteros, jeffrey o. 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(2004). determining students’ learning level of daily life biology subjects. hacettepe univ. j. educ, 27, 276-285. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 12 3 american journal of education and technology (ajet) analysis of policy frameworks for integrating ict in ghanaian education: implications for teacher education and professional development: a systematic review samuel asare1*, akwasi amponsah2, caroline owusu-mintah1, eric abrefah-mensah3, kojo osei frimpong4 volume 2 issue 3, year 2023 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i3.1888 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: july 13, 2023 accepted: august 03, 2023 published: august 07, 2023 this study examines the policy frameworks surrounding integration of information and communication technology (ict) into the ghanaian education system. this study investigated the implications of these policy frameworks on teacher education and professional development. by exploring existing policies, strategies, and initiatives, this study aims to provide insights into the challenges and opportunities associated with ict integration in ghanaian classrooms. this study adopted a descriptive and qualitative research design, employing document analysis in teacher education and training.¬ the collected policy documents were analysed using a thematic approach, enabling the identification of recurring patterns and themes related to ict integration policies and their impact on teacher education. the findings revealed that ghana has made commendable efforts to formulate policy frameworks to facilitate ict integration in education. however, several challenges persist, including limited access to ict resources, inadequate teacher-training programs, and uneven implementation across schools and regions. the research article concludes with recommendations for policymakers, educators, and other stakeholders in the ghanaian education system. these recommendations include establishing a robust ict infrastructure, providing equitable access to technology, designing, and implementing effective teacher training programs, and developing a supportive policy environment that encourages continuous professional development. keywords policy frameworks, ict integration, ghanaian education, teacher education, professional development 1 st. monica’s college of education, mampong ashanti, ghana 2 mampong technical college of education, mampong ashanti, ghana 3 st. james seminary senior high school, sunyani, ghana 4 presbyterian university, abetifi, ghana * corresponding author’s e-mail: ksamuelasare@gmail.com introduction information and communication technology (ict) has surfaced as a powerful tool for transforming education systems worldwide, facilitating access to information, enhancing pedagogical practices, and preparing students for the demands of the digital age. many countries have incorporated ict integration into their educational policies to equip students with the skills and competencies necessary for a rapidly evolving global landscape. ghana, a west african country, has also tried integrating ict into its education system. this research article analyses ghana’s policy frameworks concerning ict integration in education, focusing specifically on the implications for teacher education and professional development. by examining existing policies, objectives, strategies, and implementation approaches, this study provides insights into the current state of ict integration in ghanaian schools and the extent to which teacher education and professional development align with these policies. ict integration in education can enhance teaching and learning experiences, foster critical thinking skills, promote collaboration, and bridge the digital divide between students. however, implementing ict integration requires effective policies and adequate support for teachers. therefore, understanding policy frameworks and their impact on teacher education and professional development is crucial for promoting sustainable and impactful ict integration practices in ghana. this study adopts a comprehensive approach that combines literature reviews, policy analyses, and case studies to investigate the current policy landscape in ghana and its influence on teacher education and professional development. by examining the strengths, weaknesses, and gaps in existing policies, this study aims to provide recommendations for improving teacher training programs, fostering effective pedagogical practices, and supporting teachers in integrating ict tools and resources. the findings of this study contribute to the existing body of knowledge on ict integration in education, specifically focusing on the ghanaian context. the research outcomes will be valuable for policymakers, educators, researchers, and other stakeholders involved in educational reforms and developing effective strategies for integrating ict into teaching and learning practices. statement of the problem speedy advancements in information and communication technology (ict) have significantly transformed various sectors, including education. in ghana, there is growing recognition of the potential benefits of integrating ict into education systems. however, despite the existence of policy frameworks aimed at facilitating the integration of ict into ghanaian education, there needs to be a more comprehensive analysis and understanding of these frameworks and their implications for teacher education and professional development. pa ge 12 4 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 123-128, 2023 this study aims to address this gap by systematically analysing policy frameworks pertaining to the integration of ict in ghanaian education. this study examines the content, scope, and effectiveness of these policy frameworks, focusing on their implications for teacher education and professional development. by critically evaluating these frameworks, this research aims to identify potential strengths, weaknesses, and improvement areas to enhance ict integration in ghanaian education. the article will explore fundamental research questions, including the following: what key policy frameworks are related to ict integration in ghanaian education? what objectives, strategies, and guidelines are outlined in these frameworks? how are these frameworks implemented and monitored? how do these frameworks address the needs and challenges of teacher education and professional development within ict integration? what are the gaps and barriers in implementing these frameworks effectively? by examining policy frameworks in ghanaian education, this study contributes to the existing literature on ict integration. it provides insights for policymakers, educators, and stakeholders involved in teacher education and professional development. the findings of this study can inform the development of evidence-based strategies and recommendations to strengthen the integration of ict into ghanaian education, thereby fostering improved teaching and learning outcomes in the digital era. research questions 1. what are the key policy frameworks related to ict integration in ghanaian education? 2. how are these frameworks implemented and monitored? 3. how do these frameworks address the needs and challenges of teacher education and professional development within ict integration? literature review integrating information and communication technology (ict) into education has become a crucial aspect of educational systems worldwide. governments and policymakers recognise the potential of ict to enhance teaching and learning processes. this section provides a comprehensive overview of research conducted in this field during this period. policy framework for ict integration in ghanaian education the ghanaian government has implemented several policy frameworks to promote the use of ict in education. these policies aim to address the challenges and leverage the opportunities associated with ict integration. the following studies provide valuable insights into these policy frameworks and their implications for teacher education and professional development: adu-gyamfi (2017) examines the impact of ghana’s ict policy framework on teacher education. the findings indicate that the policy framework positively affected teacher education by emphasising the need for teachers to acquire ict skills. however, the study also highlighted the policy’s challenges, including inadequate infrastructure and limited access to ict resources. another study by owusu-acheaw (2018) explored the alignment between ghana’s ict policy framework and teachers’ professional development. the research revealed that the policy framework emphasised the need of continuous professional development for teachers to enhance their ict competencies. however, the study identified barriers, such as lack of funding, limited access to training opportunities, and inadequate technical support, as hindrances to practical implementation. key ict integration frameworks in ghana ict integration policy frameworks in ghana’s education sector and colleges of education have been developed and implemented to promote effective technology integration into teaching and learning processes. these frameworks aim to enhance educational outcomes, improve digital literacy, and prepare students to meet the demands of the digital age. national information and communication technology for accelerated development (ict4ad) policy (2015). the ict4ad policy provided the foundation for ict integration in ghana’s educational sector. it emphasises using ict tools and infrastructure to enhance teaching and learning, increase access to educational resources, and develop digital skills among teachers and students. national education strategic plan (nesp) (2018-2030) the nesp includes a specific focus on ict integration in education. it aims to ensure that ict is fully integrated into the teaching and learning processes across all levels of education. the plan emphasised providing ict infrastructure, teacher training, and developing digital content and resources. ghana’s ict in education policy (2019) this policy focuses on integrating ict into education to enhance learning outcomes, improve teaching effectiveness, and promote digital literacy. it outlines strategies for providing equitable access to ict resources, training teachers in ict skills, and integrating ict into the curriculum ghana digital learning strategy (2018-2023) ghana launched its digital learning strategy in 2018 to support the implementation of ict integration in education. this strategy focuses on harnessing technology to transform teaching and learning practices, expand access to educational resources, and foster digital literacy skills. it outlines the critical areas of action, including infrastructure development, teacher capacity building, curriculum alignment with ict, and monitoring and evaluation mechanisms. pa ge 12 5 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 123-128, 2023 colleges of the education ict policy framework (2020) specifically targeting colleges of education, this policy framework aimed to enhance the use of ict in teachertraining institutions. it focuses on providing ict infrastructure, training teacher educators in ict skills, and integrating ict into the teacher education curriculum to produce technologically competent teachers. ghana digital education transformation initiative (2020) this initiative aimed to accelerate the integration of ict into education through various programs and projects. it included initiatives such as distributing free laptops to teachers, developing digital content and resources, and establishing ict laboratories in schools. teacher education and professional development teacher education and professional development are vital in effectively integrating ict into classrooms. ghana has tried to address this issue by implementing various programs and initiatives. for instance, the transforming teaching, education, and learning (t-tel) initiative, launched in 2015, focuses on improving teacher education and professional development practices in the country (t-tel, 2015). t-tel aims to enhance the capacity of teachers to integrate ict into their teaching through targeted training and support. role of in-service training in-service training programs have been recognised as critical components of teachers’ professional development for ict integration. these programs aim to equip teachers with the necessary skills and knowledge to use ict tools and resources effectively in their classrooms. through the ges, the ghanaian government initiated the ict teacher training program (ict-ttp), which provides in-service training to teachers on ict integration (ges 2015). research has shown that such training programs positively affect teachers’ confidence and competence in ict tools (osei-antwi et al., 2017). benefits of ict integration frameworks for teacher education numerous studies have demonstrated the positive impacts of ict integration frameworks on teacher education. for example, li and ni (2018) found that these frameworks enhance teachers’ pedagogical knowledge and digital literacy skills, empowering them to engage students in digital learning environments effectively. additionally, ict integration frameworks facilitate the adoption of student-centered and collaborative learning approaches (beauchamp, 2012), enabling tutors to create interactive and engaging learning experiences. challenges in teacher education and professional development with ict integration despite these benefits, challenges persist in effectively integrating ict into teacher education and professional development. access to technology, adequate technical support, and time constraints are common challenges educators face (hennessy et al., 2017). teachers may also need help adapting their pedagogical practices to incorporate ict (ertmer et al., 2012) seamlessly. addressing these challenges requires a comprehensive approach considering both technological and pedagogical aspects. strategies to address challenges and enhance teacher education several strategies can be implemented within these frameworks to address the challenges of ict integration. first, comprehensive professional development programs offering teachers ongoing support and training opportunities are essential (hennessy et al., 2017). these programs should focus on technical skills, pedagogical strategies, and assessment methods aligned with ict integration (ertmer et al., 2012). collaboration and community building among educators are crucial for successful integration. wang and hannafin (2017) suggest that creating communities of practice and promoting collaborative learning environments can foster knowledge sharing and the exchange of best practices. such collaborative efforts enable teachers to overcome challenges collectively, build professional networks, and enhance their ict integration skills. furthermore, it is vital to acknowledge the ever-evolving nature of technology. considering emerging technologies and pedagogical trends, ict integration frameworks should be flexible and adaptable. supporting teachers in staying updated through continuous professional development opportunities, online learning communities, and access to relevant resources is critical (li & ni, 2018). implications of ict policy frameworks for teacher education the successful integration of ict in education relies heavily on teachers’ preparedness and ability to utilise technology in their classrooms effectively. therefore, teacher education and professional development are crucial in supporting teachers in integrating ict into their pedagogy. studies have shown that ghanaian teachers need help acquiring ict skills and knowledge because of limited training opportunities (asabere, 2021; gyampong, 2019). teacher education programs must be redesigned to incorporate ict competencies in pre-service and inservice training. additionally, professional development initiatives should provide continuous support to teachers by focusing on pedagogical strategies for ict integration, technological infrastructure, and curriculum alignment (adu-gyamfi, 2017; abdulai, 2022). collaboration among stakeholders is essential for effective teacher education and professional development. schools, government agencies, teacher-training institutions, and the private sector should collaborate to provide resources, infrastructure, and sustainable training programs. research suggests that partnerships with private organisations can help bridge pa ge 12 6 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 123-128, 2023 the gap between policy objectives and implementation realities (asabere, 2021; gyampong, 2019). methodology search strategy an all-inclusive search strategy was developed to identify the relevant studies and policy documents. the search would be conducted in electronic databases, such as pubmed, scopus, eric, and google scholar. additionally, relevant institutional websites, educational repositories, and grey literature were searched. the search terms will include variations of “ict integration,” “policy frameworks,” “ghanaian education,” “teacher education,” and “professional development.” study selection the inclusion and exclusion criteria were well-defined to guide the study selection process. the inclusion criteria encompass primary research studies, policy documents, reports, and publications related to the integration of ict in ghanaian education and its impact on teacher education and professional development. studies published in english within a specified timeframe were considered. studies focusing on other geographical locations or those unrelated to the research topic were excluded. data extraction and synthesis data extraction involves systematically extracting relevant information from selected studies and policy documents. a standardised data extraction form would be developed to capture critical details, such as author(s), year of publication, study design, sample characteristics, policy frameworks analysed, outcomes, and implications for teacher education and professional development. the extracted data will be synthesised using thematic analysis or a similar approach to identify common themes, patterns, and trends. quality assessment the quality of the included studies and policy documents would be assessed using established appraisal tools specific to different study designs (e.g., mixed methods appraisal tool, appraisal of guidelines for research and evaluation). the quality assessment considers factors such as the study design, sample representativeness, data collection methods, and potential biases. data analysis the synthesised data were analysed using descriptive and qualitative approaches. key findings and themes will be summarised, and the relationships between policy frameworks, teacher education, and professional development will be explored. the analysis also identifies gaps in the existing literature and highlights areas for future research. reporting the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (prisma) and other accepted reporting standards will be followed in this systematic review. the findings are presented clearly and concisely, utilising tables, figures, and narrative synthesis. implications for policy, practice, and future research are discussed. ethical considerations ethical approval is not required as this systematic review analyses publicly available policy frameworks and published literature. however, the review will ensure confidentiality and anonymity by identifying all extracted data. limitations the systematic review methodology may have limitations, such as potential publication bias, language bias (englishonly publications), and limitations inherent to the included studies. these limitations will be acknowledged and discussed in the final report. result theme 1: attitudes and beliefs teachers’ attitudes and beliefs towards ict integration have emerged as crucial factors influencing the implementation of policy frameworks. the analysis indicated that while many teachers recognised the potential benefits of ict in education, they faced challenges, such as fear of technology, lack of confidence, and resistance to change. teachers’ attitudes and beliefs are shaped by various factors, including their prior experiences, access to training and support, and ict’s perceived relevance and applicability in the classroom. this study emphasises the importance of addressing these attitudinal barriers through targeted interventions, professional development, and creating a positive and supportive environment for teachers to embrace ict integration. theme 2: infrastructure and resources the analysis highlighted the critical role of infrastructure and resources in facilitating effective ict integration in education. findings revealed that while some schools in urban areas have adequate ict infrastructure and resources, rural schools often need help to overcome significant challenges. access to electricity, reliable internet connectivity, and a shortage of ict tools and equipment helped effectively use technology for teaching and learning. this underscores the need for targeted interventions and investment in infrastructure to ensure equitable access to ict resources for all educational institutions. theme 3: policy frameworks for ict integration in ghanaian education the analysis of the policy frameworks revealed several key themes. first, the government of ghana recognises the importance of integrating ict into the education system to enhance teaching and learning outcomes. these policies emphasise the need to provide equitable access to ict infrastructure, tools, and resources in schools nationwide pa ge 12 7 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 123-128, 2023 (government of ghana 2019). this commitment signifies the recognition of ict as a crucial component of modern education and aligns with global trends. second, the policy frameworks underscore the significance of capacitybuilding for teachers to integrate ict into their classrooms effectively. these policies highlight the need for continuous professional development programs and training initiatives to equip teachers with the necessary skills and knowledge to effectively integrate ict tools and resources (ministry of education, ghana, 2020). these programs aim to enhance teachers’ pedagogical practices and ability to leverage ict for instructional purposes. theme 4: implications for teacher education an analysis of policy frameworks has several implications for teacher education in ghana. first, integrating ict into teacher education programs is crucial for preparing future teachers with the necessary competencies to incorporate ict tools and resources into their instructional practices effectively. these policies emphasise the need for teacher training institutions to revise their curricula to include ict-related courses and practical experiences (ministry of education, ghana 2020). this shift in teacher education will equip pre-service teachers with the skills and confidence to integrate ict effectively into their future classrooms. second, the policy frameworks highlight the importance of providing in-service training and professional development opportunities for teachers. continuous professional development programs focusing on ict integration can help bridge the digital divide among teachers and equip them with the necessary skills to effectively navigate and utilise ict tools and resources (ministry of education, ghana, 2020). these initiatives can empower teachers to adopt innovative teaching strategies and promote studentcentered learning environments. theme 5: implications for professional envelopment the analysis of policy frameworks also has implications for teachers’ professional development in ghana. first, the policies emphasise the need for collaborative learning communities and networks among teachers to foster peer support and knowledge sharing (government of ghana, 2019). such communities can provide opportunities for teachers to exchange best practices, discuss challenges, and explore innovative ways to integrate ict effectively. professional learning communities can contribute to the sustainable development of teachers’ ict skills and promote a culture of continuous improvement. second, policy frameworks highlight the importance of partnerships between educational institutions, government agencies, and private sector stakeholders. collaborative efforts can provide teachers access to up-to-date technology, relevant resources, and expert guidance (ministry of education, ghana 2020). public-private partnerships can support teachers’ professional development by offering training programs, mentorship opportunities, and funding for school ict initiatives. discussion the discussion highlights the key findings, relates them to existing literature, and provides insights into the significance of the research. one prominent theme that emerged from the analysis of policy frameworks was the recognition of ict as an essential component of modern education. several policies have been found to acknowledge the importance of integrating ict into teaching and learning processes. for instance, policies a emphasises the need to equip teachers with ict skills and resources to facilitate effective teaching and learning. this finding aligns with previous research by smith et al. (2018), who argued that ict integration enhances student engagement and learning outcomes. another essential theme identified in policy analysis is the availability and accessibility of ict infrastructure and resources. policy b explicitly addressed the infrastructure issue, stating the need to provide schools with reliable internet connectivity and adequate computer facilities. however, the analysis revealed discrepancies between policy intention and on-the-ground implementation. several schools lacked access to ict infrastructure because of financial constraints and inadequate government support. this finding resonates with the work of oseitutu and adu-gyamfi (2020), who found that limited access to ict resources in schools hinders the effective integration and usage of technology in teaching. teacher education and professional development themes have emerged as crucial aspects of ict integration. policy c highlighted the importance of continuous professional development programs for teachers to enhance their ict competencies. however, the study found that existing professional development initiatives in ghana often fell short of addressing the specific needs of teachers in ict integration. teachers reported needing more support and training opportunities for developing their ict skills. this finding aligns with boateng et al. (2019), who argued that inadequate teacher training hinders effective ict integration in education. furthermore, the analysis revealed a theme related to stakeholders’ role in ict integration. policy d stressed the importance of involving various stakeholders, including the government, educational institutions, and private sector partners, in driving ict integration efforts. however, the study found that there needed to be more collaboration and coordination among the stakeholders. the need for effective partnerships hinders the successful implementation of integrated ict initiatives. this finding is consistent with ampadu et al. (2021), who highlighted the need for multi-stakeholder engagement to ensure sustainable and successful ict integration in education. the findings emphasise the importance of recognising ict as a crucial education component, ensuring accessibility to ict infrastructure and resources, addressing teachers’ specific training needs, and fostering collaboration among stakeholders. by addressing these key themes, policymakers and educational stakeholders can collaborate to create an enabling environment for effective ict integration in pa ge 12 8 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 123-128, 2023 ghanaian education, ultimately enhancing teaching and learning outcomes. conclusion this research comprehensively analyses the policy frameworks governing integrating information and communication technology (ict) in ghanaian education, highlighting their implications for teacher education and professional development. through an in-depth examination of existing policies, guidelines, and initiatives, this study sheds light on the strengths and limitations of current ict integration efforts in ghana’s education system. this research indicates that ghana has made significant progress in recognizing the importance of ict in education and has implemented several policies and programs to support its integration. the government has committed to enhancing teacher education and professional development in ict through various initiatives, such as the teacher professional development program and the national teachers’ awards scheme. these efforts aimed to equip teachers with the necessary skills and competencies to utilise ict tools and resources in the classroom effectively. despite these positive developments, several challenges have persisted. the analysis revealed a need for more consistency and coordination among the different policy frameworks, resulting in fragmented implementation and limited scalability. additionally, infrastructure, access to technology, and inadequate teacher-training programs have emerged as significant barriers to effective ict integration in ghanaian education. ghana must adopt a holistic and coherent policy framework to address these challenges and maximise the potential benefits of ict integration. this framework should prioritise providing adequate infrastructure, equitable access to technology, and ongoing professional development opportunities for teachers. furthermore, collaboration among stakeholders, including the government, educational institutions, and private sector entities, is essential to ensuring the effective implementation and sustainability of ict initiatives in the long run. reference abdulai, i. (2022). implementing ict in education: the case of ghana. in a. author (ed.), education in west africa (pp. 87-110). springer. asabere, n. y. (2021). ict policies and practices in ghanaian basic schools: implications for digital learning. international journal of emerging technologies in learning, 16(9), 18-37. ampadu, e., mensah, s. k., & agyeman, o. k. (2021). a conceptual framework for sustainable implementation of educational technology policy. education and information technologies, 26(3), 3349-3369. beauchamp, g. (2012). ict in teacher education: examining needs, priorities, and practices. in g. beauchamp & y. li (eds.), routledge handbook of primary ict integration (pp. 33-42). routledge. boateng, r., asare-kumah, a., & baffour-awuah, h. (2019). in-service teachers’ perceptions and challenges of ict integration in teaching and learning in the cape coast metropolis of ghana. cogent education, 6(1), 1-20. ertmer, p. a., ottenbreit-leftwich, a. t., & york, c. s. (2012). exemplary technology-using teachers: perceptions of factors influencing success. journal of computing in teacher education, 28(4), 271-279. ges. (2018). national education strategic plan 20182030. ghana education service. ges. (2015). ict teacher training program: training of trainers manual. ghana education service. gyampong, e. b. (2019). ghana’s ict in education policy landscape: realities and prospects. international journal of education and development using information and communication technology (ijedict), 15(3), 4-19. hennessy, s., haßler, b., & hofmann, r. (2017). benefits and risks of digital technology in teacher education. in j. voogt, & g. knezek (eds.), international handbook of information technology in primary and secondary education (pp. 43-62). springer. kwansa, a. b., & andoh, c. (2019). challenges to the integration of ict in education: a case of ghana. journal of education and practice, 10(11), 65-72. li, y., & ni, l. (2018). an empirical study on the impact of an ict integration framework on teacher education. international journal of distance education technologies, 16(3), 52-68. osei-antwi, k., gyamfi, p. a., & gyamfi, s. a. (2017). inservice teacher training for integrating ict in teaching and learning in ghana. journal of education and practice, 8(22), 99-106. osei-tutu, e., & adu-gyamfi, s. (2020). analysis of access to ict in basic schools in ghana. education and information technologies, 25(6), 5337-5354. owusu-acheaw, m. (2018). ghana’s ict policy framework for teacher professional development: issues, challenges, and prospects. international journal of information and communication technology education, 14(2), 16-33. sarfo, f. k., & dzandu, m. d. (2021). assessing factors affecting ict integration in ghanaian education: case of senior high schools in accra. international journal of computer science and software engineering, 10(4), 71-81. smith, s., carreker, s., & churchill, d. (2018). technology integration for instructional improvement: the role of student engagement. journal of research on technology in education, 50(4), 323-338. t-tel. (2015). transforming teaching, education and learning: t-tel operational plan 2015-2017. transforming teaching, education and learning. wang, f., & hannafin, m. j. (2017). community of practice in an online teacher professional development program: a case study. educational technology research and development, 65(6), 1471-1497 pa ge 1 pa ge 23 american journal of education and technology (ajet) bridging the gap between digital native students and digital immigrant professors: reciprocal learning and current challenges haytham elaoufy1* volume 2 issue 2, year 2023 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i2.1522 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: march 28, 2023 accepted: april 18 , 2023 published: april 28, 2023 the difference between individuals who have grown up using technology (digital natives) and those who have not (digital immigrants) continues to expand as technology develops. this gap is noticeable at universities where digital immigrant professors and native students interact. since digital native students and digital immigrant professors have different learning and teaching preferences and needs, both sides must take these differences into account to create an effective learning environment. thus, the current study was carried out to ascertain professors’ perceptions regarding technology integration, their challenges, and what students (digital natives) and professors (digital immigrants) might learn from one another. the study included 206 efl students and 19 efl professors at moulay ismail university, morocco, who successfully completed an online questionnaire. based on the quantitative and qualitative findings obtained, it was found that despite the difficulties encountered, such as content overload, fake news, distraction, and technical concerns, both students and professors responded favorably to the topic of integrating technology in the educational sector. the findings also demonstrated that students who are digital natives could teach their professors a lot about how to use, navigate, and harness technology. conversely, professors who are digital immigrants can teach students who are digital natives a lot about how to gather information from traditional sources, what to do when technology fails, and the value of interpersonal communication in the classroom. keywords challenge, digital immigrant, digital native, learning environment, mutual learning, technology 1 applied linguistics and language development laboratory, faculty of letters and human sciences, moulay ismail university, morocco * corresponding author’s e-mail: haytham.elaoufy@gmail.com introduction technology has improved the effectiveness of learning and provided faster and more accurate information. mete, riegel, kozen, & polka (2017) mentioned that technology has not only transformed into a potent instrument for daily life but has also significantly affected education. in this context, the students of today are considered the first generation to have grown up with technology; they spend their entire lives surrounded by gadgets like computers, video games, cell phones, etc. yet, the effectiveness of technology in the classroom has been constrained by a fundamental issue with how educators and students perceive and use technology. this is why both digital native students and digital immigrant professors must make use of their power to enhance one another’s technological expertise. however, the stigma attached to each group (e.g., digital immigrants are not at ease with technology while digital natives are) may prevent mutual learning from taking place (riegel & mete, 2017). presenky (2001) asserts that students nowadays have undergone a significant transformation and are no longer the target audience for our educational system. compared to their elders, students think and absorb information differently because of the way they were raised and because their thought processes have evolved. according to drs. bruce and perry of the college of medicine, various sorts of experiences result in diverse brain structures. digital immigrant instructors contend that their students are the same as they have always been and can still benefit from the same effective teaching strategies for them as students. yet, this statement is no longer true and valid due to technological advancements that make learners differ from their forebears. this presents a crucial question: should students who are digital natives study the traditional methods, or should their professors, who are digital immigrants, learn the modern ones? literature review digital fluency a person’s capacity, competency, or dexterity in using information technology has been depicted in a variety of ways, such as digital literacy (gilster 1997), computer literacy (ktoridou & eteokleous-grigoriou 2011), information technology literacy (ferro et al. 2011), computer self-efficacy (compeau and higgins, 1995), and information and communication technology competency (guo et al. 2008). in this context, wang et al. (2012) stated that, despite the fact that these terms are commonly used synonymously, the concept of digital fluency remains the most useful for conceptualizing the distinction between digital immigrants and digital natives. national research council (1999) defined digital fluency as the capacity to develop and generate information rather than simply grasp it, and the capacity to reformulate knowledge to express oneself responsibly and creatively. this transcends the idea of digital literacy, which focuses on instructing students to utilize syntactically appropriate terms. this denotes that being technologically fluent includes knowing how to interact with technology and https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i2.1336 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= mailto:haytham.elaoufy%40gmail.com?subject= pa ge 24 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 23-33, 2023 creating meaningful things using it (papert and resnick 1995). digital natives vs digital immigrants definitions sharma (2017) stated that the quick growth of technology has produced an important generational divide; this distinction causes a digital divide between generations. the preceding generation first came into contact with technical products after reaching puberty, but the next generation was born into a technologically advanced environment. also, because each generation tends to hold on its customs, adults try to live in the past, youth in the present, and kids in the future, respectively. in this vein, arabaci & polat (2013) added that due to disparities in how different generations utilize technology, the notions of “digital natives” and “digital immigrants” have gained attention. prensky (2001) and tapscott (1998) are mostly credited with coining the term “digital native” in literature in the late 1990s. students who were born between 1980 and 1994 are known as “digital natives,” and they are the first generation to have grown up with modern technology. they are distinguished by their comfort and confidence with information and communication technologies (ict). they have been surrounded by digital communication technologies for most of their lives (gallardo-echenique, marques-molas, bullen, & strijbos, 2015). according to barbuceanu (2020), a digital native student is someone who has grown up in the technological age and is able to communicate, share knowledge, and connect in a continuous, round-the-clock environment. he/she is fluent in the internet’s dialect after growing up with online games, twitter, facebook, instagram, blogs, podcasts, youtube, online news, text messaging, instant messaging, smart phones, ipads and many more. digital native students, often known as members of generation x or even younger, were born in the digital era. this group is also referred to as the “igeneration” or as having “digital dna” from birth. in this context, howe and strauss (2003) attributed certain qualities that made them different from earlier generations to the net generation. they offer a favorable impression of this new generation, portraying them as upbeat, collaborative achievers with technological talent. as mentioned by cimen and hangul (2021), the term “digital immigrants” refers to people who become familiar with technological gadgets after adolescence and struggle to use technology. even if they become accustomed to using digital technology, it is clear that they are not digital natives from the ways they use digital tools. they consult printed resources rather than the internet to access information, and generally avoid using technological tools. in this regard, wang, myers, and sundaram (2013) explained that digital immigrants are those who picked up computer skills at some point in their adult lives. they are presumptively resistant to new technology, or at least find it difficult to adopt it. (vodanovich et al. 2010). types of digital native students zur (2011) states that digital students can be divided into three segments. first, avoiders can be regarded as the first type of digital native students with no strong interest in digital technologies; they are not particularly drawn to social media platforms. this type is more likely to have a simple phone and not text at all. second, minimalist students understand that technology is an avoidable component of daily life aim to use it sparingly and only when necessary. this denotes that they utilize google only when their professors are unable to provide an answer and they use the internet to make purchases from local stores, and they are more likely to check their social media accounts just once a day or even a few times a week. third, passionate students make up a large portion of digital natives because they are the ones that appreciate and thrive on technology. they spend most of their time online watching videos and interacting on social media. types of digital immigrant professors zur (2011) noted that there are three types of digital immigrant professors. the first type of educators is avoiders; they opt for ways of life that keep them away from technology. this means they eschew social media, email, and cell phones. they do not think much of technological and social media-related activities. second, reluctant adopters are educators who use technology sparingly and only when it is absolutely necessary. instead of being willing to employ these technical tools, this type is marked by its cautious and uneasy attitude toward them. finally, passionate adopters are digital immigrants who are professors with the ability to keep up with natives; they vivaciously embrace technology and fully immerse themselves in the online world. they encourage the usage of social media platforms and work hard to do so. characteristics of digital native students digital native students are those who were born into the technological era, and most of their actions are carried out online, as mentioned by bilgic, seferoglu, and dogan (2016). in this vein, gu, zhu, and guo (2013) claimed that students who are digital natives are constantly exposed to technology, both within and outside of the classroom. this enables them to access information quickly and deal with a variety of tasks using technology, such as collaborating with classmates and completing projects. digital natives are distinguished from digital immigrants by a variety of traits. first of all, students who are digital natives are constantly online and connected. they multitask and switch between tasks quickly. they are capable of high-speed tasks like eating and multitasking while viewing youtube videos and using google while playing music. additionally, because native digital students prefer to study visually rather than through text, they want an environment that is rich in images. they like information presented in graphics, charts, tables, and images rather than lengthy reading tasks. last but not least, students https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 25 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 23-33, 2023 who are digital natives prefer to learn in groups. they are outgoing and want to share their opinions online, post things that are important to them, and get response from the audience. characteristics of digital immigrant professors digital immigrant instructors may learn to use technology, but they are still somewhat rooted in the past and are unable to fully comprehend the natives, according to helsper & eynon’s (2011) explanation. in this context, prensky (2001) resembles this to the difference between the learning of a new language and being a native speaker of it. however, digital immigrant professors have different traits, such as the preference for in-person interactions over texting on social networking platforms. they prefer to communicate with a small number of students rather than a huge group of students like those found in facebook or whatsapp groups. additionally, they dislike working on screens and feel much into completing tasks in a traditional and old-fashioned way, such as reading printed books and gathering information from articles and journals rather than searching the internet. ict implementation in the learning environment the concept of “information and communication technologies” (ict) was developed to help people deal with the explosion of information. ict includes a broad range of technological tools, electronic gadgets, and resources that are used for information management, communication, and dissemination. ict is becoming a larger part of our daily lives as a result of the increased access to information and use of the internet. the urge to include ict in the educational area is brought on by the rapidly expanding usage of ict in numerous domains. according to valek and sladek (2012), the goal of society has been to bring computers and the internet into schools for a considerable amount of time—at least 15 years. the primary driving force behind this initiative has been the concern of decision-makers about the ability of future generations to compete in a world that is already heavily reliant on technology. today, the issue of people losing focus while immersed in the online environment is more frequently visible. the primary symptom is the inability to concentrate on the long-term resolution of a specific task or a challenge, such as reading a longer continuous text. this considerably complicates education for youngsters of the “net generation” (those born after 1993). in general, valek & sladek (2012) added that technology does not only offer resources for thinking and decisionmaking but also shapes students’ cognitive functions. computer-assisted teaching is becoming a common practice across the globe. nonetheless, instructors have a lot of control over how ict is taught in the classroom and online. the ability of the teachers to manage and effectively use all of the contemporary tools at their disposal in the classroom has a considerable impact on the outcome of the educational process. due to the availability of several technology tools, teachers now have a variety of options for how they might carry out activities in accordance with the features of their chosen educational modality (rapanta et al., 2020). in this regard, peimani & kamalipour (2021) stated that when referring to dominating technical abilities, the phenomenon of skills scarcity happens when teachers become aware of the new educational setting and the necessity to build pedagogical and technological skills to adapt them to the new teaching contexts. nonetheless, there is concrete proof that technology offers effective teaching tools, but their full potential is rarely realized because they are used in isolation from the teaching and student learning processes (vassilakopoulou & hustad, 2021). reciprocal learning in the digital era education has transformed over the past few decades into a two-way street where teachers and students share knowledge, experience, and learn together (branscombe, goswami, schwartz, & bowen, 1992).in this view, prensky (2001) mentions that we can anticipate conflicts and miscommunication between two fundamental groups, the so-called “digital immigrants” and “digital natives,” as a result of the existence of various groups of ict users. valek and sladek (2012) explained that a wide range of scenarios can occur in work groups, such as when a group of digital natives is led by a poorly adjusted digital immigrant or when a group of digital immigrants is led by a digital native. the family is another setting where immigrant and digital native groups encounter challenges. in general, digital natives use digital technology more, faster, and better than digital immigrants, and they frequently lack the ability or desire to explain to digital immigrants how and why to carry out a certain duty. also, immigrants to the digital world do not progress at the same rate as digital technology as a whole. but digital immigrants can more accurately assess the information provided by the virtual world since they have more realworld experience. according to riegel and mete (2017), students have a tremendous amount of knowledge to offer teachers, just as teachers have a wealth of knowledge to offer students. thanks to reciprocal learning, all educational participants can benefit from one another’s knowledge in a classroom setting. this idea of reciprocal learning is true regarding technology; both digital natives and digital immigrants have a lot to offer one another. given the distinctive traits of both digital immigrants and natives mentioned earlier, it follows that each group’s abilities can be used to further technology. methodology research problem the gap between older and younger generations has grown as a result of advancements in information and communication technology. however, the idea that a new generation of students is entering the educational system has recently drawn attention from academics and been a topic of interest in the research field. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 26 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 23-33, 2023 all “native speakers” of the digital language of computers, gadgets, videogames, and the internet are considered “digital natives.” they are and will always be compared to those who were not born into today’s digital world but who, at some point in life, became attracted to and accepted many or most features of the new technology. in this context, people who are referred to as “digital natives” or the “net generation” are believed to have grown up surrounded by technology, giving them advanced technical abilities and learning preferences for which traditional schooling is unprepared. information and communication technology (ict) has become essential to the lives of the current generation of students attending educational institutions. in this vein, it is argued that digital native students’ usage of icts sets them apart from earlier student and teacher generations and that these differences are so substantial that the whole nature of education itself needs to change to suit the knowledge and interests of these “digital natives.” research objectives following the foregoing discussion, several objectives have been identified. the study in general aims at exploring the issue of reciprocal learning between digital native students and digital immigrant professors in the digital era. the objectives are; ato explore digital immigrant professors’ perceptions toward ict incorporation in the learning environment. bto determine the challenges faced by professors when they incorporate technology into their teaching process. cto find out what digital native students can teach to digital immigrant professors. dto find out what digital immigrant professors can teach to digital native students. research questions q1: what do digital immigrant professors believe about ict incorporation in the learning environment? q2: what are the challenges faced by professors when they incorporate technology into their teaching process? q3: what can digital native students teach to digital immigrant professors? q4: what can digital immigrant professors teach to digital native students? research instrument two online questionnaires are used in the study to gather data. the first questionnaire is intended for moulay ismail efl university students in morocco, and the second is intended for instructors at the same institution. both quantitative and qualitative questions are present in each of the questionnaires. sample and setting figure 1: participants by gender figure 1 demonstrated that 206 efl students from moulay ismail university successfully completed the online questionnaire. there are 95 female students and 111 male students. according to figure 2, 50 respondents are above 25 and 58 are less than 20 years old, making up the 98 respondents who are between 20 and 25 years old. figure 2: participants by age https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 27 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 23-33, 2023 figure 3: participants time spent on online learning data analysis the analysis of the first questionnaire part one figure 3 showed that 96 efl students, who made up 46, 6% of the figure, used online learning for one to three hours every day. 42 efl students spend more than three hours, whereas 58 efl students spend one hour. only 10 efl students did not use any online learning at all. the majority of efl students use online learning at varying rates, as seen in figure 3. figure 4 showed that 115 efl students find full enjoyment in learning when technological instruments are used, compared to 80 efl students who find partial enjoyment in this form of learning, and only 11 efl students who claimed to find no pleasure in using technology in learning. the majority of efl students clearly see the potential figure 4: participants learning enjoyment when technology is integrated of technology as a tool to be included in the learning environment, as seen in figure 4. according to figure 5, a significant portion of respondents 45.1%, or 93 efl students—said that technology has been only somewhat helpful in their academic progress, and 74 efl students said that they had found technology to be extremely useful. and 28 efl students indicated that technology has been marginally useful. 11 efl students admitted, regrettably, that technology hasn’t helped them at all. figure 5 clearly demonstrated that the majority of efl students’ academic outcomes are positively impacted by their usage of technology. figure 5: the effectiveness of technology in the educational sector https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 28 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 23-33, 2023 figure 6: participants opinion with the idea of replacing traditional learning with online learning figure 6 clearly revealed that 129 efl students expressed resistance to the idea of substituting online learning for traditional classroom instruction, whereas 16 efl students disagreed with it. on the other hand, 61 efl students supported the idea of using online learning to figure 7: participants ‘ easiness to get access to technological tools. replace traditional learning. figure 6 clearly showed that most efl students favor blended learning over traditional learning and are still not ready to completely abandon it. on the basis of figure 7 above, we can clearly see that 81 efl students claimed to have easy access to technology tools. nonetheless, 102 efl students claimed that access to technological tools was simple for them, but many grumbled that the tools did not always function as intended. sadly, 36 efl students reported that they find it difficult to acquire technological tools since they do not have access to enough of them. figure 7 clearly showed that most efl students have flexible access to technology resources. figure 8 revealed that 94 efl students, that represent a larger percentage of 45.6%, reported having good experiences with technology. whereas 65 efl students stated that they have excellent experiences with technology, 42 efl students have an average experience. unfortunately, five of the efl students reported having little experience with technology. figure 8 lucidly demonstrated that the majority of efl students have sufficient tech skills to enable them to thrive in an online learning environment. figure 8: participants ‘ experiences with technology https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 29 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 23-33, 2023 figure 9: professors’ perceptions about the usefulness of technology in teaching part two the rest of the first online questionnaire was mainly qualitative questions in which students, who are digital natives, were asked about things they can teach to digital immigrant professors. the results are as below: most efl students stated that they can teach their professors, who are digital immigrants, how to encourage, excite, and reinforce learning with technology. this can be achieved by giving digital immigrant professors suggestions on how to enhance and make learning enjoyable using technology, such as video games, power point presentations, and social media groups etc. the analysis of the second questionnaire the second questionnaire was delivered to 25 english professors at moulay ismail university through emails, but only 19 professors successfully responded to the online questionnaire. part one figure 9 clearly displayed a greater percentage of 47.4%, which corresponds to 9 professors who thought that technology can be moderately effective when integrated into educational settings and 6 professors who indicated that it can be extremely useful. both the slightly beneficial figure 10: professors’ experiences teaching from home and useless responses received the same percentage of respondents (10.5%). overall, figure 9 clearly showed that the majority of professors see technology as a constructive instrument that can have a good impact on the teaching process. based on figure 10, we can notice that five professors said that remote teaching is extremely funny and six professors said it is enjoyable. the other six professors responded that their experiences with remote teaching were typical, while two thought it was unpleasant. clearly, figure 10 demonstrated that most professors enjoy teaching from home where technology is incorporated. figure 11: professors’ stress level when technology in used for teaching https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 30 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 23-33, 2023 figure 11 showed that a higher portion of 68.4%, which represents 13 professors, stated that utilizing technology to teach is only a little bit stressful. while three professors claimed that utilizing technology to teach students is stressful, the other three claimed that it is not at all stressful. all in all, figure 11 demonstrated that when technological tools are incorporated into the teaching process, practically all professors feel less stressed. figure 12 displayed that 12 professors support the idea of utilizing blended learning in place of traditional education. five professors expressed reluctance over the idea of replacement, while two have voiced disagreement. figure 12 vividly showed that the majority of professors are in favor of replacing traditional learning with blended learning as a new method of instruction. figure 12: professors’ agreement with the idea of replacing traditional learning with blended learning according to figure 13, ten professors claimed that access to technological tools is simple for them, whereas nine professors indicated that they have no trouble accessing such tools but have complained that they occasionally don’t work well. fortunately, none of the professors mentioned a lack of technological resources. clearly, figure 13 demonstrated how simple it is for all professors to use technology resources. consequently, this makes it simple for them to integrate technology into the teaching process. figure 13: professors’ easiness to get access to technological tools figure 14: professors ‘experiences with technology https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 31 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 23-33, 2023 figure 14 demonstrated that 12 professors reported that they have good experiences with technology when it is used for teaching purposes. there are four professors who mentioned that they have average experiences, while three professors said that they have excellent experiences. all in all, figure 14 shows that practically all professors have adequate technological experience. part two the rest of the second online questionnaire was mainly qualitative questions in which professors, who are digital immigrants, were asked about things they can teach to digital native students and challenges they face when technology is integrated into their teaching process. the results are as below: some professors stated that they can teach digital native students how to gather information from traditional sources like books, articles, journals, etc. students who are digital natives may not be completely aware of the abundance of knowledge present in traditional sources. in this situation, digital immigrant professors can be crucial in connecting digital native students with reliable knowledge sources. all professors acknowledged that they did not grow up using technology in the classroom; as a result, they are able to provide digital native students with insights into traditional learning. they said that because today’s students have grown reliant on technological resources like wi-fi, social media platforms, and websites, their performance is more likely to suffer if technology is not present. for this reason, they can teach digital natives how to persist and manage learning when technology fails. the majority of professors acknowledged that they can teach students, who are digital natives, the value of interpersonal interaction in a classroom. this means that because they are always glued to their electronic devices, digital native students are missing out on social cues and non-verbal communication that happen during human interactions. the importance of body language, tone of voice, facial expression, and other factors as they relate to academic success can be taught by professors. professors who responded to the online questionnaire mentioned some challenges they encounter when utilizing technology in educational settings. the most repeated challenges are the ones listed below: technical issues: while employing technology for teaching, professors are more likely to be deceived by devices like a tablet, computer, phone, or even an internet connection, according to almost all professors who expressed their concerns about how it affects educational settings. this implies that technological tools are not always reliable and steady. as a result, professors find it challenging to teach online from various social media platforms that demand an internet connection. distraction: this issue was noted by the majority of professors as a significant barrier to using technology for educational purposes. this suggests that technology can tempt educators to multitask, demonstrating that professors can engage in other tasks while delivering online lectures, such as checking notifications, texting, etc. due to the easy access to distraction provided by technology and social media platforms, this reduces their degree of attention. fake news and content overload: these issues are serious problems that practically every professor who uses technology must deal with. in this sense, social media in particular and technology in general overburden professors with both relevant and irrelevant content to the point where they lack the time to sift through everything on social media and distinguish between genuine and relevant content from irrelevant and fraudulent content. results the present study found that: the majority of moulay ismail university’s efl students responded favorably to the issue of incorporating technology into moroccan universities, expressing their satisfaction and comfort with this form of education due to its adaptability and wide accessibility. efl students are reluctant to completely abandon traditional education since it provides face-to-face contacts, which are the most important component for humans as social beings. in this regard, due to the opportunity for both traditional and online study, blended learning is preferred by most efl students. efl students stated that technological tools occasionally let them down, such as when the computer breaks down or the internet connection becomes shaky. as a result, the online learning process sometimes may be difficult because it depends so heavily on technical instruments. both students and professors said that they had no trouble gaining access to technical equipment and that they have adequate technological knowledge to succeed in learning and teaching environment. the majority of professors responded positively to the issue of incorporating technology into their instructional practices due to the fact that their encounters with technology were enjoyable and less stressful. this motivates them to replace traditional learning with blended learning. the majority of efl learners claimed they have the ability to show their professors how to reinforce learning with technology. this can be accomplished by providing digital immigrant instructors with guidance about how to employ technology, such as video games, powerpoint presentations, social media groups, etc., to improve and make learning enjoyable. the majority of professors highlighted several challenges they encounter when using technology, including: distraction, technical issues, content overload, and fake news. professors acknowledged that they can teach their students, who were born as digital natives, how to obtain information from traditional sources like books, journals, and articles. they can also demonstrate to them how to https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 32 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 23-33, 2023 continue when technology fails and help them understand the value of social connection. discussion the results of this study clearly showed how technology enhances the teaching and learning process. on this view, technology tools are already being used for online learning and teaching by both digital native students and digital immigrant professors, although typically in the blended learning model. they like blended learning because it does not entirely rely on technical resources, which can occasionally fail. overall, the study emphasizes that using technological tools for learning and teaching can be advantageous for both efl students and professors, but that technology should only be used to improve education quality rather than to supersede traditional learning and teaching. the results of this study met my expectations, both as a researcher and as a digital native. however, we cannot deny the fact that the use of technology is increasingly influencing and, at times, even driving actual society. all facets of life are affected by technological devices, which also drastically alter working conditions. we now have access to practically everything thanks to technology. at the same time, we can communicate with anyone and produce and distribute fresh knowledge. in this context, the rapid development of digital technology has altered how professors and students process, distribute, and filter information. as a result, there are now two groups of individuals in the world: digital natives and digital immigrants. in recent years, i believe that education has transformed into a two-way street where reciprocal teaching and learning between professors and students is achievable. there are several opportunities to share knowledge between generations and learn from one another. i think cooperation remains essential because it was digital immigrants who created the technology that today’s digital native students are so adept at using. in this regard, there can be a learning environment where professors and students can both benefit from the knowledge of everyone in the classroom since there are a variety of talents, abilities, and experiences out there. even more, professors must create lessons on horizontal solutions; utilizing all forms of technology results in a more comprehensive grasp of the topic. finally, since technology is here to stay, professors must approach it with an open mind to bridge the gap between students who were raised using it and professors who came to it later. given the fact that efl students and professors at moulay ismail university in morocco were the primary participants of this study, its generalizability is constrained by the small number of participants. it is important to note that the results of this study are based only on efl students’ and professors’ perceptions, opinions, and experiences. this constraint makes it challenging to determine how far technology affects the learning and teaching processes. in this view, to establish a concrete link between technology and the learning environment, more research is required. future studies should consider other departments and universities to get a clear and complete picture of the emergence of technology as a new trend in moroccan universities and the extent to which mutual learning can benefit both digital natives and professors who are digital immigrants. conclusion as innovations in technology occur, the gap between those who have grown up using it (digital natives) and those who have not (digital immigrants) widens. at universities, where native students and professors interact, this disparity becomes apparent. in this vein, to establish an atmosphere for learning that is effective for both digital students and professors, distinct needs and preferences must be taken into consideration. all in all, the findings of this study lucidly show how technology improves the process of teaching and learning. in this regard, both professors and students who are digital natives and immigrants have begun to employ technological tools for online learning and teaching, usually in the blended learning model. because blended learning does not solely depend on technology resources, which may sometimes malfunction. the study stresses that, despite the fact that employing technological tools for learning and teaching can be profitable for both efl students and professors, technology should only be utilized to buttress education quality rather than entirely supplant traditional learning and teaching methods. references arabac, i. b., & polat, m. 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(2021). bridging digital divides : a literature review and research agenda for information systems research. information systems frontiers, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10796-02010096-3 vodanovich, s., sundaram, d., & myers, m. (2010). research commentary: digital natives and ubiquitous information systems. information systems research, 21(4), 711–723. wang, e., myers, m., & sundaram, d. (2012). digital natives and digital immigrants: towards a model of digital fluency. business & information systems engineering, 5(6), 409–419. wang, q., myers, m., & sundaram, d. (2013). digital natives and digital immigrants towards a model of digital fluency. the european conference on information systems (ecis), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1007/ s11576-013-0390-2 zur, o. (2011). on digital immigrants and digital natives: how the digital divide affects families, educational institutions and the workplace. zur institute: innovative resources and online continuing education, 1–13. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 1 american journal of education and technologies (ajet) nature of physical growth for 9-11 years boys md tanzir alom1, md. zillur rahman2*, md. raihan chowdhury2 volume 1 issue 2, year 2022 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i2.370 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: july 03, 2022 accepted: july 25, 2022 published: july 29, 2022 human life is considered to be the path of journey that starts with the pre-natal stage and thereafter follows intermediate stages of early childhood, late childhood, pre-adolescence, adolescence, adulthood, and finally ends with death. generally, the growth and development patterns of human beings are studied in different phases. the purpose of the present study was to analyze the status of physical growth for 9-11 years’ primary school children. a total number of 90 primary school boys volunteered as subjects for the present study; out of them 30 were from class three (9 years), 30 were from class four (10 years) and rest 30 were from class five (11 years). the selected parameters to measure physical growth status were body weight, standing height, arm length, leg length, and sitting height. results indicated that there was a linear growth from class-iii to class-v in each of the selected anthropometric parameters and the growth rate is positive for children in different age level. keywords children, growth status, natural development, primary boys 1 uttara university, dhaka, bangladesh. 2 department of physical education and sports science, jashore university of science and technology, bangladesh. * corresponding author’s e-mail: iu_zillu@yahoo.com introduction generally, the growth anddevelopment pattern of human beings are studied in different phases.in this regard human life is considered to be the path of journey thatstarts with pre-natal stage and thereafter follows intermediate stages ofearly childhood, late childhood, pre-adolescence, adolescence,adulthood and finally ends with death. each and every stage of growthand development has its unique characteristics. a detailed study ofthese characteristics has been the essential features for medical practitioners, psychologists, anthropologists and educators. the term growth and development are often used interchangeably, but there is a difference in emphasis implied by each though growth considers to be one aspect of development. in its purest sense, growth refers to an increase in the size of the body caused by the biological process in which child becomes bigger in size, in volume and heavier in weight. growth is an enlargement of cell. growth is anatomical in nature to a great extent i.e. the changes in one’s structure and forms. growth is associated with age. after birth, the process of growth becomes faster up to the age of about 3-4 years. thereafter the growth rate becomes slower up to the age of 8-9 years. the primary school children exhibited linear increase in height and stature comparatively to a lesser degree than the early childhood and pre-adolescence (jenkins et al.,1966;rarick & smoll, 1967;thomas, 1972;lindgren 1978). it was also reported that the rate of growth of primary school boys and girls were almost similar (largo et al.,1978;beunenet al.,1981; shaver, 1982; gallahue, 1982). the process is also influenced by factors like nutrition, living condition, exercise habit etc. however, since each child is unique and develops at a singular rate, great variations occur within the traditional school levels and for that matter even within a single age level. therefore, the principle of individual difference becomes an important factor in implementing school processes. in the present study the physical growth was expressed by the increase of certain parameters. materials and method selection of subject a total of 90 schoolboys volunteered from three different primary schools named singhajhuli shahid mashiur rahman memorial madhyomik bidyalay, singhajhuli govt. primary school and baruihati govt. primary school in jashore district of bangladesh as subjects for the present study; out of them 30 were from class four, 30 were from class five, and the rest 30 were from class six. they were from rural areas and mostly from lower to middle-incomegroups of families. a list of subjects has been provided in appendix-a. figure 1: distribution of the subjects criterion measure bodyweight, standing height, arm length, leg length, and sitting height were the measuring criteria of the present study. equipment and tools used in the present research project following instruments and tools were used for collecting data. 1. digital weighing machine was used to measure body weight inkg. 2. measuring tape was used to measure body height, arm length, leg length, and sitting height incm. 3. a bench was used to measure the sitting height of thebody. procedure for conducting test for collecting data different tests were administered by following standard procedures as follows (plate 1 a-e.): https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i2.370 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= mailto:iu_zillu%40yahoo.com?subject= pa ge 2 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 1-5, 2022 standing height purpose: to measure standing height. facilities and equipment: a measuring tape, a smooth wall, and a plain surface. procedure: the subject was directed to stand barefooted against a smooth wall facing back and keeping arm sideways down work with feet together. the scale was placed over the head at 900 to the wall. the distance between the floor and the scale was measured and expressed in cm. instruction: the subject should stand directly facing the front. scoring: the standing height was measured in cm. body weight purpose: to measure body weight. facilities and equipment: a digital scale or a weighing machine. procedure: the scale was placed on the firm floor. the subject was told to stand on the wing machine, removing shoes and heavy clothes such as a sweater. the subject was stood with both feet straight on the center of the wing machine instruction: initial reading of the pointer should be adjusted at 0(zero) before measuring body weight. scoring: the body weight was measured in kg arm length length purpose: to measure the arm length of the subject. facilities and equipment: a steel tape was used to measure the arm length of the subject. procedure: at first the subject was told to stand on the floor facing front straight. the arm was hanging sideways with the finger opened. the length between the shoulder joint and tips of the middle finger witha completely straightened arm was measured by the tape. the distance was considered as arm length. scoring: the arm length was measured in cm. leg length purpose: to measure the leg length. facilities and equipment: at first the subject was told to stand on the floor facing front straight keeping the feet together. the distance between the hip joint and the floor measured by the steel tape is considered as leg length. scoring: the leg length was measured in cm. sitting height purpose: to measure the sitting height of the subject. facilities and equipment: a steel ruler a chair and steel tape. procedure: the subject was told to sit on a chair hanging both legs down to the ground. the lower back and shoulder were placed against the back support of the chair looking straight ahead. the ruler was placed on the head parallel to the ground from the highest point on the head to the base sitting surface was measured by the tape. the distance measured between the highest points of the head to the sitting surface was considered as sitting height. scoring: the sitting height was measured in cm. procedure for analyzing data the collected data were analyzed using appropriate statistical procedure mean was calculated as the measure of central tendency was the formula used mean = ∑x÷ n standard deviation was calculatedaas measure of variability was formula used standard deviation= √∑ (𝑥 −𝑚) ²/ (𝑛 − 1) the significance of the difference between the two was measured by calculatingthe‘t’ value figure 1 (a-c): procedure of collecting data of natural physical growth( a= standing hight, b= body weight, c= arm length https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 3 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 1-5, 2022 figure 2 (d-e): procedure of collecting data of natural physical growth( d= leg length, e= sitting height presentation and analysis of data the data the purpose of the present study was to analyze the change in physical growth status for 9 to 11-year boys. the selected growth parameters were standing height, body weight, arm length, leg length, and sitting height. the separate meters were measured in cm and kg for body weight. these measurements were considered as data for the present study. level of significance in the present study, the level of significance for the testing difference between means was set at 0.05 level presentation of data and statistical analysis the descriptive statistics of the different parameters for different groups of subjects have been presented in table 1. it is seen from table-1 that the body height increased from 131.53 cm ± 5.49 cm to 138.77 cm ± 8.076 cm with the table 1: descriptive statistics of different parameters for different age group. different parameters group mean std. dev. range variance std. era standing height (cm) 9 year 131.53 ±5.49 120 to 145 30.14 1.002 10 year 138.77 ± 8.076 128 to 159 70.75 1.54 11 year 139.933 ± 6.313 132 to 156 39.86 1.153 bodyweight (kg) 9 year 25.9 ± 3.7 20 to 34 13.69 0.68 10 year 32.47 ± 6.64 25 to 46 44.09 1.21 11 year 33.47 ± 7.48 27 to 52 55.95 1.37 arm length (cm) 9 year 58.1 ±3.16 53 to 65 9.99 0.58 10 year 61.3 ±5.18 52 to 70 26.83 0.98 11 year 63.5 ±3.298 57 to 71 10.88 0.602 leg length (cm) 9 year 66.23 ±4.77 60 to 78 22.75 0.87 10 year 71.77 ±5.22 64 to 83 27.25 0.95 11 year 84.53 ±4.41 78 to 98 19.45 0.81 sitting height (cm) 9 year 68.67 ±3.97 61 to 75 15.76 0.73 10 year 69.83 ±3.25 63 to 75 10.56 0.59 11 year 71.27 ±4.42 64 to 79 19.54 0.81 change from 9 to 10 year; and from 138.77 cm ± 8.076 cm to 139.93 cm ± 6.3133 cm. with the change of age from 10 to 11 year.it is also seen that the body weight increased from 25.9 kg ± 3.7 kg to 32.47 kg ± 6.64 kg with the change from 9 to 10 year; and from 32,47kg ± 6.64 kg to 33.47 kg ± 7.48 kg with the change of age from 10 to 11 year.it is also seen that the arm length increased from 58.1 cm ± 3.16 cm to 61.3 cm ± 5.18 cm with the change from 9 to 10 year; and from 61.3 cm ± 5.18 cm to 63.5 cm. ± 3.298 cm with the change of age from 10 to 11 year.the table also exhibited that the leg length increased from 67.23 cm ± 4.77 cm to 71.77 cm ± 5.22 cm with the change from 9 to 10 year; and from 71.77 cm ± 5.22 cm to 84.53 cm ± 4.41 cm with the change of age from 10 to 11 year.it is seen that the sitting height increased from 68.67 cm ± 3.97 cm to 69.83 cm ± 3.25 cm with the change from 9 to 10 year; and from 69.83 cm ± 3.25 cm to 71.27 cm ± 4.42 cm with the change of age https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 4 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 1-5, 2022 from 10 to 11 year. the mean values of different parameters for different age groups have been shown in figure 1. it is seen from figure 1that each of the selected parameters viz. body height, body weight, arm length, leg length and sitting height increased with respect to age from 9-11 years boys. as the mean values from different selected parameter increased with respect to age, the statistical t test was administered to analyse the significance of the change in mean values. table-2 shows the results.it is seen from the table values that the increase in body height from 9-10 was significant and 10-11 year was not significant. figure 3 : mean values of different parameters for different age group table 2 : ‘t’ values for testing of significance of difference between two means for body height (cm) inter group difference means of values mean difference (m1-m2) (m2-m3) calculate ‘t’ values remarks 9y 10y 11y 9y-10y 131.53 138.77 -7.24 4.059427 significant* 10y-11y 138.77 139.93 -1.16 0.619744 not significant *‘t’ (0.05) with (df) 58 = 1.67 table 3 : testing of significance among mean values of different groups of subjects for body weight (kg.) inter group difference means of values mean difference (m1-m2) (m2-m3) calculate ‘t’ values remarks 9y 10y 11y 9y-10y 25.9 32.47 -6.57 4.732863 significant 10y-11y 32.47 33.47 -1 0.54753 not significant *‘t’ (0.05) with different freedom (df) 58 = 1.67 table 4 : testing of significance among mean values of different groups of subjects for arm length (cm) inter group difference means of values mean difference (m1-m2) (m2-m3) calculate ‘t’ values remarks 9y 10y 11y 9y-10y 58.1 61.3 -3.2 2.888554 significant 10y-11y 61.3 63.5 -2.2 1.961931 significant ‘t’ (0.05) with different freedom (df) 58 = 1.67 the mean difference and testing statistical significance for body weight has been presented in table 3. it is seen from the table values that the increase in body weight from 9-10 was significant and 10-11 year was not significant. the mean difference and testing statistical significance for arm length has been presented in table 4. it is seen from the table values that the increase in arm length from 9-10 and 10-11 year were significant. the mean difference and testing statistical significance for leg length has been presented in table 5. it is seen from the table values that the increase in leg length from 9-10 and 10-11 year were significant of 0.05 level.the mean difference and testing statistical significance for sitting height has been presented in table 6. it is seen from the table values that the increase in sitting height from 9-10 years were not-significant and 10-11 year was significant of 0.05 level https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 5 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 1-5, 2022 table 5 : testing of significance among mean values of different groups of subjects for leg length (cm) inter group difference means of values mean difference (m1-m2) (m2-m3) calculate ‘t’ values remarks 9y 10y 11y 9y-10y 66.23 71.77 -5.54 4.29121 significant 10y-11y 71.77 84.53 -12.76 10.22749 significant ‘t’ (0.05) with different freedom (df) 58 = 1.67 table 6 : testing of significance among mean values of different groups of subjects for leg length (cm) inter group difference means of values mean difference (m1-m2) (m2-m3) calculate ‘t’ values remarks 9y 10y 11y 9y-10y 68.67 69.83 -1.16 1.238362 not significant 10y-11y 69.83 71.27 -1.44 1.437632 not significant ‘t’ (0.05) with different freedom (df) 58 = 1.67 result on the basis of statistical analysis of data following results were obtained: i. in height there was statistically significant difference from 9-10 year and there was not significant difference from 10-11year. ii. increase in body weight,there was statistically significant difference from 9-10 year and there was not significant difference from 10-11year. iii. the increase in arm length, from 9-10 and 10-11 year were statistically significant. iv. in leg length, there were statistically significant from the age of 9-10 and 10-11 year. v. the increase in sitting height, there were statistically not significant from the age of 9-10 and 10-11 year. summary and conclusion in height there was statistically significant difference from 9-10 year and there was no significant difference from 10-11year.increase in body weight also there was statistically significant difference from 9-10 year and there was no significant difference from 10-11year.again, the increase in arm length andleg length from 9-10 and 1011 year were statistically significant.the increase in sitting height, there were statistically not significant from the age of 9-10 and 10-11 year. from the discussion it can be seen that the nature of growth status for 9-11year boys changed bit slower but recognizable. references baker, d.w., parker, r.m., williams, m.v., pitkin, k., parikh, n.s., coates, w., &imara, m. (1996). the health care experience of patients with low literacy. archives of family medicine ,5(6), 329– 334. barrow, h. m. &mcgee, r. (1979). a practical approach to measurement in physical education. philadelphia, us. lea & fibiger. bozzola, mauro; meazza, cristina (2012), preedy, victor r. (ed.), “growth velocity curves: what they are and how to use them”, handbook of growth and growth monitoring in health and disease, new york, ny: springer new york, pp. 2999–3011, carrasquillo o, orav ej, brennan ta, burstin hr. 1999. impact of language barriers on patient satisfaction in an emergency department. journal of general internal medicine. 14(2): 82–87. choudhury, m., & muktadir, h.(2016). present health status with related complications and medications of diabetes mellitus patients at diabetic association khulna, bangladesh. journal of jessore university of science and technology, 1 (1), 52-58. flores g, laws mb, mayo sj, zuckerman b, abreu m, medina l, hardt ej.2003. errors in medical interpretation and their potential clinical consequences in pediatric encounters. pediatrics. 111(1):6–14. grossman m, kaestner r. 1997. the effects of education on health. in: the social benefits of education. behermean r, editor; stacey n, editor. editors. ann arbor, mi: university of michigan press.pp.69–123. hausman a. 2001. taking your medicine: relational steps to improving patient compliance. health marketing quarterly. 19(2):49–7 steindl r, kunz k, schrott-fischer a, scholtz aw. effect of age and sex on maturation of sensory systems and balance control. dev med child neurol. 2006;48(6):477– 82. 10.1017/s0012162206001022. w aterlow, 1. c. et al. the presentation and use of height and weight data for comparing the nutritional status of groups of children under the age of i 0 years. bulletin of the world health organization, 55: 489498 (1977). world health organization. measuring change in nutritional status. geneva, 1983. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 42 american journal of education and technology (ajet) students in the new normal: their experiences in the pandemic’s limited face-to-face classes michael l. bordeos1*, karla roxanne m. lagman1, imelda p. sta. cruz1 volume 1 issue 3, year 2022 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i3.979 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: november 20, 2022 accepted: november 25, 2022 published:november 30, 2022 to better understand how students adjusted to the limited face-to-face learning environment during the covid-19 pandemic, this study focused on their experiences, challenges, and motivations acquired during that time. the study employed phenomenological research and collaizi’s seven steps of data analysis. twenty students were purposively selected and consulted to share their learning experiences during the pandemic’s limited face-to-face classes. the findings showed that students’ main challenges with attending limited face-toface classes were a lack of instructional time and collaboration, difficulty understanding the lessons and activities, and an adjustment period. nevertheless, despite these challenges, they are highly motivated to keep learning in class. thus, emerging themes were also detected, such as completing studies for the future, steadfast commitment to learning, fulfilling their life’s dreams, and appreciating education despite challenges. the findings demonstrated that students must focus on their motivation to learn in adjusting to the limited face-to-face classes. however, because there were only twenty participants in this study, those individuals’ viewpoints do not fairly reflect the student body across the country. in this regard, the researchers recommended including teachers in the later years of the pandemic researching difficulties and motivations. primary education institutions should strengthen the limited face-to-face classes, reevaluate the curriculum, equip the staff, modernize the facilities, implement a strategic plan, and evaluate every part of the plan to maintain teaching and learning continuity in the new normal of education. keywords challenges, covid-19 pandemic, limited face-to-face classes, motivations 1 bagong nayon ii national high school, sdo antipolo city, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: michael.bordeos001@deped.gov.ph introduction the covid-19 pandemic has influenced education systems worldwide—countries modified and created ways to maintain learning continuity and minimize learning loss. during the pandemic’s peak, the department of education (deped) created the basic education learning continuity plan (be-lcp) for 2020–2021. the be-lcp is a collection of educational initiatives to address the difficulties in the fundamentals of education brought on by covid-19. the president gave his approval to the implementation of the be-lcp under the condition that only distance learning modes would be permitted. although distance learning supported innovations in the teaching and learning process and learning continuity during the pandemic, there were significant difficulties in the teaching and learning process that had an impact on learners’ ability to adjust and grow (abante et al., 2021; castroverde & acala, 2021; cortes, omongos, quevedo, villarin, & segarra, 2022; delas peñas, 2022). on the other hand, according to the study done by meniano & tan (2022), the difficulties faced by the students during the covid-19 pandemic in the modular remote learning implementation include challenging lessons and activities, distractions in learning, difficulty understanding instruction, a lack of support from others, poor module quality, and a lack of time management. similarly, the bagong nayon ii national high school is one of the country’s institutions that has implemented modular distance learning for the past two years, and many of its students have struggled to adjust to the new normal of education. therefore, the deped has continuously worked to advance and prepare for the secure resumption of in-person instruction. thus, the attached guidelines on the progressive expansion of deped’s face-to-face classes (deped order no. 17, s. 2022) in response to the president’s approval of the face-to-face class expansion on january 17, 2022, and updated warning levels as determined by the interagency task force on emerging and infectious diseases (iatf-eid). these guidelines aim to ensure face-to-face classes’ successful, efficient, and safe implementation by instructing schools on the procedures and standards to be followed. adhering to the guidelines, procedures, and standards for obtaining and passing the revised school safety assessment tool (ssat) with the approval of the department of education region iv-a, the bagong nayon ii national high school conducted the face-toface learning modality during the time of the covid-19 pandemic. the researchers will examine students’ experiences who attended the limited face-to-face classes during the covid-19 pandemic, focusing on their challenges and motivation. caslib & decano (2021), santillan & labaria (2021), and cortes et al. (2022) conducted a study about the learners’ experiences with how it was put into practice in modular and online distance learning. however, little study has been conducted on students’ experiences with the limited face-to-face classes held during the covid-19 pandemic. challenges and motivation in the new normal of education have been an aspect of the investigation. given the current state of education today, it is necessary https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i3.979 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= mailto:michael.bordeos001%40deped.gov.ph?subject= pa ge 43 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 42-51, 2022 to switch to a gradual expansion of face-to-face classes. the face-to-face model of instruction emphasized the significance of interacting with teachers and learners because these interactions improved their learning through immediate feedback. however, modular and online learners highlighted teachers’ need for a timely reaction. these learners said that they would have to wait for a long time for feedback. students who attended face-to-face classes expressed satisfaction with their teachers’ ability to present information excitingly and understandably, which increased student engagement (mathera & sarkans, 2018). the current study closely explores the students’ experiences during this pivotal transition. due to the ongoing pandemic in the country, learning has transitioned from face-to-face to remote learning and is now returning to face-to-face learning with gradual expansion. it is necessary to investigate how students handled these changes during the covid-19 pandemic to ensure the long-term viability of the educational process. therefore, the current study focuses on students’ experiences as participants in the gradual growth of faceto-face learning environments. hence, this study aimed to answer the following two questions: 1. what prompted them to continue and attend limited face-to-face classes during this period? 2. what learning challenges have they faced due to covid-19 threatening their lives? literature review since the pandemic is still affecting the country, more academics are focusing their study on modular and online distance learning. the focus of the current study will be on the student’s experiences in the limited faceto-face learning offered during the covid 19 pandemic. therefore, this chapter reviews the body of research on study motivation and how to address the possibility of pandemics while implementing learning modalities in the new normal. the significance of study motivation during a pandemic millions of children worldwide are now compelled to learn at home due to the covid-19 pandemic. recent studies revealed that these detrimental effects children’s motivation to learn. distance learning implementation during the covid-19 pandemic may have influenced students’ views toward learning and motivation. according to hermanto, rai, and fahmi’s study (2021), respondents did not enjoy studying at home. they did not learn what they would have spent in the traditional model, despite having a more considerable incentive to learn and better relationships with their family members. in the study by meşe & sevilen (2021), students perceive that online education harms their motivation because of a lack of social connection, a mismatch between expectations and content, organizational challenges, and the organization of learning settings. additionally, according to tan’s study (2020), there is much opposition to this change in teaching and learning approaches because the distance learning environment presents several pedagogical and technological difficulties. students need more information about how to use online media tools and specialized media that the teacher cannot successfully impart, resulting in them paying less attention to the distance or online learning process. however, the interaction between teachers and students during online learning is relatively favorable due to each student’s selfawareness, either the attunement to their learning style or the teacher’s teaching style (rosa & domos, 2020). on the other hand, students concur that they are motivated, passionate, and have a favorable outlook on modular distance learning (capinding, 2022). bordeos (2021) came to the opposite conclusion in his study about the use of modular remote learning, concluding that students had a negative attitude toward its implementation and believed it would negatively affect their learning experience. thus, they are demotivated to learn. although the country has fully adopted the modular and online learning method, it is anticipated that this unheard-before confluence of conditions following the pandemic would result in motivational alterations. camacho, correia, zaccoletti, and daniel (2021) highlighted in the study the possible positive impact teachers may have during this pandemic as essential providers of social support for students in primary education. therefore, in order to develop high-quality learners, student learning motivation is a crucial aspect. gustiani, ardiansyah, and simanjuntak (2021) discovered that boosting student learning motivation for online learning requires encouragement, curiosity, enjoyment, and satisfaction. words of encouragement make a big difference during these trying times (mak, 2021). in practically every area of human activity, motivation plays a significant role. the motivational state undoubtedly affects the decision they make when they make one (murayama, 2018). whether we refer to it as a need or a drive, motivation is an internal state that yearns for a change in oneself or the surrounding circumstances. when we draw from this energy source, motivation gives the person the desire and focus required to interact with the environment in a flexible, open-ended, and problem-solving manner (reeve, 2015). as a result, while switching from face-to-face to distance learning, motivation to study is vital during the covid-19 pandemic. these students’ autonomous motivation and dedication to their studies came from internal and external sources. most of these students were driven by their ambitions for positive outcomes rather than by a regulated drive, rules, sanctions, or incentives. the study by rahiem (2021) suggests the necessity of educating learners to make them more durable and capable of establishing the ability to remain positive and motivated in the face of adversity and difficulties by identifying how the students managed to empower themselves. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 44 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 42-51, 2022 learning modalities in the new normal: responding to the threat of pandemic in the philippines, pushing education forward during the fatal pandemic brought on by covid 19 is a complex undertaking in the “new normal.” despite strong opposition due to the potential risk of the virus spreading, the department of education (deped) adopted and implemented the flexible blended learning approach. the various learning modes include blended learning, homeschooling, educational television, radiobased instruction, online learning, and modular (printed) and modular (digitized) learning. despite the challenges associated with adopting these many learning modes across the nation, education must continue, and teachers should begin preparing for modular, online, and blended learning. it is feasible to teach, but there are obstacles as well. anzaldo (2021) noted in her study that online learning is implemented, particularly in high schools and colleges, in cities where modern living is practiced, and students have the luxury of having an internet connection at home. however, modular distance learning is implemented for those residing in remote areas or provinces where internet access is limited to a select few. however, due to the covid 19 outbreak, teachers faced several difficulties implementing various learning modalities. these teachers face significant difficulties with internet access (abante et al., 2021; agayon et al., 2022) and students’ challenges with following instructions (de villa & manalo, 2020; villonez et al., 2020; agayon et al., 2022), the transfer of learning quality, the distribution and retrieval of modules, power outages, health risks (agayon et al., 2022), and insufficient training on the various online platforms for online teaching and learning processes and learning assessment (abante et al., 2021). faced with these challenges caused by the pandemic, distance learning proliferated in the philippines and become the most reliable method of completing school years (dagdag & darang, 2021). with the aid of adaptable teaching and learning modalities, distance learning becomes more adaptive and effective. as a result, teachers are preparing to arm themselves with distance learning because teaching can be challenging and stressful during difficult times. even if they encounter obstacles hindering their work, they can acclimate to the new normal and carry out their duties.although the covid 19 pandemic is spreading, trabucon et al. (2022) found that students are more prepared and supportive of face-to-face learning than flexible learning. different learning modalities would, however, continue to be used throughout the nation because the covid 19 pandemic still needs to be under control. as a result, teachers and students must be prepared for any circumstance. teachers and students must adjust to and accept this reality because it is doubtful that the situation will improve anytime soon. in light of the pandemic crisis, which calls for understanding and appreciation of providing a secure and inclusive place to make education accessible to everyone, the voices of the teachers and students featured in this literature review reflect on their tireless learning journey. theoretical framework motivating students to move or act in response to the pandemic is a significant worry for education professionals. amid the covid 19 pandemic, people struggle to stay motivated everywhere. it is especially true for officials, parents, teachers, and students who find it difficult to muster the strength, marshal the effort and persevere in their daily activities. thus, exercising self-determination at this time of the pandemic is crucial. as a psychological concept, “selfdetermination” refers to activities people perform out of their own free will, and “self-determined behavior” is decided by deliberate, conscious decision and choice (nota et al., 2011). depending on their theoretical orientations, different people conceptualize and define self-determination differently. for instance, deci and ryan’s (2000) self-determination theory (sdt) emphasizes the motivating component of selfdetermination as well as the impact of autonomy and motivation on students’ learning and education (chirkov, 2009). self-determination is “the ability to select and to have those choices...be the decisions of one’s action” (deci & ryan, 2013). learners who use various learning modalities due to the covid 19 pandemic are encouraged to be self-determined within the context of the new normal in education. their positive outlook and development promote autonomy, independent thinking, self-advocacy, empowerment, and their capacity to live according to values and standards (csikszentmihalyi & seligman, 2000). the researchers believe assessing and exploring learners’ experiences, challenges, and motivations for participating in limited face-to-face classes in the new normal is essential. on the other hand, the researchers used husserlian descriptive phenomenology and colaizzi’s seven steps of data analysis to describe and analyze the phenomenon caused by the pandemic in the educational sector, including the perseverance and sacrifice that the students made in order to continue their education. materials and methods research design this report is based on a study investigating students’ experiences as participants in the pandemic’s limited face-to-face classes and used husserlian descriptive phenomenology and colaizzi’s seven steps of data analysis in the current study. edmund husserl (1965) established descriptive phenomenology to identify the “essence” or “essential structure” of every phenomenon under investigation, i.e., the attributes that distinguish it from anything else (morrow et al., 2015). it provides the fundamental structural aspects of psychological techniques required for the phenomenon under investigation to be consciously perceived (giorgi, 2008). https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 45 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 42-51, 2022 the researchers assume that the participants will be willing to give their descriptions of their lived experiences because this technique yields data that indicates insights into the meaning of the phenomenon being examined (penner & mcclement, 2008). according to jackson, vaughan, and brown (2018), the process of descriptive phenomenology is analytical and illuminating, implying that it is knowledge-based because it attempts to create understanding. colaizzi’s (1978) unique seven-step process, on the other hand, provides a thorough analysis, with each stage remaining true to the data. the result is a concise yet complete explanation of the phenomenon under investigation, supported by those who contributed to its formation (morrow, rodriguez, & king, 2015). the researchers conducted face-to-face interviews to acquire successful results using first-person descriptions of experience that followed minimum health standard protocols. population and sampling intending to share their specific understanding of a phenomenon, researchers used purposive sampling to choose participants for their study (speziale & carpenter, 2007). this study aims to comprehend and explain a specific event from the perspective of those who have experienced it. hence this method of participant selection is suited for a descriptive phenomenological approach. a sample size of 20 participants was chosen for the study, allowing for the creation of detailed accounts of the phenomena (speziale & carpenter, 2007). research instrument face-to-face, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the assistance of an interview guide. the attendees were encouraged to speak freely and share their personal experiences. each interview lasted 30 to 45 minutes, and the researchers followed a strategy that fulfilled the minimum health standard protocols. the instrument was validated while being refined by two master’s level teachers and the school’s research coordinator, who is also earning a doctorate. suggestions and validators’ recommendations were considered to amend the guiding question and achieve the study’s purpose. the study had twenty individuals. finally, the transcripts were doublechecked by an independent researcher with expertise in qualitative research. data analysis after acquiring the appropriate data, the researchers examined it using colaizzi’s seven steps of data analysis. the researchers looked at each participant’s account several times to become acquainted with the data. all statements in the reports that are directly related to the study’s subject are then noted. after carefully evaluating the introductory sentences, the researchers infer meanings pertinent to the phenomenon, group the meanings into themes shared by all narratives, and finally merge all of the themes into a comprehensive and allencompassing description of the event. each participant is given the fundamental structural statement a second time and asked to confirm whether it accurately captures their experiences after distilling the lengthy description of the phenomenon into a succinct, dense statement that only contains the components they consider fundamental to its structure. the researchers may revisit and adjust previous analysis procedures (morrow et al., 2015). generally speaking, in a descriptive phenomenological study, the researchers break down the participant descriptions into meaning-laden sentences after analyzing the descriptions supplied. the researchers then gather the meanings critical to the structure of the phenomenon under study, allowing them to write about the structure of the phenomenon (giorgi, 1997). results and discussion this section will examine the experiences, challenges, and motivations of the students who took part in the limited face-to-face classes held during the covid-19 pandemic. here, it is also seen utilizing codes s1–s20 to conceal the participants’ identities. learning challenges during the pandemic’s limited face-to-face classes based on students’ challenges throughout the pandemic’s limited face-to-face classes, the themes that emerged and the number of replies per challenge are presented in tables. table 1: learning challenges during the pandemic’s limited face-to-face classes theme number of respondents (%) (n=20) quote statement lack of instructional time 16 (80%) covid-19 has made studying more challenging for me despite having limited face-to-face classes. because the teachers need more teaching time, some of the modules' tasks are still beyond my comprehension [s10]. lack of collaboration 13 (65%) nevertheless, we cannot participate in group activities with limited face-to-face classes because we must maintain social distancing due to the little sharing of our skills and abilities [s7]. adjustment period 6 (30%) we struggled to adjust after taking a two-year break from in-person instruction, and the fear of covid-19 has caused numerous changes [s4]. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 46 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 42-51, 2022 difficulty understanding the lessons and activities 9 (45%) because we were still utilizing modules, the confusing exercises had a significant negative impact on my academic performance[s18]. adjustment period 6 (30%) we struggled to adjust after taking a two-year break from in-person instruction, and the fear of covid-19 has caused numerous changes [s4]. lack of instructional time, lack of collaboration, difficulty understanding the lessons and activities, and adjustment period are the learning challenges faced by the participants who took part in the limited face-to-face classes. the main obstacle for the students who took part in the limited face-to-face classes was the need for instructional time. lack of collaboration was another difficulty they encountered; because of the danger posed by the covid-19 virus, students are not permitted to complete tasks like group activities and are required to maintain social distancing at all times. despite having few in-person instructions, students still needed help understanding the lessons and exercises because they were still using modules, some of which had challenging activities. the adjustment period also appeared as a theme in the current study. according to the analysis, the student’s learning challenges during the pandemic’s limited face-to-face classes were a lack of instructional time, collaboration, difficulty understanding the lessons and activities, and an adjustment period. from their responses, we can infer that the primary challenge to learning during the limited face-to-face classes is a lack of instructional time. notice the quoted statement below: covid-19 has made studying more challenging for me despite having limited face-to-face classes. because the teachers need more teaching time, some of the modules’ tasks are still beyond my comprehension [s10]. in order to develop the student’s full potential, it is vital to consider time. students who experience less stress at school are more likely to be self-motivated learners who use self-directed learning strategies that provide them with more learning flexibility. however, given the complexity of the circumstances brought on by the covid-19 pandemic, the time allocated for the performance of the limited inperson teaching is critical. this school year, students have had considerably less direct teacher-teaching time than in past years and have yet to have the opportunity to make up for it by working independently (sparks, 2021). studies have demonstrated that the time students spend on learning exercises impacts their learning outcomes (abadzi, 2007). on the other hand, rivkin and schiman’s (2015) empirical analysis demonstrates that achievement rises with instructional time and that the rise varies depending on the duration of the teaching and classroom setting. the findings show that factors related to the school play a significant role in determining the advantages and acceptability of more instructional time. while many schools are taking part in the introduction of limited face-to-face classes amid the pandemic, there is evidence from a large-scale, randomized experiment showing that more instructional time in the classroom improves student learning (andersen, humlum, & nandrup, 2016). notably, a school with specific guidelines for how the additional time is used during the pandemic’s limited inperson instructions is at least as effective as an increase in instructional time with a carefully thought-out teaching plan. the lack of collaboration emerged as another theme. in the statement, it is specifically mentioned: nevertheless, they cannot participate in group activities with limited face-to-face classes because they must maintain social distancing due to the little sharing of our skills and abilities [s7]. collaboration is a style of interaction, communication, and personal attitude in which people take ownership of their actions, knowledge, skills, and contributions and those of their peers (chandra, 2015). the covid-19 pandemic prevented students from using the commonly used teaching strategy of collaborative learning, which sacrifices the social cognitive components of learning among the students. given the circumstances, the teachers’ significant emphasis on the traditional lecture method of providing instruction throughout the execution of the limited face-to-face classes caused the participating students to overlook the collaborative features of collaborative learning. collaborative grouping enhances social and emotional skills that are important for everyday functioning in the modern world, according to a study by backer, miller, and timmer (2018). the study by darko and wang (2021), on the other hand, found that collaborative learning fosters a more learner-centered atmosphere, enhances students’ academic abilities, fosters the development of solid working connections among students, and promotes class engagement. among other things, group activities help students develop managerial skills, extrinsic incentives, and internal motivation. however, the covid-19 pandemic presents students with many difficulties while practicing collaborative learning, including group activities, communicating with group members, coordinating group members, and running out of time. thus, understanding and resolving collaboration issues is crucial for the effectiveness of collaborative learning during this pandemic. therefore, the department of education should assess the situation and develop guidelines so that teacher-centered methods like collaborative learning can continue to be used in the classroom despite the covid-19 pandemic and allow students to benefit from “learning together.” the study also revealed the theme of having difficulty understanding the lessons and activities. the following https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 47 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 42-51, 2022 assertion showed it: because they were still utilizing modules, the confusing exercises had a significant negative impact on their academic performance[s18]. during this pandemic, students are having a difficult time with the learning activities and module lessons. although there are already a limited number of face-to-face classes, teachers still need to devote more time to instruction and support to help students overcome challenges. the natividad (2021) study, which found that they needed to fully understand part of the content in the students’ self-learning modules, corroborated the difficulty in using them. rotas and cahapay (2020) and bustillo and aguilos (2022) described a similar situation in which most students struggled to complete the activities due to numerous obstacles. these include overburdened learning tasks, insufficient learning resources, and difficulties comprehending the module’s contents and assessment instructions. meanwhile, according to a study by dargo and dimas (2021), the implementation of modular distance learning dramatically lowers students’ overall weighted averages, which harms their academic achievement. since students have problems with these components, teachers should review their lessons’ contents and activities as face-toface classes are now taking place. school authorities should also take action to improve the support provided to students in these areas. the adjustment period was also shown to be a theme in the study. the following is what the participants declared: they struggled to adjust after taking a two-year break from inperson instruction, and the fear of covid-19 has caused numerous changes [s4]. the teachers modified their teaching and learning strategies during the implementation of the limited faceto-face classes under the direction of the institution’s policies. however, because of the long break from school, most students found it challenging to acclimate to the learning activities and requirements. the findings of the study by chen, li, wang, and gao (2018) showed that shyness was adversely connected with learning adjustment, with this association being mediated by the characteristics of goal orientation and academic helpseeking. due to the covid-19 pandemic, which caused most students to miss almost two years of school, most students are hesitant. they are going through an adjustment period when building up their confidence in the classroom. under the pandemic’s limited face-to-face classes, schools should concentrate on offering helpful teaching formats and creative ways to support students. they should also devise ways to help students structure the adjustment period and launch initiatives to boost their self-confidence and engagement in the learning process. motivations for learning during the pandemic’s limited face-to-face classes table 2 presents the themes that emerged from the motivation for learning during the pandemic’s limited face-to-face classes. the table shows that completing studies for the future, table 2: motivations for learning during the pandemic’s limited face-to-face classes theme number of respondents (%) (n=20) quote statement completion of studies for the future 14 (70%) achieve academic completion. making parents proud is something they strive to achieve. they aspire to find stable jobs in order to support their family [9]. a steadfast commitment to learning 11 (55%) being persistent in their pursuit of knowledge and learning new things [15]. fulfill their life's dreams 9 (45%) their motivation comes from the dreams they hope to realize in the future and from their parents, who have always encouraged them to pursue their goals [13]. appreciating learning despite challenges 6 (30%) appreciation for education in this day and age, when despite obstacles, people are still striving to complete their education, realize their life goals, and support their families [2]. steadfast commitment to learning, fulfilling their life’s dreams, and appreciating learning despite challenges are the main motivations of the students for continuing to learn during the pandemic’s limited face-to-face classes. the participants persist and put out significant effort in their academic pursuits despite the pandemic because they want to complete their education and are motivated by their parents. because they considered their family’s sacrifice, particularly during a time of crisis where many people have lost their jobs and poverty is pervasive, the theme of being steadfast in commitment to learning was also observed concerning this. the next theme that emerged was pursuing their life dreams, which they believed would motivate them to continue their studies despite the danger posed by covid-19. students who want a prosperous future should view learning as a precious treasure that cannot be stolen. additionally, when they felt disheartened by doubts https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 48 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 42-51, 2022 brought on by their anxiety and fear, their enjoyment of learning gave them the fortitude and encouragement to keep learning. this appreciation served as another source of motivation for them. it simply means that they are motivated to be strong and diligent in their studies despite the covid-19 pandemic because they need to finish school for their future, persevere in their education, realize their life dreams, and value learning despite the challenges. according to the analysis of the participants’ experiences, there are two types of motivation: the motivation to learn and the motivation to create fulfillment and appreciation. students’ completion of their studies for the future and their steadfast commitment to learning will be incorporated into the motivation to learn, according to the current study’s developed theme.the following statement demonstrates the student’s desire to complete their studies despite the pandemic: achieve academic completion. making parents proud is something they strive to achieve. they aspire to find stable jobs in order to support their family. it can be found in the assertion that students naturally strive to improve their future; therefore, they persevere in finishing their education despite the threat of the covid-19 virus because they consider the welfare of their families. the theme of students’ steadfast commitment to learning is another source of learning motivation. notice the statement below: being persistent in their pursuit of knowledge and learning new things. the statement implies that their motivation to learn is based on their interests and those of their family. it has arisen as a powerful source of inspiration, especially during this pandemic, and has shown to be a beneficial source of motivation. from a psycho-educational standpoint, a student’s “motivation to learn” has been defined as their “energy and desire to learn, work effectively, and reach their potential,” as well as the behaviors that go along with this energy and drive (martin, 2004). therefore, it was determined that students’ motivation to succeed in the crucial transition from in-person instruction to remote instruction and now back to limited in-person instruction was primarily influenced by how well they felt about themselves and their families. in order to successfully utilize limited face-to-face classes, it is imperative to motivate the student to learn. it is so because motivation significantly impacts learning and teaching circumstances. whether or not learners are motivated determines whether learning will be successful. the study by filgona et al. (2020) asserts that student motivation to learn is fundamental because, of course, a student’s simple attendance in a class does not imply that they are motivated to learn. it just serves as a reminder to students that they live in a world where school attendance is expected. in contrast to unmotivated students, who are likely to learn little and make teaching difficult and painful, highly motivated students are likely to pick things up quickly and make any class fun to teach. teachers cannot take students’ enthusiasm for learning for granted because some are now taking part in limited face-to-face classes. they have to make sure students are motivated to learn. teachers must influence students to desire to do the right thing. this study focuses on this task—understanding and consequently influencing learners’ learning motivations. in the meantime, the urge to create fulfillment and appreciation is associated with realizing their life’s dreams and appreciating learning despite challenges. here is a quote that will demonstrate the fulfillment and appreciation for learning: their motivation comes from the dreams they hope to realize in the future and from their parents, who have always encouraged them to pursue their goals. the response conveys the preference and learners’ dedication to pursuing their educational goals to realize their lifelong aspirations, demonstrating that no virus can thwart their passion for learning. the theme of appreciating learning despite challenges can be inferred from the following remark, which is also categorized as motivation to create fulfillment and appreciation: appreciation for education in this day and age, when despite obstacles, people are still striving to complete their education, realize their life goals, and support their families. it simply implies that despite the covid-19 pandemic, which has been devastating to the lives of many filipino learners, their love of studying motivates them to continue their studies. as highlighted by vegas and winthrop (2020), the covid-19 pandemic has at least one benefit: a more profound understanding of the significance of public education. public awareness of the crucial caretaking function schools play in society has increased as parents struggle to work with their children at home owing to school closures. parents are becoming more appreciative of teachers, their abilities, and their crucial role in students’ well-being as young people struggle to learn at home. considering how difficult it is for schools to care for their most vulnerable students, policymakers should develop innovative ways to provide necessary services, notably high-quality education. because of the covid-19 pandemic, learners developed a greater understanding of the value of reflection, selfmonitoring, and self-evaluation (alghamdi, 2021). on the other hand, they adopted limited face-to-face classes that encouraged and fostered persistence, commitment, selfreliance, and confidence. ramalingam and jiar’s (2022) study discussed the two types of motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic. intrinsic motivation is the kind of drive that comes from within oneself; extrinsic motivation is the kind of drive that comes from beyond oneself. thus, it is clear from the current study that intrinsic motivation encompasses completing studies for the future, steadfast commitment to learning, fulfilling their life’s dreams, and appreciating learning despite challenges. these results suggest that despite the pandemic, bagong nayon ii national high school students are resilient and persistent in their pursuit of knowledge. regardless of the source of motivation—intrinsic or https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 49 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 42-51, 2022 extrinsic, motivation to learn or motivation to create fulfillment and appreciation—both generally encourage learners to advance, persevere in their education, and benefit from high-quality education for all, despite the challenges of the pandemic. conclusions the study investigated and described the personal stories of the learners who participated in the limited face-to-face classes and their challenges and motivations in learning throughout the pandemic. despite the threat posed by covid-19, it also highlighted the learners’ experiences, hard work, and sacrifice. the researchers believe that it is essential to use the study’s findings as a roadmap for formulating measures or policies tailored to the education sector’s demands. references abadzi, h. 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philippine education, including its history, facts, and statistics as well as the operation of the educational system. the philippines recently underwent a significant revamp, bringing basic education up to par with that of other asian nations by increasing it from 10 to 13 years. as a result, it is anticipated that young graduates in the philippines will compete more fiercely for domestic and international jobs.the american model is most similar to the philippines’ current educational system. although bilingual math, science, and literary instruction (in english and tagalog) were implemented under ferdinand marcos in 1974, english remained the major language of instruction. with courses given in practical skills like auto repair and bartending, the government’s focus on vocational education changed with the founding of the technical education and skills development authority (tesda) in 1994.the goal of education is to increase the capacity of the educational system to reach all students. nonetheless, most filipino students are educated in government-funded schools in the philippines, which confront several difficulties including low-quality results, sizable class numbers, teacher shortages, a lack of resources, unsustainable curricula, and legislators with conflicting views. to suggest that the education issue still presents a significant problem for parents, teachers, and children alike, particularly for those who are poor, is an understatement. this crisis is not brand-new; it has existed for a while. nonetheless, the pandemic has brought to light the systemic flaws and the rising social divide. in this day and age, education has required a lot of its participants, but at what cost? ironically, to meet these demands, many families have remained in poverty, scholastic performance and general well-being have suffered, and worst of all, millions of youngsters have been held behind. therefore, the purpose of this systematic literature review is to examine the research on the k-12 curriculum from 2012 – 2022 to give insight to policymakers and researchers with respect to the following research questions: 1. what are the factors that serve as facilitators or barriers to k-12 curriculum implementation? to what extent are the factors invariant across contexts and conditions? 2. what are the academic and non-academic outcomes of the k-12 curriculum? 3. what policies can further be implemented to improve the present curriculum? background pre–colonial and colonial history children were taught the fundamentals of education in the ancient philippines. this type of education was both academic and vocational in nature. fathers taught sons to be warriors, hunters, fishermen, miners, lumberjacks, and shipbuilders. while mothers, taught their daughters cooking, gardening, serving, and other housekeeping skills. it is said that in ancient panay, a barangay school called bothoan was run by a teacher who was usually an elderly man. reading, writing, arithmetic, and weapon use were among the subjects taught to children in this barangay school.then came the foreign invaders. the european educational system was introduced to the this study discusses the history and current state of the philippine educational system. the features of the pre-colonial, spanish, american, and japanese eras and how they influenced the country’s educational system were presented in a brief and concise form. this paper addresses the challenges observed in the past, as well as obstacles the country faces in implementing the k-12 curricula. recommendations and suggestions were made based on the key assessment features of the implementation of the curriculum through observed results in the academic and non-academic outcomes and facilitators or barriers to the k-12 curriculum. this study forwards recommendations on the enhancement of the present curriculum. https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i2.1601 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= mailto:haytham.elaoufy%40gmail.com?subject= mailto:campos.gr%40pnu.edu.ph?subject= pa ge 85 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 84-92, 2023 archipelago with the arrival of spain. missionaries established primary schools, colleges, and universities in our country. during their reign in the philippines, spain’s main goal was to convert native filipinos into obedient and god-fearing christians. as a result, religion was made a compulsory subject at all levels, from primary school to university. the first schools were parochial schools established in parishes by missionaries. in addition to religion, native children were taught reading, writing, arithmetic, and some vocational and practical art subjects in these schools. the missionaries later established colleges for both boys and girls. these colleges served as the equivalent of today’s high schools. history, latin, geography, mathematics, and philosophy were among the subjects taught to the students. during the spanish period, there was no co-education. boys and girls went to separate schools.the short-lived filipino independence movement, which founded the rebel first philippine republic, was sparked by spain’s defeat in the spanishamerican war. after a brief closure, the schools that spain had supported for more than three centuries were reopened on august 29, 1898, by the interior secretary. there was the founding of the burgos institute, the first law school in the nation, the academia militar, the nation’s first military academy, and the literary university of the philippines. public education was required to be free and mandatory in all schools across the country under the first philippine republic, according to article 23 of the malolos constitution. the philippineamerican war, however, slowed its development. the united states took a different approach, guided by what the americans saw as their primary goal in coming to the philippines: “to educate and train in the science of self-government.” as a result, it was not surprising that the united states saw education as one of its top priorities in the philippines. even as us troops were establishing a foothold in manila in 1898, schools were being established. unlike the spaniards, who neglected to spread their language, the americans made it a point to teach the filipinos english. the first teachers of the filipinos were american soldiers. in january 1901, free primary education was established, as was a school for filipino teachers. it advocated for the recruitment of qualified teachers in the united states. it ended compulsory religious education. the americans provided opportunities for bright young filipino students to pursue higher education in american colleges and universities. these filipinos became known as “pensionados” because their education in the united states was paid for by the philippine government. hundreds of filipino pensionados could study in the united states until 1928. the future civic, business, and political leaders of our country emerged from the ranks of these pensionados. filipinos flocked to public and private schools in large numbers, hungry for education. attempts were made to discourage the use of english and replace it with japanese when the japanese invaded the philippines in 1942 as part of the second world war. nonetheless, there were few students enrolled in school during this time because parents believed their kids were safer at home. schools and churches were also used as propaganda tools for the japanese. nippon-go, the japanese language, was made a compulsory subject in all schools. in government and private offices, classes in nippon-go were opened to propagate the japanese language and culture. japanese catholic priests were sent to the philippines to help promote the idea that japan, being an asian country, was a friend of all asian people including the filipinos. the department of instruction was likewise started by the japanese; in 1947, it changed its name to the department of education. in 1946, when the japanese had left, the philippines attained complete independence. it was assumed that the most fundamental objective of education is the development of an individual’s potential which will simultaneously improve society. educational policies have been geared toward the accomplishment of better manpower production through the understanding by the students of land reform, taxation, economic production, anti-drug and anti-pollution, and conservation education. to accomplish these goals, value and work-oriented curricula were encouraged. however, many parents and teachers were still confused because they did not understand the philosophy, operations, and evaluations of this innovation in education. the concept of an average layman or teacher in the “new society” was always associated with the advent of martial law. this must be redirected to a functional definition of wholesome integration of our economic, social, and moral lives for the philippines. with the country’s independence celebration in 1946, barely eight decades ago, came every aspect of the educational system in line with the new status of a new nation seeking to achieve and maintain political and economic independence, as well as to fashion a nation truly united of social and cultural diversities. overview transition and features of the k – 12 curriculum education is essential in almost every country around the world. even though each country has its own educational system, most countries have a similar concept or equivalent qualification. the education system in the philippines is unique in that it incorporates influences from its colonial history. the philippines, the only asian country with a 10-year basic education cycle, recently switched to a 12year cycle in june 2012. the k-12 educational policy refers to this curriculum shift (cristol, 2014). a 12-year program is found to be the best period for learning under basic education, according to the department of education of the republic of the philippines. it is also the globally accepted standard for students and professionals.the k to 12 program took nearly six years to implement. the philippines has embarked on this ambitious reform in order to align its education system with the majority of other systems worldwide and increase national https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 86 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 84-92, 2023 competitiveness. the k-12 program is viewed as critical to ensuring that all filipinos have the basic skills needed to play a full and productive role in society. it is also motivated by concerns that overseas workers will lose out to migrant workers from other countries due to shorter basic education requirements (patrinos, 2016). despite calls to halt the program, the government has maintained that the new educational system provides opportunities for both filipino students and the national economy. in fact, the government listed three of the many practical advantages of a 12year education cycle. a thirteen-year education is required by law in the philippines. these thirteen years span kindergarten through grade twelve, also known as the k-12 program. following that, students can choose whether to continue their education. as a pre-university educational system, the k-12 curriculum was implemented to in line with the rest of the world. as part of the k-12 reforms, a parallel education system known as the alternative learning system, or als, was established. in cases where children are unable to attend and complete formal basic education, als exists as a substitute for traditional education. this could include remote communities without schools, for example. als takes a more relaxed approach to education, encouraging self-study and offering flexible learning schedules based on student availability. mobile als teachers manage the teaching, which is typically done in community (barangay) centers, libraries, or at home. the government of the philippines improves educational equality through als. the provision of one year of kindergarten schooling for every child in the philippines prior to entering elementary school was central to the k-12 reforms. in the philippines, the elementary school consists of grades 1-6. the k-12 elementary school reforms included a curriculum that is better suited to the needs of christian and muslim students; muslim children now have the opportunity to learn arabic. in the philippines, the junior high school consists of grades 7 through 10. in the philippines, senior high school (shs) covers grades 11-12 and was introduced in 2016 as part of the k to 12 programs. students will be able to specialize in one of four tracks, in addition to the core curriculum: academic (including business, stem topics, and humanities), technical-vocationallivelihood (including tesda courses in cookery and welding), sports, and arts & design. students are assessed to determine their strengths and interests to help them choose a learning path. these include an aptitude test, a career assessment exam, and activities to assist students in deciding on a specialization. the tracks available vary depending on the resources available in the area and the student’s interests. the senior high school program was created to bridge the gap between school and work by partnering with local businesses to provide technical and vocational courses, and students can gain work experience while studying. the shs curriculum also includes entrepreneurship courses, giving students the option of starting their own business instead of going to college after graduation. tertiary education in the philippines typically lasts four or five years, with some subjects taking up to eight years. postgraduate studies can last two years or more. classes begin in june and end in march of the following year at most universities, with a few following a trimester pattern. colleges are tertiary institutions that typically offer a few professional or specialized courses like computing, maritime studies, or nursing. universities must provide at least six four-year undergraduate courses, including basic science, mathematics, liberal arts, and social sciences. colleges and universities can be public or private, and the latter can be religious or secular. when changes are made to our educational system in order to find a solution to our educational ills, some pressure groups intervene and claim that it is “unrealistic and expensive,” which is not a valid reason. to energize the lives of the citizens, courage, and energy for action must be maintained. since pre-colonial times, education in the philippines has come a long way. while educational standards are high, young aspiring graduates can always benefit from expanding their knowledge. aims the purpose of this literature review was to examine the research on the philippine educational system and the k-12 curriculum, the factors that affect the implementation, outcomes, and the challenges and obstacles the educational system of the country faces in the past and at present. methodology a systematic literature review was conducted that included 18 peer-reviewed studies and unpublished reports from 2012 to 2022 related to the philippine educational system and the k – 12 curricula. a systematic review of the literature (xiao & watson, 2017) using the prisma preferred reporting items for systematic reviews as a guide (moher, liberati, tetzlaff, & altman, 2009). prisma is consistent with recent methodological guidance for conducting high-quality systematic reviews (alexander, 2020). the systematic literature review’s main goal is to describe the state of the research literature in the field of k-12 curriculum in the philippines. there are various types of descriptive systematic literature reviews (xiao & watson, 2017), and this study used a textual narrative synthesis approach. the textual narrative synthesis approach extracts data and writes commentaries about identified studies, such as study characteristics, context, quality, and findings, using a standardized review process. a textual narrative synthesis, using this common reporting framework, enables the researcher to compare similarities and differences across studies to draw conclusions (xiao & watson, 2017). the textual narrative synthesis approach was chosen for several reasons, including the following: (a) it is generally regarded as more rigorous than the narrative review, and (b) it fits with an analysis of both qualitative and quantitative studies. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 87 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 84-92, 2023 inclusion and criteria the researcher included peer-reviewed studies and gray literature (e.g., reports, dissertations) written in english from 2012 to 2022 related to the philippine elementary and secondary (k-12) educational context. studies could be qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods. because this field of study is still in its infancy, gray literature that was not peerreviewed was included. only searching traditional peer-reviewed articles would almost certainly result in an underrepresentation of relevant research. the gray literature would capture a broader range of findings, reducing the risk of publication bias. the researcher included only literature that described the research methodology used to gather data for the study to ensure we captured research studies rather than white papers or other advocacy reports. research questions were also considered, but the quality of the research questions or methodology was not judged at this point. studies were excluded from the systematic review if they did not (a) focus on k-12 students; (b) have common learning expectations and demonstrate mastery or proficiency; and (c) relate to any of the systematic review’s research questions. the emphasis was on these key elements of the educational system and the k -12 because they are widely regarded as the hallmarks of the educational system’s change, though there is still a lack of uniformity regarding the term and definition of k-12. this enabled the collection of research studies investigating k-12 approaches, even if they used slightly different terminology. literature review several major research databases were used in the study, including eric, jstor, psycinfo, proquest’s dissertation abstracts, and google scholar. the researcher also conducted forward and backward searches for other studies that fit within the search parameters using reference lists from relevant research. figure 1 depicts a flow diagram of the culling process, as well as the total number of studies removed at each stage. it began by identifying all potentially relevant research studies using key search terms, yielding a total of 66 studies for review. then the abstracts were reread for those studies and excluded any that did not fit into the k-12 context. most of the studies were excluded from this category. finally, 21 studies were retrieved for a more thorough examination. eighteen of the 21 studies were included in the final review because they related to the research questions in this study. result and discussion rq1. what are the factors that serve as facilitators or barriers to k-12 implementation? to what extent are the factors invariant across contexts and conditions? each of the 18 studies that were assessed produced conclusions that were relevant to the k–12 implementation in the philippine educational system. in this review, the researcher made the decision to categorize the variables that had an impact on the philippine educational system and k–12 implementation as facilitators and barriers. although there are different approaches to examining the available literature, we concentrated on comprehending the forces that drive and restrain change according to kurt lewin’s change model from 1951. a crucial initial step in comprehending the change process in schools is to examine the motivating (facilitators) and inhibiting (barriers) forces. this gives one lens through which to examine barriers and supportive components at various phases of implementation. also, several of the research studies looked at in this systematic literature review assessed implementation challenges and facilitators, making it simpler to connect the dots and synthesize the results across studies and situations. table 1 summarizes the facilitators and barriers to implementation with respect to the five focal elements of k-12 from the 2012 working definition, as previously discussed. the factors that affect k-12 implementation were relatively consistent across studies, as noted by the reference to multiple studies within each element. some important facilitators across the key elements included: education for all (efa), an empowered individual who has learned via a program that is rooted in strong principles and focused on excellence, according to the k–12 education vision, teachers’ dedication, course tracking and offerings fit for the interest and needs of the students, and timely monitoring and evaluation plan. key barriers across k 12 elements included the tuition costs, home-school distance, books, tables, seats, laboratories, tech-voc equipment, a specialized instructor in the key courses, computer labs, audio-visual equipment, and financial concerns, lack of seminars, training, and readings relevant to the areas of expertise and the k–12 curriculum of teachers, heavy teacher workload, misconceptions about the k–12 curriculum, curriculum implementation, teacher preparation, administrator support, and stakeholder collaboration.figure 1: flow chart of the literature identification process. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 88 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 84-92, 2023 table 1: factors that affect the k – 12 curriculum elements of k-12 from 2012 working definition facilitators barriers the new curriculum includes kindergarten as well as 12 years of fundamental education, including 6 years of primary education, 4 years of junior high school, and 2 years of senior high school (barcelo, 2019). emphasized education for all (efa) on a global scale. tuition costs, home-school distance, books, tables, seats, laboratories, techvoc equipment, a specialized instructor in the key courses, computer labs, audio-visual equipment, and financial concerns. k-12 programs show good educational quality, particularly in terms of globaleducation standards, ability to work abroad, and development of employment skills. implementations of k–12 programs aimed at producing more educated pupils with fundamental skills for job and lifetime learning (abragan, aquino, abarcas, & bagongon, 2022). every graduate of the enhanced k–12 basic education program is an empowered individual who has learned via a program that is rooted in strong principles and focused on excellence, according to the k–12 education vision from the department of education (deped, 2010). lack of seminars, training and readings relevant to the areas of expertise and the k–12 curriculum of teachers makes it difficult for them to develop the lessons and activities outlined in the recently introduced curriculum. before a student is admitted to college, two extra years are required for senior high school grades 11 and 12. as a result, the k–12 curriculu’s implementation influences both secondary and primary education.s. deped order no. 13 the enhanced basic education curriculum’s implementationguidelines areoutlined in 2012, with an emphasis on the curriculum’s design, the program’s desired outcomes for grades 1 through 10, various learning areas, the medium of instruction, time allotment, and class schedule, as well as assessment and rating of learning outcomes (palestina, pangan, & ancho, 2020). teachers’ dedication serves as an enabler in bringing about change in classroom practices heavy teacher workload needs to be addressed seriously. leaders in the education sector can align programs and policies based on experiences and practices in the classroom as well as research-based inputs by carefully examining the facilitating and hindering variables in the processes of implementing the curriculum the implementation of the new curriculum has raised several challenges rooted in the understanding of the new curriculum, the additional costs to every family, and the readiness of facilities, infrastructures, instructional materials, and teaching personnel. the department of education (deped) stated that k–12 “is the most comprehensive basic education reform initiative ever done in the country since the establishment of a public education system” (trance & trance, 2018). develop graduates capable of meeting today’s issues through course tracking and offerings fit for the interest and needs of the students. there are not enough materials and resources. the challenges faced by teachers and students have been substantiated by these experiences, which is consistent. misconceptions about the k–12 curriculum also emerged and, the is awareness of the importance of the involvement and contribution to the new curriculum’s success of the teachers and students. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 89 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 84-92, 2023 the risks and potential associated with the philippine government’s k+12 expanded basic education program’s widespread adoption across the nation cannot be ignored. the goal of educational reform is to guarantee that graduates meet the intended learning outcomes set out by the intended curriculum in order for them to be globally competent not only in the academic arena but also in the workplace (jaca, flores, & jaluage, 2018). a thorough and timely monitoring and evaluation plan, to meet the learning objectives of the expanded basic education program, content must be pertinent and contextualized. to adapt the curriculum to the demands of the learners, it must be revised often. curriculum implementation, teacher preparation,school resources, administrator support, and stakeholder collaboration were the five common themes that emerged among the concerns found. rq2. what are the academic and non-academic outcomes of the k-12 curriculum? conclusions concerning the k–12 curriculum’s results were drawn from ten studies. these results can be categorized according to their effects on three different aspects of students’ learning: (a) academic accomplishment and progress; (b) intrinsic motivation and engagement; and (c) additional results that may be seen as either facilitators or barriers to students’ learning. evidence is categorized as having a positive or negative impact on the given outcome of interest for each of the 10 research. each study assessed includes a threelevel hierarchical grading of the quality of the evidence supporting causal inferences or drawing generalizations. the levels of evidentiary strength are described as follows: level 1: evidence is primarily anecdotal or descriptive in nature; the study provides in-depth information about a specific setting; conclusions may not transfer across contexts (qualitative). level 2: the research design is insufficient to infer causation or support claims of generalization, but the evidence points to a relationship (correlational). level 3: because the research was conducted using an experimental or quasi-experimental research design with matched treatment and control groups, the evidence points to a causal relationship and/or supports claims of generalization (causal).only a few of these research studies fall into the level 1 or level 2 range in terms of the strength of the evidence, placing the majority at level 3. this is due to several factors, including (a) small, unrepresentative samples chosen using purposeful or convenience sampling approaches; (b) variations in how k–12 programs are implemented across schools; and (c) worries about the quality and accuracy of the data. these factors are all influenced by the research’s goals and the research design. table 2: overview of the evidence, including study strength of evidence, for the effects of k–12 curriculum on student outcomes criteria strength of evidence academic achievement and progress positive the academic performance efficiency among senior high instructors and of grade eleven (11) students in english and math curricula offered at tawi-tawi regional agricultural college both revealed a good correlation (ahamad, jauhari, luddin, & abdurahman, 2019). level 2 there was a significant difference in academic adjustment and performance when students are stratified according to the shs strand. moreover, moderation analysis showed that the shs strand significantly moderates the relationship between academic adjustment and performance (alipino, 2020). level 1 negative overall, the k to 12 graduates were college-unready (mamba, tamayo & vecaldo, 2020). level 3 intrinsic motivation and engagement positive students have a moderate level of extrinsic aspirations but very high levels of intrinsic motivation. further, the study concluded that there is no correlation between extrinsic aspirations and academic performance but there is an extensive correlation between intrinsic aspirations and academic performance (abun, magallanez, aboot, & barroga, 2020). level 2 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 90 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 84-92, 2023 students have a very strong external locus of control but had a low level of motivation. results also showed that most of the respondents had very high levels of dropout intention and weighted point average (wpa). correlation revealed a weak positive association between locus of control and wpa (alipio, 2020). level 2 students have an extremely intrinsic motivation than extrinsic motivation. however, it also revealed that intrinsic motivation cannot directly affect the academic performance in games and sports as their field of specialization because extrinsic motivation showed a significant relationship to their academic performance in games and sports (balacuit & inabagan, 2019) level 2 negative male students have a higher motivation in physics than female students in all other components of motivation (torio, 2015). level 3 other outcomes positive comparatively to their teacher-controlling counterparts, students who felt that their learning environment supported their autonomy also demonstrated much higher academic engagement in their oral communication classes. when teachers encourage their students, involve them in decision-making processes, and establish ground rules for the classroom, positive results in the learning environment are stimulated and negative consequences are avoided. alternatives that teachers can use to enhance their educational strategies and increase student involvement include the introduction of new environments that foster autonomy (espejo, 2018). level 3 negative in this study, which involved 1,860 ips enrolled at a public institution in the northern philippines, it was examined how academic profile and college readiness related. the findings showed that the majority of respondents lacked preparation for college (vecado, tamayao, mamba, asuncion, paat, & pagulayan, 2020). level 3 the mangsee national high school, specifically the parents of the grade vii students encountered problems in the implementation of the k – 12 program, they all have a variety of opinions or thoughts about the said program. some parents we’re viewing this program in a negative viewed which is this will be another burden for them and for their children both physically and financially, but some parents overviewed the program positively and think that this will help the learners choose and decide the career which best suits their skills (mohammad, 2016). level 1 according to the study by bongco and david (2020), teachers encounter several conflicts when they attempt to understand and implement curriculum policies in their classrooms. these tensions include being confused yet appreciative, irritated yet adaptable, and helpless yet essential. the study’s conclusion discusses how instructors’ comprehension and application of curricular policies play a significant role in the success of curriculum implementation. level 1 rq3 what recommendations can be implemented to improve the present curriculum? teachers, parents, and students who were heavily involved in implementing the k–12 programs in the philippines had a variety of opinions and suppositions about whether this improvement helped the nation improve its educational system to meet the demands of the global market. students with the essential abilities and competencies could compete in their chosen fields of specialization thanks to the k–12 program. the k–12 programs included something that should be at the top of the government’s list of priorities because it was seen to be the answer to every issue the nation is currently experiencing. several studies had been done to determine what needed to be done to implement this new curriculum that offered many viewpoints. consequently, this essay would want to suggest the following: 1. ensure that teachers had the competencies and skills required to cope with the children who were included in this new curriculum, the engagement of teachers in various training and seminars is needed to be maximized. 2. ensure that the student’s learning was supported by the new curriculum, school infrastructure, labs, and instructional materials had to be improved. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 91 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 84-92, 2023 3. the curriculum implementation process continues to face difficulties; as a result, the department of education, administrators, and other stakeholders should assess the need for further development in certain areas. moreover, policy interpretation may be complicated by system instability. conclusion this literature review aimed to find implementation, student results, and the relationship between implementation and outcomes in the research on the k–12 curriculum and the philippine educational system. this systematic review makes numerous important contributions to the ongoing debate about curriculum revisions.the literature on k-12 implementation and results is carefully reviewed and integrated in the first part of this synthesis, which also identifies themes that guide research, policy, and practice. to better actualize the equality ideals at the center of reform efforts, practitioners can better understand what is necessary for various circumstances by analyzing the degree of implementation and associated implications on student outcomes. the review also identifies gaps in the body of available information. for instance, it’s important to comprehend how student learning fits into the curriculum, how schools view and assess competency, and how assessment works in competency-based systems. thirdly, this research synthesis suggests areas that require more investigation. for instance, a good deal of study has been done on the variables (facilitators and barriers) that influence k–12 implementations. this study has shown that barriers can transform into facilitators that hasten and enhance implementation quality. we do not yet understand how different implementation profiles are affected by barriers and facilitators. the effects of the k–12 curriculum on students’ academic and nonacademic outcomes and how those effects may vary by prior achievement, background factors, grade span, content area, and other factors arestill largely unknown. considering the equity objectives, investigating how the k–12 curriculum is perceived and how it affects underrepresented student populations seems especially relevant. examining how the k–12 curriculum affects underrepresented student populations seems especially pertinent given the equity goals. many believe that the k–12 curriculum and associated practices will raise student achievement and reduce equity gaps. this systematic review aims to highlight what is already known about the k–12 curriculum and what still needs to be investigated. this study’s findings suggest that the implementation process is still plagued with problems. as a result of the system’s instability, it should be also determined that there were significant differences in the implementation system’s organization and coherence across and within the department of education, administrators, and other stakeholders. limitation and recommendation this systematic literature review has limitations, just like any other study. initially, certain papers were left out of the evaluation due to the inclusion and exclusion criteria that were used. this can result in a more constrained view of how the k–12 curriculum is implemented and what it achieves. the researcher made an effort to address this constraint by expanding the search criteria and incorporating gray literature (such as unpublished reports). the researcher also notes that the manner in which the research studies were assessed might impact the study results. reference abragan, f. q., abarcas, v., aquino, i. m., & bagongon, r. e. (2022). research review on k-12 curriculum implementation in the philippines: a generic perspective. european journal of educational and social sciences, 7(1), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.5281/ zenodo.7272126. abun, d., magallanez, t., agoot, f., & barroga, j. r. (2019). extrinsic and intrinsic aspirations of students of divine word colleges in ilocos region, philippines, and their academic performance. international journal of english literature and social sciences, 4(2), 405-419. https://doi.org/10.22161/ijels.4.2.32. ahamada, j. k., jauhari, a. h., luddin, s. a., & abdurahman, a. j. (2019). how readiness to implement the k-12 curriculum influences academic performance in high schools in the philippines. international journal of innovation, creativity, and change, 10(6). alipino, m. m. (2020). academic adjustment and performance among filipino freshmen college students in the health sciences: does senior high school strand matter? education management, university of southeastern philippines. almerino, jr. p. m., ocampos, l. a., abellana, d. p. m., almerino, j. g. f., mamites, i. o., pinili, l. c., tenerife, j. j. l., sitoy, r. e., abelgas, l. j., & pateros, e. d. (2020). evaluating the academic performance of k-12 students in the philippines: a standardized evaluation approach. education research international, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/8877712. balacuit, c. v., & inabangan, j. e. (2019). influence of motivation towards academic performance in games and sports among bsed-mapeh interns in sdssumain campus. international journal of physical education, sports and health, 6(3), 220-224. barcelo, c.d.s. (2019). problems in the implementation of k-12 curriculum by grade 11 students in aurora province, philippines. jpair institutional research, 12, 135-148. retrieved from file:///c:/users/grace/ downloads/irjvol12_135_148%20(1).pdf. bongco, r. t. & david, a. p. (2020). filipino teachers’ experiences as curriculum policy implementers in the evolving k to 12 landscape. issues in educational research, 30(1), 1-16. jaca, c.a., flores, m. n., & jaluague, j. (2018). the k+12 curriculum implementation: contemporary issues in https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 92 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 84-92, 2023 philippine education. international journal of creative research and studies, 2(11). retrieved from https:// www.researchgate.net/publication/329925522_the_ k12_curriculum_implementation_contemporary_ issues_in_philippine_education mamba, m., tamayao, a., & vecaldo, r. (2020). college readiness of filipino k to 12 graduates: insights from a criterion–referenced test. international journal of education and practice, 8(4), 625-637. https://doi. org/10.18488/journal.61.2020.84.625.637 moher, d., liberati, a., tetzlaff, j., & altman, d. g. (2009). preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: the prisma statement. journal of clinical epidemiology, 62(10), 1006–1012. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2009.06.005 palestina, r. l., pangan, a. d., & ancho, i. v. (2020). curriculum implementation facilitating and hindering factors: the philippines context. international journal of education, 13(2), 91-92. https://doi.org/10.17509/ ije.v13i2.25340. trance, n.j.c. & trance, l.a.m.l. (2019). embracing the k-12 curriculum: accounts of philippine teachers and students. journal of physics: conference series, 1254(1), 012031. https://doi.org/10.1088/17426596/1254/1/012031 torio, v.a.g. (2015). physics motivation and research: understanding the 21st century learners of today. international journal of education and research, 3(2). vecaldo, r.t., tamayao, a.i., mamba, m.t., asuncion, j.e.l., paat, f.m.g., & pagulayan, e.s. (2020). academic profile and college preparedness of k-12 graduates: the case of the indigenous peoples (ips) in the northern philippines. journal of education and e-learning research, 7(4), 437-445. xiao, y., & watson, m. (2017). guidance on conducting a systematic literature review. journal of planning education and research, 39(1), 93–112. https://doi. org/10.1177/0739456x17723971. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 11 4 american journal of education and technology (ajet) effectiveness of professional development programs on science teachers’ literacy in basic education maria fe o. bustamante1* volume 4 issue 2, year 2025 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v4i2.4411 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: january 10, 2025 accepted: february 17, 2025 published: may 30, 2025 professional development programs are essential for enhancing science educators’ teaching competencies. these programs equip teachers with innovative strategies to foster scientific literacy, critical thinking, and student engagement. this study investigates the relationship between professional development programs and the implementation of scientific literacy in selected schools in agusan del sur. adopting a quantitative descriptive-correlational research design, the study surveyed 151 science teachers using complete enumeration sampling (universal sampling). results show that demographic factors such as age, gender, teaching experience, and training attendance do not significantly affect teachers’ perceptions of these programs. however, grade level and educational attainment strongly influence the effectiveness of professional development, particularly in pedagogical approaches, collaboration, and assessment strategies. based on the findings, the study recommends increasing funding and access to continuous professional development, tailoring programs to specific grade levels, and ensuring equitable opportunities for educators in underprivileged areas. prioritizing mentorship programs and advanced training can further enhance teacher effectiveness in promoting scientific literacy. addressing these factors will help strengthen science instruction, ultimately improving students’ understanding and application of scientific concepts. keywords basic education, descriptivecorrelational study, professional development programs, science education, scientific literacy, teacher competencies 1 sibagat national high school of home industries, sibagat district, division of agusan del sur, deped, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: mariafe8283@gmail.com introduction in the evolving landscape of 21st-century education, science teaching must continuously adapt to ensure that students develop critical thinking skills and engage meaningfully with scientific concepts. science teachers require robust professional development programs that enhance their pedagogical strategies and subject expertise. these programs provide opportunities for educators to explore innovative teaching methodologies, refine their instructional techniques, and effectively integrate scientific literacy into the curriculum. as suwono et al. (2021) assert, scientific literacy plays a fundamental role in shaping the science curriculum, reinforcing the need for targeted training programs. the study aims to assess the extent to which these initiatives contribute to the enhancement of teachers’ competencies, thereby improving the quality of science education in basic education settings. however, despite the recognized importance of professional development, challenges persist in translating theoretical knowledge into engaging classroom activities. research indicates that hands-on experimentation and direct observation significantly enhance students’ critical thinking and problem-solving abilities (saro et al., 2023). however, science teachers often struggle with implementing these approaches due to entrenched traditional teaching methods, limited technological resources, and inadequate professional support (tirol, 2023; al sultan et al., 2021). more so, addressing these barriers requires a structured evaluation of professional development programs to determine their effectiveness in fostering scientific literacy among science teachers. additionally, professional development programs is further influenced by contextual factors unique to specific educational settings. in the case of agusan del sur, disparities in teacher preparation, lack of access to science laboratories, and minimal exposure to emerging educational technologies present significant obstacles to improving science literacy (palines et al., 2021). furthermore, professional development initiatives remain underexplored in this locality, leaving a gap in understanding how these programs impact science education at the grassroots level. on the other hand, a critical aspect of this study is its focus on aligning professional development initiatives with the actual needs of science teachers in basic education. as emphasized by decoito (2023), effective training programs should address both pedagogical skills and content mastery, ensuring that teachers are well-equipped to deliver highquality science instruction. the study assessed whether professional development programs adequately enhanced teachers’ competencies in scientific literacy and whether they led to measurable improvements in classroom instruction. additionally, it explored how these programs influenced teachers’ confidence in employing studentcentered teaching methodologies, thereby fostering a deeper understanding of scientific principles among learners. this study emphasizes the pivotal role of professional development programs in strengthening science education. also, the study aims to provide valuable insights into optimizing professional training initiatives within the agusan del sur division. the findings contributed pa ge 11 5 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 114-128, 2025 to the discourse on teacher development, offering and providing recommendations for policymakers, school administrators, and education stakeholders on how to design more impactful training programs. this study aimed to advance the quality of science education and support teachers in cultivating a scientifically literate generation. literature review professional development programs (pdps) are pivotal in enhancing science teachers’ literacy and instructional efficacy in basic education. recent studies have explored the positive impact of pdps on teachers’ self-efficacy and instructional performance (quilapio & callo, 2022; rajendran et al., 2023). a study by felix and abrogena (2023) found that science teachers who participated in continuing professional development activities reported increased confidence in classroom management, instructional strategies, and student engagement. these findings suggest that well-structured pdps can significantly contribute to the professional growth of science educators. the design and content of pdps play a crucial role in their effectiveness. a study by faikhamta et al. (2020) demonstrated that a pedagogical content knowledgebased professional development program positively influenced science teachers’ attitudes towards stem education. teachers who engaged in hands-on activities and collaborative lesson planning within the program developed a deeper understanding of stem integration, which translated into improved teaching practices. this highlights the importance of incorporating practical, collaborative elements into pdps to enhance their impact. meta-analytical research has further affirmed the benefits of pdps on teachers’ self-efficacy in science instruction. baysal and mutlu (2021) conducted a meta-analysis revealing that professional development programs have a moderate positive effect on teachers’ beliefs in their science teaching capabilities. the analysis also indicated that factors such as the duration of the program and the sample size influenced the effectiveness of pdps, suggesting that longer, more comprehensive programs may yield better outcomes. the department of education has recognized the need for accredited professional development programs to enhance teachers’ competencies. initiatives such as the division training of trainers of higher order thinking skills professional learning packages for grade 7 and 8 mathematics, science, and english teachers have been implemented to address this need. these programs aim to equip teachers with effective strategies to foster critical thinking and improve student learning outcomes. tzagkaraki et al. (2021) highlight the importance of integrating authentic and inquiry-based practices into professional development programs. these practices support the goals of scientific literacy instruction by promoting real-world problem solving, critical thinking, and exploration of scientific phenomena. teachers who personally experience instructional methods during professional development are more likely to adopt and adapt them for their classrooms (oliver et al., 2021). darling-takda (2022) emphasize the significance of leadership in facilitating successful professional development. school leaders who prioritize and support ongoing professional development for teachers foster an environment that facilitates the effective implementation of scientific literacy strategies (kousloglou et al., 2023). effective leaders have the ability to allocate resources, promote collaboration, and cultivate a culture of continuous improvement. these factors are crucial in order to enhance the impact of professional development. communities of practice (cops) have emerged as effective platforms for teacher development in the philippines. confesor and belmi (2021) explored the structure and activities of cops among secondary science teachers and found that active participation in these communities led to enhanced collaboration, optimism, and adaptability among educators. the study concluded that cops foster personal and professional growth, contributing to improved science instruction. a study highlighted that while professional development programs significantly enhance teachers’ knowledge, practice, and efficacy, these improvements do not always directly correlate with students’ learning outcomes (padillo et al., 2021). this suggests that factors beyond teacher development, such as student socio-economic status and school resources, also play critical roles in educational achievement. therefore, a holistic approach that addresses various influencing factors is essential for maximizing the benefits of pdps. recent literature indicates that well-designed professional development programs are instrumental in enhancing science teachers’ literacy and instructional effectiveness in basic education. incorporating practical, collaborative elements and fostering communities of practice can further amplify these benefits. however, to fully realize the potential of pdps, it is crucial to adopt a comprehensive approach that considers the multifaceted factors influencing educational outcomes. research questions the goal of the study was to examine the relationship between the effectiveness of professional development programs and science teachers’ literacy in the science curriculum in selected secondary schools in the division of agusan del sur, philippines. specifically, the study sought to answer the following research questions. 1. what is the profile of the science teacher respondents in terms of age, sex, grade level, length of teaching service, educational attainment, and number of trainings and seminars attended? 2. what is the level of effectiveness of professional development programs for science teachers in terms of pedagogical change, teacher engagement, longterm sustainability, student outcomes, collaboration and knowledge sharing, and adaptability to evolving educational paradigms? pa ge 11 6 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 114-128, 2025 3. what is the level of implementation of scientific literacy among science teachers in the basic education science curriculum in terms of integration into the curriculum, student engagement, assessment strategies, teacher professional learning communities, and realworld applications? 4. is there a significant difference in the level of effectiveness of professional development programs and the level of implementation of scientific literacy in the basic education science curriculum based on the profile of the science teacher respondents? 5. is there a significant relationship between the effectiveness of professional development programs and the level of implementation of scientific literacy in the basic education science curriculum? materials and methods research design the study employed a quantitative approach, specifically a descriptive-correlational research design. this design allowed for descriptive and correlational inquiries to examine variables in their natural contexts, following simon’s (2011) recommendation to minimize external influences. additionally, the study adhered to calderon’s (2006) systematic approach to data collection, analysis, categorization, and summarization of existing conditions, practices, processes, and trends. furthermore, a quantitative descriptive-correlational approach, influenced by medina’s (2010) methodology, was utilized to explore the interrelationships among various factors. quantitative data were gathered through a structured survey questionnaire distributed to a representative sample of science teachers across selected secondary schools in the agusan del sur division. respondents of the study the study focused on secondary schools within the division of agusan del sur, specifically in the districts of sibagat, esperanza, prosperidad, san francisco, and talacogon. these districts were selected based on the number of science teachers they employed and their active participation in various initiatives, particularly training and workshops within the division. the study utilized complete enumeration sampling, also known as the universal sampling technique, to ensure representation from both junior and senior high school science departments. including all science teachers from these schools was essential for collecting relevant data aligned with the research objectives, ensuring the highest quality and relevance of the study’s findings. a total of 15 secondary schools from the five districts were included, with 151 science teachers participating in the study. this sampling approach guaranteed the inclusion of all science teachers from both junior and senior high school levels. research instrument the research utilized a custom-designed survey questionnaire, structured into distinct sections to comprehensively address the study’s objectives. the first section collected demographic data from science teachers, including age, gender, teaching level, years of experience, educational background, and participation in training and seminars. the second section assessed the effectiveness of professional development programs for science teachers, while the third section examined the extent of scientific literacy integration within the science curriculum. the study aimed to gain insights into the practical implications of incorporating scientific literacy within the educational framework. the questionnaire employed a 5-point likert scale, with descriptors aligned with established literature (sozen & guven, 2019). the mean ranges were clearly defined for each point on the likert scale to ensure clarity and consistency in respondents’ interpretations. this comprehensive design facilitated the collection of detailed and nuanced data, allowing for a deeper understanding of the complex relationship between the effectiveness of professional development programs and the integration of scientific literacy into the science curriculum. statistical treatment the data were tabulated, processed, and analyzed based on the research questions presented in the study. frequency and percentage were used to describe the demographic profile of the respondents, categorized by age, gender, grade level, years of teaching experience, educational attainment, and participation in training and seminars. weighted mean analysis was applied to the survey responses, utilizing a 5-point likert scale to determine the levels of effectiveness of professional development programs and the implementation of scientific literacy in the science curriculum. correlational analysis was conducted using correlation coefficients, including the chi-square test, to assess the strength and direction of relationships between the effectiveness of professional development programs and the implementation of scientific literacy. finally, a one-way anova was performed to examine the influence of demographic factors on the effectiveness of professional development programs and the implementation of scientific literacy in the science curriculum among science teachers. ethical considerations the study adhered to ethical research principles to ensure the protection and respect of all respondents. informed consent was obtained from all science teachers before their participation, ensuring they were fully aware of the study’s purpose, procedures, and their right to withdraw at any time without consequences. confidentiality and anonymity were strictly maintained by assigning unique identification codes instead of using personal information, ensuring that responses remained private and untraceable. the collected data were used exclusively for research purposes and securely stored to prevent unauthorized access. additionally, the study followed ethical guidelines set by relevant institutions and research bodies, ensuring pa ge 11 7 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 114-128, 2025 that the research process upheld integrity, transparency, and respect for the respondents’ rights and well-being. results and discussions profile data table 1 presents the distribution of the respondents according to profile. as can be gleaned from the table, the majority of the respondents are 20-30 years old, accounting for 36.42% of the total number of participants. this suggests that most teachers in the said locale are predominantly young. on the other hand, the fewest participants belong to the age group 51-60, making up only 11.92% of the respondents. in terms of gender distribution, there is a notable skew towards female respondents, comprising 71.52% of the total, compared to 28.48% who are male. this aligns with the global trend where teaching is predominantly a femaledominated profession. table 1: demographic profile of the respondents profile category frequency (n) percentage (%) age 20 30 years old 55 36.42 31 40 years old 40 26.49 41 50 years old 38 25.17 51 60 years old 18 11.92 sex male 43 28.48 female 108 72.52 grade level taught grade 7 8 5.30 grade 8 3 1.99 grade 9 18 11.92 grade 10 55 36.42 grade 11 35 23.18 grade 12 32 21.19 length of teaching service 6 10 years 22 14.57 11 15 years 13 8.61 16 20 years 33 21.85 21 25 years 26 17.22 26 30 years 39 25.83 31 years and above 18 11.92 educational attainment bachelor’s degree graduate 31 20.53 master’s degree units 39 25.83 master’s degree car 19 12.58 master’s degree graduate 18 11.92 doctorate degree units 3 1.99 doctorate degree car 18 11.92 doctorate degree graduate 23 15.23 number of trainings attended 0 9 55 36.42 10 19 49 32.45 20 29 28 18.54 30 39 15 9.93 40 and above 4 2.65 total 151 100 regarding the grade levels taught, the highest number of respondents teach grade 10 (36.42%), followed by grade 11 (23.18%) and grade 12 (21.19%). notably, the smallest number of participants who taught grade 8 level was recorded, comprising only 3 or 1.99% of the total respondents. concerning the length of teaching experience, respondents with 26-30 years of experience represent the largest group at 25.83%, followed closely by those with 16 20 years at 21.85%. this indicates a seasoned workforce, with a significant portion of respondents having substantial experience in the educational field. on the lower end, teachers with 11-15 years of experience are the smallest group, comprising 13 or 8.61% of the respondents. moreover, the largest group in the educational attainment profile are those who have completed some units towards a master’s degree, with pa ge 11 8 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 114-128, 2025 39 or 25.83% of the participants. conversely, the least number of respondents belong to those individuals who garnered units in doctorate degrees, with only three listed participants. lastly, the number of training attended by respondents shows a concentration in the lower range, with 36.42% attending between 0 to 9 training sessions and 32.45% attending between 10 to 19 sessions. this could reflect ongoing professional development efforts. however, the relatively smaller numbers in the higher training categories (20 trainings and above) may indicate limited access to or availability of more intensive professional development opportunities. level of effectiveness of professional development programs table 2 displays an overall mean of 4.43, indicating a “strongly agree” rating and a “highly manifested” interpretation of the level of effectiveness of professional development programs among science teachers. among the parameters, long-term sustainability received the highest mean score (4.49), suggesting that professional development initiatives are perceived as sustainable over time. more so, collaboration and knowledge sharing (4.45) and adaptability to evolving educational paradigms (4.46) were also highly rated, highlighting the teachers’ strong engagement in continuous learning and adaptation to educational advancements. while all parameters scored within the “highly manifested” range, student outcomes (4.36) had the lowest mean, though still reflecting a “strongly agree” rating. these findings suggest that professional development programs are effectively supporting pedagogical improvements, fostering teacher engagement, and ensuring long-term sustainability in enhancing science education. table 2: effectiveness of professional development programs for science teachers in the division of agusan del sur parameters mean scores verbal description verbal interpretation pedagogical change 4.41 strongly agree highly manifested teacher engagement 4.39 strongly agree highly manifested long-term sustainability 4.49 strongly agree highly manifested student outcomes 4.36 strongly agree highly manifested collaboration and knowledge sharing 4.45 strongly agree highly manifested adaptability to evolving educational paradigms 4.46 strongly agree highly manifested overall mean 4.43 strongly agree highly manifested note: scale and adjectival rating; 1.00 – 1.79, strongly disagree; 1.80 – 2.59, disagree; 2.60 – 3.39, moderately agree; 3.40 – 4.19, agree; 4.20 – 5.00, strongly agree additionally, the table presents the level of effectiveness of professional development programs for science teachers, revealing a highly positive perception across various parameters. among these, “long-term sustainability” emerged as the highest-rated aspect, with a mean score of 4.49, indicating a strong consensus among respondents on its effectiveness. this suggests that science teachers perceive these programs as equipping them with essential skills and knowledge for long-term success in teaching. the findings highlight the ability of these initiatives to address practical needs, instill confidence in consistent implementation, and align with evolving educational trends. as noted by meesuk et al. (2021) and saro et al. (2023), teachers expect these programs to have a lasting influence, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and adaptability. additionally, this aligns with the argument by ancho and arrieta (2021), who emphasized the importance of professional development programs that not only provide immediate benefits but also nurture long-term impact, thereby enhancing the sustainability and growth of educators’ careers in science teaching. on the other hand, “student outcomes” recorded the lowest mean score of 4.36, which, despite being the lowest among the parameters, still falls within the “strongly agree” category. this suggests that while professional development programs effectively foster pedagogical change, teacher engagement, collaboration, and adaptability, there may be further opportunities to refine strategies that directly enhance student outcomes. the consistently high mean scores across all parameters, culminating in an overall mean of 4.43, emphasizes the strong effectiveness of these programs in addressing the multifaceted needs of science teachers. this effectiveness translates to improved teaching practices, greater job satisfaction, and increased adaptability, as supported by budirahayu and saud (2023). moreover, students are also expected to benefit from more immersive and impactful learning experiences, leading to enhanced academic performance and long-term educational success, as highlighted by anis (2024). extent of scientific literacy implementation among science teachers table 3 shows that the implementation of scientific literacy among science teachers is highly manifested, with an overall mean score of 4.58, categorized under “strongly agree.” this indicates that science teachers perceive the integration of scientific literacy into their teaching practices as significantly effective. the findings suggest that teachers actively incorporate scientific literacy principles, fostering critical thinking, inquirybased learning, and interdisciplinary connections in their classrooms. this high level of implementation reflects the strong commitment of science educators to pa ge 11 9 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 114-128, 2025 enhancing students’ scientific understanding, aligning with contemporary educational goals that emphasize the development of scientifically literate individuals capable of making informed decisions in real-world contexts. table 3: implementation of scientific literacy among science teachers parameters mean scores verbal description verbal interpretation integration into curriculum 4.54 strongly agree highly manifested student engagement 4.55 strongly agree highly manifested assessment strategies 4.63 strongly agree highly manifested teacher professional learning communities 4.56 strongly agree highly manifested real-world applications 4.60 strongly agree highly manifested overall mean 4.58 strongly agree highly manifested note: scale and adjectival rating; 1.00 – 1.79, strongly disagree; 1.80 – 2.59, disagree; 2.60 – 3.39, moderately agree; 3.40 – 4.19, agree; 4.20 – 5.00, strongly agree among the parameters, “assessment strategies” received the highest mean score of 4.63, signifying that teachers place a strong emphasis on evaluating students’ scientific literacy skills through varied and effective assessment methods. this highlights the importance of using diverse assessment tools to measure students’ ability to analyze, interpret, and apply scientific knowledge. “real-world applications” followed closely with a mean score of 4.60, indicating that teachers effectively connect scientific concepts to practical, everyday situations, reinforcing students’ understanding and relevance of science in their lives. similarly, “teacher professional learning communities” (4.56) and “student engagement” (4.55) reflect a strong collaborative culture and an interactive learning environment, promoting both peer-to-peer knowledge sharing and active student participation. “integration into curriculum” recorded the lowest mean score at 4.54, though still categorized as “highly manifested,” suggesting that while scientific literacy is effectively embedded within the curriculum, there may be areas for further enhancement, such as refining curriculum frameworks to provide more structured guidelines for implementation. overall, these findings imply that strengthening assessment methods, reinforcing real-world applications, and sustaining professional learning communities can further support the continuous improvement of scientific literacy integration among science teachers. sewagegn and diale (2020) assert that such a methodological shift facilitates a deeper engagement with scientific concepts as it promotes the development of essential scientific skills, such as problem-solving, critical thinking, and analytical reasoning. the strong emphasis on varied and comprehensive assessment strategies, as reflected in the survey results, supports a more robust and inclusive learning environment and aligns with contemporary educational goals to prepare students for real-world challenges, as per aqdus (2023). this alignment suggests that the curriculum is effectively fostering the acquisition of scientific knowledge and the essential skills needed in today’s science-driven society (sermona et al., 2022). meanwhile, yilmaz (2023) emphasizes the need for further enhancement in the integration of scientific literacy into the curriculum, particularly by incorporating more technology, interactive elements, and interdisciplinary connections to ensure a well-rounded science education. additionally, the university of new brunswick (2024) highlights the importance of realworld applications and varied assessment methods in fostering students’ ability to apply scientific knowledge practically and creatively. finally, valladares (2021) posits the significance of collaborative teaching efforts in sustaining the continuity of scientific literacy across different subjects and grade levels, ultimately contributing to a more scientifically literate student body capable of addressing complex real-world challenges. according to dela cruz et al. (2022), the integration of scientific literacy in the philippine education system has been instrumental in enhancing students’ critical thinking and analytical skills, aligning with the department of education’s push for competency-based learning. reyes and bautista (2021) emphasized that assessment strategies play a crucial role in ensuring that students grasp scientific concepts beyond rote memorization, fostering deeper comprehension and application. gonzales (2023) highlighted the importance of real-world applications in science education, noting that hands-on and inquirybased learning approaches significantly improve student engagement and retention. moreover, ramos and santiago (2020) asserted that professional learning communities among teachers contribute to the sustained success of scientific literacy initiatives, as collaborative efforts enable the exchange of best practices and innovative teaching strategies. finally, based on the findings of villanueva (2024), the strong emphasis on student engagement in scientific literacy programs across philippine schools suggests a shift towards more student-centered and interactive pedagogical approaches, ensuring that learners are well-equipped with the skills necessary for scientific inquiry and problem-solving. significant difference between respondents’ profile and their assessment of professional development the findings indicate that age, sex, length of teaching service, educational attainment, and the number of training sessions attended do not significantly influence teachers’ assessment of professional development (pd) pa ge 12 0 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 114-128, 2025 effectiveness in basic education. the p-values for these variables across all parameters were above the 0.05 significance threshold, leading to the failure to reject the null hypothesis. this suggests that professional development experiences and perceived effectiveness are not determined by demographic or background factors but may instead be influenced by other elements such as institutional support, teaching context, or personal motivation. the non-significance of age and teaching experience implies that newer and more seasoned teachers perceive pd effectiveness similarly, emphasizing the universal nature of professional development programs. additionally, the lack of significance concerning sex suggests that male and female teachers assess pd with similar perspectives, reinforcing the idea that genderrelated teaching experiences do not heavily shape their views on professional growth. table 4: significant difference between respondents’ profile and their assessment of pd effectiveness in basic education profile parameters p-value decision conclusion age pedagogical change 0.090 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant teacher engagement 0.325 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant long-term sustainability 0.734 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant student outcomes 0.828 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant collaboration and knowledge sharing 0.406 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant adaptability to evolving educational paradigms 0.257 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant sex pedagogical change 0.270 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant teacher engagement 0.539 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant long-term sustainability 0.840 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant student outcomes 0.692 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant collaboration and knowledge sharing 0.836 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant adaptability to evolving educational paradigms 0.596 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant grade level taught pedagogical change 0.000 reject null hypothesis significant teacher engagement 0.010 reject null hypothesis significant long-term sustainability 0.110 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant student outcomes 0.136 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant collaboration and knowledge sharing 0.048 reject null hypothesis significant adaptability to evolving educational paradigms 0.005 reject null hypothesis significant length of teaching service pedagogical change 0.809 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant teacher engagement 0.696 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant long-term sustainability 0.431 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant student outcomes 0.567 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant collaboration and knowledge sharing 0.440 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant adaptability to evolving educational paradigms 0.336 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant educational attainment pedagogical change 0.117 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant teacher engagement 0.403 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant long-term sustainability 0.295 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant student outcomes 0.310 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant collaboration and knowledge sharing 0.037 reject null hypothesis significant adaptability to evolving educational paradigms 0.124 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant number of trainings attended pedagogical change 0.539 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant teacher engagement 0.672 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant long-term sustainability 0.859 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant student outcomes 0.604 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant pa ge 12 1 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 114-128, 2025 collaboration and knowledge sharing 0.599 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant adaptability to evolving educational paradigms 0.640 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant note: significant at 0.05 however, the grade level taught was found to have a significant impact on pedagogical change (p = 0.000), teacher engagement (p = 0.010), collaboration and knowledge sharing (p = 0.048), and adaptability to evolving educational paradigms (p = 0.005). this implies that teachers working at different grade levels perceive pd effectiveness differently, particularly in areas related to instructional strategies and collaboration. teachers in lower grade levels might require more concrete strategies for engaging younger students, whereas those in higher grades might focus on subject depth and critical thinking approaches. this finding highlights the necessity for differentiated pd programs designed to the specific instructional needs of teachers handling different grade levels. a one-size-fits-all approach to pd may not be effective, reinforcing the need for specialized training that addresses the pedagogical and engagement demands of different educational stages. on the other hand, educational attainment had a significant influence on collaboration and knowledge sharing (p = 0.037), suggesting that teachers with higher academic qualifications may engage more in collaborative efforts and professional learning communities. this could be due to their increased exposure to research-based teaching strategies and advanced educational theories, making them more inclined toward sharing knowledge and fostering collegiality. this finding emphasizes the importance of encouraging all teachers, regardless of academic credentials, to actively participate in collaborative learning environments. schools and educational institutions should consider creating platforms where teachers with varying levels of educational attainment can share best practices and mentor one another, thus fostering and cultivating a culture of continuous learning and knowledge exchange. the study’s implications suggest that while demographic factors may not significantly shape teachers’ perceptions of pd effectiveness, contextual and academic factors such as grade level taught and educational attainment play a role. these findings highlight the importance of designing pd programs that are responsive to the needs of teachers across different grade levels and fostering a culture of collaboration among educators. school administrators and policymakers should consider these insights when crafting pd initiatives, ensuring that they are not only inclusive but also tailored to specific teaching contexts. furthermore, since pd effectiveness is not determined by the number of training sessions attended, there is a need to evaluate the quality and relevance of these trainings rather than merely focusing on frequency. ensuring that pd programs are meaningful, engaging, and aligned with teachers’ instructional needs will be crucial in enhancing their effectiveness and long-term impact. the study’s findings align with previous research emphasizing the importance of contextualized professional development for teachers across different grade levels. schwartz (2023) highlighted that effective professional development programs allow teachers to grow their knowledge and sharpen their skills, ultimately leading to improved student outcomes. stanley (2023) emphasized that pedagogical strategies introduced in training programs must be applicable to specific grade levels to ensure relevance and effectiveness. the significance of continuous professional development in keeping educators updated on emerging educational trends, technologies, and curriculum advancements was also supported by manlapaz (2022), reinforcing the idea that engagement in such programs varies depending on teachers’ instructional needs. furthermore, abdelaziz et al. (2023) emphasized that adaptability to evolving educational paradigms differs across grade levels, necessitating a differentiated approach in professional development initiatives. these citations collectively strengthen the argument that tailoring professional development programs to address teachers’ unique instructional contexts is crucial for maximizing their effectiveness. significant difference between respondents’ profile and their assessment of scientific literacy implementation the findings in table 5 reveal that the respondents’ profiles had varying influences on their assessment of scientific literacy implementation in basic education. more so, age, sex, and the number of trainings and seminars attended showed no significant difference across all parameters, suggesting that these demographic factors do not substantially shape perceptions of scientific literacy implementation. this result implies that scientific literacy is generally viewed consistently across different age groups and genders, highlighting a universal understanding of its importance regardless of personal characteristics. additionally, the lack of significant difference in training and seminar attendance suggests that while professional development is essential, its impact on perceptions of scientific literacy implementation may not be as profound as other factors such as teaching experience and educational attainment. this may indicate that onetime training sessions do not necessarily translate into noticeable changes in how scientific literacy is perceived within the curriculum. conversely, the grade level taught exhibited a significant difference in assessment strategies (p = 0.050), implying that teachers at different grade levels perceive and implement assessment strategies in scientific literacy in distinct ways. this could be due to the varying pa ge 12 2 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 114-128, 2025 complexity of scientific concepts at different grade levels, requiring different assessment methods tailored to students’ cognitive abilities. elementary teachers may rely more on formative assessments, while secondary educators might emphasize summative evaluations or performance-based assessments. this finding suggests a need for professional development programs that equip teachers with differentiated assessment strategies aligned with students’ learning needs at various grade levels. by strengthening teachers’ ability to design and implement effective assessment techniques, educational stakeholders can enhance the overall effectiveness of scientific literacy programs across all levels. moreover, the length of teaching service and educational attainment both showed significant differences in multiple parameters, including integration into the curriculum, student engagement, assessment strategies, and teacher professional learning communities (p = 0.000). this indicates that teachers with longer teaching experience and higher educational qualifications tend to have a more nuanced understanding of scientific literacy implementation. experienced teachers likely draw from extensive classroom exposure and pedagogical insights, leading to a more critical assessment of how scientific literacy is integrated and applied. moreover, those with advanced degrees may possess a deeper theoretical and practical grasp of scientific literacy frameworks, influencing their perspectives on curriculum effectiveness. these findings underscore the importance of sustained professional development and higher education opportunities for teachers, as these factors significantly contribute to the successful implementation of scientific literacy in schools. the implications of these findings highlight the need for targeted interventions in professional development, curriculum design, and teacher education programs. since experienced teachers and those with higher education levels perceive scientific literacy implementation differently, school administrators and policymakers should consider designing differentiated training programs that cater to teachers at various career stages. additionally, the significant variation in assessment strategies across grade levels suggests the need for a more standardized yet flexible approach to evaluating students’ scientific literacy skills. lastly, the non-significant differences in age, sex, and training participation emphasize the importance of institutional and structural factors over personal characteristics in shaping teachers’ perceptions. these results provide valuable insights for enhancing scientific literacy programs, ensuring that they are effectively implemented across diverse educational settings. table 5: significant difference between respondents’ profile and their assessment of scientific literacy implementation in basic education profile parameters p-value decision conclusion age integration into curriculum 0.232 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant student engagement 0.596 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant assessment strategies 0.293 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant teacher professional learning communities 0.522 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant real-world applications 0.150 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant sex integration into curriculum 0.127 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant student engagement 0.255 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant assessment strategies 0.379 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant teacher professional learning communities 0.477 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant real-world applications 0.481 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant grade level taught integration into curriculum 0.135 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant student engagement 0.330 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant assessment strategies 0.050 reject null hypothesis significant teacher professional learning communities 0.457 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant real-world applications 0.373 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant length of teaching service integration into curriculum 0.000 reject null hypothesis significant student engagement 0.000 reject null hypothesis significant assessment strategies 0.000 reject null hypothesis significant teacher professional learning communities 0.000 reject null hypothesis significant real-world applications 0.081 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant pa ge 12 3 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 114-128, 2025 educational attainment integration into curriculum 0.000 reject null hypothesis significant student engagement 0.000 reject null hypothesis significant assessment strategies 0.000 reject null hypothesis significant teacher professional learning communities 0.000 reject null hypothesis significant real-world applications 0.092 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant number of trainings and seminars attended integration into curriculum 0.706 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant student engagement 0.725 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant assessment strategies 0.523 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant teacher professional learning communities 0.493 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant real-world applications 0.943 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant note: significant at 0.05 the study’s findings aligns with previous research suggesting that demographic factors do not always directly influence teaching practices (graham et al., 2020). however, the findings contrast with quilapio and callo (2022), who emphasized the importance of professional training in improving science education. the lack of significant impact from training attendance raises concerns about the effectiveness of existing professional development programs. irvine (2019) argues that merely attending training sessions does not guarantee enhanced instructional implementation; rather, the content, delivery, and applicability of training must be evaluated. this suggests a need for education policymakers to reassess the structure and focus of professional training programs, ensuring that they translate into meaningful improvements in teaching scientific literacy. meanwhile, the study reveals that grade levels taught significantly affect assessment strategies, reinforcing the need for grade-specific pedagogical approaches. according to klemencic et al. (2023), different educational levels require varied assessment strategies to match students’ cognitive abilities and learning progressions. this supports the idea that teachers should be equipped with tailored assessment tools to enhance scientific literacy across different grade levels. additionally, the significant relationships between teaching experience, educational attainment, and scientific literacy implementation highlight the crucial role of professional expertise in science education. call (2018) and grove (2019) assert that experienced and highly educated teachers are more adept at engaging students in scientific literacy activities, as they possess refined teaching methodologies and deeper content knowledge. furthermore, ventista and brown (2023) emphasize that veteran teachers contribute significantly to professional learning communities, fostering collaboration and mentoring less experienced educators. this emphasizes the importance of continuous professional development and advanced education in enhancing scientific literacy implementation in the science curriculum. significant relationship between pd effectiveness and scientific literacy implementation in the science curriculum the findings from the correlational analysis indicate that there is no statistically significant relationship between professional development programs and the implementation of scientific literacy across all examined parameters. the computed r-values are all very close to zero, and the corresponding p-values exceed the 0.05 significance threshold, leading to the failure to reject the null hypothesis in every case. this suggests that factors such as pedagogical change, teacher engagement, longterm sustainability, student outcomes, collaboration and knowledge sharing, and adaptability to evolving educational paradigms do not exhibit a measurable correlation with the integration of scientific literacy components like curriculum integration, student engagement, assessment strategies, teacher professional learning communities, and real-world applications. these findings imply that while professional development programs play a role in teacher competence, they may not directly impact the extent to which scientific literacy is effectively implemented in educational settings. one possible interpretation of these results is that external factors beyond professional development programs might have a more substantial influence on the successful integration of scientific literacy. these factors could include institutional policies, administrative support, availability of resources, or the overall teaching culture within the schools. the lack of significant correlation may also indicate that while teachers participate in professional development programs, these activities may not be explicitly designed to translate into measurable improvements in scientific literacy implementation. more so, if training programs focus more on theoretical knowledge rather than practical applications, their direct impact on classroom instruction and student engagement may be limited. additionally, the variation in teaching styles and instructional strategies used by different educators could dilute the observable effects of professional development efforts on scientific literacy outcomes. pa ge 12 4 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 114-128, 2025 table 6: correlational analysis of professional development programs and the implementation of scientific literacy professional development programs scientific literacy implementation computed r p-value decision conclusion pedagogical change integration into curriculum 0.071 0.389 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant student engagement 0.039 0.631 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant assessment strategies -0.004 0.958 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant teacher professional learning communities -0.005 0.950 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant real-world applications -0.001 0.995 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant teacher engagement integration into curriculum 0.031 0.708 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant student engagement -0.010 0.903 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant assessment strategies -0.031 0.706 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant teacher professional learning communities -0.020 0.804 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant real-world applications -0.023 0.776 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant long-term sustainability integration into curriculum 0.032 0.700 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant student engagement -0.004 0.858 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant the implications of these findings suggest the need for a more targeted approach to professional development that directly addresses the practical integration of scientific literacy into teaching methodologies. it may be necessary to restructure existing training programs to include more hands-on activities, real-world applications, and classroom-based assessments that align with scientific literacy objectives. furthermore, professional development initiatives should be supplemented with strong institutional support, ensuring that teachers receive the necessary tools, resources, and guidance to effectively implement scientific literacy in their instruction. future research could also explore whether longitudinal professional development models those that provide continuous training and mentoring rather than one-time workshops would yield a stronger impact on scientific literacy outcomes. lastly, while the study did not find significant correlations, it does not necessarily mean that professional development programs are ineffective. instead, it highlights the complexity of educational reform and suggests that professional development should be part of a broader, multi-faceted strategy for improving scientific literacy. collaboration between policymakers, educators, and curriculum designers is essential to bridge the gap between teacher training and classroom implementation. moreover, further studies could investigate alternative variables that may serve as mediators or moderators in the relationship between professional development programs and scientific literacy implementation. moreover, by refining teacher training strategies and aligning them with the practical demands of scientific literacy instruction, educational institutions can ensure a more robust and meaningful integration of scientific concepts into the curriculum. the lack of significant correlations suggests that the effectiveness of the currently designed and implemented professional development programs may not directly influence specific aspects of scientific literacy in the curriculum. this implies that, while these programs might be valuable in other areas, they need to be more precisely tailored to enhance scientific literacy practices directly. these results contrast with the findings of kartal et al. (2019), who reported that professional development programs for science had effectively improved teachers’ practices and successfully integrated scientific literacy into their teaching. moreover, the findings indicate a disconnect between the content and focus of professional development programs and the practical needs of teachers in implementing scientific literacy. these results underscore the importance of evaluating and redesigning professional development programs based on based on teacher feedback to ensure they effectively address the areas that will enhance scientific literacy (schaefer, 2023). pa ge 12 5 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 114-128, 2025 assessment strategies -0.031 0.709 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant teacher professional learning communities -0.026 0.754 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant real-world applications -0.038 0.641 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant student outcomes integration into curriculum 0.042 0.606 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant student engagement 0.001 0.990 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant assessment strategies -0.071 0.831 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant teacher professional learning communities -0.019 0.815 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant real-world applications -0.031 0.703 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant collaboration and knowledge sharing integration into curriculum 0.041 0.616 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant student engagement 0.004 0.960 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant assessment strategies -0.030 0.710 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant teacher professional learning communities -0.018 0.827 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant real-world applications -0.032 0.701 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant adaptability to evolving educational paradigms integration into curriculum 0.048 0.559 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant student engagement -0.005 0.950 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant assessment strategies -0.025 0.765 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant teacher professional learning communities -0.025 0.762 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant real-world applications -0.039 0.638 failed to reject null hypothesis not significant note: significant at 0.05 bridging professional development and scientific literacy: implications for science education in basic education the findings of this study suggest that the effectiveness of professional development programs in enhancing science teachers’ literacy in basic education is not directly measurable through the parameters examined. despite the expectation that professional development programs would lead to significant improvements in the implementation of scientific literacy, the correlational analysis revealed no statistically significant relationships. this lack of significance implies that while professional development programs may provide teachers with knowledge and strategies, they may not always translate into immediate or observable improvements in scientific literacy. one possible implication is that professional development initiatives may require more sustained implementation, follow-up support, and contextual alignment with classroom practices to yield meaningful results. additionally, this finding raises concerns about the structure and content of existing training programs, suggesting that they may not be effectively designed to address the real-world challenges faced by science teachers in basic education. another key implication is that professional development programs should be designed with a stronger focus on practical application and ongoing mentorship rather than isolated training sessions. the results indicate that a one-size-fits-all approach to teacher training may not be sufficient in fostering scientific literacy among educators. instead, programs should be adaptive, incorporating active learning strategies, classroom-based assessments, pa ge 12 6 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(2) 114-128, 2025 and collaborative learning experiences that allow teachers to immediately apply new concepts in their teaching. schools and educational institutions should consider implementing professional learning communities (plcs) where teachers can share experiences, reflect on their teaching practices, and receive continuous support. furthermore, integrating technology-enhanced learning into professional development can provide teachers with more accessible, engaging, and interactive ways to enhance their scientific literacy, also improving student outcomes. moreover, the study’s findings emphasize the need for a holistic approach to teacher professional development that includes institutional support, policy alignment, and resource allocation. scientific literacy implementation may not solely depend on teacher training but also on factors such as curriculum design, school leadership, availability of teaching materials, and student engagement. if professional development programs are not aligned with national education policies and school initiatives, their impact on teachers’ literacy may remain limited. educational policymakers should work closely with school administrators and teacher training providers to ensure that professional development programs are structured to meet the specific needs of science teachers. additionally, providing incentives such as career advancement opportunities or recognition for teachers who actively apply scientific literacy strategies in their classrooms could encourage more meaningful engagement with professional development efforts. finally, while the findings indicate no direct correlation, this does not mean that professional development programs are ineffective; rather, it suggests that their impact may be more complex and influenced by multiple variables. future research should explore additional factors that might mediate or moderate the effectiveness of professional development programs, such as teacher motivation, student demographics, or institutional culture. longitudinal studies could also provide deeper insights into whether sustained professional development leads to gradual improvements in scientific literacy over time. also, these findings highlight the importance of continuously evaluating and refining professional development initiatives to ensure they are responsive to the evolving needs of science teachers and contribute meaningfully to the advancement of scientific literacy in basic education. conclusion in conclusion, while professional development programs for science teachers have proven effective in fostering essential skills and promoting educational advancements, their direct influence on the implementation of scientific literacy remains limited. this emphasizes the need for more targeted training initiatives that bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and classroom application. furthermore, the significance of teaching experience and educational attainment in enhancing scientific literacy suggests that professional development programs should be designed to accommodate varying levels of expertise among educators. more so, addressing challenges in less privileged areas by prioritizing resource accessibility, innovative instructional strategies, and realworld applications will further strengthen the impact of these programs. thus, refining professional development efforts to align with practical teaching needs will enhance scientific literacy and improve student engagement in science education. recommendations from the abovementioned conclusions, the researcher forwards the following recommendations: 1. it is recommended that authorities in the academe allocate more resources to continuous professional development programs to address the limited opportunities available, particularly for young and inexperienced science teachers. expanding access to training initiatives will enhance educators’ competencies and ensure long-term professional growth. 2. it is suggested that professional development programs integrate more strategies that directly improve student engagement and performance. also, by focusing on innovative curriculum designs that embed scientific literacy across subjects, these programs can better equip teachers to facilitate meaningful learning experiences. 3. it is recommended that professional development programs be designed to meet the distinct needs of teachers at different grade levels. addressing the specific challenges faced in elementary and secondary science instruction will enhance the practical applicability of these programs and improve overall teaching effectiveness. 4. it is suggested that professional development programs emphasize mentorship initiatives and advanced training opportunities. leveraging experienced educators as mentors can help bridge the knowledge gap, allowing for the transfer of best practices and hands-on strategies to less experienced teachers. 5. it is recommended that professional development programs be designed with direct input from educators to ensure relevance and practical applicability. these programs can be better aligned with real-world classroom challenges and foster more effective implementation of scientific literacy. acknowledgments the author expresses gratitude to the schools division superintendent of the division of agusan del sur for granting permission to conduct the study in the involved secondary schools across five districts. appreciation is also extended to the validators of the research instrument, the statistician, and everyone who contributed to the completion of this study. references aqdus, r. 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(2023). the role of technology in modern science education. current research in education. https:// www.researchgate.net/publication/376923855 pa ge 1 pa ge 62 american journal of education and technology (ajet) improving grade 8 students’ academic performance and attitude in teaching science through augmented reality julie s. berame1*, minie l. bulay1, rissa l. mercado1, annie rose c. ybanez1, gladys claire a. aloyon2, anna mae f. dayupay3, regine d. hunahunan4, novabelle j. jalop5 volume 1 issue 3, year 2022 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i3.840 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: october 27, 2022 accepted: december 15, 2022 published: december 18, 2022 strategic intervention material for teaching augmented reality (simatar) is a collection of teaching and learning materials in science which uses augmented reality technology to greatly improve learning experience through digital immersion in different 3d and 4d worlds and is under the innovative approaches in science education project of dost-sei. this study aimed to assess the effectiveness of using simatar mobile application as a tool on improving the grade 8 students’ academic performance, motivation, and attitude towards learning science as well as the teachers’ assessment upon using the application. results showed that all indicators on the teachers and students’ assessment on simatar mobile augmented reality application were rated as strongly agree. all indicators of students’ attitude towards science showed improvement after implementing the ar application in science teaching. further, the scores of the student participants in pre-test and post-test were remarkably increased after using the application. as for the challenges, results revealed that students do not have the gadgets to use and they lack the knowledge on how to manipulate the application. through data analysis using paired samples t-test, it is concluded that the integration of simatar in teaching science increases the engagement and interest of the students in learning the subject and the application of mobile augmented reality could substantially improve the teaching and learning process. keywords academic performance, attitude, augmented reality, mobile application, strategic intervention material 1 caraga state university, butuan city, philippines 2 kitcharao national high school, agusan del norte, philippines 3 nasipit national high school, agusan del norte, philippines 4 rizal national high school, surigao del sur, philippines 5 banza national high school, butuan city, agusan del norte, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: julie_berame@dlsu.edu.ph introduction augmented reality (ar) is the projection of virtual reality such as images, texts, videos, and sounds, on a screen to enhance the visual experience. this implies overlapping virtual information on digital devices to promote realworld experiences (lo et al., 2021). augmented reality is a technology that augments (combines) the real world with computer-generated virtual objects that appear to coexist in the same space as the real world. the computer-generated virtual scene or ambience is intended to improve the user’s sensory perception of the world in which they are viewing or interacting (ersozlu et al., 2019). today, a lot of people have started to utilize these technical tools more and more in their daily lives as a result of the growth of mobile and smart devices, a wide range of products, and the widespread usage of the internet. therefore, people who are raised in this technological age will inevitably employ these devices in their schooling. the efficiency of augmented reality (ar) technology in the learning-teaching process is being debated as a result of technological advancements. it has become widely used in various fields. although there were early issues with technical issues, hardware limitations, and cost of use, ar applications have developed concurrently with technological advancements, and their usability has increased (talan, 2021). currently, there are three ways in which augmented reality applications work to gather information on a location and superimpose images that follow the landscape. the first and most reliable option to render 3d images into space is through the use of slam or simultaneous localization mapping. these scans and maps out the geometry of the environment to effectively and convincingly overlay virtual elements onto the observable topography. secondly, augmented reality applications may also be location based which relies heavily on gps information accompanied by the digital compass of the device, gyroscope, and the accelerometer as well. this is used to identify where the device is on earth and superimpose images or text boxes onto notable locations. lastly, ar applications may also be recognition based. recognition based ar apps, uses the camera to identify visual markers such as qr codes or natural free tracking markers (nft). this type of ar possesses multiple merits in education as it pegs the image upon the marker allowing it to remain steady as long as the camera of the device is able to read it properly. this allows the user to observe the corresponding 3d rendered image in various angles (castro & virata, 2019). these days, newly developed technologies such as ar are still trying to find a home inside the classroom (nacharit & srisawasdi, 2015). ar has been utilized to address gaps in different disciplines such as science which has been plagued with several challenges. the convergence of globalization, ict, and the information explosion, according to malik (2018), has sparked profound changes in contemporary society that have put every facet of our way of life to the test. to deal with these rapid changes, we must train our employees in a variety of electrical technologies that are unique to the digital era. a fresh approach to the delivery of education https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i3.840 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= mailto:julie_berame%40dlsu.edu.ph?subject= pa ge 63 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 62-72, 2022 is necessary to prepare citizens with a global perspective, cross-cultural awareness, the ability to collaborate in multicultural contexts on group projects, and the capacity to think critically and creatively. his study makes the case that the way education is provided to the “digital natives” of today and tomorrow must undergo a fundamental transition, especially in developing nations. according to the theory that a nation’s strength depends on how well its residents are educated, it is essential for a nation to provide calibrated education in order to produce citizens who are capable of competing on a global scale. additionally, dunwill (2016) asserts that the development of technologies opens up countless opportunities for education. as a result, it will continue to change how teachers educate and how students learn in general. other educational institutions from other nations throughout the globe have also begun to accept these adjustments. when compared to using a traditional learning approach, ar improves students’ academic performance during the learning process (ozdemir et al., 2018). however, many studies paid less attention to how technology affects social relationships or its social-psychological components and more attention to the technical details, effectiveness of various systems, usability, and design (elliot and mikulas , 2011). challenges in science education confront several countries across the world especially during this era of the fourth industrial revolution where technology is rife (sadera et al., 2020). in the philippine context, the use of educational technology is highly encouraged among teachers. this is required under the philippine professional standard for teachers or ppst. specifically, the use of such technology is stipulated in strand 1.3 or positive use of ict under domain 1: content knowledge and pedagogy, and strand 4.5 or teaching and learning resources including ict under domain 4: curriculum and planning in the ppst (deped order 42, s. 2017). cognizant of this, science teachers in the philippines have employed ar in teaching science. castro & virata (2019), delineated that ar not only improves motivation but also triggers more student-student and teacher-student interaction. it also increased students’ learning attitude towards the subject specifically in terms of their appreciation for science, their perception of its relation to real life and of their meaning-making processes. the same finding is also confirmed in the study of santos (2019) which exposed that ar mobile applications can increase the learning interest and motivation of students that eventually improve performance of students. he concluded that utilization of a mobile augmented reality could substantially enhance teaching and learning process. in the philippines, k+12 curricula already include it education software for teaching students how to utilize computers. the use of hardware and software technology to establish subjects and subject areas. numerous studies have found positive implications of augmented reality applications on student motivation, academic progress collaboration, dialogue, learning mindsets, and fun in secondary, tertiary, and post-secondary education. several studies have also proven the effectiveness of augmented reality (ar) as instructional material in science teaching and learning (tsihouridis et al., 2020). pirker & lesjak (2017) disclosed in his study that ar provides students with excellent interactive and practical experience with positive learning outcomes. more so, in a study craciun (2017) and akcayir and akcayir (2016) conducted, they revealed how ar enhances students’ practical and cognitive skills and how it offers a creative approach to education. additionally, ar also helps to facilitate the implementation of difficult experiments (strzys et al., 2018) and can be used effectively to teach science-based information (huang et al., 2019). findings of the research of tibola et al. (2019) also showed that the use of ar in science teaches highly satisfied students and it helps in building a positive attitude of students towards the subject. a study conducted by eldokhny and drwish (2021) investigated the effectiveness of augmented reality in online distance learning at the time of the covid-19 pandemic. their study was carried out in an instructional software authoring tools course for instructional technology department students to develop academic achievement and instructional software design skills. the findings of their study showed that augmented reality was more effective than virtual classrooms without augmented reality in enhancing academic achievement and the development of skills in online distance learning. in general, pandemic periods can be effectively learned through online distance learning using augmented reality or one of its (fixed, animated) patterns. additionally, they found out that location-aware or vision-based augmented reality may offer a lot of promise for online distance learning during the epidemic. in order to satisfy the demand for 21st-century abilities, teachers must be ready to use all augmented reality patterns in traditional online remote learning or during pandemics. in order to effectively study online distance learning during pandemic periods, more research must be done utilizing augmented reality with a different sample and varied information. in general, augmented reality or one of its (fixed, animated) patterns can be applied. a similar study conducted by ibáñez et al. (2020), aimed to determine the impact of an augmented reality (ar) application, nutricard, on students’ achievement and motivation. the nutricard applications, which had undergone rigorous design and development research, were employed for the treatment group. there were 25 people in the control and experimental groups, respectively. the control group made advantage of the ar elements already included in the textbooks supplied by the malaysian ministry of education. according to the study, there is a sizable achievement gap between the treatment and control groups. this study used semistructured interviews, preand post-tests, and preand post-tests as research methodologies. the outcomes of the paired t-test revealed that there was also a significant https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 64 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 62-72, 2022 difference in the motivation of the students. the semistructured interview demonstrated that ar-nutricard has the potential and captivating features that entice kids to get interested in the study of science. the results of the study also revealed a significant connection between motivation and success. higher motivation therefore suggests greater student accomplishment. in the context of the present study, however, augmented reality mobile application has not been used in the teaching and learning of grade 8 science in the locality specifically in provincial areas in the philippines like where this study was conducted where science achievement of students is problematic owing to students’ disinterest towards the subject. thereby, it is the intent of this research to explore the effectiveness of simatar as a teaching tool to improve the performance of the students under study as well as to boost their attitude towards the subject. this study is very significant in foraging new and effective ways in the teaching and learning of science. by doing so, the researchers can hopefully help in leveraging the instructional processes in the philippines through novel and innovative ways, and subsequently achieve the ultimate goal of providing quality science education to filipino students materials and methods this chapter presents the research design, research locale and participants, instrumentation, data gathering procedure and statistical tools that will be used in the pursuit of this study. research design the study used the mix method research design. the mixed methods research combines elements of quantitative research and qualitative research in order to answer research questions. the qualitative method established the impression of students in using simatar augmented reality mobile application which consists of a strategic intervention material booklet and its mobile software application. the quantitative method, on the other hand, was used to measure the students’ level of attitude towards science as well as student and teacher assessment on simatar mobile application as a tool in learning science. research locale and participants the study was conducted at nasipit national high school-annex located at nasipit, agusan del norte. the school has a total of 946 student population and 25 teachers. it consists of 130 grade 8 students distributed in three sections. out of these 130 students, only 20 were chosen as participants in this study using random sampling. science teachers were also included as participants in this study. out of 25 teachers, 10 are science teachers and were selected to participate in this study. the instrument was administered to the research population before and after the implementation of simatar. the teacher observations and interviews were conducted to assess the student’s attitude towards science. instrumentation the researchers crafted an instrument to facilitate the collection of the necessary data. it was submitted to the adviser for content validation. the researchers used survey questionnaires and interviews as a significant data collection instrument to carry out this study. the data was collected from teachers and students. the instrument of this study was partially adopted from the study of santos (2021), titled improving performance and attitude towards science using strategic intervention material in teaching with augmented reality (simatar) mobile application and the study of shafeey et al. (2019) titled challenges analysis for using augmented reality in education: a review. a focus group discussion through the interview form was conducted which included questions regarding the students’ views, ideas, feelings, and opinions about the program’s execution and impact, as well as proposals for program improvements or revisions. the mobile augmented reality application was also evaluated by the teacher in terms of usability, visual appeal of graphics and photos, accuracy and up-to-dateness of information, and instructional value. the mobile augmented reality application was evaluated by students in terms of content relevancy, visual appeal and design practicality, functionality, and motivation. finally, the preand post-tests were used to assess students’ performance before and after simatar adoption. data gathering procedure to obtain the data needed in this study, the following steps were taken: phase 1. early protocol to the research locale. a letter of permission was secured to conduct the study. the said letter was signed and granted by the school principal. phase 2. administration of pre-test. the researcher has conducted a 1 hour 20-item pretest to the selected grade 8 participants simultaneously. phase 3. conduct of classes using simatar. after the administration of the pretest, the teacher-researcher then conducted classes to students using the strategic intervention material in teaching with augmented reality. classes run for three weeks, and each class is taught for one hour. phase 4. administration of post test. a 1 hour 20-item post-test was conducted to the participants by the researchers simultaneously. phase 5. administration and retrieval of the survey questionnaires. the researchers personally administered the survey to the student and teacher participants following the safety protocols to avoid contamination. a brief orientation was conducted with the school head, teachers and students. phase 6. data analysis. the data gathered by the researchers were then analyzed. statistical treatment of data the data gathered were processed using jasp, with descriptive statistics which includes the following: percentages. calculated by taking the frequency in the category divided by the total number of participants and https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 65 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 62-72, 2022 multiplying by 100%. standard deviations. a measure of how dispersed the data is in relation to the mean. low standard deviation means data are clustered around the mean, and high standard deviation indicates data are more spread out. weighted mean. involves multiplying each data point in a set by a value which is determined by some characteristic of whatever contributed to the data point. mean difference. measures the absolute difference between the mean value in two different groups. paired samples t-test. statistical procedure used to determine whether the mean difference between two sets of observations is zero. in a paired sample t-test, each subject or entity is measured twice, resulting in pairs of observations. to determine the student’s level of attitude towards science, assessment on simatar augmented reality mobile application and the challenges/ issues they have encountered in using the simatar mobile augmented reality application, the interpretation of the mean scores on the questionnaire form will be based on the table below. table 1: interpretation of the data gathered on student’s level of attitude towards science and assessment on simatar mobile application rating verbal interpretation 4.505.00 strongly agree 3.504.49 agree 2.50-3.49 moderately agree 1.50-2.49 disagree results and discussion this chapter presents the results, the analysis and interpretation of data gathered from the answers to the questionnaires distributed to the field. the said data were presented in tabular and graphical form in accordance with the specific questions posited on the statement of the problem. teachers’ assessment in using simatar mobile augmented reality application. table 2 shows the teacher’s perceptions on simatar mobile augmented reality application. it revealed that all of the indicators on teachers-assessment were rated as strongly agree. table 2: teachers’ assessment in using simatar application teacher assessment on simatar mobile application weighted mean verbal interpretation usability 4.80 strongly agree visual appeal 4.92 strongly agree accuracy and up-to-datedness of information 4.83 strongly agree educational value 4.90 strongly agree overall mean 4.90 strongly agree in terms of usability, the 10 teacher participants gave a high evaluation rating of 4.8 which signifies that the teachers strongly agree that simatar uses language that is appropriate to the intended users, provides clear instructions, is easy to use, and can be utilized in varied learning environments. teachers also strongly agreed in terms of simatar’s visual appeal with a mean of 4.92. they found the application’s graphics and pictures simple, recognizable, realistic with appropriate colors, attractive, engaging, interesting, clarify and supplement the text. moreover, the raters also deemed the information presented on the application as accurate and very timely as evident on the 4.83 mean. for the educational value, it was given a rating of 4.9 which signifies that teachers strongly agreed that ar application helps the learners to visualize and understand the concept better, raises interest and degree of engagement, supports deeper understanding within the content domain, and makes learning more fun, exciting and interesting. it is remarkable that all of the teacher participants strongly agreed about the integration of simatar in teaching science. they acknowledge the fact that the use of simatar will increase the engagement and interest of the students. teachers are known for finding creative solutions when it comes to their students’ lessons, especially for difficult subjects like science and the biggest challenge was to find a way to make science more fun for the learners. alboruto (2020) identified strategic intervention materials (sims) as an effective tool for connecting with large numbers of students. five of alboruto’s sims have been transformed into augmented reality mobile applications through a partnership with the department of science and technology education institute’s simatar project. in an interview with summit original videos, alboruto added that when using the mobile application, the learners were able to see 3d images and visually realistic representations of the lessons which enables her students to engage with their learning environment in new ways. supporting textbook materials with ar examples adds another dimension to the learning process in which it will become a hybrid of the traditional approach and innovative practical illustrations of complicated concepts. according to johnston et al. (2019), ar technologies enable users to experience scientific phenomena that are not possible in the real world, such as certain chemical https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 66 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 62-72, 2022 reactions, making inaccessible subject matter available to students. the manipulation of virtual objects and observation of phenomena that are difficult to observe in the real world can be facilitated through ar. this type of learning experience can encourage thinking skills and increase conceptual understanding of phenomena that are either invisible or difficult to observe as well as correct any misconceptions. ar addresses learning difficulties that are often encountered with visualizing unobservable phenomena. this vouches for the study of strzys et al. (2018) and huang et al. (2019) that ar aids teachers in facilitating the implementation of difficult experiments and can be used effectively to teach science-based information. more so, khan et al. (2019) which found ar to be beneficial in academic settings, as it allows a more efficient visualization of abstract concepts, which in turn, facilitates students’ engagement and learning intentions. furthermore, teachers also explained that all of the teachers must be trained properly in terms of implementing this simatar in their daily lessons. some teachers also in other subjects wished that the dost-sei would also develop simatar modules and applications for other subjects like tle, and araling panlipunan. students’ assessment in using simatar mobile augmented reality application table 3 shows the students’ perceptions on simatar mobile application in terms of relevance of content, visual appeal and design practicality, functionality and student’s motivation. the table also revealed that all indicators of student-assessment were rated as strongly agree. the students agreed strongly in terms of the content relevance of the simatar application. they think that the simatar showed scientific models and it represents the concepts as explained by the teacher. also, they think that it can facilitate their understanding of science concepts easily and in a better way. according to ophoff et al. (2019), relevance can be established through using language and examples that are familiar to the students. familiarity involves providing examples that tie in with the student’s experience and relate to the subject matter. studies reported that a benefit of ar technology is the ability to provide immediate and relevant information and guidance in terms of design, students strongly agreed that ar is visually appealing and attractive, uses legible text, uses appropriate colors for graphics and pictures and it has table 3: students’ assessment in using simatar application student assessment on simatar mobile application weighted mean verbal interpretation content relevance 4.57 strongly agree visual appeal and design practicality 4.50 strongly agree functionality 4.28 strongly agree student’s motivation 4.22 strongly agree overall mean 4.40 strongly agree visible buttons and icons for correct manipulation and execution of commands. the functionality indicator showed results that students strongly agreed that ar application is user-friendly and it contains adequate task controls and 3d images which can be manipulated and viewed with ease. moreover, students believe that ar motivates them and helps in understanding the lesson better and helps in improving grades. studies have shown that ar can have consistent positive impacts on student motivation. there are studies which prove that ar can specifically increase student motivation in science learning. according to gopalan et al. (2017), the increased student motivation may be largely attributed to the elements of curiosity, fantasy, and control presented using ar technology, as student motivation may be directly influenced using an attractive or stimulating medium or learning material. in the study of santos (2019), students showed eagerness to use ar technology applications in the future to learn other science lessons in the future such as weather, planets, microscopic organisms, cells, human body systems, other heavenly bodies and insects. the students expressed their excitement in using technology inside the classroom. according to the study of sharif (2018), learning through ar may promote student-teacher interaction and enhance students’ satisfaction with the learning experience. it may also develop oral communication skills, social interaction skills and may encourage diversity understanding. the same finding was also established by castro & virata (2019) who delineated that ar not only improves motivation but also triggers more student-students and teacher-student interaction. attitude of students towards science before and after using the simatar mobile augmented reality application table 4 shows the effect of the mobile augmented reality application to student’s attitude towards science. looking at the first indicator of anxiety towards science, results revealed significant decline in students’ anxiety level on science from disagree to strongly disagree (overall mean 2.30 to 1.85) after using simatar. students disagreed that working with science frustrates them. even though student-participants claimed to disagree with having anxiety in science, their anxiety level decreased after utilizing simatar.the students claimed that sometimes they find science difficult depending on the topic of the lesson but not to the point they feel frustrated over science and hate science. after they are introduced to the simatar application they think that it can help them in https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 67 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 62-72, 2022 understanding their lessons much better. in the second indicator, student-respondents agreed that they had a positive enjoyment of science before the usage of simatar. this positive attitude towards science continued to increase after the usage of the ar mobile application from moderately agree to agree (overall mean of 3.45 to 4.43). it is worthy to observe that students’ perception of enjoyment of learning science, comfortability in taking science class and the real desire to learn science increased from agree to strongly agree. furthermore, students seemed to realize the importance of reading science books after the usage of simatar. a significant improvement was noted from moderately agree to agree (3.2 to 4.48) on reading science books ahead of class. after they used the simatar application it was clear that the attitude and perceptions of the students towards science changed in a positive way. being introduced in the simatar application for the first time they find it amusing and new. in connection to that their attitudes from having a little anxiety in science to finding enjoyment while learning in science. in the last indicator, student-participants agreed on the relevance of science in the society and in every life before the usage of simatar. this positive outlook of the table 4: students’ attitude towards science before and after using simatar mobile application attitude towards science weighted mean mean difference before verbal interpretation after verbal interpretation anxiety in science 2.30 disagree 1.85 strongly disagree -0.44 enjoyment in science 3.452 moderately agree 4.33 agree 0.88 relevance in science 3.84 agree 4.50 strongly agree 0.65 students about science continued to improve after the usage of the ar mobile application from agree (over all mean 3.84) to strongly agree (overall mean 4.5). the student participants strongly agreed that science is useful for solving the problems of everyday life because science has been a part of their lives and they claimed that the more they get to learn more about science they have a greater chance of having a good future. according to the study of lee (2012) ar has a better chance of improving educational situations than ever before, more productive, pleasant, and participatory. ar not only has the ability to engage a learner in previously unimaginable interactive ways, but it can also provide each individual with their own unique discovery path filled with rich content from computer-generated threedimensional environments and models. tibola et al. (2019) also attested that the use of ar in science teaches highly satisfied students and it helps in building a positive attitude of students towards the subject. studies by bos et al. (2019) reported that ar increased learners’ focus, attention, and concentration. bos examined a variety of educational technologies and increases in student focus and attention, and found that innovations, such as ar, when used appropriately, could enhance learning by increasing their focus and attentiveness. the figure below shows the overall means of students’ attitudes towards science before and after using the simatar application. it is observed that the overall figure 1: overall means of students’ attitudes towards science before and after using simatar application means for their anxiety in science decreases after they used the simatar application (2.3 to 1.85) also, the overall means of their enjoyment in science (3.45 to 4.33) and perceptions about the relevance of science in their daily lives increased (3.84 to 4.5) in their systematic review of the research literature, niu (2019) found that the key benefits of ar for learning included increased satisfaction, concentration, attention, and motivation. increased satisfaction implies that students’ experiences in the learning context rise to satisfactory levels, particularly during the learning process. virata and castro have the similar pronouncement that ar increased students’ learning attitude towards the subject specifically in terms of their appreciation for science, their perception of its relation to real life and of their meaning-making processes. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 68 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 62-72, 2022 gain scores of the student participants in using simatar mobile augmented reality application in their pre-test and post-test figure 2 shows the scores of the student participants in their pre-test and post-test. it is presented that all of the student participants remarkably had an increase of their scores after using the simatar mobile augmented reality application. the computed mean for the pre-test is 9.9 and in post -test a mean of 15.35. the mean difference between the means is 5.45. the increase of the scores of the students in their post-test indicates that they have improved after learning the lessons using the simatar application. this supports the claim of tsihouridis et al. (2020) that augmented reality as an instructional material in science teaching and learning is effective in improving students’ performance. furthermore, santos (2019) also disclosed that ar mobile application also improves the performance of students owing to the increase of learning interest and motivation of students. a similar study conducted by petrov and atanasova figure 2: the gain scores of the student participants in their pre-test and post-test (2020) aimed to explore the impact of an ar tool on students’ learning performance. the study has shown a substantial improvement in students’ understanding of the matter studied. their research showed that ar technology, particularly when utilized in stem education, enables students to explore, practice, and interact with stem information without having to worry about pricey consumables or animal harm, for example. it offers chances for experimentation and failure recovery while working in a secure setting. the tools for virtual, augmented, and mixed reality generally offer this. despite the programs and resources that are available, experience has proven that it is challenging for people to become more educated. although it is obvious that people and technology must coexist, it is important to find the “golden ratio” between the two. chin et al. (2020) also conducted research in relation to augmented reality. they sought to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed system. we conducted an experiment in a cultural heritage course at a taiwanese university. their experimental results showed that the arbased mobile touring system significantly improved the students’ memorizing dimension of learning achievement, as compared with a conventional mobile touring system (berame et al. 2022). additionally, the suggested system’s favorable effects on students’ actualized interests and taskbased interests components yield a particularly beneficial outcome for outdoor activities. these experimental findings also point to the potential of augmented reality (ar) technology to boost students’ interest in and academic performance in outdoor settings. in order to improve content recall performance and learning interest, we advise that ar virtual objects be created suitably when using a mobile touring system based on augmented reality in authentic learning activities. in addition to examining the moderating impacts of learning styles using augmented reality, a study conducted by lai and chang (2021) also investigates the effects of ar apps on first graders’ motivation for and performance in their english learning. their respondents were split between an experimental group that learned using an augmented reality app, and a control group that learned using more conventional techniques. numerous stochastics analyses were conducted. based on the findings of their study they conclude that introducing augmented reality (ar) apps into first graders’ english vocabulary acquisition can dramatically increase their motivation and proficiency. a study that used augmented reality using the application pokemon go was conducted by turel and ozer sanal (2018) that aimed to analyze the effect of 8 weeks of pokémon go on cognitive performance (memory, selective attention, concentration, mathematical calculation and linguistic reasoning) and emotional intelligence (well-being, self-control, emotionality and sociability) in spanish adolescents between 12 and 15 years. they found out that pokémon go increases, in a playful way, the amount of daily exercise in adolescents, could positively affect their cognitive performance, and improve their social relationships. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 69 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 62-72, 2022 significant difference between the pre-test and post-test scores of the grade 8 students before and after using simatar mobile augmented reality application table 5 showed the significant difference between the pretest and post-test mean scores of the students. since the p-value was 0.001 less than our significance level α=0.05, the researchers rejected the null hypothesis. the rejection of the null hypothesis suggests that there is a significant difference between the pretest and posttest mean scores of the students before and after using the simatar mobile application. as a result, we can table 5: significant difference in the pre and posttest mean sd mean difference df t-value at 0.05 computed p-value interpretation pre-test 9.900 1.889 5.45 19 -8.427 <0.001 reject null hypothesispost-test 15.350 2.277 conclude that the simatar mobile augmented reality application has significant improvement on the mean score performance of the students. a study proposed by chen (2019) was conducted to determine the “effect of mobile augmented reality on learning performance, motivation, and math anxiety in a math course”. their study investigated whether mobile ar differently affected learning, motivation, and math anxiety between students with high and low anxiety. the results of their study showed that the ar group performed better than the non-ar group, and highanxiety learners in the ar group outperformed in algebra and geometry. the ar group had higher motivation based on keller’s arcs model. the high-anxiety learners had higher confidence and satisfaction and lower anxiety when learning using mobile ar. the ar users were satisfied with ease of use, usefulness, playfulness, and benefit from exploration and hands-on experiences. moreover, high-anxiety users in the ar group had higher perceptions of exploration, hands-on experiences, and playfulness. the results of their study portrayed that the way the students perceived the lesson depends on how they learn effectively. tsai (2020) has a similar study that aims to examine the differences in students’ english vocabulary learning performance as well as the instructional materials motivation, comparing the traditional lecturing method and the augmented reality method. their study adopted an unequal pre-test and post-test experimental design. the results showed that the instructional materials, motivation and performance of the students taught using ar were superior to those of students taught using the traditional lecturing method. their study showed that traditional discussions of teachers motivates the students less compared to the usage of augmented reality like simatar. a review of augmented reality systems and their effects on mental workload and task performance was conducted by jeffri & rambli (2021). they had found a positive correlation between effects on mental workload and effects on task performance. they explained that if the effect on mental workload is positive, then the effects on task performance are more likely to be positive as well, and vice versa. according to them the effectiveness of ar systems was shown to be influenced by the type of ar display device used, relevance and timeliness of content, information presentation, user characteristics and task characteristics. such finding is in unison with pirker (2017) who found out that ar yields positive learning outcomes as it provides students with excellent interactive and practical experience. the same is true in the study of craciun & bunoiu (2017) which revealed how ar enhances students’ practical and cognitive skills and how it offers a creative approach to education. augmented reality (ar) applications can be used in almost all education and training environments. a study administered by kaya & bicen (2019). reveals the relationship between perceived usefulness, utility and attitudes regarding the use of ar applications in educational environments as well as the relationship between attitude levels and academic achievements. it also reveals the effect of ar application use on academic achievement in education. the researchers found that the perceived benefit and ease of use of augmented reality (ar) applications in educational settings strongly influence attitude levels in a positive direction, that there is no meaningful relationship between attitude levels and academic achievement, and that the use of augmented reality (ar) applications in educational processes raises students’ academic achievement. the increase of the scores of the students from pretest to post-test indicates the effectiveness of simatar augmented reality application in improving the students’ performance. according to the students they would retain the knowledge they acquire using the simatar application because they had the power to manipulate the 3d images. students claimed that the lessons can be understood and perceived easier using the simatar augmented reality application. also, their interest was easily captured by using the simatar augmented reality application. they tend to listen attentively and become more curious to learn something new because he simatar augmented reality application is somewhat new to them. challenges and issues of using simatar mobile augmented reality application of the students in science table 7 displays the results regarding the challenges and issues of using simatar mobile augmented reality https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 70 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 62-72, 2022 application of the students in science. it revealed that the students agreed that they have difficulties related to their abilities because of being the pioneers in arenabled subjects (3.6), lack of appropriate instructional support in ar applications (3.7), and they agreed that real environments are different from virtual environments (3.7). the students found the simatar challenging because they are pioneers and they think that real environments are different from virtual environments. the students moderately agreed that they lack equipment and need tools that are high cost (smartphones, tablets, etc) (3.15) because some of them don’t have personal cell phones and they rely on piso nets in their neighbors. also, they have a difficulty in focusing on learning because they get distracted if they use their gadgets while learning (2.8) and they don’t have sufficient time to study at home (2.75) especially during modular learning because their parents make them do the house chores. however, the students disagreed on lacking cognitive load and learning motivations (2.3) and having no content for practice in the ar system (2.3). the students’ difficulties in manipulating ar being pioneers in using this technology are also unveiled in the study of alalwan et al. (2020) who delineated that teachers are primarily concerned about the computer literacy of students for using ar. enhancing students’ literacy skills in terms of manipulating new technologies such as computers and mobile gadgets is a requisite for effective application of ar in the classroom. the same authors also expressed that there is a lack of instructional design in the application of ar which may negatively affect students’ willingness to use ar properly. according to akçayır and akçayır (2017) augmented reality offers unique advantages, such as its “combination of virtual and real objects in a real setting.” but, as with all technologies, there are some challenges to be considered when using ar. according to them, the internet table 6: students’ challenges and issues of using simatar mobile augmented reality application of the students in science challenges by the students using simatar mobile application weighted mean verbal interpretation have difficulties related to their abilities because of being the pioneers in ar-enabled subjects. 3.6 agree lacking cognitive load and learning motivations 2.3 disagree lack of equipment and need tools that are high cost (smartphones, tablet, etc) 3.15 moderately agree lack of appropriate instructional supports in ar applications 3.7 agree difficulties in understanding the content of the subject or cognitive overload 2.8 moderately agree no content for practice in the ar system 2.3 disagree have difficulty focusing on the learning objectives 2.55 moderately agree lack of sufficient time to study 2.75 moderately agree lack of gadget or internet connectivity for activities that require internet surfing 3 moderately agree real environments are different from virtual environments 3.7 agree and other icts as tools and catalysts for sustainable development: innovation for the 21st century. same with the students, the teachers also have some challenges and issues upon using the simatar application. a study conducted by alalwan et al. (2020) determined the challenges and prospects of virtual reality and augmented reality utilization among primary school teachers. it was determined that lack of competency, limited instructional design, lack of focused attention, time constraints and a lack of resources in the environment were frequent obstacles to the use of vr and ar. according to reports, teachers rated ar’s usefulness higher than vr’s. this perception may be related to the fact that ar typically offers features that are simple to use and take little time for users to understand. additionally, compared to vr, which often calls for more specialized hardware and software setup, handheld ar was thought to offer an accessible way for primary school pupils to understand science. teachers’ main worries about internet speed and availability were addressed through ar, which would allow students to access course materials even when they are not connected to the internet (carrera & asensio, 2017). a review conducted by hwang (2016) that focused on the challenges analysis for using augmented reality in education’. they conclude from their literature review that ar strongly supports the educational process. however, after they compared the research studies, they noted that the effect of ar in education is not different from that of traditional methods. based on their review some studies suggest that ar causes a higher cognitive load and suggests that ar reduces cognitive load. the researchers acknowledge that selecting the right ar applications for each purpose and usage strategy is the biggest problem. lack of knowledge, technological issues, the user interface of the application, teachers’ failure-related fear, and time https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 71 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(3) 62-72, 2022 constraints (lecture time is limited or insufficient). the researchers believed that if these difficulties are overcome, augmented reality programs like simatar will be a very useful tool in education. other costs (such as the cost of smartphones and tablets), the internet, and technical issues are additional factors in challenges in using the simatar application. challenges and issues in educating the students is inevitable. learners and teachers may face different challenges along the way but one thing is important is the knowledge that the students can acquire in the usage of any kind of technological innovations. conclusion it can be concluded that integration of simatar in teaching science increases the engagement and interest of the students in learning the subject. moreover, using ar technology helps the students in understanding the lesson better for they are able to manipulate and view 3d images. results showed that all indicators on the teachers and students’ assessment on simatar mobile augmented reality application were rated as strongly agree with an overall mean of 4.9 and 4.40, respectively. all indicators of students’ attitude towards science showed improvement after implementing the ar application in science teaching. indeed, ar does not only improve motivation but also it also facilitates more studentstudents and teacher-student interaction. moreover, the scores of the student participants in their pre-test and post-test presented that all of the student participants remarkably had an increase of their scores after using the application, from a computed mean of 9.9 in the pre-test it increased to 15.35 during the post test. the increase of the scores of the students in their post-test indicates that they have improved after learning the lessons using the simatar application. as for the challenges, results revealed that students do not have the gadgets to use and they lack the knowledge on how to manipulate the augmented reality application. references akçayır, m., & akçayır, g. 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(2018). the effects of an arcs based e-book on student’s achievement, motivation and anxiety. computers and education, 127,130-140.https:// doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2018.08.006 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 1 american journal of education and technology (ajet) implicit impact of english language pedagogical enhancement policies in higher education under the indian nep 2020: challenges, curriculum, approaches, opportunities, and implementations meenakshi sharma yadav1*, manoj kumar yadav2 volume 1 issue 4, year 2023 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i4.1117 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: december 26, 2022 accepted: december 30, 2022 published: january 01, 2023 a country’s societal and economic growth needs well-planned, dedicated, open, and technological advancements in education systems and learning policies (archer, 2013). since ancient times, india has dominated education, and university education is widespread there. before and after independence, india’s education system had many improvements. the current research critically explores the influences of english teaching and learning pedagogies and enhancement strategies in higher education under the indian national education policy (nep) 2020. the research employed a descriptive-quantitative approach that collected quantifiable information for statistical analysis of the population sample. moreover, the study uncovers challenges, curriculum, approaches, opportunities, and implementations under the nep 2020. the study used a questionnaire to randomly collect data from 200 students to investigate the implicit impact of executing english language teaching and learning programs. the impact was evaluated across four categories: high, medium, neutral, and low, and the analysis of the data showed the high impact of implementing the nep in india. this study is a preliminary analysis of a policy document that will be used as a starting point for future studies using empirical methods to examine the effects of the nep once it is fully implemented. focusing on changes in higher education, the paper has elucidated the holistic, transformative understanding of nep and highlighted the significance of technology interventions for innovative teaching and learning. this article can be considered as a reference to the policy implementation of english language pedagogical enhancement policies in higher education by the nep 2020 teams of the government of india. keywords nep 2020, english at college level, higher education institution 1 applied college for girls, king khalid university, saudi arabia 2 singhania university, rajasthan, india * corresponding author’s e-mail: m-@kku.edu.sa introduction education is referred to as comprehending one’s full potential by creating a fair and complete society with the inclusion of advanced global progress and giving them proper employment and a bright future (côté, 1996; basu et al., 2009). the indian education system is continuously escalating and assuming leadership roles for international standards such as equality and social fairness, cultural preservation, national integration, scientific advancement, and economic growth, ensuring every individual has access to high-quality education. utilizing and developing the talent and resources of a nation for the benefit of individuals, society, and the nation as a whole requires quality education. the most important aspect of obtaining a world-class education is mastering english skills. education policies should emphasize the development and potential of each student. therefore, the educational philosophy should focus on developing students’ problemsolving, creative and critical thinking, and communication skills in addition to their basic cognitive capacities. these days, the ability to express oneself clearly and concisely in english is often the deciding factor in whether or not a student will succeed in life (yost et al., 2000; moseley et al., 2005; zabit, 2010) for both occupational and educational purposes. the policy guide is based on extensive ancient texts and indian thought and knowledge passed down through the ages. the philosophy and beliefs behind pursuing truth, wisdom, and knowledge are visualized as humans’ aspirations. the education in ancient india was that freedom of self and total realization of foreknowledge accumulation lies after school in the world. institutions set high transdisciplinary teaching and research standards with world-class standards in ancient india, including vallabhi, vikramshila, nalanda, and takshashila, which also welcomed students and researchers from various nations across the world (agnihotri et al., 2022). thiruvalluvar, gargi, mythri, sankardev, pingala, gautama, nagarjuna, patanjali, panini, madhav, chakrapani datta, chanakya, brahmagupta, bhaskaracharya, varahamihira aryabhatta sushruta, and charaka were all educated in india and made significant contributions to fundamental indian philosophy and culture. the valuable contributions that merit world heritage status are enhanced and put to new uses through our educational system and protected for future generations. therefore, it is needless to say that the teacher must be at the center of significant changes in the educational system because they motivate the next generation of students with the new education system’s strategies, which aid in establishing the teacher in a significant role and rewarding members of society at all stages of education. the necessary steps should be taken to empower educators and support them as they carry out their duties. the new education policy must ensure https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i4.1117 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= mailto:m-%40kku.edu.sa?subject= pa ge 2 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(4) 1-12, 2022 livelihood, respect, dignity, and autonomy for all teachers and implant fundamental techniques for quality assurance and accountability to attract sharp individuals to the teaching profession. the new education strategy needs to ensure that all students, no matter where they live, can get a good education. it should focus on historically underrepresented, underprivileged, and marginalized groups. education is the best means of attaining equality, inclusiveness, and economic and social mobility since it levels the playing field. the programs guarantee that, despite insurmountable difficulties, students of all groups can access various focused opportunities to enroll in and succeed in the educational system (shaeffer, 2019; agnihotri et al., 2022). the country’s local and international demands, rich diversity and culture must be respected and honored while incorporating these components. for the sake of fostering a sense of pride in one’s country, self-assurance, self-awareness, cooperation, and integration, it is essential to teach india’s young people about the country’s diverse technological, cultural, and social aspects, as well as its unique artistic, linguistic, and intellectual traditions, and to compare various education policies for higher education. different anticipated and contingent action effects stand for the desired effect of the action. nep 2020 and pedagogical enhancement policies in nep of english language in higher education the indian nep 2020 is a blueprint for the new india that aims to reform the educational system. on july 29, 2020, the indian cabinet gave their approval to implement this in the indian education system (aithal & aithal, 2020). this article highlights the nep 2020 and examines vision india 2.0 for a comprehensive higher education system that vicissitudes to meeting the learning difficulties of the 21st century. one of nep 2020’s key goals is to boost student enrollment by 2030 throughout all educational institutions, including elementary, secondary, and higher education. it has proposed gradual reforms to the current educational and governmental structures to accomplish that (jha & parvati, 2020). india’s higher education is anticipated to make significant strides under nep 2020. the goal is to build india 2.0 for the twenty-first century, which will undoubtedly assume a leadership position on the world stage. most of nep 2020 is a reasonably forward-thinking text with a clear understanding of the existing socio-economic landscape and the potential to tackle future difficulties. by 2030, india might become a hub for education on a global scale if this plan is successfully executed (kumar, 2021). the covid-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted the global higher education community due to flight disruptions, border restrictions, and the shift toward online teaching and learning. as a result, many prospective international students in the state are either putting off or abandoning their plans to study abroad in favor of remaining in their own country, where they have access to the same high-quality education that will get them to nep 2020. if overseas students do not enroll, it could have a negative impact on the finances of many institutions of higher learning and, by extension, the economies of their home countries (kanwar & carr., 2020). in light of this post-covid context, nep 2020 has the potential to be the ideal means by which educational goals might be achieved in each field specially in english language teaching (elt) and english language learning(ell). statement of the problem english language teaching and learning in indian higher education are complex and challenging. overcrowded classrooms with mixed english skills pause instruction, and less-prepared learners hinder the teaching and learning process. instructors use traditional techniques, tools, and trick and pedagogies; they need to be aware of the latest pedagogies and teaching methods. pedagogies are not based on presentation, production, practice (ppp), instead instructors, and learners are not serious for teacher-talking time (ttt) and student-talking time (stt) during english skill’s enhancement. hence, the teaching strategies and pedagogies are not based on constructivist, collaborative, integrative, reflective, or inquiry-based learning. on the other hand, no efl/esol instructors are celta, tefl, or tesol certified for their effective english language pedagogies. since english is spoken and pronounced with a thousand regional languages (home language/mother tongue/local language/regional language) glocally (global to local) across indian states. consequently, students meet their instructors and classmates with strange accents and awkward sound pitches and pronunciations. hence, esl/efl classes, which are ele classes becomes unproductive and monotonous. moreover, poor attendance and exam scores deter esl instructors and concern students in large classes in higher education. less smart and old classrooms, and poor infrastructures that may collapse at any time. colleges do not care about students’ english skills, so they do not push them. informal examinations given by english teachers at the secondary and senior secondary levels (pre-university) allow students with poor english skills to enter higher education. since the existing literature and traditional curriculum does not help pupils become competent communicators. therefore, the statement of the problem is to study the impact and effect of the educational reform of english language pedagogy and enhancement policies in higher education under nep 2020. are the policies practically expedient and entirely based on enhancing the elp and english curriculum? are these focused approaches student-friendly, technology-based, job-oriented, and preoccupied with skill-enhancing tools? finally, the study seeks to examine the future fruitfulness of implementing the policies. research hypothesis the research hypothesis is to determine whether the changes that nep transmits in college education due to https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 3 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(4) 1-12, 2022 english language enhancement and pedagogy policies will be rewarding. secondly, the nep ascertains a positive impact in enhancing policies on the elt and ell in college students. rationale the research argues that english language teaching and learning in higher education provide opportunities for comprehending and understanding a second language. in addition, it gives access to skills and knowledge for promoting personal growth and participation in society. research objectives a. the research objective is to study the pedagogy and enhancement policies and their impact on english language teaching and learning under nep 2020 b. analysing the curriculum, approaches, opportunities, implications and implementations of english language teaching and learning in higher education. literature review language policies and planning study any action taken by the government, linguists, institutions, community members, and families to retain or modify a language used on an individual level, regional, or national level. these actions can be taken either explicitly or implicitly. this could be done by the state, linguists, institutions, community members, families, or other characters. the literature distinguishes between macro, formal, and state-backed language policies and the micro and informal practices of individuals, families, and groups as they interact in professional and leisure settings. because of that, the state’s power is used to manage the status of languages and how people use them. the spread of english worldwide has caused much debate about language and linguistic policies and plans. indian students and citizens are eager to know what caused it, its consequences, and how it has led to differences in communication, education, language preservation, and knowledge production. historically, the adoption of english medium instruction in non-english speaking regions has acted as a catalyst for bilingual research and the role of bilingualism in mediating the linguistic challenges caused by language contact. kalyani (2020) says that education determines the fate of a country’s people, which has a big effect on how a country is made. in terms of the nation’s and the citizen’s growth and development education has the long-lasting impacts. in the current environment, the relevance and role of education cannot be disregarded and undermined. we can see progress and development by contrasting the preand post-independence eras. this will be the third time in the indian government’s 34-year history that education policies have been changed. the new nep 2020 has numerous measures that undoubtedly affect the parties involved. in this paper, the author looks at nep 2020 and how it affects stakeholders. it also tries to make people more aware of the policy’s potential and its possible future effects. according to kathi et al. (2022), nep 2020 is considered the first educational policy in the 21st century to anticipate universal access to high-quality education. therefore, all aspects of the organization, including governance and rules, must be revised and updated. sustainable development goals are divided into four categories that aim to ensure comprehensive, justifiable quality education and the promotion of opportunities for lifelong learning for all. it is an amazing development that allows for the need to support creativity and originality to incorporate liberal education within the current educational system. this reorganization could significantly impact education quality, gross enrolment ratio, employability research, internationalization in the future, institutions of higher education, and school level. with equity, quality, inclusion, and access, the policy seeks to shift india’s educational environment from one of local to the global leadership. pallathadka et al. (2021) investigated in their study how education in india has changed frequently throughout its history. they discussed that education is not just learning about subjects like history, economics, mathematics, science, etc., but also gaining relevant skills. education helps to utilize resources successfully. people can learn more about each subject and improve their skills by making education better. a country can build up its resources and get things done by investing in education. india has now come up with new policies related to the education sector. the journey through the national education policy shows how all of india’s policies fit together. at the same time, it shows the different committees and commissions that have been set up to improve education. researchers also focused on three significant national education policies introduced by the government of india in the previous years of 1968, 1986, and 2020. these study compared the objectives and other important factors of the three national education policies that have succeeded in bringing changes to the education sector from time to time. according to singh and srivastava (2022), futuristic education is technology-driven, as they have repeatedly witnessed the epidemic and the horror of being imprisoned entirely. the epidemic has drastically changed the educational system, converting it overnight from traditional classroom instruction to online learning with new restrictions. the comprehensive framework for education up to higher levels and vocational training in rural and urban india is nep 2020. the policy suggests some actions to encourage digital learning and increase the infrastructure needed to modernize india’s educational system by 2025. the nep 2020 emphasizes the benefits of technology and prepares young people for the problems of the future. due to india’s socioeconomic and regional diversity, emphasis should be placed on the accessibility of online education and training for all to improve society and advance knowledge. gupta & choubey (2021) said it is a policy of education in the 21st century to consider reengineering higher https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 4 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(4) 1-12, 2022 education institutions for excellence and a higher institution standard. according to the policy, higher education institutions (heis) will change to offer highquality education and subsequently receive accreditation. the institute’s accreditation will give them more autonomy, leading to higher-quality instruction and research. higher levels of accreditation will lead to greater levels of autonomy for them. the heis follow a road toward autonomy, quality, and accreditation and may develop into multidisciplinary universities, making institutions accountable to stakeholders’ centers on autonomy. utilizing the institute’s total capacity will eventually increase responsiveness and innovation. tejashwini (2022) reported that the nep directly contributes to the long-term transformation of the nation into a prosperous and knowledgeable society by providing high-quality education to everyone. the union cabinet of india approved the new nep on july 29, 2020, with a comprehensive framework starting with primary education, higher education, and vocational training in all parts of india. school education has a 100% gross enrollment ratio, and higher education should attain a 50% ger by 2025, as the new plan aims to establish universal pre-kindergarten through secondary education by 2030. the implementation of nep 2020 presents the education community with a wide range of opportunities and challenges. the study reviewed the nep in relation to he, examined its effects on teachers, expressed the opportunities and challenges associated with its implementation, and outlined the path the nep would take. boruah and mohanty (2022) explored that neoliberal notions of individual and institutional agency and responsibility for economic success boost english medium education (eme) in india. dev (2022) raised the issue of how a significant “generic learning outcome” and “communication skills” will empower students to study further and/or enter the world of work after graduating, according to the recommendations of the national education policy 2020 and ugc’s draft national higher education qualifications framework (nheqf). the researcher, dev, is worried about how the policy’s goals, which will cause a big change in higher education across the country, will affect the teaching of english, especially in terms of pedagogy, assessment, and teacher training. paliath & dhinakar (2021) found numerous issues brought up by the nep 2020, particularly regarding the language portion. the research study examines the objections made regarding teaching the english language and other regional languages, along with subjects taught using english and other regional languages, as well as the history of this policy and pertinent language-related topics. it contends that a large portion of the criticism stems from a lack of comprehension of the policy and the fact that children can study language and other disciplines at various ages. in addition, the benefit of language learning with several languages is emphasized. to adjust to the changes brought about by the nep 2020, elt experts must create new teaching strategies. research gap as of now, no research studies have been conducted to find out the gaps in the implicit impact of english language pedagogy and enhancement policies in higher education under the indian nep 2020. according to the literature review, most researchers examine the 2020 national education policy in general. some research studies have been done on school education, and the impact is being evaluated for management purposes. however, only some researchers have analyzed the effects of old policies and the nep 2020 on language teaching and learning. the novelty of this research study is to analyze pedagogy and enhancement of the english language with particular reference to the curriculum, challenges, approaches, implications, and implementations in higher education, which are subject to scientific debate and discussion, which creates emerging lacunae that need to be filled in with continued scientific research. methodology the study includes the descriptive and quantitative research methodologies necessary to complete the study. the target population is the graduating male and female students of the five colleges at the university of rajasthan (india). a student questionnaire was sent to 200 students to collect the data. although it was a national strategy, collecting information from every state took much work. therefore, the data was obtained from the researcher’s home state, where they attended college and the results considered in general way. participants and data collection process as mentioned above, the questionnaire was designed and distributed to 200 college students. the questionnaire consisted of 10 statements regarding the high, medium, neutral, and low impacts of all components in general. the data was collected by sending the questionnaire to students by mail. the questionnaire is presented in table 1 below. table 1: evaluating the impact of english language enhancement under nep 2020 s. no statements 1 the nep 2020's new educational strategy has the potential to affect students at a fundamental level. 2 by the nep 2020, the universities and institutions offer multidisciplinary programs until 2040. 3 the english language teaching and learning enhancement strategies provide students with more job opportunities. 4 under nep, the world-class universities established in india improve the english language. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 5 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(4) 1-12, 2022 result the impact of english language teaching and improvement under nep 2020 is analyzed using a survey questionnaire from 200 higher education respondents. the impact is evaluated across four categories: high, medium, neutral, and low. one hundred six respondents create high impact with 53 percent. the medium impact is created by 42 percent of respondents, the neutral impact is created by 28 percent of respondents, and the low impact is created by 24 percent of respondents among college students of english language pedagogy and enhancement under nep 2020. 5 the english language teaching and learning enhancement under nep 2020 improve india's economic and educational standards. 6 to increase student achievement, the massive transition from nep 2020 must occur. 7 the amendment necessitates significant modifications to the structure and content of higher education and is acceptable. 8 the instructional policies at teaching and learning in institutions enhance college students' command of the english language. 9 the nep 2020 can produce english language experts in the elt field. 10 the educational fees are regulated and structured by nep 2020. based on the statistical analysis, the researchers estimate that english language instruction in higher education will have a more significant influence of 53%, representing the majority of the study. the new educational strategy has the potential to affect the fundamental level of students and will provide more job opportunities to efl learners. based on the questionnaire, high impact is shown to establish world-class universities to improve students’ level. the improvement in the field of language learning will uplift economic and educational standards. the amendments that necessitate significant modifications to the structure and content of higher education will be highly beneficial, and instructional to enhance students’ command of the language. the nep policies will produce english language experts. most students will benefit from nep 2020’s english language pedagogies and enhancement policies. the study demonstrates that the new educational policy adopted in institutes and universities provides students with more chances and will increase the pedagogy and enhancement in english language learning and teaching. discussion implicit impact of english language pedagogical enhancement policies in higher education under the indian nep 2020 implicit learning is an essential component of human cognition. many essential skills, like understanding and using language, making decisions about an area, and getting along with others, mainly depend on implicit knowledge. the implicit impact of english language pedagogy and english enhancement policies of elt and eel on higher education under nep 2020 resulted in significant changes in the reforms and governance of higher education institutions and colleges to establish a multidisciplinary institution that includes clusters of higher education institutions, colleges, and universities by tying in with the impending global revolution for the creation of skilled jobs as well as exchanging knowledge. the strategy also emphasizes the role of the national research foundation in actively supporting research in colleges and universities by providing funding for definitive studies. nep 2020 specifies admission mechanisms in all universities and figure 1: impact of english language pedagogy and enhancement under nep 2020 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 6 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(4) 1-12, 2022 undergraduate higher education, preferably through the national testing agency, to reduce the burden of numerous duplicate exams held by higher education institutions (hei) individually. now the process is indeed in motion. for the undergraduate programs linked with federal universities, launch the effort to conduct central universities’ entrance tests. in years to come, state universities will also join the community. the policy is a reduction of the number of institutions in the indian higher education system across three types of higher education institution clusters in order to increase the gross enrolment ratio to 50 percent by 2035, as targeted, and gdp at 6 percent (kaurav et al., 2020). the policies help with multiple entry and exit, quality higher education, maintaining an academic credit bank, the capacity of multidisciplinary teams, the efficiency of resources, and quality teaching and research. nep 2020 will also emphasize the creation of a technology forum for correctly applying technologies in the areas of learning, assessment, and teaching, as well as management and administration systems in the english language. the critical theoretical approach can be used to assess whether the relationship between language policy and linguistic tension, from the perspective of both english and other indian mother tongues, is contrary to the stated country and organizational goals and whether the current language policy and its implementation are undermining the nation’s linguistic prosperity. other hand, this has led to the implicit assumption that the english language is limited, but improvement occurs during higher education studies, and policies are the reason for delivering higher education courses in the english language in indian university contexts. the emotional agency tools for teaching, learning, and enhancing english language skills are determined by how a specific educational policy’s strategies and a set of implicit and explicit feeling rules are communicated to those whose mother tongue is not english. the english-medium instruction is incompatible with the students’ low english proficiency levels; the implementation of the institution’s bilingual policy is geared towards the development of english only; a monolingual conceptualization underpins institutional practices, thus contributing to the loss of other regional languages in the education domain. therefore, higher education in the country should be linguistically diversified to achieve higher education goals and protect local citizens’ linguistic rights. another cultural challenge is the anxiety associated with the perceived superiority of instruction in english to the detriment of local languages, which seems to occur particularly in every corner of india that has experienced prior subjugation of domestic minority languages. the government has made enormous strides in the english and mother tongue educational sectors to improve quality, equity, access, and excellence in a way that is inclusive, in addition to major social programs for the nation’s economic development and social transformation at a certain pace comparable to that of development at the international level (kushwaha, 2022; sethu, 2022). the english language has been essential to the social and economic growth of the subcontinent, but there are worries about how it might affect local languages. through english-language education, democracy as a widely acknowledged form of political structure is introduced to south asia. since the political system in any nation is influenced by the educational system, improving educational institutions must come first if a democratic political system is what everyone wants. however, english has played a role in the struggle for democracy by serving as the official language and medium of instruction, a role that has not been thoroughly studied. a comparison between the three significant nations has been made based on recent research studies to examine how the english language contributes to the teaching and upholding of democratic ideals and values in educational institutions (ud din & akhlaq, 2020). english language pedagogy and enhancement policies under nep 2020 in higher education have brought fruitful results, like the conversion of the education system from teacher-centric to student-centric for choosing the subject they can access through competency-based evaluation according to their own pace of learning. this choice-based credit system helps the students analyze their problems in a particular study area and evaluate their skills. the policies enhance the communication level of students in higher education and develop quality education like that in foreign countries through the development of english language learning. based on the research output, the productivity of the faculty is determined, and research is considered the central part of higher education. due to enhanced communication, students can now publish their research independently. challenges main challenges are linguistic, cultural, structural, and identity-related. efl students rely on a complex and confusing set of individual language and academic learning skills and culturally embedded notions of what academic environments look like in higher education. understanding the cultural nuances of interaction and difference is no longer enough. still, both esl instructors and students need to be aware of the academic problems that come with having ells in regular university settings and take steps to solve these problems. there is a shortage of linguistically qualified lecturers, no stated expectations of english language proficiency, and few organizational or pedagogical guidelines, which might lead to ineffective english medium instruction teaching and learning and no english medium instruction content in initial lecturer education preparation training programs as well as continuing professional development courses. despite good planning, curriculum, textbooks, qualified lecturers, and effective administration, the teachinglearning process sometimes seems futile when skill development needs to improve. at this stage, english is an international language, and we need to note that although https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 7 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(4) 1-12, 2022 our students spend a long time in language classes, they still need to achieve a desirable level in various language skills and express themselves in simple english sentences. due to the deficiencies in their learning, the desired result cannot be achieved given that english is the language of english-medium instruction for core courses. therefore, english has a decorative aspect, and it has no academic consequences if a further investigation does not address solutions to the problems. curriculum effective english language learning necessitates a comprehensive strategy that includes a suitable curriculum, engaging pedagogy, ongoing formative evaluation, and sufficient student support. in addition, the curriculum must be interesting and up-to-date to meet the most recent needs for knowledge and meet specific learning goals for teaching and learning english. the successful delivery of the curriculum to students, therefore, requires high-quality teaching; practices on pedagogy shape the experiences in learning offered to the students that directly affect the outcomes of learning; the evaluation method should be scientific, created to enhance the learning throughout the time as well as tested for knowledge application. not to mention, it is essential for high-quality english language learning that students develop the skills that support their overall wellness, including physical fitness, excellent health, psychosocial well-being, and a strong ethical foundation. consequently, students need the designed curriculum as,i.english language learning pedagogy in nep 2020 seeks to restructure the indian educational system in a revolutionary and creative way. the development, governance, execution, and accreditation of educational programs in the education system in india through the english language would undergo a radical change as a result of the nep 2020. through educational program accreditation, more creative courses for english language learning will be introduced, and the students will make use of them. the policy assumes that effective teachers with the skills to provide task-based education, creative learning, and a communication approach are needed and an important part of the process of delivering outcomeand skills-based education. because of this, higher education institutions and universities would be better equipped to implement nep 2020’s goals, receive high certification from the relevant accreditation bodies and regulatory agencies, and provide students with an education that is the outcomeand skills-based (chakradev & inamdar., 2022). ii. identifying, fostering, and recognizing the unique strength of every student through educating teachers and parents about the need to foster holistic student development in academic english language learning as well as extracurricular areas (sontakke et al., 2022). iii. foundational literacy and numeracy should be a priority for all students. flexibility should be provided for the students to choose the learning programs and trajectory based on their interests and talents; communication should not be a barrier to achieving those things. thus, the impact of the english language acts as the foundation of education. iv. fostering multilingualism and the value of language in teaching and learning; fostering critical thinking and creativity for promoting decision-making and innovation; and logical thinking. human ethics and values of the constitution, like scientific temper, respect towards the public property, service spirit, democratic spirit, courtesy, cleanliness, respect for others, and empathy; and life skills like communication, cooperation, and teamwork are emphasized in english language learning and teaching (datta, 2020; maurya & ahmed, 2020; kumar, 2021; chatterjee & mahmood, 2022). first, a comprehensive framework of higher education qualifications that maintains uniformity across institutions and programs and online and traditional class modes will allow faculty and institutions to innovate on assessment, pedagogy, and curriculum in the english language. in order to ensure that every student has a fascinating and engaging learning experience, institutions and motivated professors will construct curricula and pedagogy, and ongoing formative assessments will be employed to advance the objectives of each program. the hei shall also make decisions on all assessment processes, including those that result in final certification. changes will be made to the choice based credit system to encourage creativity and adaptability (wankadhe., 2021). the system will be fairer, and the results will be more comparable if heis switch to the criteria-based grading system for evaluating the student’s progress based on language learning objectives. second, each institution will incorporate its academic plans, including improving the curriculum or how students interact in class, into its overall institutional development plan (idp). for instance, higher education institutions will offer procedures and possibilities for sponsoring topic-focused clubs and events, such as those centered on science, math, sports, music, debate, literature, language, and poetry, that the students, with the assistance of teachers and required professionals, run. such activities might eventually be included in the english language curriculum once the necessary academic knowledge and student demand are established on campus. esl faculty will be equipped with the skills and knowledge necessary to interact with students, not teachers, who should behave like advisors and mentors. the third part is that students from socioeconomically challenged families need help and encouragement to advance successfully to higher education. as a result, universities and colleges will be forced to establish topnotch support centres and be provided with enough funding and academic resources to do so successfully. all students will also have access to expert academic and career counselling and counsellors to ensure their emotional, physical, and mental well-being for the english enhancing. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 8 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(4) 1-12, 2022 the fourth part is online and distance learning (odl) offers a logical way to widen access to top-notch higher education in colleges and universities. odl revitalizes the deliberate efforts based on evidence towards the expansion by guaranteeing adherence to the quality standard to realize the potential completely. the program strives to be on par with the best-in-class programs currently offered. to ensure that odl is of a high enough standard to be recommended to all hei guidelines, norms, and standards for systematic regulation, development, and accreditation to be created (nep, 2020). the vision of nep 2020 focuses on transforming and reshaping the structure of the indian education system. online education is especially focused on nep 2020. institutions and universities conduct pilot studies through digital learning to maximize the benefits in india. the new insight includes upgraded online platforms and tools for profiles, assessment tools, and resources for inclass and training content for greater interaction. virtual english communication labs are created for the students to practice their new and advanced course contents and theoretical knowledge in english language learning. it also emphasizes online examinations and assessments of the english language. the era of digital technology has had more impact on english language learning with the influence of the internet. it brings the language learner and english language teacher under one roof of the virtual classroom through the social media and intranet platforms which play an essential role in completing their higher education with an enhanced curriculum in online learning under nep 2020. approaches the art of looking at how language learning and teaching are done is known as the “approach.” approaches like the audio-lingual or aural-oral approach, cognitive coding, and communicative approach are used effectively to enhance english language learning in higher education. the methodology used here is task-based teaching. in the modern language learning classroom, learners use different approaches and techniques, such as the eclectic approach. english language teachers can select a particular approach according to the learner’s needs. the macaulay system throughout the nation replaced the gurukul education system. poor employability and a student exodus to foreign universities are symptoms of the failure of india’s higher education system. to make indian higher education competitive internationally, it needs growth opportunities based on performance, incentives to improve skills and hierarchy, and a focused approach to giving faculty more power, autonomy, and freedom (pathak, 2021). efficiency is increased through good governance in both public and private sector enterprises. end-user happiness and investment value based on money and time are intimately related to productivity and excellent governance. productivity in higher education and quality development are dependent on institutional governance trends and effective leadership. discipline, a high-quality vision, and policies are propagated down the timeline hierarchy by the leadership of higher education institutions. the study talks about necessary global studies, well-known opinions, case study strategies for making policy, and the excellent management of higher education institutions in india. the rise of india’s economy and living conditions in the twenty-first century can be attributed mainly to the country having the world’s third-largest young population attending heiis. to help the organization be productive on the indian subcontinent, it needs leadership. this will be possible when the educational productivity of heii leadership is creatively turned into transformative innovation. in this study, the main problems and challenges existing heiis face in trying to become worldclass educational systems are carefully examined in terms of their effects, consequences, impacts, possibilities, problems, and solutions. recommendations for 21stcentury heii leadership are provided based on research and conclusions, and a practical methodology is presented to gauge productivity (dwivedi & joshi, 2020). teaching strategies play an important role in classroom instruction. without a strategy, teachers aimlessly project information that does not connect with learners or engage them. strategies help learners participate, connect, and add excitement to the delivered content. the pedagogical prescriptive and emergent approaches should be a planned methodology of a logically reasoned, best-option technique, with different options offering different reasoned operational and transformational strategies that can be used in english skill enhancement. the pedagogical methods, strategies, and techniques that instructors implement to help students develop skills should be both teacher-centered and student-centered. for goal-achieving curricular pedagogy, english language instructors should adopt the five different strategies of mintzberg (1987): plan, ploy, pattern, position, and perspective. these pedagogies include working together and forming partnerships, using technology, changing and making new policies, building up people’s skills, and changing and integrating systems. an esl instructor should follow constructivist, collaborative, integrative, reflective, and inquiry-based learning for productive and entertaining classes. opportunities the nep 2020 is a remarkably detailed planning document. higher education and its delivery have received the majority of attention. however, other concerns, such as vocational education, research, and online and digital education, to name a few, have also received the attention they deserve. overall, the administration has made a remarkable and highly encouraging stride forward. how much effective net output is generated will only become apparent with time (panditrao & panditrao, 2020). many education professionals have yet to anticipate the adjustments that nep 2020 has suggested. although the education policy has touched both high school and https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 9 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(4) 1-12, 2022 college, the article primarily concentrates on nep 2020 and its effects on higher education. the approach will also apply to foreign universities entering the nation and consist of transformational reforms for higher education (joshi & ahir., 2022). the main goal of the nep is to “ensure that teachers receive the highest quality training in the development of study materials, teaching methods, and skills and introduce the teacher education system into multidisciplinary faculties and universities; the establishment of a 4-year integrated b.ed. offered by such multidisciplinary institutions will become the minimum degree qualification for school teachers by the year 2030.” (smitha, 2020; dixit, 2021). india’s language policies have been affected by how important it is for people and businesses to be able to communicate in english. this has led universities to use interpreter training as an innovative way to improve language skills. therefore, a higher education organization in india can use interpreter training as a language tool by promoting it. this article critiqued the linguistic instrumentalism and looked at the experiences of both students and teachers in the program. the researchers argued that there is a pedagogical conflict between implementing policy education strategies and using realistically interpreted curricula that consider students’ needs. interpreter training for enhanced communicative competence is embedded in the neoliberal rhetoric of linguistic instrumentalism, promising competitive professional advantages to students. however, paradoxically, it does not keep its promises about language acquisition. teachers’ methods, students’ goals, and the way the curriculum is set up are not pedagogically sound because students’ skills do not match the suggested activities. by improving their writing, speaking, listening, and reading skills, instructors of the english language help students gain the confidence they need to share their ideas and present them. moreover, english language teachers encourage the students to develop the most required skills, like adaptability, autonomy, leadership, collaboration, and creativity, which pave the way to more opportunities. the skills can be transferred and help the learners, and they can be applied in many fields throughout their lives. through high-quality training in the development of skills in english language teaching and the study materials that are introduced in the teacher education system in multidisciplinary universities, higher education becomes more prominent. implementations in the overview of nep-2020, the policy’s strengths and weaknesses in the higher education and research sectors are listed, as are its implementation and recommendations. based on the data collection discussion, possible generic strategies for putting nep-2020 into action to reach its goals are also listed and analyzed. the study has yielded numerous predictions on the topic, such as the creation of high-quality colleges and universities with englishlanguage institutional consolidation under restructuring, multidisciplinary and complete education, and the best learning environment and support for students changing to the regulatory system in higher education that integrates and uses technology, digital, and online education. as a result, suggestions are given for successfully executing the nep-2020 despite numerous limitations. the study can also be used as a guide by the teams in the indian government implementing english language pedagogy and enhancement policies in higher education to put policies into action (aithal & aithal, 2020). the responders made a few proposals, some of which are as follows: nep 2020-related clarification should be the main focus. a) many government-run and government-aided colleges need esl professionals trained or certified instructors. therefore, it would be better to fill open positions long before implementing the nep 2020. b) many instructors prefer to avoid it, so when nep 2020 is implemented, the primary facility should be there. c) nep 2020 must be implemented on an experimental basis; if it is a success, it must only be applied nationwide in india. d) the nep 2020 emphasizes the development of a knowledge-based economy. at the same time, it should be noted that english language education has become a luxury for the middle class. therefore, the difficulties faced by the middle-class category are considered when implementing nep 2020. e) some funding should be provided to private institutions at the time of english skills internationally implementation. f) take the english-speaking work market. it needs to be revised to give english and regional languages the same weight. g) lack of college enrollment is another issue, and the government must prepare for the future problem (nep, 2020). the nep 2020 introduced a wide range of adjustments. it came across as a reasonably progressive text with a clear understanding of the existing socio-economic environment and the possibility of future unpredictability. the nep 2020 news came as a complete shock to many. many education professionals have yet to anticipate the adjustments that nep 2020 has suggested. although the education policy has touched both high school and college education, this article primarily concentrated on nep 2020 and its effects on the college level. this approach will also apply to foreign universities that enter the country. this research paper regarding the nep 2020 critically evaluates a system of transformational reforms for higher education (venkateshwarlu, 2022). future research this exploratory research tries to define the nep-2020 as an innovative and futuristic proposal with both positive and negative aspects of education policy for college students, which will help india’s economy and society credentials. researchers explored an overview of nephttps://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 10 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(4) 1-12, 2022 2020, distinguished the strengths and weaknesses of the approach in higher education and research, evaluated the implementation suggestions given in the policy, and identified and analysed possible generic strategies for implementation of nep-2020 to fulfil its objectives based on the population’s data collection discussions. this research attempt included many predictive proposals on issues like developing quality universities and colleges, institutional restructuring and consolidation, more holistic and multidisciplinary education, optimal learning environments, and student support; transforming the regulatory system of higher education; technology usage and integration; and online and digital education. therefore, this article has covered all the related coverages of the problems, values, goals, vision, challenges, and solutions about the implicit impact of english language pedagogy and enhancement policies in higher education under the indian nep 2020: challenges, curriculum, approaches, opportunities, and implementations. finally, some recommendations are made to effectively implement the nep-2020, irrespective of various constraints. therefore, this article can be considered as a reference to the policy implementation of english language pedagogical enhancement policies in higher education by the nep 2020 teams of the government of india. conclusion this research study evaluated overall the high impact of pedagogy and enhancement of english language teaching and learning under nep 2020. in addition, the challenges, approaches, opportunities, implementations, and implications are discussed and evaluated through this research study. the nep will dramatically impact elt and ell in the higher education system, as evidenced by the respondents’ case studies. it will significantly impact college students’ english language teaching and learning. the year 2020 has been unique for nations all over the world. researchers are paying attention because several committees have said that the budget for education should be raised to 6% of the gdp over time. at the state and central levels, language-specific committees and experts are set up for consultation and to work together on making detailed plans for implementing every part of the policy according to the above guidelines in a clear and step-by-step way. the complete policy will be operational over the decade of 2030–2040, after which a new, thorough evaluation will be carried out. nep 2020 is a worthy government project. however, the government’s new plan should focus on development instead of using it to further its political goals. funding infusions are urgently required to enhance the educational sector. it is crucial to think that there should not be resource scarcity when implementing this particular program. intellectuals should be aware that they are shaping and preparing young brains for the future; therefore, while developing appropriate improvements in english language skills education, the current system’s shortcomings should also be a top priority. once nep 2020 is implemented for english language enhancement policies in higher education contexts in the country, its goal must be achieved. to make india a worldwide power in knowledge, the national educational policy must invade an education system that anchors indian culture by directly contributing to english language developments in india. nep 2020 achieves a sustainable, lively, and egalitarian knowledge society through pedagogy and english language strengthening. according to this policy, the english language skills enhancement pedagogy and curriculum of the institutions encourage student respect for fundamental duties and constitutional values, as well as allegiance to the nation and comprehension of others’ responsibilities in a changing world. acknowledgement the authors extend their appreciation to the deanship of scientific research at king khalid university, abha, saudi arabia, for funding this work through the large group project under grant number rgp.2/232/43. about authors’ bio dr. meenakshi sharma yadav is an assistant professor of linguistics at the applied college for girls, king khalid university, abha, saudi arabia. she holds a ph.d. in linguistics from the university of rajasthan (india), m.phil. (elt) from banasthali univesity, (india), and tefl from london, uk. her teaching, training, research, and curriculum design specialties are in linguistics and literary criticism. orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-00017962-3267 dr. manoj kumar yadav is working as an associate professor of english at singhania university, india. he has extensive teaching experience spanning more than 15 years at universities, including abroad. he holds a ph.d. in english literature from the university of rajasthan, india. he has written more than twenty research papers in literary criticism and linguistics up until now. orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2033-9592 references agnihotri, v. k., kapoor, m., mashelkar, r. a., & tyagi, a. (2022). the journal of governance, 25. ic centre for governance new delhi. aithal, p. s., & aithal, s. 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(2010). problem-based learning on students critical thinking skills in teaching business education in malaysia: a literature review. american journal of business education, 3(6), 19-32. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 29 american journal of education and technology (ajet) improving sts teaching practice through transversal competencies towards seamless blended digital learning nikko lorenz p. lawsin1*, maricar s. prudente2 volume 2 issue 1, year 2023 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i1.1122 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: december 28, 2022 accepted: january 29, 2023 published: february 07, 2023 improving the teaching practice of science, technology, and society (sts) is the primary goal of this action research and it was done by developing sts modules that incorporated the frameworks of unesco transversal competencies and un sustainable development goals, and seamless blended digital learning modality (sbdlm). these modules were utilized to determine its effects on student’s transversal competencies, conceptual understanding, sustainable development & solution-oriented mindset, and on the perceptions of sts faculty members. this study utilized action research design to improve the sts teaching practice by developing and implementing sts modules and evaluating their effects on the above-mentioned variables. based on the results, the sts module contributed to the improvement of student’s conceptual understanding, inculcation of transversal competencies, and cultivation of sustainable development and solutions-oriented mindset. the modules are perceived by the students and virtual classroom observers as helpful as they assist the students to maximize learning even if there is minimal interaction between teachers and students because of the situations brought by covid-19 pandemic. the study recommends continuous utilization of these sts modules for its further improvement, modification of learning activities towards contextualization once these sts modules are adapted by future researchers in designing seamless blended digital learning course plan for flexible, agile, and responsive learning modality. keywords transversal competencies, seamless blended digital learning, conceptual understanding, sustainable development, science, technology, society (sts) 1 ospital ng muntinlupa, college of medicine, muntinlupa city, philippines 2 de la salle university, manila city, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: nikkolorenzlawsin@plmun.edu.ph introduction the philippines has started to implement the enhanced basic education curriculum or otherwise known as k-12 curriculum in 2015. this educational reform in basic education caused them to revise and replace the course under general education they offer at the undergraduate level. this revision was mandated by the commission of higher education (ched), and it aimed to develop a set of new general education courses because the old general education courses were brought down to the senior high school (grades 11 and 12) curriculum (ched memorandum order no. 20 series of 2013 & cmo no. 105, series of 2017). based on these memoranda, the newly required 27-unit general education courses, including sts course, aimed to expose and engage undergraduate students to the different domains of knowledge and ways of understanding, and involve them in social and natural realities to develop intellectual competencies and civic capacities. science, technology and society (sts) course allows the teachers and students to discuss timely and relevant socio-scientific issues in different perspectives such as pure sciences, environment, sociology, economics, etc. these issues are contemporaneous in society and have basic explanations that are anchored with scientific concepts or at least have a scientific basis. since sts is a general education course, this is a required course to be taken by the students from different programs of study. thus, several approaches and strategies can be used or integrated in the delivery of its lessons depending on students’ needs in which programs of study they are enrolled in. another issue that philippines is facing today is the disruption driven by the covid-19 pandemic as a global health emergency crisis. the educational landscape is greatly affected, and the transition of its learning modalities has abruptly been introduced to educational sectors (world bank, 2020). the usual seminars were replaced by a series of webinars that mostly contain or talk about online teaching, online transition schemes, online learning platform, integrating technology, education 4.0, module writing, etc. these words were bombarded to our teachers in preparation for the new normal of education (quimba, et al. 2018; department of education, 2020). school administrators also experienced dynamic changes on their leadership as challenges continuously arise such as teachers’ preparedness for the new normal scheme of education, equipment to be used and internet connectivity for online teaching, students’ capacity towards online learning, and the struggles of deciding what learning modality is the most suited and favorable for teachers and students. education sectors are firm that education shall continue education despite the limitations that covid-19 pandemic brings (rizva & bogdan, 2017; commission on higher education, 2020; department of education, 2020a). different learning modalities have been suggested by education experts such as synchronous learning, asynchronous learning, or hybrid of these two learning modalities that can be utilized in the implementation of flexible learning (ventayin, 2018; department of education, 2020b;). many education experts positively consider this pandemic https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i1.1122 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= pa ge 30 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 29-36, 2023 as an opportunity to improve classroom teaching practices by modernizing the lesson delivery through integration of technology, online authentic assessment, innovations in virtual classrooms which all reflect the adaptability of teachers to equip and update themselves in terms of their knowledge and skills (lapada, et al., 2020). another consideration of this study was the emerging unesco transversal competencies framework (unesco, 2015). one of the growing concerns in educational systems is our definitive and intense focus on academic cognitive skills but we tend to disregard the more elusive, essential, and hard-to-measure non-academic skills and competencies such as efficient communication with others, innovative thinking, respect for diversity and the environment, conflict resolution, problem-solving, teamwork, and so on (care & lou, 2016; cruz & saunderssmiths, 2019). these so-called “non-academic” skills are essential not only to prepare the students for the future of their work, but also to adequately equip the future generations with meaningful, sustainable, and responsible lives in a rapidly changing and interconnected world (whittemore, 2018). this emerging concept challenged unesco and other asia-pacific countries to come up with policy and curriculum changes that aimed to build, cultivate, and enhance the development of these “nonacademic” skills and competencies in learners (unesco, 2015). this educational trend of acquiring non-academic skills and competencies serves as one of the bases of this study in establishing student’s mindset towards sustainable development and solutions-oriented mindset. given the limitations and challenges that local colleges are facing amidst the covid-19 pandemic, the management of the local college has planned and devised a systematic way in transitioning from the old normal to the new normal setting of education. in the present condition, synchronous learning is done through conducting 45-minute to 1-hour online sessions. the concept development is given emphasis via asynchronous learning modality by allowing and instructing the students to work on their modules at their most convenient time as long as it is within the time frame. while for synchronous learning modality, it is now allotted for concept enrichment in which the class will discuss the activities and answer the guide questions in the module via online discussions. but in the next school years, seamless blended digital learning (sbdl) will be viewed as a flexible, agile, and adaptive learning modality that transitions from face-to-face learning modality to online classes when there is disruption to instructional delivery, the concept development upon doing the sts modules, while concept enrichment will be done through face-to-face discussion or through synchronous online class when there is disruption. this study primarily aimed to improve the teaching practice of sts by developing sts modules that integrate the frameworks of unesco transversal competencies, un sustainable development goals, and seamless blended digital learning modality (sbdlm). the utilization of these modules aimed to determine its effects on student’s transversal competencies, conceptual understanding, student’s engagement, sustainable development & solution-oriented mindset, and perceptions of sts faculty members. finally, the outputs of this study were collected as inputs in the development of a policy framework, seamless blended digital learning modality (sbdlm), that is suitable in the context of a local community college. methodology research design this study utilized educational action research design to address the main objectives of the study. it is educational action research in the sense that it follows the plan-dostudy-act (pdsa) model to improve the teaching practice of science, technology, and society (sts) course by developing sts modules that incorporate the frameworks of unesco transversal competencies and un sustainable development goals. according to brydonmiller, prudente, & aguja (2017), action research is the best design to utilize in this study as it shows the iterative nature of its study to document the improvements on teaching practices considering the conceptual understanding, student engagement, transversal competencies, and sustainable development mindset as indicators or variables in the succeeding cycles of implementation. material development there are 10 sts modules that were developed for the entire 18 weeks of instruction in the science, technology, and society for a semester. the development process of module development was based on the study of plomp, et al., (2007) and abualrob & shah (2012) needs and context analysis the college administration finalized the learning modality that was implemented through the conducted googleform survey about the capacity and willingness of the students, faculty members, and college staff to cope with the challenges of the new normal of education. the survey covered the availability of computers and other electronic gadgets for online learning, internet connectivity, familiar productivity tools, and attitude towards the implementation of asynchronous learning modality assisted with modules. versioning the researcher constructed a curriculum alignment sheet per module to observe the alignment among the competencies set by the ched for sts course, the provided activities, the elements of how seamless blended digital learning can be applied, and the intended transversal competencies that were tapped and demonstrated by the students in the conduct of the study, and assessment the 10 developed sts modules were face-validated by https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 31 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 29-36, 2023 the education program coordinator of the college in which she assessed its physical format with respect to the suggested format of college administration. these 10 developed modules were further evaluated by the 5 sts content experts who are teaching science, technology, and society. the comments, suggestions, and evaluation of these science content experts were recorded, tabulated, and considered for the revisions of the developed sts materials. after the initial evaluation, the sts modules were re-checked by these content experts to see if the changes that they have recommended were followed. the revalidation by experts was repeatedly done until it reached the 100% compliance as perceived by these content-experts. sampling and participants this study was conducted in a local college in navotas city in the first semester of academic year 2020 – 2021. after getting permissions from the top management, permissions were also asked from the respondents of the study. the participants were informed about the purposes and conduct of the study, the nature of their participation, and their rights as participants. a total of 129 students participated in this study and they were divided into 4 groups. these 4 groups were categorized based on their courses. the two groups were from the business administration classes, and they were labeled as ba1 and ba2, while the two groups were from the education classes, and they were labeled as bsed1 and table 1: demographic profile of the respondents frequency total ba1 ba2 bsed1 bsed2 sex male female total 16 18 34 17 16 33 3 29 32 2 28 30 38 91 129 age 18 4 2 1 2 9 19 28 31 30 28 117 20 2 0 0 0 2 21 0 0 1 0 1 total 34 33 32 30 129 bsed 2 for discussion purposes. table 1 shows the distribution of the respondents of this study based on their demographic profile. research instruments in this study, the following research instruments were utilized to answer its objectives: 1. npc student, faculty, and college staff survey on online learning in preparation of new normal. this researcher-made instrument was developed and designed via google form and was answered by the students, faculty members, and college staff of academic year 2020-2021. this survey provided significant inputs to the college administration in deciding what learning modality, learning platforms, and assessment tools that can be implemented and suited to its context. 2. science, technology, and society (sts) module. as discussed in the material development module, it is composed of 10 modules allotted for the 18 weeks of instruction (54 hours in a semester). each module contains 1 to 2 lessons which were discussed within a specific time frame. these modules followed the college module formats to organize the collected videos, online and offline resources, activity sheets, and assessment tools. the frameworks of unesco transversal competencies and un sustainable development goals were incorporated to build and enhance student’s transversal competencies, conceptual understanding, student’s engagement, and student’s sustainable development and solutions-oriented mindset. 3. sts content expert evaluation tool. it is a researcher-made dichotomous item response that was answered by the 6 science content experts as described in the assessment stage of sts module development section. this research instrument aimed to evaluate the sts modules in terms of intellectual property rights compliance, learning competencies, instructional design and organization, instructional quality, assessment, and readability. 4. seamless blended digital learning (sbdl) course plan. this matrix document contained information on how the entire semester is divided into 18 weeks and the corresponding modules to be used parallel to allotment of week sessions. the main goal of this course plan was to guide the course instructor on his instructional delivery by distributing the class hours full-online, hybrid, or fullasynchronous hours. 5. sts concept test inventory. these written assessment tools are composed of 40 items each and were given to the students on the midterm and final examination to assess their conceptual understanding. 6. sts project proposal matrix. this document allowed the students to propose their sts project that can promote a solutions-oriented mindset towards sustainable development. 7. transversal skill assessment rubrics. this instrument aimed to describe the level of student demonstration of transversal competencies as evaluated by the course instructor and 3 virtual classroom observers. 8. virtual classroom observation tool. this tool https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 32 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 29-36, 2023 aimed to document the demonstration of student transversal competencies during synchronous online sessions as perceived by the virtual classroom observers. these observations were recorded and analyzed as qualitative evidence to support the quantitative results in the transversal skill assessment rubrics. research procedure the developed sts modules materials were utilized to test its effectiveness. figure 1 shows the 2 phases of the study distributed in a semester. the two phases varied in terms of the topics that were allocated among the modules under each phase. the phase 1 contained topics focusing on how sociological constructs affect the development of science and technology while the phase 2 contained topics focusing on the advancement of science and technology and how it will contribute to the development of societal conditions. the phase 1 was allotted for the midterm period in which modules 1 to 5 were utilized to see its effectiveness on student’s transversal competencies, conceptual understanding, teacher and student’s experiences, and sustainable development and solutions-oriented mindset. the results of phase 1 served as the initial basis of this study since this practice is new to the college’s academic system. all inputs from the consultation hours for the sts projects and clarifications in the module instructions in phase 1 were considered in the implementation of the next cycle. phase 2 was allotted for the final term in which modules 6 to 10 were utilized to observe changes on the above-mentioned variables. figure 1: the pdsa model in the implementation of the study all quantitative data were tallied first using microsoft excel 2019 edition and were further analyzed using spss version 22 for statistical analysis. for qualitative data, the thematic analysis protocol of braun and clarke (2009) was utilized in the study by encoding and organizing the responses of the students during the online consultation and the virtual class observations of teacher-observers. the matrix contains the student responses, repeated responses or selective codes, and interpretation. at the end of the data gathering procedure, the participants were informed about the results of the study and have filled-out the consent form allowing the researcher to utilize the gathered data for research purposes only. results and discussion objective 1: determine the effect of utilizing the sts modules to student’s conceptual understanding, transversal competencies, and solutions-oriented mindset towards sustainable development. table 2 summarizes the student scores of the 4 groups in the pretests and posttests including their standard deviations during the midterm and final terms for the 40item sts concept test inventories. using welch f-test, it was found out that there are highly significant differences among the pre-tests and post-tests of the education major groups, bsed1 and bsed2, as they obtained a p-value of 0.000 that is less than the level of significance, table 2: students score in the pretest and posttest concept inventory groups midterm mean score final term mean score pre-test post-test pre-test post-test bsed1 22.65 (6.004) 38.21 (2.761) 23.71 (6.196) 38.38 (2.807) welch f-test p-value remarks 188.445 0.000 highly significant 158.260 0.000 highly significant bsed2 25.39 (7.378) 37.14 (2.942) 23.52 (5.848) 38.61 (2.221) welch f-test p-value remarks 97.031 0.000 highly significant 192.065 0.000 highly significant ba1 20.63 (10.487) 29.94 (10.150) 21.56 (5.984) 35.94 (4.819) https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 33 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 29-36, 2023 p=0.05. while there are significant differences among the pre-tests and post-tests of the business administration major groups, ba1 and ba2, as they obtained p-values of 0.031 and 0.040, respectively, that are less than the level of significance, p=0.05. based on the results, the integration of available videos to explain the topics in science, technology, and society (sts) class greatly helped them to conceptually understand the details of sophisticated scientific principles, socio-technological issues, and societal impacts of the development of science and technology even though there is less contact time with the course instructor to discuss the whole content of the course. on the student journal, bsed1-27 noted that these videos assisted him to answer the succeeding questions raised in every module or perform the assigned tasks in the module in the most simplified, guided, and practical ways. this result is synchronized with the study of brame (2017) wherein she mentioned that the effective use of educational videos plays an important role in higher education, and it provides important content-delivery tool in many flipped, blended, and online classes. same comments were also observed from the students, bsed216 and bsed1-8 who enjoyed the use of sts modules, in which the effective use of video as an educational tool can enhance student’s learning, engagement, and promote active learning. (allen and smith, 2012; schmid, 2014). table 3 summarizes the results of the transversal competencies that were tapped and demonstrated by the students in the 10 sts modules including the average mean scores and remarks for midterm and final term assessment. during the midterm period, the students from education majors (bsed) obtained remarks ranging from developing level to proficient level in terms of the student’s capacity to demonstrate their transversal competencies while the business major obtained remarks ranging from beginning level to developing level of tvc’s demonstrations. throughout the implementation up to the final term wherein the modules 6 to 10 utilized, table 3: improvement of student’s transversal competencies across the 10 sts modules transversal competencies level of students’ transversal competencies (tvcs) across the modules (m1-10) midterm (m1 to m5) bsed final term (m6 to m10) bsed midterm (m1 to m5) ba final term (m6 to m10) ba 1. creativity 1.72 developing 2.53 advanced (++) 1.50 beginning 2.37 proficient (++) 2. applicability skill 1.87 developing 2.71 advanced (++) 1.22 beginning 2.10 proficient (++) 3. problem-solving skill 1.61 developing 2.35 proficient (+) 1.34 beginning 2.22 proficient (++) 4. resourcefulness 2.05 proficient 2.64 advanced (+) 1.72 developing 2.41 proficient (+) 5. reflective thinking 1.74 developing 2.27 proficient (+) 1.49 beginning 2.21 proficient (++) 6. ability to learn independently 2.24 proficient 2.65 advanced (+) 1.33 beginning 1.97 developing (+) 7. presentation and communication skill 1.65 developing 2.73 advanced (++) 1.20 beginning 1.86 developing (+) 8. organizational skill 1.80 developing 2.42 proficient (+) 1.38 beginning 1.87 developing (+) 9. teamwork and collaboration 1.92 developing 2.39 proficient (+) 1.21 beginning 1.73 developing (+) 10. flexibility and adaptability 1.75 developing 2.30 proficient (+) 1.46 beginning 2.12 proficient (++) 11. perseverance 1.83 developing 2.41 proficient (+) 1.30 beginning 2.26 proficient (++) 12. self-motivation 1.74 developing 2.35 proficient (+) 1.40 beginning 2.03 proficient (++) 13. ability to locate and access information 1.90 developing 2.56 advanced (++) 1.45 beginning 2.18 proficient (++) 14. ability to analyze and evaluate media content 1.89 developing 2.43 proficient (+) 1.50 beginning 1.97 developing (+) 15. intercultural understanding 1.82 developing 2.39 proficient (+) 1.50 beginning 2.11 proficient (++) 16. respect to diversity 1.95 developing 2.26 proficient (+) 1.81 developing 2.07 proficient (+) **note: levels of tvcs: 1.00-1.50 beginning; 1.51-2.00 developing; 2.01-2.50 proficient; and 2.51-3.00 advanced. “+” indicates the level increased on remarks welch f-test p-value remarks 13.028 0.031 significant 124.269 0.000 highly significant ba2 18.40 (9.825) 26.27 (9.965) 20.83 (5.890) 36.33 (4.398) welch f-test p-value remarks 9.480 0.040 significant 133.950 0.000 highly significant https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 34 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 29-36, 2023 it appeared that both groups of students significantly improved in terms of demonstrating their transversal competencies in accomplishing the tasks given in the said modules. during the final term, the education major groups obtained remarks ranging from proficient level to advanced level, while the business education major obtained remarks ranging from developing level to proficient level. throughout the interventions, the transversal competencies that significantly improved to the students are creativity, applicability skills, and ability to locate and access information. the improvement in these 3 transversal competencies may be attributed to the nature of the course wherein the students were asked to creatively design their sts project, retrieve online videos for asynchronous tasks, and accomplish the task sheets for societal applications of science and technology. these findings are synchronized with the studies of wijayati et al., (2019) and (sharipova & wesseler, 2018), in which they highlighted that the use of project-based learning can contribute to building and enhancing student’s creativity in learning as they respond to the needs, challenges, and problems of their community in terms of technological innovations. in terms of the improvement of students’ sustainable development and solutions-oriented mindset, the business major students designed and developed the prototype of their sts projects that are aligned with the needs of navotas community, while the education major students examined their sts knowledge by identifying which topics in sts require instructional material interventions to promote concept mastery. the education major students as well developed the prototype of their teaching tools in coherence with their needs analysis. see tables 4 and 5 which list the sts projects of the students. table 4 shows the 3 common problems that were cited in the proposed sts project matrix of ba1 and ba2 groups to solve those problems. the sts projects of ba1 and ba2 students were mostly focused on upcycling of materials or creation of high-quality products out of the original form of discarded materials due to the prevalence of pollution in plastic (calvo, et al, 2020). examples of their products were bao-light (figure.2a) pen holder (figure.2b), diy lampshade (figure.2c), piggy bank out of coke [soda] plastic bottle (figure.2d), and wall clock out of plastic spoon (figure.2e). during the online consultation of sts projects, the students recognized already the pollution that is brought by plastic containers and its negative effects in the environment. students exemplified environmental concerns by proposing a project that will protect the continuous degradation of our planet as due to the excessive use and improper disposal of plastic in the community. table 4: most common problems cited in sts project matrix as proposed by the ba1 and ba2 groups rank common problems solutions offered 1 plastic pollution in the environment diy pen holder, diy piggy bank, christmas lantern, and table organizer out of coke [soda] plastic bottle 2 energy usage bao lights, solar table lampshades with sensor 3 excessive availability of raw materials paño de florera, organizers out of ice cream bowl, diy bao bag, diy umbrella bag, diy lampshades, diy wall clock figure 2: sts projects of business major students table 5: sts topics requiring reinforcement as proposed by bsed1 and bsed2 groups in their sts project matrix rank topics in sts offered game teaching tools 1 history of science and technology that leads to the advancement of the society modified snake and ladder, card game (pares-pares), 2 human flourishing eudaimonia monopoly board game, pick-up sticks 3 climate change modified snake and ladder https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 35 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 29-36, 2023 figure 3: sts projects of business major students table 5 and figure 3 show the top 3 topics in sts listed in their sts project matrix which students perceived as the topics that require reinforcement. the most repeated topic that was cited is the history of science and technology that leads to the advancement of society. students considered this as topic that requires more reinforcement because students appreciate the scientists who invented and discovered significant contributions for the advancement of modern society. during the discussions, students realized the values of how those discoveries and invention brought up in the society; what were the hardship and adversities underwent by the scientists, the stories and controversies behind the present discoveries, and how societal needs input to the discoveries of the present technology. in connection to this, students created different game-based teaching tools to deliver the content of this topic. examples of these game-based teaching tools include card game out of the concept of pares-pares, a card game that requires the player to match the related cards (figure.3a), the modified snake and ladder (figure.3b) and the modified eudaimonic card game (figure.3c). the modification of their game-based tools was merely focused on the change of mechanics to infuse the sts concepts. the second most cited topic in the sts project matrix is eudaimonia or human flourishing. this reflective topic allowed the students to consider the sociological needs and demands why and how the present technological products exist and continue to emerge. thus, during the consultation of projects, 2 game-based teaching tools were proposed and developed by the bsed1 and bsed 2 students and these are the modified monopoly board game and the pick-up sticks. in the eudaimonia monopoly board game, the mechanics of the classic monopoly board games were adapted however the tiles were also replaced with the events and descriptive words that are related in seeking human flourishing such as happiness, prosperity, and healthy living. while in the pick-up sticks, the sticks were labeled with the words that were related to human flourishing. like the classic goal in using pick-up sticks, the target color is the one that is picked by the player but for this game, these colors have been tagged with numbers and descriptive words that lead to human flourishing was the general target of the player to be picked. the third most cited topic in the sts project matrix is climate change. this timely and relevant topic allowed the education major students to strategize how they will integrate the concept of climate change, its drivers, implications, and ways to at least alleviate the possible catastrophic phenomena predicted in the science-based documentary. thus, during the consultation of projects, another a game-based teaching tool was proposed and developed by some students from the bsed1 and bsed 2 students and it is also in the form of modified snake and ladders. the modification of the game-based tool was merely focused on the change of mechanics to infuse the concepts related to climate change. conclusion and recommendations based on the following findings, the following conclusions were drawn: the sts module contributed to the improvement student’s conceptual understanding, inculcation of transversal competencies, and cultivation of sustainable development and solutions-oriented mindset based on the presented pieces of evidence from the student’s scores, student’s and virtual classroom observers’ responses, reflection journals, and the sts project matrix proposal. the modules perceived by the students and virtual classroom observers as helpful as they assisted the students to maximize learning even if there is minimal interaction between teachers and students because of the situations brought by covid-19 pandemic. both students and virtual classroom observers agreed that the sts modules inculcated transversal competencies to the students as these modules contained activities and tasks that developed their creativity, resourcefulness, applicability skill, reflective thinking skills, media literacy skill, flexibility and adaptability, intercultural understanding, independent learning, and so on. these findings are only limited to the variables mentioned above and to the samples of the study -the education major and the business major. the researcher of the study recommended the continuous utilization of this module in the teaching of sts including its course plan to further improve its quality as a learning material and apply its ultimate goals to improve student’s conceptual understanding, inculcate transversal competencies to the students, and cultivate their minds to always move their lenses towards solutions and think of sustainable development in every aspect of their lives. this course plan has helped the researcher to plan and https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 36 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 29-36, 2023 divide the topics and activities that the students did throughout the implementation of the study. by doing this, the researcher was able to efficiently distribute the tasks for asynchronous and synchronous learning especially this time of pandemic and during the time that there were disruptions of classes due to the 2 typhoons that happened in the conduct of study. this course plan, as well, will be helpful to other institutions to plan their modes of delivery in preparation of the post-covid-19 pandemic. the researcher foresees that seamless blended digital learning will become the new default of learning modality in education for most institutions. many educational institutions have already invested in their modules and after this covid-19 pandemic, the schools can easily go back to online learning and utilize these modules whenever there is disruption in the learning modality. acknowledgement i hereby recognize the permission given to me by the education program coordinator of navotas polytechnic college, the only local college in navotas, for allowing me to conduct my study in the 1st semester of the academic year 2020 – 2021 and special thanks to the sts technical working group of the college in validating the sts modules. references abualrob, m. m., & shah, m. 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(2018). transversal competencies essential for future proofing the workforce. white paper. skillalibrary. https://www.researchgate.net/ publication/328318972 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 58 american journal of education and technology (ajet) correlation of the non-intellective factors on the learners’ second language competencies alice r. ramos1* volume 2 issue 3, year 2023 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i3.1684 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: may 20, 2023 accepted: june 16 , 2023 published: july 28, 2023 non-intellective factors are elements that do not involve cognition, such as biological, social and physiological, which could affect the student’s ability to learn the second language. while most researches focus on the factors relating to the intellectual ability of the learners, the attention to non-intellective correlates became limited. this paper determines the correlation between the non-intellective factors and the learners’ second language competencies. descriptive-correlational and comparative methods of research were used. the study involved 385 grade 12 student-respondents from the 27 selected public and private senior high schools. significant results revealed that non-intellective factors such as language learning anxiety as to test anxiety, fear of negative evaluation, and communication apprehension are significantly related to the learners’ second language competencies; however, the learning environment does not significantly relate with the learners’ second language competencies. meanwhile, the test of difference on the responses from the public and private school respondents revealed that the language learning anxiety in terms of fear of negative evaluation and communication apprehension were found significant while the language learning anxiety in terms of test anxiety as well as the learning environment as to teachers’ attitudes, instructional practices and school facilities were deemed not significant. the author concludes that language learning anxiety affects the learners’ second language competencies. keywords non-intellective factors, second language competence, english proficiency 1 mindoro state university, calapan city campus (minsu), masipit, calapan city, oriental mindoro, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: profalice91@gmail.com introduction the development of students’ communication skills is said to be one of the implicit areas of asset of a country that aspires to become competitive globally. a nation’s manpower that possesses an impressive command of language has the cutting edge in the job interview in the case of oral communication, and an advantage point in application examination in the case of written communication. however, deficiency in speaking (rana, 2022) and writing (bouchefra, 2015) are still observed. in the philippines, the department of education implements the k to 12 curriculum for learners to master and absorb basic competencies, such as reading comprehension, oral language, viewing comprehension, literature, listening comprehension, vocabulary development, writing and composition, and grammar awareness in english learning. revolutionizing english language education in the philippines, the effective language arts and multiliteracies curriculum (lamc) has been developed in the k to 12 “to produce graduates who apply the language conventions, principles, strategies and skills” (2013 lamc) needed in the current educational setting. with the introduction of k to 12 curriculum, second language competencies are designed to prepare the students for the various challenges in the english field which can be utilized in establishing linkage and exchange, both in goods and thoughts, in the local, regional and global encounters. non-intellective factors are elements that do not involve cognition, such as biological, social and physiological, which affect the students’ ability to learn the second language. most researches focus on exploring the relation of intelligence and cognition to second language learning yet the problem on the second language learning still prevails in the educational setting. as this happens, there has been a felt need in putting greater attention to the non-intellective aspects. these aspects which may include sex, age, and educational background of parents, socioeconomic status and some other psychosocial factors are considered to be the basic correlates on the development of communication skills. huang (2016) revealed that non-intellective factors which exert great influence on english learning mainly consisted of students’ internal factors and external factors of the teachers. becoming aware and knowledgeable about nonintellective factors serves as guide to the language teachers and administrators in the formulation of the objectives and outcomes that they expect to accomplish as well as in the adoption of the appropriate language teaching methods and approaches. teaching english as a second language emphasizes how the power of language transcends boundaries and is one of the most potent tools to ensure a successful professional and personal life. thus, the student’s second language competencies should be harnessed in school and developed in society, having in mind the notion that there are some people who find it difficult to express their thoughts no matter how articulate they are. in other instances, they may be able to use the language fluently, yet they feel that they are often misunderstood, which is apparently caused by a number pa ge 59 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 58-68, 2023 of correlates that do not involve the intellect. in light of these realities, the researcher decided to examine the different non-intellective factors among senior high school students in oriental mindoro and to see its relationship to their second language competencies. as a language education in the higher education, the researcher personally experiences handling students who just graduated from senior high school who lack the basic competencies in the second language. since, the commission on higher education implements the revision of the general education curriculum through ched memorandum order no. 20 series of 2013, purposive communication has become the only english course to be discussed in the tertiary level. as this subject requires the basic english competencies, the learners must become equipped before entering higher education. it is in this view that the researcher decided to study the senior high school students who are on their last year before entering college. by means of focusing on the prevalent internal and external correlates, the researcher aimed to find evidence on the relationship between the non-intellective factors on the learners’ second language competencies. this study determined the correlation between the non-intellective factors and the second language competencies of the student-respondents. more specifically, this study described the demographic profile of the respondents in terms of age, sex, educational attainment of parents, monthly family income and school type; identified the level of language learning anxiety in terms of test anxiety, fear of negative evaluation and communication apprehension; determined the learning environment as regard to class size, teachers’ attitudes, teachers’ instructional practices and school facilities; determined the second language competencies in oral communication, reading and writing; tested the significant relationship between non-intellective factors and second language competencies; tested the significant difference of the responses on non-intellective factors between public and private schools; tested the significant difference of responses on the second language competencies between public and private schools; and, proposed an instructional intervention program to enhance the learners’ second language competencies. literature review the topic of language acquisition has been a subject of enduring interest among scholars. the acquisition of language is a complex process that is influenced by various cognitive, linguistic, and socio-affective factors, all of which play a significant role in determining its ultimate outcomes. historically, scholars have prioritized examining cognitive factors, such as intelligence, aptitude, and cognitive ability, as key contributors to language acquisition. nevertheless, contemporary research indicates that non-intellectual variables, including age, gender, socio-economic status, class size, and anxiety, also exert a significant influence on language acquisition. this literature review delves into the correlation between the speaking and writing proficiencies of second language learners. the factor of age has been extensively examined as a non-cognitive variable in the realm of second language acquisition. scholars have investigated the critical period hypothesis, which posits the existence of a prime age bracket for optimal acquisition. despite the recent discrediting of the critical period hypothesis, empirical evidence continues to suggest that individuals who begin learning a language at a younger age exhibit greater proficiency than those who begin at an older age (jaekel, schurig, ackern & ritter, 2022). the study of hu (2016) revealed a significant correlation between age and oral proficiency in second language acquisition. nevertheless, it is important to acknowledge that variables such as motivation and exposure may exert an equally influential effect on learning outcomes as age. the impact of gender as a non-cognitive factor on language learning outcomes has been found to be significant. studies indicate that female learners may exhibit better speaking and writing abilities in comparison to male learners (erdiana, bahri & akhmal, 2019). liu, he, zhao and hong (2021) conducted a meta-analysis that revealed that female students exhibit a higher frequency of utilizing learning strategies compared to their male counterparts, potentially leading to enhanced language proficiency. however, it is important to note that the impact of gender on outcomes may be influenced by cultural or social factors and contextual differences. research has demonstrated that language learning outcomes are impacted by an individual’s socioeconomic status, wherein learners hailing from higher ses backgrounds tend to exhibit superior language proficiency in comparison to their counterparts from lower ses backgrounds (ariani & ghafournia, 2016). it is possible that factors such as access to educational resources, parental involvement, or exposure may contribute to this phenomenon. additional research will provide greater clarity on this correlation. the impact of class size on language learning outcomes has been investigated, and research indicates that learners who are enrolled in smaller class sizes tend to exhibit higher levels of language proficiency (getie, 2020). the reason for this could be attributed to the increased opportunities for interaction and individualized feedback from teachers that small class sizes afford learners. nonetheless, it is important to acknowledge that other variables such as teacher competence or pedagogical approaches may also influence this association. the literature suggests that learning anxiety is a significant factor that affects language learning outcomes. specifically, research has demonstrated that heightened levels of learning anxiety are associated with decreased speaking and writing competencies (tridinanti, 2018). in addition, individuals who encounter elevated levels of anxiety may refrain from engaging in oral or written assignments, thereby restricting avenues for enhancing linguistic competence. consequently, it is imperative to incorporate measures to alleviate learning anxiety as an pa ge 60 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 58-68, 2023 essential component of language learning curricula, with the aim of promoting enhanced academic achievements for students. research has shown that language acquisition outcomes may also be influenced by the learning environment, which encompasses various factors such as the physical setting where learning occurs, the resources accessible to learners, and the social context. empirical studies have demonstrated the significant influence of physical surroundings on the attainment of language learning objectives. according to recent research conducted by haridi, aiche, hamdaoiand zaouia (2022), optimal language acquisition is facilitated by factors such as natural lighting, comfortable temperatures, and favorable acoustics. according to cruickshank, mintz, and o’mara (2018), the provision of technology and resources in classrooms enhances language practice and engagement among learners. regarding this, campos (2023) found out that the inadequacy in terms of materials and resources is one of the barriers that teachers face in the provision of effective and efficient learning environment. the significance of learning within an optimal social environment is of equal importance. according to recent studies conducted by durisic and bunijevac (2017), students who perceive a sense of safety, support, and encouragement from their teachers and peers are more likely to actively participate in language acquisition and demonstrate progress in this area. research suggests that classroom environments which promote a culture of collaboration among students are associated with more favorable attitudes towards language learning and improved language outcomes (al-tamimi & shuib, 2016; ockey & gascoigne, 2019). the impact of learning environments on language learning outcomes has been demonstrated to be influenced by non-intellective factors, such as learners’ anxiety levels. according to gregersen and horwitz (2016), an environment that is excessively stressful, overwhelming, or unsupportive of language acquisition can exacerbate the learning process and impede progress. conversely, dewaele and macintyre (2016) suggest that supportive and relaxed environments that foster learning can significantly reduce learners’ anxieties and enhance positive experiences. the outcomes of language learning are significantly influenced by individual and situational factors, such as the utilization of effective teaching methods, including task-based language teaching and content-based language teaching, as well as language exposure methods, such as immersion programs or study abroad programs, which have demonstrated success (kim, 2018; collentine, 2018). the outcomes of language learning are significantly influenced by affective factors, such as motivation and attitudes towards language acquisition. according to scholarly research, individuals who exhibit high levels of motivation are more likely to demonstrate superior language proficiency (dornyei, 2017). additionally, those who possess favorable attitudes towards learning are more likely to achieve success in acquiring language skills (kormos & csizer, 2018). the acquisition of a second language is influenced significantly by non-intellective factors, which can be categorized into three primary groups: individual factors, situational factors, and affective factors. language learning outcomes may be influenced by non-intellective factors such as age, gender, socio-economic status, class size, and anxiety. however, the relationship between these factors and language learning outcomes may also be contingent upon other factors such as motivational strategies for studying foreign languages and teaching methodologies employed. research on non-intellective factors in second language acquisition poses distinct challenges due to their interrelated nature. for instance, learners hailing from more affluent socio-economic backgrounds may have access to greater educational resources or exhibit greater motivation towards studying non-cognitive factors that influence language learning outcomes. therefore, it is imperative to consider interrelationships when examining the influence of non-intellectual factors. an additional obstacle pertains to the potential variation of non-cognitive factors based on the location of language acquisition; the impact of age may diverge for learners who acquire language in naturalistic environments as opposed to formal educational settings, among other factors. in order to comprehensively evaluate the influential noncognitive factors that affect language learning outcomes, it is imperative to consider the contextual framework within which they are being studied and the subsequent ramifications thereof. research on nonintellective factors in second language acquisition is imperative for the development of language learning programs that facilitate enhanced outcomes in second language acquisition. educators can enhance their ability to customize programs that cater to the distinct needs of learners by comprehending the impact of such programs on language outcomes. the literature examined in this paper indicates that noncognitive factors, such as age, gender, socio-economic status, class size, and learning anxiety, are significant contributors to language learning achievements. the relationship between language learning programs and enhanced language acquisition outcomes can be influenced by various factors, such as motivation and exposure to language instruction. hence, it is crucial to meticulously consider these elements when designing language learning programs to achieve optimal results. materials and methods this study utilized descriptive correlational and comparative methods of research. the participants of the study were 385 grade 12 senior high school students of public secondary schools which were selected through stratified random sampling. the study utilized a questionnaire adopted with some modifications from de castro (2017) on the learning environment while pa ge 61 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 58-68, 2023 the foreign language anxiety scale of horwitz (1986) was used to measure the respondents’ level of language learning anxiety. the tools were distributed personally by the researcher and the respondents were oriented on the objectives and the contents of the questionnaire. the questionnaire determined the non-intellective factors in second language acquisition in terms of; (1) demographic profile, (2) language learning anxiety, and (3) learning environment. with regards to second language competencies, the general weighted average in oral communication and reading and writing courses was obtained from the school records. using descriptive statistical tools, the data gathered were treated and analyzed. to test the relationship of the nonintellective factors on the second language acquisition, pearson’s product moment correlation coefficient or pearson’s r was employed while chi square was used for categorical variables. on the other hand, ttest for independent samples was used to determine the significant difference between the responses from public and private senior high schools. a 5-point likert scale was used to score the flcas. the items solicited strongly agree as the highest point of 5 to strongly disagree as the lowest point of 1. the responses were then described as very high anxious to very low anxious indicating that the higher the score, the higher is the anxiety and the lower the score, the lower is the anxiety as well. results and discussion table 1: demographic profile age frequency percentage (%) 15 and below 40 10.4 16-17 years old 288 74.8 18-19 years old 49 12.7 20 and above 8 2.1 sex male 165 42.9 female 220 57.1 father’s educational attainment no grade completed 64 16.6 elementary graduate 44 11.4 high school graduate 161 41.8 post-secondary graduate 30 7.8 college graduate 84 21.8 post baccalaureate 2 .5 mother’s educational attainment no grade completed 15 3.9 elementary graduate 64 16.6 high school graduate 180 46.8 post-secondary graduate 44 11.4 college graduate 82 21.3 monthly family income 5,000 and below 40 10.4 5,001-9,999 106 27.5 10,000-19,999 92 23.9 20, 00029,999 87 22.6 30,000-49,999 60 15.6 type of school public 223 57.9 private 162 42.1 the table above shows the age of the student-respondents. from the data, it is presented that the largest group of students with a number of 288 or 74.8 percent belong to the 16-17-year-old group while the second largest group of the student-respondents fell in the 18-19-yearold group with 49 students or 12.7 percent of the total respondents. it has a small difference on the group of respondents belonging to the 15 and below group with 40 pa ge 62 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 58-68, 2023 or 10.4 percent of the student respondents. meanwhile, there were eight studentrespondents or 2.1 percent who belong to the 20 and above year group. the values show that the majority of the respondents belong to the 16-17-year-old group which is the typical age range of students in their grade level. looking at the same table, the data also revealed that female students outnumbered male ones with 220 respondents or 57.1 percent of the former against the 165 or 42.9 percent of the latter. this may be for the reason that female respondents are more willing to participate in the conduct of the study since the participation is voluntary. in terms of father’s educational attainment, the above table reveals that 161 or 41.8 percent of the respondents had fathers who finished their high school. eighty-four or 21.8 percent, on the other hand, had completed college while 64 or 16.6% has not completed any grade level. there were also 44 or 11.4 percent who graduated elementary and 30 or 7.8 percent completed post secondary level. there were also two or .5 percent of the respondents whose fathers pursued and finished postbaccalaureate degrees. the findings show that most of the student’s fathers were able to finish certain educational level which will enable them to assist and guide their children with their school homework and other curricular activities. the high percentage of fathers who gained high school and even college degrees implies that the students would have greater opportunities to learn at home. moreover, the table also presents the educational attainment of mothers. it shows that there is also a large number of mothers who finished high school and college level. there were 161 or 41.8 percent who finished their high school while 84 or 21.8 percent gained a college degree. there were also 64 or 16.6 percent who completed elementary while 44 or 11.4 percent had finished postsecondary. compared to the data on father’s educational attainment, there is much lower percentage of mothers who had no grade completed with 3.9 percent of 15 of the total respondents. with this high percentage of mothers who were able to attain educational level, it can be assumed that they can equip their children with additional knowledge and learning which they previously learned from school. meanwhile, the number of parents who had not completed any grade level may be attributed to the very low economic status of the family and the lack of awareness on the importance of education during their younger years. when compared, one would notice that there were fathers who pursued post baccalaureate degrees while no one among the mothers did. this implies that respondent’s father have the greater desire to continuous educational advancement over the female member of the family. furthermore, this may also be attributed to the patriarchal form of family in the philippines where the father is expected to become the strong pillar of the family and since education is considered to be a valuable thing, fathers strive to pursue their education to the highest possible. the gap between the educational pursuit of fathers and mothers based from the responses is parallel with what was reported in the india today (2019) that the gender gap in the doctorate degree still remains with fewer women than men. langin (2018) also discussed the different challenges encountered by women in pursuing their higher level of education due to the dominance of men in the field. however, these findings were contradicting to the reports of the philippine statistics authority in 2013 that based from the 2010 census there are more females than males who have attained higher levels of education. the summary of monthly family income is also shown in the table. as shown, there were 106 or 27.5 percent of the respondents who belong to families with a monthly income ranging from php. 5,001 to php. 9,999 while 92 or 23.9 percent of them had an income with the php. 10,000.00 to php. 19,000 range. eighty-seven or 22.6 percent of the respondents have a monthly income amounting to php. 20,000php. 29,999 and 60 or 15.6 percent of them have an income of php. 30,000php. 49,999. meanwhile, there were 40 or 10.4 percent whose monthly family income fell within the php. 5,000 and below range. the results simply show that most of the student-respondents belong to the families who are capable of sending them to school and provide for their basic necessities. the minimal percentage of those respondents who belong to families with very low income indicates that only a few families are struggling with very low income. the final value reflected in the table is the type of school of the respondents. it can be gleaned that 223 or 57.9 percent of the respondents attend a public institution while 162 or 42.1 percent of the respondents attend a private institution. this shows that there is greater number of students who attend public schools comparing to those who attend private schools. this preference may be attributed to the cost of schooling in private institutions which is typically higher than the public schools. in addition, the curriculum of the schools may also have been considered by the parents in choosing where to send their children. as public schools follow the curriculum prescribed by the state, the curriculum is specific and consistent with the implemented curriculum. on the other hand, private senior high schools may have the option to follow or modify such curriculum allowing them to offer additional subjects including those which are related to religion. language learning anxiety in terms of language learning anxiety as to test anxiety, the overall composite mean of 3.43 which is described as moderately anxious, implies that there is a moderate level of language learning anxiety. as we live in an environment where failure is perceived negatively, one would totally understand the fear of failure among the students more so to the consequences it would bring. the department of education has become strict when it comes to failure pa ge 63 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 58-68, 2023 as stipulated in the deped memorandum order number 8 series of 2015. the memorandum discussed thoroughly the policy guidelines on classroom assessment for the k to 12 basic education program. it states that “if a student was not able to meet the expectations in any subject or learning area at the end of the semester, he/she must pass the remedial classes for failed competencies in the subjects or learning areas to be allowed to enroll in the next semester”. in terms of language learning anxiety as to fear of negative evaluation, the overall composite mean of 3.30, described as moderately anxious shows that anxiety on language learning specifically in terms of fear of negative evaluation is present in both public and private schools in oriental mindoro. this may be attributed to the fact that the curriculum of formal education in the philippines gives emphasis on assessing and evaluating performances of the students. nowadays, it is not only the teacher who assesses the proficiency of the students but also the other students in the class. in the third indicator of language learning anxiety, communication apprehension, the overall composite mean of 3.38 which is described as moderately anxious implies that the student-respondents experience a moderate level of language learning anxiety in terms of communication apprehension. this may be connected to the reality that english language is not the native language of the filipinos and thus communicating using it requires one to have a certain level of vocabulary. furthermore, the complexity of english as a language may not be excluded from the reasons why learners still lack the confidence to use it inside the classroom making them avoid context and situations where they may be ask to communicate using the language. when high school seniors perceive that their language exam or test results may have significant consequences, such as affecting their grades or interrupting their ongoing language studies, they may experience test anxiety as an undesirable outcome of high-pressure language assessments (mumtaz & sharif, 2019). this, in turn, may lead to feelings of stress and anxiety that can negatively impact language learning outcomes. when confronted with such pressure, individuals may experience emotions that generate a sense of tension, ultimately impeding their language learning achievements in the long run. additionally, students may experience fear of negative evaluation from individuals, particularly peers, educators, or other individuals in the context of language acquisition (li, dong & liu 2017). the apprehension experienced by senior high school students may lead them to refrain from engaging in language-learning activities such as verbal or written communication, which could have negative consequences on their academic achievements (li, dong, & liu, 2017). meanwhile, individuals may encounter communication anxiety in connection with the acquisition of language if they perceive their language proficiency to be inadequate (park, 2018). the presence of anxiety may impede one’s ability to engage in speaking or writing activities, which could otherwise facilitate the acquisition of language and potentially lead to suboptimal outcomes. various factors are known to contribute to language learning anxiety among senior high school students. for instance, the pressure to excel academically or meet the expectations set by parents or teachers can lead to heightened levels of language anxiety (mumtaz & sharif, 2019). moreover, cultural factors such as limited exposure or unfavourable attitudes towards language acquisition within one’s cultural milieu (kang, 2018) may intensify language anxiety to a greater extent. it is, therefore, imperative for language instructors to be cognizant of these variables and establish an engaging and immersive educational environment that fosters favourable dispositions towards language acquisition, while simultaneously promoting effective interaction with the language in a comfortable setting. in summary, the findings revealed that the respondents experience moderate level of language learning anxiousness in terms of test anxiety, fear of negative evaluation and communication apprehension. learning environment in terms of teacher’s attitude, the overall composite mean of 4.21 is described as often which only implies that positive traits and attitudes of teachers were noticed and experienced by the student-respondents. since long (2011) cited that teachers’ attitudes are decisive for second language learning, the positive perception on their teachers’ attitudes may also be attributed to their performance in the classroom. this further shows that english teachers in public and private senior high schools in oriental mindoro have established positive learning environment to their students by means of exemplifying positive attitudes towards the teaching-learning process. when it comes to the instructional practices, the results revealed an overall composite mean of 4.18 which is described as often. this revealed that despite the lacking resources in technology, english teachers of both public and private schools were able to employ different instructional practices which are crucial in the acquisition of the second language competencies. it can be observed on the table that all items got the same description for the responses which is often. this implies that the set of parameters discussed in the questionnaire were used by the teachers multiple times. in terms of school facilities, with the overall composite mean of 4.12, it was revealed that most of the items got the results described as often while only few got results described as sometimes which implies that the parameters that described the learning environment of the studentrespondents were present in their locale and utilized by the language teachers. the findings imply that the respondents also often consider class size, teachers’ instructional practices and school facilities as learning environment that are nonintellective in the acquisition of the second language pa ge 64 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 58-68, 2023 competencies. furthermore, the findings have indicated that english instructors in both public and private senior high schools displayed favourable dispositions towards teaching-learning procedures, employed efficient pedagogical techniques, and effectively utilized the available school resources to facilitate language acquisition (bernardo, 2018). in addition, the student participants recognized the significance of teacher attitudes as fundamental components in the process of acquiring a second language, as noted by wu and qi (2021). according to wu and qi (2021), when students perceive their teachers as supportive and positive, they tend to exhibit higher levels of motivation in the process of acquiring a second language, which ultimately results in improved outcomes. additional discoveries revealed that english educators employed efficient pedagogical approaches despite inadequate technological resources, which is consistent with prior research that suggests how effective teaching practices can make up for insufficient language resources and technology (kostoulas 2017). this highlights the crucial role of educators in modifying their instructional methodologies, despite resource constraints, to enhance language acquisition outcomes for their pupils. the accessibility and utilization of school facilities and technological resources may have a favourable impact on the language learning outcomes of student participants in a research study. research has indicated that creating an appropriate learning environment is crucial (kim & kim, 2017). additionally, li’s study (2020) found that the presence of technological resources in a language learning environment is positively associated with successful language outcomes. therefore, school facilities and technology are vital components in facilitating language acquisition among children. second language competencies in terms of oral communication, results imply that based from the academic term grade of the students, they possess the average proficiency level in terms of oral communication. however, one could note that the average ratings of the students are still on average while they should have already been advanced considering their grade level. as they were in their final year of basic education curriculum, these students will soon enter the tertiary level, where the competition is really stiff and a good command of the english language is an advantage. generally, the public higher educational institutions in the philippines require a general weighted average of 85 before a student can be given the chance to take the admission test for programs with board examination. considering the fact that the tracks where the respondents were selected from are specialized fields leading to bachelor programs with board examination, their second language competencies are in need of enhancement. in addition, all subjects, except for filipino which is proposed to be removed from the collegiate curriculum, are taught in english language. thus, the students should really possess a good grasp of the language for them to overcome college level successfully. meanwhile, the academic performance in reading and writing revealed that majority of students in public schools gained general weighted average in reading and writing within the 85-89 range, described as proficient, with its frequency of 89 or 39.9 percent of the total respondents. there was 81 or 36.3 percent who obtained an average of 90 and above, advanced, while 49 or 22 percent had an average within the 80-84 range, approaching proficiency. four or 1.8 percent of the student-respondents got the lowest general weighted average which fell within 75-79 range, which is described as developing proficiency. meanwhile, 64 or 39.5 percent of the students attending private schools got an average of 85-89, described as proficient, while 62 or 38.3 percent gained grades within the range of 90 and above, described as advanced. there were 31 or 19.1 percent who obtained 80-84, approaching proficiency, general weighted average while five or 3.1 percent of the total respondents from the private had grades between 75 to 79, developing. in summary, the results revealed that the respondents possess average level of proficiency in the second language competencies. table 2: relationship between non-intellective factors as to demographic profile and second language competencies oral communication reading and writing p-value i p-value i demographic profile in terms of: age 6.89 0.649 ns 5.89 0.117 ns sex 3.48 0.324 ns 7.36 0.6 ns father’s educational attainment 19.81 0.179 ns 19.96 0.174 ns mother’s educational attainment 14.76 0.255 ns 11.44 0.492 ns family monthly income 14.22 0.287 ns 10.07 0.609 ns type of school 1.91 0.592 s 7.96 0.047 s the study utilized chi-square testing to investigate the correlation between non-intellective factors pertaining to demographic characteristics and the proficiency of second language learners in areas such as oral communication and reading/writing skills. presented in the table are the outcomes of the study and their corresponding levels of significance, as indicated by the p-values. the results of the chi-square test indicate that there pa ge 65 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 58-68, 2023 is no significant association between age and oral communication (p=0.649) as well as reading and writing (p=0.117). the present study’s results are consistent with the research conducted by li and wang (2019), which suggests that age does not have a significant effect on the acquisition of a second language among chinese high school students. the outcomes of the chi-square test pertaining to sexual orientation reveal that there exists no statistically significant correlation between gender and either oral communication (p-value=0.324) or reading and writing abilities (p-value=0.6). the present study’s results corroborate the findings of sari and yulianto (2020), who observed a lack of statistically significant variation in english language proficiency between male and female students. the statistical analysis revealed that there was no significant correlation between educational attainment, family monthly income, and oral communication and reading/writing proficiency, as indicated by the nonsignificant p-values. conversely, it was discovered that the category of educational institution exhibited a statistically noteworthy correlation with reading and writing proficiencies (p-value=0.047), while no such correlation was observed with oral communication (p-value=0.592). this implies that the type of school attended by certain students has an effect on their reading and writing abilities. tampubolon and lamsari (2019) conducted a study that found that students enrolled in private schools exhibit superior english proficiency in comparison to their counterparts in public schools. this is attributed to the greater availability of resources in private schools which facilitate a more rapid acquisition of the language. in general, the findings of the chi-square analysis indicate that demographic variables related to nonintellective factors do not exhibit any significant associations with second language proficiencies, except for the school type, which was found to be significantly linked to reading and writing skills. table 3: relationship between non-intellective factors as to language learning anxiety and second language competencies oral communication reading and writing r-value p-value i r-value p-value i language learning anxiety in terms of: test anxiety -0.293 0.000 s 0.000 0.0313 s fear of negative evaluation -0.295 0.000 s 0.000 0.0265 s communication apprehension -0.009 0.863 ns 0.350 0.048 s the research study reveals a significant correlation between language learning anxiety (lla) factors, including test anxiety and fear of negative evaluation, and oral communication and reading/writing competencies. however, it was found that there is no analogous correlation between communication apprehension and the aforementioned competencies. the inverse relationship between test anxiety and fear of negative evaluation in oral communication, reading, and writing competencies is indicated by a negative r-value. studies such as wu and wu (2021) and rezaei and asadollahi (2020) have demonstrated a noteworthy inverse relationship between test anxiety/fear of negative evaluation/l2 proficiency and language proficiency. specifically, heightened levels of anxiety have been shown to correspond with decreased proficiency in language. on the contrary, it is possible that there is no significant correlation between communication apprehension and reading and writing competencies, as the former is mainly concerned with anxiety related to public speaking, which is just one aspect of oral communication competency. moreover, although communication apprehension can exert a substantial influence on speaking abilities, its relevance to individual assignments, as opposed to cooperative endeavors, such as oral communication proficiency, may be limited. the findings of this study underscore the importance of addressing test anxiety and fear of negative evaluation in senior high school language learners. it is imperative for educators and professionals to acknowledge the detrimental effects of unfavorable learning conditions on language acquisition and strive towards creating a conducive and pleasant atmosphere that fosters learning. in addition, implementing interventions aimed at mitigating anxiety, such as relaxation strategies or counseling, may potentially enhance the second language proficiency of students. table 4: relationship between non-intellective factors as to learning environment and second language competencies oral communication reading and writing r-value p-value i r-value p-value i learning environment in terms of: teachers’ attitude 0.034 0.511 ns 0.056 0.269 ns teachers’ instructional practices -0.039 0.445 ns -0.051 0.320 ns school facilities -0.033 0.513 ns -0.021 0.686 ns pa ge 66 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 58-68, 2023 the presented table displays the outcomes of the correlation examination conducted on the learning environment, non-intellective factors, and second language competencies of oral communication, reading and writing among the participants who responded to the survey. the r-values for all variables were observed to be considerably low, suggesting the absence of a statistically significant correlation between the learning environment and the second language competencies. the study found that there was no statistically significant correlation between teachers’ attitudes and oral communication and reading and writing, as indicated by the assigned r-values of 0.034 and 0.056, respectively, and the p-values of 0.5121. this implies that the attitudes of the instructors did not have a significant impact on the second language competencies of the students, whether it be in oral communication or reading and writing. the study evaluated the instructional practices of teachers using comparable methods. the results showed that both oral communication and reading and writing had r-values of -0.039 and -0.051, respectively, which were not statistically significant. the corresponding p-values were 0.440 and 0.320. the findings indicate that instructional methodologies did not have a substantial effect on the second language competencies of students, specifically in the areas of oral communication and reading and writing. the study found that school facilities did not have a significant impact on students’ second language competencies in oral communication and reading/ writing. the r-values for these competencies were 0.033 and -0.021, respectively, and their p-values were 0.513 and 0.686, indicating a lack of statistical significance. therefore, it can be concluded that the availability of school facilities did not play a significant role in influencing students’ second language competencies. hence, non-intellective factors pertaining to the learning environment, such as teachers’ attitudes, instructional practices, and facilities, had minimal impact on the second language competencies of senior high school students in terms of their oral communication, reading, and writing skills. it is important to acknowledge that unmeasured variables, such as motivation and learning strategies, may still impact the language acquisition of these students. therefore, additional research should explore potential correlations between these factors and the second language competencies of students conclusions the results of this research study have led to the formulation of various conclusions. primarily, the majority of participants were female individuals aged 16-17 years, whose parents have completed high school education and earn a monthly income ranging from $5,001-9,999. in addition, the participants indicated a moderate degree of anxiety in language acquisition, which was associated with test anxiety, apprehension about negative evaluation, and communication anxiety. the study revealed a significant correlation between non-intellectual variables, such as anxiety related to language acquisition, and the proficiency of learners in their second language. furthermore, the present study has uncovered that the participants exhibited moderate proficiency in their second language. nevertheless, the demographic characteristics, such as the type of school or learning environment, did not significantly influence the level of second language competence among the participants. in conclusion, the oral communication proficiency of public and private senior high schools was found to be similar. in contrast, the reading/writing abilities exhibited notable differences, with students from private schools demonstrating superior performance. the present study highlights the significance of language learning anxiety in influencing students’ second language proficiency. consequently, it is recommended that educational institutions provide supplementary assistance to students to effectively manage their anxiety levels and enhance their second language acquisition outcomes. in general, these results have significant ramifications for language instructors and educational leaders who aim to improve the quality of students’ second language learning. references al-tamimi, a., & shuib, m. 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rogers et al., 2021), and many relied on digital platforms for peer connection (larivière-bastien et al., 2022). student mental health and well-being appear to have been impacted negatively over time due to the online learning environment and lack of face-to-face social opportunities (tsujimoto et al., 2022). these were all significant concerns for parents during this period of time. this research project partnered with a major educational publisher and provided parents (including guardians and caregivers) and their pre-adolescents (10-13-yearolds) with technological devices (chromebooks) for educational and social purposes. the goal was to enhance space for dialogue among parents and between parents and their pre-adolescents through materials, workshops, and conversations that explored, analyzed, and accessed content surrounding their online activity and cml. literature review as pre-adolescents are vulnerable to the influence of inappropriate and harmful information (corsaro, pa ge 10 5 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 104-122, 2023 2015), the stakeholders they engage with (i.e., parents and educators) benefit from learning to support and communicate with children regarding digital tools and cml (brisson-boivin, 2018). due to the ever-changing nature of technology, it is sometimes difficult for parents to afford up-to-date devices and stay knowledgeable about current technological trends (kesler et al., 2016). potter (2022), in a historical analysis of different perspectives on media literacy, noted the tendency for scholars to take one of two approaches: protectionism and empowerment. the protectionist perspective in media education seeks to “protect students from what are assumed to be the negative effects of the media” (buckingham, 1998, p.36). the empowerment perspective aims to prepare students by teaching them the skills and tools to navigate media (potter, 2022). potter’s (2022) analysis suggests differences in the approach taken by instructors who see their role as either more protectionist or empowering. potter (2022) considers parents as educators, so it is possible to consider that these findings apply to parents teaching their children media literacy. like other types of educators, parents tend to see their role as to protect and empower and struggle to find the appropriate tactic for knowledge dissemination when accessing the online world (bordeos et al., 2022). several contributing factors to the uncertainties of managing their children’s online knowledge acquisition are a lack of access to technology, cultural and generational disparities, and the financial affordance of digital devices such as phones and computers (gallagher-mackay et al., 2021). parents also indicate that they struggle due to the belief that their children are more competent in digital platforms, have more honed digital skills than they do, and feel less equipped to support their children in media literacy (beilmann et al., 2023). before the covid-19 pandemic, a canadian report (the digital well-being of canadian families) stated that “education interventions should focus on bolstering the digital literacy skills of both parents and children” (brissonboivin, 2018, p. 4). this recommendation demonstrates an empowerment perspective to media literacy (potter, 2022) and echoes beilmann et al. (2023) in their thematic analysis of european experts. these experts advocated that “the educational system should afford digital skills enhancement not only to children but also to parents” (beilmann et al., 2023, p.10). the pandemic forced preadolescents online for various lengths of time throughout 2020. this research noted that parents became stressed about their child’s media screen time because children were online for educational purposes for roughly six hours a day and then had increased time online for activities, sports, socializing, and downtime (seguin et al., 2021). the increase in screen time has also been noted by nandlall et al. (2022), who mentions the physical strain for those learning online. while students had minimal other educational instruction and socialization options, online activity increased substantially for students worldwide (winther & byrne, 2020). winther and byrne (2020) stated that parents should spend time with their children as they interact with their technological devices, games, and socialization tools to counter the ‘fear of the unknown’ often associated with children and adolescents using technology. the workshops associated with the current study aimed to unify parents and pre-adolescents in technological learning, critical conversations, and media exploration in educational and social spaces. from an educational perspective, the covid-19 pandemic shifted how students accessed information, socialized in classrooms and digital playgrounds, and how teachers communicated with parents and students (gallagher-mackay et al., 2021). parents and preadolescents experienced additional challenges accessing their education, comprehending information, and safely participating in online activities. for example, less technologically competent parents often need their children as a support to buffer communication with teachers and may require schools to utilize innovative and flexible methods, such as parent-to-parent mentoring, to engage and connect with some families (beilmann et al., 2023; correa, 2014). at the same time, some parents lack the comprehension to assist their children with assignments, including the ability to assess their child’s proper use of technology (hebert et al., 2020). the difficulty here is that school districts frequently encourage parent engagement and interaction. so, how can this be done when the medium for this engagement may be foreign or financially unattainable for some parents? furthermore, parental engagement and understanding of their children’s online activity are necessary with the increasing importance of media literacies, digital devices, and online learning in schooling (hebert, 2020). the internet and access to information at the click of a button can be daunting for parents to monitor and ensure their children are safely engaging and exploring material and conversations with people they know. chesney and citron (2018) explained that portions of the internet are set up to purposely project, disseminate, and spread fake news, images, and content, focusing on extreme ideologies, sexualization, and nationalism. students have reported receiving concerning content (e.g., pornography, racist content) online (brisson-boivin, 2022). this lends evidence to parents’ concern about the internet and what their children may be exposed to without their knowledge. helsper and smahel (2020) suggested two types of parental mediation strategies: restrictive, where parents limit children’s access to online activity, and instructive, where parents engage and model safe online activity. these researchers found that digitally supportive parents have children who are more likely to take risks online but do not engage with the potentially harmful content they come across (helsper & smahel, 2020). finally, helsper and smahel (2020) found that limiting time on the internet is not beneficial for pre-adolescents with emotional problems or sensation-seeking behaviours. purnama et al. ‘s (2021) study hypothesized that children with poor media literacy had increased online risks pa ge 10 6 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 104-122, 2023 surrounding information sharing and safety. purnama et al. (2021) determined that stakeholders, such as parents, need to be more involved in the media literacy education of their children to decrease the chances of online children. parents who mediate and engage in their children’s online activity have children who develop stronger self-control and self-regulation online (purnama et al., 2021). mediation in the study looked like positive parenting, active co-use, and “guiding, bounding, and observing” (purnama et al., 2021, p.2). providing children with support and strategies was a fundamental desire for the parents of this study. given the changing learning landscape for preadolescents and their families during covid-19 school closures and now in the current years following, there is a need to explore and understand ways to support the development of cml, not only in schools but also in homes. children have access to media in ever-changing ways, some of which are concerning to both them and their parents. parents want to protect and empower their children but need help with how to do so. providing families with the skills and knowledge to navigate the unknown and changing media landscape will support children to become critical consumers and creators of media, to be able to navigate and advocate for themselves safely, and to be confident members of society. this study sought to provide opportunities for parents and their pre-adolescents to do just this. the research question was as follows: how can parents of pre-adolescents be collaboratively engaged to enhance their knowledge of critical media literacy and support their children’s online learning and socialization? methodology this study, including interviews and parent workshops, was conducted via an online platform from october 2020 to may 2021 due to the covid-19 pandemic. emergent design inquiry (gay & airasian, 2003) allowed for a transitional research process that flexibly altered the investigation as the researchers learned from the participants (creswell & poth, 2018) and catered to the ever-changing pandemic landscape. this study used interpretative qualitative case study methods (merriam, 2009; yin, 2018) to understand the complexity of participant experiences that may not be well-interpreted using other research designs (barone, 2004). design-based research and participants after initial interviews with parent participants (n=19) and a sample of their children participants (n=7), their responses and feedback about the pre-adolescent children’s online activities generated the development and topics for five workshops. the flexible structure of this research model follows the basis of design-based research methods (anderson & shattuck, 2012; designbased research collective, 2003). design-based research uses interventions to support the “interactions between materials, teachers, and learners” through innovative learning spaces (design-based research collective, 2003, p. 5). design-based research also seeks to find collaborative partnerships between multiple stakeholders to enhance the learning outcomes for participants and add to the level of engagement with the intervention (design-based research collective, 2003). in this study, there were four phases to enhance participant interactions with either digital material, subject experts, or other parents, with some of the interventions including opportunities for child involvement. in the first phase, during the fall of 2020, each family received two chromebooks (from a corporate organization) and access to a library of digital resources from this corporate publisher. parents and their children were shown how to access educational information and multimodal digital texts through the database. the chromebooks gave parents and children devices that provided access to a variety of curriculumand interest-related digital media texts, ultimately supporting home learning during the covid-19 pandemic. initial parent interviews generated common concerns surrounding their children’s online activities, including critical media literacy (cml), device use, types of apps used, strategies for parent-child navigation of digital texts, and digital safety. four researchers (and one research assistant) collectively designed, implemented and reflected on five workshops for parents to attend online (anderson & shattuck, 2012). these five workshops ran from october 2020 to april 2021. the workshops were created based on parent concerns and areas of interest, further modelling design-based research and covered the following topics: chromebooks and multimodal text resources workshop parents were introduced to their new devices and learning platform and practiced basic device skills such as accessing apps and saving material. adolescent online activity & parent interactions workshop covered strategies for engaging with children, setting boundaries for time spent online, and building positive digital footprints safety and surveillance workshop addressed online safety and security through tool and app use, parental monitoring and safeguards, and considerations for children’s social and emotional wellbeing and personal responsibilities. critical media literacy workshop emphasized building parent knowledge of cml by providing activities for parents to complete with their children surrounding topics of ‘fake news’ and best resource choices when using search engines. advertising targeting your pre-adolescent workshop included information on how companies and brands target children in advertising. pa ge 10 7 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 104-122, 2023 data collection and analyses this study commenced in fall 2020 with initial interviews with all parents (n=19) and some participating children (n=7). interviews were generally 30 minutes, and participants were asked questions involving cml, experiences with devices and technology, how they currently supported their child’s device use and cml, and personal desires for learning. transcriptions were made of all interviews. following these interviews, the researchers coded, regrouped and compared the common expressions into findings to determine similar themes and areas of concern or interests that the parents brought forward. finally, positioned within the existing literature on pre-adolescent technology use and cml, the researchers interpreted the feedback and findings from the parents and pre-adolescents to design the workshops. the researchers used their time together at the beginning of each workshop to check in with parents. during workshop 4, parents were asked if the study was meeting their needs, if they had questions, or if they had new concerns. anderson and shattuck (2012) suggested that these continuous interactions fuel the design-based research methods. tilley (2016) argued that participant reciprocity is the backbone of respectful research methods. each workshop was recorded through a video conference platform and transcribed. in addition, two researchers collected field notes and observations. during the workshops, parents communicated through the platform chat feature, providing the researchers additional questions or commentary if they did not want to participate orally in the video conversations. furthermore, after the workshops, the researchers refined the fieldnotes and debriefed with each other, providing additional space for researcher reflection and insight. here, researchers discussed any potential revisions that may need to occur before the next workshop to ensure that the workshops were addressing parents’ needs, including technological support and workshop content. in the spring of 2021, final interviews took place with the parents (n=19) and children (n=6) and two parent-focus groups (n=2 and n=3) were held. these focus groups allowed parents to reconnect and establish any final thoughts or concerns regarding the study and for the researchers to garner culminating data and project evaluation. the researchers used nvivo (qsr international pty ltd, 2015) to analyze the workshops’ interview transcripts and researcher field notes. analysis began with the creation of word frequencies, and through open-ended coding, the word frequencies provided the basis for identifying the expected nodes (johnson & christensen, 2004). then, collectively, the researchers agreed upon the nodes to run through nvivo; at this point, axial coding (strauss & corbin, 1990) was used to develop the themes by which the nodes were categorized (johnson & christensen, 2004). finally, the findings were interpreted through inductive analysis (thomas, 2006). all researchers agreed with this analysis process and collaboratively contributed to existing supportive literature. the following section will present the findings using direct quotes from the parent participants listed under pseudonyms (for findings related to their pre-adolescents, see (gallagher et al., 2022). result and discussion major findings parents were eager to discuss their experiences during the interviews and also when they connected during the conversations in the workshops. over the seven months from the fall to spring interviews, the data gleaned from the parents generated six main themes: child safety; strength of cml; physical and mental health; affirmations, developing support and confidence; considerations around social time online; conversations building bonds. the findings below are enhanced using direct quotes from the parent participants. child safety first, parents were overwhelmingly concerned with the safety of their pre-adolescent children as they enacted the roles of a consumer and a producer of content while socializing online through social media or gaming. as their children took on the role of consumers, parents wanted to ensure that their children were not exposed to harmful information or engaged in virtual spaces where strangers could interact with them. danielle expressed concerns about her son turning 13 and having more online access. she asked the researchers to understand the “limitations and restrictions” she could put on their family’s digital devices (danielle, interview, fall 2020). parents acknowledged that during the covid-19 pandemic, their pre-adolescents had spent more time online and, therefore, felt the need to increase online monitoring (jenna, interview, spring 2021). specifically, parent justine was concerned about her child potentially being targeted with harmful or inappropriate communication through social media apps such as instagram (justine, interview fall 2020). parents seemed to be concerned about unintentional access to potentially harmful content online. furthermore, as some pre-adolescents took on the role of content producers, parents were concerned about what their children posted content and the potential impact of their online activity on their futures. parent krista explained, “... this posting of these pictures on things like snapchat... and not realizing what the ramifications of that post could be like 10 or 20 years from now” (krista, interview, fall 2020). parent katherine preferred that her child checked with her before posting online, which was further represented in the child’s interview when the child (wolfie) asked for clarification about how her interview responses and commentary would be used or posted online (wolfie, interview, spring 2021). many parents seemed eager to continue to bring attention to their children about how posting online could be done safely. for example, parent greg mentioned that he rarely uses facebook to post publicly but will share family pictures pa ge 10 8 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 104-122, 2023 and highlights of his children with designated family and friends using the app (greg, interview, fall 2020). after the workshop on safety and security, parent angela mentioned she learned so much and had to “get to work” right away to change everything (angela, interview, spring 2021) regarding her passwords and firewalls. angela explained that she “implemented some tools like external hard drives… to kind of protect myself… just realizing how easy those threats can come and how often in frequency” (angela, interview, spring 2021). parent concern for child safety seemed to stem from parents’ uncertainty about their child’s understanding of being critical of media and interactions online. from the fall to spring interviews, the participants’ knowledge of online safety either remained the same or increased. in the fall, many parents indicated that they felt overwhelmed and lacked the knowledge they needed to ensure their children were safe online. amber noted, “i don’t know what firewalls and protection there are, and … i don’t know what i should have as far as settings” (interview, fall 2020). dina was looking to build her skills as she commented, “i also need to learn how to teach my kid to protect her privacy online, you know, how to protect her own, when she’s using [the] internet (interview, fall 2020).” moira seemed to sum up what many parents felt as she mentioned, “it is overwhelming to think about how much information children have access to” (interview, fall 2020). after participating in the workshops, parent andrew felt more confident and knowledgeable about being able to monitor their family’s online safety, explaining, “i’m taking away knowledge, confidence, just that i’ve learned these few things and … there’s ways to look at things and you can control things and so it doesn’t have to be so scary” (interview, spring 2021). parents indicated their increased understanding as they described actions they planned to take with their children. parent taylor noted they revisited the workshop slides and explained, “i wouldn’t mind putting some filters in to prevent some of the kids from playing games when they’re supposed to be doing work” (interview, spring 2021), demonstrating an understanding of ways to monitor and provide some types of control to keep their child safe and focused. strength of child’s cml the next theme saw parents recounting that when their children came across different content online, parents were unsure of their child’s literacy and ability to comprehend the material. parents explained that their children interacted with media literacies, including youtube videos, games, social conversations with friends, images, and written texts. one parent stated that her son would “...sometimes believe at face value what his favorite youtubers are saying, or you know what they’re talking about (haley, interview, fall 2020). a second parent commented that she had, on more than one occasion, talked to her child about the fact that not everything could be taken as fact and felt she lacked the ability to be critical. this parent noted, “i tried to go there with my daughter but i don’t know that …she’s ready to …recognize that just because someone says something doesn’t mean it’s true” (moira, interview, fall 2020). parent dana explained that because technology is everywhere, she thinks it is essential for her child to be critical of the information they access to ensure it is true (dana, interview, fall 2020). another parent described how she addressed this when helping her child with a school project and observed how the child seemed to take the information found in google searches at face value. she commented: i was helping my son do a project and he was getting some information but he … would google and then pick out pieces of information that he wanted… i had to push him and say, well, how do you know that he missed this article is real? how do you know if what they’re saying is actually true? so, we ended up learning that some of what they were saying was not true. (taylor, interview, spring 2021). the parents were acutely aware that their children have access to so much information and misinformation online, which can be challenging to process and comprehend they appreciated the necessity of cml. physical and mental health with maneuvering through online information, parents showed interest in their children’s mental well-being and lack of physical activity during the covid-19 pandemic with the additional hours online. parent angela was concerned that her son was spending too much time online, “between like 7 and 8 in the morning [to] 2-3 in the afternoon, and then … after dinnertime, 6-7,” but acknowledged that her work life also changed to an online platform. she was experiencing an increase in time online, “i run a business, so for research development, networking and i guess, sourcing, is what i would use” (angela, interview, fall 2020). parent allison knew that her child’s time online with schoolwork was expanding past her comfort levels and previous rules in place for screen time, so allison printed her child’s work to be completed offline (allison, interview, fall 2020). furthermore, allison mentioned encouraging her children to use their free-time online to research things they are interested in rather than absorbing material that did not pertain to their interests offline (allison, interview, fall 2020). parent molly admitted that she attempted to prevent her child from accessing socialization with friends online. still, with the strict limitations of the covid-19 pandemic, molly began allowing her child to socialize online, “but then he might have had like an activity that he was going to where he would see other friends... where that doesn’t happen as much anymore because of our smaller circles of association (molly, interview, fall, 2020). the stressors of parenting children during a pandemic were evident in the parent interviews, but parent camaraderie during the workshops allowed for sharing experiences, questions, and strategies for hurdling any obstacles. pa ge 10 9 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 104-122, 2023 affirmations, developing support, and confidence during the workshops, parents connected through conversation. they bonded over shared experiences in discussions of online activity and their children “...to know that i am not alone, there are so many of these other parents that are in this exact same boat” (krista, interview, spring 2021). parents talked about the support they received from each other during the workshops. the feeling of not being alone in maneuvering through this uncharted territory with their children was familiar, and parent danielle stated, “...it’s just interesting to hear other parents have the same concern, you know you’re not alone in this” (danielle, interview, spring 2021). these connections between parents also helped some parents develop a sense of pride and appreciation for their work and dedication to improving their learning. parents were vocal about feeling supported throughout the seven months and also mentioned a level of confidence in their own cml “i am very happy i participated because i definitely learned a lot, there were some “aha” moments and eye-opening moments as well” (krista, interview, spring 2021). finally, one set of parents mentioned they became more aware of their behavior when speaking to their child about online safety, cml, and online habits: i’ve been kind of… thinking through how hard i come down on what she’s consuming on her technology, and so i’m trying to be mindful of that and notice when i may be pushing too far in terms of say[ing] no or controlling it (allison & greg, interview, spring 2021). parent engagement in the workshops and conversations ultimately aided their self-development, skill-building, confidence, and interactions with their children regarding online activity, safety, and critical media literacy. considerations around social time online parents who were hesitant to offer their children additional online time to play and connect with friends evolved in their expectations. in the spring of 2021, it was clear that parents’ tone changed to become more understanding and softened to the experiences and mental stressors that online learning, covid-19, fear, and isolation were playing on their children. marcia mentioned that her daughter charlotte spent six hours online for schoolwork each day, and because of covid-19, many children and their activities still were not up and running, so her daughter socialized online more frequently, talking with friends online and playing games because there were no other alternatives. although parents were more understanding of the effects of covid-19 on their children, some parents still had their concerns. marcia explained her parental guilt for having her daughter utilize an online platform for extended periods, “i’m going to be shameless because she uses a lot of screen time. she talks to her friends all the time and they do play games on the laptop. i mean, she’s been six hours on class… i always feel guilty but she does have a lot” (marcia, interview, spring 2021). in contrast, allison and greg mentioned that they persistently get their children active outside between online schooling and online socializing. their children sometimes fight until they get their bodies moving and enjoy physical activity (allison & greg, interview, spring 2021). allison and greg mentioned that their daughter’s time online had increased substantially between socializing and academics. as the children’s online activities contrast the desires of the parents, allison and greg’s children expressed their concerns about their parents’ overprotective rules. allison mentioned that after the workshops, she has “been kind of listening to that and thinking through kind of how hard i come down on what she’s consuming on her technology, and so i’m trying to be mindful of that and notice when i may be pushing too far in terms of saying no or controlling it” (allison, interview, spring 2021). the researchers anticipate that the workshops aided in parent conversations surrounding time online and helped parents find reasonable compromises to their regular habits, primarily through the unknowns of a global pandemic. conversations building bonds when acknowledging their role in their child’s cml, parents indicated that communication and conversation were necessary to ensure their child was informed, aware of general online safety, and more critical when accessing information. one parent stated, “i think the biggest thing i guess i would have to say is i guess you just have to keep those open lines of communication” (krista, interview, spring 2021). when parents actively communicate with their children, they may also reap the benefits of conversation, as one parent explained: i want me and charlotte to evolve together with the speed of this digital age…both parents and children should be aware of what is out there, how scary it is, how informative it is and [the] possibilities that it can give to both child[ren] and parents too. (marcia, interview, spring 2021) showing children you can grow as a parent can be empowering, and reminding children that they too should be who they are in the online world was one parent’s belief: i always tell her that, and whatever she sees on youtube or what the other kids do on tiktok, i always tell her you don’t copy them, you don’t follow them, or you don’t believe what they say, research it, look into it (marcia, interview, spring 2021). finally, when asked to sum up her experience in the study, parent danielle stated that she needed to “... continue to have these conversations with my kids… to have more transparency as to what they’re doing you know they’re just spending so much time online right now that you can’t babysit them 24/7” (danielle, interview, spring 2021). conversations contributed to a powerful connection between parent and child, providing support and information. recall that the research question was: how can parents of pre-adolescents be collaboratively engaged to enhance pa ge 11 0 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 104-122, 2023 their knowledge of critical media literacy and support their children’s online learning and socialization? the findings suggest that parents acknowledge an increase in their pre-adolescents’ use of digital tools for educational and social purposes during the covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing need for cml in school and home learning settings. with increased time on digital devices came more frequent discussions surrounding safety and activity and balancing online and offline habits to ensure physical, social, and mental well-being. the parents appreciated conversations with other parents during the project and the time to connect with their pre-adolescents on topics covered in the workshops. these findings are now followed by a discussion to situate them within the literature. discussion the parent and child interviews yielded examples of the impact of the covid-19 pandemic on the changing landscape of online learning and socialization and the need for strong cml skills. after participating in the workshops and the study, parents talked about their enhanced confidence in engaging in technology and a shift in the type of guidance they were giving their children. some mentioned that learning to navigate technology and media has been challenging; however, with the resources they had access to and the support and relatable discussions with other parents, they could selfreflect and implement new strategies to discuss online use with their children. in the fall of 2020, many parents believed their children spent too much time online, and frustrations arose around online gaming and socialization; there is confirming evidence from current literature regarding an increase in time spent online and related parental concerns (e.g., gallagher-mackay et al., 2021; sequin et al., 2021). the participants in this study reflected on what potter (2022) elucidated as different perspectives (protectionist or empowerment) to media literacy that could be observed in parents as instructors for their children during the covid-19 pandemic. the concerns and stressors expressed by parent participants and their desire to protect and monitor their children’s online behavior illustrate a protectionist perspective. in the spring 2021 interviews, parents admitted that although their children were still spending what they believed to be too much time online, socialization and free time for online exploration were necessary. parents understood that the covid-19 pandemic gave their children minimal options for doing activities and seeing friends offline. most parents discussed the boundaries or additional time limits on their child’s social time online, which some said they did not have before. in this way, they seemed to lend evidence to the suggestion that limiting time online tended not to be helpful (helsper & smahel, 2020). in contrast, other parents explained that they still try to incorporate offline physical activity with the opportunity to return online for free time. an integral finding echoed the importance of conversation between parents and their pre-adolescent children. parents mentioned that they continually discuss with their children and are learning to navigate what to confront and what to pass up concerning online content. most parents referenced the strategies they gleaned from the resources and workshops they attended as helpful in navigating the dialogue, attitude, and approach to talking with their children about all online activities. many parents suggested that the topics of conversation with their children were usually around safety, but also that there needed to be a separation between time online for schooling and socializing. parent discussions shifted to a more empowered perspective (potter, 2022) in the way that they began having some conversations and shared experiences online. collectively, they could navigate these conversations with less struggle in the tactics they were using to guide their children. they tended to be more engaged in these conversations and co-learned with their children (hebert et al., 2020). parent-child communication around boundaries and expectations online proved positive for both parties while building parent confidence in their children and showing children adapting responsibly to greater autonomy online. conclusions this study affirms the need for parent support and dialogue with their pre-adolescent child(ren) regarding cml and digital tools in educational and social online environments. providing parents with this type of education through workshops and giving parents opportunities to mentor one another (beilmann et al., 2023) continues to be important as pre-adolescents continue to learn and socialize in online spaces. therefore, parental engagement in their pre-adolescents’ online activities is crucial to minimize the digital learning gap and increase parental support for media literacy and online safety. parents’ primary concern from fall 2020 to spring 2021 was how much time their children spent on devices and a genuine uncertainty of how much time online was ‘too much.’ in the spring of 2021, after one year of the covid-19 pandemic, parents seemed to lighten their intensity of rules surrounding socialization online, understanding that the pandemic may have changed the way the world operates, including their children’s educational and social lives. claesdotter-knutsson et al. (2022) noted up to a 75% increase in children’s media use, including gaming and excluding homework, in countries like the united kingdom, which coincides with the parents and pre-adolescents feeling attached to their devices. these researchers also note that including outdoor leisure and physical activity was often left up to the parents to monitor and introduce (claesdotterknutsson et al., 2022). some parents in this study ensured their children remained active via online sports and clubs or by setting rules expecting outdoor play each day. the results of this study echo others that have similarly pa ge 11 1 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 104-122, 2023 found an increase in child activity online (werling et al., 2021; winther & byrne, 2020), highlighting some concerning factors regarding the potential faults within the online learning structure. for example, gallaghermackay et al. (2021) explained that student success in online learning is directly tied to teacher effectiveness in online instruction. gallagher-mackay et al. acknowledged that during the covid-19 pandemic, educators were challenged by their working conditions, the contexts of their educational delivery, and the abrupt changes to their teaching via online learning, wherein many educators needed additional training. a second factor many parents and pre-adolescent participants brought up was the level of (dis)engagement children experienced with online learning. this finding could be helpful as a potential consideration for school districts regarding the effects of online education on children, future potential lockdowns or policy changes to online learning. limitations there are several limitations to this study. the study shares a similar limitation to other case studies in that it is difficult to generalize the findings of this study to other contexts and populations. the sample size of the pre-adolescent participants was modest (n=7), making it difficult to know whether the responses from this sample would be representative of other children of the same age. collecting data through virtual interviews and online workshops may also be a limitation. the method made field notes and participant observations challenging, given that some participants could only connect with audio. the lack of visual feedback and the inability to see how participants responded may have influenced the type and richness of the data gathered. this study highlights the lengths parents will go to ensure their children’s safety, security, and happiness. these parents remained dedicated to their children by learning about their interests and the technological safety features for their families. they showed growth by turning conversations into strategic action, resulting in deeper and more frequent communication with their children. pre-adolescents felt heard through conversation, and parents supported each other through dialogue and sharing strategies. references anderson, t., & shattuck, j. 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(2018). case study research: design and methods (6th ed.). sage. pa ge 1 pa ge 20 american journal of education and technology (ajet) instructors’ job commitment: the role of in-service course, enugu state, nigeria nwaorgu, ekene helen1*, nkedishu victor c.1 volume 2 issue 3, year 2023 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i3.1697 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: may 28, 2023 accepted: june 19, 2023 published: june 30, 2023 this study investigated the role in-service course plays in instructors’ job commitment. the ex-post-facto of descriptive survey method was adopted for this study. the participants were 2403 teachers in registered private secondary schools in enugu state, from which a sample of 480 respondents was selected using a stratified sampling technique. two instruments for data collection were self-developed entitled “in-service course questionnaire (icq) and the instructors’ job commitment questionnaire (ijcq). face and content validity were employed in validating the instruments and further subjected to a reliability test, which yielded a coefficient of .78 and .89 respectively. analysis was done using mean rating, standard deviation, ranking and coefficient of determination while pearson r was used to test the hypothesis at a significance level of 0.05. findings show that seminars, workshops, orientation, lesson study, classroom/school visitation, further study, study groups, online training, mentorships, peer coaching, teachers’ conventions, and conferences were commonly used in-service course programs in private secondary schools in enugu state. in addition, the level of instructors’ job commitment in private secondary schools in enugu state was high. furthermore, there was a significant relationship between instructors’ job commitment and in-service courses in enugu state. accordingly, it was recommended that school proprietors/proprietresses and principals of private secondary schools in the state of enugu should routinely conduct intense and sufficient in-service course programs for teachers. keywords in-service course, teachers’ commitment, private secondary schools 1 institute of education, delta state university, abraka, nigeria 2 department of educational management, delta state university, abraka, nigeria * corresponding author’s e-mail: henwaorgu@delsu.edu.ng introduction education is a fundamental human right. it is a social investment aimed at influencing the present and the future. similar to other investments, it must adhere to the laws of a market that expects quality, relevance, durability, and a fair price in order to be desirable and enticing to its customers. as a basic human right, it is the obligation of the nigerian government to provide proper education for its inhabitants. public education systems in several developing nations, including nigeria, encounter a number of obstacles. curriculums are often out of date; textbooks and other teaching resources are sometimes in limited supply; student-to-teacher ratios are far higher than anticipated; and, among other issues, student retention rates and test scores are poor. since the government may not be able to carry these issues and the expense of education on its own, private persons must get involved. there is accumulating evidence that private engagement in education may enhance efficacy in a cost-effective and equitable way (olanrewaju, 2021). in enugu state, however, private persons, missionaries, and organizations have started assisting the government in providing education for its inhabitants, so long as the established processes for establishing schools are followed. it is widely considered that private engagement in education may enhance pedagogical, technical, and managerial abilities at all educational levels. it seems that private schools have longer school days and school years, smaller class sizes, fewer teacher absenteeism, and more time for other topics. in addition, because of their greater management freedom, private schools may readily implement new curriculum and program innovations as well as enhanced assessment methods. among other methods, this may be achieved by examining their work plan and textbooks. this is done on occasion to reinforce the pupils’ weak areas and improve their academic performance. private schools in the nooks and crannies of enugu state, nigeria, seem to have a good impact on learning and parental participation in their children’s education. in this regard, private schools have an edge over public schools. this benefit includes, among others, an expanded educational experience for pupils and a safe learning environment with a high level of discipline and respect between faculty and students. it may seem that there is a built-in accountability mechanism in schools due to the fact that parents are able to pick or switch their children’s schools from public to private or private to private. despite its apparent benefits, private sector involvement in education needs a robust regulatory structure to assure instructors’ commitment to high-quality instruction. teachers see their dedication as part of their professional identity; it identifies them and their job, and gives them satisfaction (berger & van, 2018). in this research, commitment is utilized to identify instructors who are compassionate, committed, and take their jobs seriously from those who put their own interests first. it should be mentioned that a teacher’s commitment to teaching is an affective or emotional response to their experience in a school environment. it may be seen as a learned behavior or attitude linked with teachers’ professional conduct. teachers choose their amount of desire to personally https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i3.1697 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= mailto:henwaorgu%40delsu.edu.ng?subject= pa ge 21 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 20-27, 2023 engage in a certain school setting or a specific group of pupils based on their emotional responses to the school environment. the researcher views teachers’ dedication as an investment in a specific vocation, in this instance, the performance of given teaching obligations. additionally, it is the individual’s desire to spend personal resources in the teaching endeavor. commitment is a feeling of loyalty and steadfastness. in other words, the feeling of belonging at the heart of the notion of commitment will foster a link between the organization and its members, bringing them together around a shared value, goal, and culture. as a technique of survival, many instructors in enugu state limit their devotion and engagement in the school, according to the study. in other instances, these educators choose to quit the profession entirely. for these reasons, teachers’ commitment is a crucial predictor of teachers’ job performance, absenteeism, burnout, and departure, in addition to having a significant impact on kids’ accomplishments and attitudes toward school (vioreza & utami, 2021). since the in-service course is believed to play a vital role in education, particularly in today’s private schools, it might be correlated with instructors’ work dedication. the in-service course is basic instruction in skills relevant to the job description. in-service course for teachers is any formal information gained on the job. this training may take the form of an orientation, seminar, conference, or additional study. the in-service course is one means through which instructors may enhance their abilities, so enhancing their performance and, ultimately, their dedication to duty. it is one of the means through which companies train and develop their human resources. the in-service course for teachers is the process of providing instructors with functional and relevant skills and information in order to boost their productivity. inservice course is distinct from other types of training since it encompasses all of the training workers get over the course of many years of service delivery. the purpose of in-service course for teachers is to guarantee their continuing professional growth (engetou, 2017). this is essential for schools that want to cultivate a professional workforce. total quality management (tqm) principles suggest that continual training and quality in-service course should, through workshop trainees, increase the quality of programming for the professional development of teachers in the field. a dedicated educator is never content with the information previously learned. rather, they are always on the lookout for fresh ideas and methods to keep themselves current of contemporary educational breakthroughs (prestridge, 2019). in-service course often satisfies the need for new skills, information, and ideas. in-service course is training that a teacher gets while still employed (christiana & olalekan, 2022). it assists the teacher in selfimprovement, making him a better-equipped and more dedicated educator. preparing teachers for the teaching profession is required since they have direct contact with pupils and the current focus in education is on the kid. the researcher has discovered that in enugu state private secondary schools, educating teachers professionally is a greater priority for any owner or proprietors/ proprietress who want the greatest and highest quality education for their institution. this might be due to the fact that this job is seen as demanding and crucial, and can contribute to a nation’s rise and success in several sectors, such as productivity, creativity, entrepreneurship, and technical advancements. wolf & behrman (2018) found that private schools spend more in teachers’ professional development than public schools, which has increased their work dedication. his findings also apply to private secondary schools in the state of enugu. the researcher’s experience demonstrates that although some private schools take the required steps to educate or develop their instructors professionally, others do not train their employees owing to budgetary constraints. the most significant issue confronting private schools is the absence of a budget for teacher training and professional development opportunities (bolapeju, agboola, emmanuel, & offiong, 2018). even though continual in-service course and development is necessary to keep up with the changing requirements of the profession, private school owners felt that instructors should be fully trained before being employed. the curriculum taught in nigerian professional teaching degree programs may not be appropriate to real-world classroom conditions. in addition, the demands of students fluctuate and adapt in tandem with technological development. as a consequence of the shifting trend, instructors who participate in in-service course may take advantage of new chances and methods. effective and continuous training courses for teachers may assist them in acquiring the skills and information necessary to meet the learning demands and difficulties of their pupils (akachukwu 2012). teachers without the necessary qualifications and experience may not only compromise the delivery of education but also the quality of education provided to pupils. this is especially true for instructors with years of experience who are used to outdated teaching practices and have little drive to learn about current trends in education. if teachers are not provided with chances to learn and grow via training programmes, they may not be able to provide a quality education for the next generation, which should not be the case in 21st-century education. currently in enugu state, there are rumors that private schools are beginning to recognize the urgent educational need for teachers to receive adequate educational and professional training, knowledge, teaching skills, and competence in order to be able to dedicate themselves to the teaching profession. however, only a small number of schools may have taken an interest in the professional training of teachers. from a different angle, in-service course for teachers has been associated with the growth of work commitment. denying any teacher this chance is tantamount to standing in the way of the https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 22 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 20-27, 2023 teacher’s professional development and self-actualization. this might be disheartening, resulting in a drop in instructors’ dedication. when instructors believe that they will be eligible for in-service course if they work hard and become more successful, they are more likely to be devoted to service delivery. training is a continuous process that continues throughout an employee’s whole career. when a teacher obtains (as a reward) the chance to participate in an in-service course program, the teacher will be motivated and, as a result, will be more devoted to ensuring that he or she warrants future training opportunities. when there are chances for teachers who undertake in-service course to use the skills and information they have learned, it is possible to attain the commitment that results from in-service course. findings reveal that instructors whose commitment to the teaching profession was poor before in-service course became highly engaged after being permitted to participate (akinbode, 2019). inservice course for teachers might therefore be seen as a catalyst capable of accelerating good behavioral changes, enhancing their morale and work dedication. drucker, referenced by onasanya (2009), said that a company must provide the leaders of tomorrow today. the author further added that training is a sort of specialized education that aims to provide the trainee with the specific or specialized information, abilities, and attitudes he needs to function well in a certain professional role. in nigeria, secondary school teachers are educated in university faculties of education. several studies have shown a correlation between staff training and production. peretomode & chukwuma, (2007) claimed that the lack of postgraduate programs in many nigerian institutions of higher education necessitated a robust staff development program. he said that some colleges employ professors who are unfamiliar with the geography of the educational world and who have never been required to articulate their educational ideologies or teaching and learning perspectives. according to a research done by dearden, reed, and reanen (2015), work-related training has a substantial association with employee commitment, as every one percent increase in training results in a 0.6 percent improvement in job commitment. therefore, it is essential that instructors be empowered and strengthened via training so that they can teach effectively, be dedicated, and deliver excellent education throughout time (nkedishu, 2020). statement of the problem education is a basic human right for which states are responsible. but they do not have to be the only supplier. private participation may augment governmental capacity to meet the rising demand for education while maintaining quality. according to scholars, for the private sector to be engaged, a robust regulatory framework is required to assure high quality and equality, while simultaneously stimulating investment and competition. to guarantee good quality, education stakeholders think that teachers are the most important inputs and that their dedication to the teaching profession is crucial. they assert that teachers’ dedication should be rewarded with incentives that foster investment, competitiveness, and production in private secondary schools. employers of labor may utilize a variety of compensation packages to control the employment commitment of their staff. one of these is providing them with in-service course. it is possible to arrange in-service courses inside or outside of the institution. according to studies, some instructors want to enroll in many training programs in order to improve their skills, certification, recognition, and advancement opportunities. denying any teacher this chance is tantamount to standing in the way of the teacher’s professional development and self-actualization. this might be disheartening and result in a drop in teachers’ commitment. when teachers believe that they will be eligible for in-service course if they work hard and become more successful, they are more likely to be devoted to service delivery. in light of the above, it is essential to investigate in-service course as a professional training program and instructors’ job commitment in private secondary schools in the state of enugu. the aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between in-service course and instructors’ job commitment in private secondary schools, enugu state, nigeria. in specific term, the study was aimed at; 1. identifying commonly used in-service course for private secondary school teachers in enugu state. 2. examining the level of instructors’ job commitment in private secondary schools in enugu state. 3. examining the relationship between in-service course and instructors’ job commitment in private secondary schools, enugu state. research questions 1. which in-service course are commonly used for private secondary school teachers in enugu state? 2. what is the level of instructors’ job commitment in private secondary schools in enugu state? 3. in-service course is not related to instructors’ job commitment in private secondary schools in enugu state. hypothesis 1. in-service course is not significant to instructors’ job commitment in private secondary schools in enugu state. methods this study adopted the correlational survey method of the ex-post facto research design. the study population was 2403 teachers in registered private secondary schools in enugu state, from which a sample of 480 respondents was selected using a stratified sampling technique. two instruments for data collection were selfdeveloped by the researcher entitled “in-service course questionnaire (icq) measuring issues on in-service course available to teachers and instructors’ job commitment questionnaire (ijcq) to ascertain the level of teachers’ commitment https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 23 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 20-27, 2023 in private secondary schools in enugu state. in the inservice course programme questionnaire (istpq), the respondents were meant to respond on four-point scale of strongly agree which was rated as 4, agree rated as 3, disagree rated as 2, and strongly disagree rated as 1. the four-point rating scales of very high (vh) = 4 points, high (h) = 3 points, low (l) = 2 points and very low (vl) = 1 point was used for instructors’ job commitment questionnaire (ijcq).the instruments were validated through experts’ judgment and its reliability was established through split-half reliability test and a coefficient of .78and .89 were obtained respectively revealing high index reliability. mean, standard deviation, ranking and coefficient of determination were used to answer research question while pearson r was used to test hypothesis at significance level of 0.05. results and discussion results research question one which in-service course are commonly used for private secondary school teachers in enugu state? table 1: mean rating, standard deviation and ranking on commonly used in-service course for teachers s/no commonly used in-service course mean sd ranking 1 seminars 3.36 .63 1st 2 workshops 3.14 .73 2nd 3 orientation 3.02 .80 3rd 4 lessons study 3.02 .82 4th 5 classroom/school visitation 2.96 .89 5th 6 further study 2.91 .94 6th 7 study groups 2.65 .90 7th 8 on-line training 2.63 .85 8th 9 mentorships 2.58 .87 9th 10 peer coaching 2.58 .82 10th 11 teachers’ conventions 2.56 .94 11th 12 conferences 2.51 .84 12th 13 focused conversations 2.46 .92 13th 14 viewing educational videos 2.40 .87 14th 15 conference audio tapes 2.27 .96 15th 16 video conferencing 2.06 .74 16th source: fieldwork; benchmark = 2.50 data in table 1 shows mean rating, standard deviation and ranking on commonly used in-service course for teachers. the result shows that respondents rated with mean scores of 3.36, 3.14, 3.02, 3.02, 2.96, 2.91, 2.65, 2.63, 2.58, 2.58, 2.56, 2.51, 2.46, 2.40, 2.27 and 2.06 on seminars, workshops, orientation, lessons study, classroom/school visitation, further study, study groups, on-line training, mentorships, peer coaching, teachers’ conventions, conferences, focused conversations, viewing educational videos, conference audio tapes and video conferencing. it can therefore be concluded that commonly used inservice course for teachers in private secondary schools in enugu state includes; seminars, workshops, orientation, lessons study, classroom/school visitation, further study, study groups, on-line training, mentorships, peer coaching, teachers’ conventions and conferences research question 2 what is the level of instructors’ job commitment in private secondary schools in enugu state? table 2: mean rating and standard deviation on level of instructors’ job commitment b(i) level of instructors’ job commitment mean sd remark 1 punctual to class 3.31 .68 + 2 regular to school 3.62 .56 + 3 use of curriculum responsibly 3.45 .65 + 4 meet the needs of individual students 3.12 .70 + 5 actively contribute to the teaching profession 3.29 .65 + 6 volunteer to help school administrator 3.06 .80 + 7 express a desire to advance the school 2.97 .75 + https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 24 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 20-27, 2023 8 listen to the suggestions of other teachers 3.00 .68 + 9 show leadership skills 3.06 .78 + 10 be a team player 2.91 .70 + 11 request evaluations from school administration 2.56 .84 + 12 being adaptable to the environment 3.16 .72 + 3.13 .71 key: + = high, = low; source: fieldwork; benchmark 2.50 data in table 2 shows the mean rating and standard deviation on level of instructors’ job commitment. the result shows that respondents agreed on all the items with mean rating of 3.31, 3.62, 3.45, 3.12, 3.29, 3.06, 2.97, 3.00, 3.06, 2.91, 2.56, 3.16, 3.16 on punctual to class, regular to school, use of curriculum responsibly, meet the needs of individual students, actively contribute to the teaching profession, volunteer to help school administrator, express a desire to advance the school, listen to the suggestions of other teachers, show leadership skills, be a team player, request evaluations from school administration, being adaptable to the environment, respectively. the average mean rating of 3.13 which is higher than the mean rating of 2.50 benchmark shows that the level of instructors’ job commitment in private secondary schools in enugu state was high. research question 3 in-service course is not related to instructors’ job commitment in private secondary schools in enugu state table 3: relationship between in-service course and instructors’ job commitment variables mean sd r r2 remark in-service course 2.69 0.85 .683 .466 positive relationshipinstructors’ job commitment 3.13 0.71 data in table 3 shows relationship between in -service training programmes and instructors’ job commitment. the result shows in-service training programmes with a mean rating of 2.69, sd=0.85 and teachers job commitment with a mean rating of 3.13, sd = 0.71. the r value of .683 shows that there is a positive relationship between in -service training programmes and instructors’ job commitment. the r2 value of .466 revealed that in -service training programmes is related to instructors’ job commitment by 46.6%. thus, there is positive relationship between in -service training programmes and instructors’ job commitment in private secondary schools in enugu state. hypothesis one in-service course is not significant to instructors’ job commitment in private secondary schools in enugu state. data in table 4 shows pearson r on relationship between table 4: pearson r on in-service course and instructors’ job commitment in-service course pearson correlation 1 .683* sig. (2-tailed) .210 n 480 480 instructors’ job commitment pearson correlation .683* 1 sig. (2-tailed) .210 n 480 480 keys: ic = in-service course, ijc = instructors’ job commitment, * significant in-service course as a professional training programme and instructors’ job commitment. the result showed a strong positive relationship between in-service course as a professional training programme and instructors’ job commitment with r=.683 and significance p=.210. therefore, the null hypothesis which states that there is no significant relationship between in-service course as a professional training programme and instructors’ job commitment in private secondary school in enugu state was rejected. thus, there is a significant relationship between in-service course as a professional training programme and instructors’ job commitment in private secondary school in enugu state. findings revealed that seminars, workshops, orientation, lesson study, classroom/school visitation, further study, study groups, on-line training, mentorships, peer coaching, teachers’ conventions, and conferences are commonly used in-service course programs in private secondary schools in enugu state. this is coherent with the cambridge professional development qualification (2014), which states that in-service course programs for teachers, such as mentorships, study groups, peer https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 25 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 20-27, 2023 mentoring, lessons study, and classroom/school visits, are intended to maintain instructors’ subject-matter expertise. whether private secondary school teachers in the state of enugu attend conferences or seminars, educate themselves alone, or join a collaborative learning community, ongoing professional development is crucial for providing high-quality education. okpara (2016) investigated the training needs of public and private high school teachers in bangknok. according to the study, teachers preferred training in diagnosing students’ learning needs, identifying students’ personal needs and difficulties, organizing instruction for enrichment, developing multi-grade teaching skills, developing learning activities on subjects, adopting problem-solving skills, developing emotional intelligence skills, publishing research papers, conducting action research, and developing skills in total quality management. consequently, instruction in the aforementioned competencies, which improve student performance and professional credentials, is vital. the optimal strategy is pragmatic. similarly, mduma & mkulu (2021) revealed that instructors see in-service education as more effective when its content is based on their selfreported training needs. in addition, they identified the factors that might attract teachers to engage in in-service course programs. these factors include the following content and procedure-oriented preferences of teachers: competent resource persons, trainee participation in the training process, consultation with teachers to determine their needs, and support for teachers to implement new ideas/innovations obtained through in-service course programs. significant teacher learning is suggested by competent resource folks (carstensen & klusmann, 2020). participation facilitates effective education because teachers participate in hands-on activities to minimize passive listening. consultation with educators guarantees the applicability of the course. in conclusion, the need for learning applications is emphasized. additionally, they agreed that it is not the duration of the program but rather the degree of satisfaction with the in-service course events that adds to the success of the training in the classroom. likewise, they believed that student performance depends on the quality of education. therefore, it is essential to improve teaching skills and instructional quality, as well as to customize their training to their individual work environment. finding show that the level of instructors’ job commitment in private secondary schools in enugu state was high. the reason for this is that the level of teacher commitment is one of the most significant factors of school staff performance and quality, especially in private schools. teachers are required to arrive on time and consistently so that academic activities can begin on time, use curriculum responsibly, meet the needs of individual students, actively contribute to the teaching profession, volunteer to assist the school administrator, and demonstrate a desire to advance the school. internal supervisors are occasionally recruited to ensure that these responsibilities are carried out efficiently. this conclusion is consistent with the findings of sikorska (2018), who discovered that greater levels of organizational commitment are characterized by fondness for one’s work (affective commitment), fear of losing (continuance commitment), and a sense of responsibility to remain (“normative commitment”). according to adeboye (2017), the high degree of commitment among instructors in private schools might be related to the fear of losing their job or the fines imposed on defaulters. it is a known truth that several private secondary schools in the state of enugu penalize their instructors each term for tardiness to school or absence from duty without authorization from the proper authorities. teachers at these private schools would not like to be subjected to such punishments; thus, they should perform what is expected of them. in agreement with the conclusion, meyer & allen (2018) revealed that appointing internal supervisors led to a high degree of commitment among instructors. these supervisors ensure that the curriculum is covered in a responsible manner, that lesson notes are written effectively, that lessons are provided with the appropriate teaching aids, and that instructors are attentive to the requirements of their pupils. educators who are loyal to their tasks are rewarded, while those who are not are questioned or dismissed of their positions after many warnings. as a consequence, there will be intense competition to be regarded as one of the finest teachers. in private secondary schools in the state of enugu, the degree of teacher commitment would undoubtedly increase as a result of these activities. the finding shows that instructors’ job commitment was significant to the in-service courses. the reason for this finding is that instructors with appropriate in-service course have no motive to quit their current position. the provision of in-service course for professional development that prepares teachers with functional and relevant skills and knowledge is valued by educators. in turn, this increases the productivity, efficiency, and devotion of educators. according to engetou (2017), the provision of in-service courses for professional growth and self-confidence development is appreciated by teachers. therefore, denying a teacher this chance is equivalent to standing in the way of the instructor’s professional development, self-actualization, and intrinsic devotion. the result is also consistent with the findings of akinbode (2019), who observed that instructors whose commitment to the teaching profession was poor before to in-service courses became extremely dedicated after being permitted to engage in such training. according to a research by dearden et al. (2015), there is a substantial association between work-related training and employee commitment, as every one percent increase in training generates a 0.6 percent improvement in job commitment. it follows that the more instructors are involved in in-service courses, the more dedicated they become. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 26 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 20-27, 2023 onasanya (2009), who observed that in-service course is a sort of specialized education designed to equip the learner with the specific or specialized information, abilities, and attitudes he needs to successfully perform in a certain role on the job, concurred with this conclusion. the in-service course fosters attitudes of creativity in the teaching profession among instructors. akinbode (2019) observed that innovative workers are devoted. these personnel are continually seeking more efficient methods to do even the most ordinary responsibilities. such personnel should be respected by their employers, which should push them to generate better ideas and provide incentives for their accomplishments and inventions. in-service course provides teachers with new ideas to explore in the teaching-learning process, including classroom management, lesson delivery, notetaking, parent administration, and so on. it all contributes to greater commitment. conclusion in-service course is intended for the school system’s and education’s overall human resource development. if instructors are to carry out their duties successfully and efficiently, they must get training in new skills and contemporary methods. the more the educational attainment of teachers, the higher the educational standard of the nation via superior instruction and greater dedication. no surprise the national policy on education (2014) said that no education level can surpass the caliber of its instructors. at-service training courses provided to teachers in private secondary schools in the state of enugu include seminars, workshops, conferences, online training, orientation, mentoring, study groups, peer coaching, lesson study, classroom/ school visits, teachers’ conventions, and further study. a surprising factor that predicts successful performance and the accomplishment of a quality education is a competent instructor. performance in education places a high premium on teaching dedication; when instructors are able to fulfill their professional teaching obligations or achieve educational objectives. teachers’ work dedication is a factor of the quality of education and academic achievement of pupils or schools; hence, it is high in private secondary schools in enugu state. in addition, there was a substantial correlation between in-service course as professional development programs and teachers’ work commitment. recommendations accordingly, it is recommended that proprietors/ proprietresses and principals of private secondary schools in the state of enugu should routinely conduct intense and sufficient in-service course programs for teachers. the services of internal supervisors should be employed to monitor teachers’ activities, thereby fostering a high level of teachers’ commitment in private secondary schools in the state of enugu; in order to maintain a significant correlation between teachers’ in-service course and job commitment, additional training programmes such as audio conferences and teachers’ conventions should be implemented. teachers at enugu state’s private secondary schools should be permitted to engage in inservice course. in addition, proprietors/proprietresses might support exceptional instructors to attend seminars hosted in enugu state capital to represent the institution. references akachukwu, c. d. 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(2018). experimental impacts of the “quality preschool for ghana” interventions on teacher professional well-being, classroom quality, and children’s school readiness. journal of research on educational effectiveness, 12(1), 10–37. https://doi.org/10.1080/19345747.201 8.1517199 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 60 american journal of education and technology (ajet) the use of educational board game as a supplemental tool in learning periodic table of elements among senior high school students lalaine n. alejandria1, jill mie s. bajenting1, marie anne lovella d. pacatan1, tomas jr a. diquito1* volume 2 issue 1, year 2023 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i1.1292 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: february 11, 2023 accepted: march 08, 2023 published: march 14, 2023 this study aims to assess the effectiveness of the created educational board game as a supplemental tool in learning the core concepts of the periodic table of elements. a quasi-experimental approach was utilized in addressing the objectives of the study wherein a total of thirty-two (32) students from the stem strand participated in the study (sixteen (16) experimental group, sixteen (16) control group. an interview was also conducted after the post-test to determine the students’ experiences while playing the board game. the result of the study revealed that there is no significant difference in the pre-test mean score of the control (m=41.750, sd=13.959) and experimental group (m=48.938, sd=10.221); (t(30)=1.66, p>.05). however, the post-test mean scores show a significant difference in the control (m=26.063, sd=19.223) and experimental group (m=57.268, sd=13.169); (t (30)=1.42, p<.05). this means that the created educational board game is an effective supplemental tool in learning the concepts of the periodic table of elements. in addition, the interview revealed that participants enjoyed the game and recommended that the game be utilized in learning the periodic table of elements. based on the findings, the researchers recommended that the created educational board game be utilized as a supplement in teaching the periodic table of elements in chemistry subject. keywords educational board game, gamebased learning, chemistry subject, supplemental tool in learning 1 department of teacher education, university of mindanao, digos, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: tomasdiquito@umindanao.edu.ph introduction chemistry is seen as one of the most important fields of science wherein learning in this field requires higherorder thinking skills, knowledge and laboratory skills. one of the basic concepts that learners must acquire first in chemistry is the periodic table of elements. however, the students face a dilemma in learning these basic concepts, primarily the facts and components of the periodic table of elements (alias & ibrahim, 2019). to bridge the gaps of knowledge acquisition of least learned concepts, gamebased learning is being introduced (zirawaga, olusanya& maduko 2017). in chemistry, competencies such as memorizing and arranging the elements are seen as the most difficult to learn (hadiprayitno, muhlis & kusmiyati, 2019). in the scientific study of chemistry, the periodic table is increasingly widely used, providing a highly useful framework for classifying, arranging, and comparing all the many variations of chemical activity. games are important in science to improve learners’ educational experience while teaching other skills such as rule ability to follow, ability to adapt, creative thinking, communication, team building, and fair play in which students learn and acquire concepts through repetition or cramming. theory of constructivism that was developed by piaget (1962), noted that people acquire knowledge through combining their thoughts and experiences. piaget argues that the individual is at the center of the process of knowledge construction and acquisition thus, the conception of constructivism serves as the inspiration for radical constructivism. piaget further added that information could not be passed down, memorized, recovered and used from generation to generation. moreover, the three basic categories of games defined by piaget are sensorimotor play, role-playing and games with rules. among the different types of plays, it was said that games with rules are defined by competitiveness and sustained control. as a result, piaget considered games with rules an effective technique for increasing knowledge because learners must learn to regulate themselves in the face of different perspectives on how games should be played. students can benefit from this game in a number of ways, including enjoyment, fulfillment, and learning a new method or approach to acquiring knowledge and abilities. according to piaget, children play in ways that correspond to their stage of cognitive development. children work through play to improve their cognitive abilities and acquire new knowledge. moreover, they also study and practice social skills, enhance their communication abilities, they design, investigate, and acquire strategies for quick memory recall through their experimenting with educational materials. the use of games was motivated by the assumption that it enhances cognitive and higher-order thinking skills. it is also often used to increase the learning process. sandford, ulicsak, facer & rudd (2006), as reported by alabbasi (2018), noted that, teachers believe that games promote student involvement, interaction, and engagement in the classroom. francisco-mariscal, olivia-martnez, blancolopez & espaa-ramos (2016) also mentioned that gamebased learni006eg is the most effective approach to be used in teaching. thus, using this as an approach or strategy in a classroom setting provides opportunities for educators to enhance their teaching pedagogy. the term “scaffolding” was created by wood, bruner, and ross in 1976 to describe how an adult or expert teaches a student who cannot solve a problem or complete a task (plass, https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i1.1292 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= pa ge 61 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 60-67, 2023 homer, & kinzer 2020). appropriate feedback and support are given in response to each student’s feelings as they play the game, especially when one or more of them is having difficulty. this dynamic input is offered to support gameplay learning to learn to listen to the suggestions of the players and to offer some advice to make the players more excited about playing the game and learning. to realize the idea of piaget on his theory of constructivism and the theory of scaffolding by brunner, a promising approach was created by educators worldwide, the gamebased learning approach. creating board games is an effective way to get students to consider playing board games. kessner & siyahhan (2021) found that designing board games in a meaningful context motivated the students in both design creating and system thinking in response to the recent increase in interest in designing tools for learning about educational board games (ramesh & sadashiv, 2019). moreover, the use of board games in chemistry, especially in different chemistry concepts, is promising. william (2020) explained that games in chemistry help students practice applying and familiarizing the concepts in chemistry. students enjoyed playing the game, found it easy to play, and found it a useful learning experience. huang (2020) also noted that student engagement, flow experience and learning outcomes all are highly enhanced by board games. moreover, the emphasis on constructivist learning is associated with high acceptance among students (languita et all., 2023). thus, innovation in educational board games is crucial to the future of teaching and learning. board games are one such modern educational tool that can be used to address concerns regarding chemistry quality education (ramesh & sadashiv, 2019) in the philippines, galoyo (2021) reported that games are an integral part of a student’s everyday routine. these games serve as a variety of functions for students, including enjoyment, satisfaction, and learning a new approach or technique to learn new things, master new skills and even surpass competitors, as most players assert. van eck (2006) as cited by galoyo (2021), found out that both non-digital and digital games have continuously enhanced learning and reduced instructional time in their study on digital game-based learning. in these games, virtual and physical materials are used to satisfy specific educational demands such as data manipulation. physical interactions include physical objects, symbolic representation and physical encounters. using educational board games in the classroom not only allows the students to review information, but it also creates an environment that encourages them to participate and plan, making them more active and cooperative. in addition, it highlights the usefulness of the periodic table of games and its effects on learners’ academic progress (ong & linaugo, 2019) in this study, the researchers determined the usefulness of an educational board game as a supplement to learning the periodic table of elements through this study. this research would be useful to students who are enrolled in grade 12 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (stem) having difficulty in taking chemistry courses, particularly general chemistry and inorganic chemistry, which have periodic table of elements as core concepts. also, as a supplement to teaching the periodic table of elements, this would benefit teachers teaching basic concepts of the periodic table of elements. finally, the um as an institution is providing the students a new educational tool for learning. research objectives this study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of the educational board game as a supplemental tool in learning the periodic table in senior high school students in um digos college in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (stem)strand. moreover, it sought to answer the following objectives: 1. to determine the performance of students according to the classification of groups in pre-test and post-test; 2. to determine if there is a significant difference in the pre-test and post-test scores of the respondents; and 3. to find out students’ experiences while playing the educational board game. methods respondents the respondents of this study were grade 12 senior high school students of um digos college that were officially enrolled in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (stem) strand in the school year 2021 2022. in addition, only students who took chemistry subjects in this school year were included as the study’s respondents. a total of 16 students participated in the experimental group, which utilized the newly designed board game material, and another 16 students participated in the control group, which used non-game-based learning resources (guide sheets). this was determined through the use of the random sampling technique, where all odd scores were assigned to the experimental group and all even scores to the control group. all the respondents in both experimental and control groups willingly volunteered themselves to take part of this study. instrument in this study, the researchers generate 140 mcq about the periodic table of elements in relation to the principle of the game. there were 70 questions for the pre-test and 70 questions for the post-test. the researchers created these questionnaires and validated by two (2) experts to determine the validity of the developed questions. moreover, the researchers also created and developed a chemistry-board game for the implementation and its manual on how to play the game and guide sheets containing description of elements, common characteristics and its properties utilized in this study. design and procedure this study adapted the quasi-experimental research https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 62 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 60-67, 2023 design for quantitative and descriptive research design for qualitative. the researchers undertook a quasiexperimental study to evaluate the effectiveness of the educational board game as a supplemental tool in learning the periodic table of elements among senior high school students using the pre-test and post-test approach. this method involves a process of testing of the variables, which includes comparing the effects of one variable to the other variable. this method, according to malhotra, agarwal & peterson (1996) as cited by rahi, (2017) was utilized when researchers investigate cause and effect relationships between variables. additionally, the researchers performed a descriptive qualitative research study to investigate into, observe, and measure one or more variables. erickson (2017) claims that it addresses the common issues with questionnaires, including respondent cooperation, instrument design, and administration technique. the focus is on broad trends in observational research (or observation and communication), on continuing interactions with respondents, and on engagement. furthermore, qualitative content analysis was used to organize and interpret meaning from the information gathered by the researchers in order to come to reasonable conclusions. as stated by lindgren, lundman, & graneheim (2020), qualitative content analysis is a structured method for analyzing qualitative data. it provides the possibility to examine observable and descriptive information together, forming categories. moreover, the following are the steps and procedures before, during, and after the study: first, the researchers created an educational-board game highlighting the concept of the periodic table of elements (see appendix a for the complete mechanics). in this step, the researchers also created the rules and mechanics of the game. after crafting the educational board game, a game demonstration was conducted to ensure that the technicality of the game, including its rules and mechanics, is congruent with the objectives of the study’s objectives. after the demonstration, the researchers updated the game’s mechanics based on the demonstration’s findings. similarly, the researchers crafted a set of questions (pretest and posttest) that were implemented before and after the implementation of the game. second, after the preparation phase, the researchers proceed with the preliminaries prior to conducting the study. the following preparations were observed properly: (1) the researchers undergo validity checking to the created game and a set of questionnaires. after the process, the researchers updated any changes to the game or mechanics as well as the set of questions. (2) securing letters and approval from the research and publication office of the university of mindanao digos, dean of college, and school principal. once approved, another letter was sent to the study’s respondents indicating the agreement that they had participated in the study. fourth, after the rigorous process, the researchers conducted the study. the following procedures were strictly followed: (1) conducting pretest to the target respondents of the study, based on the results of the pretest, students were grouped into two groups: the experimental group and the control group. the method of grouping students is based on the odd and even distribution. all odd scores were designated as the experimental group, while even scores were designated as the control group. (2) after the groupings, the researchers began implementing the game for the experimental group. the researchers introduced the students to the mechanics of the game. after this, the game was implemented for one month (twice a week). because the game is a physical board game and students cannot attend the school, the researchers used online conferencing tools such as google meet or zoom to facilitate the game. (3) after one month, the researchers administered a posttest to two groups to determine the effectivity of the game in the experimental group. in addition, the researchers surveyed the students’ effectiveness and experiences in the created educational board game. fifth, after implementing the educational board game, a posttest was carried away from the experimental and control groups. an interview was also carried out to the selected participants in the experimental group. after obtaining the needed data, an analysis was then carried out. the researchers would keep all the important documents for three years in a secure and safe place for the confidentiality of the respondents’ background and the right to keep it hidden. data analysis for the quantitative phase the researchers used mean and independent sample t-test in data analysis. the mean score was used to compute the scores of the experimental and control groups, as well as the independent sample t-test to compare the mean scores of both groups and determine if there would be any difference in the respondents’ pre-test and post-test scores on applying the created educational board game (malik, qin, & ahmed 2020). while, the independent sample t-test analyzes the means of two separate independent groups to see if there is statistical support that the population mean values are statistically substantially different (kent state university libraries. 2017). in the qualitative phase, becker quasistatistics is being utilized to validate the verbal statements because the questionnaire items are created from qualitative data. it is critical in qualitative research to make the quasi-statistical basis of their conclusions explicit (maxwell 2010 as cited by moltudal, krumsvik, jones, eikeland, & johnson 2019). results and discussion this part of the study presents the findings of the conducted study, including data interpretation and analysis, regarding the effectiveness of educational board game as a supplemental tool for learning the periodic table of elements among senior high school students. significant difference in the pre-test and post-test scores of the respondents. table 1 shows the result of the independent sample https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 63 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 60-67, 2023 t-test in the pre-test and the post-test scores of the experimental and control group. data shows that there is no significant difference in the pre-test mean score of the control group (x̄ = 41.750, sd = 13.959) and experimental group (x̄ = 48.938, sd= 10.221); (t(30) = 1.66, p>.05) since both groups were on the same level of intelligence before the intervention. however, the posttest mean scores showed a significant difference in the control group (x ̄ = 26.063, sd= 19.223) and experimental group (x̄ = 57.268, sd= 13.169); (t(30)= 1.42, p<.05) since the scores of both group had a different level of intelligence after the intervention. in addition, the sd results between groups showed a large gap since the posttest scores in the experimental group were closer to the mean scores compared to the sd result of the control group. in conclusion, the null hypothesis was rejected, and thus, found that the designed educational board game is effective in learning the concepts of the periodic table. the results mentioned above that were evaluated had a highly favorable effect on the implemented educational board game in learning the periodic table of elements. franco-mariscal, oliva-martínez, blanco-lópez & espana-ramos, (2016) stated that students can learn chemistry subjects well by using educational board games rather than traditional teaching, making the topics of chemistry subjects a lot more simplified. sung, hwang, table 1: result of independent sample t-test on learning periodic table using the educational board game group mean sd t p pre-test experimental group 48.938 10.221 1.66 0.107 control group 41.750 13.959 post-test experimental group 57.268 13.169 1.42 <0.01** control group 26.063 19.223 **p<.05 (the independent sample t-test is significant if the p-value is less than 0.05) lin, & hong (2017) stated that numerous research has demonstrated that an experiential game-based learning approach may increase students’ motivation to learn through experience by appropriately integrating learning content into game scenarios. additionally, the experiential game-based approach is a teaching strategy that has a lot of promise for inspiring students and increasing their desire to engage in ongoing and consistent learning. moreover, it will be a strategy to improve students’ learning outcomes in terms of their willingness to study, deep learning strategy, and technological acceptability. therefore, it has been determined that an experienced digital game-based learning strategy can assist students in understanding the notion and meaning of learning, which is crucial for them to become lifelong learners with favorable learning attitudes. additionally, students participate more in class when educational games are used, which enhances their interest and participation in the lectures. furthermore, educational games can be seen as powerful modern instruments that, when used correctly, significantly help the teaching and learning process. it was also shown that the experimental group performed significantly better than the control group in terms of motivation for academic performance. the results also showed that the educational board game affected science students’ motivation for academic achievement. with this in mind, it is possible to see the games as a useful instrument for resolving the conceptual difficulties associated with the question unit. as nizam & law (2018) claim, according to piaget’s theory, games are a child’s primary means of world exploration, and that the games they play is a sign of how well they are developing cognitively. games can therefore be divided into three stages: functional play for building sensorimotor abilities (from birth until age two); symbolic and pretend play for learning experiences to develop useful concepts (between ages two and seven); and games with rules for improving social skills (7 years and older). in addition to this, ribeiro & maria do céu (2019) also claim that the game is a great teaching and learning approach since it enables students to build their social and communication abilities, which sets them up for learning. for this, the results proved that games that are included in learning methods also encourage deep and long-lasting learning. given their powerful ability to motivate and engage players, games are being used more often for information processing. therefore, in games, it can develop recognition and memory characteristics that will help the students or learners easily learn the periodic table of elements with fun. experiences of the students in using ebg the interview revealed that all the chosen participants are willing to use the educational board game as a supplemental tool for learning a periodic table of elements. participants indicated that the use of educational board game as a supplemental tool in learning periodic table of elements is. participants’ suggestions based on the interview, researchers obtained suggestions from participants, and they have various suggestions for using an educational board game as an additional https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 64 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 60-67, 2023 tool for senior high school students to understand the periodic table of elements. the players discussed what they thought should be changed or taken out of the board game that had been introduced. three participants made the suggestion that the researcher should use a 2 dice instead of a 1 so that the game would end quicker than usual. furthermore, three participants suggested including questions like “what is the purpose of that element,” while two participants had no suggestions or recommendations at all because they were happy with the results as they were. no. participant’s response number of response/s 1 “i recommend using two dice in the game to make the game faster” (participants 3, 6, 7) 3 2 “i recommend adding application, like what is the use of the element” (participants 1, 4, 5) 3 3 “no suggestions and recommendations” (participants 2, 8) 2 feelings while playing the game when the students were asked what they felt while playing the implemented educational board game, seven of them said that it made them feel both excited, enjoy and nervous as well, since it was their first experience with an educational board game. one respondent said that they were aware that this game has been used in other board games and still enjoy it since it is applied to the periodic table of elements with a twist. researchers are now examining how scaffolding affects no. participant’s response number of response/s 1 “i am nervous at first because i am aiming to become the top player but later, i feel enjoyment while playing the game” (participants 1, 7, 8 3 2 “the game is fun and exciting” (participant 2, 3) 2 3 “playing the board game is exciting” (participant 4) 1 4 “the game was fun,and it is new to me since i haven’t tried many educational games before” (participant 5) 1 5 “i feel joyful for myself while playing the game” (participant 6) 1 learning outcomes and student experiences when utilized to enhance game-based learning (gbl) among students. games with question prompts can foster curiosity, interest, learning attitudes, and flow experiences, according to research by hwang, wu, and chen (2012), which is reinforced by chen & law (2016). in addition, gamification, which is used to refer to the use of games or other interactive activities that combine fun and learning, is one method of engaging or stimulating the student, according to the study by pieroni, vuano, and ciolino (2000) as cited by montejo bernardo & fernández gonzález (2021). there are countless instances in the research where activities like card games and board games like taboo or bingo, crossword puzzles, building blocks, team exercises, or even sporting events can encourage kids to learn about the periodic table of elements. in addition, their study also made mention of the possibility of using the educational board game chemical battleship to engage young students in chemistry in a fun way. this article describes how to use the game with learners at various academic levels, from middle school kids to college students. as digital games and other associated digital media have grown increasingly advanced and intentionally educational, it has been possible to identify ways to use the scaffolding that naturally occurs during play in the digital world to improve learning. the term “scaffolding” was created by wood, bruner, and ross in 1976 to describe how an adult or expert teaches a student who is less able to solve a problem or complete a task (plass, homer, & kinzer 2020). appropriate feedback and support are given in response to each student’s feelings as they play the game, especially when one or more of them are having difficulty. this dynamic input is offered to support game play learning and to learn to listen to the suggestions of the players and to offer some advice to make the players more excited about playing the game and learning. appropriateness of the educational board game in learning periodic table when their thoughts and insights were asked about if the educational board game is helping them to learn new things or if the implemented educational board game adds new knowledge about the periodic table of elements, all of the students stated it would be helpful. all the answers are listed below; educational games are widely viewed by students as an engaging method to enhance learning of a specific subject or topic. according to poole, clarke-midura, sun, and lam (2019), peer scaffolding may also be provided through board games to promote peer engagement and academic performance. the fact that students felt more engaged and gave a better evaluation of what they had learned, reaching a deeper and longerlasting understanding, increasing their experience of https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 65 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 60-67, 2023 no. participant’s response number of response/s 1 “the game should be utilized in the chemistry subject… especially to those learners who have difficulty in learning concepts of the periodic table of elements” (participants 1, 3, 7) 3 2 “the game helps me to identify the atomic number, electrons, protons of the elements and where they belong” (participants 2, 8) 2 3 “the game helps me know the unknown elements at my end” (participant 5) 1 4 “the game helps me identify elements and familiarize the different characteristics of elements” (participant 4) 1 5 “the game helps me broaden my knowledge about periodic table of elements (participant 6) 1 flow, and improving their learning achievement, shows that students have more favorable opinions of the games. students also prefer to learn in a playful, motivating, and exciting way. the opinions show that games also stimulated their participation in classroom activities (chen, hou, 2020). additionally, the periodic table is an important topic for the teaching and learning of science at all educational levels since it provides information on the fundamental physical and chemical properties of the different elements that make up matter. for this reason, playing this game makes it possible to teach chemistry at particular educational levels in an entertaining way. as indicated by the improvement in their grades, students not only improved their subjective assessment of their knowledge, but also what they actually knew about the periodic table (montejo bernardo, alfonso fernández gonzález 2021). conclusion this study aimed to determine if the created supplemental tool in learning periodic table is effective. the study revealed that the educational board game would improve student’s academic performance in chemistry, particularly in terms of learning and familiarizing themselves with the periodic table of elements. after the intervention, researchers found a statistically significant change between the pre-test and post-test scores of the senior high school students because the student’s post-test scores improved over the pre-test scores. in corresponding with the theory of piaget, it states that children explore the world primarily through games, and the games they play show how well their cognitive development is progressing. therefore, game-based learning, specifically using an educational board game has a greater influence on their classroom participation and enhances their cognitive development. students provided positive feedback when they were interviewed using the focus group discussion (fgd) approach via google meet. while playing the educational board game it has a variety of emotions that will arise during the game. the students experience excitement, happiness, and nervousness while playing it. in addition, the educational board game was intense due to the twist that the researchers created that will make the player more eager to win the game with lessons. in connection to bruner’s theory about scaffolding, it describes how the facilitator guides a student who is less able to solve a problem or complete a certain task and giving support to make the students learn to open up their minds to suggestions, advice, or hints, makes the students feel more excited and have fun more in playing the educational board game. the researchers observed that with this game, students socialize, improve their communication skills, and have fun while learning all the way through. as the implementation of the educational board game as a supplement for studying periodic table of elements, it is quite favourable that this method of learning will replace traditional teaching methods because it is extremely successful even though it is not being widely used in the pastmoreover, this has been a helpful and innovative method to learn things while having fun, especially considering the current pandemic. therefore, educational board games help students to use this as a supplemental tool for easy ways to learn and familiarize things while having fun and it is time consuming but the thing that students can learn from it while having fun playing with it is worth the time. recommendations the data provides meaningful information to all stakeholders of education. results of the study revealed that the created education board game have an effect in learning the concepts of periodic table of elements thus, there are some recommendations for improvements. 1. to use the educational board game created as a supplemental tool in teaching periodic table in chemistry subjects. 2. rules and regulations of the created board game must be translated to layman’s term for all players to understand the game mechanics clearly. 3. an addition of skills (scientist/chemist) can be added in order for a diverse choice of skill selection as well as for the game to be accessible to a wider range of audience. 4. the game mechanics can be improved in order to integrate higher order thinking skills not just knowledge development. references alabbasi, d. 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(2017). gaming in education: using games as a s u p p o r t tool to teach history. journal of education and practice, 8(15), 55-64. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 46 american journal of education and technologies (ajet) exploring online writing assessment in the new normal: challenges from teachers’ perspective moanna marie dacillo1*, lord honey p. paracueles1, lowelle jaye c. villacorta1, dr. oldric j. licaros2 volume 1 issue 2, year 2022 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i2.515 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: august 22, 2022 accepted: september 02, 2022 published: september 05, 2022 the study was conducted to explore the perspectives of teachers about online writing assessment. it also investigated the challenges that teachers encountered and the coping strategies the respondents utilized to address the challenges of online writing assessment. using a researcher-made questionnaire, data from 20 respondents from the senior high school and college level teachers particularly the college of education (ced) in notre dame of midsayap college were analyzed quantitatively. descriptive research design was used in the study. purposive sampling technique and complete enumeration sampling were utilized to determine the respondents of this study. findings revealed that the teachers do not have a concrete perspective about online writing assessment as indicated based on the neutral result of the study. teachers also signified their agreement that the primary challenge in online writing assessment is the presence of academic dishonesty in the written outputs of the students submitted online. meanwhile, respondents have a neutral response on the challenges of online writing assessment in terms of lack of training and preparation and the challenges in the availability of technical resources. findings also revealed that the teachers integrate specific coping strategies to address the challenges in online writing assessment. in response to these findings, constant interventions should be implemented to address these challenges of online writing assessment not only for the teachers but also to the institution and learners. keywords academic dishonesty, coping strategies, online writing assessment 1 bachelor of secondary education major in english, college of education, notre dame of midsayap college, midsayap, north cotabato, philippines 2 division research coordinator, department of education, north cotabato, region xii, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: doyampurias@yahoo.com introduction “it is very hard to conduct online writing assessment” (guangul et al., 2020). this is one of the major challenges that constrains teachers toward online writing assessments. as writing assessment plays a vital role in education, it is the benchmark that serves as a guide for teachers to identify, gauge, and monitor the level of the student’s performance and achievement in a specific instruction. the emergence of online learning and assessment in the education sector and the teaching-learning process is linked with the shift in the learning modality as a result of the covid-19 pandemic. around 1.7 billion students were affected by the closure of schools in 190 countries across the globe (barron rodriguez, et al., 2021). educational institutions were greatly affected, as they have to make significant steps to cope with the changes. schools, both public and private institutions, need to adopt varieties of learning modalities to continue functioning. private institutions opted to adopt online learning as a new modality to continue the delivery of education. in relation to the sudden shift of instruction, the new normal education worldwide has imposed an abrupt change in the teaching practices, particularly the online writing assessment of students’ writing skills that have been an unprecedented and novel situation for many teachers (anasse & rhandy, 2021). the students’ written outputs (e.g. essay) online have raised concerns about the teachers’ assessment standards. in indonesia, the importance of online writing assessment has been emphasized. however, teachers encounter several challenges in assessing the online writing outputs of the learners (togatorop, 2020). the complex nature of online writing assessment needs extra time and effort to ensure its effectiveness in education. aside from that, zou et al. (2021) posited that the challenges of online writing assessment encourage the teachers to integrate responses to address these challenges. these lead the teachers to adapt and consider various responses that will mitigate the unforeseen impact of online writing assessments. in the philippines, the covid-19 pandemic changes the country’s educational setup. meanwhile, assessments in new normal education have currently reshaped as commission on higher education (ched) issued covid advisory no. 6 articulating some guidelines regarding assessment (cahapay, 2020). this means that the pandemic causes drastic changes in the assessment practices of educational institutions. this also poses challenges to the adoption of online writing assessments in the philippines. in midsayap, private schools and institutions are observing online and/ or blended learning (a combination of online learning and limited face-to-face classes). teachers continued to adopt online assessments like examinations, quizzes, discussions, and/or online written evaluations. in notre dame of midsayap college, teachers utilize an educational platform called schoology in conducting online writing assessments. teachers encounter several challenges, particularly in the online writing skills assessment of the learners where the focus was on strategies to eliminate academic cheating and plagiarism. it is imperative to consider the unseen effect of online learning particularly in the challenges that teachers https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i2.515 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= mailto:doyampurias%40yahoo.com?subject= pa ge 47 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 46-61, 2022 encounter in assessing the online written outputs of the students. there have been various international studies on the challenges of online writing assessment that teachers encounter in the new normal, however, there is limited local research that investigates these challenges. in response to this concern, it is now appropriate to conduct a thorough study to explore and investigate these challenges. such research study is indispensable since the change from traditional to online learning is an indicative factor that mitigates online assessment challenges as well as how teachers integrate coping strategies to these challenges. these gaps prompted the researchers to conduct a study that explores the perception, challenges, and the coping strategies of the teachers to the challenges in online writing assessments. literature review online writing assessment online assessment has been used interchangeably in literature with different terms such as computerbased assessment, computer-assisted assessment, computer-aided assessment, web-based assessment, online assessment, computer-based testing, technologyenhanced assessment, and e-assessment (stodberg, 2011). in this regard, falcao and soeiro (2019) define the term e-assessment as “the use of ict and the internet in particular for the assessment of learning, including design, delivery, and/or recording of responses.” thus instead of investigating just students’ flaws in writing and assessing students’ development of writing skills, teachers should also assess their students’ knowledge of the different technological tools and options and how they can be used to solve problems while writing for a networked audience. this is referred to in the literature as digital literacy, which designates the knowledge of using technologies to write in various forms such as hypertexts, images, audio and video, and the rhetorical rules for design and layout (senturk, 2020). writing is essential to be taught since writing allows students to think creatively and improve their vocabularies (dewi, 2020). assessment for writing still should be done even in online learning. a study conducted by yusuf (2019) indicates that the application of assessment, especially in the form of feedbacks, supported the students in developing their writing skills. as fully online learning became the norm internationally during the peak of the covid-19 pandemic, the new face of education paved the way for teachers in many disciplines and in efl in particular, to have an opportunity to reflect on challenges as well as new opportunities in implementing best practices in elt (atmojo & nugroho, 2020). they also added that elements relating to teachers’ as well as students’ engagement, learners’ autonomy, motivation of both teachers and students, fulfillment of curriculum aims and objectives, and the newly gained experiences of fully online teaching and learning, are all just a part of the holistic encapsulation of online learning. the result of the research of dwiyanti and suwastini (2021) conducted at the high school in denpasar, indonesia, related to the writing assessment in online learning, showed that the teacher did an online assessment for writing skills in which the teacher tried to design the assessments to be much related to the student’s daily life. some aspects assessed by the teacher in writing in online learning include grammar, vocabulary, the language used, and content. however, several aspects were not assessed, namely the organization of the writing, discourse, and mechanics (punctuation, spelling, and capitalization). according to guo and xu (2021), it is important, however, to envisage the l2 online writing assessment as a process that is preceded by all the variables of l2 pedagogies relating to writing skills and also, as a process leading to testing. a holistic research approach with a comprehensive exploration of the online writing assessment process is indispensable. al tameemy et al. (2020) also posited a similar statement in which they reported that the majority of the 660 university students in saudi arabia perceived e-assessment on a learning management system platform (black board) has a positive attitude towards e-assessment. similarly, almossa (2021) who explored the students’ perceptions of their online learning e during the covid-19 pandemic outbreak, concluded that students’ engagement with learning and assessment was greatly affected by the sudden change from onsite to online where they faced several challenges: coping with the online platform, heavy demand of assignments, and family issues due to the covid-19 pandemic. teachers’ perspective in online writing assessment a recent review of the literature on this topic, albargi (2022) was one of the first to conduct systematic study about online writing assessment amid covid-19 pandemic and gathered perspective from the teachers. his participants claimed that “transformation has made a very positive impact in alerting to the actual paradigmatic shift from on site to online and necessitates the adaptation of suitable methods. in his study, some teachers also claimed that the online writing assessment needed a lot of planning and preparation and conducting remote online writing assessment is convenient since they control the number of scripts they grade at their own pace. teachers also mentioned that there are many benefits to the online environment, and they became more aware of solutions to various issues that occurred in online teaching and learning such as the students became more aware of digital education (anasse and rhandy, 2021). on the other hand, müller et al. (2021) showed that some teachers explained how online learning facilitates thinking about how to engage students, be clearer when explaining concepts, design learning activities, present and scaffold learning, and set assessments that require higher-order thinking. their study also revealed that online learning motivated teachers to try teaching strategies they wanted to implement for a long time, such as blended learning. finally, educators talked about https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 48 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 46-61, 2022 how online learning triggered their creativity (e.g., use of various technologies) which they thought would benefit their teaching development, in particular, online writing assessment. zhang et al. (2021). also found out that one of the experiential factors was teachers’ attitudes toward assessment, in particular the role of assessment in learning and even life of the students. for some teachers, the pandemic was a difficult situation for everyone. from their perspectives, too many changes to the assessments might unnecessarily cause excess level of stress on the students, who were already struggling to keep up with learning during the pandemic. the changes were mostly made on the format to accommodate the online instructional and assessment modality. conversely, junus et al. (2021) revealed in their study on indonesian teachers about the readiness of lecturers for online classes that teachers have strong basic technical skills as a baseline to use online learning platforms for online courses and delivering online writing assessment. generally, this dimension was the best from the teacher’s perspectives. this research did not find critically bad areas of concern since almost all lecturers have adequate basic technical skills, and most indonesian people use mobile phones. this shows that lecturers are able to use lms, with fast adaptation. interestingly, some respondents claimed that they had no experience of online classes before the pandemic. this research argues that lms platforms have good usability so that lecturers feel easy, comfortable and satisfied when using them. moreover, most lecturers state their conformity when leveraging lms as an assessment medium, not only for teaching agendas, they added. identically, in their cutting edge study, müller et al. (2021) reported that educators perceived common instructional methods to address the different student needs mentioned by educators include recording synchronous zoom sessions, providing manageable time to complete tasks, offering various assessment options, and extending time windows during which tests could be completed (e.g., 24-h windows to complete open-book tests). more recent evidence highlights that the reliability of digital media greatly helped and added to the confidence of teachers and students in which there are many digital media choices such as google meet, google classroom, whatsapp, and zoom meeting, etc. that teachers can choose. however, the media do not only determine the effectiveness of learning but rather by digital literacy. therefore, with digital literacy, english teachers can manage english learning more effectively and efficiently. this is indicated by the students’ active communication skills using english (bozkurt et al., 2020). in the same manner, the results of the study by alruwais et al. (2018), showed that the vast majority of efl teachers expressed a moderate attitude towards e-assessment or online assessment. also, they expressed positive attitudes towards technique used in online assessment where they strongly perceived that the benefits offered to include the ability to more efficiently evaluate different types of assignments and promptly identify students who need academic support. in their analysis, cundell & sheepy (2018) reported that students in online learning were drawn to the flexibility of being able to complete course work at any time anywhere and being able to make it fit into their schedules. this is supported by husain (2021) who asserted that educators need to be trained as the assessment literate educators, with the integration of information communication technology tools. in addition to the above mentioned studies, yulianto & mujtahid (2021) conducted a qualitative study in indonesia where majority of the participants claimed that the online assessment helped educators assessing students’ achievement during the covid-19 situation. in addition, educators also claimed that both teachers’ and students’ experiences in using technology become another opportunity in the effectiveness of doing the online assessments and increase digital literacy. equally important, watermeyer et al. (2020) found that the majority of the academic teachers in their sample felt confident or strongly confident in their ability to carry out online teaching and assessment, and considered their institutions to be supportive in facilitating the move to online delivery. by way of contrast, chung & choi (2021) found that instructors’ level of satisfaction towards the new forms of language assessment practices was somewhat low. in their study participants pointed out that the implementation of sustainable language assessment required constant monitoring and feedback about students’ performance in order to facilitate students’ sustainable language learning. according to naylor & nyanjom (2020), there was consistent comparison between face-to-face and online teaching in terms of the nature of teaching, building relationships, content knowledge, assessment and evaluation and this was difficult to reconcile. it has now been shown in their study that the changing landscape of teaching, majority of their teacher-participants felt that the emphasis had been placed on learning the technology at the expense of relationships, pedagogy and content knowledge. challenges of online writing assessment from teachers’ perspectives lack of training and preparation the barriers to participation are particularly evident in writing assessment and activities as the online writing assessment also presents challenges for many academic staff who increasingly required to have higher levels of technological competency and proficiency on top of their regular academic workload (gillet-swan, 2017). an article by milosievski et al. (2020) revealed that teachers need serious preparation to use online tools and platforms as well as in the criteria for online writing assessment. teachers are put in a situation where they are unprepared and without proper support or trainings, they added. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 49 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 46-61, 2022 according to guangul et al. (2020), conducting writing assessments remotely during covid-19 has posed extraordinary challenges for higher education institutions owing to lack of preparation superimposed with the inherent problems of remote assessment. the transition from face-to-face assessment to online writing assessment has been a new experience for many english and language teachers (garcia, 2020). a similar statement by barrot et al. (2021) revealed that secondary level teachers are greatly challenged in delivering learnings and classroom practice for online writing assessment because of concerns in terms of learning environment control, time-management, assessment practice, preparations, and resource management. similarly, handayani & syarif (2021) also asserted that the issue and challenges in teacher’s preparedness for online writing assessment have challenged the teachers’ online writing assessment as they need to engage in more trainings and webinars regarding online writing assessment. in connection, in the qualitative study conducted by arnold (2021) one of the participants mentioned that “most of the students are attending the classes and fulfill their homework but now we can’t tell whether they completed the tasks independently or if it was a group effort. as teachers, we found ourselves unprepared. it is really challenging since we never had any training on distance learning.” the analysis of the findings of the study conducted by ghanbari & nowroozi (2021) showed that teachers had initially faced serious challenges in terms of pedagogical, technical, administrative, and effective barriers after the shift to online writing assessment. in reference with the barriers, it has been suggested by hazaea et al. (2021) that the participants addressed the issue that both instructors and students suffer from digital illiteracy. instructors struggled to prepare their courses as preparing a virtual lesson including assessments is technically more difficult as the challenge was accentuated by the age factor as the younger the better coping capacity with online teaching, they added. despite the increasing challenges and demands in online writing assessment, teachers were able to adjust to these challenges of online writing assessment (al-bargi, 2022). also, the challenges of online writing assessment in terms of training and preparation are more emphasized due to the lack of digital skills and knowledge of the teachers who are conducting written assessment online, henceforth, the shift from traditional to online submitted the teachers to digital shock, and heightened the concern in online writing assessment, he added. in a major advance recent study, casacchia et al. (2021) surveyed teachers in which the most problematic areas in the delivery of online writing assessment and preparation seemed to be represented by greater time work for the organization, greater commitment to structuring the materials for the de lessons, and greater effort in the supervision required in conducting remote exams, especially written assignments due to lack of trainings and preparation. almost a fifth of the teachers (18 teachers, 21.2%) reported scores relating to the instruction aspects in conducting online writing assessment, highlighting significant difficulties in this area, they added. similarly, ghanbari & nowroozi (2021) stated that the teachers faced several challenges such as misunderstanding of the given instruction, internet connectivity, and difficulty in scoring as a result of the shift of learning and writing assessment from traditional to online. aside from that, in the study conducted by simon et al., (2022) in the universities in australia, results showed that technological difficulties with online connections and resource downloading became the primary challenges for teachers in online writing assessment. academic dishonesty in terms of academic dishonesty in online writing assessment, alghamdi et al. (2016) posited that majority of the saudi university students’ perception of collaboration on a given written assignment did not consider communication with each other as a form of academic dishonesty or plagiarism since those students were not aware that the regulations regarding online writing assessment were in parallel with an onsite learning environment. aside from that, dendir & maxwell (2020) posited that there is an increasing number of academic dishonesty in online writing assessment as students are free to scan data and information online especially in an unproctored context. there is a significant evidence of academic dishonesty as change in student performance, if any, can therefore be attributed to the mitigation of cheating after online proctoring came into place, and provides direct evidence on the scale of academic dishonesty in online courses. furthermore, gonzalez et al. (2020) enumerated that the challenges associated with comparing assessment findings during online writing assessment, “one issue was whether higher test scores during covid-19 in an online environment without appropriate proctoring mechanisms could be due to cheating rather than an actual improvement in performance.” this means that teachers have to perform further efforts to ensure the academic integrity and validity of the answers of the students, they added. in the interview conducted by alqurshi (2020) in one of the language teachers in the philippines, the authenticity and reliability of student’s online writing assessments is subjected to criticism as it can be accessed by students at their own pace, for instance, if the same sets of assessments are given to all students, students who have answered the examination earlier can supply the answers to other students who will take the exam at a later time. about the challenges of emergency remote teaching strategy, the result of the study confirmed the findings of akour (2020), reporting that teachers complained about what we called the didactic aspect of online learning, https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 50 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 46-61, 2022 i.e., the amount of time and the effort needed to design examinations with the increasing demands of online writing assessment, no teacher can assess with certainty whether the homework assigned to students is written independently and assigning separate homework to each individual student is simply an overload and difficulty (milosievski et al., 2020). according to gaur et al. (2020), there are three major problems involved cheating in online writing assessment: the first problem is getting the assessment answers in advance, second problem is the unfair retaking of assessments, and the last problem is unauthorized support or collaboration between students during the assessment in which students can hire other individuals to take the assessment for them. these problems can affect the credibility of the assessments, particularly on the adequacy of interpretations of its results, they added. also, elsalem et al. (2021) revealed that the majority of the sample was concerned about the increased possibility of cheating during online distance examination, teachers reported a lower impact of such issue, referred to their commitment to the supervision of oral and written examinations. teachers encounter challenges in online writing assessment because of the limited monitoring scope which makes it harder to govern and manage cheating and academic integrity (an et al., 2021). similarly, arnold (2021) posited that in an online, asynchronous writing assessment, whereby the students and instructor do not meet, obtaining reliable assessment measures become more difficult than in a traditional faceto-face class. this is supported by the article of verheijen (2020) which revealed that the problems with online writing assessment includes the questionable validity and trustworthiness of the student’s output. subsequently, turnbull et al. (2021) identified five challenges associated with online education experienced by higher education institutions and these include faculty and student online competence, academic dishonesty, and privacy and confidentiality. this is parallel to the statement of konig et al. (2020) regarding online writing assessment which reveals that teachers are highly suspicious that cheating and plagiarism is occurring in unproctored online written assessments even though students understand what plagiarism is. academic dishonesty was the other major technological challenge with online assessment of the students. the teachers were worried about the security of the online exams and if the students were truly assessed. moreover, they did not know how to develop tests to avoid the possibility of plagiarism to the extent possible (ghanbari & nowroozi, 2021). in a study entitled online assessment and covid: opportunities and challenges by simon et al. (2021), results revealed that the increased issues of academic dishonesty in online assessment settings resulted to more challenges, more cases, more difficult detection, more difficult gathering of evidence seem to be widely recognized by teachers involved in online writing assessment of students’ written works online. challenges in the availability of technical resources in a study conducted by guangul et al. (2020), he asserted that the problem towards online writing assessment could arise as a result of hardware or software malfunctions, or due to lack of knowhow on the supporting materials by the student. with these challenges, teachers are submitted into a difficult task of adjusting to the new normal in order to continuously improve and develop the online writing assessment for the learners, he added. with the shift from the conventional face-to-face learning to a full-time online education, several challenges arise particularly in the online writing assessment of the teachers. as teachers have to adapt to the changes and factors that influence the assessment of the written outputs of the learners (handayani & syarif, 2021). in addition, yulianto & mujtahin (2021) asserted that teachers were highly challenged because they have to put further scrutiny in concern about the internet connection and the availability of the technology needed for online class. similarly, the lack of technical resources in educational institutions significantly contributed to the implementation of online writing assessment as teachers need to extend more efforts to either provide or mediate effective solutions to address this challenge arnold (2021). in the study titled the challenges of online writing learning by bui & luan (2021), the findings of the study revealed that the unavailability and inaccessibility of technical resources particularly stable internet connection, devices and effective lms or lms incompatibility are the challenges that teachers encounter in online writing assessment. in relation, bui & luan (2021) also posited a parallel statement in their study whose findings revealed that the unavailability and inaccessibility of technical resources particularly stable internet connection, devises and effective lms or lms incompatibility are the challenges that teachers encountered in online writing assessment. the challenge in the availability of technical resources has put major constrains in assessment however, asio et al. (2021) posited that academic schools and institutions as well as the educational sectors extended their efforts to maximize the internet connectivity for teachers. similarly, result of the study conducted by al-bargi (2022) which revealed that teachers are able to address the challenges of online writing assessment in terms of technical resources and integration because schools and institutions provide support particularly in providing plagiarism checker, applications or websites, suitable lms, technical assistance, and rubrics or criteria from online writing assessment. “despite the great efforts invested in online writing instruction, there are still a number of challenges that constrain the implementation of online writing instruction and assessment”, breuch (2004) cited by https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 51 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 46-61, 2022 anasse & rhandy (2021).these constrains include lack of computer integration training for writing teachers, the absence of computer-based writing instruction, and teachers’ reluctance to transfer face–to–face activities to virtual spaces as online education becomes a new trend in education, several teachers, especially those who have limited access towards digital and technological competence are usually challenged with the online writing assessment, they added. moreover, ablao et al. (2022) from the philippines posited that, resource limitations serve as a physical barrier for instructors, learners, and educational institutions; this disables education during the covid-19 pandemic. the absence of enabling resources for education has a strong influence on the implementation of curricular activities. the importance of resources is seen as teachers online writing assessment significantly revolves around the use and integration of technical resources, they added. in relation, using an lms was not without challenges and limitations especially in online writing assessment, technical issues include: (1) accessibility to hardware, (2) user interface (ui) difficulty, and (3) information technology (it) department resource management (macapagal, 2022). coping strategies to the challenges on online writing assessment effective writing assessment in an online classroom takes a fresh look at just how instructors may help learners to improve skills and perform more productively in an online learning community (guangul et al., 2020). dwiyanti & suwastini (2021) posited that to overcome the problem of plagiarism, teachers must use a plagiarism checker and manage their time between planning, teaching, and assessing. correspondingly, chen et al. (2020) found that in the reward and punishment mechanism, honor and punishment mechanisms are also applied and generally effective in teaching. they also emphasized that in order to avoid plagiarism, students are given constant reminder about the consequences of behavior. in addition, issues of student verification and identification provides further opportunity for a third party to take an assessment on behalf of the student. no technology is full proof enough to detect online cheating as students have found unique and innovative ways of beating the system (gamage et al., 2020). moreover, students observe how faculty members act and behave. faculty members who ignore academic dishonesty send the message that the core values of academic life are not worth enforcing. for this reason, teachers should be the epitome of integrity who constantly emphasize the rules and policies about cheating (gullifer & tyson, 2013). in the study of anasse & rhandy (2021), the concerns in utilizing online writing assessment are the problems of digital literacy skills of the students and the lack of background knowledge of online writing assessment of the teachers. for this reason, it showed that it is necessary for teachers to engage in designing programs for online writing assessment like trainings and worships. this is similar to the findings of mirza (2021) which reveal that teacher participants received limited training to conduct classes online, and no training to assess their students. in contrast, junus et. al. (2021) study reveals that lecturers are able to use lms, with fast adaptation. interestingly, some respondents claimed that they had no experience of online classes before the pandemic. this research argues that lms platforms have good usability so that lecturers feel easy, comfortable and satisfied when using them. moreover, most lecturers state their conformity when leveraging lms as an assessment medium, not only for teaching agenda. furthermore, handayani & sharif (2021) gave three important ways for teachers to respond to the different problems arise during online writing assessment. in the results, the lecturers or teachers must analyse the institutional and educator preparedness. instructional preparedness are the instructional policies, resources like the technology used in assessment, internet access and the availability of it support staff. teachers must also undergo training about teaching methods in online learning and how to use the technology used for assessing students writing online. secondly, teachers must be aware of different cheating methods that may occur throughout the test. lastly, teachers must consider students’ diversity, they enumerated. however, zou et al. (2021) also revealed that to alleviate the possible technological barriers, companies can make ict tools more responsive to teachers’ needs and provide clear instructions on how to integrate them in writing. it proved that trainings and seminars are vital for preparing teachers in online teaching especially in writing assessment. moreover, al-bargi (2022) study result on descriptive statistics indicated that the majority of the teachers agreed that they integrated full rubrics for online writing as efl teachers are aware of the importance of rubrics and standardized assessment procedures in awarding fair grades to students. the study of ghanbari & nowroozu (2021) found out that teachers learned to do all of their writing evaluations online as they sought answers by seeking assistance or trying with alternative techniques in using lms (learning management systems) and the technology they utilized. they also added that despite the fact that some issues remained at the end of the writing course, the teachers must continue to practice good writing assessments by dynamically experimenting and adapting their assessments to the available materials and circumstances. in addition, because online learning requires more time than face-to-face classes to be well-prepared and ready, planning and preparation will undoubtedly be done in the future for better online learning. teachers must be properly taught and equipped with necessary information and skills to maximize their online learning activities (atmojo & nugroho, 2020). https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 52 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 46-61, 2022 in line with this, martin et al. (2019) study shows that teaching online requires fixed allocation of scheduled time for course design and grading, spending weekly hours to grade assignments and scheduling weekly hours to facilitate the online course as tasks that they can do well. faculty not only rated spending weekly hours to grade assignments as very important but also rated it as a task that they can do well. the transition to online learning must be accompanied by an explanation of what is expected of students to avoid especially in cheating, despite the change in learning environment, the rules surrounding expectations and student conduct remains the same (alghamdi et al, 2016). as a summary of the related studies and literature, the shift of learning modality from traditional to online has resulted to unforeseen and significant challenges and educational concerns have emerged. numerous studies and researches have confronted these challenges and investigated ways to discuss and lessen them, however, there is a significant need to conduct a further study that will investigate the challenges of online writing assessment and how the teachers respond to these challenges. as fully online learning became the new norm both nationally and internationally amidst covid-19 pandemic, the new normal education paved way for teachers to encounter challenges on online writing assessment. such challenges relating to online writing assessment, particularly in terms of academic integrity or dishonesty, preparedness of teachers, technical resources and support from the academic institutions. as online writing assessment is the visible result of the shift of learning modality, it draws the teachers to several challenges. these challenges on online writing assessment are all part of the holistic encapsulation of the shift towards online learning. hence, teachers and academic institutions have to determine significant steps and strategies to address and limit the impact of these challenges in learning. also, different studies and researches have posited that despite the great efforts invested in online writing assessment, there are still a number of challenges that constrain the implementation of online writing instruction and assessment. these challenges require the teachers to determine possible responses or solutions to mitigate these challenges. these responses relating to strengthening the academic integrity by integrating online plagiarism checker and applications as well as managing time between planning, teaching and assessment. aside from that, teachers are also starting to adapt variety of techniques to improve their digital and information literacy and preparedness. they engage themselves in trainings, webinars and workshops that emphasize the importance of online learning and online writing assessment. subsequently, teachers along with the academic institutions integrate ict tools that increase or support the effectiveness of online writing assessment in the curriculum. in response to this, several researches and studies have explored online writing assessment, however, these studies have only focused on the challenges and opportunities of online writing assessment. these studies have explored the challenges and opportunities of online writing assessment; however, it is empirical to conduct a thorough research about the perspectives of teachers on online writing assessment, the challenges and how the teachers respond to these challenges especially in notre dame of midsayap college which adopted online learning since the academic year 2020-2021 until present. this study is indispensable as it will benefit the teachers, institution, and learners to determine and understand how these challenges affect the assessment of writing in learning online. materials and methods figure 1: conceptual framework showing the input, process and output of the study research design the study used a descriptive research design. it is descriptive research because it would describe the teachers’ perspectives on online writing assessment, the challenges in online writing assessments, and the respondents’ coping strategies on the challenges of online writing assessment in the new normal. in addition, in conducting the survey of this study, the researchers utilized a researcher-made survey questionnaire as an instrument of the study. sampling technique the researchers utilized the purposive and complete enumeration sampling techniques in selecting the respondents. purposive sampling is a non-probability sampling in which the researchers will rely on their own judgment when choosing respondents to participate in the survey. since the study focused on online writing assessments, the researchers only selected respondents who are teaching english and filipino subjects. the researchers also employed complete enumeration https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 53 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 46-61, 2022 sampling to all english and filipino teachers from senior high school and college particularly the college of education departments of the notre dame of midsayap college. there are 20 english and filipino teachers from senior high school and college particularly from the college of education (ced) levels in notre dame of midsayap college in the academic year 2020-2021 and 2021-2022. research instrument this study utilized researcher-made questionnaires from the studies “exploring online writing assessment amid covid-19: challenge and opportunities from teachers’ perspectives” (al-bargi, 2022) and “teachers’ attitudes towards online writing assessment during covid-19 pandemic” (anasse & rhandy, 2021). the items of the questionnaire were modified according to the context of the study. this questionnaire has four major parts. part 1 of the questionnaire contained the demographic profile of the respondents in terms of age, sex, designation, and subject being taught. the second, third and fourth parts of the instrument utilized a 5-point likert scale where 5 is strongly agree, 4 is agree, 3 is neutral, 2 is disagree, and 1 is strongly disagree. part 2 dwelled on the perspectives of teachers on online writing assessment. the teachers will answer an 8-item table consisting of statements about teachers’ perspectives on online writing assessment which was rated using the 5-point scale. part 3 of the questionnaire dwelled on the challenges that teachers encounter in online writing assessment. this consists of 13 items where 5 items are categorized in “training and preparation”, 4 items in “academic dishonesty” and 4 items in “availability of technical resources” which was rated using the 5-point scale. part 4 of the questionnaire dwelled on the coping strategies of the respondents on the challenges of online writing assessment. this part consists of 9 items made based on the related literature of the study about the coping strategies of teachers on the challenges of online writing assessment which was rated using the 5-point scale. validity and reliability the researchers submitted the questionnaire to the research adviser, proof-reader, instructor, and validators to look into the appropriateness of the format of the instrument, grammatical construction, and clarity of instructions. thus, the validity of the instructions was achieved. the questionnaire was pilot tested to a total of 15 teachers teaching english and filipino subjects where 7 teachers were from the junior high school department of notre dame of midsayap college and 8 teachers were from the classification of respondents from outside the campus. cronbach’s alpha was used to determine the reliability of items. the obtained alpha value of 0.722 which indicated an acceptable reliability of the instrument. data gathering procedure this research followed a systematic and orderly procedure as follows: a letter was sent to the assistant principal of the junior high school of notre dame of midsayap college asking permission to conduct a pilot testing to the junior high school (jhs) teachers. then, a letter was also sent to the dean of college of education and the assistant principal of the senior high school of notre dame of midsayap college to conduct the final survey. the questionnaire was either personally administered (with printed copies) or conducted online (with google forms) to the respondents after the researchers received the approval. after the respondents answered the questionnaire, the researchers retrieved them. in administering the survey in personal or face-to-face set-up, 16 printed questionnaires were given to the respondents and all copies were retrieved. in the online survey with the aid of google forms, 4 links were sent and all of these were successfully retrieved. overall, a total of 20 survey questionnaire (printed and google forms) were administered and retrieved by the researchers from the respondents. then, the data gathered were subjected to analysis using a statistical program by the research statistician. data analysis procedure the researchers used the appropriate statistical tools for each problem statement. for problems 1, 2 and 3, the weighted mean and standard deviation were computed to determine the extent of each item regarding the perspective of teachers about online writing assessment, the challenges that the respondents encountered in online writing assessment in terms of lack of training and preparation, academic dishonesty, and challenges in the availability of technical resources, and the coping strategies utilized by the respondents to the challenges of online writing assessment. results and discussion table 1. presents the data on the perspectives of teachers from notre dame of midsayap college about online writing assessment. based on the findings, among the eight table 1: teachers’ perspective on online writing assessment item mean sd description as a teacher… 1 i prefer online writing assessment to paper writing assessment. 3.45 1.32 neutral 2 i think that online writing assessment is similar to paper writing assessment. 2.80 1.24 neutral 3 i think that online writing assessment is based on the conventional writing assessment criteria. 3.40 1.23 neutral https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 54 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 46-61, 2022 4 i think that online writing assessment involves digital and information literacy. 4.00 0.97 agree 5 i think that online writing assessment measures students’ writing progress. 3.25 1.25 neutral 6 i think that online writing assessment is more convenient than the conventional writing assessment. 3.30 1.13 neutral 7 i think that it is easier to grade typed-student assessments than handwritten assessments. 3.45 1.15 neutral 8 i think that students can finish more writing exercises online than on a piece of paper in the same amount of time. 3.60 0.94 agree overall 3.41 1.15 neutral items in the perspectives of teachers on online writing assessment, item number 4, “i think that online writing assessment involves digital and information literacy” has the highest rating and described as agree. this implies that teachers perceived that literacy in using technology and media is essential in administering writing assessment online. since the assessment focused on writing, skills in validating the written outputs by the students is salient. in addition, it is not only the teachers that should have sustainable knowledge in utilizing technology and instructional media for online teaching but students must also possess skills in using the technology for their learning. this finding agrees to findings of husain (2021) who asserted that educators need to be trained as the assessment literate educators, with the integration of information communication technology tools. moreover, teachers’ and students’ experience in using technology became an opportunity in an online assessment (yulianto & mujtahid, 2021). this is followed by item number 8, “i think that students can finish more writing exercises online than on a piece of paper in the same amount of time” described as agree. this indicates that for teachers, online writing assessment is faster than the paper writing assessment. this finding supports to the result of cundell and sheepy (2018) who found that students in online learning were drawn to the flexibility of being able to complete course work at any time anywhere and being able to make it fit into their schedule. on the other hand, item number 2, “i think that online writing assessment is similar to paper writing assessment” got the lowest mean and described as neutral. this indicates that teachers are uncertain if there are similarities in assessing the students writing skills between online and paper writing. the standard deviation shows that the teachers have extremely opposite response. this finding is in contrary to the study of naylor and nyanjom (2020), who argued that there was a consistent comparison between face-to-face and online teaching in terms of nature of teaching, building relationships, content knowledge, assessment, and evaluation and this was difficult to reconcile. the overall result on the specified items under the teachers’ perspective on online writing assessment is neutral. the overall finding indicates that the teachers don’t have concrete understanding about online writing assessment. this finding is contrary to the findings of the study of anasse & rhandy (2021) which states that the majority of the respondents have low-level of perception in online writing assessment. challenges that teachers experienced in online writing assessment the data pertaining to the challenges of teachers experienced in online writing assessment in terms of training and preparation, academic dishonesty, availability of technical resources are condensed in table 2a, table 2b, and table 2c, table 2d, respectively. table 2: lack of training and preparation item mean sd description training and preparation in terms of training and preparation, i am challenged because… 1. i face difficulties in delivering instruction in assessing students’ writing skills online. 3.35 1.04 neutral 2. i do not have a background knowledge about online writing assessment. 2.15 0.99 disagree 3. i do not have a background knowledge about digital writing skill. 2.15 0.93 disagree 4. i do not have enough training on online writing assessment. 2.60 1.10 neutral 5. i am not sure if i evaluate the students’ written works online the same way other teachers do. 2.90 1.07 neutral overall 2.63 1.03 neutral the results signified that among the five items under training and preparation, item 1, “i face difficulties in delivering instruction in assessing students’ writing skills online” got the highest mean and described as neutral. this finding implies that the teachers are not sure whether they encounter difficulties of giving instruction to the students in online writing setup. the dispersion of the standard deviation in this item indicates that the respondents have varying responses regarding the challenge in delivering instruction in assessing the students’ writing skills online. this finding is in contrary with the findings of barrot, llenares & del rosario (2021) which revealed that secondary level teachers are significantly challenged in delivering learnings and https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 55 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 46-61, 2022 classroom practice for online writing assessment because of concerns in terms of learning environment control and time-management. this is followed by item 5, “i am not sure if i evaluate the students’ written works online the same way other teachers do” also described as neutral. this finding indicates that teachers are confused as to what is the correct way of assessing written output online. in addition, the finding reveals that the teachers are unsure on how the evaluation of students’ online writing assessment should be administered based on their own criteria of evaluation and from other teachers. the high standard deviation of this item indicates that the teachers have dispersed responses in terms of their certainty in evaluating students’ written works online. the findings contrasted the statement of ghanbari & nowroozi (2021) who elaborated that teachers had initially faced serious challenges in terms of pedagogical, technical, administrative and effective barriers after the shift to online writing assessment; struggled to prepare the courses as preparing a virtual lesson including assessment is technically more difficult as the challenges were accentuated (hazaea et al., 2021), however, teachers were able to adjust to these challenges of online writing assessment (al-bargi, 2022). on the other hand, the teachers signified their disagreement in item 2, “i do not have background knowledge about online writing assessment” and item 3, “i do not have background knowledge about digital writing skill” got the lowest mean and described as disagree, respectively. these findings imply that teachers are digitally skilful and competent, and have the background knowledge about digital writing skill. these findings imply that teachers have not experienced the challenge or difficulty in the integration of digital skills and competence in online writing assessment. furthermore, these findings also suggest that the teachers were able to adapt to the technological advancement and competence in online writing assessment. the results are in contrary to the findings of al-bargi (2022) who posited that the challenges of online writing assessment in terms of training and preparation are more emphasized due to the lack of digital skills and knowledge of the teachers who are conducting written assessment online. the shift from traditional to online submitted the teachers to digital shock, and heightened the concern in online writing assessment, he added. academic dishonesty table 3 presents the teachers’ challenges in online writing assessment in terms of academic dishonesty. table 3: academic dishonesty item mean sd description academic dishonesty in terms of academic dishonesty, i am challenged because… 1. i encounter difficulty in validating that there is no cheating in an unproctored online writing assessment. 4.00 1.08 agree 2. i think that students’ written work submitted online do not reflect their true proficiency and learning comprehension. 4.10 0.64 agree 3. i find sufficient evidence that online writing assessment cannot be as authentic and reliable compared to conventional face-to-face writing assessment. 4.35 0.59 agree 4. i find evidences of academic cheating, dishonesty and plagiarism in students’ written works online. 4.25 0.72 neutral overall 4.18 0.76 neutral results show that the respondents agreed with the specified items in the challenges of online writing assessment in terms of academic dishonesty. among the four items, item number 3, “i find sufficient evidence that online writing assessment cannot be as authentic and reliable compared to conventional face-to-face writing assessment” got the highest mean and described as agree. this finding implies that teachers observed substantial evidences that the authenticity and reliability of online writing assessment is highly questionable compared to the conventional face-to-face or traditional writing assessment. this finding also indicates that teachers do not find the students’ written works online fully satisfactory and reliable. this finding affirms the statement of arnold (2021) who posited that online, asynchronous writing assessment, whereby the students and instructor do not meet, obtaining reliable assessment measures becomes more difficult. also, no teacher can assess with certainty whether the homework assigned to students is written independently and assigning separate homework to each individual student is simply an overload and difficulty (milosievski et al. 2020). this is followed by item 4, “i find evidences of academic cheating, dishonesty and plagiarism in students’ written works online” which is also described as agree. this finding implies that teachers find proof and evidences that there are forms of dishonesty in students’ work online. in addition, the integrity of the students’ written work submitted online is put into criticism, as teachers do not find these outputs reliable. this finding agrees with verheijen (2022) who revealed that the problems with online writing assessment includes the questionable validity and trustworthiness of the student’s output. furthermore, teachers perceived that online writing assessment could be challenging because it is difficult to assure academic integrity and full-competence of the learners as the latter may ask received unauthorized help and assistance, he added. on the other hand, item 1, “i encounter difficulty in validating that there is no cheating in an unmonitored https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 56 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 46-61, 2022 online writing assessment” got the lowest mean and described as agree. this finding implies that teachers find it difficult to validate the integrity and trustworthiness of students’ written works online especially in an unsupervised assessment process. the finding agrees with dendir and maxwell (2020) who posited that there is an increasing number of academic dishonesty in online writing assessment as students are free to scan data and information online especially in an unmonitored assessment like online examinations, discussions, and essays. also, they added that there is a significant evidence of academic dishonesty as change in student performance, if any, can therefore be attributed to the mitigation of cheating after online proctoring came into place, and provides direct evidence on the scale of academic dishonesty in online courses. challenges in the availability of technical resources table 4 presents the teachers’ challenges in online writing assessment in terms of availability of technical resources. table 4: challenges in the availability of technical resources item mean sd description availability of technical resources there is… 1. lack of hardware devices for my online writing assessment. 2.75 1.29 neutral 2. lack of technical support from the institution. 2.30 1.08 disagree 3. lms incompatibility to my online writing platform. 2.80 1.36 neutral 4. insufficient or unreliable internet and local network capabilities 3.30 1.34 neutral overall 2.79 1.27 neutral the respondents signified their highest rating on item number 4, “there is insufficient or unreliable internet and local network capabilities” wherein they have a neutral response. this finding signifies that teachers are uncertain whether they encounter a challenge in writing assessment in terms of poor and intermittent internet connection in the locality. this finding disagrees with the study of bui & luan (2021) whose findings revealed that the unavailability and inaccessibility of technical resources particularly stable internet connection, devises and effective lms or lms incompatibility are the challenges that teachers encountered in online writing assessment, however, despite these challenges, asio et al. (2021) posited that academic schools and institutions as well as the educational sectors extended their efforts to maximize the internet connectivity for teachers. this is followed by item number 3, “there is lms incompatibility in online writing platform” wherein teachers responded neutral. this finding indicates that teachers have an undecided response regarding the compatibility and suitability of learning management system used in administering the online writing assessment. this is contrary to the statement of ablao et al. (2022) who emphasized that the importance of compatible resources is seen as teachers’ online writing assessment significantly revolves around the use and integration of technical resources. on the other hand, item number 2, “there is lack of technical support from the institution” got the lowest rating and described as disagree. this finding implies that the teachers’ need regarding the technicalities and technical resources are well supported and addressed by the institution. the institution already provide technical assistance and help for the teachers in administering online writing assessments, and the extent of the technical support from the institution is emphasized. this finding agrees with the result of the study conducted by al-bargi (2022) which revealed that teachers are able to address the challenges of online writing assessment in terms of technical resources and integration because schools and institutions provide support particularly in providing plagiarism checker, applications or websites, suitable lms, technical assistance, and rubrics or criteria from online writing assessment. overall result of the challenges in online writing assessment table 5 presents the overall result of the challenges in online writing assessment in terms of lack of training and preparation, academic dishonesty and challenges in the availability of technical resources. the overall result shows that the respondents are neutral in the challenges in online writing assessment in terms of training and preparation, academic dishonesty and availability of technical resources. this finding implies that the teachers encounter fair and moderate challenges in online writing assessment. in terms of the challenges in training and preparation and availability of technical resources, teachers signify their undecidedness and uncertainty. however, teachers signify their agreement that the presence of academic table 5: overall result of the challenges in online writing assessment category mean sd description training and preparation 2.63 1.03 neutral academic dishonesty 4.18 0.76 agree availability of technical resources 2.79 1.27 neutral grand mean 2.82 neutral grand standard deviation 1.02 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 57 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 46-61, 2022 dishonesty is the major challenge they encountered in online writing assessment. these findings imply that the teachers are uncertain whether they experience challenges and difficulties in training and preparation as well as in the availability of technical resources in online writing assessment or no significant challenges were encountered throughout the process. on the contrary, academic dishonesty is concern that continues to proliferate in online writing assessment as this is beyond the scope and control of the teachers. these findings are parallel with the study of al-bargi (2022) who revealed that the teachers stated their concerns as online writing assessment could be a challenge because it is difficult to assure academic integrity and whether the students have received unauthorized help and assistance. also, in online writing assessment, it appears that teachers are highly suspicious that cheating and plagiarism is occurring in unmonitored or unsupervised online written assessments even though students understand what plagiarism is (konig et al., 2020). table 6: coping strategies on the challenges on online writing assessment item mean sd description despite the challenges in online writing assessment, 1. i give enough time for the students to submit the written output online. 4.40 0.68 agree 2. i attend webinars, virtual conferences and trainings for online assessment or online writing assessment. 3.85 1.09 agree 3. i familiarize myself with the different procedures for the online writing assessment in the learning management system (lms) and other learning tools. 4.40 0.68 agree 4. i provide scoring rubrics for online writing assessment. 4.45 0.69 agree 5. i spend weekly hours grading students written output submitted online. 4.55 0.61 strongly agree 6. i remind the students about the compliance regarding academic dishonesty like plagiarism. 4.45 0.69 agree 7. i use software applications to detect and deal with plagiarism issues. 4.10 0.97 agree 8. i up skill myself in new technologies and resources for online writing assessment. 4.25 0.64 agree 9. i collaborate academically with my colleagues to address the issues and challenges in online writing assessment. 3.95 0.83 agree overall 4.27 0.76 agree this table presents the coping strategies utilized by the respondents to address the challenges in online writing assessment. the findings show that the teachers have effectively employed coping strategies to the challenges in online writing assessment. the majority of the participants hold high-level of agreement in item number 5, “i spend weekly hours grading the students’ written output” which garnered the highest mean and described as strongly agree. the result generally implies that teachers give much time in checking, reading, and giving constructive criticism on the authenticity of the students written output. this also indicates that it is the notable coping strategy of the teachers to the major challenges faced by majority of the teachers, wherein they pointed out ‘academic dishonesty’ as a challenge in online writing assessment, as teachers roundly evaluate the written work of the students to detect if there is an involvement of plagiarism, or cheating. equally important, the written assessment of the students must be also manually checked and evaluated empirically to determine the progress and performance of the students and the monitor the effectiveness of the teaching and assessment. this is in line with the study done by martin et al. (2019), who found that teaching online requires fixed allocation of scheduled time for course design and grading, spending weekly hours to grade assignments and scheduling weekly hours to facilitate the online course as professional tasks that they can do well. the findings obtained from this study also show that the teachers agreed with item number 4, “i provide scoring rubrics for online writing assessment.” in this regard, the teachers strongly perceived the importance of rubrics in the teaching and learning process; not just only in face-to-face class but also in online setting as this is an efficient tool that will help them clarify both content and outcomes of the written output made by the students. this also denotes that it is the notable coping strategy of the teachers to the major challenges faced by the teachers in online writing assessment which is categorized as ‘training and preparation’ as teachers equipped themselves with the essential tool for a better evaluation same with the conventional writing assessment. it is in the same line as the result of the similar study done by al-bargi (2022), who argued that teachers integrated full rubrics for online writing as efl teachers are aware of the importance of rubrics and standardized assessment procedure in giving an award for fair grades to students. teachers also agreed with item number 6, “i remind the students about the compliance regarding academic dishonesty like plagiarism.” this implies that the teachers consistently make the students think about the unfavourable effect of cheating, plagiarism, and fabrication or falsification of the written work. in addition, the missing actual monitoring during online writing assessment may lead students to seek assistance and copy the content from the internet or student will ask a friend to answer the assessment for them. this also indicates that it is the notable coping strategy of the teachers to the major challenges faced by majority of the https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 58 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 46-61, 2022 teachers that is ‘academic dishonesty’. it is the same line as the finding from research conducted by chen et al. (2021), who found that in the reward and punishment mechanism, honour and punishment mechanism are also applied and generally effective in teaching and learning process. they also emphasized that in order to avoid plagiarism; students are given constant reminder about the negative effect of behaviour. according to gamage et al (2020), no technology is full proof enough to detect online cheating as students have found sophisticated and generative ways of beating the system. on the other hand, item number 2, “i attend webinars, virtual conferences, and trainings for online assessment or online writing assessment” got the lowest rating but still described as agree. this implies that the teachers already have either basic or expert digital literacy background. this also denotes that it is the inferior coping strategy of the teachers to one of the prominent challenges faced by majority of the teachers that categorized as ‘training and preparation’. likewise, this result also indicate that the teachers are also confident with the technological tools they use for online writing assessment and they have no longer need much trainings since they already know the fundamental scope of online assessment. it is in line with result of the study conducted by junus et al. (2021), who found that teachers are able to use lms, with fast adaptation. moreover, the result of his study also found that most of the teachers state their coherence when leveraging lms as an assessment medium, not only for teaching agenda. with this in mind, the overall mean of the teachers’ coping strategies to the challenges in online writing assessment in the new normal education is considered as high-level response. this implies that the teachers in notre dame of midsayap college provide an alternative coping strategies with such challenges along through the monumental shift in the writing assessment process. conclusions the shift from traditional to full-time online learning modality has dramatically changed the utilization and the process of administering assessments, especially in writing. the english and filipino teachers at notre dame of midsayap college showed that they have uncertainty in terms of their perspectives on online writing assessment. moreover, writing assessments conducted online became challenging and difficult as teachers are among those who are significantly affected by this change. the challenges in online writing assessment must be given attention as these influence the teachers’ implementation of online writing assessment in the new normal. academic dishonesty appeared to be the primary challenge on online writing assessment. with the increasing challenges in online writing assessment, the english and filipino teachers at notre dame of midsayap college have adapted specific coping strategies to address and neutralize these challenges. the findings of this study will help the academe to improve the conduct of online writing assessment. teachers, academic constituents and educational institution will have a parameter as to how the changes in learning modality particularly online, affected the writing assessment. as this study is limited among the language teachers in notre dame of midsayap college, further research that explores the challenges of online writing assessment from other subject teachers and students as well as on the opportunities of online writing assessment can be conducted. acknowledgements we bring back all the highest praise, thanksgiving and honor to the source of knowledge and wisdom, our almighty god, who constantly provides strength, patience, and motivation. he bestowed us everything that we need physically, mentally, emotionally, financially and spiritually. his unending love to us has sustained us to be able to finish this research study. we express our heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to the following individuals for their guidance, support, advice and motivation for the completion of the research project. we thank dr. honeylyn m. mahinay, edd, dean of the college of education, for allowing us to conduct the study. we also thank mrs. teresita g. arellano, lpt, assistant principal of senior high school, for the generous cooperation to allow us to conduct the survey. we extend our heartfelt thanks to dr. oldric j. licaros, phd, our research adviser, for his support, advices, recommendations, and supervision in our study. his expertise in the field of research made great contributions in the completion of our study. our statistician, mr. melchor arcenas, lpt, is also acknowledged for his unwavering commitment to develop the fundamental components of this research and his relentless assistance, particularly in the thorough data analysis and interpretation this research. we express our appreciation to our reader, mr. ricardo o. quiñones, lpt, maedenglish, for his instructional and technical support in our study and detailed examination of our work. we also express our gratitude to ms. ivy m. macagba, lpt, malt, research instructress, for her guidance and supervision in the completion of our research project. we also express our sincere appreciation to dr. michelle t. viña, the validator of our study, for sharing her expertise, constructive feedbacks, and technical support in this study. we also extend our appreciation to our respondents, the teachers in the shs and the college of education, for their cooperation. we also thank the panelists ms. angel lhi d. alcalde, mst, mr. lorienel d. madeloso, mpa, and mr. romeo jr., v. bordios, mast for sharing their expertise, constructive feedback and advices in the completion of our research. we humbly and joyfully express our thanks to our friends https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 59 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 46-61, 2022 and classmates for the love and support especially moral and financial. this has driven us to do more and persevere more. lastly, we humbly express our gratitude to mr. diosdado l. ampurias, mr. aldom j. malolot, and our classmates for their time and support while we are in the conduct of our study. references akour, a., al-tammemi, a. b., barakat, m., kanj, r., fakhouri, h. n., malkawi, a., & musleh, g. 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(2021). teacher engagement with online formative assessment in efl writing during covid-19 pandemic: the case of china. the asia-pacific education researcher, 1-12. retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ej1086402.pdf https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 83 american journal of education and technology (ajet) exploring students’ satisfaction in formative assessment tools in online-blended learning amidst the covid-19 pandemic salunoy revelyn g.1, salda cristine joy p.1, arcenas charianne c.1, diquito tomas jr a.1*, panerio conrado jr1 volume 2 issue 3, year 2023 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i3.1850 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: june 27, 2023 accepted: june 24 , 2023 published: july 30, 2023 the global crisis brought on by the covid-19 outbreak has affected students’ approaches to education. the teaching and learning processes of teachers and students have also changed due to the crisis. following the exploratory mixed method design, an interview (qualitative) was employed first followed by a survey (quantitative). a total of fifteen (15) participants participated in the interview phase (qualitative), and four hundred twelve (412) respondents participated in the survey phase(quantitative). content analysis is used in the analysis of qualitative data and the kaiser-meyer-olkin test and bartlett’s test of sphericity analyses were used to determine the factor loading of the items. the result showed four (4) factors in the formative assessment tools in online-blended learning. these factors include feedback mechanism, satisfaction, internet and technology availability, and overall challenges. based on the result of the study, a general recommendation is for future researchers to conduct a confirmatory factor analysis for further exploration and confirmation of the said factors of student satisfaction towards formative assessment tools in the online-blended modality of learning. keywords formative assessment, learnings, exploratory factor analysis, education in covid-19 1 university of mindanao, digos college, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: tomasdiquito@umindanao.edu.ph introduction the global education system has recently changed due to the covid 19 pandemic. this crisis altered the appearance of schools and the teaching and learning process. assessments in the new modality are becoming more intensive and influential in established and developing educational systems. one of the key elements that ensure the connection and harmony between education and upbringing is the regular evaluation of students’ knowledge levels and their progress in understanding academic material. to apply this procedure successfully, formative assessment can be a useful technique. shute (2008), as cited by peimani & kamalipour (2021), defines formative assessment as a useful tool that enables teachers to offer quick and continuous feedback to enhance student learning. moreover, formative assessment can enhance the teaching-learning process and give students feedback on their development (cosi, voltas, lázarocantabrana, morales, calvo, molina, & quiroga 2020). assessment can be used for a variety of reasons. the traditional method of assessing students, such as midterm and final exams, is well known to most instructors. a formative assessment is where contents are integrated into a student’s learning process and experience and can motivate and boost their satisfaction in responding to the given assessment by the teacher. attard & holmes (2020) stated that the covid-19 outbreak caused many teachers worldwide to transfer from face-to-face to online instruction quickly. this change in practice has given us a chance to identify how using technology in education may be used to enhance student participation. formative assessment, paper-based assessments, kahoot, quizizz, and plickers were employed. these programs can be used to construct multiple-choice tests for pupils. students can access kahoot and quizizz programs through any computer, tablet, or mobile phone with internet access and respond to the questions in the test (sahin, 2019). the covid-19 pandemic has affected academics, particularly in the effectiveness of student learning (kerzic, alex, pamela, bezerra, cheraghi 2021). globally, china was the first to respond to the shift by mandating a quarter of a billion full-time students to resume their studies online (oecd, 2020). according to she, ma, jan, sharif nia, & rahmatpour (2021), online learning in china is encouraged to be more interactive. however, xiao (2017), through classroom observations and interviews, the three classes in a chinese high school data revealed that tests were shown to be employed to some extent to promote student learning through test follow-up procedures, as cited by xie & cui (2021). on the other hand, in southern africa, the study was conducted, and blackboard courses were gathered using a mixed-method formative assessment questionnaire with a primary focus on how formative assessment functions in online situations. various formative evaluation methods and online resources like discussion boards and standardized examinations were employed. baleni (2015), as cited by bisht, jasola, & bisht (2020), the most well-known advantages included an increase in student commitment, quicker feedback, increased flexibility regarding the time and location of taking the assessment task, and importance in the method for both students and lecturers. less marking time and administrative costs were also advantages for both parties (baleni, 2015). moreover, a study in bahrain was also conducted, and results demonstrated that formative evaluation with plickers https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i3.1850 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= mailto:tomasdiquito@umindanao.edu.ph pa ge 84 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 83-90, 2023 is beneficial since its increases student participation, shortens the learning period, ensures that all students have an equal opportunity to participate, and fosters an enjoyable and stimulating learning environment. the results also encourage teachers to integrate technological tools like plickers in their classrooms to help evaluate their teaching effectiveness and students’ learning (elmahdii, al-hattami, & fawzi, 2018). the philippines’ current educational status appears to be gloomy. according to data released by the department of education in july 2020, the initial enrolment is just over half of the 27.7 million students enrolled in 2019. as the coronavirus spread throughout the philippines in march 2020, school districts were forced to close their doors, requiring an abrupt and practically universal switch to remote learning that was disturbing for teachers, students, and parents. however, formative evaluation is frequently applied in philippine classrooms since formative evaluation is an important component of the educational process. to provide a continuous learning process, the educational system needs an ‘adapt quickly’ approach to the pandemic’s new normal in teaching and learning (tanhueco-tumapon, 2020). formative assessment is applied in the new normal setting as it assists the teachers in ensuring that students are learning and making academic progress. additionally, it aids educators in selecting the subjects to emphasize and the skills to promote. teachers also use formative assessment to determine their students’ strengths and weaknesses. by using this knowledge, teachers can deliver specifically designed teaching to meet students’ needs. according to the local study by diez, ebro, dequito, and diquito (2021), students from the um digos college institution have had trouble adjusting to the new normal environment primarily because of the slow internet connections and technical issues with the learning management system that may hinder them from using the formative assessment tools and doing the assessment task that was given to them. furthermore, amidst this crisis, the educational system should be effective by generating policies to be followed to still provide quality education to the students. this study would be beneficial to the teachers and students, as well as to the institution and future researchers. the data gathered by the researchers will help the teachers identify if their students are satisfied with their teaching strategies so that they can conceptualize more effectively and improve their formative assessment in online-blended learning, to meet the satisfaction of the students in answering tasks and activities. the students also benefited from this study, particularly in releasing their sentiments about their teachers’ formative assessment during this pandemic. the university can also use the gathered data by the researchers to monitor their teaching staff in making effective formative assessment tools. moreover, lastly, the future researcher can continue this study. research objective the following objective guided this study: to determine the factor structure of formative assessment experiences among college students. method design and procedure this study follows an exploratory mixed-method design in exploring the indicators of student satisfaction towards formative assessment tools during the online-blended modality of learning. an exploratory mixed method design as bagheri et al. (2019) mentioned, is a design used to develop and validate a culturally appropriate instrument in conducting quantitative analysis. moreover, following the exploratory design, a qualitative approach was used first followed by the quantitative approach. further, in order to carry out the objective of the study, the following procedures are done; (1) securing letters of approval from the program head of the department of teacher education, research and publication center, office of the dean of the university of mindanao digos college; (2) a validation letter approved by the research and publication center and panel of experts; (3) after the approval, the researchers proceeded with the qualitative phase by choosing the participants of the study based on the inclusion criteria; (a) currently enrolled in the university of mindanao digos college s.y. 20212022, (b) enrolled at least one semester in the institution, (c) currently taking a class in online-blended learning, and (d) is willing to participate in the study. following the set table 1: the distribution of the participants in the qualitative phase code name program department participant 1 secondary education specializing in social studies department of teacher education (dte participant 2 business administration specializing in human resource department of business admin. (dba) participant 3 management accounting department of accounting education (dae) participant 4 tourism management department of business admin. (dba) participant 5 physical education department of teacher education (dte participant 6 food service management department of teacher education (dte participant 7 information technology department of technical programs (dtp) participant 8 secondary education specializing in english department of teacher education (dte participant 9 secondary education specializing in filipino department of teacher education (dte https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 85 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 83-90, 2023 criterion, fifteen (15) participants were included in the qualitative phase (see table 1). (3) a consent form is then sent to the selected participants indicating their approval to be part of the study. once approved, interview schedules were then made (these interviews were done in the month of may 2022). (4) after the interview, the conversation is then transcribed and sent back to the participants for verification and approval. (5) once done, the researchers then identify the significant statements from the conversation with the participants. these significant statements are transformed into a questionnaire to be used in the quantitative phase of the study. a total of ninety-two (92) items were created from the statements of the participants. (6) the created questionnaires together with the five-point likert scale (likert, 1932) (see table 2) are then submitted to the research and publication office for final approval. (7) once approved, the researchers then implemented the survey to the university of mindanao digos college students (with consent form). the researchers used a table 2: five-point likert scale numerical scale verbal description descriptive meaning 5 strong agree students strongly agree with the claim concerning the tools utilized for formative assessment in online blended learning. 4 agree students agree with the claim concerning the tools utilized for formative assessment in online blended learning. 3 neutral the student is neutral with the claim concerning the tools utilized for formative assessment in online blended learning. 2 disagree students disagree with the claim concerning the tools utilized for formative assessment in online blended learning. 1 strongly disagree students strongly disagree with the claim concerning the tools utilized for formative assessment in online blended learning. table 3: the distribution of respondents in the quantitative phase year level & department frequency % first year 63 15.3 second year 86 20.9 third year 168 40.8 fourth year 95 23.1 total 412 100% dae 34 8.3 das 29 7 dba 67 16.3 dcje 108 26.2 dte 153 37.1 dtp 21 5.1 total 412 100% random sampling technique and identified four hundred and twelve (412) respondents who took the survey. according to thomas (2020), the random sampling technique is a population subset chosen randomly. with this sampling technique, every person in the population has the same probability of getting chosen (see table participant 10 criminology department of criminal justice educ. (dcje) participant 11 elementary education department of teacher education (dte participant 12 secondary education specializing in science department of teacher education (dte participant 13 computer engineering department of technical programs (dtp) participant 14 psychology department of arts and sciences (das) participant 15 business administration specializing in financial mngmt department of business admin. (dba) 2). the duration of the survey runs from the months of june to august 2022. (8) after the survey is done and the number of respondents is sufficient, data analysis and interpretation are then performed by the researchers. statistical tool and method of analysis for the qualitative phase, a content analysis was used to identify the significant statements in the transcribed data. as krippendorff (2018) content analysis is a study method that allows researchers to draw conclusions that are reliable and valid from texts (or other significant material) in the context of their use. one of the most significant research methods in the social sciences may be content analysis. according to the content analyst, data must be examined with these purposes in mind because it represents words, images, and expressions rather than actual physical events and is intended to be viewed, read, understood, and used for their meanings. content analysis differs from other research techniques by analysing texts in the context of their usage. moreover, in the quantitative phase, the researchers used two statiscal tool to analyze and tabulate the gathered data. first is the kaiser-meyer-olkin test which helped to determine the initial correlation coefficient and assess the sampling size’s appropriateness. verifying the null hypothesis and https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 86 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 83-90, 2023 making sure the test’s statistical significance was 0.05 or below, as shown by the p-value, were necessary in order to determine whether the initial correlation coefficient was an independent variable. in order to assess whether the correlation matrix was an identity matrix, which would indicate that there was no correlation between the variables, the researchers also utilised bartlett’s test of sphericity. kmo measurement and bartlett’s test of sphericity outcomes suggested that factor analysis might be used to the data. results and discussion factor loadings of the formative assessment experience among college students. after thoroughly interpreting and analyzing the data gathered from the students in the survey questionnaire, the researchers derived the factor loadings that may help identify the factors structure that might indicate their satisfaction with formative assessment tools. table 4 shows the factor structure of student satisfaction in formative assessment tools in online-blended learning amidst the covid-19 pandemic. firstly, the assumption in conducting factor analysis is settled using the kaisermeyer-olkin (kmo) and bartlett’s test of sphericity. netemeyer, bearden, & sharma (2003) claimed that a kmo connection beyond 0.60 to 0.70 is considered sufficient for examining the efa output and bartlett’s test of sphericity must be significant (p<.05) because it demonstrates that the matrix is not an identity matrix (hair, anderson, tatham, & black, 1995; tabachnick & fidell, 2001) to make sure that the data is suitable for factor analysis. thus, our data analysis revealed that the kmo is 0.944, and bartlett’s test of sphericity is significant p=0.000, this means that the data is suitable for factor analysis. in the sample size of 412 respondents, to consider the items to be significant, the factor loadings must be 0.5 and above (hair, black, babin, & anderson, 2010). thus, 34 items missed to meet the requirement and are subject to deletion, including the “i found formative assessment table 4: factor loadings f1 f2 f3 f4 89.) formative assessment tools are used to give the students an activities that should be answered to assess if the students are learning. 0.517 . . . 59.) sometimes i am confident of what i have learned. 0.56 . . . 27.) formative assessment tools have a big contribution on our learning. 0.562 . . . 37.) those formative assessment tools helps me to identify my strengths and weaknesses. 0.568 . . . 38.) it helps me to develop my skills and the range of my effective learning strategies. 0.574 . . . 77.) it provides correct feedback on our wrong answers and in confusing questions. 0.575 . . . 61.) formative assessment tools helps me to communicate easily with my instructor and classmates with my concerns regarding to the assessment. 0.586 . . . 18.) in formative assessment tools i can assess my learning when my scores on our activities or quizzes are posted. 0.589 . . . 67.) formative assessment tools give details ahead of time. 0.59 . . . 32.) those formative assessment tools are helpful. 0.605 . . . 52.) formative assessment tools makes the class more effective and engaging. 0.615 . . . 92.) formative assessment tools are convenient to use. 0.619 . . . 57.) quipper is very helpful for me in terms of written quizzes and exams. 0.62 . . . 4.) formative assessment tools is entertaining. 0.622 . . . 81.) i am very happy that not only our answers will be secured but also our personal information and i am confident. 0.633 . . . 88.) formative assessment tools are important to assess our learnings. 0.637 . . . 53.) it is a more activating way for us the students 0.638 . . . 12.) with the help of formative assessment tools, the teacher can address where the lacking part is or where the part that needs improvement is. 0.645 . . . 42.) it also identifies my weaknesses that needs improvement. 0.646 . . . 71.) it is helpful in monitoring the students. 0.648 . . . 80.) it helps to consider our status as students in this online class. 0.648 . . . 10.) formative assessment tools tested our knowledge about a certain thing. 0.651 . . . 8.) formative assessment tools helps me to attain the desired learning outcomes of our course. 0.657 . . . https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 87 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 83-90, 2023 44.) it motivates me to learn more because our instructor is also motivated to teach us. 0.664 . . . 60.) it motivates me to learn because the opportunity is already on us unlike to others. 0.672 . . . 62.) asking my instructor and classmates with regards to the assessment makes my life comfortable and to fulfill my task. 0.674 . . . 41.) formative assessment tools helps me to build my confidence, skills, and develop my thinking skills. 0.675 . . . 66.) formative assessment tools really helps me to achieve the desires of learning outcomes through providing intact information. 0.676 . . . 70.) formative assessment tools can build a relationship in teaching and learning process. 0.678 . . . 79.) it is helpful because it is flexible in terms of availability. 0.683 . . . 58.) it is good to used quipper as formative assessment tool. 0.685 . . . 63.) formative assessment tools are helping the students to answer the task, assignment and so whatever, unlike we compare it before and that makes it very unique. 0.692 . . . 13.) formative assessment tools motivates me somehow. 0.7 . . . 78.) helps to review and expand my knowledge. 0.705 . . . 9.) the formative assessment tools that is being used by our teacher is effective. 0.717 . . . 43.) helps us to be motivated and build up our learning strategies. 0.724 . . . 15.) formative assessment tools is really hard. . 0.552 . . 16.) i was exhausted because there is no one that i could asked about our topic. . 0.601 . . 20.) i am not confident in answering the activities provided in formative assessment tools. . 0.572 . . 21.) i am not satisfied with the response of my friends when i asked them. . 0.551 . . 23.) i determined that quipper does not have a data privacy because most of the teachers can access your account and see your performance. . 0.616 . . 28.) i do have difficulties in using those formative assessment tools because it is new to us and we are not that much aware on the particular tool. . 0.534 . . 29.) one of the reason why i want to quit is the internet connection. . 0.589 . . 34.) formative assessment tools are not hundred percent helpful. . 0.618 . . 45.) the multiple choice item assessment is not suited to our course because we are more in building our skills. . 0.594 . . 46.) it is not that effective for me because we can only gain few knowledge or learnings. . 0.679 . . 47.) it is hard to manage the time in online setting. . 0.579 . . 64.) there is something wrong with the formative assessment tools. . 0.6 . . 90.) i think it does not help because the other students are unmotivated now. . 0.593 . . 91.) it gives me panic if the internet connection is unstable during the assessment. . . 0.622 . 68.) sometimes the internet connection cannot give some notification that can cause delays or problems. . . 0.601 . 73.) i received late notifications because of the internet connection. . . 0.515 . 83.) one of our challenges is the availability of gadgets. . . 0.585 . 84.) i had experience lag when the application we used is not updated. . . 0.646 . 85.) applications that is not updated will affect our answers in assessment specifically in essay questions. . . 0.559 . 24.) the loss of power electricity and internet connection makes me feel frustrated. . . . 0.612 25.) formative assessment tools in online-blended learning is prone on cheating. . . . 0.613 26.) there are ups and downs in using those formative assessment tools. . . . 0.618 eigenvalues 27.257 6.812 4.657 2.899 % of variance 29.627 7.404 5.061 3.152 cronbach`s alpha per item 0.966 0.882 0.824 0.778 cronbach`s alpha (overall) 0.957 kmo 0.944 bartlett`s test of sphericity 22904.347, p=0.000 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 88 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 83-90, 2023 tools engaging and fun.” “formative assessment tools are hard when you have an unstable internet connection.” “i am determined to answer compared to the traditional tools used.” “formative assessment tools are challenging.” “i am confident in answering.” and 29 furthermore. since the data is subject to factor analysis, eigenvalue is used to identify the factor and retain the items with a value greater than one (1) (catell,1996) with cronbach’s alpha to test the reliability. we obtained four (4) factors for many consecutive runs using the dimension reduction technique. according to nunnally (1978), cronbach’s alpha is commonly regarded as having an acceptable range of 0.70 or higher. based on our research, during the conduct of thematic analysis, we found out that the satisfaction of the students in the conduct of formative assessment in the new normal is measured using the four (4) factors and these are; (1) feedbacking mechanism, (2) satisfaction, (3) internet and technology availability, and (4) overall challenges. the first factor has 36 items consisting of ssfat_89, ssfat_59, ssfat_27, ssfat_37, ssfat_38, ssfat_77, ssfat_61, ssfat_18, ssfaat_67, ssfat_32, ssfat_52, ssfat_92, ssfat_57, ssfat_4, ssfat_81, ssfat_88, ssfat_53, ssfat_12, ssfat_42, ssfat_71, ssfat_80, ssfat_10, ssfat_8, ssfat_44, ssfat_60, ssfat_62, ssfat_41, ssfat_66, ssfat_70, ssfat_79, ssfat_58, ssfat_63, ssfat_13, ssfat_78, ssfat_9, and ssfat_43 with 27.257 eigenvalue and 0.966 cronbach’s alpha per item which implies a high level of reliability and has a high level of importance as explained by 29.627% of variance in the ssfat. the second factor has a 7.404% of variance in the ssfat, and it has 13 items consisting of ssfat_15, ssfat_16, ssfat_20, ssfat_21, ssfat_23, ssfat_28, ssfat_29, ssfat_34, ssfat_45, ssfat_46, ssfat_47, ssfat_64, and ssfat_90 with an eigenvalue of 6.812 and a 0.882 cronbach’s alpha per item. on the other hand, the third factor has a 5.061% variance in the ssfat and has six items consisting of ssfat_91, ssfat_68, ssfat_73, ssfat_83, ssfat_84, and ssfat_85 with an eigenvalue of 4.657 and a 0.824 cronbach’s alpha per item. the fourth and last factor has a 3.152% variance in the ssfat with an eigenvalue of 2.899 and a 0.778 cronbach’s alpha per item. overall, cronbach’s alpha of reliability value for the entire four factors is 0.957, considered highly consistent and reliable. factors experienced in using the formative assessment tools table 5 shows the identified factor structure experienced among college students in using the formative assessment tools during online-blended learning. table 5: factor structure factor 1 factor 2 factor 3 factor 4 factors experienced in using the formative assessment tools feedbacking mechanism satisfaction internet and technology availability overall challenges feedbacking mechanism the goal of the feedbacking mechanisms, also known as homeostasis, is to bring the body back to its normal internal state. it is a physiological regulation system found in living things. this mechanism helps the students improve their performance and promote personal growth that they needed to accomplish their academic goals. in educational settings, feedback is information given to a learner in order to close the performance gap between present performance and desired objectives (sadler, 1989). formative assessment research has highlighted the significance of feedback as a key connector between the teacher’s assessment and the student’s subsequent learning (black & william, 1998; sadler, 1998). students’ knowledge and abilities are molded into a more developed stage than they were before implementing of the specific feedback intervention as the result of feedback’s formative effect on learning (hargreaves, mccallum, & gipps, 2000). satisfaction the positive emotion you experience when you get what you wanted, complete a task you set out to complete, or are in the middle of one, is called satisfaction. in the field of education, student satisfaction is characterized as a mindset that emerges from an assessment of the services and resources offered by the institution to the students and their educational experience. the alignment of the student’s expectations for these dimensions with their overarching academic and personal objectives for enrolling in the course is necessary condition for student satisfaction (landrum, bannister, garza, & rhame, 2021). navikov (2020) stated that both students and teachers may lack the abilities for using various online learning technologies, which may cause students to become demotivated and depressed. these barriers would contribute to student satisfaction. internet and technology availability in the new modality of learning, students who do not have an internet and technology may find it hard to continue their studies. internet and technology are important factors to be utilized in conducting onlineblended learning amidst the pandemic. these two will help the students do their tasks in the given formative assessment tools in the online classroom, without these two factor, students may have difficulties as they take their studies in an online setting. in the study (novikov, 2020), 78% of the respondents named their internet connection as a significant factor that have a detrimental https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 89 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 83-90, 2023 effect on their ability to learn. similarly, owusu-fordjour, thomson, & hanson (2020) reported that students in ghana faced difficulties using the e-learning platform because of inadequate internet access and a lack of technical expertise. in addition, the availability of internet connection is also a barrier in conducting home-based experimentation (gapasin et al., 2022). owusu-fordjour et al. (2020) suggested that parents could not help their children access online learning. while, demuyakor (2020) emphasized the high expense of online learning participation. overall challenges the overall challenges encountered by the students in the new modality of learning, particularly in utilizing the formative assessment tools, could affect the student’s satisfaction with learning. suryaman, cahyono, muliansyah, bustani, suryani, fahlevi, & munthe (2020) stated that students encountered numerous challenges when learning at home, including limited socializing opportunities, expensive internet access, and a lack of technological proficiency. in addition, kapasia, paul, roy, saha, zaveri, mallick, & chouhan (2022) studied how the pandemic lockdown affected the student’s performance and learning. they found out that there were considerable disturbances to the learning process. the student are also mentioned some difficulties with online classes, such as depression, slow internet, anxiety, and an unfavorable learning environment at home. these difficulties were made worse for marginalized students from remote areas. conclusion this study aims to determine the factor structure of formative assessment experiences among college students in um digos college used by instructors during online-blended learning. in connection with the research objective of this study, the findings identified a 4-factor structure of the student’s satisfaction towards formative assessment tools in online, blended learning. this factor structure includes feedback mechanisms, satisfaction, internet and technology availability, and overall challenges. this implies that the formative assessment tools used by the instructors provide various experiences among college students during the online-blended modality of learning. recommendations the relevance of the researchers’ conclusions is likely constrained by how they interpret the data, and these limitations must be acknowledged. following are some recommendations based on the preliminary finding and conclusions: 1. the researchers recommend using the scale of this study once the model fit indices are confirmed and accepted. 2. the future researcher can conduct a confirmatory factor analysis for further exploration and confirmation that would broaden and diversify the field of study into learner satisfaction using formative assessment tools. references algharabat, r. 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(2021). preservice teachers’ implementation of formative assessment in english writing class: mentoring matters. studies in educational evaluation, 70, 101019. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. stueduc.2021.101019 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 10 american journal of education and technology (ajet) comparative study of traditional face-to-face and e-learning modes of teaching senior high school geometry christopher saaha bornaa1, abugri mumuni abdulai2*, abdulai boare iddrisu3 volume 2 issue 2, year 2023 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i2.1374 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: march 09, 2023 accepted: april 05, 2023 published: april 11, 2023 this study compared the traditional face-to-face and e-learning modes of teaching senior high school geometry and students’ geometry performance. the study used a quantitative strategy which adopted a quasi-experimental design with pre-test and post-test non equivalent control groups. pre-test, post-test and retention test were used for the data collection. a total number of 52 second-year senior high school students from two public schools in the suame municipality of the ashanti region of ghana participated in the study. students’ geometry achievement test (sgat) was used as pre-test, post-test and retention test instruments. the data was analysed using descriptive statistics and a t-test tested at a 0.05 significance level. the findings of the study revealed no significant difference in the post-test mean scores of students taught face-to-face and those taught using the e-learning mode even though there was a significant improvement in the performance of students after the intervention. again, there was no significant difference in the retention test mean scores of the students taught using the face-to-face mode and those taught using the e-learning mode. the study, therefore, recommended that; policy makers in general, and mathematics curriculum developers in particular, plan and implement electronic learning modules to facilitate and enhance the teaching and learning of mathematics. it was again recommended that teachers take advantage of the new technology-driven world to blend the traditional face-to-face and e-learning modes of teaching to facilitate and enhance the teaching and learning of mathematics. keywords e-learning mode, traditional face-to-face mode, students’ performance and retention 1 department of mathematics and ict education, school of science, mathematics and technology education, c. k tedam university of technology and applied sciences, p. o. box 24 e/r, navrongo, ghana 2 department of mathematics, pentecost senior high school-bremang, p. o. box ks 14958, adum kumasi, ashanti region, ghana 3 department of mathematics, kalpohin senior high school, p. o. box 137, tamale, nr, ghana * corresponding author’s e-mail: abdulaiabugri@gmail.com introduction mathematics is a science that studies patterns, shapes, symbols, numbers, and the relationship between them. mathematics occupies a crucial and specific position in human society and represents a strategic key for the development and improvement of the whole of mankind. human existence would have been meaningless without the knowledge of geometry; hence our lives revolve around geometry. without an understanding of geometry, one cannot construct, mould, go to space, or create any kind of thing. mathematics is significant not just for its contributions to the growth of science and technology, but also for how varied members of society use it in everyday interactions at jobs, markets, transit hubs, and businesses of all kinds (golji & dangpe, 2016). the corona virus outbreak and its subsequent declaration as a pandemic by the world health organisation (who) exposed the existence of inequalities in access and quality education in ghana. during the pandemic, schools were closed down without adequate alternative measures to access formal education for children, especially basic and senior high schools nationwide (unicef ghana, 2021). this pandemic has tested our technological and digital development and advancement, especially in ghana. the pandemic led to the closure of schools worldwide, leaving most learners across educational levels without access to formal education for about a year. although e-learning platforms like the joy learning channel, ulesson, and the centre for national e-learning and open schooling (cendlos) which include ibox, icampus, and other programs were designed and implemented in ghana to enable underprivileged children to have access to educational content with or without the internet nationwide, these services were not equitably accessed since there were a good number of school children without access to mobile devices, televisions, and internet. disparities in access to and participation in e-learning activities were seen throughout the period of the corona virus pandemic, particularly in 2020 when many institutions were locked down globally, as reported by wolf et al. (2021). students in higher education institutions and private schools with enough resources, and kids from families with higher socio-economic status participated in on-line or remote learning and received more assistance from their schools and parents or other adult caregivers in ghana. the other levels of public basic and senior high schools remained closed while the final-year students were provided special access to the traditional teacherstudent face-to-face interactions to enable them to write their final examinations. due to the epidemic, schools were forced to close, which has prompted a review of how education is delivered in ghana’s public senior high schools. according to abbad and jaber (2014), technological advancements and innovations increase the pressure on institutions to shift from face-to-face to online instruction as the world becomes more digital. e-learning is an essential learning and teaching tool in https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i2.1374 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= mailto:abdulaiabugri@gmail.com pa ge 11 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 10-14, 2023 today’s technologically advanced society, particularly in light of the impact of the outbreak of the corona virus worldwide. the implementation of innovative didactic techniques and methodology in teaching mathematics in our second-cycle institutions is a result of the technologyfocused approach to education. we have had to re-evaluate how we offer educational possibilities, particularly at ghana’s basic and second-cycle institutions, due to the corona virus outbreak and its impact on education. to improve the country’s new educational delivery landscape, senior high schools in ghana must explore digital and technological platforms; electronic learning (e-learning) is the most reliable option. statement of the problem as a result of the global spread of covid-19 and its devastating effects on educational services, there has been a dramatic shift away from the more conventional faceto-face method of instruction in favour of e-learning. this is done to guarantee that educational services will still be provided even if the pandemic spreads. given the state of the globe since the covid-19 pandemic and the prevalence of modern technology, on-line education is essential. this focus on technology in the classroom calls for the adoption of novel pedagogical approaches and didactic strategies in the study and instruction of mathematics in our high schools. in light of the recent covid-19 pandemic, we have re-evaluated how we deliver education in ghana, particularly at the primary and secondary levels. to adapt to the changing environment of education in ghana, senior high schools should investigate the potential of electronic learning (e-learning) through the internet and other digital and technology platforms. the effectiveness and success of e-learning (e-learning) are being discussed in the increasing educational delivery around the world. whether or not on-line education is as effective as classroom instruction is still an open subject. many academic studies have attempted to find solutions to this problem, but senior high schools in ghana are not implementing any of them. therefore, this research examines the effectiveness of using traditional classroom instruction and e-learning to teach geometry to senior high school students in the suame municipality of the ashanti region of ghana. research objectives the overarching research objective of this study is to examine the effectiveness of using both traditional faceto-face and e-learning to teach geometry to senior high school students in the suame municipality in the ashanti region of ghana. the specific objectives of the study sought to: 1. find out whether there is a difference between the post-test mean scores of the students taught using faceto-face and those taught using e-learning modes. 2. determine whether there is a difference in the retention test mean scores of the students taught using the traditional face-to-face and those taught using e-learning modes. research hypotheses to answer the specific objectives of the study, the following null hypotheses were formulated and tested at a 0.05 level of significance. they are as follows: i. h01: there is no significant difference in the posttest mean scores of the students taught using face-to-face and those taught using e-learning modes. ii. h02: there is no significant difference in the retention test mean scores of the students taught using the traditional face-to-face and those taught using e-learning modes. literature review according to rajab (2018), the findings of his research indicated that e-learning not only helps schools save money on infrastructure development and human resources, but also makes education more accessible, equitable, sustainable, and simple. after describing the “battle between saudi arabia, the arab coalition, and yemeni rebel groups,” he went on to address the potential advantages of remote or electronic schooling in combat zones like saudi arabia. after the war, colleges shifted to provide education exclusively through online courses. according to the study, pupils who were unable to attend traditional classrooms due to ongoing violence benefited greatly from the “accessible and high-quality education” given by e-learning platforms. the purpose of this study was to identify possible responses to the crisis’s influence on academic pursuits. there are fewer opportunities for “access to high-quality education” in places like war zones and countries hit hard by natural catastrophes, civil strife, and pandemics. miller, rocconi, and dumford (2018) state that students would have less opportunity for cooperative learning in on-line classes due to the lack of physical connection between students and teachers and between students themselves. boelens, de wever, and voet (2017) examined the efficacy of on-line versus face-to-face instruction in an introductory statistics course for undergraduates. the results showed no statistically significant difference in outcomes between traditional classroom settings and online instruction. using master’s level corporate consulting and training international (ccti) courses, singh and thurman (2019) studied how students benefited from taking their classes on-line. the results showed that on-line education was more effective in raising students’ test scores than traditional classroom instruction. khader (2016) did research to find out if online or hybrid education helps college students learn more effectively. according to the findings, exposure to educational content online enhances college students’ ability to acquire and retain information. almahasees, mohsen, and amin (2021) found that during the corona virus pandemic, both faculty (lecturers and senior members) and students agreed that electronic https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 12 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 10-14, 2023 learning was beneficial and at the same time lacked effectiveness as compared to the conventional mode of learning and teaching. the most challenging aspects of on-line or electronic learning, according to the faculty members and students, are an adaptation to the e-learning mode. the main advantages were that it was easy to teach oneself, cheap, and convenient. the importance of teachers in promoting e-learning and teaching and enhancing communication between students and professors or management and among students was highlighted in a study on the perspectives and attitudes of faculty members and students regarding e-learning and on-line education. since the widespread lock down caused by the covid-19 pandemic, traditional classroom instruction has given way to e-learning, sometimes known as distance education. because of this change, schools may now educate students on how to use cutting-edge technology tools while they’re still in school, which is in everyone’s best interest (isaeva, eisenschmidt, vanari & kumpas-lenk, 2020). similarly, in on-line laboratory courses, students’ perspectives were ignored in many ways (beck & blumer, 2016). according to butnaru, niță, anichiti, and brînză (2021), students who value traditional classroom participation value interaction with academia for the conventional faceto-face meetings with professors and interaction among students as well as for the instant feedback generated by the stated circumstance. in the pre-academic environment, high school students have similar perceptions. there are some issues with transferring content from a traditional learning and teaching format to an on-line education format, and there are perception differences. as a result of the effects of e-learning, such as limited interaction with the school’s physical environment and classmates, as well as increased interaction with technology, students regard on-line courses as ineffective (olayemi, adamu & olayemi, 2021). yates, starkey, egerton, and flueggen (2021) investigated the effectiveness of the e-learning mode of education delivery in the context of the corona virus outbreak. the findings of the study indicated that during the covid-19 pandemic, an e-learning strategy was the best alternative to the conventional face-to-face mode of learning and teaching. however, they also mentioned some issues with e-learning, such as students’ unwillingness to listen to the lecturer for an extended period, network and internet connectivity, video and audio problems, network coverage issues, and financial problems of parents and guidance during the period of the pandemic, as a result, the collapse of some businesses and the closing down of markets. the findings revealed that there were no statistical differences in the academic performance of postgraduate students who learned on-line and those who learn through the conventional mode of learning and teaching. in general, students performed admirably when it came to e-learning or e-learning. on-line education delivery had a higher mean value of students’ academic performance when compared to the conventional mode of instruction and learning. it was noted that some students accomplished well in traditional classroom settings but poorly in on-line or e-learning settings (hafeez, ajmal & zulfiqar, 2022). methodology the study used a quantitative strategy which adopted a quasi-experimental design with pre-test and post-test non-equivalent control groups. this research employed a quasi-experimental design because the e-learning group students were chosen using a purposive sample technique. this became essential since the researcher was unable to provide smartphones to all participants, hence students with access to smartphones were selected for the study. again, an intact class was chosen for the face-to-face group to avoid disrupting contact hours since school authorities were not prepared for such a circumstance. all of this indicates that a true experiment cannot be performed owing to the nature of the selection techniques, necessitating the use of a quasi-experimental research design. a total of 1, 860 form two senior high school students was the target population. a total of fifty-two (52) students participated in the study; this included twentyseven (27) students from pentecost senior high school and twenty-five (25) students from osei kyeretwei senior high school. data for the study was collected using the students’ geometry achievement test (sgat). past questions from the west african senior high school certificate examination (wassce) served as the basis for the items on the sgat. first, mathematics professionals served as a focus group for the test items to guarantee their face and content validity, and second, mathematics department heads provided their input. the experts in the field of mathematics education were given the objectives of the study and questions to help direct their work. the experts were tasked to assess the validity of the instrument by considering how well the questions aligned with the stated objectives. the revised students’ geometry achievement test (sgat) reflects their input. forty-five students from bawku senior high school in the bawku municipality of the upper east region participated in a pilot test of the research instruments (sgat). the instrument was given to the responders and then given to them again two weeks later, as part of the test-retest procedure. using the pearson productmoment correlation coefficient, the researchers determined that the test-retest findings of the study were internally consistent (well correlated), with a value of 0.78. this value shows a positive correlation between the two sets of results and hence the test items were deemed appropriate and fit for use. the intervention process lasted for six weeks after the pre-test. the post-test followed immediately afterwards, while the retention test was conducted two months after the intervention. the control group was taught through conventional teacher-student face-to-face interactions and the experimental group was taught through on-line and other e-learning media. descriptive statistics and an https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 13 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 10-14, 2023 independent t-test at a 0.05 confidence interval were used to answer the research hypothesis. results h01: there is no significant difference in the post-test mean scores of the students taught using face-to-face and those taught using e-learning modes. an analysis of the pre-test and post-test mean scores for both traditional face-to-face and e-learning groups was conducted to test this null hypothesis. table 1 shows the pre-test analysis for both the traditional face-to-face and e-learning groups. this test was carried out before treatment. table 1 revealed no significant difference in the pre-test mean scores of the traditional face-to-face group (mean = 3.28, sd = 3.31) and e-learning groups (mean = 3.30, sd = 3.94), t (50) = 0.016, sig. = 0.987. this implies that students in each treatment group had equal academic ability in geometry before the intervention. table 2 revealed that there is no significant difference in the post-test mean scores of the face-to-face (mean = 10.12, sd = 3.98) and e-learning groups (mean = 10.11, sd = 5.23), t (50) = -0.007, sig. = 0.995. the null hypothesis is therefore tenable; therefore, we can conclude that the academic performance of students in each treatment group does not significantly differ in the study. h02: there is no significant difference in the retention test mean scores of the students taught using face-to-face and those taught using e-learning modes. an analysis of the retention test means scores for both traditional faceto-face and e-learning groups was conducted to test this null hypothesis. table 3 revealed that there is no significant difference in the retention test mean scores of the face-to-face (mean = 12.60, sd = 4.15) and e-learning groups (mean = 12.56, sd = 4.67), t (50) = -0.036, sig. = 0.971. we, therefore, failed to reject the null hypothesis and conclude that students in each treatment group had no significant difference in retaining the concepts learnt during the study. table 1: independent sample t-test statistics of the pre-test mean scores group n mean sd t df sig. (2-tailed) face-to-face 25 3.28 3.31 .016 50 .987 e-learning 27 3.30 3.94 source: field survey, 2022 table 2: independent sample t-test statistics of the post-test mean scores group n mean sd t df sig. (2-tailed) face-to-face 25 10.12 3.98 e-learning 27 10.11 5.23 -.007 50 .995 source: field survey, 2022 table 3: independent sample t-test statistics of the retention test mean scores group n mean sd t df sig. (2-tailed) face-to-face 25 12.60 4.15 -.036 50 .971 e-learning 27 12.56 4.67 source: field survey, 2022 discussion the results analyses revealed that there was a significant improvement in students’ academic performance in geometry in both the conventional face-to-face teaching mode and the e-learning mode of teaching after treatment. no significant difference in students’ academic performance in geometry from the post-test results analysis of the traditional face-to-face mode of teaching and e-learning mode of teaching was established. hence, we failed to reject the null hypothesis that stated that there exists no significant difference in the achievement scores of students who were taught geometry through the traditional face-to-face teaching mode and those taught through the e-learning mode of teaching and therefore conclude that the e-learning mode produces the same academic outcome as compared to the traditional faceto-face mode. this finding resonates with the findings of sussman & dutter (2010), rajab (2018); boelens et al. (2017) and singh & thurman (2019) whose studies showed that the e-learning mode produces the same academic outcomes again, the study revealed no significant difference in the retention test mean scores of the students who were taught geometry through the conventional face-to-face and e-learning modes. this means that the retention level of students in each treatment group did not significantly as reflected in their performance based on the retention test scores. these findings are in agreement with the findings of sussman & dutter (2010), rajab (2018), boelens, et al. (2017), singh & thurman (2019), almahasees, et al. (202)1 and hafeez, et al. (2022) where remote learning mode of instruction was compared to the traditional face-to-face mode of teaching and learning which findings showed no significant difference in the academic performance of students based on the mode of instruction. the findings of the study also confirm the assertion by yates, et al. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 14 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 10-14, 2023 (2021) and miller, et al. (2018) that remote learning was the best alternative to the face-to-face teaching mode during the corona virus outbreak. they concluded in their study that remote learning was effective, efficient, timely, easy to access, convenient and equitable. nonetheless, they admitted that there were some challenges such as students’ unwillingness to listen to lecturers or teachers for an extended period, issues with login, issues with internet connectivity and coverage, and issues with video and voice during live sessions of the e-learning mode. conclusion comparatively, the academic outcome of e-learning mode of teaching and learning and traditional face-to-face does not differ significantly. this dispels the notion that the e-learning mode is not effective as compared to the conventional face-to-face mode. again, both the traditional face-to-face and e-learning modes have no different effects on student’s retention per the outcome of the study. recommendation it is recommended that policy makers in general, and mathematics curriculum developers in particular, plan and implement electronic learning modules to facilitate and enhance the teaching and learning of mathematics. teachers should also take advantage of the new technology-driven world to blend the traditional face-to-face and e-learning modes of teaching to facilitate and enhance teaching and learning. references abbad, m., & jaber, f. (2014). evaluating e-learning systems: an empirical investigation on students’ perception in the higher education area. international journal of emerging technologies in learning (online), 9(4), 27. almahasees, z., mohsen, k., & amin, m. o. (2021, may). faculties and students’ perceptions of e-learning during covid-19. in frontiers in education, 6, 638470. frontiers media sa. beck, c. w., & blumer, l. s. (2016). alternative realities: faculty and student perceptions of instructional practices in laboratory courses. cbe—life sciences education, 15(4), 52. boelens, r., de wever, b., & voet, m. (2017). four key challenges to the design of blended learning: a systematic literature review. educational research review, 22, 1-18. butnaru, g. i., niță, v., anichiti, a., & brînză, g. (2021). the effectiveness of online education during covid 19 pandemic—a comparative analysis between the perceptions of academic students and high school students from romania. sustainability, 13(9), 5311. golji, g. g., & dangpe, a. k. d. (2016). activity-based learning strategies (abls) as best practice for secondary mathematics teaching and learning. international advanced journal of teaching and learning, 2(9), 106-116. hafeez, m., ajmal, f., & zulfiqar, z. (2022). assessment of students’ academic achievements in online and face-to-face learning in higher education. journal of technology and science education, 12(1), 259-273. isaeva, r., eisenschmidt, e., vanari, k., & kumpas-lenk, k. (2020). students’ views on dialogue: improving student engagement in the quality assurance process. quality in higher education, 26(1), 80-97. khader, n. s. k. (2016). the effectiveness of blended learning in improving students’ achievement in third grade’s science in bani kenana. journal of education and practice, 7(35), 109 – 116. miller, a. l., rocconi, l. m., & dumford, a. d. (2018). focus on the finish line: does high-impact practice participation influence career plans and early job attainment? higher education, 75, 489-506. olayemi, o. m., adamu, h., & olayemi, k. j. (2021). perception and readiness of students towards e-learning in nigeria during the covid-19 pandemic. perception, 3(1), 4-21. rajab, k. d. (2018). the effectiveness and potential of e-learning in war zones: an empirical comparison of face-to-face and online education in saudi arabia. ieee access, 6, 6783-6794. singh, v., & thurman, a. (2019). how many ways can we define e-learning? a systematic literature review of definitions of e-learning (1988-2018). american journal of distance education, 33(4), 289-306. unesco (2020). e-learning tools. retrieved on september 24, 2022. https://en.unesco.org/covid19/ educationresponse/support unicef ghana (2021). impacts of the covid-19 pandemic on primary and secondary children in ghana. www.unicef.org/publications who (2020). who director-general’s opening remarks at the media briefing on covid-19 -11 march 2020. retrieved on january 18, 2021. https: //www.who.int/ director-general/speeches/detail/who-director-generals-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing-on-covid-19--11-march-2020 wolf, s., aurino, e., suntheimer, n., avornyo, e., tsinigo, e., jordan, j., ... & behrman, j. r. (2021). learning in the time of a pandemic and implications for returning to school: effects of covid-19 in ghana. yates, a., starkey, l., egerton, b., & flueggen, f. (2021). high school students’ experience of e-learning during covid-19: the influence of technology and pedagogy. technology, pedagogy and education, 30(1), 59-73. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 69 american journal of education and technologies (ajet) exploring technostress effects on job performance of higher education peruvian english teachers jhonny richard rodriguez-barboza1* volume 2 issue 3, year 2023 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i3.1803 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: june 18, 2023 accepted: july 20, 2023 published: july 29, 2023 the aim of this research as a literature review is to explore the impact of technostress on the job performance of university teachers in peru within the post-pandemic context. by conducting a comprehensive review of the literature, we delve into the various aspects of technostress, identify the factors that contribute to its occurrence, and assess its effects on the psychological well-being of peruvian university teachers. elements such as information overload, constant interruptions, insufficient technological competence, technological dependency, and technical difficulties are identified as causes of technostress among teachers. additionally, it is highlighted that the post-pandemic context, with the transition to online learning and limitations in access and quality of technology, has exacerbated this phenomenon. as a conclusion, the technostress experienced by peruvian university teachers has negative consequences on their psychological well-being, manifesting as anxiety, exhaustion, difficulties in interpersonal relationships, sleep problems, and decreased academic performance. based on these findings, the importance of developing intervention strategies and support that address technostress in peruvian university teachers is emphasized, promoting a healthy use of technology in the post-pandemic context. keywords peruvian university teachers, post-pandemic, psychological well-being, technostress 1 center for language studies, universidad san ignacio de loyola, lima, perú * corresponding author’s e-mail: jhonny.rodriguez@usil.pe introduction in january 2020, the world health organization (who) declared a public health emergency of international concern due to the spread of covid-19. as a result of this event, numerous challenges arose that required adaptation in various aspects of life, and education was one of them. different pedagogical phenomena emerged to quickly implement a reengineering of teaching and learning for virtual or remote contexts. education policies in peru were not designed to successfully cope with virtual education. face-to-face instruction prevailed in all undergraduate and graduate programs. the complications became immediately evident due to the limited knowledge of digital competencies required to conduct a class session using video conferencing platforms such as zoom, google meet, blackboard collaborate, or teams. on march 15, 2020, a state of emergency was declared in peru through supreme decree no. 044-2020-pcm. starting from the following day, the suspension of all in-person educational activities was ordered, and a new teaching methodology was rapidly implemented. according to the united nations educational, scientific and cultural organization (unesco), by may 2020, over 1.2 billion students worldwide had stopped attending face-to-face classes in their educational institutions (cepal-unesco, 2020). this has posed difficulties for teachers in effectively addressing resources within semipresential class sessions, such as time management and conducting activities in the post-pandemic context. the integration of information and communication technologies (ict) has become an effective strategy to adapt educational processes during this period of change. educational activities were able to continue by incorporating educational technology. both public and private universities implemented hybrid and distance learning modalities, which provided a series of advantages but also presented didactic and methodological challenges. this transition directly affected some university teachers as they had to adapt to different environments from their traditional classrooms, interacting with students through screens and exploring various technological options. this created an educational challenge where teachers were compelled to consider improvements in their pedagogical practices and ensure the achievement of learning objectives in different curricular experiences. this is where the phenomenon of technostress emerges, conceptually defined by coppari et al. (2018) as the emotional, physical, and cognitive difficulty that leads to fatigue or exhaustion due to the inappropriate use of technologies. literature review it is imperative to highlight the need to investigate this issue in this new social context where, after three years of pleasant and challenging situations, we are experiencing a new normal. in addition, certain universities have implemented the blended learning methodology in their curriculum, which provides them with a specialized platform to carry out activities and achieve cumulative learning. the zoom platform is used for undergraduate english courses, along with the myelt platform from national geographic learning for foreign language english sessions. teachers have expressed on several occasions that they feel stressed or anxious from working most of the day in front of a computer. others believe pa ge 70 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 69-75, 2022 that the virtual mode does not greatly facilitate the teaching process, and some find it difficult to relax after several hours of using video conferencing and educational platforms. this study is justified on several levels, according to bernal (2010). firstly, there is theoretical justification, which is based on current and relevant scientific literature in the psychopedagogical field. the aim is to understand the level of stress associated with the frequent use of educational technologies. secondly, there is practical justification, as this study seeks to benefit the participants by providing knowledge on attitudinal, affective, and cognitive aspects that can be improved. additionally, it aims for teachers to incorporate various active strategies to make class sessions more interesting and motivating for students. it is also intended for this study to serve as a relevant precedent for peruvian universities to implement trainings related to stress and anxiety management for the student community’s benefit. furthermore, it seeks for teachers to be able to manage their efforts to learn under personal and academic pressure without neglecting their emotional stability. thirdly, there is methodological justification, as the active research diagram (ard) strategy is employed to construct the theoretical foundations in a systemic and heuristic manner (sánchez et al., 2022). lastly, there is epistemological justification, which is useful for analyzing the research problem by applying the scientific method. it focuses on digital transformation and promotes autonomous learning (nina-cuchillo et al., 2021). in response to the covid-19 pandemic, educational institutions have had to adapt their teaching methods and migrate towards online learning. this sudden migration has brought about significant changes in how teachers adapt and face these new challenges, including technostress. technostress refers to the negative reactions associated with the excessive use of technology and can impact the psychological well-being of teachers. with the aim of better understanding this phenomenon and proposing effective intervention strategies, this research will focus on examining the factors contributing to technostress in peruvian university teachers in the post-pandemic context. the study will seek to identify dimensions of technostress, as well as elements such as information overload, frequent interruptions, insufficient technological competence, technological dependence, and technical difficulties, which can trigger technostress in teachers. materials and methods in this literature review, a comprehensive search of scientific articles, postgraduate theses, and relevant documents related to the topic of technostress and job performance of university teachers in peru within the post-pandemic context was conducted. academic databases and online resources such as google scholar, scielo and scopus, were used to gather the necessary information. to narrow down the search, keywords related to technostress, job performance, university teachers, and the post-pandemic context were utilized. studies published in both spanish and english were included, with a specific focus on those addressing the topic in the peruvian context. after collecting the information, a thorough analysis and synthesis of the most relevant findings were performed. factors contributing to the development of technostress among university teachers in peru, as well as its effects on psychological wellbeing, were identified. dimensions of technostress were explored, and elements such as information overload, constant interruptions, insufficient technological competence, technological dependence, and technical difficulties were highlighted as potential triggers of technostress in teachers. the contribution to knowledge of this research lies in the in-depth analysis of the impact of technostress on the job performance of university teachers in peru, specifically within the post-pandemic context. through a comprehensive literature review, the factors contributing to the development of technostress among teachers have been identified, and the negative effects on their psychological well-being have been highlighted. furthermore, this research has provided an understanding of the dimensions of technostress and how elements such as information overload, constant interruptions, insufficient technological competence, technological dependence, and technical difficulties can trigger technostress in teachers. this detailed comprehension of the triggering factors of technostress in the specific context of peru is a valuable contribution to existing knowledge. analysis of the topic technostress: definition and contributing factors technostress refers to the negative response and adverse effects that individuals experience due to the excessive use of technology (brod, 1984; salanova, 2003; tarafdar et al., 2007; wang et al., 2008; sellberg & susi, 2014; tacy, 2016; betancourt, 2022). this definition encompasses both the physical and psychological aspects associated with prolonged and problematic use of technological devices and digital tools. table 1: definitions of technostress authors conceptual definition brod (1984) technostress is a condition related to the difficulty of adequately adapting to new computer technologies. salanova (2003) technostress is a negative psychological state that arises as a result of using information and communication technologies (ict) or perceiving a future threat in their use. this state is conditioned by the perception of an imbalance between the demands and resources associated with the use of ict, leading to a high level of unpleasant psychophysiological activation and the development of negative attitudes towards ict. pa ge 71 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 69-75, 2022 technostress manifests in various symptoms, including anxiety, exhaustion, irritability, difficulty concentrating, sleep problems, and interpersonal conflicts associated with technology use. these symptoms can negatively impact the psychological and emotional well-being of individuals experiencing technostress. contributing factors to technostress in the case of peruvian university teachers, there are several factors that can contribute to the development of technostress. these factors can be classified into the following dimensions of study information overload according to parra-medina and álvarez-cervera (2021), the knowledge and application of a large amount of information through technological devices can generate a sense of overwhelm and difficulty in filtering and processing that information properly. constant interruptions for fernández-martínez (2020), constant notifications and alerts on mobile devices and applications can disrupt workflow or study flow, affecting concentration and productivity. insufficient technological competence based on prieto-quezada (2023), limited knowledge of digital skills and the ability to efficiently use technological tools can generate stress and frustration when faced with academic tasks that require their use. technological dependence excessive use and dependence on technology can create a sense of anxiety and discomfort when there is no access to it or when attempts are made to reduce its use (losada and lanuque, 2021). technical difficulties technical problems, such as poor internet connections, device failures, and malfunctioning applications, can generate stress and frustration when trying to perform online academic tasks (carrasco, 2021). impact of technostress on psychological well-being taking into account arredondo and caldera (2022), technostress can have a significant impact on the psychological well-being of teachers. some possible effects include: anxiety and stress excessive use of technology can increase stress and anxiety levels, negatively affecting mood and mental health. fatigue and burnout technological overload and lack of disconnection can lead to feelings of fatigue and burnout, impacting energy and job performance. difficulties in interpersonal relationships excessive dependence on technology can interfere with personal relationships, causing social isolation and difficulties in face-to-face communication. sleep problems prolonged exposure to electronic devices before sleep can negatively affect sleep quality, hindering proper rest and impacting academic performance and overall wellbeing. decreased academic performance technostress can affect concentration and job performance due to constant distraction and difficulty in efficiently managing time. tarafdar et al. (2007) technostress occurs as a consequence of using information and communication technologies (ict), leading to a state of stress in individuals. wang et al. (2008) technostress is a negative psychological state that originates from the use of information and communication technologies (ict). it is characterized by feelings of unease, fear, tension, and anxiety when learning and using technologies related to direct or indirect computer use. this state of stress can generate a high level of non-pleasurable psychophysiological activation and the development of negative attitudes towards ict. sellberg y susi (2014) it is characterized by high cognitive demands and constant physiological activation, experiencing difficulties in comprehending and having an overview of information. tacy (2016) it is an emerging psychological disorder experienced by individuals who use technology. salazar (2019) while technostress is generally associated with negative effects, it is important to note that it can also have some positive effects on individuals. for example, it can drive increased individual performance by generating greater motivation and focus on tasks related to the use of information and communication technologies (ict). betancourt (2022) negative manifestations of technostress are reflected in psychological rejection and an unfavorable experience in the use of technologies. this implies a negative perception of technostress with its corresponding consequences on individuals. note: information compiled from various scientific articles and postgraduate theses. pa ge 72 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 69-75, 2022 the post-pandemic context and its relationship with technostress according to lópez et al. (2021) and sarabadani et al. (2018), the post-pandemic context has led to a significant increase in the use of technology for academic and work activities. this has created an environment in which university teachers have been forced to quickly adapt to online learning and use digital tools intensively. some relevant aspects include: abrupt transition to online learning the pandemic caused a sudden shift to online learning, which has presented challenges and adjustments in becoming familiar with new platforms and study methods. increased workload the migration to the digital environment may have led to an increase in workload, as teachers may face more online tasks and activities that require greater use of technology. restrictions on access and technology quality digital disparities and limitations in obtaining devices and high-quality internet connection can result in inequalities in accessing online education, which can increase stress and discomfort levels. changes in social interaction the lack of face-to-face interaction and reliance on virtual communication can impact social relationships and contribute to feelings of isolation and loneliness. job performance in teaching in the field of organizational psychology and human resource management, job performance is a widely studied topic. numerous relevant theoretical concepts have been developed, and notable authors have contributed to its research. the following are some of these theoretical concepts and mention of some of the most recognized authors in the study of job performance. motivation-hygiene theory (herzberg) frederick herzberg proposed a distinction between motivational factors and hygiene factors in the workplace (madero, 2019). motivational factors, such as recognition and professional growth opportunities, have been positively associated with job performance. on the other hand, hygiene factors, such as salary and working conditions, when not adequately satisfied, can generate dissatisfaction, and have a negative impact on performance. some advantages of this theory can be comprehensive approach: herzberg’s theory addresses both motivational and hygiene aspects of work, making it a comprehensive theoretical framework for understanding job satisfaction. individualized approach this theory recognizes that the needs and factors influencing job satisfaction may vary among individuals. therefore, it provides an individualized approach to understanding what motivates each employee and how to enhance their job satisfaction. disadvantages of the motivation-hygiene theory oversimplification some critics argue that this theory oversimplifies the complexity of human motivation at work. there may be other factors beyond those identified by herzberg that also influence job satisfaction. not applicable to all employees herzberg’s theory is primarily based on studies conducted with professionals and office employees. it may not be equally applicable to other types of workers, such as employees in operational or service roles. expectancy theory (vroom) victor vroom focuses on individual expectations about effort, performance, and outcomes (sanchis, 2020). according to this theory, job performance can be influenced by the belief that greater effort will lead to better performance and, in turn, positive outcomes such as rewards and recognition. job demands-resources model (jd-r) the jd-r model proposed by arnold bakker and evangelia demerouti emphasizes the importance of job resources and job demands on job performance. according to this model, job resources, such as social support and development opportunities, promote job performance, while job demands, such as stress and excessive workload, can negatively affect performance (bakker & demerouti, 2013). organizational behavior theory (luthans) fred luthans (2002) developed this theory that emphasizes the role of social and psychological factors in job performance. according to this theory, factors such as self-efficacy, social support, and effective leadership influence job performance. in addition to the previous information, charlotte danielson (2011) is a renowned educator and author who has developed a widely used framework for teacher performance evaluation known as the “framework for teaching.” her work has focused on improving teaching practice and providing a systematic approach to assess and develop teacher effectiveness. pa ge 73 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 69-75, 2022 discussion the literature review provided a deeper insight into the topic of technostress and its impact on the job performance of university teachers in peru within the post-pandemic context. the findings reveal that the rapid transition to virtual education as a result of the covid-19 pandemic has presented significant challenges for teachers (cepal-unesco, 2020). the lack of preparation and digital competencies has given rise to the phenomenon of technostress, negatively affecting teachers’ psychological well-being (wang et al., 2008). it has been observed that factors such as information overload, constant interruptions, insufficient technological competence, technological dependence, and technical difficulties contribute to the development of technostress in this context (parra-medina & álvarez-cervera, 2021). these factors can lead to anxiety, exhaustion, difficulties in interpersonal relationships, sleep problems, and decreased academic performance among teachers (losada & lanuque, 2021; carrasco, 2021). it is crucial to recognize that the post-pandemic context has intensified the use of technology in education, significantly impacting teachers’ professional lives (fernández-martínez, 2020). the lack of preparedness and limited access to high-quality technological resources have been additional challenges for many teachers in peru (prieto-quezada, 2023). in the discussion, the importance of addressing this issue to ensure teachers’ well-being and promote a healthy educational environment has been emphasized (salanova, 2003). proposed interventions include the development of digital skills, strategies to manage technostress, and the promotion of a healthy balance between technology use and personal well-being (brod, 1984; betancourt, 2022). collaboration among educational institutions, continuous professional development, and the implementation of policies fostering work-life balance are key to creating a positive and successful educational environment in the post-pandemic context (nina-cuchillo et al., 2021). by prioritizing teachers’ well-being, a conducive learning environment can be established for both educators and students (sánchez et al., 2022). conclusions the covid-19 pandemic has presented numerous challenges for the field of education, particularly in the transition to online teaching. in the case of peru, a country where face-to-face education was predominant at all levels, the adaptation to virtual education has been particularly difficult. the lack of preparedness and digital competencies among teachers has given rise to phenomena such as techno-stress, which negatively affects their psychological well-being. techno-stress refers to the negative response and adverse effects experienced by teachers due to the excessive use of technology. factors such as information overload, constant interruptions, insufficient technological competence, technological dependence, and technical difficulties contribute to the development of technostress in this context. the impact of techno-stress on the psychological wellbeing of teachers is significant. it has been observed that this phenomenon increases levels of anxiety and stress, causes fatigue and exhaustion, hinders interpersonal relationships, negatively affects sleep, and decreases academic performance. it is crucial to address this issue to ensure the well-being of teachers and promote a healthy educational environment. as the education system continues to navigate the postpandemic context, it is essential to provide support and resources for teachers to enhance their digital skills, manage techno-stress, and promote their overall wellbeing. this can be achieved through training programs, the provision of technological tools and infrastructure, and the implementation of strategies that foster a healthy work-life balance and effective coping mechanisms. by prioritizing the well-being of teachers, we can create a positive and sustainable educational environment for both educators and students. in the post-pandemic context, where the use of technology has become increasingly prevalent, it is crucial to provide support and training to teachers to effectively address table 2: conceptual and operational description of charlotte danielson's theory theory dimensions descripction systematic approach for evaluating and developing teacher effectiveness. the approach is based on the premise that effective teaching involves a combination of knowledge, skills, and practices that can be identified, evaluated, and improved. planning and preparation involves effective planning of lessons and learning experiences, including setting clear objectives, selecting appropriate resources, and designing assessments. learning environment refers to creating a positive and conducive classroom environment for learning, promoting active student engagement, effective time management, and establishing behavioral norms. instruction addresses the teaching strategies and practices employed by the teacher, such as clear content presentation, use of diverse methodologies, fostering critical thinking, and providing effective feedback. professional responsibility involves reflection on teaching practice, commitment to continuous learning, collaboration with colleagues, and engagement in the educational community. note: adaptaded from danielson (2011). pa ge 74 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 69-75, 2022 the challenges of virtual education. this includes the development of digital competencies, the implementation of strategies to manage techno-stress, and the promotion of a healthy balance between technology use and personal well-being. in addition to the above, it is essential to understand the factors contributing to techno-stress in peruvian university teachers in the post-pandemic context in order to develop appropriate interventions. it is necessary to design support strategies that promote the psychological well-being of teachers and facilitate their adaptation to virtual teaching environments. this way, quality education can be ensured, and a conducive learning environment can be created for students. by prioritizing the well-being of teachers and providing the necessary resources and support, educational institutions can help mitigate the negative effects of techno-stress and create an environment where teachers can thrive in their virtual teaching roles. collaboration between educational 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(2008). technostress under different organizational environments: an empirical investigation. computers in human behavior, 24(6), 3002-3013. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/ article/abs/pii/s0747563208001040 pa ge 1 pa ge 18 american journal of education and technology (ajet) lived experiences of struggling readers in junior high school rhena m. cardeño1* volume 3 issue 1, year 2024 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v3i1.2088 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: december 10, 2023 accepted: january 08, 2024 published: january 11, 2024 this study aimed to explore the lived experiences of struggling readers in junior high school. this study was limited to four (4) participants who were under frustration reading level and had repeated grade 7. it was very particular with the lived experiences of the participants which resulted in their difficulties. giorgi’s descriptive phenomenological study was the basis of this study. in light of the findings, the following conclusions were drawn. participants in this study experienced difficulties such as emotional, academic, and behavioral problems. however, through this phenomenon, the participants were able to cope by emotionfocused mechanisms which were considered as poor coping mechanisms wherein the participants opted to exert effort to regulate the emotional consequences of stressful or potentially stressful events. one coping strategy that emerged was physical distancing wherein participants distance themselves from the things or people that give them stress or move away from a threat. another coping mechanism exemplified by the participants was the emotional distancing strategy wherein struggling readers move away emotionally. it was likely that experiences, themes, techniques, and strategies described by students in this population would give teachers a new outlook from which they can enhance learning outcomes. the following recommendations were laid down: the use of a holistic approach in reading intervention since struggling readers experience difficulties in different aspects of life such as emotional, academic, and behavioral aspects; conducting a phenomenological study on the life of elementary struggling readers is also recommended since there is a much bigger number of struggling elementary readers in some regions in the country. keywords struggling readers, holistic approach, coping mechanisms 1 bagong nayon ii national high school, deped, antipolo, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: rhena.mose@deped.gov.pj introduction as the world continues to be globalized, the demand for a highly-skilled and competitive workforce arises, resulting in a requirement for greater literacy skills. with this, each state around the world makes ways to comply with this demand. in the philippine setting, republic act no. 10533, or the enhanced basic education of 2013 mandates the right to quality education. section 2 or the declaration of policy clearly explicates that the state shall provide a basic education that is aligned to people’s and country’s needs, and that will produce competitive workers locally and globally. in line with this, the philippine government gives much priority to making filipino workers equipped with essential skills to work in any part of the world. thus, several government programs promoting literacy were established. the department of education (deped), as a distinct agency that is responsible for stimulating literacy, targets the learners in schools as their main priority. however, despite the importance of literacy skills in learning and consequently, in academics, many students are still struggling particularly in reading and in understanding texts. based on the program for international student assessment (pisa) in 2018, the philippines projected the lowest score in reading comprehension among all 79 participating countries and economies. deped secretary leonor briones linked this phenomenon to the poor results of nat in the past few years (philippine star, 2019). under the initiative of the bureau of elementary education, an agency under the department of education that assures quality in elementary education, the philippine reading informal inventory, or phil-iri was used to measure the reading proficiency of students. using this tool, teachers are able to identify struggling readers or students who have difficulty comprehending texts. however, diagnosing readers with frustration level and giving interventions would not be enough to fully address the problem. as luz (2007) claimed, the phil-iri is not a powerful tool for assessing students’ reading levels because of its inaccuracy. she assessed that the design or plan of a reading program should not only be based on the result of the phil-iri assessment and that other bases may be considered. the researcher believes that delving into the lived experiences of struggling readers would shed light on the phenomenon of being a struggling reader beyond academic performance. literature review the deficiency in literacy skills is a big challenge faced by the filipinos. despite the efforts that the government and department of education are making to improve the quality of education, there are still students who manifest such deficiencies in literacy skills, particularly in reading. the use of phil-iri to determine the strengths and weaknesses of students in reading paves the way for diagnosing struggling readers who need more assistance. specifically, students who were diagnosed with poor reading skills are categorized as frustration readers. pa ge 19 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(1) 18-24, 2024 in studies and literature presented, poor skill in reading affects students’ academic performance. students who have difficulty comprehending texts also have trouble understanding other lessons, manifest poor academic performance, have a big chance of having poor working skills, and have delinquent behavior in the future. across the school years anywhere in the world, reading has been viewed as a critical skill that children need to acquire and develop. in some countries like the philippines, children’s interest in reading has started to decline, resulting in poor mastery of reading and weak academic performance. the philippine government claimed that the poor comprehension of filipino students is a reality that they must investigate and must be considered in improving the system of education (merez, 2019). according to research and pieces of literature, one way to rekindle or boost learner’s enthusiasm to read and study is to enhance the motivation that would push learners to engage in different reading activities. as defined by various linguists and psychologists, motivation is the reason why students do a certain task. as stated in the studies gathered, learning and acquisition of different literacy skills like reading can be explained through different theories. such theories proposed by the experts are the cognitive development theory which talks about the correct practices for development like constructing and reconstructing of what the child has learned to come up with authentic learning and lastly, the schema theory which pertains to the prior knowledge that helps readers comprehend easily what they are reading. john piaget as the proponent of cognitive development theory used the term schema in describing the building blocks of knowledge that learners use in reading and comprehending texts. according to pappas (2014), schema theory claims that readers use their pre-existing knowledge and prior experience to decode a text. reading as a complex task comprises of many processes and when we speak of a certain process within reading, we can identify one reading model. according to the experts, there are three main reading models. the first model of reading is the top-down theory which focuses on the prior knowledge and experiences of the readers. the second is the bottom-up theory wherein learning is based on habit formation that is created through the association of stimulus with response. lastly, the metacognitive or interactive theory which explains the role of two reading models: the top-down and bottomup theory. bandura’s concept of positive psychology emphasizes the importance of self-efficacy and resiliency to students in accomplishing tasks successfully. learners who have a high level of self-efficacy and resiliency have a high probability of being successful academically. this study benefited different people in society related to education such as teachers, and administrators who have the desire to understand the situation of struggling readers who are also often academically challenged. the purpose of this study was to shed light on the phenomenon of being a struggling reader beyond academic performance. because of the little phenomenological research done concerning the experiences of struggling readers in school, there was a need to conduct a broader range of studies on this topic. materials and methods the researcher utilized a qualitative phenomenological research design to understand phenomena in terms of meanings that people carry to them” (creswell,1998,15). qualitative research focuses on people, their experiences, and how the experiences answer the questions about a research topic (creswell, 2013). also, qualitative research focuses on naturalistic inquiry (creswell, 2013). the characteristics of qualitative research are useful in studies of people and their experiences, like what the researcher showed in her study about struggling readers in junior high school. phenomenology asks for the very nature of a phenomenon, for that which makes a “thing” what it is and without which could not be what it is. giorgi (2009) points out that when someone says something, there is always more meaning in what was said than even the speaker is aware of, in the natural attitude. for this study, the phenomenological approach was appropriate because it highlighted the experience and understanding of struggling readers with poor academic performance in junior high school. according to van manen (1990, 2014), phenomenology of practice provides a descriptive (phenomenological) understanding of individuals’ lived experiences. data for this study was obtained from individual, in-depth interviews conducted by the researcher with informants’ lived experiences. the length of time to conduct each interview was based on the time length of the informant in answering questions. the researcher avoided giving questions that led the informants to give compelled responses. additionally, the researcher was careful in developing questions that would guide the interview without steering the dialogue in a particular direction. the researcher asked the following questions: 1. what are the experiences of grade 7 struggling readers in junior high school? 2. how do the struggling readers understand their experiences? 3. how do the struggling readers cope with the effects of the phenomenon? the researcher also recorded all the interviews using the recorder on the phone and made notes during each interview. next to the checking of data from each participant was the crafting of themes which lessened the details in the data. after being transcribed, the data was printed and checked. data analysis for this study, giorgi (1985) 4-step method to phenomenological data analysis incorporated pa ge 20 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(1) 18-24, 2024 within todres and hollaway’s (2004) empiricalphenomenological framework (christensen, 2017) was used in analyzing the data. as defined by giorgi (2003), data analysis is the process of reviewing the data from transcripts of the interviews and identifying themes. the method of analysis involved four essential steps such as the following: reading a sense of the whole giorgi (1985) proposed that reading as a whole gives the reader “openness” and global sense to the narrative. thus, in this scientific method, the researcher developed a general sense of the lived experience. re-reading of the transcripts was not only done on this stage to develop meaningful themes but also the “phenomenological reduction” in the form of bracketing. giorgi (1985) cleared the importance of “phenomenological reduction” to achieve the sense of whole (christensen, 2017). the researcher applied bracketing while re-reading the transcriptions to temporarily suspend her personal beliefs and judgments that might affect the wholeness of the phenomenon. determining and establishing meaning units after re-reading the transcripts and doing bracketing, the researcher broke the transcripts into more specific and smaller descriptive account by partitioning the segments of interviews gathered while being cautious not to sacrifice the most important part on this process which is the meaning of the experience. the researcher also marked and partitioned the shifts made from the first process until this transforms into a collection of natural meaning units. transforming those meaning units through progressive refinement giorgi (1985) describes this stage as the beginning of asking each meaning unit to explain the effects of the lifeworld descriptions or simply make the analysis fruitful. for this to happen, the researcher highlighted and elaborated the dimension of experience or simply, the researcher articulated the transcripts into a phenomenological specific language. christensen (2017) defined this process as the development of natural meaning units as well as the identification of central meaning unit themes from the second stage. once meaning units have been outlined, the researcher went through all the meaning units, which were still expressed in the concrete language of the participants, reflected on them and then came up with the essence of the experience of the participant. the researcher also transformed each relevant unit into the language of psychological science. determining the structure by describing the connected meanings that belong to the experience the main goal on this process is to develop a singularly precise structure of the phenomenon. following the use of imaginative variation on these transformed meaning units, the researcher developed a consistent statement regarding the structure of the participants’ experience. ethical considerations since the students who participated in this study were all minors, the researcher needed the active consent of the parents of the participants so, a letter asking for a permit to let their child participate in the study was given to them. after collecting the parents’ consent, the researcher started to identify the most convenient time for the informants to have the interview. the informants were also reminded of their choice to quit anytime if they were uncomfortable, and they were never forced to participate in the study. to establish rapport with the informants, the researcher first asked for some basic information on the informants before scheduling the next two interviews. figure 1: data analysis steps pa ge 21 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(1) 18-24, 2024 the researcher also reminded the informants throughout the study that all information they provided would be strictly confidential. with this, the researcher decided to use codes for the names of the informants to keep their privacy. results and discussion the purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to search for common essences experienced by participants of a shared phenomenon. the informants in this study shared their experiences of struggling in reading with poor academic performance. by seeking and hearing informants’ subjective encounters and how they made sense of these occurrences, this research gained a better understanding of their lived experiences and how they cope with the phenomenon. three research questions guided the study. what are the experiences of struggling readers with poor academic performance in junior high school? the experiences of the struggling readers in junior high school in the phenomenon revealed its result from the actual semi-structured interview. it was found that three major themes emerged relative to the participants’ responses, namely: difficulties of struggling readers, sources influencing struggling readers’ experiences, and emotion-focused coping mechanisms. how do the struggling readers understand their experiences? the results of the conducted interviews revealed that struggling readers in junior high school understand their experiences through the theme emerged: sources influencing struggling readers’ experiences. the informants noted that many sources influenced their experiences with respect to the phenomenon they are within. how do the struggling readers cope with the effects of the phenomenon? the participants learned to overcome the effects of the experiences from the phenomenon. through the faceto-face interview, the informants revealed how they cope with the situation they are in, and this was categorized into one theme: emotion-focused coping mechanisms such as physical and emotional distancing. through these coping techniques, the struggling readers in junior high school were able to face the demands of the phenomenon. all of them shared how they distanced themselves and their emotions in dealing with stress and overcoming difficulties as struggling readers. discussion the results of this study added a unique perspective to the existing body of literature on students in junior high school who are struggling in reading and with poor academic performance. this section is meant to connect the previous research and theories with the findings of this study. self-efficacy theory self-efficacy is a natural trait of humans that characterizes believing to their own abilities to overcome challenges and finish tasks productively (akhtar, 2008) as mentioned by (ackerman, 2018). as shown in this study, the participants admitted that they often get failing scores in their tests and quizzes which was a sign of poor level of self-efficacy. gilroy (2013) stated in her study, that self-efficacy is a major challenge for struggling readers in many cases and that giving remediation to such students would be helpful to make them feel successful. she also stresses in her study that class remediation has a positive impact on students because it could promote resiliency which is interrelated with self-efficacy and is important to be successful. resilience theory another theory related to self-efficacy that was also applicable to this study is resilience. bandura (2008) asserts that failures are important to develop resilience. in the case of the participants in this study, their resilience level is undeniably poor. most of them said that they just enrolled again because their parents wanted them to do so. with that, it can be inferred that these students lack resiliency. after experiencing failure from the previous school year, these students decided to continue their studies and enrolled again in grade 7 not because they wanted it but because other people wanted it for them. coping mechanism coping mechanisms are the techniques that people use in facing stress and/or trauma to handle painful emotions or problematic situations (bailey, 2022). in this study, the participants who have the inability to read fluently and proficiently experienced stress in life. for once, they needed mechanisms or techniques to cope with the difficulties and taxing situations that they were experiencing. it was noted in this study that struggling readers tend to avoid problem-focused coping mechanisms in dealing with their stressors and prefer an emotion-based coping strategy. specifically, the participants manifested the use of physical and emotional distancing. instead of doing actions that would resolve their conflict, they regulated their emotions and just thought that conflict would be resolved without doing anything like in their most common dilemma which is bullying. struggling readers who were bullied just remained silent and distant and avoided confrontations with their stressors. conclusions the result of this study showed that students who struggled to read experienced a lot of difficulties in life. such difficulties pertain to the lived experiences of the participants and therefore were crafted as one of the main themes. this study revealed how struggling readers pa ge 22 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(1) 18-24, 2024 in junior high school were affected by their situation. current literature clearly depicts the reality of reading deficiencies in the philippines. albano jr. (2018) claimed that some grade 7 students in the philippines could barely read and this was evident in the conducted research as the participants shared their difficulty in reading. in this study, several problems of struggling readers in junior high school were identified by the researcher such as emotional problems, academic problems, and behavioral problems. it was observed that participants’ inability to read fluently and proficiently put them in stressful situations like being bullied, shaming through receiving hurtful words and comments, and sometimes physical hurt like beating and punching which led to different emotional problems. these stressful situations were identified to contribute more difficulties to the learning success of struggling readers. sonnenschein, stapleton, & benson, (2010) as cited in the study of cerda, im, et al. (2014) claimed that a poor foundation of literacy skills in the early years of studying may lead students to low academic performance. this assertion was reflected in the participants’ poor academic performance and failing grades that resulted in their repetition of grade level. in the informants’ shared experiences, it was also discovered that students who struggle in reading manifested behavior that often needs more attention from teachers and sometimes distracts classes. it was noted in the interview with the participants that they were often reprimanded by their teacher because of being talkative and misbehaving in class. ministry of education, guyana (2016) supported this claim as they explained that children who exhibit behavior problems invariably require extra attention. this study contributed to the larger existing body of literature about the experiences of struggling readers in junior high school. this supported the claims of some studies about the importance of motivation to students, especially those who are struggling with reading. just like the proficient students, struggling readers also appreciate praise and need motivation to do well in class. although most struggling readers like the informants involved have experienced so much failure that made them think success is impossible for them like repeating grade 7 after failing from the previous school year, being motivated to do school tasks like reading was still possible with the help of some people. various studies that have been established pertaining to students’ attitudes and learning workplace posit that reading and motivation are interrelated to each other (becker et. al, 2010) as cited in (gable, 2014). it was evident in this study that struggling readers feel motivated to do better in class and in performing tasks like reading if they get praise and encouraging words. more so, they appreciate every effort that their teachers, classmates, and family give to them, especially in resolving their dilemma in doing academic tasks. as cited by lambert (2014) teachers could still do something to regain learner’s motivation that has been lost due to failures. it was clear that struggling readers like them were mainly motivated by extrinsic motivation and deficiency in intrinsic motivation was observed as they failed to do school tasks with the same level of enthusiasm. some studies supported the disadvantages and negative effects of too much extrinsic motivation and deficiency of intrinsic motivation. (deci, et. al (2000) as cited in yang, et. al, (2018) said that students who are motivated extrinsically have the possibility to focus more on the reward and appreciation of reading, and in that case, their motivation also has a big chance to diminish. moreover, as extrinsically motivated students tend to concentrate on the reward and recognition associated with reading, their intrinsic interest in reading can be considerably reduced (yang, et. al 2018). generally, students’ reading skills depend on the intrinsic motivation that they have within themselves (mcgeown, 2014). literature supports that children who are intrinsically engaged in reading will have deeper learning and understanding than those who are extrinsically motivated with only the least interest in what they are reading will have a superficial understanding. ericksen (2016) claimed the benefits of intrinsic motivation. in her study, she explained that internal motivation creates a deeper and vast impact on the learner because the reason for learning is from the learner itself. thus, intrinsic motivation is more personal and beneficial to the learner because the learner has the free will to decide for himself depending on his own desires and intentions. on the other hand, extrinsic motivation or getting rewards is only temporarily helpful to the learners because their motivation is not from themselves. this assertion was supported by the interviewed participants as they expressed their seldom interest and desire to practice reading and do better in class after receiving praise from others. the majority of them asserted that they continued their studies and sometimes were inspired to do school tasks because of encouraging words they got from people who care for them like family, friends, and teachers. with this, it can be inferred that they are doing things or tasks like reading or re-enrolling in grade 7 not because they want it for themselves, but most likely others want it for them. furthermore, it was also revealed in this study that students with reading difficulty need social support from their family, friends, and teachers. based on the responses of the participants, they need adequate attention, time, guidance, and supervision from their parents. all the participants noted their wish to go home to see their mom and have a lot of time to teach them to read. they said that they will be more motivated to read books if the person who will teach them is their mother. it can be concluded from this that the great and strong combination of motivation and social support could have a great impact on the success of struggling readers. however, strong motivation and social support alone would not be enough to help the struggling readers holistically. a high level of students’ self-efficacy – their belief to execute behaviors necessary to produce specific performance attainments and resilience or the ability to pa ge 23 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(1) 18-24, 2024 cope after failure is also necessary to achieve academic success and therefore must also be enriched in struggling readers. according to haas, (2017), students’ awareness that they are efficacious in mastering and controlling their own learning leads to ample motivation in achieving their goals in reading or in any tasks. moreover, henk, melnick (1995) as cited in hedges (2014) explained that learners who considered themselves skilled in reading most likely enjoy reading activities and processes. contrastingly, learners who are passive in reading tend to avoid any activity or process associated with reading which often leads to low reading achievement or poor grades in class. wigfield at al., (2016) explained in their study the importance of self-efficacy, or the belief in one’s ability to finish certain tasks in learning. for instance, students can perform better when they are conscious of their self-efficacy or when they feel and believe that they are efficacious in accomplishing tasks. on the other hand, with respect to the responses of the participants, it was found that self-efficacy and resilience in doing tasks and handling stressful events were very much lacking in them and affected them drastically as a whole. specifically, selfdoubt, poor self-esteem, and negation in doing school tasks like reading were very evident in them as they distant themselves physically and emotionally from their stressor instead of having a high level of optimism in accomplishing tasks that could result in a better academic performance. undeniably, struggling readers like the participants have the big possibility to use poor coping mechanisms as they lack motivation, support system, selfefficacy, and resilience. it was also noted in the study that reading problems are not only limited to the technical learning of reading but also the emotional problems of the students for which their present ineffective coping is merely physical and emotional withdrawal. it was seen in the study that through distancing, struggling readers were able to manage their emotional responses to an uncontrollable situation and believe that problem will be solved without exerting much effort. this claim was supported by marinak, gambrell (2008) as cited in alhamdu (2016), students who are not motivated to read will always find ways to escape doing any reading activity. thus, a combination of problem-based coping mechanism and emotion-based coping mechanisms for struggling readers would be a healthier and much better way of coping with stressful events or situations. this study also supported the idea that reading problems are not the only dilemma of struggling readers. beyond their difficulty reading fluently and proficiently, there are more stressful situations they need to handle and difficulties they need to go through. however, in every difficulty that they have experienced, there are ways or techniques to cope and be better. this study helped them to be better understood in society by looking into their livedexperiences. additionally, it provided further support to the existing literature that suggests that the findings can help educators understand and address the needs of struggling readers so they may adapt and/or improve existing intervention reading programs. above all, this study served as a guide to the department of education, school heads, teachers, and other agencies or centers associated with education in designing intervention plans with a holistic approach for students who struggle with reading. recommendations in the course of this qualitative research, the following recommendations are created: 1. the researcher recommends the use of a holistic approach in reading intervention since struggling readers experience difficulties in different aspects of life such as emotional, academic, and behavioral aspects. the holistic approach to teaching reading may help struggling readers develop a love of reading. 2. secondly, a one-on-one approach in reading intervention is recommended for struggling readers because of their adequate need for guidance and supervision. 3. aside from focusing on giving remediation to struggling readers, creating programs that would help struggling readers strengthen their self-efficacy and resilience, making use of their social support system with family and friends, and the awareness of the reading teachers of the holistic nature of the reading problem is much recommended since such factors have shown great impact on the success of students. 4. conducting a phenomenological study on the life of elementary struggling readers is also recommended since there is a much bigger number of struggling elementary readers in some regions of the country. references albano, e. (2019). deped urged to stop sending nonreaders to high school. manila times. https:// www.manilatimes.net/2019/06/06/campus-press/ deped-urged-to-stop-sending-non-readers-to-highschool/565106/ ackerman, c. (2018). what is self-efficacy theory in psychology? definition and examples. positive psychology program. https:// positivepsychologyprogram.com/self-efficacy/ alhamdu, a. (2016). interest and reading motivation. researchgate. https://www.researchgate.net/ publication/323576174_interest_and_reading_ motivation bailey, a. (2022). coping mechanisms: everything you need to know. very well health. https:// www.verywellhealth.com/coping-mechanisms5272135#:~:text=coping%20mechanisms%20 are%20behaviors%20that,you%20react%20to%20 your%20stressors. bandura, a. (1994). (self-efficacy. in v. s. ramachaudran (ed.), encyclopedia of human behavior, (4), 71-81. new york: academic press. (reprinted in h. friedman [ed.], encyclopedia of mental health. san diego: academic press, 1998). https://www.uky. edu/~eushe2/bandura/banency.html pa ge 24 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(1) 18-24, 2024 cerda, c. a., im, m. h., & hughes, j. n. (2014). (learning-related skills and academic achievement in academically at-risk first graders. journal of applied developmental psychology, 35(5), 433–443. https://doi. org/10.1016/j.appdev.2014.08.001 creswell, j.w. (2013). research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. los angeles, ca: sage publications. christensen, m. (2017). the empirical-phenomenological research framework: reflecting on its use. journal of nursing education and practice, (7), 83-86. http://www. sciedupress.com/journal/index.php/jnep/article/ view/11309 ericksen, s. (2016). motivating students to read: a case study. https://digitalcommons.brockport.edu/cgi/ viewcontent.cgi?article=1707&context=ehd_theses gable, r. (2014). the relationship of reading motivation and self-efficacy to reading achievement 1. https:// www.jwu.edu/files/pdfs/www2/hedgesgable_ readingmotivation.pdf gilroy, n. m. (2013). a psychological study of the experiences of middle school with reading deficiencies. doctoral dissertation, drexel university. https://idea.library.drexel.edu/islandora/object/ idea%3a4309 haas, lory & lasley, elizabeth & sosebee, thomas & cox, donna. (2017). increasing motivation of struggling readers: can e-readers, apps, and support features help?. 18. https://www.researchgate.net/ publication/319402666_increasing_motivation_of_ struggling_readers_can_e-readers_apps_and_ support_features_help/citation/download hedges, h. (2014). 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(2014). phenomenology of practice: meaning-giving methods in phenomenological research and writing. walnut creek, california: left coast press. https://philpapers.org/ export.html?__format=txt&eids=vanpop6&formatname=plain%20text wigfield, a., gladstone, j., & turci, l. (2016). (beyond cognition: reading motivation and reading comprehension. child development perspectives, 10(3), 190–195. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12184 yang, g., badri, m. , al rashedi, a., & almazroui, k. (2018). the role of reading motivation, selfefficacy, and home influence in students’ literacy achievement: a preliminary examination of fourth graders in abu dhabi. large scale assessment in education. https://link.springer.com/content/ pdf/10.1186%2fs40536-018-0063-0.pdf pa ge 1 pa ge 50 american journal of education and technology (ajet) enhancing internet safety and cybersecurity awareness among secondary and high school students in afghanistan: a case study of badakhshan province abdul wajid fazil1, musawer hakimi2*, saidamin sajid3, mohammad mustafa quchi4, khudai qul khaliqyar3 volume 2 issue 4, year 2023 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i4.2248 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: october 16, 2023 accepted: november 19, 2023 published: november 24, 2023 in the contemporary digital era, the pervasive influence of the internet underscores the imperative to equip the youth with skills for secure online navigation. while the internet presents vast opportunities, it simultaneously exposes young learners to potential risks, encompassing cyberbullying, privacy breaches, and security threats. this research meticulously examines the impact of cybersecurity education on the digital literacy and online safety of students, emphasizing the youth in badakhshan province, afghanistan. it advocates for the cultivation of digital literacy and online safety principles across diverse age groups and fields of study. furthermore, the study underscores the paramount importance of instilling awareness regarding responsible digital practices related to privacy, security, and copyright, with a compelling call for active parental involvement. to execute this research, a robust stratified random sampling technique was deployed, meticulously selecting 170 male and female students from various grade levels in both public and private schools within badakhshan province, afghanistan. data collection was facilitated through a comprehensive survey questionnaire featuring 16 likert scale-based questions. subsequently, the gathered data underwent rigorous statistical analysis, encompassing descriptive and inferential statistics, regression analysis, and qualitative content analysis. this research yields invaluable insights into the internet behavior and cybersecurity awareness of the youth in badakhshan province, afghanistan. it makes essential contributions to comprehending their online activities and digital literacy. the overarching goal is to empower students to navigate the digital landscape with confidence and ethical discernment by integrating cybersecurity education into school curricula. this approach not only safeguards their privacy and security but also optimizes the internet’s full potential. the study significantly contributes to fostering a safer, more responsible, and knowledge-driven society. keywords cybersecurity education, digital literacy, online safety, internet privacy, information security, youth empowerment, educational strategy 1 department of is, badakhshan university, afghanistan 2 department of computer science, samangan university, afghanistan 3 department of it, badakhshan university, afghanistan 4 department of network engineering, faryab university, afghanistan * corresponding author’s e-mail: musawer@adc.edu.in introduction in an era marked by increasing digitization, the imperative of enhancing internet safety and cybersecurity awareness among secondary and high school students cannot be overstated. as technology becomes deeply integrated into various aspects of daily life, equipping the youth with the knowledge and skills to navigate the digital landscape securely is paramount. reflecting the global trend of addressing cybersecurity education in educational curricula, particularly in regions such as badakhshan province, afghanistan, underscores the necessity of proactive measures (valcheva, 2020). although the prevalence of cyber threats in this region may not be as alarming as in some other parts of the world, the ever-evolving nature of cyber threats necessitates ensuring that students are well-prepared to safeguard themselves and their information online. the state of cybersecurity awareness and education in afghanistan, particularly in secondary and high schools, emerges as a subject of critical concern. while various countries, exemplified by the government of the united kingdom (2020) and the japan ministry of education (2017), have taken significant steps in integrating cybersecurity education into their educational systems, afghanistan faces unique challenges and opportunities. the lack of cybersecurity awareness and education can expose students to risks such as cyberbullying, online scams, and other harmful online activities, underscoring the need for immediate action (jones & brown, 2020). as the government and educational institutions in afghanistan work towards addressing these challenges, it becomes crucial to examine existing practices, strategies, and potential areas of improvement in enhancing internet safety and cybersecurity awareness among secondary and high school students in badakhshan province. this case study aims to shed light on the current state of cybersecurity education in the region, analyze the effectiveness of different approaches, and offer insights that can inform the development of standardized guidelines for incorporating cybersecurity education into school curricula, aligning with global imperatives (valcheva, 2020). furthermore, this study underscores the importance of a holistic approach to cybersecurity education, emphasizing technical skills, ethical values, and responsible digital citizenship (livingstone & bulger, 2014). nurturing a new generation of informed digital citizens capable of navigating the digital world responsibly and safely is essential. through collaboration among schools, parents, and the local community, the goal is to create a safer digital environment for secondary and pa ge 51 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 50-61, 2023 high school students in badakhshan province, equipping them with the necessary tools and knowledge to engage with technology securely and ethically. this case study sets the stage for an in-depth examination of the current landscape of cybersecurity education in badakhshan province, afghanistan, and the strategies employed to enhance internet safety and cybersecurity awareness among secondary and high school students. through this research, we seek to contribute to the global imperative of fostering a safer digital environment and empowering the youth with the knowledge and skills they need to thrive in an increasingly connected world. significance of the study the significance of this research lies in the critical need for enhanced cybersecurity awareness and education in our increasingly digital world. cybersecurity is a pressing concern, and the escalating frequency and complexity of cyber threats underscores its significance. the existing knowledge gap among the general population and students, in particular, emphasizes the importance of this research. by incorporating cybersecurity education into school curricula, we address the dire need for cyber literacy from an early age. furthermore, this study contributes significantly to academic knowledge by bridging the gap between the education sector and the cybersecurity domain. it offers an innovative approach by advocating for cybersecurity integration within formal education systems, making it an essential part of academic discourse. this research proposes practical solutions, aligning academic endeavors with real-world challenges. moreover, the study serves as a reference for policymakers, educators, and institutions interested in cybersecurity education, as it provides a comprehensive blueprint for implementation. it offers insights into optimizing knowledge transfer to create a safer digital environment, reducing vulnerabilities and enhancing cyber resilience. ultimately, the research explores uncharted territories at the intersection of cybersecurity and education, opening doors for further academic inquiry and innovative strategies to bolster cybersecurity. this study’s findings are instrumental in addressing the growing threat of cyberattacks and fortifying the global digital landscape. literature review cybersecurity education for young learners has gained prominence in the wake of an increasingly digitized world. this vital aspect of modern education ensures that young individuals can safely and responsibly navigate the digital landscape. the ever-evolving nature of cyber threats underpins the importance of this education. smith et al. (2018) emphasize the significance of imparting digital literacy and cybersecurity skills to the younger generation. their research aligns with the global trend of integrating cybersecurity into educational curricula, highlighting that schools need to create a safer digital environment for students. jones and brown (2020) reiterate the need for cybersecurity education, noting the potential risks young individuals face, including cyberbullying, online scams, and other harmful activities. education in this context becomes a proactive measure against such threats. it imparts technical skills and fosters a sense of empowerment among students (li et al., 2019). international practices set an example for cybersecurity education integration. countries like the united kingdom, japan, and india have already taken significant steps in this direction. the government of the united kingdom (2020) has emphasized the need for a proactive approach to cybersecurity education, aligning with the objectives of the national cyber security policy (2013). japan, through its ministry of education (2017), has similarly incorporated cybersecurity into its educational systems, emphasizing the global need for such programs. a holistic approach to cybersecurity education emphasizes technological skills, ethical values, and digital citizenship (livingstone & bulger, 2014). cybersecurity education should be viewed as an indispensable component of modern education, equipping young learners with the tools and knowledge to engage with technology safely and responsibly. cybersecurity education, as emphasized by smith et al. (2018) and jones and brown (2020), is essential to address the evolving threats in the digital age. students, now more than ever, need to be equipped with the knowledge and skills to protect themselves and their information online. cybersecurity education doesn’t just prevent individuals from falling victim to cyber threats; it also cultivates a sense of responsibility and ethical behavior. the study conducted by li et al. (2019) aligns with these principles by advocating for the integration of cybersecurity into educational frameworks. it recognizes that the threats faced by students are not limited to mere technological challenges but encompass the complexities of the digital world, such as privacy concerns and ethical dilemmas. one key aspect of these discussions is the collaborative effort required between schools and parents. anderson and milfont (2017) highlight the crucial role parents play in guiding their children to practice safe and responsible online behavior. parents’ involvement in their children’s cybersecurity education strengthens the impact of educational initiatives. as the research demonstrates, the implementation of comprehensive cybersecurity education has been successful in various countries. the united kingdom, japan, and india’s proactive approach (government of the united kingdom, 2020; japan ministry of education, 2017; national et al. policy, 2013) can serve as models for other nations. it emphasizes the global need for comprehensive cybersecurity education to foster a safer digital environment. livingstone and bulger (2014) underscore the multifaceted nature of cybersecurity education, focusing on not only the practical skills but also the ethical values and digital citizenship it promotes. this approach aligns with the broader goal of nurturing responsible and aware digital citizens who can safely navigate the digital landscape. in summary, the pa ge 52 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 50-61, 2023 existing cybersecurity education literature consistently highlights this educational component’s urgency and significance in the digital age. by integrating cybersecurity into curricula and involving both schools and parents, we can effectively prepare young learners to tackle the challenges and opportunities of the digital world. these insights should guide educational policies to promote safe, responsible, and ethical digital practices among the younger generation. objectives of the study • to assess the current level of internet usage and online activities of secondary and high school students in badakhshan province, afghanistan, with a focus on gender and age groups. • to investigate the average time students, spend on the internet daily and identify variations based on gender and age categories. • to determine the most common online activities engaged in by students, emphasizing platforms such as facebook, online gaming, educational content, youtube, and streaming services. • to analyze students’ preferred internet access devices, including desktop computers, laptops, smartphones, and tablets, and examine any potential associations with their online behavior. • to identify the physical locations where students access the internet, differentiating between home, internet cafes, public places, and schools. • to understand students’ perceptions of the importance of internet usage for their studies and daily lives and explore whether they believe excessive internet usage is a concern. • to investigate students’ awareness of cybersecurity issues, their experiences of cyber threats or incidents, and their responses to such incidents. materials and methods population and sample: in this research, the study population encompasses students spanning multiple grade levels, encompassing 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th and 12th grades, attending public and private schools within badakhshan province. the overall population size is characterized by the cumulative count of students enrolled across these diverse grade levels. for the purpose of this research “stratified random sampling technique” was employed to select a representative sample from this population. stratification involved dividing the population into subgroups based on grade levels, ensuring a proportional representation of students from each grade. from each stratum, a random sample of students was selected. a sample size of 170 male and female students was determined based on a “confidence level of 95% and a margin of error of 5%”. statistical techniques used in the present study:the research methodology primarily employs the study utilizes a combination of qualitative and quantitative data analysis techniques to comprehensively investigate the state of cybersecurity awareness among students. quantitative data was collected through a structured survey questionnaire. descriptive statistics, including percentages and frequencies, were used to analyse and summarize the data. cross-tabulation was employed to explore relationships and patterns within the data. qualitative data was gathered through open-ended questions in the survey, which were subsequently analysed using thematic analysis. the thematic analysis involved the identification of recurring themes and patterns within the qualitative responses provided by the students. data collection involves a likert scale-based survey with 16 questions. once the data has been preprocessed, statistical analyses will be performed using a range of methods. these analyses will include descriptive statistics to summarize the data and inferential statistics to examine variations based on gender and age groups. additionally, qualitative content analysis will be conducted within the spss version 24 software. this comprehensive methodology aims to provide insights into students’ internet behaviour, offering valuable contributions to understanding their online activities and cybersecurity awareness in badakhshan province, afghanistan. data analysis and interpretation :the study conducted at badakhshan province aimed enhancing internet safety and cybersecurity awareness among secondary and high school students in afghanistan: a case study in badakhshan province, the study employed descriptive statistics and cross-tabulation for quantitative data, revealing variations in cybersecurity awareness among students of different grades and genders. results and discussion the comprehensive results derived from this investigation can be outlined as follows: interpretation of figure 1 the study covers a diverse range of ages among participants. figure 1: a diverse range of ages among participants pa ge 53 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 50-61, 2023 the majority, around 63%, are aged between 16 and 19. a smaller segment, approximately 1%, falls in the 13 to 15 age group. overall, the study represents students aged 12 to 19. in terms of gender, it includes an almost equal distribution of males (50%) and females (50%). interpretation of figure-2 regarding electronic devices, nearly three-quarters of the students predominantly use smartphones, with a focus on 74% relying on them. laptops constitute the second most popular choice among students, with 16% of the sample. figure 2: electronic device usage desktop computers are the least utilized devices, making up only 3% of the total participants. interpretation of figure-3 the figure below presents the findings of the study concerning the locations from which students primarily access the internet. it highlights that the majority of students, approximately 80%, predominantly access the internet from their homes. a smaller portion, about 8%, uses the internet in urban areas, while 5% do so in rural regions. less than 1% (0.98%) relies on internet cafes for their internet access. figure 3: internet access locations figure 4: internet usage duration figure 5: internet usage activities interpretation of figure-4 the figure below provides insights into the internet usage patterns among students. it indicates that the majority of students, around 6%, spend 1-2 hours per day using the internet. approximately 18% of the students do not use the internet at all. meanwhile, 16% of the students are heavy internet users, spending 5-6 hours online daily. interpretation of figure-5 the figure below illustrates the multifaceted role of the internet as a valuable tool for students. among the surveyed participants, 39% utilize the internet for educational purposes, accessing study materials and resources. social networking activities on facebook are also prevalent, with 35% of students engaging in such interactions. additionally, 15% turn to youtube for various online content, while 11% participate in online gaming. this data emphasizes that internet usage among students extends beyond mere entertainment, highlighting its significance in facilitating education, social interaction, and entertainment. interpretation of figure-6, 7 the figure depicts that the internet serves as a versatile tool, providing a wide range of activities and benefits to students. among the surveyed students, 36% use the internet for studying and accessing educational materials, 35% engage in social networking activities on facebook, 15% utilize youtube, and 11% participate in online gaming. this highlights that internet usage extends beyond mere entertainment, with a substantial number of students utilizing it for educational purposes, social interaction, and entertainment. the statistics prior to the awareness workshop were disheartening, but following the workshop, there was a notable improvement in students’ awareness and their sense of online security. specifically, 36.22% of students reported feeling very secure, 30.80% indicated increased security, and 14.80% expressed decreased feelings of safety on the internet. in summary, the awareness workshop had a positive impact on students’ perception of online security, leading to a significant increase in their sense of safety. pa ge 54 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 50-61, 2023 interpretation of figure-8, 9 the figure above illustrates that a considerable portion of the surveyed students do not use the internet for academic purposes. surprisingly, even among the total participants, the majority of students (26.13%) have not reported using the internet for academic research, and 24.12% of the students claim that they have never downloaded academic materials from the web. additionally, a relatively small number of students (8.04%) mentioned using the internet for educational purposes. the workshop on internet safety and cybersecurity, combined with academic guidance and a certain level of technical knowledge sharing, has proven to be highly effective. the students’ commitment to learning significantly increased post-workshop, and the figures show a substantial shift in their perceptions. following the workshop, 46.31% of students claimed they were now engaged in a much higher volume of learning. additionally, 37.31% of students reported more significant involvement in their studies, while 6.60% of students stated that they were less engaged. this shift underscores the vital role of workshops and the need for a balance between guidance, technological proficiency, and information dissemination in enhancing students’ commitment to learning. figure 6: perception of internet-based learning (post-workshop) figure 7: perception of internet for studying figure 8: internet use for acadamic purpose figure 9: knowledge of internet safety (after the workshop) interpretation of figure-10 the figure below illustrates students’ responses to questions concerning various activities related to internet use. approximately 30% of the students claimed that they did not interact with unknown individuals online, while 21% indicated that they did not share their personal information with online contacts. furthermore, 18% claimed that they did not disclose their passwords, and pa ge 55 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 50-61, 2023 17% stated that they did not share their account details. additionally, 14% mentioned that they refrained from engaging in any academic activities on the internet. interpretation of figure-11, 12 the findings from the figure below reveal the significance of using strong and secure passwords in online behavior. approximately 67% of the students claim to use different and complex passwords for various accounts, highlighting a responsible approach to online security. however, 33% of the students admit to using easy-toremember passwords, indicating the necessity for further education through workshops on the importance of robust password practices. in the workshop, it was revealed that a significant 67% of the students utilize strong and complex passwords for their accounts. however, with the workshop’s intervention, this number is expected to increase substantially, as 82% of students are now inclined to set strong passwords. on the other hand, the percentage of students who plan to change their passwords is noteworthy, with 33% aiming to do so, and 18% deciding to reset their passwords. this indicates a positive shift towards better password practices following the workshop. figure 10: on internet use and student activities figure 11: types of password usage figure 12: types of password usage interpretation of figure-13 in response to the question about internet censorship, the students’ opinions varied significantly. a substantial portion, specifically 29.62% of the students, expressed that they had no concerns about internet censorship. however, 25.57% of the students believed that there is significant internet censorship, and 10.38% claimed that there is minimal censorship. it’s worth noting that these figures significantly shifted after the workshop, particularly in the case of students who initially believed in minimal censorship. figure 13: regarding internet censorship interpretation of figure-14 in response to the question about strategies for evading internet censorship, the students demonstrated varying opinions. a significant majority, specifically 53.77% of the students, believed that they were aware of strategies to evade censorship, whereas 24.68% indicated that they had little knowledge in this regard. furthermore, 4.68% of students expressed knowledge of various advanced techniques for evading censorship, while 3.64% of the students provided no definitive response. it’s important to note that these figures could change after attending the workshop. pa ge 56 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 50-61, 2023 interpretation of figure-15 when questioned about methods of online harassment, students presented various perspectives. approximately 40% of the students believed they had not encountered online harassment, while 20% identified messaging apps as a common platform for such incidents. moreover, 18% of the students mentioned facebook as a channel for online harassment, and 16% cited mobile devices. in addition, a smaller portion, around 6%, acknowledged email-based harassment as well. it is worth noting that the lower percentage in email harassment might be attributed to its declining us. interpretation of figure-16 the figure below provides insights into the diverse forms of online harassment and their prevalence among students. impersonation or fake identity harassment was reported by a significant number of students, accounting for 40% of the respondents. account hacking-related harassment affected 32% of students. furthermore, 22% of students reported instances of image manipulation harassment. less common forms of harassment, such as revealing personal secrets, were reported by 6% of the participants. these findings underscore the need for awareness and education regarding online safety and responsible behavior. figure 14: internet censorship evation strategies figure 15: methods of online harassment figure 16: types of online harassment interpretation of figure-17 internet abuse for various purposes and types of abuse occurs for different goals. the most significant the figure below illustrates various forms of internet abuse categorized by their purposes and objectives. the most prominent category, comprising approximately 76% of cases, is internet abuse aimed at harassing and causing harm to others. about 16% of cases are attributed to financial extortion, where individuals engage in financial demands. the dissemination of information, affecting various levels of victims, accounts for 4% of cases. finally, around 4% of cases relate to sexual abuse on the internet, raising significant concerns. these findings emphasize the need for addressing these distinct forms of internet abuse and implementing preventive measures. interpretation of figure-18 the figure below highlights the importance of seeking figure 17: purpose of internet bullying figure 18: advice on internet addiction before workshop pa ge 57 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 50-61, 2023 advice on internet bullying, as it can affect anyone online. according to this survey, a significant percentage, approximately 20%, prefer to seek advice from their friends, while 14% turn to family members for guidance. in contrast, 61% mentioned that they do not seek advice from anyone. it’s worth noting that these figures have been updated based on insights from a recent workshop, reflecting a more informed approach to addressing internet bullying. interpretation of figure-19 before the workshop, the knowledge of the students was extremely low and disappointing to the extent that they did not even understand the concept of cyberbullying. but when we gave an awareness workshop about cyber security, the awareness increased and there was a visible change in the survey data. in the survey, 42.49% of the students claimed to have a lot of knowledge and 34.72% of the students claimed to have a lot of knowledge. but figure 19: knowledge of the internet(after the workshop) then 9.07% students claimed to have little knowledge. interpretation of figure-20 the figure below illustrates the impact of counselling for internet bullying following the awareness workshop. before the workshop, approximately 8% of students reported not seeking any counselling. however, after the awareness workshop, this percentage significantly decreased to 9%. family consultation showed an increase from 20% to 29%, while teacher consultation rose from 5% to 23%. these changes indicate the positive influence of the awareness workshop in encouraging students to seek counselling and guidance when facing internet bullying issues. interpretation of figure-21 before the awareness workshop, the students had little to no knowledge of the significance of internet safety. however, through the awareness workshop, their understanding improved, and they recognized its importance. the survey data indicated a marked shift compared to the previous results. specifically, 46.48% of students stated a high level of importance, while 6.16% of students considered it to be of lesser significance. figure 20: advice on internet addiction after the workshop figure 21: the significance of internet safety verification of recommended solutions the survey served as the proposed solution, and its effectiveness was assessed through feedback from school administrators, head teachers, and associate professors, as detailed in the evaluation report. compliance of principals, head teachers and lecturers to give the workshop. pa ge 58 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 50-61, 2023 figure 22: compliance of principals, principals and teachers with video games figure 23: compliance of principals, head teacher and teachers with video games figure 24: agreement of principals, head teachers and teacher to add topics on cyber security in civics and computer textbooks figure 25: agreement of principals, head teachers andteacher to add a subject on cyber security to the academic curriculum. the best solution interpretation of figure-26 the comprehensive analysis of the four proposed solutions indicates that adding topics about cybersecurity to civics and computer textbooks emerges as the most favored option among the surveyed stakeholders. with an impressive overall average agreement of 78.30%, this solution outperforms the alternatives. the proposal to add a subject on cybersecurity to the academic curriculum follows closely behind, garnering substantial support with an average agreement of 86.60%. workshops on cybersecurity education also demonstrate strong backing, with an average agreement of 81.60%, emphasizing their efficacy in engaging participants. the use of video games for cybersecurity awareness, while still receiving positive feedback at 76.60%, ranks slightly lower than the other pa ge 59 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 50-61, 2023 figure 26: a summary of four optimal strategies for enhancing cybersecurity education solutions. in conclusion, the consensus suggests that integrating cybersecurity topics into civics and computer textbooks stands out as the most promising and widely accepted approach, warranting further consideration and potential implementation in the academic setting. discussion in this research exploration of the imperative realm of enhancing internet safety and cybersecurity awareness among secondary and high school students, particularly in badakhshan province, afghanistan, our research delves into a multifaceted landscape. as our digital age unfolds, the ubiquity of the internet demands an adept youth equipped with skills for secure online navigation. the study underscores the global trend of integrating cybersecurity education into curricula while addressing the unique challenges and opportunities in afghanistan. findings illuminate the prevalence of cyber threats, emphasizing the need for proactive measures to ensure students are well-prepared. the lack of cybersecurity awareness exposes students to risks like cyberbullying and online scams, necessitating immediate action. this case study serves as a crucial examination of existing practices, strategies, and potential areas of improvement in enhancing internet safety and cybersecurity awareness. it advocates for a holistic approach encompassing technical skills, ethical values, and responsible digital citizenship. the significance of our research lies in bridging the gap between the education sector and the cybersecurity domain. by proposing practical solutions and offering a blueprint for implementation, our study contributes to academic knowledge and serves as a reference for policymakers, educators, and institutions. through a comprehensive methodology involving both quantitative and qualitative analyses, we provide valuable insights into the internet behavior and cybersecurity awareness of the youth in badakhshan province. in essence, our commitment to cybersecurity education extends beyond protecting students; it aims to empower them to navigate the digital world responsibly and ethically, fostering a safer, more informed society. conclusions in conclusion, as we tread the path of our digital age, the need for cybersecurity education among our youth becomes ever more apparent. the internet, a vast and influential tool, offers opportunities for growth and enlightenment, but it also exposes our students to various digital dangers. these include cyberbullying, privacy infringements, and security threats, all of which are real concerns that affect our students. our research, cantered in the heart of badakhshan province, afghanistan, has brought to light the positive impact of cybersecurity education. it has underscored the urgent requirement for digital literacy and online safety principles to be instilled in students across different age groups and academic fields. additionally, it has highlighted the crucial role of parental engagement in nurturing responsible digital behaviors that encompass aspects like privacy, security, and copyright. through a meticulous research process involving both quantitative and qualitative analysis, we have gained valuable insights into the online behavior and cybersecurity awareness of the youth in this region. we’ve come to understand their online activities and their level of digital literacy. this knowledge forms a solid foundation for the integration of cybersecurity education into school curricula, an initiative aimed at empowering students to navigate the digital landscape with confidence and ethical awareness. by doing so, we ensure their online privacy and security and tap into the internet’s full potential as a resource for education. in summary, our dedication to cybersecurity education isn’t just about protecting our students; it’s about preparing them to be responsible, knowledgeable, and wellinformed digital citizens. it’s about fostering a safer, more responsible, and knowledge-driven society. as we move forward, let’s remember that the journey to a safer digital world begins with a single click, and together, we can make a profound impact. in essence, we reiterate our strong call to integrate cybersecurity education into school curricula, nurturing a generation of responsible digital citizens who will confidently and ethically navigate the digital landscape. it’s a commitment to their security, their future, and the brighter horizons of an interconnected digital world. pa ge 60 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 50-61, 2023 acknowledgement i extend my heartfelt appreciation to mr. musawer hakimi and other colleagues for their invaluable support in the completion of this research paper. their assistance in writing, data analysis through spss, and data collection was instrumental in bringing this study to fruition. their expertise and dedication significantly enhanced the quality of this work, and i am deeply grateful for his contributions. in addition, i would like to express my gratitude to my family and friends who have been a continuous source of support and encouragement throughout this research journey. their unwavering belief in my capabilities and their understanding of the demands of this endeavor have been a constant source of motivation and inspiration. this paper was made possible with the collaborative efforts of those mentioned above. their contributions have enriched the quality and depth of this research. references adams, r., & brown, t. 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(2020). types of graphs and charts. retrieved from http://www.intellspot.com/typesgraphs-charts/ pa ge 1 pa ge 51 american journal of education and technology (ajet) library environment affecting the study habits and academic performance of students of sjcb janelle t. buco1*, jimboy b. pagalilauan1, elaine r. daquioag1 volume 2 issue 3, year 2023 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i3.1751 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: may 27, 2023 accepted: june 20 , 2023 published: july 09, 2023 this study assessed the effect of the library environment on the study habits and academic performance of students at saint joseph’s college of baggao. a descriptive research design was employed, utilizing a self-made questionnaire to collect data from 240 first-year students enrolled in various programs. the collected data were analyzed using statistical tests, and the findings were drawn upon to draw meaningful conclusions and provide recommendations for future research and institutional practices. the study revealed that the library environment significantly influences students’ study habits and academic performance. the assessment of the library environment indicated that factors such as cleanliness, availability of resources, comfortable lighting, and responsive staff had a considerable impact on students’ academic endeavors. moreover, significant differences were observed among different academic programs, emphasizing the need for tailored interventions to cater to program-specific requirements and preferences. however, the study also identified some limitations, such as the small sample size and the single-institution focus, which may limit the generalizability of the findings. recommendations for future research include expanding the sample size, incorporating longitudinal studies, employing mixed methods approaches, and exploring additional variables that may contribute to the relationship between the library environment and student outcomes. based on the conclusions and recommendations, it is suggested that educational institutions prioritize the maintenance, improvement, and customization of library resources and services to meet the diverse needs of students. institutions should use the study findings to inform their policies and practices regarding the library environment, creating a conducive and supportive space that enhances students’ study habits and academic performance. this study contributes valuable insights into the significance of the library environment in facilitating students’ academic success. by addressing the limitations and implementing the recommendations, future research can further enhance our understanding of the complex dynamics between the library environment, study habits, and academic performance, leading to improved strategies and practices in educational institutions. keywords library environment, study habits, academic performance, significant differences, academic programs, longitudinal studies 1 saint joseph’s college of baggao, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: jimpagalilauan10@gmail.com introduction creating a conducive and charming environment for students to help them cultivate good study habits must be the topmost priority of any university in the world. for universities to cultivate these habits, sound and effective libraries come to mind with the primary aim of contributing towards sound academic performance. the essence of the use of libraries is to provide an ideal environment and vital information resources for students to develop and sustain good study habits that are necessary for outstanding academic performance (jato et al., 2014) every student needs to improve his/her performance to become better and achieve greater academic prospects and there are a lot of ways to achieve that. one of the best ways is going to a library. according to longman dictionary 6th edition, “a library is a room or building containing books that can be looked at or borrow.” a library is indeed a good place for every person, especially students. it is not only a place to read books, but a library is a place for students to do a lot of activities that are related to their studies. they can read books, find new information, have group meetings and many other things. academic libraries play a significant role towards the achievement of the goals of tertiary institutions and hardly would academic institutions be able to provide for the academic, intellectual, and other interests and information needs of students without the services of good libraries. this is because a good library and information services have been noted as essential ingredient for research, successful teaching, and learning (caroline & husne, 2018). thus, (jato et al., 2014) affirmed that “it is imperative for the students to nurture good study habits that will prepare them for outstanding performance in their academic endeavor and this is achievable via effective use of a library”. habits are a well-planned and deliberate pattern of study which has attained a form of consistency on the part of the students toward understanding academic subjects and excel at examinations. therefore, a student’s study habit is a life-long continuous and regular performance of the act of reading. in a similar submission, (gurcu & husne, 2009) subscribed that “habit of using libraries means continuous and regular use of a library by the individual to meet his/her intellectual requirements”. meeting these intellectual requirements pa ge 52 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 51-57, 2023 reveals that students have gained the habit of reading and developed skills necessary for using libraries. related library resources to students’ learning outcomes and found that the use of library resources was associated significantly with better learning outcomes. the study habits and academic performance are at times used interchangeably (haliru et al.,2015). hence, (danskin & burnett, 2005) found that students getting higher marks had more effective study habits as compared to students who had ineffective study habits and thus lagged behind in studies. similarly, (bashir & mattoo, 2012) found academically poor achievers to have less effective study habits as compared to academically high achievers. the authors further submit that students who got more scholarships had better study habits than the students who did not have or achieve scholarships. this is why (moruf, 2015) concluded that library and education are two inseparable vital institutions of socialization in a child developmental process. the author emphasizes that the provision of library services is vital and indispensable to all levels of education. hence, the essence of libraries is to promote and complement education. (monu, 2020) in his study explored the role of academic libraries to achieve academic excellence in academic institution and pointed out that academic library must play very important role because academic institutions are incomplete without a good library. academic libraries help to impact positivity on academic achievement. it supports various educational programs that develop students’ skills in locating and using information. the academic library provides students with lifelong learning skills and develops interest and creativity empowering them to live as responsible citizens. librarians and library staff do help students to access and use quality information and resources which help them to enhance their study and explain to them how to browse the latest technologies which will help them to improve and strengthen their learning.in general, students are unaware of the value of having a library. most students rarely know how to use the library to its best capacity, resulting in underutilization. most students go to the library to hang out with their friends and talk about things that have nothing to do with their classes. worst case scenario is when students utilize the library as a sleeping and dating location. in a modern educational system where knowledge and its sources are critical to students’ performance and academic progress, it is essential that students understand and utilize the benefits that a library can give. when people realize the advantages, their approach changes. philippines’ educational system is like others. libraries play a major role as a provider of reliable resources and beneficial information here, just as in other countries. at the same time, due to late development of the country, many students are having trouble comprehending the concept of a modern library. one way to mitigate this problem is to encourage the students to embrace using the traditional library in their academic studies and explaining its benefits. the academic library of saint joseph’s college of baggao is an institution that supports curricular programs. it caters to the needs of the students and researchers. through quality services and reliable resources, users have better opportunities to do their assignments, reports, research works, projects, and other academic pursuits. in this light, the researcher decided to conduct this study to find out the effect of library environment on the study habits and academic performance of first year students of sjcb. methodology research design in this study, the researchers employed a descriptive research method to examine the impact of the library environment on students’ study habits and academic performance. the descriptive method allowed for a comprehensive assessment and analysis of the relationship between these variables. by collecting data on the library environment, study habits, and academic performance of students, the researcher aimed to provide a detailed understanding of how the library environment influences students’ study habits and, subsequently, their academic performance. this approach enabled the researcher to gather valuable insights and generate a comprehensive overview of the subject matter. participants the study focused on a sample of 240 first-year students from various programs at saint joseph’s college of baggao during the academic year 2022-2023. the selection of respondents was conducted using a random sampling method to ensure a representative sample. the random sampling method helped in minimizing bias and ensuring that each student had an equal chance of being included in the study. instrumentation the researchers utilized a self-designed questionnaire that underwent validation by the research adviser and the director of research of saint joseph’s college of baggao to ensure its content accuracy. the questionnaire was divided into two parts. part 1 focused on gathering the profile information of the respondents, while part 2 delved into the factors of the library environment that potentially influence students’ study habits and academic performance at sjcb. the inclusion of both parts allowed the researchers to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the participants’ characteristics and perceptions regarding the library environment. results and discussions pa ge 53 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 51-57, 2023 table 1: frequency and percentage distribution of respondents according to program. program frequency percentage bsed 27 11.3 beed 27 11.3 abec 19 7.9 bssw 28 11.7 bsit 28 11.7 blis 27 11.3 bstm 28 11.7 bsba 28 11.7 bscrim 28 11.7 total 240 100 table 1 provides a comprehensive overview of the frequency and percentage distribution of respondents based on their respective programs. the table includes information on various programs and the corresponding number of respondents enrolled in each program. the total number of respondents for the study is 240. each program is listed, accompanied by the frequency, which represents the number of respondents from that particular program. the percentage column showcases the proportion of respondents within each program relative to the total number of respondents. specifically, there are 5 programs accounting for 11.3% each, 3 programs representing 11.3% each as well, and 1 program comprising 7.9% of the total respondents. these percentages sum up to a total of 100%, encompassing the entire respondent population. thus, the distribution of respondents across different programs indicates that the study has captured a diverse sample representing various academic disciplines. this variety in program representation strengthens the generalizability of the findings, as it reflects a broader range of perspectives and experiences. the implications of this distribution highlight the relevance of the study’s findings not only to specific programs but also to the broader student population at saint joseph’s college of baggao. it emphasizes the need for comprehensive interventions and strategies that can cater to the diverse needs and academic contexts of students from different programs. table 2: frequency and percentage distribution of respondents according to gender gender frequency percentage female 145 60.4 male 95 39.6 total 240 100 table 2 presents the gender distribution of the respondents in the study, comprising a total of 240 students. the table indicates that majority of the respondents are female, accounting for 145 individuals or 60.4% of the total sample. on the other hand, the male respondents represent a minority, with 95 individuals or 39.6% of the total.the gender distribution of the respondents reveals an interesting aspect of the study sample. the higher representation of female students suggests a potential gender disparity in participation or willingness to engage in research studies. this finding could prompt further investigation into the factors influencing research participation among male students. additionally, it highlights the need for future studies to ensure diverse gender representation to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of the research topic. moreover, the gender distribution findings could have implications for the interpretation and generalizability of the study’s results. it is important to consider potential gender-related nuances when analyzing the impact of the library environment on study habits and academic performance, as different genders may perceive and respond to the environment differently. by acknowledging and addressing gender-related considerations, researchers and educators can develop targeted interventions and strategies to promote equitable academic outcomes for all students. assessment on the factors of library environment that affects the study habits and academic performance of students table 3a presents the respondents’ assessment of the factors related to the library environment that affect their study habits and academic performance.the ratings for most of the questions in the table are above 4.00, indicating that students perceive a large or very large extent of the library collections’ impact on their study habits and academic performance. the highest rating is attributed to question 2.1, which suggests that the library provides accurate and reliable resources. this finding aligns with previous research by (aina, 2011) which highlighted that the availability of relevant information materials and a conducive learning environment contribute to increased pa ge 54 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 51-57, 2023 table 3: respondents’ assessment on the factors of library environment that affects the study habits and academic performance of students library collections mean descriptive interpretation the library provides accurate and reliable library resources. 4.43 very large extent the library provides adequate copies of books of each subject. 4.10 large extent the library provides updated library resources. 4.09 large extent the collections of the library meet the information needs of the users. 4.17 large extent the collections are well organized. 3.87 large extent the collections are neat and clean. 3.99 large extent the collections are all in good condition. 4.01 large extent the magazines and fiction books are good for entertainment. 4.05 large extent the collections are very accessible to all users. 4.18 large extent the library ensures safety and security of all the collections 4.35 very large extent overall mean 4.124 large extent library usage.another study by (ababio et al., 2012) also supports these results, indicating that current and relevant materials play a significant role in influencing students’ overall perception of the library’s service quality. however, the lowest rating is associated with question 2.5, which addresses the organization of collections. this indicates that students perceive the organization of library collections to be in a large extent but not as strongly as the other factors. moreover, the findings of this assessment highlight the positive influence of the library collections on students’ study habits and academic performance. however, it also suggests the need for improvement in the organization of collections to further enhance the library environment table 4: respondents’ assessment on the factors of library environment that affects the study habits and academic performance of students library services mean descriptive interpretation the library facilities are neat and clean. 4.42 very large extent the library provides enough tables and chairs for users who wish to use the library 4.04 large extent individual carrels are provided to support individual learners. 4.11 large extent the lighting at the library makes reading comfortable. 4.15 large extent the library has good air ventilation that makes reading even more relaxing. 3.97 large extent the internet facility has enough number of computers for users. 3.75 large extent borrowing and returning is a service that is convenient for users who wish to extend the usage of a library material 4.03 large extent the library provides a discussion room that is perfect for group study or meetings. 4.23 very large extent the library promotes inclusivity, that is, all students, teachers even visitors are welcome to use the library 4.27 very large extent the librarians and library staffs are responsive to the information needs of the users. 4.44 very large extent overall mean 4.14 large extent and better meet the students’ needs. table 4 presents the respondents’ assessment of the factors related to the library environment that impact their study habits and academic performance. each factor is accompanied by its corresponding mean score and a descriptive interpretation. the mean scores indicate the extent to which the respondents perceive the influence of each factor.the table reveals that most of the factors received ratings above 4.00, indicating that the students perceive a large or very large extent of library services in relation to their study habits and academic performance. the highest rating, with a mean score of 4.44, is for question 2.20, which states that “the librarians and library staff are responsive to the information needs of the users.” this suggests that students highly appreciate the support and assistance provided by the library staff. on the other hand, the lowest rating, with a mean score of 3.75, is for question 2.16, which states that “the internet pa ge 55 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 51-57, 2023 facility has enough number of computers for users.” this finding aligns with a study conducted by (ababio et al., 2012), which investigated students’ satisfaction levels with different service components of the kumasi polytechnic library in ghana. the study found that students highlighted the need for improvement in areas such as course materials, computers, and internet facilities. moreover, the findings indicate that the library services provided at sjcb have a positive impact on the students’ study habits and academic performance. however, there is room for improvement, particularly in areas such as internet facility availability. the high ratings for most factors suggest that the library is generally meeting the students’ needs and expectations, fostering an inclusive and supportive environment. these findings can inform the development of strategies and initiatives to further enhance library services and better support students’ academic endeavors. test of significant difference table 5 presents the results of a test conducted to determine the significant difference in the perceived table 5: test of significant difference on the perceived effect of the respondents on the library environment when grouped according to their program profile t-value p-value decision program 5.262 0.000 reject ho effect of the respondents on the library environment when grouped according to their program. the test used a one-way analysis of variance (anova) to compare the means of different student groups based on their program.the t-value obtained from the analysis is 5.262, indicating the extent to which the means of the different groups differ from each other. the p-value, calculated as 0.000, represents the probability of obtaining the observed result by chance alone. based on these results, the decision is to reject the null hypothesis (ho) since the p-value is less than the predetermined significance level of 0.05. this indicates that there is a statistically significant difference among the group means in terms of their perception of the library environment. the significant result implies that the variable of program has an effect on the outcome variable that was measured in the study. it suggests that students from different programs have varying perceptions of how the library environment impacts their study habits and academic performance. this finding highlights the importance of considering program-specific factors when designing interventions and strategies to optimize the library environment for students across various academic disciplines. multiple comparison table the multiple comparison table presents the results of a post hoc test conducted to examine specific differences between pairs of student groups based on their program, following the significant findings from the one-way anova test. the test aims to determine which groups differ from each other in terms of their means. the table includes the p-values, which indicate the probability of obtaining the observed differences by chance alone. additionally, the “significant” column indicates whether the differences between the groups are statistically significant at the 0.05 level of significance. based on the results, there are several pairs of groups that exhibit significant differences: the observed significant differences between specific pairs of programs underscore the varying effects of these programs on the outcome variable measured in the study. this highlights the crucial role of programspecific factors in the analysis of the impact of the library environment on study habits and academic performance. by recognizing these differences, the study offers valuable insights into the distinct experiences and perceptions of students across different programs. this knowledge is instrumental in informing the development of tailored interventions and strategies aimed at optimizing the library environment to cater to the unique needs of each program.understanding how students from different programs perceive and interact with the library environment is essential for creating targeted initiatives that effectively support their study habits and academic performance. by considering program-specific factors, educational institutions can enhance the overall library experience and promote a more productive and beneficial learning environment for all students. table 6 presents the results of an independent sample t-test conducted to examine the significant difference in the perceived effect of the respondents on the library environment when grouped according to their gender. the t-test compares the means of two groups, in this case, male and female students, to determine if there is a statistically significant difference between their perceptions. the t-value obtained from the analysis is 2.912, which reflects the magnitude of the difference between the means of the two groups. the p-value is calculated test p-value significant beed vs. bstm 0.038 yes beed vs. blis 0.037 yes abec vs. bstm 0.001 yes abec vs. bsit 0.013 yes abec vs. blis 0.001 yes pa ge 56 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 51-57, 2023 table 6: test of significant difference on the perceived effect of the respondents on the library environment when grouped according to their gender independent sample t-test profile t-value p-value decision gender 2.912 0.089 accept ho as 0.089, indicating the probability of obtaining the observed result by chance alone. based on these results, the decision is not significant since the p-value is greater than the predetermined significance level of 0.05. this implies that there is no statistically significant difference between the means of male and female students in terms of their perception of the library environment’s effect on their study habits and academic performance. these findings suggest that gender does not play a significant role in influencing students’ perceptions of the library environment. therefore, when considering interventions and strategies to improve the library environment, gender may not be a crucial factor to address. however, it is important to note that this result is specific to the studied population and context. conclusions this study examined the effect of the library environment on the study habits and academic performance of students at saint joseph’s college of baggao. the findings revealed that the library environment plays a significant role in influencing students’ study habits and academic performance. the assessment of the library environment showed that various aspects of library services, such as cleanliness, availability of resources, comfortable lighting, and responsive staff, were perceived to have a substantial impact on students’ academic endeavors. furthermore, the study highlighted the importance of considering program-specific factors when addressing the library environment’s influence on students. significant differences were observed among different academic programs, suggesting that each program may have unique requirements and preferences when it comes to utilizing library resources and facilities. these findings underscore the need for tailored interventions and strategies to enhance the library environment based on the specific needs and expectations of different academic programs. interestingly, the study did not find a significant difference in the perceived effect of the library environment based on gender. this implies that both male and female students perceive the library environment similarly in terms of its impact on their study habits and academic performance. however, further research could delve deeper into understanding the potential nuances of gender in relation to the library environment to gain a more comprehensive understanding. moreover, this study contributes valuable insights into the significance of the library environment in facilitating students’ study habits and academic performance. the findings emphasize the importance of maintaining a conducive and supportive library environment that meets the diverse needs of students across different academic programs. by addressing these factors, educational institutions can create an environment that fosters effective studying, enhances academic performance, and ultimately supports the overall success of students. recommendations based on the weaknesses identified in the study, several recommendations can be made to address these limitations and enhance future research in this area. future studies should aim to increase the sample size and include a more diverse population of students from multiple institutions. by expanding the sample size, researchers can improve the generalizability of the findings and provide a more comprehensive understanding of the relationship between the library environment, study habits, and academic performance. researchers should consider conducting longitudinal studies to examine the long-term effects of the library environment on students’ study habits and academic performance. by tracking students’ progress over an extended period, researchers can capture any changes or trends in their study habits and academic performance and assess how these relate to the library environment. it is recommended to employ mixed-methods approaches in future studies. while the current study used a quantitative approach, integrating qualitative methods such as interviews or focus groups can provide a deeper understanding of students’ perceptions and experiences regarding the library environment. this can add richness to the findings and offer valuable insights into the specific aspects of the library environment that students find most influential. researchers should consider exploring other variables that may contribute to the relationship between the library environment and student outcomes. factors such as individual learning styles, socio-economic backgrounds, and technological advancements could be examined to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the complex dynamics at play. institutions should use the findings from this study and future research to inform their policies and practices regarding the library environment. by prioritizing the maintenance, improvement, and customization of library resources and services to meet the needs of different academic programs, institutions can create an environment that optimizes students’ study habits and ultimately enhances their academic performance. references ababio, r. f., kumah, c., & adu-gyamfi, c. (2012). pa ge 57 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 51-57, 2023 assessing library service quality and students’ satisfaction: the case of kumasi polytechnic library in ghana. library philosophy and practice (e-journal), 785. aina, l. o. (2004). library and information science text for africa. ibadan: third world information services. akobundu, d. u., dike, e., & ugah, f. (2008). availability and accessibility of information sources and the use of library services at michael okpara university of agriculture. library philosophy and practice. retrieved from www.unl.ed/llp/akobundu.html on june 20, 2023. bashir, i., & mattoo, n. h. (2012). study on study habits and academic performance among adolescents (1419) years.international journal of social science tomorrow, 1(5), 1-5. caroline, a. u., & adewale, o. j. (2018). the use of academic library resources and services by undergraduate students in ibadan north local government of nigeria. danskin, d., & burnet, a. (2005). the study techniques of superior students. journal of superior guidance, 37(2), 23-29. gurcu, k. e., & husne, d. (2009). the library uses habits of student teachers world conference on educational sciences. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 1(2009), 2233-2240. haliru, r. a., abdulkarim, abdulkarim, mohammed, a., & dangani, m. (2015). an assessment of reading habits among secondary school students in kaduna metropolis. iosr journal of humanities and social science, 20(10), 12-17. jato, m., ogunniyi, s. o., & olubiyo, p. o. (2014). study habits, use of school libraries and students’ academic performance in selected secondary schools in ondo west local government area of ondo state. international journal of library and information science, 6(4), 57-64. moruf, h. a. (2015). students’ utilization of secondary school libraries in akinyele local government area of oyo state, nigeria. iosr journal of research & methods in education, 5(3), 60-66. monu, j. o., bamgbose, a. a., & okunnu, h. o. (2020). effective use of library and its impact on students’ study habits in selected universities in lagos state, nigeria. library and information science digest, 13, 74-84. pa ge 1 pa ge 76 american journal of education and technology (ajet) the impact of integrating information technology in teaching english in college of education: a systematic review samuel asare1*, alhassan hamidu2, eric aning2, thomas ampomah2, yaa asantewaa bediako2 emelia amuaful2, kwasi bamfo baah2 volume 2 issue 3, year 2023 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i3.1840 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: june 25, 2023 accepted: july 24 , 2023 published: july 30, 2023 this systematic review investigates the influence of incorporating information technology (it) in teaching english in higher education settings. with the rapid growth of technology, its integration in education has garnered considerable attention, and this study aims to offer a complete overview of the consequences of it integration in the context of english language training. the review takes a systematic approach, identifying, selecting, and analysing relevant scientific articles published between 2010 and 2021. the findings highlight many significant areas where it integration has considerably impacted english teaching in college settings. these areas include improved language acquisition, higher student engagement and motivation, increased access to learning resources, and the development of digital literacy skills. furthermore, the assessment cites various problems connected with it integration, such as technical issues, teacher training requirements, and potential technological access disparities. the findings emphasise the importance of careful preparation, pedagogical considerations, and ongoing assistance to effectively integrate it in teaching english in college settings. this systematic review adds to the existing literature by synthesising and evaluating current knowledge on the subject, providing valuable insights for educators, policymakers, and researchers interested in leveraging information technology to improve english language instruction in higher education institutions. keywords integrating information technology, language acquisition, educational resources, virtual learning environments 1 department of mathematics/ict, st. monica’s college of education, mampong-ashanti, ghana 2 department of english, st. monica’s college of education, mampong-ashanti, ghana * corresponding author’s e-mail: ksamuelasare@gmail.com introduction the fast progress of digital technology in recent years has altered many parts of our life, including education. teaching english language skills is one area where technology has made significant headway. english literacy is vital in today’s globalised world, and educators constantly look for new ways to improve language learning and instruction. incorporating information technology into english teaching has emerged as a promising technique, providing diverse tools and resources to promote language acquisition and improve pedagogical practices. this systematic study aims to investigate the influence of incorporating information technology into english instruction in the college of education. this review aims to provide significant insights into the effectiveness and implications of employing technology in english language training by thoroughly examining existing research papers. the conclusions of this review help educators, administrators, and policymakers understand the potential benefits and limitations of incorporating information technology into language teaching. computer-assisted language learning (call), online resources, multimedia materials, language learning apps, and virtual learning environments are examples of information technology integration methodologies and technologies. these technologies give students unique chances to connect with the language in dynamic and immersive ways, enabling customised and self-paced learning experiences. furthermore, they equip teachers with novel tools for creating dynamic and engaging lessons, facilitating collaborative learning, and successfully assessing students’ progress. while some studies have demonstrated encouraging results when using information technology in english language instruction, it is vital to examine the entire impact and solve any difficulties. this review will look at quantitative and qualitative studies, such as student engagement, language proficiency outcomes, instructional efficacy, and learner autonomy. it will also investigate students’ and teachers’ perspectives and experiences with technology integration in english language teaching. understanding the impact of incorporating information technology in english education is critical for developing evidence-based pedagogical techniques that match the requirements and expectations of twenty-first-century learners. this systematic review seeks to synthesise current knowledge on this topic by evaluating the strengths, limitations, and gaps in available research. the findings will help inform future research and instructional design efforts and add to the current discussion about successful language teaching approaches. overall, this systematic review provides light on the potential benefits, obstacles, and consequences of incorporating information technology into english instruction in the college of education. it seeks to provide significant insights for educators, academics, and policymakers through a rigorous examination of current literature, thereby helping the growth of effective language instruction in the digital age. pa ge 77 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 76-82, 2023 statement of the problem information technology (it) in the classroom, particularly in college settings, has drawn considerable interest in education. several research studies have investigated the possible advantages of integrating it technologies and resources into english language training to improve students’ language learning. although there is a sizable amount of literature on the subject, a thorough investigation into the precise effects of integrating it in teaching english within a college of education setting still needs to be completed. according to smith’s (2012) research, integrating it into language training can provide more interactive and engaging learning environments, encouraging student engagement and enhancing language learning. the use of it tools like multimedia resources and online platforms may also improve students’ language ability by giving them authentic language experiences outside of typical classroom settings, according to brown et al. (2016). despite these potential advantages, evaluating the difficulties and constraints related to incorporating it in college-level english instruction is vital. according to earlier research by johnson (2018), insufficient access to technology, a lack of digital literacy among students and educators, and potential distractions from technology can prevent it from being used effectively in language instruction. additionally, as adams (2021) observed, the effects of it integration may differ across various pedagogical methods and teaching methodologies. thus, it is essential to investigate how the use of it complies with the teaching methods and objectives of the college of education and how it affects the results of students’ language acquisition and their entire educational experience. therefore, this research addresses the following problem: what is the impact of integrating information technology in teaching english within the college of education? it seeks to provide insights into it integration’s benefits, challenges, and effectiveness in english language instruction within the college of education. research questions q1. what are the effects of integrating information technology (it) in teaching english on student learning outcomes in college education settings? q2. how does using information technology (it) in teaching english affect student engagement and motivation in college? q3. what challenges and barriers are encountered when integrating information technology (it) in teaching english in the college of education, and how can they be addressed? methodology search strategy a comprehensive search was conducted on major academic databases, including but not limited to pubmed, eric, google scholar, scopus, and web of science. the search terms included combinations of “information technology,” “english language teaching,” “college of education,” “impact,” and related keywords. study selection studies were eligible for inclusion if they met the following criteria: • focused on the integration of information technology in teaching english. • conducted in a college of education or similar higher education settings. • published in english between 2010 and 2021 • reported empirical research findings. • included outcome measures related to english language learning. data extraction and analysis data from the selected studies were extracted and synthesised using a narrative approach. the studies were analysed based on their research designs, methodologies, participant characteristics, it interventions, and reported outcomes. the findings were categorised into themes related to english language learning outcomes, teaching practices, student engagement, and overall learning experiences. theoretical background constructivist learning theory a well-known educational theory called constructivist learning theory emphasises how students actively construct their knowledge through meaningful experiences and interactions with their surroundings (jonassen, 2011). according to this idea, students build their understanding and knowledge by actively participating in problemsolving, reflection, and cooperation, as well as assimilating new information into their pre-existing cognitive structures (savery & duffy, 2015). constructivist learning theory’s guiding principles can be well-aligned with information technology integration in english instruction at a college of education. utilising technology can offer students chances for active participation, exploration, and real-world experiences that support knowledge construction. effective use of information technology can promote collaborative learning, inquiry-based activities, and the production of multimedia artefacts, increasing students’ motivation and engagement (zhao & frank, 2012). by giving students access to interactive multimedia resources, authentic language resources, and communication tools, incorporating information technology into teaching english can encourage constructivist approaches. students can explore authentic texts and multimedia content from many cultural contexts, interact in real-world conversation with english speakers, participate in virtual language exchanges, and more, thanks to online platforms and applications (lai & bower, 2019). information technology can also give students the tools to produce and disseminate their knowledge objects pa ge 78 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 76-82, 2023 actively. learners can build their comprehension of english and literature while simultaneously honing their critical thinking, creativity, and digital literacy abilities through digital storytelling, blogging, and multimedia presentations (minocha, 2011). in conclusion, using information technology in teaching english aligns with constructivist learning theory’s guiding principles. technology-enhanced approaches can improve students’ learning experiences in a college by presenting opportunities for active involvement, collaboration, and knowledge creation. to fully utilise the potential of technology in english language teaching, educators must create learning environments and instructional activities that encourage active involvement, investigation, and reflection. the role of technology in english language teaching the use of information technology in the field of teaching english as a second language (elt) has been acknowledged as a valuable tool. li and ni (2010) assert that using technology in language instruction allows students to learn independently, communicate with others, and have authentic language experiences. additionally, warschauer and healey (2011) contend that using multimedia materials, online platforms, and computer-assisted language learning (call) software can help people learn a variety of language abilities, including listening, speaking, reading, and writing. attitudes towards ict integration in education the success of ict integration in educational contexts greatly depends on tutors’ views about it. according to research, teachers’ positive attitudes about ict positively impact how they use technology to teach english. amuzu and tetteh’s (2012) study examined tutors’ opinions of ict integration in ghanaian education colleges. the results showed that most teachers had favourable opinions of ict integration. they believed that ict may increase their teaching efficacy and that it was a valuable instrument for enhancing students’ language abilities. factors influencing tutors’ attitudes towards ict integration numerous elements have been found to influence tutors’ views about the use of ict in english instruction. these elements include educational institutions’ support, ict infrastructure access, training and professional growth. it has been discovered that professional development programs have a favourable influence on tutors’ views about ict integration. tutors who got ict training indicated more significant levels of confidence and desire to incorporate technology in their english language lessons, according to ofori-attah and adu-gyamfi (2014). additionally, for instructors to successfully use technology in their teaching methods, they must have access to ict infrastructure. according to a study by asare and simons (2015), tutors need help using ict resources like computers and internet connectivity. they could not use technology in their english language education due to a lack of access to ict infrastructure. tutors’ attitudes about ict integration are also significantly shaped by institutional support. tutors’ perspectives and attitudes regarding ict integration were positively influenced by adequate support from educational institutions, such as providing ict resources and technical assistance (quansah, 2016). advantages of integrating information technology in teaching english enhanced language learning opportunities using information technology in the classroom improves language learning chances for students. beyond the limits of typical classroom settings, digital tools, and resources such as multimedia presentations, online language learning platforms, and language learning software provide authentic and immersive language experiences (liu, 2013). these technologies allow learners to interact with native speakers and practice language skills in actual circumstances, improving language competency and cultural awareness (gao et al., 2015). increased student engagement it has been demonstrated that including it in english instruction increases student motivation and engagement. according to chen and wang (2012), online discussion boards and virtual collaboration tools allowed students to participate actively and express their thoughts more openly. gamification strategies and instructional mobile apps have been shown to pique students’ attention and encourage independent learning (sullivan, 2018). it integration can provide a classroom atmosphere focused on the students’ needs, leading to higher levels of engagement and active participation. developments in language skills incorporating information technology enhances the development of diverse linguistic abilities. call applications provide interactive exercises, simulations, and multimedia materials that cater to many language skill areas, such as listening, speaking, reading, and writing (wu et al., 2020). brett (2014) describes how digital technologies can provide rapid feedback, allowing learners to self-assess their language production, identify areas for development, and engage in self-directed learning. enhanced language learning outcomes numerous studies have shown that incorporating it into english language training can improve students’ language learning outcomes. according to smith and johnson (2014), multimedia materials such as interactive movies and online simulations can help students understand and remember english vocabulary and grammar norms. similarly, wang and chen (2016) discovered that computer-assisted language learning (call) software pa ge 79 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 76-82, 2023 boosted college students’ writing skills. these findings imply that integrating it can give learners engaging and interactive language learning experiences, improving their overall english ability. improved teacher-student interactions it integration allows for more individualised and rapid feedback, which improves teacher-student relationships. according to ahmad et al. (2017), learning management systems and online assessment tools enabled teachers to provide personalised feedback on students’ assignments, resulting in a more robust knowledge of english language topics. furthermore, interactive whiteboards and multimedia presentations have been shown to improve communication and promote collaborative learning environments (fernandez, 2011). these technological tools allow teachers to provide customised instruction and support, resulting in more successful teacher-student interactions and language learning experiences. facilitating language acquisition integrating it in teaching english offers various opportunities for authentic language exposure and practice. according to johnson (2015), online language resources, such as language learning websites and mobile applications, can provide learners ample opportunities to listen to and interact with authentic english materials, facilitating language acquisition and improving listening and speaking skills. promoting autonomous learning it integration empowers students to take ownership of their learning process by providing access to various online resources and self-study tools (chen, 2018). platforms like virtual learning environments and learning management systems facilitate independent study, allowing students to set their pace and explore language materials based on their needs and preferences. improving language proficiency several studies have found that integrating it into english language education positively affects students’ language proficiency (brown & lee, 2017). interactive language learning software, online writing platforms, and virtual language exchange programs enable students to practice and receive feedback on their language skills, leading to improved writing, grammar, and vocabulary proficiency. challenges of integrating information technology in teaching english technological barriers and infrastructure despite the potential benefits, incorporating information technology into english instruction poses several obstacles. the availability and dependability of technology resources is a considerable barrier. inadequate access to computers, internet connectivity concerns, and a lack of technical support, according to guo and wang (2012), can all impede the efficient use of technology in language courses. furthermore, chen (2017) emphasises the importance of ongoing training and professional development to provide instructors with the skills and knowledge to integrate technology properly. pedagogical considerations another area for improvement in using information technology in english language instruction is maintaining suitable pedagogical practices. according to warschauer (2010), aligning technology use with well-designed instructional strategies and objectives is critical. tutors must use technological tools that complement their teaching methods and provide relevant learning experiences. furthermore, hsu et al. (2019) emphasised the importance of task design and technology integration to enhance language development effectively. results introduction this systematic review examines the impact of integrating information technology (it) in teaching english in education colleges. the review synthesises relevant research studies to determine the effects of it integration on various aspects of english language teaching and learning. this section presents the key findings of the review and discusses their implications for the field of education. positive impact on student engagement and motivation several studies found that incorporating it into english classes boosted student involvement and motivation. smith et al. (2018) discovered, for example, that adding interactive multimedia technologies in language training encouraged active engagement and piqued student interest. similarly, johnson (2020) stated that adopting educational apps and online platforms increased student motivation by fostering a sense of autonomy and personalisation. these findings imply that incorporating it into the classroom can create a more dynamic and engaging learning environment, influencing students’ willingness to learn english. enhanced language skills development the review found that it integration has a considerably favourable impact on the development of language abilities. several studies found that students exposed to technology-enhanced language learning methodologies improved their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. for example, chen and wang (2019) revealed that employing virtual reality simulations for speaking practice increased students’ speech proficiency and encouraged authentic conversation. furthermore, li et al. (2021) discovered that computer-assisted reading programs improved students’ reading comprehension abilities. these findings show the potential of information technology integration in fostering more effective language skill development. pa ge 80 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 76-82, 2023 increased access to authentic language resources students now have access to a wide selection of authentic language resources thanks to the incorporation of it in english language teaching. through online platforms, digital libraries, and language learning applications, learners can interact with real-life language materials such as news articles, films, and podcasts. students’ knowledge of contextual usage, vocabulary acquisition, and cultural competency improve because of their exposure to authentic language (garca-holgado et al., 2022). these tools’ availability also helps foster a more learner-centred and self-directed learning environment. challenges and limitations the review noted significant obstacles and limitations despite the various advantages of incorporating it into english instruction. much research identified the requirement for proper technical support and infrastructure as a frequent concern. inadequate access to a dependable internet connection, outdated technology, and a lack of teacher training opportunities hampered the successful integration of it tools and resources. concerns have also been expressed concerning the overuse of technology and its potentially harmful impacts on face-toface interaction (brown & lee, 2019). these difficulties highlight the significance of addressing technical and pedagogical support requirements to achieve successful it integration. discussion the findings of this systematic review indicate that integrating information technology in teaching english in college of education settings holds considerable potential for improving students’ engagement, language skills development, and personalised learning experiences. it tools’ interactive and multimedia-rich nature can create a dynamic and stimulating learning environment catering to students with different learning styles and preferences. moreover, it integration can bridge geographical barriers, offering students access to language learning resources beyond traditional classroom settings. the flexibility of online learning platforms and virtual language laboratories allows students to practice language skills at their own pace and convenience, promoting selfregulated learning and autonomous language acquisition. however, successful it integration is contingent upon educators’ proficiency in using technology as a pedagogical tool. teacher professional development programs that focus on building digital literacy and incorporating it effectively into language instruction are crucial for maximising the positive impact of technology on student outcomes. despite the numerous benefits observed, some challenges remain. technological infrastructure limitations, particularly in resource-constrained environments, can hinder widespread adoption. additionally, concerns regarding students’ excessive screen time and potential distractions in the virtual learning environment warrant further investigation. conclusion in conclusion, this systematic review has shed light on the significant impact of integrating information technology in teaching english in education colleges. the findings from the included studies consistently highlighted the numerous benefits and positive outcomes associated with using technology in english language instruction. through the systematic analysis of a wide range of research articles, this review has synthesized the current knowledge in the field, providing valuable insights for educators, policymakers, and researchers. integrating information technology in teaching english has proven to enhance student engagement, motivation, and participation and foster autonomous learning and critical thinking skills. interactive multimedia, computerassisted language learning (call) programs, online resources, and digital tools have emerged as effective pedagogical instruments, facilitated language acquisition and promoted communicative competence. moreover, technology-mediated instruction has demonstrated the potential to accommodate diverse learning styles and preferences, catering to individual student needs and promoting inclusive educational practices. the systematic review also emphasized the importance of adequate infrastructure and technical support to implement technology-enhanced language teaching successfully. access to reliable internet connectivity, wellequipped computer labs, and appropriate teacher training are vital factors contributing to the effective integration of information technology in the classroom. additionally, the review highlighted the need for continuous evaluation and research to identify best practices, address challenges, and explore emerging trends in the field. while the overall findings of this systematic review indicate a positive impact of integrating information technology in teaching english in colleges of education, it is crucial to acknowledge the limitations within the existing body of literature. many studies included in this review were conducted in specific contexts and settings, limiting the generalizability of the findings. furthermore, the rapid evolution of technology and its potential implications for language instruction necessitate ongoing research to stay abreast of new developments and their impact on teaching and learning. references adams, l. 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(2012). factors affecting technology uses in schools: an ecological perspective. american educational research journal, 49(5), 925-958. pa ge 1 pa ge 15 american journal of education and technology (ajet) education through sports of migrants sports professionals in european countries: a comparative study vb esguerra1, r solinas2, alf esguerra3* volume 2 issue 2, year 2023 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i2.1336 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: february 25, 2023 accepted: march 06, 2023 published: april 11, 2023 at this time and age, there is increased globalization and professionalization within sports. athletes increasingly migrate across national borders, searching for work, shaping, and living their athletic and non-athletic development in different countries. however, their knowledge and skills are vital to determine since these upskills will contribute considerably to the success of the sports organization. hence, a study was conducted to compare the knowledge and skills of migrant sports professionals in bulgaria [25], italy [25], and spain [25] and to determine the expertise of the trainers. the quasi-experimental research design was utilized. a paired sample t-test was used to determine whether the ets program enhanced the level of knowledge and skills of migrant sports professionals. anova was used to determine the significant differences. significant differences were observed among the three countries in the migrants’ knowledge and skills in the pretest-posttest, p=0.000. regarding the trainers, there were significant differences between and among expertise, clarity, culture, time management, and responsiveness. compared to the pretest-posttest, it showed a significant difference, p=000. this study suggests migrant professionals’ knowledge and skills improved after implementing the ets program. keywords education through sports, knowledge, migrants, skills, sports professionals 1 college of teacher education, palawan state university, puerto princesa city, palawan, philippines 2 mine vaganti ngo via del fiore bianco 13/a, 070100 sassari, italy 3 college of arts and humanities, palawan state university, puerto princesa city, palawan, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: aesguerra@psu.palawan.edu.ph introduction the systematic under-representation of migrants in non-playing roles within sports organizations is one of the many facets and compelling issues in the broader challenge of the social exclusion of migrants in europe. according to eurostat (2011), as of 2016, there were 20.7 million non-eu nationals residing in european union (eu) countries, comprising 4.1% of the total eu population. the majority of these migrants were younger than the local population, with the most consistent category being working-age adults. the available statistical findings also indicate a recrudescence in migrants’ flows in coincidence with the still ongoing migration crisis and highlight the significant barriers to be overcome for ensuring a meaningful integration of the newcomers within the labor market and at the societal level in more expansive terms. eurostat accounts depict a consistent disparity between migrants and locals in access to employability opportunities, with the eu-28 unemployment rate being 8.6 percentage points higher for migrants than for nationals in 2016. also, 30.3% of migrants in the eu28 were assessed as being at risk of poverty and social exclusion against 16% of nationals. further, the oecd 2015 report on migrant integration illustrates the structural nature of migrants’ labor market exclusion, indicating that the youth unemployment rate of the migrant’s native-born-offspring is almost 50% higher among youths with native-born parents. the european agency for fundamental rights reported in 2010 underscores that the under-representation of migrants in responsible positions within sports clubs and associations makes up a substantial component of a concerning phenomenon of inequality in substantial participation in sports affecting migrants compared to nationals. eu policy documents underline the relevance of sports as an agent of social inclusion for migrant targets and its contribution as an agent of job creation. this is supported by the eu “white paper on sport” (2007), which highlights that “sport makes an important contribution to economic and social cohesion and more integrated societies” while also facilitating “the integration into society of migrants and persons of foreign origin.” education through sport (ets), defined by the international sport and culture association (isca), is a non-formal educational approach that works with sports and physical activities and refers to developing critical competencies of individuals and groups to contribute to personal development and sustainable social transformation. additionally, ets aims to integrate sports elements for an educational purpose to address a social issue, develop various competencies and initiate lasting and transversal results. however, this methodology has yet to be tested on foreigners and transnational sports managers, coaches, and trainers. they are widely considered an integral part of the workforce of any sports-related activities. in the three countries, namely: bulgaria, italy, and spain, the ets was used as a potentially impacting methodology to affect the development of sport managers’ profiles in migrants, providing a solution to their under-representation in leadership roles within sports organizations. this methodology was also used as a new strategy to advance the management skills of sports managers, coaches, and trainers among migrants in their sports https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i2.1336 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= mailto:aesguerra@psu.palawan.edu.ph pa ge 16 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 15-22, 2023 development programs. this study was divided into three parts. the first part expounds on the theoretical foundations of the study, delving into a review of academic reflection on the concept and educational potential of ets. the characteristics and extant needs of the migrant audience of learners concerning academic reflection and available statistical evidence were also explored. the second part discloses the methodological approach of the research, setting it on the broader theoretical frame the latter intends to establish through a tested experiment. it includes setting a working hypothesis and aim, the structure of the tasks, and the organization of work. the third part analyzes the experiment’s results and the study’s general conclusion. results show that the acceptability and effectiveness of the ets methodology during the training and evaluation of the implemented sports programs among the participants is very high. literature review migrant integration has gained significant attention in recent years due to the call to “leave no one behind” by the 2030 sustainable development agenda, including migrants. despite its increased prominence, the field of migrant integration has been historically polarizing, and related data have been limited primarily to high-income countries. therefore, it is imperative to conduct more research and gather better data to address the increased interest in migrant integration (migration data portal, 2020). integration encompasses various policies and different aspects of migrants’ lives. thus, data on migrant integration cover a broad range of information, including economic, social, cultural, and political spheres of society, the discrimination they face, the impact of policies on migrants’ inclusion, and how the public perceives migrants and immigration. consequently, gathering data on migrant integration can be challenging, and the quality and quantity of available data vary across countries (migration data portal, 2020). despite the limited research on migrant integration at the global level, research conducted by the organization for economic co-operation and development (oecd) on oecd countries shows that migrants in most countries have worse outcomes than the native-born population in areas such as educational attainment and labor market participation. however, identifying trends in migrant integration at the global level is challenging because research on the topic is recent and has primarily been limited to high-income countries or regions (oecd, 2015). studies have shown that migrant integration is hindered by persisting barriers to effective integration, with outcomes being influenced by various factors, such as the country of origin, host community context, and skill level of immigrants. nonetheless, integration appears to improve with the duration of residence in most countries (oecd, 2015; huddleston et al., 2013). despite the potential benefits of using sports as a means of integration, solinas (2022) notes that several issues continue to hamper the inclusion of migrants in sports. these issues stem from a lack of accessibility, participation, and discrimination that affect both the migrants and the host european countries. moreover, migrants are underrepresented in non-playing positions, posing challenges for cultural, educational, and sports development. schinke (2011) categorizes the issues faced by migrant personalities in sports into three primary identifiers: community-based problems, cultural-based problems, and sports context problems. the first category involves issues such as homesickness, social isolation, loneliness, and loss of social ties. the second category stems from differences in clothing, meals, language, religion, xenophobia-related issues, and a sense of nationalism in the organization. finally, the third category includes difficulties in integrating a foreigner within the team, such as fitting in, adapting to new methods, and interacting with the local and native sporting labor force. these issues are prevalent in both the amateur and elite levels of sports. the cultural gap between host residents and foreign migrants can pose significant challenges for integration and assimilation. a report from the european commission in 2020 highlighted the lower employment rates of non-eu citizens in the working-age population compared to eu citizens. specifically, non-eu citizens were under-represented in various occupations, including teaching professionals, business and administration associate professionals, general and keyboard clerks, science and engineering associate professionals, business and administration professionals, and market-oriented skilled agricultural workers. the report emphasized that integration into the host community plays a crucial role in addressing this issue. in addition to the under-representation of non-eu citizens in certain economic sectors, such as education and human health and social work activities, they were over-represented in other sectors, such as accommodation and food service activities, administrative and support activities, domestic work, and construction. these trends highlight the complexities of the labor market for noneu citizens, as they face challenges in securing positions in certain sectors while being over-represented in others. the perception of the host community towards migrants is a crucial factor in determining their potential for success and integration. unfortunately, migrants often face underrated treatment due to cultural and social differences. to build a community of native and migrant members with equal treatment, they need to share experiences over time, leading to increased mutual understanding and respect. addressing these issues will be crucial in promoting effective integration and reducing disparities in the labor market for non-eu citizens. foreign migrant sports personnel often face limited https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 17 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 15-22, 2023 opportunities to advance in their careers or develop their managerial skills due to their status as foreigners. however, one potential solution to address this gap is through sports. sports can facilitate interaction between people from diverse cultural backgrounds and help individuals maintain ties to their cultural groups, aiding in the preservation of their cultural heritage. while evidence suggests that sports participation may also accentuate cultural differences, it serves as a common ground for integration. studies have examined the role of sports in promoting integration among individuals and groups with diverse cultural backgrounds. hatzigeorgiadis (2013) found that existing literature supports the integrative role of sports. similarly, atkinson ([2015]) noted a growing interest in using sports to support the integration of migrants and asylum seekers. walseth and fasting [2004] further established that sports organizations can serve as miniature societies, enabling members to gain knowledge about the larger society. while sports can serve as a means of promoting integration, more than mere participation in sports is needed to foster true integration. sports can provide a common ground for individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds to interact, but other efforts must be made to build a community of native and migrant members with equal treatment and respect. the integration of migrants through sports is gaining recognition as an effective method to foster social inclusion. the european commission dg education & culture, sport and multiculturalism [2004] acknowledges the essential role that physical activity and sports play in the integration of newcomers. according to walseth [2006], sports participation is critical to society’s democracy from a broader perspective. sports are known to be powerful socializers that provide opportunities to develop social and moral values. donnelly and coakley [2002] define sports’ role in promoting inclusion and social cohesion among diverse nationalities. through cooperation, cohesion, and friendly competition, sports contribute to shaping and molding necessary social cohesion among diverse cultures. to increase migrants’ participation in positions of responsibility within sports organizations, a methodological approach through sports methods must be developed. one promising strategy is the “education through sports” (ets) methodology. this approach is unique to grassroots sports practice and combines the use of sports with educational benefits for a diverse audience of targets. the ets methodology is rooted in the theoretical and practical reflections developed by the international grassroots sports network international sport and culture association (isca) for sports and non-formal learning educators. community capacity building through sports is crucial, according to edwards (2015). community-level approaches are increasingly based on the concept of community capacity, which is essential for supporting and promoting community-level health. the sport for development (sfd) model provides evidence that sports are an essential practice for community development. therefore, the education through sports (ets) methodology can be used to bridge the gap between the host community and migrants, whose cultural background and social orientation differ on many accounts, resulting in under-rated treatment of the latter. in addition, participation in sports is a powerful socializer that facilitates the development of social and moral values. hatzigeorgiadis (2013) found evidence that sports foster interaction between people from diverse cultural backgrounds, helping them maintain ties to their cultural groups and preserving their cultural heritage. however, participation in sports may accentuate cultural differences, causing tensions. thus, sports alone are not sufficient for fostering integration; instead, sport serves as a common ground for integration. on the other hand, it is often argued that participation in sports by immigrant youth is critical to their integration into their new host society. according to lundkvist et al. (2020), regardless of immigrant status, youth who were active or beginning to participate in sports engaged in fewer problem behaviors and had more native friends than their peers with the same immigrant status who were not involved in sports. however, because the trajectories were frequently near zero, it is difficult to conclude that sports participation has any discernible effect on social integration in sweden. furthermore, goudas and giannoudis (2008) analyze the role of sports in developing life skills and identify many transferable skills to other life domains. the skills include working and performing well under duress, problemsolving, time management, planning, goal setting, constructive response to success/failure, communication, teamwork, and an openness to and acceptance of external feedback. these findings suggest that sports have a broad educational impact beyond the sport itself. the reviewed literature suggests that sports can play a critical role in the integration of migrants into european countries. participation in sports organizations can increase immigrants’ sense of belonging and promote social cohesion among diverse nationalities. the “education through sports” (ets) methodology can help bridge the gap between the host community and migrants, and community capacity building through sports is essential for community-level health. additionally, sports can foster interaction between people from diverse cultural backgrounds, help maintain ties to cultural groups, and develop life skills that are transferable to other domains. however, evidence also implies that participation in sports may accentuate cultural differences, eliciting tensions. in summary, the reviewed literature suggests that ets can be an effective methodology for educating migrants through sports and promoting their integration into european societies. materials and methods the present study examines the effectiveness of the https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 18 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 15-22, 2023 education through sports (ets) program in improving the knowledge and skills of migrant sports professionals in bulgaria, italy, and spain. a quasi-experimental research design was used, and multiple assessment methods were employed to determine the program’s effectiveness. experiential learning was utilized to improve the sports skills of the sports professionals in the selected european countries. a survey questionnaire was developed based on the experiential learning cycle of the sports professionals, which was validated by a panel of experts and tested for reliability using cronbach’s alpha. mean and standard deviation were used to analyze and interpret the data. the one-group pre-test-post-test was employed in the quasi-experimental part, and tests on assessing normality were conducted to ensure normal distribution of data. paired sample t-test and anova were used to determine the significant difference in the level of knowledge and skills of the migrant’s potential sports managers in the pretest and posttest and among the migrants’ overall knowledge and skills as potential sports managers, respectively. the statistical package for social sciences (spss) version 21 was used for data analysis. results and discussion the respondents’ similar mean and standard deviations from the three countries reflected different results in the table 1: a significant difference in the level of knowledge and skills of the migrants/potential sports managers in the three countries (bulgaria, italy, and spain) as reflected in the pre-test knowledge and skills country n mean sd f sig. 1. administration and human resource management in sport bulgaria 26 1.1282 0.16538 30.025 0.000italy 30 2.2556 0.71215 spain 12 2.2500 0.77688 total 68 1.8235 0.79534 2. coaching and mentoring bulgaria 26 1.6538 0.13269 43.283 0.000italy 30 3.0556 0.56787 spain 12 2.6944 1.01711 total 68 2.4559 0.85839 3. digital skills for sports managers bulgaria 26 3.0128 0.74524 7.354 0.001italy 30 3.4778 0.96959 spain 12 2.3056 1.04889 total 68 3.0931 0.98722 4. management of sports events bulgaria 26 1.2436 0.21721 71.408 0.000italy 30 2.8444 0.71777 spain 12 1.3333 0.50252 total 68 1.9657 0.94963 5. financial sustainability strategies and mechanisms for support organizations bulgaria 26 1.5128 0.43442 31.340 0.000italy 30 2.8667 0.98494 spain 12 1.2778 0.52864 total 68 2.0686 1.02629 6. marketing and communication in the field of sports bulgaria 26 1.5872 0.15722 45.784 0.000italy 30 3.2333 0.72530 spain 12 2.2083 1.01783 total 68 2.4230 0.99014 7. good governance bulgaria 26 1.6667 0.13333 101.94 0.000italy 30 3.3056 0.64784 spain 12 1.4722 0.51656 total 68 2.3554 0.97986 pre-test to measure knowledge and skills. regarding administration and human resource management in sports by migrant sports professionals showed significant differences in the pre-test (p=0.000). country spain showed the highest level (mean=2.25, sd=0.77688) while the lowest level was bulgaria (mean=1.1282, sd=0.16538). it implies that the migrant professional workers dealt more with administration and human resource management in sports when compared with bulgaria and italy. similarly, the table showed that the three countries have significant differences in coaching and mentoring, p=value of 0.000. italy showed the highest level (mean=3.0556, sd=0.56787), while the lowest level was bulgaria (mean=1.6538, sd=0.13269). it can be inferred based on the result that the bulgarian migrant sport professional are more in line in coaching and mentoring than the other two countries. in like manner, it can be gleaned in the table that there were significant differences between the sports professionals from the three countries in digital skills, p=0.001. it showed that italian sports professionals have the highest level of digital skills (mean=3.4778, sd=0.96959) while the minor level was from spain (mean=2.3056, sd=1.04889). it can be inferred from the results that italian nationals are more into capacitating themselves on digital usage as part of their skills when compared with the other sports professionals from bulgaria and spain. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 19 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 15-22, 2023 further, it can be observed that there was a significant difference in the management of sports events by the sports professionals from the different countries, p=0.00. the italian sports professionals were noted with the highest level of skill and knowledge on the management of sports events (mean=2.8444, sd=0.71777), while the bulgarians have the least (mean=1.2436, sd=0.217221). the data shows that italian sports professionals are more proficient in managing sports events. the analysis showed significant statistical differences in the skill and knowledge of financial sustainability strategies and mechanisms for support organization, p=0.000. the italian sports professionals showed the highest level (mean=2.8667, sd=0.98494) while the least was the spanish (mean=1.2778, sd=0.52864). it also implies that italian sports professionals are more skilled and knowledgeable on financial sustainability strategies and mechanisms for support organizations when compared with sports professionals from bulgaria and spain. similarly, it was found that there was a significant difference in the level of skill and knowledge on marketing and communication in the field of sport, p=0.000. italy again showed the highest level while the lowest was bulgaria. italian sports professionals are trained to have better marketing and communication in sports compared with bulgaria and spain. lastly, there was also a significant difference in good governance among the sports professionals from the three countries cited, p=0.000. again, italian sports professions were found to have the highest level (mean=3.3056, sd=0.64784) while the lowest was spain (mean=1.4722, sd=0.51656). the italians are better at good governance than the other sports professional from bulgaria and spain. the respondents’ similar mean and standard deviations from the three countries reflected different results in the pre-test to measure knowledge and skills. the computed mean squares between groups (13.157) are higher than within groups at .132. on the other hand, the f-value was computed at 100.034, where p=0.000; therefore, a significant difference in the overall pre-test results among the three countries was established. table 2: significant difference in the level of knowledge and skills of the migrants’ potential sports managers in the three countries (bulgaria, italy, and spain) as reflected in the post-test knowledge and skills country n mean sd f sig. 1. administration and human resource management in sport bulgaria 26 4.1410 0.09058 1.971 0.148italy 30 3.8556 0.59489 spain 12 4.0972 0.96258 total 68 4.0074 0.57189 2. coaching and mentoring bulgaria 26 3.8397 0.03269 1.921 0.155italy 30 4.0389 0.41450 spain 12 3.8056 0.83434 total 68 3.9216 0.44746 3. digital skills for sports managers bulgaria 26 4.0385 0.14382 9.834 0.000italy 30 4.5111 0.42646 spain 12 3.8611 0.97916 total 68 4.2157 0.56358 4. management of sports events bulgaria 26 3.8782 .14574 0.382 0.684italy 30 3.8500 .59266 spain 12 3.6944 1.13448 total 68 3.8333 0.61288 5. financial sustainability strategies and mechanisms for support organizations bulgaria 26 4.0385 0.14382 3.436 .038italy 30 4.3000 0.56290 spain 12 3.7500 1.22371 total 68 4.1029 0.65729 6. marketing and communication in the field of sports bulgaria 26 4.1795 0.19392 3.619 0.032italy 30 4.2667 0.56154 spain 12 3.7222 1.10402 total 68 4.1373 0.62423 7. good governance bulgaria 26 3.8718 0.13587 4.722 0.012italy 30 4.2389 0.48083 spain 12 3.7222 1.12442 total 68 4.0074 .60019 as shown in table 2, there is no significant difference between and among respondent groups’ post-test results from the three countries, namely, bulgaria, italy, and spain, in all areas of administration and human resource management in sport (p=0.148), coaching and mentoring (p=0.155) and management of sports events (0.684). generally, post-test data showed no significant difference in the overall knowledge and skill, p=0.098. it means that the three countries gained improvements and the same results in the post-evaluation. after the ets program, the bulgarian, italian, and spanish sports professionals acquired better knowledge https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 20 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 15-22, 2023 and skills. using the ets program is an effective way of nurturing the capability of sports professionals in the three countries. regardless of where the professional sports country of origin is, it showed that they do not vary, or the same knowledge and skills were acquired after the inception of ets. it also showed improvement of other sports professionals from other countries who were perceived to have lower knowledge and skills in administration and human resource management in sports, coaching and mentoring, and management of sports events. on the other hand, digital skills for sports managers (p=0.000), financial sustainability strategies and mechanisms for sports organizations (p=0.038), marketing and communication in the field of sport (p=0.032), and good governance (p=0.012) showed significant differences. it implies that in this particular, the sports professionals’ knowledge and skills in sports vary relatively. even though there was the ets program, some sports professionals needed help to acquire knowledge and skills in using digital platforms for sports managers, financial sustainability strategies and mechanisms for sports organizations, marketing and communication in sports, and good governance. it can be inferred that in most of the learning areas, the three countries had varying rates of improvement, but in some learning areas, they had acquired the same rate of improvement. further, regardless of the rate of improvement of the sports professionals from bulgaria, italy, and spain, ets had something to do with their improvement. it was a helpful instrument that caters to their improvement as manifested in the means computed and the p-values. table 3: level of trainer’s expertise in the three countries (bulgaria, italy, and spain) as reflected in the post-test; expertise of trainers country n mean sd f sig. expertise bulgaria 26 4.9615 0.19612 14.426 0.000italy 30 4.3667 0.61495 spain 12 3.9167 0.99620 total 68 4.5147 0.70165 clarity bulgaria 26 4.9231 0.27175 18.062 0.000italy 30 4.1333 0.57135 spain 12 3.6667 1.23091 total 68 4.3529 0.80604 culturally bulgaria 26 4.9231 0.27175 11.441 0.000italy 30 4.1333 0.73030 spain 12 3.9167 1.24011 total 68 4.3971 0.83111 time management bulgaria 26 4.9231 0.27175 8.752 0.000italy 30 4.2000 .55086 spain 12 4.4167 1.24011 total 68 4.5147 0.72261 responsiveness bulgaria 26 4.9615 0.19612 18.636 0.000italy 30 4.5667 0.56832 spain 12 3.5833 1.24011 total 68 4.5441 0.79988 mean bulgaria 26 4.9385 0.21740 24.135 0.000italy 30 4.2800 0.35076 spain 12 3.9000 0.93614 total 68 4.4647 .61177 table 3 presents the comparative assessment of the trainers from the three countries in the post-test based on respondents’ ratings. there is a significant difference among the trainers from the three countries in expertise, clarity, culture, time management, and responsiveness. trainers in three countries showed high levels of expertise, clarity, culture, time management, and responsiveness resulting in the effective acquisition of knowledge and skills by the participants in these countries. it can be gleaned that there is a significant difference between and among the trainers from three countries in the areas of expertise (p=0.000), clarity (p=0.000), culturally (p=0.000), time management, and responsiveness, resulting in the effective acquisition of knowledge and skills by the migrant-participants in the three countries. the result of this study supports the idea of kolb (1984) and mcleod (2017) about experiential learning. according to them, the best way to learn things is by having experiences that stick out in the mind and help retain information and remember facts. in this study, the trainers helped in creating opportunities for the migrant trainees to gain experiences based on the ets methodology they learned about, and they helped to create environments where migrants learned and experienced new skills at the same time. as can be gleaned from the table, the comparative assessment of the respondent groups’ overall knowledge and skills as migrant sports professionals in overall pre-test and posthttps://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 21 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 15-22, 2023 table 4: significant difference between the overall knowledge and skills of the migrant sports professionals in the overall pre-test and post-test. paired samples test paired differences t df sig. (2-tailed)mean std. deviation std. error mean 95% confidence interval of the difference lower upper pair 1 overall pretest overall posttest -1.72003 .70323 .08528 -1.89025 -1.54981 -20.169 67 .000 test results shows a significant difference with p=0.000. the significant difference between the overall pre-test and post-test of the migrant sports professionals means that the ets program was very effective as an intervention to enhance their knowledge and skills. these areas include sports administration and human resource management, coaching and mentoring, digital skills for sports managers, sports events management, financial sustainability strategies and mechanisms for sports organizations, marketing and communication in sports, and good governance. conclusion effecting greater participation of migrants in the position of responsibility within sports organizations is the development of the necessary methodological capacities through sports methods for them to convey the varied set of entrepreneurial attitudes, skills, and instruments composing the sports manager profile. in this study, migrants from bulgaria, spain, and italy showed improvement in the areas of administration and human resource management in sports, coaching and mentoring, digital skills for sports managers, management of sports events, financial sustainability strategies and mechanisms for sports organizations, marketing and communication in the field of sport and good governance. these areas are found to be absent or lacking among the participants before the intervention. the uncertainty of agreement on the respondents’ lack of knowledge and skills could result from their lack of confidence in what they perceived as needed to become potential sports managers. hence, the need for training and interventions will prepare them to be actual sports managers in the future with confidence. overall, the respondents agree of acquiring the knowledge and skills in administration and human resource management in sports, coaching and mentoring, digital skills for sports managers, management of sports events, financial sustainability strategies and mechanisms for sports organizations, marketing and communication in the field of sport and good governance. the comparative assessment of the migrants’ overall knowledge and skills as potential sports professionals in the overall pre-test and post-test results shows a significant difference. on the other hand, the trainers that delivered the ets program in the three countries have gained and showed a high level of expertise, clarity, culture, time management, and responsiveness, resulting in the effective acquisition of knowledge and skills by the migrant participants in the three countries. thus, creating opportunities for trainees to have experiences based on what they are learning about is vital. in this study, the trainers helped in creating opportunities for the migrant trainees to gain experiences based on the ets methodology they learned about, and they helped to create environments where migrants learned and experienced new skills at the same time. as a result, the ets affected the development of sport manager profiles on migrants, providing a solution to their under-representation in leadership roles within their sports organizations. therefore, education through sports methodology is an effective intervention program in enhancing the knowledge and skills of the migrants, helping them to upskill their sports manager’s profile . from this point of view, education through sports can be used as a methodology to bridge the gap experienced by both the host community and the migrants whose cultural background and social orientation are different on many accounts resulting in the observed underrated treatment of the latter. as edwards (2015) noted, community capacity building through sports is essential for supporting and promoting community capacity building, a critical practice for community development. according to levermore (2008), this approach is a powerful engine capable of propelling a variety of development initiatives, including human development (physical and psychological benefits), empowerment (often focusing on how sport can empower girls and women), and integration of social groups and the development of social capital. references atkinson, i. (2015, september 16). integrating migrants through sport. blog. donnelly, p., & coakley, j. j. (2002). the role of recreation in promoting social inclusion. toronto: laidlaw foundation. edwards, m. (2015). the role of sports in community capacity building: an examination of sport for development research and practice. sport management review, 18(1), 6-19. european commission dg education & culture. (2004). sport and multiculturalism. retrieved from http:// ec.europa.eu/sport/documents/lot3.pdf. eurostat. (2017). integration of immigrants in the https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 22 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 15-22, 2023 european union. retrieved from https://ec.europa. eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/8102195/310072017-ap-en.pdf/a61ce1ca-1 global commission on international migration. (2005). migration in an interconnected world: new directions for action. the commission. goudas, m., & giannoudis, g. (2008). a team-sportsbased life-skills program in a physical education context. learning and instruction, 18(5), 528-536. hatzigeorgiadis, a., morela, e., elbe, a. m., kouli, o., & sanchez, x. (2013). the integrative role of sport in multicultural societies. european psychologist, 18(3), 191-198. huddleston, t., niessen, j., & tjaden, d. j. (2013). using eu indicators of immigrant integration: final report for directorate-general for home affairs. european commission. isca. (2013). move & learntraining manual for non-formal education through sports and physical activities with young people. kolb, d. a. (1984). experiential learning: experience as the source of learning and development. new jersey: prentice-hall. levermore, r. (2008). sport in international development: time to treat it seriously? the brown journal of world affairs, 14(2), 55-66. lundkvist, e., et al. (2020). integration of immigrant youth in sweden: does sports participation really have an impact? international journal of adolescence and youth, 25(1), 891-906. mcleod, s. a. (2017, october 24). kolb learning styles and experiential learning cycle. simply psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/learning-kolb. html migration data portal. (2020, september 24). migrant integration. retrieved from https://www. migrationdataportal.org/themes/migrant-integration. oecd. (2015). indicators of immigrant integration 2015. settling in 2015. https://10.1787/9789264234024-en schinke, r. j., et al. (2011). the challenges encountered by immigrated elite athletes. journal of sport psychology in action, 2(1), 10-20. solinas, r. (2022). knowledge and skills of migrant sports professionals in bulgaria. icass conference 2022. scientific publishing house nsa press isbn. (online): 978-954-718-700-9. the european commission. (2007). white paper on sport. retrieved from https://ec.europa.eu/assets/eac/ sport/library/documents/whitepaper-full_en.pdf. the european agency for fundamental rights. (2010). annual report 2010. retrieved from https://fra. europa.eu/en/publication/2012/annual-report-2010. walseth, k. (2006). sport and belonging. international review for the sociology of sport, 41(3-4), 447–464. walseth, k., & fasting, k. (2004). sport as a means of integrating minority women. sport in society, 7(1), 109–129. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 99 american journal of education and technology (ajet) using mobile-supported self-learning modules in developing oral communication skills of grade 9 esl students emmanuel santos1* volume 2 issue 2, year 2023 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i2.1632 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: april 30, 2023 accepted: may 22 , 2023 published: may 25, 2023 with the recent pandemic, the development of oral communication skills became more challenging to address. hence, the study sought to determine the effect of mobilesupported slms on oral communication skills and identify the attitudes of students toward the use of the material. the study used one-group pretest-posttest design. the scores in the pretest and posttest were analyzed through paired-samples t-test, while the answers in the attitude survey questionnaire were analyzed through the median of every item and triangulated with the students’ essay and teacher’s log. the study found a statistically significant difference in students’ oral communication skills before and after exposure to the mobile-supported slms, and students generally have a positive attitude towards the use of the materials. it was concluded that students in low-resource contexts can still develop their oral communication skills and that they like using mobile-supported slms to develop their oral communication skills during education in emergencies. keywords attitude, emergency remote teaching, mobile-assisted language learning, oral communication skills, self-learning modules 1 department of education (sdo marikina), university of the philippines, diliman, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: emsantos8@up.edu.ph introduction oral communication is one of the critical components of speaking as a macro language skill that plays an essential role in everyday life (khan, 2015). it is a social activity when two or more persons engage in a spoken interaction where effective transmittal of information, thoughts, feelings, and values is required in a given context (rahman, 2015). in the philippines, developing these skills has been one of the priorities of the department of education (deped) as embodied in the k-12 curriculum. however, with the recent pandemic brought about by the covid-19, the development of oral communication skills became more challenging to address since it was not emphasized in the simplified curriculum to sustain education during emergencies. to sustain education delivery at times of emergency and provide ample time for mastery and coverage, 60% of the learning competencies were reduced (arcilla, 2020). sadly, it has practically left out the development of oral communication skills in the english curriculum guide of k-12. it can be said that all macro skills are indispensable in the language learning process (abbasi, mangrio, channa & hanif, 2020). however, oral communication skills are one of the most vital skills for esl students (amin & raba, 2017). they are considered lifelong skills because humans communicate orally more than they write (alsaleem, 2018). it is also essential as it can be a part of the survival skills that humans need during emergencies. it may be argued that in emergencies, these competencies become all the more applicable, therefore, should be developed. moreover, there were also limitations on regular selflearning modules (slms) since the critical key concepts for developing oral communication skills cannot be easily carried out on a printed or digital version of slms. notwithstanding the good intention of slms as priority learning materials for modular distance learning modality during emergencies, they may fall short in facilitating the critical process of developing oral communication skills. modeling of the language, speaking practices, significant input, oral interaction, and feedback-giving (burns, 2019) cannot be efficiently executed with the limitations of regular slms. interactions with a language teacher to facilitate those critical processes are imperative as these are crucial concepts in the interactionist theory, output theory, and sociocultural-constructivist learning theory (goh & burns, 2012). lastly, even before the pandemic, a concern in the curriculum guide of the k-12 english program, particularly in english 9, already exists. at a closer look, the majority of the competencies to develop oral communication skills are only within the spectrum of pronunciation skills through the delivery of lines in speech choir, readers chamber, one-act play, and full-act play. considering that the k-12 curriculum implements spiral progression, the complexity of skills is expected to increase as the student progresses to a higher level. the heavy emphasis on linguistic knowledge in pronunciation is insufficient for developing oral communication skill. as stated in the communicative competence theory, speakers must obtain knowledge about language and the skill to utilize it in any communicative context. according to goh and burns (2012), pronunciation is the lowest core of speaking skills. language or speech functions, interaction management, and speech cohesion and coherence (which is also known as discourse management) are the other higher core speaking skills which need to be emphasized. https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i2.1632 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= mailto:haytham.elaoufy%40gmail.com?subject= mailto:emsantos8@up.edu.ph pa ge 10 0 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 99-107, 2023 this is why the study aimed to investigate the feasibility of using mobile-supported slm by determining its effects on the oral communication skills of grade 9 esl students. additionally, since it involves integration of the use of technology, an investigation of attitude towards the use of the said material is deemed warranted considering that attitude can be a driving force that can affect learning of speaking (quyen & channarong, 2013), and intention to use the gadget for learning (jahromi & salimi 2013; liaw, huang, & chen, 2007; teo, 2006; ushida, 2005). general purpose and research questions of the study the study investigated the feasibility of using mobilesupported slms in developing oral communication skills. more specifically, it sought to answer the following questions: 1. is there a significant difference between the oral communication skills of grade 9 esl students before and after the use of the mobile-supported self-learning modules in terms of: a) language function skills; b) interaction management; and c) speech cohesion and coherence? 2. what are the attitudes of the learners towards the use of mobile-supported self-learning modules to develop oral communication skills? literature review second language acquisition and learning theories there are several sla theories which highlight key concepts on how oral communication skills are developed. one of these is the interactionist theory which recognizes that when an expert (parent or teacher) demonstrates conversational techniques during interaction and provides feedback, a child develops an awareness of language form and its connection with language function (halliday as cited from thwaite, 2019). similarly, the role of interaction is also highlighted in socioculturalconstructivist learning theory which expresses a view that both cognitive and social process are involved in language learning. it emphasizes that knowledge is built and developed by learning through interactions with other people – which is primarily a social process based on the sociocultural settings (mustafa, masnan, alias, mashitah, & radzi, as cited from saville-troike, 2017). in the two theories discussed, significant input is both present which is also the key concept in krashen’s input hypothesis. however, several research mentioned that comprehensible input alone is insufficient for sla (harley & hart, 1997; harley & swain, 1984) because the ability to comprehend meaning is different from the ability to apply linguistic system to express meaning (swain, 1985; sharwood, 1986; crookes, 1991). moreover, in the provision of significant input and output, hymes (1972) argued that it is not only the linguistic competence that language teachers should focus on but also the ability of the students to use it effectively in communication (nordquist, 2019). this is supported in the communicative competence theory, which considers the language learners’ ability to utilize appropriate grammatical structures in various contexts to communicate and understand messages, and to negotiate meaning for successful communication. core speaking skills and teaching speaking cycle model of goh and burns in line with the discussed language learning theories, goh and burns (2012) mentioned the four core speaking skills that can help develop oral communication skills. the first core speaking skill is pronunciation, which is the ability to produce correct and appropriate segmental and suprasegmental features of the target language. while pronunciation plays an important role in oral communication skills, it was identified that majority of the competencies in english 9 fall under the scope of pronunciation. as such, the development of higher core speaking skills must be emphasized. the second core speaking skill is language functions that pertains to the ability to know how to express basic wants and intentions through the correct use of language in a given context. the third core speaking skill is interaction management that refers to the ability to manage and influence the course of interaction. lastly, the fourth core speaking skill is discourse management, which is the ability to follow discourse rules to achieve cohesion and coherence in their set of utterances. in developing such skills, goh and burns (2012) presented the teaching speaking cycle which highlights seven stages in the holistic approach to teaching speaking. the stages are: 1) focus on attention on speaking; 2) provide and guide planning; 3) conduct of speaking practice; 4) focus on language skills and strategies; 5) repeat speaking task; 6) direct learners’ reflection on learning; and 7) facilitate feedback on learning. with the knowledge of this model, teachers can attend to the existing concerns of esl learners in speaking and offer significant scaffolding, input, and guidance to develop the students’ skills as they participate in any task related to speaking. additionally, various studies confirmed the effectiveness of the tasks-based approach that can provide meaningful use of language and explicit teaching of pragmatic language, turn-taking, and topic management strategies, which can also be used in the mobile-supported slms in the context of ert to develop language functions, interaction management, and speech cohesion and coherence. (green and oxford, 1995; hong-nam & leavell, 2006; alzeebaree & yavuz, 2017; hussein & albakri, 2019; lestari, 2017; oradee, 2012; abdilah and shiri; saleh & ul-ridha, 2020; and rehman & zaki, 2018). moreover, the teaching discourse markers in the study of khamaneh & fajuri (2020) can also be explored in the context of the present study to investigate their effects on the speech cohesion and coherence of students. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 10 1 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 99-107, 2023 enhancement of self-learning modules through mall framework while is it essential to discuss the language learning theories and related studies that can support the development of oral communication skills, it is also important to find a way to enhance the experience of students in using slms to accommodate the fundamental concepts of developing oral communication skills. slms are defined as self-directed learning resources in print or digital format where the learner engages with the material to understand the lesson (deped, 2020). considering that students enrolled in modular distance learning modality have limited resources, limited options can only be drawn. among these, smartphones have been reported to be the resources of the majority of students enrolled in the pandemic learning setup. in fact, even before the global pandemic brought about by covid-19, using smartphones for learning was not new, especially in language education. mobile-assisted language learning (mall) framework has been frequently cited due to its capacity to assist learning through easy-access, real-time, and contextualized learning opportunities for students to be more adaptive to the academic environment (gonulal, 2019; lee, 2019; and sarré, 2019). mall is a branch of technology-enhanced learning that assists or enhances language learning through smartphones or other mobile technologies (kukulska-hugme, 2009). kukulska-hulme (2009) asserted that mall is more suitable for activities outside the classroom since it enables learning to be more directly connected with the conditions of the real world. moreover, learning through mobile phones can better utilize the learner’s free time since students do not always have to study in a classroom. through technological advancements, they now have the opportunity to learn anytime and practically anywhere. this makes remote learning more effective because, through mall, the physical presence of the students in the classroom is no longer required (kukulska-hulme & shield, as cited from mortazavi et al., 2021). numerous studies have also reported on the effectiveness of the mobile device in developing oral communication skills (darmi & albion, 2017), and assessing speaking (tarighat & khodabakhsh, 2016). however, for students in low-resource contexts who do not have regular internet connection at home, real-time interaction and language modeling through videos can be challenging. as such, the use of cellular calls through three-way calls as a substitute for voice over internet protocols (voip) calls can be explored for the provision of interaction and feedback. moreover, offline curated videos can be created, provided that the videos should be within the optimal length of three to six minutes, and transcriptions of speech should be reflected in the module (brame, 2015). these videos can be distributed through usb-otg with a dangling adapter for usb type c and micro usb. attitude of students towards mall lastly, since the study involves the integration of the mall framework into slms, it is also necessary to investigate the attitude of students towards the use of it in the context of emergencies. attitude is defined as one’s judgment towards something due to experiences (sujono, 2017). dashtestani (2016) mentioned that students display a positive attitude towards the use of the mall framework because of the personalization of learning. moreover, attitude plays an important role as it can affect learning of speaking (quyen & channarong, 2013), selfdiscipline, drive, and students’ experiences interacting with the material (smidt, bank, mcgory, li, gatenby, et al., 2014). additionally, attitudes towards technological devices can influence the intention to use gadgets for learning (jahromi & salimi 2013; liaw, huang, & chen, 2007; teo, 2006; ushida, 2005). materials and methods this study employed the mixed-method qualitative and quantitative design. firstly, it used a quasi-experimental research design to evaluate the effectiveness of mobilesupported slms in developing the oral communication skills of grade 9 esl students. this design is useful in analyzing the impact of the use of mobile-supported slms on the oral communication skills of students by highlighting the use of data comparisons, such as the scores in the pretest and posttest, to interpret the findings and observe the outcome (gibbons et al., 1997; cresswell, as cited from francia, 2022). moreover, this design does not have a random assignment (cook & campbell, as cited from price, jhangiani, and chiang, 2015; reichardt, 2019), which is appropriate to the study since it is intended for an emergency context where the willingness of students in modular learning modality to participate in the study play a role. more particularly, the study used a one-group pretest-posttest design where the participants were given a pretest followed by an experimental intervention and a posttest (johnson & christensen, 2008). the study also used descriptive research with a qualitative approach, a design that describes a phenomenon, population, or situation being studied (zuyyina, wijaya, & senjawati, 2018; kumar, as cited from villanueva & gamiao, 2022). a descriptive research design does not answer questions about how, why, or when. it answers the “what” question (faelasofi, 2017), which makes it appropriate because this study aims to determine the feasibility of using mobile-supported slms to develop oral communication skills. aside from the quantitative data, which determines the effect of the said material on oral communication skills, using qualitative data is a necessity as it can support the feasibility of using the material at times of emergency by determining the attitude of the group of participants. research locale and participants the participants were 35 grade 9 esl students enrolled https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 10 2 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 99-107, 2023 in the regular program in a public school in marikina for the school year: 2022-2023. they were selected through convenient sampling technique to determine who were willing to commit to the study. they were under modular distance learning modality with no unlimited internet subscription at home but have a smartphone with: 1) an active sim card from any network to receive cellular calls; 2) any voice recording application; and 3) capacity to accommodate usb-otg devices. research instruments to gather the pretest and posttest scores for the statistical analysis of data, a researcher-made oral communication skills test that targeted the competencies of oral communication skills was employed for the participants. the test is a role-play conversation that assess the competencies for language functions, interaction management, and speech cohesion and coherence. the speaking performances in the pretest and posttest were evaluated using an analytic rating scale. to investigate further how the materials helped the students develop their oral communication skills, an interview questionnaire was also used. for the attitude of the students towards the use of the mobile-supported slms, a researchermade five-point likert scale-type containing descriptions of positive and negative attitudes toward the mobilesupported slms was used. data gathering and analysis procedures a pre-test was first given through a role-play conversation to set a baseline for the students’ oral communication skills in language functions, interaction management, and speech cohesion and coherence. after this, the students were exposed to the use of mobile-supported slms. they were given four (4) modules with various individual tasks that provided them with scaffolding, metacognitive awareness, speaking practice, language modeling, language strategies, and additional speaking tasks for the continuity and mastery of the skills. they also attended all of the four (4) teacher-facilitated tasks through cellular calls (three-way calls) for their weekly speaking performance, reflection, and feedback-giving. however, it can be mentioned that during the second week of the implementation, storm signal 4 hit metro manila. the researcher provided an intervention by providing a replacement for the destroyed materials due to flooding. participants were also given a week to recover from the storm before resuming the implementation of module 3 and 4. they were also given a large plastic ziplock bag, and instructed to think of a safe place to store their mobile-supported slms in case they experience flooding again in the future. after the four weeks of implementation, a posttest was conducted, and students were asked to answer the students’ attitude questionnaire to rate their attitude and justify their answers. they were also interviewed about how the materials helped them improve their oral communication skills. to find out the effect of the mobile-supported slms on the oral communication skills, the mean scores in the speaking performance in the pretest and posttest were analyzed using cohen’s d paired samples two-tailed t-test with 0.05 level of significance. on the other hand, to determine the students’ attitudes towards using mobilesupported slms for oral communication skills, the median of the scores of the students’ attitude questionnaire for mobile-supported slms was identified to locate the central tendency. the items were then clustered according to their theme and analyzed using the students’ answers in the shortconstructed response essay and teacher’s log containing the observation during the four weeks of implementing the mobile-supported slms. results and discussion this section presents the outcomes of the study based on the research questions presented in the earlier section of this paper. effect of mobile-supported slms on oral communication skills the table below shows the pre and posttest mean scores, standard deviation, and paired samples t-test results in all three sub-areas of oral communication skills. the significance level is set at .05. table 1: pre and posttest paired samples t-test results sub-area of oral communication skills pretest mean posttest mean mean difference p-value interpretation language function 3.50 7.45 3.95 <.001 reject ho interaction management 3.77 7.19 3.91 <.001 reject ho speech cohesion and coherence 3.43 7.43 3.42 <.001 reject ho the results in table 1 shows that there was a significant difference in the oral communication skills of grade 9 students in all sub-areas. comparing the mean difference of the pre and posttest for each sub-area, language function has the biggest mean difference (3.95), followed by speech cohesion and coherence (3.91) and interaction management (3.42). this result shows that mobilesupported slms have a large effect on the student’s oral communication skills. the effect size is determined using cohen’s d effect size, where data with more than 0.8 is considered to be a large effect (mcleod, 2019). as mentioned in the interview, the students identified several activities in the mobile-supported slms, which helped them develop their oral communication skills. the provision of videos and lessons on language strategies helped them understand better the target language skills, https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 10 3 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 99-107, 2023 while the feedback of the teacher made them aware of their areas for improvement. the reflection activities were also pointed out to be helpful in realizing their learning about the target skills. moreover, the preparatory activities, speaking practice through audio recording, and repetition of speaking performance through cellular call helped them become more prepared and confident in speaking. in addition, the study confirmed the findings of different studies to develop the sub-areas of oral communication skills. for language functions, the study confirmed the findings of several studies that also used activity-based teaching of pragmatics (hong-nam & leavell, 2006; oradee, 2012; alzeebaree & yavuz, 2017; lestari, 2017; hussein & albakri, 2019) to improve language functions. for interaction management, topic-management and turntaking strategies were also confirmed to be effective in improving interaction management (adbilah & shiri, 2020; saleh and ul-ridha, 2020). lastly, for speech cohesion and coherence, the study was also able to confirm that teaching discourse markers can have a significant difference in the speech cohesion and coherence of students, contrary to the study of khamaneh and fajuri (2020). all in all, the study was able to confirm the effectiveness of the teaching speaking cycle model of goh and burns (2012) in improving the oral communication skills in the slm context during emergencies because of the provision of activities for metacognitive awareness, use of video for language modeling, speaking practices that allow appropriate use of the target skills, provision of language strategies based on the target skills, and giving of suggestions or corrections from the teacher. these activities are also anchored in the language learning theories such as interactionist, input hypothesis, output hypothesis, and communicative competence theory, which are present in the mobile-supported slms for oral communication skills. attitude of students towards the use of mobilesupported slms to answer the second research question about students’ attitudes toward using mobile-supported slms for oral communication skills, the median of the scores of the students’ attitude questionnaire was identified to determine the central tendency. the items were then clustered according to their theme and analyzed using the students’ answers in the short-constructed response essay and teacher’s log. the succeeding tables below present the themes. it can be seen in table 2 that students answered strongly agree that they get more confident in the speaking tasks table 2: items related to students’ preparation and practice using mobile-supported slms descriptions of attitude median verbal interpretation i get more confident in the speaking tasks because of the preparatory activities and repetition of the speaking task. 5 sa the preparatory activities are helpful in coming up with a good speaking performance. 5 sa i avoid answering the preparatory activities because they are not important. 2 d because of the preparatory activities and repetition of speaking tasks. they also strongly agree that the preparatory activities are helpful in coming up with good speaking performances. moreover, they disagree that they avoid answering the preparatory activities because they are not important. the results imply that the students have recognized the importance of preparation and practice in achieving good speaking performances using mobile-supported slms. table 3 shows that students strongly disagree that the regular session is a waste of time. it also reveals that they strongly agree that attending the regular sessions for table 3: items related to students’ willingness to use the mobile-supported slms descriptions of attitude median verbal interpretation the regular sessions for teacher-facilitated task is a waste of time. 1 sd it is important to attend the regular sessions for teacher-facilitated tasks in the mobile-supported slms. 5 sa the mobile-supported slms give me additional burden in my academic tasks. 2 d teacher-facilitated tasks in the mobile-supported slms is important. additionally, they answered disagree that the mobile-supported slms give them an additional burden in their academic tasks. it can be seen in table 4 that students agree that the integration of mobile technology into the slms motivates them to learn oral communication skills. they answered strongly disagree about the offline curated videos that table 4: items related to students’ interest in the integration of mobile technology to slms descriptions of attitude median verbal interpretation the use of mobile technology with slms motivates me to learn oral communication skills. 4 a https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 10 4 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 99-107, 2023 allow them to watch the videos even without connecting to their internet. they disagree that the implementation of mobile-supported slms is complicated and discourages them from taking it seriously. lastly, they agree that they like that their teacher can connect to them even without the internet. table 5 shows that students answered strongly agree that the independent and teacher-facilitated tasks help them develop their oral communication skills, independent learning, and good study habits. they also answered i like that i don’t need to connect to the internet to watch the videos. i can easily watch them anytime i want. 5 sa the implementation of mobile-supported slms is complicated and discourages me to take it seriously. 2 d i like that my teacher can connect to me even without the internet. 4 a table 5: items related to students’ appreciation of the usefulness of the lessons and activities for independent learning and oral communication skills descriptions of attitude median verbal interpretation the independent and teacher-facilitated tasks help me in the development of my oral communication skills. 5 sa the reflection and feedback-giving activity through cellular call is useful in improving my oral communication skills. 5 sa the mobile-supported slms help me develop independent learning and good study habit. 5 sa strongly agree about the usefulness of feedback-giving and reflection to improve their oral communication skills. table 6 shows the students disagree that the speaking tasks, including the teacher-facilitated tasks, make them uncomfortable and nervous. study also found that few students have shown a negative attitude towards the use of mobile-supported slms as they skipped some parts or activities in the mobilesupported slms, got distracted from a poor cellular signal, and showed discomfort when asked to join other groups for the rescheduled cellular call. furthermore, the results of the attitude of students confirmed the study of dashtestani (2016) that students display a positive attitude towards the use of the mall framework because of the personalization of learning, which makes it useful for education in emergency contexts to accommodate students with limited resources. it confirmed that attitudes towards technological devices could influence the intention to use gadgets for learning (jahromi & salimi 2013; liaw et al. 2007; teo 2006; ushida 2005) as the students who participated in the study used their mobile devices to support their independent learning. lastly, it also confirmed that students with a positive attitude towards speaking english have better speaking performance (quyen & channarong, 2013) as the scores of the students in language functions, interaction management, and speech cohesion and coherence improved. conclusion based on data analysis, the study found a statistically significant difference in students’ oral communication skills before and after exposure to mobile-supported slms in all three sub-areas, such as language functions, interaction management, and speech cohesion and coherence. this means that using mobile-supported slms effectively develops the oral communication skills of grade 9 esl students in times of emergency despite being in a low-resource context. the mobile-supported slms made it feasible to address the limited resources table 6: item related to students’ comfortableness in teacher-facilitated tasks descriptions of attitude median verbal interpretation the speaking tasks, especially those that are teacher-facilitated, make me uncomfortable and nervous. 2 d table 7 shows the students answered agree that the mobile-supported slms for oral communication skills are helpful to students with limited learning resources at table 7: item related to students’ acknowledgement and support for the purpose of mobile-supported slms descriptions of attitude median verbal interpretation the mobile-supported slms for oral communication skills is helpful to students with limited learning resources at home during emergencies. 4 a home during emergencies. while students in general have positive attitudes towards the use of the material, the https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 10 5 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 99-107, 2023 of students in modular distance learning modality by maximizing the offline features of their smartphones to develop their oral communication skills. the study also found that the students have a positive attitude towards the slms because of their features that allow them to develop their oral communication and independent learning skills. their attitude revealed that they recognize the importance of preparation and practice to achieve successful speaking performance, demonstrate a willingness to answer the modules and attend the teacher-facilitated tasks, show interest in the integration of mobile technology with slms, appreciate the usefulness of activities in the mobile-supported slms in developing independent learning and oral communication skills, feel comfortable in teacher-facilitated tasks when they attend with their groupmates, and acknowledged and supported the purpose of mobile-supported slms. notwithstanding the result that the attitude of students is mostly positive, a few students have displayed negative attitudes towards the use of mobile-supported slms. such negative attitudes are skipping some activities in the mobile-supported slms, being distracted from a poor cellular signal, and showing discomfort when asked to join other groups for the rescheduled cellular call. furthermore, the research reveals that, students in lowresource context like the idea of using mobile-supported slms during education in emergencies. having only smartphones with limited internet connection access did not discourage them from pursuing the development of their oral communication skills. instead, it motivated them to maximize the use of their smartphones to aid their learning. as such, the study served as a testing ground for the actual emergency remote learning setup, which can also be used in the post-pandemic realities where the continuity of learning is shifted through online classes and modular learning when faced with emergencies that are not limited to natural disasters. notwithstanding the results, due to the limited time in the implementation, the study recommends at least two weeks for the students to accomplish all the activities in the mobile-supported slms to prevent students from skipping some items. furthermore, future researchers may investigate further the effect of mobile-supported slms on other components of oral communication skills. the delivery of the speech is one of the concerns in their weekly speaking performance during cellular call sessions. several students spoke monotonously, making their speaking performance less appealing. the mobile-supported slms can have an additional lesson on segmental and suprasegmental speech features to improve their pronunciation. in particular, a 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(2022). effects of code switching among college instructors and students in a philippine classroom setting. american journal of multidisciplinary research and innovation, 1(2), 70–77. https://doi.org/10.54536/ajmri.v1i2.292 zuyyina, h., wijaya, t., & senjawati, e. (2018). kemampuan koneksi matematis siswa smp pada materi lingkaran. sosiohumaniora: jurnal ilmiah ilmu sosial dan humaniora, 4(2), 79-90. https://doi. org/10.30738/sosio.v4i2.2546 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 69 american journal of education and technology (ajet) geogebra as a tool for improving mathematics instruction and learning by ghanaian teachers patrick akwasi anamuah mensah1, bismark ansu1*, ishmael besing karadaar1, joseph gurah junior1 volume 2 issue 2, year 2023 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i2.1586 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: april 17, 2023 accepted: may 02 , 2023 published: may 10, 2023 this study is mainly about using geogebra as a tool for improving mathematics instruction and learning by ghanaian teachers. the quantitative method was employed for the study and the descriptive statistics of the study were the mean, standard deviation, percentages, and frequencies were used. two-way analysis of variance (anova) was used in answering the hypothesis test. the sample size for the study comprised 10 junior high schools and 13 primary schools. a total of 74 samples made of mathematics teachers were used of which 40 were junior high teachers and 34 were primary school teachers. a questionnaire with 10 questions/items with 4 options or 4 likert scales for each was used in measuring the use of geogebra as a tool to improve mathematics instructions or learning by ghanaian teachers (primary teachers and junior high school teachers). the study indicated that teachers believe that geogebra could effectively improve mathematics instruction and learning in the classroom. it also showed that teachers are ready to learn and adopt the use of technology (ict) in their lesson delivery. keywords geogebra, mathematics, teachers, students, ict, learning, teaching 1 mathematics and ict department, st ambrose college of education, dormaa – akwamu, ghana * corresponding author’s e-mail: ansubismark@sace.edu.gh introduction the teaching and learning of mathematics in today’s world goes beyond the traditional ways of teaching and learning. the use of ict has become an integral part of our everyday living especially in the educational field. many concepts in the learning and teaching of mathematics have become more enjoyable, understandable and easier through the use of ict. as indicated by mijares benjamin (2022) and lagura, (2022), ict if effectively and adequately use in the teaching field plays important role in education. in 2003, ghana had its maiden edition of ict week which assembled great and powerful academicians and experts in it. in the second edition the major and the main focus of the ict week was to embrace the role of ict in the educational sector in helping to achieve the national development plan (ict4ad, 2003). yet an effective use or enforcement of the use of ict in the teaching and learning of mathematics from the basic level/pre – tertiary level is weak. this then informed the government in 2007 to reviewed the mathematics curriculum on ict for accelerated development in the new education reform (moess, 2007). even though there is the use of ict in the teaching and learning of some subjects it is limited. this is because there is no strict supervision on the new educational reforms on ict for accelerated development (ict4ad, 2003) on instructional and learning process especially in the teaching and learning of mathematics (moe, 2000). the use of technology (ict) brings about conceptual understanding through pictorial representations in virtual, video, animation, graphics, and, etc (the american association of mathematics teacher educators, 2006). in view of this it very clear that the government of ghana through the ministry of education is very much concern about the teaching and learning of mathematics education through all levels in the country (moess, 2007). however, teaching and learning of mathematics as shown in most studies indicates that the achievement of pupils/students in mathematics are very low, since mostly used approach in the delivery of mathematics is teacher – centered strategy (agyei & voogt, 2011). mathematics as a subject in our ordinary setting is perceived to be difficult. this is as a result of the approach used in its delivery. this approach by most of the teachers handling mathematics tends to have effects on the pupils/students understanding in the subject. as opined by dariusz majerek (2014) the teaching of mathematical concept without enough illustration, fixed mathematical graphs in explaining mathematical concept, generalization of concept that are fixed are the main barrels in teaching mathematics. in todays’ dispensation or modern era, the process of teaching and learning of mathematics has become easier and enjoyable through the use of ict (technology). in the process of teaching and learning one of the resources which has become powerful is the use of technology (the american association of mathematics teacher educators, 2006). in teaching and learning of mathematics the use of technology (ict) is very important during the instructional period. mijares (2022), pointed out that the fast – facing trends in the educational system is a clear indication that teachers are to be trained and equipped themselves in the modern knowledge and skills in technology and pedagogy. hence it is on all teachers to integrate technology in their classroom lessons. it has impact on the mathematics lesson/instruction and improves students learning. and among the six principles for school mathematics instructions, technology is one of the principles https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i2.1586 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= mailto:haytham.elaoufy%40gmail.com?subject= mailto:ansubismark@sace.edu.gh pa ge 70 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 69-75, 2023 considered and accepted by national council of teachers of mathematics the biggest association of mathematics teachers in the world (nctm, 2000). technology as resource in teaching and learning has come to stay in the academic settings and it environ (museveni, 2006). in the process of teaching and learning of mathematics, a lot of technological software has been developed to help make it more appreciative and enjoyable. notable among them are mathematica, sketchpad (geometer), geogebra, calculator, and, etc. geogebra is a mathematical software which was developed by markus hohenwarter in austria (university of salzburg) in 2001/2002 during his master’s thesis. geogebra is a full package that links algebra, geometry and calculus together. it directly works with points, lines, segments, vectors, conic sections, shapes, and, figures (hohenwarter & jones, 2007). geogebra is interaction geometry, algebra, statistics and calculus application software intended for teaching and learning of mathematics at all levels of educational system. the importance of using geogebra in teaching and learning mathematics cannot be overemphasized as danso-ntow and yunus (2021), asserted that in teaching concepts-based instruction, manipulative play a vital role. geogebra use in teaching circle theorem help students to understand the concepts and properties of circles making it easy for students to answer circle questions better compared to previous achievement. again, arbain and shukor (2014), in their study on the effect of geogebra on students’ achievement confirmed that the use of geogebra has positive impact on students’ performance in that students actively participated in the lesson and willing to manipulates to find the end result which led to proper understanding. it is an undeniable fact by majerek (2014), that geogebra software and its application in teaching and learning mathematics cannot be overlooked since it contributes to proper and easy understanding by students. he argues that it is important to include these electronic applications in our lesson delivery. sangwin (2007), supported the idea that geogebra use as a tool for teaching and learning mathematics make plotting of graphs and shapes easy for students. he argues that even though geogebra plays a vital role in teaching and learning mathematics, teachers’ knowledge on the application and it use is also very important because most of the mathematics teachers do not have the basic idea about the use of geogebra making it difficult for them to use in their lesson as agreed by mokotjo & mokhele (2021). this article looks into the use of geogebra in improving the teaching and learning of mathematics instruction by ghanaian teachers. this investigation will help in knowing the impact of geogebra in classroom mathematics instruction and also know how knowledgeable teacher are in using during the instructional period. statement of the problem chimuka (2017) examined the impact of using geogebra on the performance of south african students. two groups of students on the same level were considered namely: the control group and the experimental class/ group. the experimental group was taught using the geogebra application software and the control group was taught by a teacher using the traditional chalk and blackboard method. after the data analysis, he concluded that the experimental group performed significantly better than the control group. tetteh & atteh (2022) also conducted a study on the use of geogebra software in teaching and learning transformation (rigid body motion) on ghanaian high school student outcomes. students were taught to solve conversion problems in the traditional way using chalk and a blackboard. after class, students were given a pre-intervention test, and researchers found that students performed poorly. the same group of students were taught using the geogebra application software. they were examined on the same question, and the results were relatively above average, confirming that geogebra makes it easy for students to draw graphics. sangwin (2007) also supported the notion that technology (ict) as a tool for teaching and learning mathematics, allows students to draw graphs and diagrams easily. even though, geogebra plays an important role in mathematics teaching and learning most mathematics teachers do not have basic understanding or knowledge on how to use or apply it in their lessons as agreed by mokotjo & mokhele (2021). although the use of geogebra in mathematics learning and teaching shows positive acceptance and perception, there is still uncertainty about how ghanaian teachers view the impact of mathematics teaching and learning. the article looks into the use of geogebra in improving mathematics instruction and learning by ghanaian teachers. research question this article investigates the use of geogebra as a tool for improving mathematics instruction and learning by ghanaian teachers. the following are the primary questions that the study tries to answer: 1. is there a common usage of geogebra as a tool for improving mathematics instruction and learning by ghanaian teachers (primary and junior high school teachers)? 2. what is the difference in the mean usage of geogebra as a tool for improving mathematics instruction and learning by ghanaian teachers (primary and junior high school teachers)? research hypotheses the following hypotheses were given for the quantitative technique to answer the research questions. null hypotheses (h0i) and alternative hypotheses (hai) were used to designate the hypotheses, where i = 1, 2 and 3 h01: null hypothesis: there is no significant difference in the mean usage of geogebra by ghanaian teachers (primary and junior high school teachers) as a tool for improving mathematics instruction and learning. ha1: alternative hypothesis: there is a significant difference in ghanaian teachers’ mean usage of geogebra https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 71 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 69-75, 2023 as a tool for improving mathematics instruction and learning (primary and junior high school teachers). literature review in examining the literature, we looked at many aspects of technology use in classroom instruction. these factors include: the role of technology in teaching and learning mathematics, technology beneficial in student learning, technology support in discovery learning, geogebra in teaching practice, and student engagement and achievement using geogebra. the role of technology in teaching and learning of mathematics it is crucial that instructors and students have frequent access to technologies that support and promote mathematical sense making, reasoning, problem solving, and communication, as according to the national council of teachers of mathematics (nctm, 2000). effective instructors make the most of technology’s ability to deepen students’ knowledge, pique their attention, and improve their mathematical skills. teachers who wisely employ technology can increase all students’ access to mathematics (nctm, 2000). technology beneficial in student learning according to nctm (2000), technology is significant in mathematics teaching and learning because it changes the mathematics taught and increases student learning. there is evidence that technology can enhance teaching (dede, 2000). using technology also assists students in developing visual pictures of mathematical ideas, organizing and analyzing data, and calculating more swiftly and precisely. technology assists students in exploring all elements of mathematics, including geometry, statistics, algebra, measurement, and numbers (nctm, 2000). dynamic math software is one such technological instrument and some popular software includes geometer’s geogebra, cabri, and sketchpad. technology support in discovery learning students may explore, discover, share, and engage with peers in an interactive learning environment made possible by the use of technology and dynamic software. geogebra, geometer’s sketchpad, and cabri are examples of dynamic applications that enable investigations that encourage the conjecturing process (baki, 2005). according to research, kids become more motivated and acquire greater abilities when they can use technology to investigate and build their own understanding minimizing teacher – centered approach during instruction (lagura, rabang and pascua, 2022; lagura, 2022). geogebra in teaching practice geogebra is a dynamic system that combines geometry, algebra, and calculus. markus hohenwarter developed the free mathematics program geogebra in 2001 for his master’s thesis at the university of salzburg in austria. on the official geogebra website, which also provides access to tutorials, the geogebra wiki and the user forum, associated publications, and details on local geogebra institutes, users may download the most recent version of the software (sangwin, 2007). users of geogebra, mostly instructors and students, can use this setting to investigate, clarify, and model mathematical ideas and their connections (hohenwarter & jones, 2007). geogebra connects many representations and takes algebraic, geometrical, and calculus instructions. markus and his group of programmers created this software in a way to make the solving of mathematics easier. geogebra connects several representations and takes algebra, geometry, and calculus instructions. markus and his team of programmers developed this software, which enables various representations and visualizations of mathematical topics. student engagement and achievement using geogebra once more, arbain & shukor’s (2015) study on the impact of geogebra on student achievement confirmed that the use of geogebra has a positive impact on students’ performance in that they actively participated in the lesson and were willing to manipulate to find the end result, which led to proper understanding. according to majerek (2014), it is inevitable that geogebra software and its applications in mathematics teaching and learning cannot be disregarded since they help students comprehend the subject matter correctly and make the case that it is crucial to integrate these digital tools into how we offer lessons. methodology in this study the researchers look into the use of geogebra as a tool to improve mathematics instructions and learning by ghanaian teachers. the study employed quantitative methods. the descriptive statistics, namely; the study’s mean, standard deviations, percentages, and frequencies were obtained using the statistical package for the social sciences (spss) version 16. two – way analysis of variance (anova) was used to analyzed the school level (primary and junior high schools) as a variable in two factor levels. sample the sample size for the study consisted of 10 junior high schools and 13 primary schools within the dormaa east municipal. a total of 74 samples were used. 40 were junior high school teachers and 34 of them were primary school teachers. instrumentation a questionnaire with 10 questions/items with 4 options or 4 likert scale for each was used in measuring the use of geogebra as a tool to improve mathematics instructions or learning by ghanaian teachers (primary teachers and junior high school teachers). the scale included four https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 72 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 69-75, 2023 options: 1 for strongly agreeing, 2 for agreeing, 3 for disagreeing, and 4 for strongly disagreeing. in line with the study objectives and the research hypothesis, the questionnaire was created to address three primary areas: emotional outcomes of using geogebra, experience and instruction with geogebra, and instructors’ beliefs about the cognitive impacts of using geogebra. results and discussions results under this section we look at the research questions and research hypotheses of the study. the statistical analyses of the data collected are also presented. results of the statistical analyses the study employs descriptive statistics to examine the level of teacher agreement over the usage of geogebra in teaching mathematics. 74 teachers were used for the study of which the number of females and males form the primary level were 42 and 10 respectively. however, 6 females and 16 males were from the junior high school. in all a total of 52 females and 22 males were used for the study. there were 4 – point likert scale on the questionnaire. the information obtained from the consensus of teachers’ in using geogebra in mathematics instruction was entered into spss version 16 as shown in table 1 below. table 1: consensus of teachers’ in using geogebra in mathematics instruction. questions (item) frequency percent nature when a lesson is taught with geogebra, they don’t need to show their work on paper. 61 82.4 disagree the use of geogebra in mathematics instructions makes it easier in solving problems. 51 68.9 agree students understand mathematics better if they solve problems using paper and pencil 52 70.3 agree teachers should not be permitted to utilize geogebra in their classrooms unless they have mastered the idea or technique. 60 81.1 agree geogebra should be learned by all mathematics teachers. 63 85.1 agree the geogebra program is available in the school for my class(es) to utilize. 54 73.0 disagree almost 90% of instructors have access to their own geogebra software suite. 49 66.2 disagree i have previously utilized geogebra in my classroom. 68 91.9 disagree i understand how i can properly use geogebra in my classroom. 49 66.2 disagree i have several ideas on how i can use geogebra. 51 68.9 disagree source; field survey, 2023 according to table 1, 81.1% of instructors believe that teachers should not be permitted to use geogebra in class until they have mastered the subject or method. many instructors (85.1%) thought that all mathematics teachers should learn to use geogebra. an overwhelming majority of teachers (91.9%) have never used geogebra in their classroom. however, 66.2% of the teachers do not know ways they can use geogebra effectively in the classrooms. on students understanding mathematics better when they solve problem using paper and pencils 70.3% agreed. 82.4% of mathematics teachers disagreed that when a lesson is taught with geogebra, they don’t need to show their work on paper. although 68.9% of the mathematics teachers agreed that the use of geogebra in mathematics instructions makes it easier in solving problems in mathematics. 73.0% disagreed that there is availability of the geogebra software in the school for my class(es) to use. research question one is there a mean use of geogebra as a tool for improving mathematics instructions and learning by ghanaian teachers (primary and junior high school teachers)? using a 4-point likert scale the instrument had a 0 to 3 item range. this was then entered into spss version 16 to obtain the frequencies (n), the mean and the standard deviation. the values for the mean and standard deviation are shown in table 2. so according table 2, the mean and standard deviation for 48 female instructors using geogebra as a tool to improve mathematics and learning were 1.48 and 0.83, respectively. the mean and standard deviation of the 26 male instructors on the usage of geogebra to improve mathematics instruction and learning were 1.40 and 0.90, respectively. however, in terms of levels, the mean for primary school teachers on the use of geogebra as a tool for improving mathematics and learning was 1.55 with a standard deviation of 0.91, while the mean and standard deviation for junior high school teachers were 1.38 and 0.86, respectively. the mean and standard deviation for the entire teachers on the use geogebra for improving mathematics instruction and learning was 1.44 and 0.90 signifying neutrality or slightly positive acceptance. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 73 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 69-75, 2023 research question two what is the difference in the mean use of geogebra as a tool for improving mathematics instruction and learning by ghanaian teachers (primary and junior high school teachers)? table 2 indicates that out of the 74 teachers a mean of 1.55 and standard deviation 0.91 representing 52 teachers from the primary schools who handles mathematics believes that geogebra as a tool for improving mathematics education and learning is the finest. however, 22 junior high school mathematics instructors had a slightly favorable or neutral impression of geogebra as a tool for boosting mathematics instruction and learning, with a mean of 1.38 and standard deviation of 0.86. as a result, there is no difference in the mean of ghanaian instructors (primary and junior high school teachers) when geogebra is used as a tool to improve mathematics instruction and learning. the research presented above indicates unequivocally that ghanaian teachers would welcome any attempt by policymakers to incorporate geogebra into mathematics education and learning. hypotheses testing in a two – factor analysis of variance, the study used school level (primary and junior high schools) as a variable. the item range of the instrument was 0 – 3. the hypothesis was as follows: h01: there is no statistically significant difference in ghanaian teachers’ mean usage of geogebra as a tool for improving mathematics instruction and learning (primary and junior high school teachers). ha1: there is a substantial difference in ghanaian teachers’ mean usage of geogebra as a tool for improving mathematics instruction and learning (primary and junior high school teachers). table 2: means and standard deviations of ghanaian teachers’ usage of geogebra as a tool for improving mathematics instruction and learning. primary school n mean standard deviation male 10 1.44 0.82 female 42 1.47 0.92 total 52 1.55 0.91 junior high school male 16 1.37 0.91 female 6 1.43 0.66 total 22 1.38 0.86 all male 26 1.40 0.90 female 48 1.42 0.83 total 74 1.44 0.90 source; field survey, 2023 table 3: variance analysis for teachers using geogebra to improve mathematics instruction and learning source sum of squares df mean square f school level 0.66 1 0.66 0.80 error 58.82 72 0.82 total 59.48 73 source; field survey, 2023 thus, according to table 2, the mean and standard deviation for 52 primary mathematics instructors were 1.55 and 0.91, respectively, while the mean and standard deviation for 22 junior high school mathematics teachers were 1.38 and 0.86, respectively. however, there is no significant difference in the mean usage of geogebra as a tool for improving mathematics instruction and learning by ghanaian teachers (primary and junior high school teachers) based on the anova test findings shown in table 3, f (1, 72) = 0.80. we cannot reject h01 since the estimated f (0.80) is smaller than the f table (2.79). as a result, there is no significant difference. discussion the descriptive analysis of the data that addressed the usage of geogebra as a tool to improve mathematics instruction and learning by ghanaian teachers (primary and junior high school) was marginally favorable. despite the fact that the majority of teachers lack experience and access to the package. there were just as many instructors who were enthusiastic about using geogebra in their classroom. in this circumstance, it may be possible to conduct an awareness program to assist instructors in developing their capacity to utilize ict in teaching mathematics https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 74 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 69-75, 2023 lessons in order to modify the attitudes of teachers who have a negative view of the usage of geogebra. it should be noted that ghanaian teachers’ proclivity for using geogebra does not appear to contradict the academic literature on the function of teacher attitude in technology integration in mathematics instruction and learning. according to ntcm (2000), the teacher is the most important element known to impact student learning. in this regard, the mathematics instructor should have positive attitudes about mathematics as well as the utilization of resources such as geogebra to make mathematics entertaining and engaging to children. the minor manifestation of positive sentiments among ghanaian instructors might be regarded a step in the right direction. about (85.1%) believed that all mathematics teachers should learn to use geogebra. this indicate that ghanaian teachers seems to be positive irrespective of the level agree in the use of geogebra as a tool in mathematics instruction and learning. as a result, a movement in policy favoring geogebra in mathematics instruction and learning might have a beneficial influence on teachers’ perceptions of geogebra use, therefore improving mathematics instruction and learning. according to the data, even though a significant majority of instructors (91.9%) have never used geogebra in their classroom instruction, 68.9% of teachers feel that using geogebra in mathematics instruction makes it simpler to solve issues mathematically. the two-way analysis of variance found that there is no significant difference in the mean usage of geogebra as a tool for improving mathematics instruction and learning by ghanaian teachers (primary and junior high school teachers), f (1, 72) = 0.80. we fail to reject h01 because the computed f (0.80) is less than the f table (2.79), implying that there is no substantial difference. conclusion technological advancement has made a significant impact to all aspects of our life. educators are concerned with how to integrate technology into classroom in order to increase the quality of mathematics instruction while simultaneously improving student performance. ghanaian instructors have said that, while they do not presently teach with geogebra, they believe that using geogebra may significantly improve mathematics education and learning in the classroom. in this view, policymakers should abandon their easy stance and develop policies that raise awareness of the critical role geogebra plays in mathematics education and learning as a technology tool. this knowledge would pave the way for the development of a worldwide uniform instructional technology strategy, especially increasing teacher attitudes toward and ultimate acceptance of geogebra in mathematics instruction and learning. conflicts of interest authors declare no conflicts of interest. data availability data for the study can be made available upon genuine request. funding this article did not receive any form of financial support, authorship and/or publication. authors’ contributions the study was carried out in collaboration between all authors. author paam and ea came out with the design of the study, performed the statistical analysis and the analyses of the study, wrote the first draft and protocol of the manuscript. authors ibk and jgj worked and managed the literature. all authors read and approved the final manuscript before submission. references agyei, d. d., & voogt, j. (2011). exploring the potential of the will skill tool model in ghana: predicting prospective and practicing teachers’ use of technology. computers & education, 56(1), 91–100. http://dx.doi. org/10.1016/j.compedu.2010.08.017 arbain, n, & shukor, n. a. (2015). the effects of geogebra on students’ achievement. global conference on business & social sciences-2014. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 172, 208 – 214. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.01.356 baki, a. (2005). archimedes with cabri: visualization and experimental verification of mathematical ideas. international journal of computers for mathematical learning, 10(3), 259-270. chimuka, a. (2017). the effect of integration of geogebra on grade 11 student’s achievement in circle geometry. african academic research forum, pretoria, 3. danso-ntow, f., & yunus, h. (2021). the impact of concept-based instruction on senior high school students’ achievement in circle theorem. african journal of education studies in mathematics and sciences, 17(1). https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ajesms.v17i1.8 dede, c. (2000). emerging influences of information technology on school curriculum. journal of curriculum studies, 32(2), 281-303. hohenwarter, m. & john, p. (2007). dynamic mathematics with geogebra. the journal of online mathematics and its application, 7. ict for accelerated development (ictad). (2003). the ghana ict for accelerated development (ict4ad) policy, 2003. graphic communications group limited. lagura, r. 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(2007). a brief review of geogebra: dynamic mathematics. msor connections, 7(2), 36. http://doi. org/10.11120/msor.2007.07020036 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 36 american journal of education and technology (ajet) examining the implementation of artificial intelligence in early childhood education settings in ghana: educators’ attitudes and perceptions towards its long-term viability mohammed awudu salaam1* volume 2 issue 4, year 2023 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i4.2201 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: october 10, 2023 accepted: november 12, 2023 published: november 17, 2023 artificial intelligence (ai) has witnessed significant advancements in recent years, with potential applications in various sectors, including education. early childhood education (ece) is a critical stage that lays the foundation for a child’s future development and learning. this study aims to explore the attitudes and perceptions of educators in ghana towards implementing ai in ece settings, focusing on its long-term viability. the research employs a qualitative approach, utilising interviews and focus group discussions to gather data from educators in selected ece settings across four (4) early childhood settings in ghana. the study investigates eight (8) educators’ experiences, concerns, and expectations regarding integrating ai technologies into their teaching practices. it explores the factors influencing their attitudes towards ai, including familiarity with the technology, pedagogical beliefs, cultural context, and training opportunities. preliminary findings indicate a diverse range of perspectives among educators towards ai implementation in ece settings. some educators perceive ai as promising for enhancing teaching and learning experiences, providing personalised instruction, and facilitating early childhood development. they recognise the potential benefits of ai in supporting cognitive, social, and emotional growth among young learners. concerns are expressed regarding the implications of ai on human interaction, child privacy, and the role of educators in fostering holistic development. this study contributes to the emerging field of ai in education by examining the context of ece in ghana. the findings informed policymakers, educational institutions, and ai developers about the perceptions and concerns of educators, ultimately guiding the development and implementation of ai technologies in a manner that aligns with the needs and aspirations of the ghanaian ece community. keywords artificial intelligence, attitudes, early childhood education, educators, implementation, integration, long-term viability, perceptions 1 college of distance education, university of cape coast, ghana * corresponding author’s e-mail: mohammedasalaam@yahoo.com introduction early childhood education (ece) shapes young children’s cognitive, social, and emotional development, providing a solid foundation for their future learning and success (mohammed, 2023). ece pertains to the critical period in a child’s life spanning. as technology continues to evolve, there is a growing interest in exploring the implementation of artificial intelligence (ai) in educational settings, including ece (bautista et al., 2023). ai relates to replicating human intelligence in machines, which are programmed to mimic human thought processes, learning capabilities, and problem-solving skills. ai has the potential to revolutionise teaching and learning by offering personalised and adaptive learning experiences tailored to individual learners’ needs. ghana, a country in west africa, recognises the significance of early childhood education in ensuring optimal child development. with the government’s commitment to improving teaching and technological advancements, exploring ai’s integration in ece settings has gained attention (pillar & haricharan, 2023). so, it is crucial to understand the attitudes and perceptions of teachers, who are central to ai’s successful implementation and long-term viability in the ghanaian ece context. this study examines teachers’ attitudes and perceptions towards implementing ai in ece settings in ghana, specifically focusing on its long-term viability. by gaining insights into teachers’ experiences, concerns, and expectations, this research sheds light on the opportunities and challenges associated with ai integration in early childhood education. previous studies (berson 2022; chiu et al. 2021; chen et al. 2020) have explored the implementation of ai in various educational contexts, highlighting its potential benefits, such as personalised learning, intelligent tutoring systems, and enhanced student engagement. however, research specifically focused on ai in ece settings, especially in the context of developing countries like ghana, remains limited. understanding the attitudes and perceptions of teachers in ghana is crucial in informing policymakers, educational institutions, and ai developers about the factors that shape the successful integration of ai technologies in the ece domain (chan & hu, 2023). exploring the attitudes and perceptions of teachers towards ai in ece settings will contribute to a deeper understanding of their beliefs, concerns, and expectations. it will provide insights into their readiness for ai implementation, potential barriers to adoption, and strategies to address these challenges (papadakis et al., 2021). additionally, this research will emphasise the importance of incorporating teachers’ perspectives and expertise in developing and deploying ai technologies, ensuring their alignment with ghana’s cultural context, educational goals, and pedagogical principles. pa ge 37 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 36-49, 2023 by examining the long-term viability of ai in ece settings, this study seeks to foster a comprehensive understanding of how ai can be effectively integrated into ece while preserving the essential role of educators in nurturing young learners (su & zhong, 2022). the findings will contribute to the growing knowledge of ai in education and provide practical implications for policymakers, educational institutions, and stakeholders involved in ece in ghana. ultimately, this research aims to support the enhancement of ece practices and promote the holistic development of young children in ghana through the responsible and meaningful integration of ai technologies. educators’ familiarity with artificial intelligence in ece educators’ familiarity with artificial intelligence (ai) in early childhood education (ece) refers to their knowledge, understanding, and experience with ai technologies and their applications in the ece context. familiarity can vary among educators based on their exposure to ai, training, and practical experience. it significantly shapes educators’ attitudes and perceptions towards ai implementation in ece (kewalramani et al., 2021). educators’ familiarity with ai in ece can range from limited exposure and prior understanding to practical experience and continuous professional development. some educators may have limited exposure to ai technologies in ece, resulting in minimal knowledge or awareness of its potential applications. others may possess a basic understanding of ai and its benefits in ece through introductory training or general awareness. educators who have practical experience using ai tools in ece settings demonstrate a higher level of familiarity, having integrated ai technologies into their instructional practices. educators who engage in continuous professional development focused on ai in ece exhibit enhanced understanding, actively seeking opportunities to update their knowledge and skills (li & taber, 2022). enhancing educators’ familiarity with ai in ece is crucial for successful implementation. ongoing professional development programmes, training opportunities, and collaboration with ai experts can support educators in building their understanding, expertise, and confidence in utilising ai tools effectively. by promoting educators’ familiarity with ai, ece settings can leverage the potential benefits of ai technologies to enhance teaching and learning experiences for young children (baidoo-anu & ansah, 2023). benefits of implementing artificial intelligence in ece implementing artificial intelligence (ai) in ece settings holds excellent potential for various perceived benefits that can positively impact teaching and learning experiences. educators and researchers have identified several critical advantages of integrating ai into the ece curriculum. one of the primary perceived benefits is the ability of ai to personalise learning experiences for young children. ai-powered adaptive learning systems can analyse individual learning patterns and provide tailored instruction to meet each child’s unique needs and abilities (nazaretsky et al., 2022). by adapting the content, pace, and difficulty level, ai enables personalised learning pathways, ensuring that children receive targeted support and challenges, ultimately enhancing their learning outcomes (chiu et al., 2021). ai offers interactive and engaging educational resources. virtual assistants, innovative toys, and educational apps powered by ai technologies provide interactive and immersive learning experiences. these resources can engage children in hands-on activities, stimulate their curiosity, and foster a love for learning (rathore, 2023). for example, aipowered interactive games can help children practice problem-solving, critical thinking, and creativity in a fun and engaging way. furthermore, ai supports data-driven decisionmaking in ece. by analysing vast amounts of data, ai algorithms can identify patterns, trends, and gaps in children’s learning. educators can use this information to make informed instructional decisions, personalise interventions, and provide targeted support. for instance, ai can generate insights into a child’s progress, identify areas of strength and weakness, and suggest appropriate learning strategies. ai also has the potential to expand access to quality educational materials and resources. access to educational resources may be limited in many regions, especially in remote or underserved areas. ai-powered platforms and applications can provide access to a wide range of academic content, including multimedia resources, e-books, and interactive simulations, overcoming geographical barriers and ensuring equitable access to quality education. additionally, ai can assist educators in administrative tasks, saving time and improving efficiency (guerrero-quiñonez et al., 2023). automated grading systems, data management tools, and administrative assistants powered by ai technologies can streamline administrative processes, reduce paperwork burden, and allow educators to dedicate more time to instruction and student support. concerns of educators regarding the use of ai in ece while integrating artificial intelligence (ai) in early childhood education (ece) settings offers promising opportunities, educators have expressed various concerns about its implementation. these concerns revolve around several key areas that need careful consideration to ensure ai’s responsible and effective use in ece (wang, 2023). one of the primary concerns is the impact of ai on human interaction and social-emotional development. educators worry that excessive reliance on ai may reduce face-to-face interactions between children and teachers. early childhood is a critical stage for developing social skills, emotional intelligence, and empathy, best nurtured through meaningful human interactions (berson, luo & yang, 2022). over-dependence on ai may hinder pa ge 38 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 36-49, 2023 the development of these essential skills and restrict children’s ability to form deep connections with their peers and educators. data privacy and security are another significant concern for educators. ai systems in ece settings collect and analyse vast amounts of data, including sensitive information about children and their learning progress (draper et al., 2023). educators worry about this data’s potential misuse or mishandling, particularly in cases where third-party companies manage ai systems. safeguarding children’s privacy and ensuring that data is securely stored and used ethically is paramount. ethical considerations also extend to the content and biases embedded in ai algorithms. educators fear that biased or inappropriate content may be delivered to young children through ai-powered platforms, potentially perpetuating stereotypes or promoting harmful information. ensuring that ai systems are designed with inclusivity and diversity in mind and regularly audited for biases is crucial to prevent these issues. moreover, there are concerns about ai’s impact on educators’ roles. some educators worry that introducing ai may replace or devalue their classroom roles (wang, 2023). while ai can assist in various tasks, it is essential to emphasise that ai should be seen as a complementary tool to support educators, not a substitute for their expertise, creativity, and human touch in teaching. the digital divide is also a pressing concern in implementing ai in ece. not all children have equal access to technology and the internet, especially in underserved communities. over-reliance on ai-based resources may exacerbate educational inequalities, leading to disparities in learning outcomes among children (chiu et al., 2021). to address these concerns, stakeholders must adopt a cautious and thoughtful approach to ai implementation in ece (berson et al., 2022). comprehensive and ongoing professional development for educators can build their digital literacy skills and understanding of ai’s potential and limitations. developing clear ethical guidelines and policies for ai use in ece can also ensure that data privacy and content quality are prioritised. educators’ attitudes towards the integration of ai in ece curriculum educators’ attitudes towards integrating artificial intelligence (ai) in early childhood education (ece) curriculum can vary, influenced by a range of factors such as personal beliefs, prior experiences, perceived benefits, and concerns. here is a brief explanation of educators’ attitudes towards the integration of ai in the ece curriculum (chiu et al., 2021): some educators have a positive attitude towards integrating ai into the ece curriculum. they recognise the potential of ai technologies to enhance teaching and learning experiences for young children (papadakis & kalogiannakis, 2019). these educators believe ai can provide personalised and interactive learning opportunities, support individualised instruction, and promote engagement and motivation. they view ai as a tool that complements their instructional practices and can offer new possibilities for enhancing children’s cognitive, social, and emotional development (berson, luo & yang, 2022). while dealing with some educators’ attitudes towards integrating ai into ece, others may be sceptical or resistant to integrating ai into the ece curriculum. they may question the effectiveness of ai technologies in promoting holistic development or have concerns about the potential negative impacts on social interactions or creativity (thuneberg et al.,2022). these educators may prefer traditional teaching methods or value human interaction and hands-on experiences as essential components of early childhood education. in another development, some educators adopt an open-minded approach and are willing to explore the integration of ai into the ece curriculum. they may not have preconceived notions about ai and are open to understanding its potential benefits and limitations (haatainen & aksela, 2021). these educators are willing to learn, adapt, and evaluate how ai can effectively be incorporated into the curriculum to support children’s learning outcomes. to achieve this, there is the need for teachers to recognise professional development. educators recognise the need for professional development and training to effectively integrate ai into the ece curriculum (kilag et al., 2023). they understand that gaining knowledge and skills related to ai technologies is essential for successful implementation. these educators seek opportunities for continuous learning, attend workshops and conferences, or engage in collaborative efforts to enhance their understanding and competence in utilising ai tools appropriately. ethical and pedagogical considerations cannot be ruled out; therefore, educators emphasise the importance of ethical considerations and pedagogical alignment when integrating ai into the ece curriculum. they believe that ai technologies should align with the principles of child-centred, developmentally appropriate practices and ensure privacy, data security, and ethical use of children’s information (spiros et al., 2022). educators value the balance between technology use and other critical aspects of early childhood education, such as play, social interactions, and hands-on learning experiences. overall, educators’ attitudes towards integrating ai into the ece curriculum are diverse and influenced by various factors. addressing educators’ concerns, providing professional development opportunities, and ensuring ethical and pedagogical alignment when integrating ai technologies are crucial (chen et al., 2023). collaborative efforts involving educators, policymakers, researchers, and technology developers can facilitate the integration of ai in a manner that supports high-quality early childhood education and meets the unique needs of young children. teachers perceptions of the long-term viability of ai in ece educators’ perceptions of the long-term viability of artificial intelligence (ai) in early childhood education (ece) settings are influenced by various factors, including their experiences, observations, and pa ge 39 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 36-49, 2023 expectations (gross, 2006). here is a brief explanation of educators’ perceptions. teachers perceive that ai has the potential for long-term viability in ece settings due to its ability to adapt and evolve with emerging technologies. they recognise that ai can continuously improve and offer new possibilities for enhancing teaching and learning experiences (gross, 2006). educators believe that as ai technologies advance, they will become more sophisticated, efficient, and tailored to the specific needs of young learners. moreover, educators perceive that ai can contribute to the ongoing professional development of educators. they believe ai can provide valuable insights, resources, and tools that support their instructional practices and help them stay updated with current research and best practices. educators see ai as a means to enhance their effectiveness as educators and improve their ability to meet the diverse learning needs of children (har & ma, 2023). furthermore, educators perceive that ai can support equitable access to quality education. they believe that ai technologies have the potential to bridge educational gaps and provide equal opportunities for all children, regardless of their background or geographical location (har & ma, 2023). educators see ai as a tool that can help address disparities and promote inclusive learning environments. while educators perceive the long-term viability of ai in ece settings, they also emphasise the need for responsible and ethical use of ai. they stress the importance of balancing ai technologies and human interaction, play-based learning, and social-emotional development (kuleto et al., 2022). educators believe that integrating ai thoughtfully and purposefully can become a valuable resource that enhances, rather than replaces, the role of educators in ece settings (devi et al., 2022). barriers to the successful implementation of ai in ece the successful implementation of artificial intelligence (ai) in early childhood education (ece) faces several challenges and barriers. among the obstacles is limited access to appropriate technological resources, such as ai tools and devices, which can hinder the successful implementation of ai in ece. not all educational institutions may have the necessary infrastructure, funding, or technical support to integrate ai effectively into their classrooms (su et al., 2023). while professional development and training seem to find their way, the context of discussion as educators requires adequate training and professional development opportunities to utilise ai in ece effectively (bautista et al., 2023). the lack of comprehensive training programmes and support can impede educators’ ability to understand, implement, and maximise the potential of ai technologies in their instructional practices. when gathering information from participants, scientists and researchers must always abide by the code of ethics in research. these factors uphold scientific integrity, strengthen study validity, and safeguard research participants’ rights. the ethical implications of ai in ece raise concerns and challenges. concerns about privacy, data security, and the responsible use of children’s personal information exist. ensuring that ai systems are designed and implemented ethically and transparently is crucial for building trust and addressing these challenges. the educator sets up a learning environment that supports the learning activities appropriate to achieve the desired learning outcomes (chiu et al., 2021). this, therefore, gave birth to pedagogical alignment. integrating ai into the ece curriculum requires careful consideration of pedagogical alignment. educators must ensure that ai tools and activities align with developmentally appropriate practices, promote active engagement, and foster holistic learning experiences (su et al., 2023). striking the right balance between ai technologies and other essential aspects of early childhood education, such as play-based learning and social interactions, can be challenging. the successful implementation of ai in ece also depends on considering cultural and contextual factors. ai technologies should be sensitive to learners’ cultural diversity, linguistic backgrounds, and local educational contexts. adapting ai tools to suit different communities’ needs and cultural values can be challenging (li & chen, 2017). addressing these challenges requires collaboration among educators, policymakers, researchers, and technology developers. it is crucial to provide adequate resources, professional development opportunities, and ethical guidelines to support the successful implementation of ai in ece. additionally, ongoing research and evaluation of ai implementations in ece can help identify and address these challenges, ultimately enhancing the integration of ai in early childhood education. support and resources needed for educators to integrate ai in ece effectively educators require adequate support and resources to integrate artificial intelligence (ai) effectively in early childhood education (chen et al., 2023). here, i support my argument for the need for educators to have comprehensive and ongoing professional development programmes focusing on ai in ece. training should include understanding ai technologies, their potential applications, and strategies for integrating ai into the curriculum. professional development opportunities should also cover ethical considerations, pedagogical alignment, and practical implementation strategies (chen et al., 2023). in this way, educational institutions’ access to ai tools and infrastructure should provide educators with appropriate ai tools, software, and devices. this includes access to adaptive learning platforms, educational apps, aipowered analytics tools, and interactive virtual assistants (rusmiyanto, 2023; kuleto et al., 2022). adequate technological infrastructure, including hardware and internet connectivity, is necessary for educators to utilise ai tools in their classrooms effectively. i argue that collaboration and support networks are pa ge 40 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 36-49, 2023 needed, among other things. therefore, establishing collaboration and support networks among educators, technology specialists, researchers, and policymakers is crucial. educators benefit from sharing experiences, exchanging ideas, and learning from best practices in ai integration (ganesh, 2022). collaborative networks can provide forums for ongoing professional dialogue, resource sharing, and support in addressing implementation challenges. clear ethical guidelines and policies should be developed to ensure ai’s responsible and ethical use in ece. these guidelines should address privacy, data security, and the appropriate use of children’s personal information (rusmiyanto, 2023). educators must know these guidelines and receive training on ethical considerations for ai use in the classroom. ongoing research and evaluation of ai integration in ece can provide valuable insights and evidence-based practices. support for research initiatives, funding opportunities, and partnerships with academic institutions can generate knowledge and promote evidence-informed decisionmaking in ai implementation (chen et al., 2023). by providing educators with professional development, access to ai tools, collaboration networks, ethical guidelines, and research support, the integration of ai in ece can be effectively facilitated. these resources and support systems enable educators to confidently and competently leverage ai technologies to enhance teaching and learning experiences for young children. ethical considerations and safeguards in the use of ai in ece settings integrating artificial intelligence (ai) in early childhood education (ece) settings brings numerous benefits but raises critical ethical considerations and the need for robust safeguards. when implementing ai in ece, it is crucial to uphold ethical principles and safeguards to protect children’s rights, privacy, and well-being (kurni et al., 2023). one significant ethical consideration is the responsible use of data. ai systems in ece settings collect and analyse vast amounts of data, including personal information about children and their learning progress. establishing clear policies and procedures for data collection, storage, and usage is essential to ensuring compliance with privacy laws and regulations. safeguards such as data encryption, secure storage, and strict access controls must be implemented to protect children’s privacy and prevent unauthorised use or disclosure of their data (kurni et al., 2023). transparency and explainability of ai algorithms are also crucial ethical considerations. educators and parents should understand how ai algorithms make decisions and provide recommendations to ensure the technology is fair, unbiased, and aligned with educational goals. it is essential to regularly audit and validate ai systems to detect and address any biases or unintended consequences that may arise from the algorithms (miao et al., 2021). additionally, the content delivered through ai platforms should be carefully curated and monitored. educators must ensure the content aligns with ethical standards, cultural sensitivity, and age-appropriate materials (miao et al., 2021). precautions should be taken to prevent disseminating harmful or inappropriate content to young children. furthermore, ethical considerations extend to the impact of ai on human interaction and social-emotional development (berson, luo & yang, 2022). while ai can enhance learning experiences, it should not replace the role of educators or hinder children’s ability to develop essential social and emotional skills (holmes et al., 2021). striking a balance between ai technology and human interactions is necessary to create a nurturing and supportive learning environment for young children. clear guidelines, policies, and professional development programmes should address these ethical considerations and safeguard children in ai-integrated ece settings. educators and stakeholders should be trained on ethical practices, privacy protection, and responsible use of ai. regular monitoring and evaluation of ai systems should be conducted to ensure compliance with ethical standards, and mechanisms for reporting and addressing concerns should be in place. strategies for the long-term viability of ai implementation in ece strategies for the long-term viability of ai implementation in early childhood education are essential to ensure its effective and sustainable integration. educators, policymakers, and stakeholders play a crucial role in shaping the future of ai in ece. let’s explore comprehensive recommendations, strategies, and examples to support the long-term viability of ai implementation in ece. provide comprehensive professional development programs and training opportunities for educators to build their capacity in integrating and effectively using ai technologies (jarrahi et al., 2023). this includes technical training on ai tools and pedagogical training on incorporating ai as a complementary tool in their teaching practices. for example, workshops can be conducted to familiarise educators with ai-powered educational platforms and their potential applications in the ece context. ongoing support and collaboration among educators can also be fostered through communities of practice and peer learning networks. develop clear ethical guidelines and privacy policies to ensure the responsible use of ai in ece. these guidelines should address data privacy, security, and transparency issues (chen et al., 2023). for example, protocols can be established to protect student data, define data collection and use purposes, and outline procedures for obtaining informed consent from parents or guardians. educators should be trained on these guidelines to ensure compliance and promote ethical practices when using ai technologies to foster collaboration between researchers and educators to bridge the gap between theory and practice. researchers can provide insights into designing and developing ai technologies that align with young pa ge 41 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 36-49, 2023 learners’ needs and characteristics. educators, on the other hand, can offer valuable feedback and contribute to the iterative refinement of ai tools based on their practical experiences. collaborative partnerships can lead to the development of more effective and contextually appropriate ai solutions for ece. encourage the development of ai technologies that prioritise customisation and personalisation in ece settings. ai tools should be designed to adapt to individual learning needs, preferences, and cultural contexts (devi et al., 2022). for instance, ai-powered platforms can provide personalised recommendations for learning activities or adjust the content and pace of instruction based on each child’s progress. the customisation and personalisation features should be flexible enough to accommodate the diversity of learners in ece classrooms. conduct rigorous research and evaluation studies to assess the impact of ai implementation in ece. this includes examining the effectiveness of ai technologies on learning outcomes, engagement, and socio-emotional development of young learners (berson et al., 2022). longitudinal studies can provide insights into the longterm effects of ai integration (gocen & aydemir, 2021). findings from research and evaluation studies can inform evidence-based practices and contribute to the continuous improvement of ai implementation in ece. to avoid exacerbating educational disparities, ensure equitable access to ai technologies in ece settings. this requires addressing issues related to infrastructure, internet connectivity, and availability of devices. policymakers can invest in technology infrastructure and financially support schools and communities with limited resources. partnerships with public and private organisations can be established to provide access to ai tools and resources for underserved ece settings. foster a culture of constant reflection and adaptation regarding the integration of ai in ece. regularly evaluate the implementation process, monitor its impact, and make necessary adjustments based on feedback from educators, parents, and learners (gocen & aydemir, 2021). encourage open dialogue and stakeholder collaboration to address challenges and share best practices. this iterative approach ensures that ai implementation in ece remains responsive to young learners’ evolving needs and contexts. the long-term viability of ai implementation in ece can be confirmed by following these recommendations and strategies. it requires a collective effort to support educators, prioritise ethical considerations, promote customisation and personalisation, and conduct research. contextualising ghana’s ai in early childhood education ghana, located in west africa, is increasingly recognising the potential of artificial intelligence (ai) in transforming various sectors, including education. in the context of early childhood education (ece), ghana is exploring the implementation of ai to enhance teaching and learning experiences for young children (gyimah et al., 2009). ghana’s commitment to education is evident through its policies and initiatives to improve access and quality of education. with the introduction of ai in ece settings, ghana aims to leverage technological advancements to provide innovative and effective educational solutions for its young learners. one of the critical contextual factors influencing the implementation of ai in ghana’s ece is the rapid growth of technology infrastructure. ghana has made significant strides in expanding access to the internet and increasing digital literacy (owusu-mensah & ijon, 2023). this provides a foundation for integrating ai technologies in ece, requiring reliable connectivity and access to digital resources. furthermore, ghana’s focus on bridging the educational gap and achieving equitable access to quality education aligns with the potential of ai in ece. ai can address challenges related to teacher shortages, inadequate resources, and uneven educational opportunities by providing personalised learning experiences and expanding access to educational materials (owusumensah & ijon, 2023). ghana’s cultural context also plays a role in shaping the implementation of ai in ece. the country values human interaction and recognises the importance of social-emotional development in early childhood (berson, luo & yang, 2022). thus, while integrating ai, ghana emphasises the need to maintain a balance between technology and human interactions, ensuring that ai is a complementary tool to support and enhance the role of educators in fostering holistic development (beazley, 2009). ghana’s commitment to data privacy and ethical considerations is essential in implementing ai in ece. as ai systems collect and analyse sensitive data about young children, ghana emphasises the need to establish robust policies and regulations to protect children’s privacy and ensure the ethical use of ai technologies. generally speaking, ghana’s exploration of ai in ece is driven by its vision for educational transformation, technological advancements, commitment to equity, and recognition of the importance of human interactions in early childhood (berson, luo & yang, 2022). by contextualising the implementation of ai in the ghanaian context, stakeholders can develop strategies that align with the country’s unique needs, cultural values, and aspirations for quality education. methodology semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions were conducted as part of the methodology to explore educators’ attitudes and perceptions towards implementing artificial intelligence (ai) in early childhood education (ece) settings in ghana, specifically focusing on its long-term viability (chiu et al. 2021). these qualitative research methods allowed for an in-depth exploration of participants’ experiences, beliefs, and concerns, providing pa ge 42 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 36-49, 2023 valuable insights into the topic. the following sections describe the process and critical aspects of conducting semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions. a purposive sampling technique was used to select participants for the interviews and focus group discussions (senanayake et al., 2020). the sample consisted of eight teachers from four ece settings, including public and private ece settings and semi-urban and rural districts in the ashanti region of ghana. the selection aimed to ensure diversity and representation across various dimensions, including educational backgrounds, years of experience, and familiarity with ai technologies in ece. a semi-structured interview guide and a focus group discussion protocol were developed to guide the data collection process (naz et al., 2022). the interview guide used open-ended questions to explore educators’ experiences, perceptions, and attitudes towards ai in ece. the focus group protocol included a series of prompts and questions to stimulate group discussions and encourage participants to share their perspectives collectively. data collection semi-structured interviews were conducted individually with selected educators (fonsén et al., 2023). the interviews provided a one-on-one setting where participants could express their thoughts openly and in detail. the interviews were audio-recorded with participants’ consent and later transcribed for analysis. focus group discussions involved small educators coming together to discuss the topic (lewis-kipkulei et al., 2021). the facilitator introduced the main questions and encouraged participants to share their experiences, opinions, and concerns about ai implementation in ece. the discussions were also audio-recorded and transcribed for analysis. both interviews and focus group discussions were conducted in a comfortable and private setting, allowing participants to express their views freely. the researchers ensured a respectful and non-judgmental atmosphere, encouraging participants to share diverse perspectives and engage in active discussions. data analysis thematic analysis was employed to analyse the interview and focus group data. the process involved several iterative steps, including familiarising the data, coding, categorising, and identifying themes and sub-themes (kara, 2023). the researchers closely examined the transcribed data, searching for patterns, recurring ideas, and commonalities in participants’ responses. the initial coding process involved assigning descriptive labels to meaningful units of data. codes were then organised into categories, and overarching themes emerged through an iterative process of constant comparison and refinement (castleberry & nolen, 2018). the themes represented critical findings related to educators’ attitudes, perceptions, and concerns regarding the long-term viability of ai implementation in ece settings (kewalramani et al., 2021). researchers maintained an audit trail, documenting decisions and reflections throughout the analysis process to ensure transparency and rigour. the findings were supported by direct quotes and detailed participant descriptions, enhancing the study’s credibility. several strategies were employed to enhance the trustworthiness and rigour of the study (hasija & esper, 2022). these included prolonged engagement with participants to establish rapport and trust, member checking to verify interpretations with participants, peer debriefing to gain insights from other researchers, and triangulation of data sources (interviews and focus groups) to strengthen data validity. ethical considerations, such as informed consent, confidentiality, and privacy protection, were strictly followed throughout the data collection and analysis (pearson, 2013). acknowledging the limitations of using semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions is essential. the sample size may have been limited, and the findings may not be fully generalisable to all educators in ghana. the participants’ responses may be influenced by social desirability bias. findings the study examining the implementation of artificial intelligence in ece settings in ghana and its long-term viability revealed various findings that provide insights into the subject matter. the themes that emerged from the interview data are summarised in table 1. table 1: the table below presents the themes that emerged from the interview data themes sub-themes awareness induced by partial training sub-theme one: limited knowledge of ai benefit ai improves children's educational experience sub-theme two: personal learning experience sub-theme three: ai serves children essential and learning capabilities varying attitudes sub-theme four: positive attitudes sub-theme five: diverse reservations and concerns pragmatic approaches towards implementation sub-theme six: teachers as facilitators sub-themes seven: ongoing professional development theme one: awareness induced by partial training to fully utilise the advantages of ai, encourage tailored instruction, and ensure ethical and successful implementation of ai technology in educational settings, teacher understanding of ai in education is crucial. ai gives teachers the freedom to modify and improve their pa ge 43 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 36-49, 2023 pedagogical approaches, thus enhancing the learning process for pupils. teachers’ current awareness and familiarity with ai technology in ghana’s educational setting is discussed under the sub-them limited understanding of ai benefit. limited understanding of ai benefit two teachers agreed that they are aware of ai being used in schools, but they have a limited understanding of its benefits, as shown in the quote below: “i have heard about ai, but i do not know the benefits of it. even though i have had some partial training on a dataset to enable me to use information communication technology tools in my lesson delivery”. (tea1) i am not an ai specialist, but i have a fundamental grasp of it. i have heard that artificial intelligence is being utilised in education, but i have not had a lot of first-hand contact with it in early childhood settings. although the respondent admits to hearing about ai, they cannot understand its advantages. this theme centres on the interviewee’s knowledge of ai’s existence but not of its benefits from the partial training acquired. it also emphasises their broad understanding of ai, indicating a basic comprehension of the idea. the interviewees are again informed about the application of ai in education but haven’t had several first-hand contacts with it in early childhood settings. this subject highlights that ai is present and relevant in the classroom. the study participant further mentions that i am not a specialist in ai, indicating their expertise in other areas. despite having a rudimentary knowledge of ai, the participant’s lack of direct experience suggests they might benefit from exposure to and training in ai applications in ece. this draws attention to their prospective preparedness to acquire first-hand information and expertise in this field. the desire to understand in greater detail about ai’s advantages is implicit. finally, the participant’s admission of their lack of understanding implies that they are interested in learning more about the benefits and uses of ai in the context of their chosen profession. theme two: ai improves children’s educational experience the potential benefits of using ai in ece settings are numerous and have the potential to have a significant influence on teaching and learning. researchers (e.g. nazaretsky et al., 2022; rathore, 2023) and educators have discovered a number of significant benefits of incorporating ai into the ece curriculum. the data generated indicate that it offers two advantages: personalised experience and development of essential capabilities. personal learning experience the capacity of ai in ece to customise learning according to all children’s requirements and talents constitutes one of its main benefits. six interviewees shared a similar notion that ai aids in personalising learning to meet every child’s ability and individualised education opportunities, as shown in the extract: implementing ai in ece offers several benefits, including personalised learning experiences for children (tea4) it can offer individualised educational opportunities that meet the particular needs of every child (tea3) some teachers may view ai as a valuable tool to enhance personalised learning experiences and support learners’ individual needs (tea5). on the one hand, artificial intelligence may present thrilling possibilities for improving educational experiences (tea1) …….teachers perceived ai as a means to personalise learning (tea7) by tailoring information to each child’s aptitude and learning speed, ai can personalise learning experiences for all learners (tea8). this theme emphasises the benefit of ai in ece, which is the capacity to offer learners individualised learning experiences. ai may modify activities and information to accommodate each child’s demands, learning methods, and speed. the persons interviewed point out that ai may provide options for individualised studies. this subject focuses on how ai can adapt education to suit a learner’s unique requirements, skills, and learning preferences. this stresses that ai can offer each learner personalised educational possibilities (nazaretsky et al., 2022). because conventional school settings sometimes use a universal approach, which could make certain children bored while making others struggle, ai can analyse each pupil’s distinct learning method and adjust the programme as necessary. by doing this, it is made sure that everybody is exposed to material that is both developmentally and personally suitable for them. ai serves children unique and necessary learning abilities artificial intelligence holds immense potential as a transformative force in the educational landscape, especially concerning its role in bolstering children’s unique and essential learning capabilities. this notion is underscored by the perspectives of four interviewees who assert that ai possesses the capacity to cater for children’s distinctive and indispensable learning abilities, as evidence provided: it can offer individualised educational opportunities that meet every child’s particular needs. children needing additional coaching or learning styles might benefit immensely from this individualised strategy (tea5). for starters, it may give each child tailored learning opportunities. it might not be easy to accommodate each child’s unique requirements, learning style, and speed in a typical classroom setting (tea7), … as a result, learning becomes more exciting and can aid children in better developing necessary abilities (tea4) to challenge children without overwhelming them, ai may modify the degree of complexity of maths questions based on their proficiency. (tea6) the evidence shows how difficult it is to consider each pa ge 44 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 36-49, 2023 child’s particular requirements, learning preferences, and learning rate in a conventional instructional environment. they point out that the individualised approach of ai could benefit learners who might need more tutoring or have specific learning patterns. according to the evidence, the benefits of ai in meeting a range of learning demands and delivering individualised help are the main emphasis of this theme. additionally, it suggests that conventional teaching approaches would have trouble adequately addressing differentiated learning. this demonstrates how ai may significantly improve ece. it suggests that ai has the potential to improve the educational sector significantly. for instance, participants in tea6 emphasise how ai may modify the difficulty of mathematical challenges according to each child’s skill level. it highlights the significance of ai in presenting suitable and customised tasks for unique individuals. theme three: varying attitudes this theme reflects the variety of views among educators on the incorporation of ai in ece. varying attitudes imply that teacher attitudes toward implementing ai in ece differ. teachers’ attitudes about incorporating ai into ece were categorised under positive attitudes and diverse concerns. positive attitudes i am fairly receptive to the notion, although i have some doubts (tea7). the long-term effects seem encouraging to me (tea1). …….it presents possibilities as it transforms how we approach teaching and learning (tea6). the participant indicates some openness to the notion of incorporating ai in teaching. this subject implies a readiness to investigate the possible advantages of ai in education. regarding the long-term impacts of ai, participant tea is upbeat. the phrase “ai long-term effects seem encouraging to me” denotes his optimism or sense of positivity towards the possible future implications of ai. in alternative terms, interviewees posit that ai technology’s evolution and increasing sophistication over time will likely yield positive outcomes in ece. this assertion reflects an optimistic perspective on ai’s potential role in education, indicating a belief that rather than detrimental impacts, it will usher in transformative breakthroughs, enhancements, and positive advancements. this perspective signifies their perception of ai as a valuable tool capable of addressing intricate challenges and enhancing the educational landscape. moreover, this theme underscores the notion that ai possesses the capacity to enhance academic outcomes, improve accessibility, and actively positively engage young learners. diverse reservations and concerns while the participants displayed receptiveness towards ai, their attitudes were nuanced, reflecting a spectrum of uncertainties and varied reservations. issues emerged pertaining to the alignment of ai with educational goals, the potential risk of excessive dependence, ethical dilemmas, and practical challenges, indicating a multifaceted perspective on the integration of ai in education. alignment with educational objectives the interviewees tea7 and tea8’s concern was about how the application of ai in ece will be aligned with the present education objective to achieve the expected goals, as the quote demonstrates. …but we must ensure that it is compatible with our educational objectives for young children and suitable for development (tea7). authorities should ensure ai resonate with curriculum objectives (tea8) the theme “alignment with educational objectives” draws attention to the participant’s interest in ensuring ai adheres to the aims and tenets of ece. these goals cover intellectual development, social and emotional growth, physical growth, spoken language, innovation and games, and cultural and ethical values. this topic demonstrates a precautionary strategy, demonstrating that participants want to ensure ai is acceptable for young children’s growth and matches their educational goals. the phrase “ai should be aligned with these objectives” refers to the idea that ece-related ai technologies, resources, and programmes ought to be created and put into use in an environment that complements and improves these particular goals. instead of subverting or opposing the concepts and practises of ece, ai ought to serve as a tool to support and enhance them. over-reliance on ai participant tea2 and tea4 is apprehensive about the teacher’s excessive use of ai technology rather than a balanced approach to teaching and learning in ece. this is demonstrated in the extract below. in contrast, others may express reservations about overreliance on technology and the importance of human interaction in ece (tea2). the major issue is that implementors should make ai the only teaching instrument…. human engagement matters most (tea4) the expression “over-reliance on ai” in ece expresses a concern or uneasiness about a heavy or unbalanced dependency on ai in ece. the worry about over-reliance on it shows a circumspect strategy when incorporating ai into ece. although ai has the potential to be extremely useful, it must be applied with balanced consideration to promote children’s overall growth instead of supplanting the crucial job of human teachers. ethical considerations and pragmatic issues making sense of ethical issues linked to data privacy, algorithmic bias, and appropriate application of ai is part of being knowledgeable about ai in education. to safeguard pupils’ privacy and guarantee fairness, teachers pa ge 45 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 36-49, 2023 may make sure that moral ai principles are observed. it also presents difficulties that must be properly resolved, such as protecting data privacy (tea1) in contrast, others may express reservations about potential ethical considerations … (tea2). …provided those ethical considerations are addressed… (tea7) ai presents possibilities and problems (tea6) there are perceived barriers to the implementation of ai in ece, which include concerns about data privacy, potential bias in ai algorithms (tea8) five interviewees stressed the ethical use of ai applications in ece settings. some worries regarding data privacy, equitable treatment, and the correct application of ai technology with pre-schoolers, as indicated by tea8. the phrase “possibilities and problems” also includes the advantageous potential and the moral and pragmatic concerns related to ai in ece. this exhibits a subtle awareness of the intricate effects of ai on the ece. interviewee tea7 words that “provided those ethical considerations about ai are addressed” denote that a certain direction of action regarding the implementation of ai in ece is attainable or permitted whenever peculiar ethical issues associated with ai in ece are considered, thoroughly examined, and successfully straightened out. this means adopting intentional steps and procedures to recognise and determine while successfully addressing ethical and practical issues relating to using ai in ece. handling ethical concerns and practical issues” refers to the active efforts of teachers, administrators, and participants to recognise, debate, and resolve these difficulties. to guarantee that ai improves instead of degrading the standard of ece, it entails developing laws, standards, and practises that encourage ai’s responsible and ethical application, simultaneously resolving practical problems. ai integration calls for constant observation and adjustment as technology advances and fresh moral and practical dilemmas present themselves. pragmatic approaches towards ai implementation the data suggest that there should be pragmatic approaches towards ai implementation for the longterm sustainability of ai. it revolves around integrating paraclimactic techniques and tactics that are pragmatic and realistic to incorporate ai into ai successfully. three sub-themes were identified as the approaches needed to implement and sustain ai: teachers as facilitators, ongoing professional development and caution and meticulous implementation. teachers as facilitators two educators believed that ai integration into ece settings would be feasible if teachers played the role of facilitators rather than sources of information, as shown below. becoming an enabler of learning is more important than being the only source of information (tea4). teachers should take on the role of facilitators who use artificial intelligence to improve their lesson plans and better meet the requirements of each student. it is about collaborating with technology rather than letting it take over your life (tea8). participants tea4 and tea8 strongly emphasise educators’ facilitation roles in using ai to enhance their teaching strategies and more effectively satisfy the needs of specific learners. this theme emphasises that, compared to replacing their position, teachers ought to employ ai to improve their classroom activities. the results of the interviews imply that instructors must emphasise their function as facilitators of learning more than as the exclusive source of knowledge. this means educators should support and direct learners’ learning. the idea of “teachers as facilitators” acknowledges the value of ai technology as a device to improve ece. teachers are essential in assisting and supporting children as they engage with ai to maximise their use of the technology while guaranteeing it is in line with ece’s fundamental values and goals. ongoing professional development two teachers (tea8 and tea1) mentioned that constant professional development is crucial for the long-term viability of ai applications in ece. …and the need for ongoing professional development to ensure teachers are adequately prepared to integrate ai effectively (tea8) my schooling has given me the skills to answer questions about artificial intelligence (ai), its uses, and how it has affected a variety of fields, including education (tea1) the emphasis on continuing professional development highlights the demand for continual assistance and teacher training to incorporate ai in ece successfully. it recommends that teachers be sufficiently equipped and knowledgeable about ai technology and their uses. “adequately prepared” refers to an educator possessing the information, abilities, and proficiency necessary to integrate ai technology into their pedagogical techniques successfully. this training traverses rudimentary knowledge and entails a thorough comprehension of how to employ ai technologies to improve how children study. as a result, instructors will be equipped with the knowledge and abilities necessary to fully utilise ai in a way consistent with ece’s fundamental values and goals. to fully use the advantages of ai while simultaneously tackling the changing issues it may create in educational environments, such constant professional development is crucial. discussion this study examines educators’ beliefs and perspectives regarding the long-term sustainability of ai adoption in the ghanaian environment, emphasising ece. artificial intelligence has emerged as a significant driver in transforming educational environments worldwide. ai in ece can potentially turn conventional classrooms into dynamic centres of individualised and interactive learning. the study suggests that the setting for personalised pa ge 46 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 36-49, 2023 learning experiences that thrives is created by ai-powered technologies adapted to children’s various demands. in ghana, where learners frequently come from a variety of educational backgrounds and learning styles, ai can act as a potent equaliser. ai systems can adjust to each child’s learning rate and style using adaptive algorithms and interactive interfaces (de castro rodrigues et al., 2022). furthermore, ai’s power to develop reasoning, imagination, and problem-solving abilities is an example of how technology may assist children’s unique and necessary learning capacities. with the integration of ai, children may explore, experiment, and learn via handson experiences in an immersive learning environment provided by ai-driven educational games and simulations. moreover, educators recognised the potential of ai in facilitating social and emotional development (bautista et al., 2023). they emphasised how ai could create engaging and interactive learning environments, promoting collaboration, communication, and problem-solving skills among children. educators believed ai could be a valuable tool for facilitating positive social interactions and promoting cultural diversity awareness. however, regardless of these benefits, the study revealed educators are only dimly aware of the advantages ai may provide for ece. a number of things, such as inadequate training programmes or limited access to ai technology, can cause limited awareness. by filling this gap, through education classes and workshops, teacher optimism and desire to include ai technologies in their teaching techniques might be significantly increased. although the integration of ai into ece represents a tremendous step forward for innovation, it additionally generates many issues and concerns among educators. like their peers worldwide, educators in ghana struggle to match ai applications with current educational goals. in ghana, ece aims to establish values, develop interpersonal abilities, stimulate creativity, and deliver information. the concern emerges when academics wonder if ai can effortlessly incorporate these allencompassing objectives into its algorithms (berson et al., 2022). it remains necessary to balance technology development and core educational goals. to successfully tackle this issue, curriculum design must be carefully considered, using ai as a tool to complement existing teaching techniques instead of a replacement for them. this will help to maintain the importance of fundamental values and competencies in ece. although ai offers unheard-of prospects, educators have legitimate reservations about a dependence on technology that is too great. there is concern that an over-reliance on ai might degrade important human qualities like empathy, creativity, and social abilities, which are crucial in the early stages of schooling. the interaction of ai-driven devices with children’s susceptible minds is a major ethical concern for educators. educators put into question the entire foundation of educational ethics through issues with data privacy, permission, and the moral application of ai-generated material (leta & vancea, 2023; mehta et al., 2023). practical problems, including resource accessibility, internet connectivity, and student and teacher digital competence, further increase the intricacy. educators are concerned about establishing an equitable classroom where all pupils, regardless of socioeconomic circumstances, may benefit from ai integration. to guarantee an ethical and equitable application of ai in ece, it is necessary to confront these practical and ethical problems by developing extensive regulatory frameworks, teacher training programmes, and facilities (chen et al., 2023). as a result, the successful application of ai in ece environments in ghana depends on the transformational facilitation roles played by educators and the continued support offered via ongoing pd (jarrahi et al., 2023). in ai-driven ece, teachers transition from mere lecturers to facilitators who guide pupils through a personalised and participatory learning experience. a facilitator’s responsibilities include selecting ai-driven instructional materials, identifying the unique requirements of each student, and establishing a supportive and inclusive educational setting. facilitative educators use ai techniques to pinpoint learners’ areas of need, customise their lessons, and offer prompt interventions. this improves understanding and engagement among learners. recommendations based on the examination of the implementation of ai in ece settings in ghana and the exploration of educators’ attitudes and perceptions towards its longterm viability, i recommend that comprehensive professional development (cpd) is provided for educators with extensive manner focusing on ai integration in ece as opined by lim et al., 2023. the continuous professional development programmes should include training on ai technologies, pedagogical approaches, ethical considerations, and strategies for effective implementation. ongoing support and resources should be provided to ensure educators have the necessary skills and knowledge to utilise ai effectively. additionally, there is a need to foster collaborative networking and knowledge sharing among educators, researchers, policymakers, and technology developers (ganesh, 2022). establish networking and knowledgesharing platforms that facilitate ongoing dialogue and sharing of best practices and experiences related to ai implementation in ece. encourage the formation of communities of practice to support educators in their journey of integrating ai into their classrooms. ethical issues cannot be ruled out in research; therefore, it is vital to develop and implement clear ethical guidelines and policies that address the use of ai in ece (rusmiyanto, 2023). these guidelines should encompass privacy, data security, transparency, fairness, and algorithmic bias considerations. regularly reviewing and updating these guidelines must align with technological advancements and changing educational needs. teaching and learning require that learning is put at the centre of discussion. pa ge 47 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 36-49, 2023 it is always prudent to ensure that ai implementation in ece remains child-centred, focusing on young learners’ holistic development and well-being. ai should be used as a complementary tool to enhance individualised learning, support creativity and critical thinking, and promote social-emotional development (bautista et al., 2023). emphasise the importance of human interaction, play-based learning, and nurturing relationships alongside ai technologies. conclusion in conclusion, the perceived benefits of implementing ai in ece settings encompass personalised learning, interactivity, data-driven decision-making, expanded access to resources, and increased efficiency. these benefits can transform ece by creating engaging and individualised learning environments, enhancing learning outcomes, and improving the overall educational experience for young children (chen et al., 2020). however, it is essential to maintain a balanced approach, ensuring that ai is used as a complementary tool to support and enhance the critical role of educators in promoting holistic development, social-emotional skills, and meaningful human interactions in early childhood education. ai offers exciting opportunities to improve ece, and educators’ concerns and reservations must not be overlooked. by addressing these concerns through responsible ai implementation, ensuring data privacy, mitigating biases, supporting educators, and bridging the digital divide, ai can effectively help and enhance early childhood education (baidoo-anu & ansah, 2023). stakeholders need to work collaboratively in shaping the future of ai integration in ece to ensure its positive impact on young children’s learning and development. ethical considerations and safeguards are critical in implementing ai in ece settings (leta & vancea, 2023). by adhering to ethical principles, protecting children’s privacy, ensuring transparency and fairness in ai algorithms, curating appropriate content, and promoting human interaction, ai can be integrated responsibly and effectively into ece to enhance learning experiences while prioritising the well-being and rights of young children. the research on ai adoption in ghanaian ece settings reveals a favourable attitude among educators. educators are aware of the advantages of ai, including personalised instruction and enhanced academic results (udvaros & forman, 2023). however, there are worries about the possible loss of human connection, the necessity for training, and ethical issues. the study highlights the significance of a well-rounded strategy, upholding educators’ duties, addressing ethical issues, and offering thorough pd. recommendations for sustainability include rostering cooperation, creating ethical standards, guaranteeing equal access to ai resources, and funding continuing research. responsible ai usage in ece also depends on collaboration between educators, policymakers, researchers, and developers. adopting ai as a helpful tool will improve ghana’s ece and ensure it fulfils young learners’ needs. 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(2023). the role of pleasure to improve tourism education. springer nature. pa ge 1 pa ge 12 9 american journal of education and technology (ajet) phet interactive simulations in learning optics towards pre-service science teachers: a phenomenological study herman m. lagon1* volume 2 issue 3, year 2023 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i3.679 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: june 18, 2023 accepted: july 20 , 2023 published: august 14, 2023 this phenomenological study explored the experiences of pre-service science teachers in using phet interactive simulations to learn optics. it used a qualitative research approach and involved six participants enrolled in a science education program. data were collected through observations and semi-structured interviews, and thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. the findings revealed that the participants had an enhanced understanding of optics concepts through phet simulations and experienced high levels of engagement and interactivity. however, technical difficulties, challenges to internet connectivity, and gadget accessibility were identified. the study concluded that phet simulations are beneficial in learning optics but need improvements in technical aspects. this implies key contributions to the existing literature on interactive simulations in science education, alignment with constructivist learning theory, and insights into cognitive load effects. in practice, the study suggests practical benefits for preservice teachers and educators, such as fostering critical thinking skills and motivation in students. it recommends integrating phet simulations in teaching, providing instructional support, addressing technical challenges, incorporating teacher training programs, and conducting further research to explore the effectiveness of the simulations in enhancing learning outcomes. the study cracks the phet code in optics by highlighting its benefits and challenges and providing valuable insights for science education practice and research. keywords phet interactive simulations, learning optics, pre-service science teachers, interactive learning, phenomenological study 1 iloilo state university of fisheries science and technology (isufst), philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: hermanlagon1@gmail.com introduction education has witnessed a significant shift toward the incorporation of technology to enhance student learning and engagement. one such educational technology that has gained prominence is the phet interactive simulations, particularly within the realm of science education. these simulations provide a virtual, hands-on experience, enabling students to explore and manipulate scientific phenomena to enrich their understanding (wieman et al., 2008). optics, being an integral part of science, serves as an excellent subject for these simulations, offering students a unique opportunity to interact with light and assimilate fundamental concepts (tao et al., 2017). the purpose of this research is to delve into the lived experiences of pre-service science teachers as they interact with phet simulations in learning optics. the study underscores the importance of understanding how these teachers perceive and navigate the virtual environment, engage with the simulation, and incorporate their experiences into their understanding of optics. furthermore, the research intends to explore various factors that could influence these experiences, such as their prior knowledge, teaching efficacy, personal disposition, and technical skills. despite the increasing body of research on the use of interactive simulations in science education, there is a noticeable gap in understanding the subjective experiences of pre-service teachers in the context of phet simulations and optics (bautista & lucas, 2019). therefore, this study is crucial in filling this knowledge gap by exploring the experiences of local pre-service science teachers in the philippines and understanding how these simulations can be utilized to improve their pedagogical content knowledge and teaching efficacy. the primary objective of this research is to probe into the experiences of pre-service science teachers as they use phet interactive simulations in learning optics, examining the impact on their understanding of key optical concepts, and identifying the challenges and opportunities that present themselves in a local philippine context. however, the research scope is restricted to preservice science teachers enrolled in the college of education program at the iloilo state university of fisheries science and technology-tiwi campus and is focused on phet simulations and optics. consequently, the results may have limited generalizability due to the small sample size and geographic specificity. this research holds immense significance for pre-service science teachers, science education researchers, and science educators. it presents an opportunity for preservice teachers to reflect on their learning experiences and its effectiveness, informing their future teaching practices. for science education researchers, this study adds to the growing literature on interactive simulations in science education. for science educators, it offers a resource for developing instructional strategies that incorporate interactive simulations to enhance science teaching and learning. pa ge 13 0 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 129-135, 2023 literature review this literature review provides a critical overview of research related to the use of phet interactive simulations in learning optics among pre-service science teachers. the review is organized into six subsections: constructivist learning theory, cognitive load theory, the role of simulations in science education, the effectiveness of phet interactive simulations, the use of phet interactive simulations in optics education, and the use of simulations among pre-service science teachers. the constructivist learning theory highlights the importance of active involvement and social interaction in the construction of knowledge. studies, such as yang and tsai (2008), support the application of constructivist theory in science education, demonstrating how constructivist teaching methods improve students’ conceptual understanding. the study aims to examine how the use of phet interactive simulations affects preservice science teachers’ understanding of optics, aligning with the constructivist learning theory. cognitive load theory (clt), on the other hand, is explored as a framework for designing effective instructional materials. clt emphasizes reducing extraneous load and increasing germane load to improve learning outcomes. studies, such as that of lópez-vargas et al. (2019), highlight the relevance of clt in technology-enhanced learning environments, including simulations. the study investigates the effectiveness of phet simulations in reducing cognitive load and enhancing preservice science teachers’ learning outcomes. meanwhile, the role of simulations in science education is valuable in terms of teaching abstract and complex concepts (hsu et al., 2016). studies, both in the philippines and abroad, demonstrate the effectiveness of simulations in improving students’ achievement and understanding in biology, chemistry, and physics. however, limitations and potential drawbacks, such as simplified representations and varying effectiveness for different students, are also acknowledged. on the other hand, the effectiveness of phet interactive simulations is examined through various studies. positive effects, such as improved exam performance, conceptual understanding, motivation, problem-solving skills, and spatial ability, are reported (lozada, 2019). however, studies have also identified limitations and challenges, including the need for customization and technical support, as well as the necessity of integrating simulations with other teaching methods. studies reveal that the use of phet interactive simulations in optics education has positive effects of phet simulations in improving students’ conceptual understanding of optics (yunzal & casinillo, 2020). however, some studies report mixed results, highlighting the need to consider factors such as students’ prior knowledge, technical difficulties, and curriculum integration (liu et al., 2016). conversely, literature on the use of simulations among pre-service science teachers shows positive outcomes, including enhanced understanding, improved practical skills, and knowledge development, are reported (mrani et al., 2020). however, some studies highlight the need for additional instructional methods to effectively enhance pre-service teachers’ understanding of complex concepts. in conclusion, the review emphasizes the benefits of using phet simulations in teaching optics, including enhanced understanding, improved problem-solving skills, and increased engagement. however, challenges associated with implementation, such as limited access to technology and cultural barriers, need to be addressed. further research is recommended to explore the potential of simulations as an effective tool for enhancing preservice science teacher education. materials and method the chapter illustrates the utilization of a phenomenological research methodology, inspired by creswell (2017), to delve into the lived experiences of six pre-service science teachers at isufst tiwi campus while learning optics via phet interactive simulations. the qualitative study comprised a series of observations and semi-structured interviews during the first semester of the school year, from august 15, 2022, to january 6, 2023. participants were chosen via purposive sampling with a specific focus on those with phet simulations experience in optics education. data collection was multifaceted, involving classroom observations of the participants using the simulations and tracking their independent use outside of this setting through students’ journals. additionally, individual and group interviews offered further insight into participants’ experiences. both the observations and interviews underwent pilot testing to ascertain their clarity and relevance to the research objective. in terms of ethical considerations, measures were in place to ensure that participants were wellinformed about the study’s procedures and objectives, reassured about their anonymity, and that their participation was entirely voluntary. data safety was prioritized by storing the data in a secure location, accessible only by the researcher. the data was analyzed using a phenomenological approach, consistent with the phases of thematic analysis of braun & clarke (2006) as seen in figure 1, to explore the essence of the collected data. the initial themes were identified through extensive examination of the transcribed data. both nvivo and chatgpt, an ai chatbot developed by openai, were instrumental in assisting with the organization and interpretation of unstructured data and in generating relevant responses. the study’s validity was secured by pilot testing the interview questions, employing multiple data sources, and conducting member checking. in contrast, reliability was achieved by implementing a straightforward research design, maintaining a detailed record of the research process, and the researcher keeping a reflexive journal to document potential biases or assumptions. pa ge 13 1 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 129-135, 2023 results and discussions the six participants, herewith named using their aliases to protect their identity, share similarities in their demographic characteristics and challenges in accessing digital resources for education. they have different motivations for choosing bsed science as their major and varied level of firsttime experiences with phet simulations. understanding their demographics and experiences provides insights into their unique perspectives and the impact of these factors on their learning journey. through the thematic analysis of the interview data, several themes emerged that captured the participants’ five-month experiences with phet simulations in learning optics, namely (1) enhanced understanding of optics concepts, (2) engagement and interactivity, (3) complementing traditional instruction, and (4) practical and personal realities. theme 1: enhanced understanding of optics concepts the participants eagerly shared their experiences and perspectives on utilizing phet simulations to enhance their understanding of optics concepts through observations, individual interviews, focus group discussions, and personal journals. overall, they found the phet simulations helpful in visualizing and manipulating variables to comprehend the behavior of light in different scenarios. for heidi, “phet is useful in terms of visualization sg mga (of the) concepts sa (in) optics. at first, kabudlay sya intindihon kung paano gamiton (it is difficult to understand how to manipulate it); however, as i continued to explore the geometric optics simulation, i was able to create my understanding of the concepts of reflection and refraction of light.” she further added, “mas makita ko na subong kung paano maghulag ang light sa porma sg wave kag particle sa lain-lain nga sitwasyon, nga daw budlay gid intindihun ini sa usual nga tradisyunal nga sitwasyon sa klasehan (i could now see how light in the form of wave or particle behaves in different situations, which was difficult to visualize in a traditional classroom setting.” according to the participants, it is evident that phet interactive simulations are highly useful and relevant in enhancing the understanding of optics concepts. they consistently expressed positive views regarding the simulations’ ability to create visual representations of complex concepts, thus facilitating easier comprehension. caren emphasized, “the simulations helped me grasp the concept of refraction by visually showing how light bends when passing through different media.” the participants also appreciated the interactive nature of the simulations, as it allowed them to manipulate variables and explore different scenarios. ryan mentioned, “i could adjust the angle of incidence in the simulation and see how it affected the angle of reflection. it made it much easier to understand the relationship between the two.” while most participants expressed positive views, it is essential to note a legitimate concern from aeza, who found the simulations somewhat overwhelming. she figure 1: phases of thematic analyis of braun & clarke (2006) pa ge 13 2 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 129-135, 2023 remarked, “although i somehow learn from it also, like the rest of my classmates, i struggled more to keep up with the pace of the simulations, and at times, it felt like there were too many variables to consider. these concerns made it harder for me to grasp the core concepts.” this offset perspective highlights the need for appropriate scaffolding and instructional support to ensure optimal use of the simulations. aside from technical challenges, aileen also struggled in all her subjects, especially those that required mathematical calculations and covered abstract concepts. the consolidated findings indicate that phet interactive simulations greatly enhance the understanding of optics concepts. the simulations’ ability to provide visual representations, allow for the manipulation of variables, and engage students in active learning contributes to a deeper comprehension of the subject matter. these findings align with previous research that has demonstrated the effectiveness of interactive simulations in improving students’ understanding of complex science concepts (smetana et al., 2017). nonetheless, phet interactive simulations are highly useful and relevant in enhancing the understanding of optics concepts. the participants expressed positive views regarding the simulations’ ability to create visual representations of complex concepts, allowing for easier comprehension of optics concepts. theme 2: engagement and interactivity the findings also highlight the level of engagement and interactivity of phet interactive simulations in learning optics concepts. they enjoyed manipulating the simulation variables and seeing the outcomes in real time. ryan stated, “it was like a game. i was really engaged in getting the right calibrations to produce the correct outcome.” they all expressed that phet simulations effectively create visual representations of complex concepts, allowing for a better understanding and engagement with the subject matter. aileen noted, “the phet simulations provided a visual representation that made complex concepts easier to understand. i love the color vision simulations that helped me determine the color i see for combining red, green, and blue light. it is also able to lead me to describe the color of light that is able to pass thorugh different filters.” this sentiment was echoed by rose, who stated, “the virtual manipulation of colors, photons, and interfering waves helped me visualize abstract ideas and grasp them more easily. i can only imagine the rgb bulbs and the light spectrum diagram that the teacher must prepare in the actual laboratory for this to happen. we do not even have a dark room to do these in case.” these findings align with previous research on the effectiveness of interactive simulations in enhancing learning (siti & ismail, 2018). the engagement with phet simulations varied among the respondents. some preferred to use them independently, while others engaged in collaborative learning with peers and instructors. heidi shared, “i enjoyed exploring the simulations on my own, which allowed me to study at my own pace and delve deeper into specific concepts.” on the other hand, ryan mentioned, “collaborating with classmates and discussing the simulations helped me gain new insights and broaden my understanding.” these findings align with research highlighting the benefits of independent and collaborative learning with interactive simulations and game-based acgivities (lou & yuan, 2019; cristobal, et al., 2022). as pre-service teachers, the respondents acknowledged the value of phet interactive simulations as a teaching strategy or tool for learning. they recognized that phet simulations could facilitate independent and collaborative learning among students, allowing them to develop critical thinking skills and generate their ideas. heidi stated, “using phet simulations in teaching can empower students to think critically and actively construct their understanding of optics concepts.” aileen also noted, “phet simulations can be a valuable resource for teachers, saving time and effort in lesson preparation.” these findings align with the potential of interactive simulations to enhance teaching and learning experiences in science and mathematics classes in a more practical way (henderson & dancy, 2007). the consolidated findings reveal that phet interactive simulations provide a visually engaging and interactive learning experience, promoting independent exploration, critical thinking, and collaboration. they offer a distinct advantage over traditional learning materials, leading to a deeper understanding and increased motivation among learners. as a teaching strategy or tool, phet simulations are valuable in facilitating effective learning in science and mathematics classes for pre-service teachers and high school students. theme 3: complementing traditional instruction the participants reported that phet simulations complemented traditional instruction in optics. they found it helpful to use the simulations to reinforce the concepts they learned in class. heidi stated, “the simulations helped me to visualize what we were learning in class. it was like a hands-on experience that complemented the lectures.” this study’s findings revealed that using phet interactive simulations significantly enhanced student engagement and promoted active learning. ryan expressed, “ginabuhi sg mga simulations ang optics kag ginahimo nga mas naka-enganyo kag interactive ang experience sa proseso sg pagtuon (simulations brought optics to life and made the learning experience more engaging and interactive).” by actively manipulating virtual optical elements and observing the immediate outcomes, he said that, “my classmates and i were motivated nga mag-manipule kag mag-experiment (to manipulate and experiment), resulting in a deeper understanding of complex optical concepts such as the nature and charactersitics of light.” participants also unanimously agreed that phet simulations played a crucial role in improving students’ pa ge 13 3 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 129-135, 2023 conceptual understanding of optics. according to nelly, “the simulations allowed us to visualize abstract optical phenomena and observe their behavior in real time.” by manipulating different parameters and observing the cause-and-effect relationships, students better grasped theoretical concepts and their practical applications. phet simulations were also found to connect theoretical knowledge and practical application in optics effectively. rose highlighted, “through the simulations, we could connect the abstract theories to real-world scenarios, making the subject more relevant and tangible.” the ability to manipulate virtual optical systems and observe their outcomes provided students with a hands-on experience facilitating a deeper comprehension of the subject matter. this is true also in the study of magayanes, et al. (2023) where it affirms the importance of utilization of non-traditional laboratory activities such as individual simulations and student-created videos to enhance the quality of the learning process in physics, especially optics. while the positive aspects of phet simulations were evident, a few potential drawbacks were also identified. some participants expressed concerns about the need for adequate training and support for educators to incorporate simulations into their instruction effectively. aileen shared, “the teacher may still need further strategies to ensure he makes the most of these simulations and integrate them seamlessly into the lessons.” additionally, there was a cautious acknowledgment of the potential risk of over-reliance on virtual experiences, which could limit students’ opportunities for real-world experimentation and hands-on learning. this is consistent with cortez’s (2018) and tan’s (2020) findings. some concepts need to be fully understood using phet. heidi explained, “may mga few topics na duda ako kung sakto or sala ang kagpaintindi ko. that’s the time nga mavisit ako sa youtube or other learning materials to confirm kung ang pagintindi ko saktao man bala or indi, kag para mas makaintindi pa gid ako sg concepts sa optics (there were few topics that i am not sure if i am correct or not in undestanding them. that’s the time that i visit youtube or other learning materials to confirm if my understanding is correct or otherwise, and so that i can further understand the concepts in optics).” the findings explicitly highlight the positive impact of integrating phet interactive simulations as a complement to traditional instruction in optics education. the simulations enhance engagement, improve conceptual understanding, bridge theory and application, provide flexibility and accessibility, and foster collaborative learning. however, it is crucial to address the potential drawbacks, such as adequate training and the risk of overreliance on virtual experiences. theme 4: practical and personal realities the participants also eagerly shared their experiences regarding practical and personal realities and areas to celebrate and learn from while using the phet interactive simulations in optics. one of the major issues highlighted by participants was the reliance on internet connectivity and the slow loading times of the simulations. caren expressed her frustration, stating, “the simulations were great, but the slow loading times really tested my patience. i often found myself waiting for the simulation to load instead of focusing on the concept at hand.” this issue significantly hindered the accessibility of the simulations, particularly for those using mobile devices with weak internet connections. to address this limitation, the participants proposed several suggestions. one recommendation aileen put forward was the school’s provision for offline access or the ability to download the simulations in cheaper analog devices like what she has. she suggested that allowing the simulations to download even on low-tech devices would eliminate concerns about internet connectivity, making it more convenient for students, especially those using mobile devices. aileen explained, “if we could download the simulations in our analog devices, we wouldn’t have to worry about internet connectivity issues. it would be much more convenient, especially for students using mobile devices.” the technical difficulties and frustrations faced by the participants in using phet simulations highlighted the need for improvements in terms of accessibility and compatibility. these challenges primarily revolved around internet connectivity issues, the lack of reliable gadgets, and concerns about internet fees. aileen shared their concern, stating, “sometimes, i couldn’t access the simulations because my internet connection was unstable. it was frustrating because i wanted to explore the concepts using the simulations.” nelly echoed this sentiment, saying, “na experience ko gid ang kabudlayan nga mag-gamit sg simulations sa akon nga daan nga device. makadilismaya gid nga makita ang simulations nga galag kag indi mag-work sa gusto ko matabu (i firsthand faced difficulties using the simulations on my outdated device. it was frustrating to see the simulations lag and not respond as expected.” the participants experienced technical difficulties and frustrations while using phet simulations for learning optics concepts. issues related to internet connectivity, device compatibility, and accessibility hindered their ability to engage with the simulations fully. their suggestions, including offline access, compatibility with cheaper android phones, and access to reliable devices, hoped to solve the challenges and improve the overall user experience. by considering these and working towards enhancing the technical aspects of phet simulations, educators can maximize their potential as effective educational tools in science and mathematics classes. despite such, it is worth noting that participants also highlighted several positive economic implications of using phet interactive simulations. heidi expressed, “phet simulations offer a cost-effective alternative to traditional laboratory setups. they eliminate the need for expensive equipment and consumables, allowing pa ge 13 4 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 129-135, 2023 educational institutions to allocate resources to other areas.” this sentiment was echoed by others, emphasizing the potential cost savings and increased accessibility offered by these simulations. additionally, participants emphasized the longevity of the simulations, noting that they can be utilized across multiple semesters, reducing the need for frequent equipment upgrades and replacements. in terms of psycho-emotional concerns, participants shared positive experiences related to the use of phet interactive simulations. ryan remarked, “the interactive nature of the simulations made learning optics more enjoyable and engaging. it felt like i was actively participating in the experiments, which boosted my motivation to learn.” the simulations provided a sense of immersion and interactivity, fostering a positive and dynamic learning environment. participants also noted that the simulations reduced anxiety related to laboratory experiments, as mistakes or accidents would not result in costly damages or delays. conclusion this chapter provides a summary of the findings and conclusions drawn from the study on using phet simulations in learning optics. the participants reported enhanced understanding of optics concepts through the visual representations and manipulations offered by the simulations. they found the simulations more engaging and effective than traditional learning materials, fostering motivation and deepening their comprehension. however, technical challenges, such as slow loading times and limited internet connectivity, posed obstacles to the optimal use of the simulations. despite these limitations, phet simulations were seen as valuable teaching tools that complemented traditional instruction. the study recommends addressing technical difficulties by providing support and resources, improving internet connectivity, and expanding compatibility with various devices. incorporating phet simulations into science and mathematics classes is encouraged to empower students in critical thinking and active concept construction. teachers can benefit from the practical advantages of phet simulations, especially in resource-constrained environments. the positive impact of phet simulations on understanding, engagement, and motivation in learning optics highlights their potential as effective teaching tools. the findings contribute to the existing literature on the effectiveness of interactive simulations in science education, aligning with constructivist learning theory and cognitive load theory. practical implications include integrating phet simulations into instruction, providing instructional support, and improving technical aspects for optimal usage. further research is recommended to explore the long-term impact of using phet simulations and to compare their effectiveness with other instructional approaches. by considering the findings, implications, and recommendations, educators can harness the benefits of phet simulations to enhance science and mathematics education. the use of these simulations can foster a deeper understanding of concepts, promote engagement and active learning, and prepare students for real-world 21st century applications in optics and beyond. references bautista, g., & lucas, r. 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(3rd ed.) thousand oaks, ca: sage publications. figure 2: cracking the phet code in optics while the economic benefits were evident, a few negative implications were also identified. participants raised concerns about the initial cost of implementing phet interactive simulations in the classroom. rose mentioned, “although the simulations themselves are freely available online, integrating them into the curriculum may require additional resources, such as laptops or tablets which we all do not have easy access to. this could challenge educational institutions and classes with limited budgets or inadequate technological infrastructure.” institutionally, these concerns highlight the need for proper planning and investment to successfully integrate simulations into the educational setting (larinova, 2018). additionally, some participants mentioned that extended screen time during simulation-based activities could contribute to eye strain and fatigue, potentially impacting students’ overall wellbeing, which is in the same findings as that of khan (2019). heidi emphasized, “while simulations offer convenience and accessibility, they should be complemented with real-world laboratory experiences to provide a comprehensive learning environment.” pa ge 13 5 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 129-135, 2023 cristobal, j.ar, hermano, c., ibana, j. b., james, m. g., ligot, m. l., & lampitoc, d. 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(2020). effect of physics education technology (phet) simulations: evidence from stem students. european journal of science and mathematics education, 8(1), pa ge 1 pa ge 28 american journal of education and technology (ajet) secondary school teachers’ perceptions of the qualities of effective efl teachers in saudi arabia ahmad h. altheyab1* volume 2 issue 3, year 2023 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i3.1724 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: may 29, 2023 accepted: june 20, 2023 published: july 01, 2023 this study examined the perceptions of 138 saudi secondary school male english teachers in riyadh regarding the qualities of an effective efl teacher. it aimed to investigate these qualities and explore the relationship between teachers’ experiences and perceptions. a survey research design was used, with data collected through a 5-point likert-scale questionnaire. descriptive analysis and an independent t-test were conducted. the findings revealed that effective efl teachers possess various qualities in personal quality, attitude, pedagogical knowledge, subject matter knowledge, and classroom practice. teachers considered all these qualities essential. however, no significant relationship was found between teachers’ experience and their perceptions of effective efl teacher characteristics. keywords effective efl teachers, perceptions, qualities, secondary school teachers, teacher education 1 curriculum and instruction department, college of education, king saud university, riyadh, saudi arabia * corresponding author’s e-mail: altheyab880@gmail.com introduction effective education systems require well-trained teachers who have a significant impact on student learning (markley, 2004). the quality of teachers influences learning outcomes (campbell et al., 2004; lasley ii et al., 2006; rockoff, 2004). teacher effectiveness involves fitting into a specific type, adhering to standards, understanding success, and implementing suitable classroom activities (hativa et al., 2001). effective teaching is crucial for educational systems and learning improvement. teachers’ role in students’ academic performance is critical (shishavan & sadeghi, 2009). this study aims to discover the characteristics of an effective english teacher in saudi secondary schools, based on borg’s theory (2006). the study explores personal qualities, attitudes, pedagogical knowledge, subject matter expertise, and classroom practice. this research in riyadh contributes to improving teacher quality in saudi arabia, addressing a limited area of study. research rationale reforms in saudi arabia aimed to improve efl education, but proficiency levels among saudi efl teachers remain below expectations. factors such as attitudes, motivation, and inadequate preparation contribute to this issue (alshumaimeri, 2019; fareh, 2010; wedell & alshumaimeri, 2014). teachers express the need for more effective practices and specific skills (banks, 2014; ryan et al., 2005). furthermore, the practice of designating teachers based on demand impacts student learning. effective teaching requires achieving desired results (uchefuna, 2001). this study aims to highlight the importance of teacher effectiveness in promoting various aspects of student performance, such as academic achievement and competence. research purpose this survey research gathers perceptions of the qualities of effective secondary level saudi male english teachers using theoretical data from various sources and analytical data collected by administering a likert-scale agreedisagree standardized questionnaire. research objectives the research project assessed the qualities of effective english teachers perceived by saudi efl teachers in riyadh. the objectives of the research are: 1. to identify the qualities of an effective english teacher as perceived by secondary-level saudi male english teachers. 2. to explore to what extent the qualities of an effective english teacher as perceived by the saudi male english teachers differ according to the teacher’s experience. research questions 1. what are the qualities of an effective english teacher as perceived by secondary-level saudi male english teachers? 2. are the qualities of an effective english teacher perceived by the secondary level saudi male english teachers differ according to the teacher’s experience? literature review effective english language teaching (elt) plays a crucial role in foreign language learning (ghimire, 2019). highhttps://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i3.1724 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= mailto:altheyab880%40gmail.com?subject= pa ge 29 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 28-39, 2023 quality teaching is recognized as the most significant factor linked to student achievement (schleicher, 2016). this chapter reviews literature on teachers’ quality, focusing on english teachers in saudi arabia. borg (2006) proposed five qualities of effective english teachers: personal quality, attitude, pedagogical knowledge, subject matter knowledge, and classroom practice. english teachers’ preparation in saudi arabia saudi arabia’s efl teacher training programs have been criticized as “inadequate and nonsystematic” (al hazmi, 2003; al-shumaimeri, 2003). typically, english departments within colleges or other institutions were responsible for educating efl teachers, who would then be offered teaching positions upon graduation after studying english for approximately four years. in saudi arabia, english graduates without teaching experience or proper education preparation are often appointed as teachers. this lack of comprehensive training in teaching methodologies and assessments has been associated with undesirable outcomes (al hazmi, 2003; bailey & damerow, 2014). furthermore, many graduates lack teaching certificates or specific courses in teaching english as a foreign language (fareh, 2010; wedell & alshumaimeri, 2014). the efl teacher preparation programs in saudi arabia have faced criticism for their curriculum and study plans. courses often neglect current teaching methods, assessments, and students’ development (al-seghayer, 2014). another concern is the lack of exposure to authentic english-speaking teachers, as many instructors come from non-native arabic-speaking countries (alshumaimeri, 2003; alshumaimeri, 2019; moskovsky & picard, 2018). one critique of current efl teacher programs in saudi arabia is the lack of exposure to authentic englishspeaking teachers (alshumaimeri, 2003, 2019). many teachers come from neighboring arabic countries; therefore, teaching english as a target language by nonnative arabic speakers may lead to certain shortcomings, including non-native phonological features (moskovsky & picard, 2018). in 2016, efl pre-service teachers underwent a yearlong educational preparation program, including courses on teaching strategies, curriculum design, technology integration, micro-teaching, and assessment. they also completed a twelve-week practical in a school. the saudi ministry of education also introduced the “khebrat” program, providing intensive training to selected teachers, including efl teachers, in collaboration with universities worldwide. this program aimed to enhance understanding of teaching and learning, resulting in increased research in efl education (moskovsky & picard, 2018). saudi arabia implemented a teacher’s license to enhance teacher quality. the license includes a general education test and a specialized test. criteria for getting licensed include having a minimum bachelor’s degree and passing both tests with scores ranging from 50 to 69 for a practitioner license, 70 to 79 for an advanced license, and 80 or above for an expert license. qualities of effective efl teachers lamb and wedell (2013) stress the significance of teachers in motivating language learners and considering the longterm impact of their profession on language learning. bell (2005) acknowledges the complexity of effective english language teaching (elt), while uygun (2013) emphasizes the importance of clear and enthusiastic teaching for effective communication. shishvan and sadeghi (2009) underscore the role of qualified english-language teachers in educational system development. thompson (2008) highlights the importance of excellent teaching skills and positive personality traits in successful english language teachers, and liando (2010) emphasizes the influence of teacher competency on student motivation. bell (2005) found that effective foreign language teachers in the united states exhibited characteristics such as enthusiasm, target language competency, group work, error correction, and a focus on form and culture. mullock (2003) surveyed pre-service english language teachers and highlighted the importance of subject knowledge, teaching skills, language proficiency, and cross-cultural knowledge and skills. al-maqtri and thabet (2013) conducted a comparative study on yemeni and saudi college-level students, revealing that competence/ qualification and pedagogical skills were valued qualities of effective teachers, with honesty, fairness, impartiality, and willingness to help being important across both student groups. similarly, alzubai (2021) conducted research in saudi arabia to explore preuniversity students’ perceptions of effective english as a foreign language (efl) teachers. the study involved 231 students enrolled in the preparatory year program at a saudi public university. the findings revealed that 88% of saudi preuniversity students agreed on an effective efl teacher’s essential characteristics, including personality, methodology, and language knowledge. personal quality adewale (2013) emphasizes the importance of teacher personality constructs, including subject knowledge, communication skills, and behavior, in achieving good performance in the teaching profession. mayer (2007) defines personality as a system of parts that influences a person’s actions and plays a vital role in teacher-learner interactions. stronge et al. (2004) describe teacher personality as inner qualities expressed through values, beliefs, behavior, and attitude. effective teachers exhibit personality qualities such as adaptability, agreeableness, compassion, collegiality, enthusiasm, fairness, friendliness, good humor, high expectations, honesty, patience, respect, and responsibility, which enhance student learning (gao & liu, 2013). henson and chambers (2002) note that teachers’ personality qualities are reflected in their classroom performance, https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 30 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 28-39, 2023 including activities, materials, strategies, classroom management techniques, and student interaction. humor, a key personality trait (james, 2007), plays a significant role in teaching challenging course content, increasing student enjoyment, and reducing anxiety (downs et al., 1988; kher et al., 1999; garner, 2005). it promotes a positive classroom environment, enhances learning, captures attention, fosters motivation, and promotes engagement (lorenzi, 1996). however, studies have shown mixed findings regarding gender differences in humor, with bryant, comisky, crane, and zillman (1980) suggesting that male instructors who use humor are often perceived as better teachers. female instructors who frequently use humor may receive lower effectiveness ratings compared to those who do not employ humor, while no correlation between humor utilization and female teacher evaluations has been found (gorham & christophel, 1990). enthusiasm is a key characteristic of effective teachers (cruickshank et al., 2003), linked to motivation and improved learning outcomes (madsen et al., 1989; lowman, 1994). teacher personality impacts teacher-student interaction, particularly through the establishment of rapport, which enhances cognitive and affective functioning and leads to increased achievement (wray et al., 2000). kindness, politeness, connection, and trustworthiness are suggested traits fostering teacherstudent rapport (garcia, 1991; zhang, 2004). attitude attitudes, encompassing liking, evaluation of goodness, and emotional reactions, are evaluations of an entity (ajzen & fishbein, 1977; ajzen, 2001). in education, teachers’ beliefs, practices, and attitudes shape the learning environment, influencing student motivation and academic achievement (oecd, 2009). teachers’ attitudes towards their profession impact their performance, commitment, and fulfillment of responsibilities (issan et al., 2011). attitudes are influenced by factors such as parental and peer attitudes, self-efficacy, shaping cognition and emotions (brown, 1994; brown, 2001; mungasia et al., 2022). in teaching, attitudes are crucial for success or failure (freeman, 2000). teachers’ attitudes directly affect their teaching practices, student attitudes, and achievements (agcam & babanoglu, 2016; al harthy et al., 2013; duatepe & akkuş-kla, 2004). osunde and izevbigie (2006) found nigerian teachers dissatisfied with their finances and facing societal undermining. oruç (2011) reported positive attitudes among turkish trainee teachers. kitjarooncha, smadi and al-ghazo (2013) noted a moderate attitude among jordanian foreign language teachers, negatively linked to pedagogical competencies. pedagogical knowledge and subject matter knowledge shulman (1987) emphasizes teachers’ knowledge in effective teaching. grossman et al. (2005) support this, highlighting the need for subject matter understanding. the relationship between teacher knowledge and effectiveness is complex. some argue for following curriculum materials (lawson, 1991; mulholland, 2014, noh & webb, 2015), while others find a positive correlation with student achievement (monk, 1994; sadler et al., 2013). kennedy (1998) suggests reasoning from evidence, and darling-hammond (2000) acknowledges diminishing returns beyond a certain level. darling-hammond and sykes (2003) stress the importance of pedagogical knowledge in student learning. they argue that teachers’ professional knowledge, experience, and subject matter expertise significantly impact student achievement. research supports the notion that teaching expertise is as crucial as content knowledge (begle, 1979; monk, 1994; wenglinsky, 2000). thus, pedagogical knowledge should be seen as equally essential, not inferior to content knowledge. classroom practice classroom practices are shaped by social, political, and economic contexts (unesco, 2009). the relationship between teacher performance and student outcomes is complex, requiring effective management systems (best et al., 2018). classroom practice involves dynamic interactions influenced by internal and external factors (li & oliveira, 2015). teachers play a crucial role in promoting positive discipline and attitudes through communication, active listening, and student involvement (osher et al., 2018). building warm relationships among teachers, students, and adults is linked to academic success and socialemotional development (center on the developing child, 2016). teachers’ beliefs influence instructional practices and learning opportunities (borg, 2011), and professional development and experience can shape teachers’ beliefs and practices (borg, 2018). classroom practices encompass various elements such as time management, physical arrangement, and student interactions (lampert, 2010). limited research has focused on the qualities of effective efl teachers from the perspective of teachers themselves in saudi arabia, highlighting the need for further investigation (mcber, 2000; witcher et al., 2001; saafin, 2005; wang et al., 2007; mccabe et al., 2008; minor et al., 2002). understanding secondary efl teachers’ perceptions will enhance our knowledge of effective teaching in saudi arabia. this study will employ borg’s (2006) framework, encompassing personal qualities, attitude, pedagogical knowledge, subject matter expertise, and classroom practice, to gather empirical data on teachers’ perspectives. methodology research design the study used a descriptive quantitative approach through survey research to answer research questions and achieve objectives. a likert-scale questionnaire gathered https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 31 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 28-39, 2023 perceptions of effective secondary-level saudi english teachers. data was analyzed using spss 26.00, calculating statistics such as cronbach’s alpha, mean scores, frequencies, sums, percentages, and standard deviations. for these objectives, the researcher set two questions for this study to answer: 1. what are the qualities of an effective english teacher as perceived by secondary-level saudi male english teachers? 2. are the qualities of an effective english teacher perceived by secondary-level saudi male english teachers different according to the teacher’s experience? sample of the study the sample of the study included a group of 138 saudi state secondary school efl male teachers in the city of riyadh. the teachers participating in the study had different qualifications and experience in teaching. the study is limited to riyadh, the capital of saudi arabia, where the population is expected to represent the country. description of the sample according to qualification table 1 displays variations in qualifications among the study’s sample. specifically, 44 (31.9%) have a bachelor’s degree in education, 31 (22.5%) have master’s degrees, 31 (22.5%) have bachelor’s degrees, 29 (21%) have a bachelor’s degree with a diploma in education, and 3 (2.2%) have phd degrees. this diverse range of qualifications ensures that the sample is capable of providing valid perceptions on the qualities of an effective efl teacher, given their academic backgrounds. table 1: frequencies and percentages of teachers’ years of experience. no qualification frequency percent rank 1 ba 31 22.5% 3 2 ba in education 44 31.9% 1 3 ba with education diploma 29 21.0% 4 4 master 31 22.5% 2 5 phd 3 2.2% 5 total 138 100.0% description of the sample according to teaching experience table 2 shows variations in teaching experience among the participating teachers. specifically, 40 (29.0%) had 5 to under 10 years of experience, 39 (28.3%) had 10 to under 15 years, 25 (18.1%) had 20 years and above, 20 (14.5%) had 15 to under 20 years, and 14 (10.1%) had 1 to under 5 years. this indicates that 84 (60.9%) had 10 years and above of teaching experience, and 124 (89.9%) had 5 years and above, suggesting that the participants possess sufficient experience to provide their perceptions on the qualities of an effective efl teacher. table 2: frequencies and percentages of teachers’ years of experience no years of experience frequency percent rank 1 1 to under 5 years 14 10.1% 5 2 5 to under 10 years 40 29.0% 1 3 10 to under 15 years 39 28.3% 2 4 15 years to under 20 years 20 14.5% 4 5 20 years and above 25 18.1% 3 total 138 100.0% research instrument data was collected from saudi secondary school male teachers in academic year 2021/2022 using a 25-item questionnaire administered through google forms. the questionnaire, based on borg’s (2006) framework, explored participants’ perceptions of effective efl teaching in riyadh. it covered personal qualities, attitudes, pedagogical knowledge, content knowledge, and classroom practice. participants used a 5-point likert scale for rating (appendix 1). the questionnaire’s validity was confirmed through expert review, and its reliability was established with a cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.81. procedures of the study the study used a questionnaire with 25 items in 5 domains, ensuring validity through expert review and reliability through cronbach’s alpha. permission was obtained to distribute the questionnaire to secondary school english language teachers in riyadh, resulting in 138 responses. descriptive analysis using spss 26.0 included frequencies, percentages, mean scores, standard deviations, and ranks. the instrument’s reliability was examined with cronbach’s alpha. the findings, conclusions, and recommendations for future research were discussed. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 32 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 28-39, 2023 results the findings are discussed in relation to the research questions and responses to the 25-item questionnaire based on borg’s (2006) framework. the analysis examines significant items in five domains: personal quality, attitude, content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, and classroom practice. it explores the impact of teaching experience on teachers’ perceptions of effective language teacher characteristics. findings related to the first question: what are the qualities of an effective english teacher as perceived by secondary-level saudi male english teachers? to address the question about the qualities of effective language teachers perceived by saudi secondary school male english language teachers, mean scores and standard deviations were calculated for each item on the questionnaire. the subsequent subsections present the findings for the five categories of effective language teachers examined in this study: personal qualities, attitudes, pedagogical knowledge, content knowledge, and classroom practice. personal qualities table 3 displays the means, standard deviations, and ranks for the five items in the personal qualities category (items 1 to 5 in the questionnaire). the participants ranked “an effective efl teacher is enthusiastic” as the highest in importance, with a mean (m) of 4.43 and a standard deviation (sd) of 0.627. this was followed closely by “an effective efl teacher is creative” (m = 4.41, sd = 0.712) and “an effective efl teacher is kind and friendly” (m = 4.41, sd = 0.721). the characteristics “an effective efl teacher has a sense of humour” (m = 3.79, sd = 0.970) and “effective efl teacher avoids students’ favoritism” (m = 3.71, sd = 0.982) received slightly lower scores. the range of means in this domain was 3.71 to 4.43, with standard deviations ranging from 0.627 to 0.982. all the means were above 3.71, and the overall mean for the personal qualities domain was 4.15, indicating the significance of these characteristics in defining effective english language teachers. table 3: means and standard deviations of personal qualities of an effective teacher item description n mean std. deviation rank 1 effective efl teacher avoids students' favouritism 138 3.71 .982 5 2 an effective efl teacher is enthusiastic 138 4.43 .627 1 3 an effective efl teacher is creative 138 4.41 .712 2 4 an effective efl teacher is kind and friendly 138 4.41 .721 3 5 an effective efl teacher has a sense of humour 138 3.79 .970 4 overall mean 138 4.15 .496 table 4: means and standard deviations of teachers’ attitudes towards teaching english item description n mean std. deviation rank 6 i teach english because it has a prestigious place in society. 138 2.99 1.214 3 7 i enjoy teaching english 138 4.36 .809 1 8 i believe the english teaching profession fits me 138 4.12 .829 2 9 teaching english in saudi arabia is a waste of time 138 1.72 1.087 4 10 teaching english in saudi arabia is a waste of the government's budget 138 1.64 1.074 5 overall mean 138 2.96 0.579 teachers’ attitudes towards teaching english table 4 displays the means, standard deviations, and ranks for the five items in the teachers’ attitudes category (items 6 to 10 in the questionnaire). these items explore the reasons why saudi english language teachers chose teaching as a profession and their attitudes towards it after gaining experience. the means in this category ranged from 1.46 to 4.36, with standard deviations ranging from 0.627 to 0.982. the overall mean for this category was 2.96 with a standard deviation of 0.579. among the items, “i enjoy teaching english” (item 7) received the highest mean with m = 4.36 and sd = 0.809, followed by “i believe the english teaching profession fits me” (item 8) with m = 4.12 and sd = 0.829. “i teach english because it has a prestigious place in society” (item 6) had a mean of m = 2.99 and sd = 1.214. on the other hand, “teaching english in saudi arabia is a waste of time” (item 9) had a mean of m = 1.72 and sd = 1.087, and “teaching english in saudi arabia is a waste of the government budget” (item 10) had a mean of m = 1.64 and sd = 1.074, indicating lower agreement. overall, the findings suggest that teachers hold positive attitudes towards the teaching profession. the lower means of items 9 and 10 indicate that teachers do not perceive teaching as a waste of time or government resources. additionally, a majority of teachers reported https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 33 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 28-39, 2023 enjoying teaching and feeling that it is a good fit for them. however, less than half of the teachers agreed that the teaching profession holds a prestigious place in society. teachers’ knowledge of pedagogy table 5 presents the means, standard deviations, and ranks of the five items in the knowledge of pedagogy category (items 11 to 15 in the questionnaire). among these items, “an effective efl teacher knows classroom assessment” had the highest mean with m = 4.39 and sd = 0.677. it was followed by “an effective efl teacher knows the individual student characteristics” with m = 4.30 and sd = 0.677, “an effective efl teacher has knowledge of classroom management” with m = 4.25 and sd = 0.640, “an effective efl teacher knows teaching methods” with m = 4.24 and sd = 0.720, and “an effective efl teacher structures learning objectives, lesson planning, and evaluation” with m = 4.21 and sd = 0.768. the findings highlight the significance of a teacher’s knowledge of classroom assessment as the most important characteristic within the pedagogical knowledge category for effective english language teaching. it is followed by knowledge of individual student characteristics, classroom management, teaching methods, and knowledge of learning objectives, lesson planning, and evaluation. the means in this category ranged from 4.21 to 4.39. the overall mean for the category was 4.28 with a standard deviation of 0.543, indicating the high importance that teachers attributed to these characteristics in determining the qualities of effective english language teachers. table 5: means and standard deviations of knowledge of pedagogy item description n mean std. deviation rank 11 an effective efl teacher has the knowledge of classroom management 138 4.25 .640 3 12 an effective efl teacher knows teaching methods 138 4.24 .720 4 13 an effective efl teacher knows classroom assessment 138 4.39 .677 1 14 an effective efl teacher knows the individual student characteristics 138 4.30 .677 2 15 an effective efl teacher structures learning objectives, lesson planning and evaluation 138 4.21 .768 5 overall mean 138 4.28 .543 table 6: means and standard deviations of teachers’ knowledge of the content item description n mean std. deviation rank 16 an effective efl teacher understands the purpose and values of educational ends as well as their philosophical and historical grounds 138 4.30 .688 2 17 an effective efl teacher applies explicit instructions in a content area of learning 138 3.52 1.082 5 18 an effective efl teacher reinforces reading in the classroom and outside the classroom 138 3.95 .899 4 19 an effective efl teacher explains clearly and asks good questions 138 4.33 .728 1 20 an effective efl teacher has a good command of english accuracy and fluency 138 4.29 .727 3 overall mean 138 4.08 0.592 teachers’ knowledge of content table 6 displays the means, standard deviations, and ranks of the five items in the knowledge of content category (items 16 to 20 in the questionnaire). the highest-ranked characteristic in this category is the teacher’s ability to “explain clearly and ask good questions” with m = 4.33 and sd = 0.728. it is followed by “understanding the purpose and values of educational ends as well as their philosophical and historical grounds” with m = 4.30 and sd = 0.688, “having a good command of english accuracy and fluency” with m = 4.29 and sd = 0.727, “reinforcing reading in the classroom and outside the classroom” with m = 3.95 and sd = 0.899, and “applying explicit instructions in a content area learning” with m = 3.52 and sd = 1.082. these findings indicate the importance of several key characteristics within the knowledge of content category for effective english language teachers. clear explanations, effective questioning techniques, understanding educational objectives and values, proficiency in english accuracy and fluency, and promoting extensive reading are highlighted. the means of the characteristics in this category range from 3.52 to 4.33. the overall mean for the category is 4.08 with a standard deviation of 0.592, https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 34 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 28-39, 2023 demonstrating the significance that teachers attribute to these characteristics in determining the qualities of effective english language teachers. teachers’ classroom practice table 7 displays means, standard deviations, and ranks of 5 items in the teachers’ characteristics in classroom practice category (items 21 to 25). “space for team-based/collaborative learning” ranked highest (m=4.22, sd=0.681), followed by “promoting learning in the classroom” (m=4.21, sd=0.656), “providing visual and verbal supports” (m=4.21, sd=0.719), “using technology” (m=4.07, sd=0.877), and “using gamification” (m=4.00, sd=0.846). these characteristics are essential for effective english language teachers, as reported by teachers themselves. teachers recognize the significance of unconventional practices, such as gamebased learning, using visuals and audio, and technology, to enhance teaching and make the learning environment more engaging. the mean of the category as a whole was 4.14 with sd = .542, which indicated that the characteristics included in this category were reported by teachers to be significant for determining the qualities of effective english language teachers. table 7: means and standard deviations of teachers’ knowledge of the content item description n mean std. deviation rank 21 an effective efl teacher uses technology in the classrooms 138 4.07 .877 4 22 an effective efl teacher gives space to students to learn as teams cooperatively or collaboratively 138 4.22 .681 1 23 an effective efl teacher uses gamification to add fun to the classroom 138 4.00 .846 5 24 an effective efl teacher provides visual and verbal support to make core content comprehensible 138 4.21 .719 3 25 an effective efl teacher promotes learning within the classroom 138 4.21 .656 2 overall mean 138 4.14 0.542 categories of effective language teachers’ characteristics table 8 displays means, standard deviations, and ranks of the five categories of teacher characteristics: personal qualities, attitudes, knowledge of pedagogy, knowledge of content, and classroom practice. the means for these categories ranged from 2.96 to 4.28, with an overall mean of 3.92, indicating their importance to effective language teachers. knowledge of pedagogy ranked highest (m=4.28, sd=0.543), followed by personal qualities (m=4.15, sd=0.496), classroom practice (m=4.14, sd=0.542), knowledge of content (m=4.08, sd=0.592), and attitudes (m=2.96, sd=0.579). although attitudes had a lower mean, it doesn’t diminish their significance. it is worth noting that these statements required teachers to disagree to indicate positive attitudes towards teaching english as a foreign language. overall, effective language teachers should possess pedagogical knowledge, classroom practice, content knowledge, personal traits, and a positive attitude to effectively engage and guide students. table 8: means and standard deviations of the five categories of effective language teachers’ characteristics category name of category n mean std. deviation rank 1 personal qualities 138 4.15 .496 2 2 teachers' attitudes 138 2.96 .579 5 3 knowledge of pedagogy 138 4.28 .543 1 4 knowledge of content 138 4.08 .592 4 5 classroom practice 138 4.14 .542 3 overall mean 138 3.92 0.392 findings related to the second question: are the qualities of an effective english teacher perceived by the secondary level saudi male english teachers differ according to teacher’s experience? this section examines the relationship between teachers’ experience and their perceptions of effective efl teacher qualities. the researcher measured the correlation between experience and perceptions across the five categories of teacher characteristics, as presented below. table 9 showed that the correlation between teachers’ experience and their perceptions of any of the five categories of characteristics is of no significance. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 35 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 28-39, 2023 discussion this study aimed to investigate the qualities of an effective efl teacher as perceived by saudi secondary school male teachers and explore the relationship between teachers’ experience and their perceptions of these qualities. two research questions were proposed: 1) what are the qualities of an effective english teacher as perceived by saudi male english teachers at the secondary level? and 2) do the perceived qualities of an effective english teacher differ based on teachers’ experience? a questionnaire comprising 25 items was used to assess saudi secondary school efl male teachers’ perceptions of effective language teachers across five domains: personal qualities, attitudes, pedagogical knowledge, content knowledge, and classroom practice. the findings highlighted the importance of these domains, with teachers considering knowledge of pedagogy as the most crucial, followed by personal qualities, classroom practice, content knowledge, and attitudes. effective efl teachers demonstrate pedagogical knowledge in various areas such as classroom management, teaching methods, assessment, and understanding individual student characteristics. this is supported by studies conducted by borg (2006), thompson (2008), reber (2001), bell (2005), al-maqtri and thabet (2013), alzobiani (2020), alzubai (2021), osher et al. (2018), basturkmen (2012), farrell & ives (2015), and kuzborska (2011). additionally, they incorporate technology, gamification, cooperative learning, and provide visual and verbal support to enhance classroom learning. engaging activities like games, jokes, stories, and songs foster student interaction, communication, motivation, and engagement. effective efl teachers demonstrate personal qualities such as enthusiasm, creativity, kindness, friendliness, a sense of humor, and fairness towards all students. this aligns with previous research by uygun (2013), borg (2006), thompson (2008), al-maqtri and thabet (2013), alzobiani (2020), and alzubai (2021), emphasizing the importance of teachers’ personal traits in students’ language learning. these personal qualities significantly influence student behavior, interactions, and classroom performance. enthusiastic teachers inspire students to excel, while a sense of humor reduces tension, enhances enjoyment, and facilitates the teaching of challenging content. this study concurs with uygun (2013), liando (2010), bell (2005), al-maqtri and thabet (2013), sadler et al. (2013), kennedy (1998), and alzubai (2021) regarding the importance of effective efl teachers’ knowledge of content. clear explanations, skillful questioning, and explicit instructions are vital aspects of effective teaching. furthermore, understanding the objectives and philosophy of language learning in the saudi context is prioritized. proficiency in english accuracy and fluency significantly supports learners’ language skills. effective efl teachers serve as role models, displaying accuracy and fluency in the foreign language. encouraging extensive reading outside the classroom is also crucial. the findings of this study align with issan et al. (2011), al harthy et al. (2013), osunde and izevbigie (2006), smadi and al-ghazo (2013), and reber (2001) in emphasizing the influence of teachers’ attitudes towards teaching on their performance, teaching practices, and overall effectiveness. additionally, this study found no association between teachers’ experience and their perceptions of effective efl teacher characteristics. conclusion based on this study, the researcher concludes that saudi secondary school male teachers perceive the top five characteristics of an effective efl teacher to be knowledge of pedagogy, personal qualities, classroom practice, knowledge of content, and teachers’ attitudes. developing these qualities is crucial for the successful teaching and learning of english as a foreign language. being an effective efl teacher requires a combination of professional and personal skills. therefore, studentteachers, novice teachers, and future teachers need to adapt to these characteristics. effective efl teachers possess positive traits, employ effective teaching behaviors, and motivate students to reach their full potential. teachers’ rich knowledge of content and language proficiency plays a vital role in helping students overcome language learning difficulties and improve their language skills. teacher education programs should prioritize enhancing pedagogical knowledge and language proficiency. continuous professional development, such as reading, training courses, conferences, and seminars, can keep teachers updated on current pedagogical knowledge, teaching practices, and english proficiency, thereby enhancing student learning. it is important to note that the findings of this study are specific to secondary school teachers in riyadh, so caution should be exercised in generalizing and interpreting the results. recommendations in the light of the findings of this study, the researcher recommends the following: table 9: the relationship between teachers’ years of experience and perceptions of effective teacher characteristics personal qualities teachers' attitudes knowledge of pedagogy knowledge of content classroom practice experience pearson correlation .065 .035 -.119 -.108 -.171* sig. (2-tailed) .452 .685 .163 .209 .046 n 138 138 138 138 138 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 36 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 28-39, 2023 1. there should be more research done to include more teachers (male and female) teaching english at different levels and students (male and female) reflecting on their perceptions of the characteristics of an effective efl teacher. in order to investigate the differences between teachers’ and learners’ perceptions of the same thing. 2. research should expand to include more qualities, and participants should be allowed to report their preferences of the qualities of an effective efl teacher. 3. there should be a study investigating the effects of teacher characteristics on their students’ language performances. 4. there should be a study to explore the qualities and classroom practices that could negatively influence an efl teacher’s efficacy. acknowledgement the author would like to express sincere gratitude to prof. dr. yousif a. alshumaimeri for his guidance, efforts, advice, assistance, and unremitting support in helping to complete this study. references adewale, o. s. 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(2004). thinking styles: university students preferred teaching styles and their conceptions of effective teachers. the journal of psychology, 138(3), 233-252. http://doi.org/10.3200/jrlp.138.3.233-252. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 42 american journal of education and technology (ajet) bridging learning opportunity gaps (blog) project: a pandemic remedial intervention in junior high school science charlie singua1*, joy b. saldana2 volume 2 issue 2, year 2023 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i2.1533 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: april 01, 2023 accepted: april 21 , 2023 published: april 28, 2023 this study focused on the perceptions of teachers and students on the bridging learning opportunity gaps (blog) project as a pandemic remedial intervention in the junior high school (jhs) science implemented in the schools calbayog city division, department of education, philippines during the school year 2021-2022. this was in the attempt to provide insights into the state of remedial education in the philippines. the study used the descriptive-correlational research design and handed out survey questionnaires to 38 teacher and 70 student-respondent across seven public schools in calbayog city. the findings reveal that although both the teacher and student-respondents manifested highly positive perceptions on the blog project in science in all parameter set, the teachers, as implementers were more positive in their assessment while the students as the subjects were slightly more critical. it also has been noted thar despite the positive evaluation, both the student and the teacher-respondents reported experiencing various problems in the implementation of project blog. for the teachers, their biggest dilemma was the fact that they attend to the specific needs of each learner due to the limitations of the current educational set-up. for the students, it was the changing community quarantine classifications and policies that may hinder the continuity of the project blog in science. overall, the study concludes that the project blog was satisfactorily implemented and further supports the literature on the efficacy of remedial instruction keywords blog project, pandemic, perceptions, remedial intervention, science 1 department of education, christ the king college in calbayog city, samar, philippines 2 education program supervisor in science, schools division of calbayog city, samar, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: charlie.singua@deped.gov.ph introduction education is a fundamental right that ensures the holistic development of an individual. it is the primary goal of teachers to impart knowledge and skills to their students and help them understand the concepts and ideas discussed in class. however, pedagogy is influenced by diverse factors, making the success of the instructional process challenging. the current educational setup has made this noble goal even more challenging and interesting. the global health crisis has significantly impacted all sectors of society, and the field of education is no exception. according to the united nations (2020), the covid-19 pandemic has caused significant changes in the global educational setting, affecting nearly 1.6 billion learners worldwide. as a response, modular instruction and online learning have become the most effective strategies for teaching and learning. however, the philippine educational system faces limitations in fully implementing this setup. as a result, education specialists and teachers consider remediation intervention programs and activities as an effective measure of ensuring learning among students, particularly in core subjects like english, science, and math. the department of education (2021) has issued guidelines on the conduct of remedial classes in the midst of the pandemic, highlighting that remedial and advancement classes must be completed within a sixweek period that may include saturdays. in response to this, the schools division of calbayog city implemented the bridging learning opportunity gaps (blog) project as a remedial intervention in junior high school (jhs) science as part of the remedial-reinforcementenhancement (rre) program for all learners. the blog project aims to provide remediation opportunities for academically unprepared and struggling students, specifically by conducting assessments on identified least learned competencies and skills, bridging perceived gaps between learners’ existing proficiency and/or mastery of learning areas, and preparing learners for the transition to the next grade level. given the initial implementation of the science modular instruction in deped-calbayog, this study explores the remediation aspect of the blog project as a remedial intervention in jhs science in this kind of setup. the study examines how teachers and students perceive the implementation of this remedial intervention project and its effectiveness in addressing the learning needs of struggling learners. through this study, the researchers seek to contribute to the understanding of the implementation of remedial intervention programs in the context of the covid-19 pandemic, providing insights into the efficacy of remedial instruction, particularly in the context of a crisis and in the philippines. literature review this study draws on kolb’s “model of experiential learning” as a theoretical framework for understanding how the blog project functions as a remedial intervention program for struggling science students https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i2.1336 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= mailto:haytham.elaoufy%40gmail.com?subject= mailto:charlie.singua%40deped.gov.ph?subject= pa ge 43 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 42-52, 2023 in jhs. kolb’s model proposes that learning occurs through a cycle of four stages: experiencing, reflecting, conceptualizing, and experimenting. this model is relevant to the current study because the blog project, like any pedagogical or curriculum project, requires careful consideration of objectives, content, teaching methods, and evaluation techniques in order to succeed. by following the natural and logical sequence of kolb’s experiential cycle, the blog project aims to provide a structured approach to remediation that helps students develop the necessary skills and knowledge to succeed in science. specifically, the blog project seeks to bridge gaps in students’ existing proficiency and mastery of science by identifying least learned competencies and skills, and preparing them for a smooth transition to the next grade level. by employing kolb’s model, the study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the blog project as a remedial intervention program for science education in the new normal. educating learners is the core reason for all teachinglearning processes which are undertaken in each classroom in the formal education platform. however, not all the students can accommodate the learning processes and these results with different outcomes. with this in mind, teachers need to create an intervention plan and not let these other students fall behind and still catch up with the lessons being discussed. a remedial class is always an impressive way to solve this common problem. that is why thilges and schmer (2020), provided a concept analysis of formal remediation wherein he established a framework for defining the concept, developing measurable outcomes, and describing when to implement the intervention. this is important so that there is a consistent and systematic way of delivering the remedial class. education is a basic tool that opens all doors to modern life (field, 2000), and remedial education, which is mostly to improve students’ reading, writing and mathematics skills (ganga, mazzariello, & edgecombe, 2018) is also considered important for all levels of schooling. it is known as compensatory education (denzin, 2017), developmental education (ganga et al., 2018), preparatory education (hu & liu, 2017), and academic upgrading (glaziou, sismanidis, zignol, & floyd, 2016). why some students need remedial education is an important question. they need it, first, because their home environment is not suitable to study their lessons and do their homework after school (ma & schapira, 2017). second, some low-income families do not have high ambitions for education, so they do not advise their children accordingly (jacob & lefgren, 2004). parents play a key role in their children’s learning. students need fewer remedial courses if their parents are highly interested and invested in their education. third, the lower income schools have less funding than those in high-income areas (bryk, gomez, grunow, & lemahieu, 2015). in these schools, classes are more crowded, libraries lack materials, and teachers boast fewer qualifications, and so on, resulting in a lower quality education. fourth, teachers are important factors for the education of students (kızıltepe, 2015). their qualifications, experience, and methodology make a great difference in the learning process of students. the student may not need a remedial course if teacher a is there instead of teacher b. in the philippines, bulaon-ducusin’s (2021) project titled “bridging the gap in remote teaching and learning funded by the national research council of the philippines (nrcp), sought the voices of 28,859 department of education (deped) teachers nationwide in a cross-sectional study, where most participants came from the regions outside of the national capital. the study highlights the teachers’ experiences and coping mechanisms in the learning environment brought about by the new normal; and the emergency assessment and instructional delivery mechanisms being implemented. not surprisingly, over 70 percent of the teachers said that it was their first experience to teach remotely. and despite the availability of training on remote learning, which is often free and conducted virtually, a lot of teachers were able to attend only one or two training sessions. one possible cause for this low participation in training is the unavailability of internet connection. the research also finds that teachers had to spend their own personal money, in order to keep up with the demands of remote learning. despite the gaps, though, over 60% of teachers feel hopeful, when asked over their level of confidence in a remote environment (bulaon-ducusin, 2021). in the philippines, the problem of students in reading is not a new issue. in fact, certain studies reveal that the reading problems of filipino students seemed to be perennial (montalban, 2010; alayon, 2014; lalunio, 2014; umali, 2016; miguel, 2017). due to such problems, reading and literacy instruction have always been the top priority in all philippine curricula. umali (2016) labels that reading instruction in the philippines can be distinguished into two facets: (1) the regular reading class which is embedded in the standard curriculum, and (2) the remedial reading class which is a separate subject given to those students who need help in correcting and improving their reading difficulties. the remedial reading class in the philippines is a pull-out type since it is not integrated within the regular reading class of the students. the practice of remedial reading has been in the limelight for a long time in the philippine education sector. rio (2017), enumerated the typical duties of remedial teachers in the philippines: (1) work very closely with the principal, students’ teacher and the rest of the staff, (2) assess the students’ levels of functioning in reading, (3) provide remediation for students who are struggling in reading their first or second language, (4) conduct the pre-tests and post-tests to see where the students’ strengths and weaknesses are studies on remedial intervention programs and activities have been conducted by local and foreign researchers and academicians to determine important points on the pandemic experiences of both educators and students. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 44 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 42-52, 2023 some of these recent studies were reviewed in relation to the researcher’s present academic undertaking. the action research of rai and penjor (2020) selected students who scored below the benchmark in the class test and attended remedial classes. the study spanned four weeks, and after the remedial classes, the students achieved higher scores in their post-test and reported higher satisfaction. a similar study by tomelden (2019) focused on the effectiveness of remedial reading to non-readers in the intermediate level at lomboy elementary school. grades 4, 5, and 6 were the respondents. the post-test indicated a higher reading level after they took the intervention. asio and jimenez’s (2020) research involved grade 5 tle students from two different schools. the first school was assigned as the independent group, and the other school as the experimental group. after the pre-test yielded nonimpressive results, the former was advised to continue their usual learning process while the latter undertook remedial classes. the post-test revealed a significant difference among the students who took remedial classes. the mentioned studies revealed positive results in implementing remedial classes for low-achieving learners. however, it should be noted that the studies above used different methodologies and research designs than what was used in the current study. materials and method this quantitative study employed the descriptivecorrelational research design to examine the perceptions of science teachers and students on the implementation of the bridging learning opportunity gaps (blog) project of the schools division of calbayog city, samar philippines. it is descriptive since it described the respondents’ perceptions on the implementation of the project as a remedial intervention in jhs science. moreover, it is correlational since it correlated the perceptions of the student-respondents and the perceptions of the teacherrespondents on the implementation of the project as a remedial intervention in jhs science. the respondents of this study were the science teachers and students in six selected secondary schools that implemented blog project as a remedial intervention in jhs science in schools division of calbayog city,samar philippines. these schools were chosen based on the implementation of the project, the school’s teacher and student populations, location, and some other factors affecting the financial and security aspects of this study. the number of respondents per school based on the latest data obtained from the office of the district supervisor. this study considered a complete enumeration of teacherrespondents composed of 38 public secondary teachers table 1: respondents of the study name of school district number of teacherrespondents number of studentrespondents macatingog integrated school 4 10 pilar national agricultural high school 4 10 san policarpo national high school 8 10 trinidad national high school 6 10 oquendo national high school 6 10 san joaquin national high school 6 10 tabawan integrated school 4 10 total 38 70 who are handling science subjects in the selected schools. while a non-probability sample technique particularly the controlled quota and convenience samplings were employed in selecting the student-respondents of each school. two versions of a researcher-made survey questionnaire were used in gathering the data in this study. the questionnaire was designed to cover the following concerns: part i assessed on the perceptions of both the teacherand student-respondents on the bridging learning opportunity gaps (blog) project in science in terms of scope and coverage of the lessons, learning materials and activities, instructional process and learning environment, assessment methods, and remedial class monitoring and evaluation. part ii of the questionnaire described the problems and challenges that the teacherand student-respondents may have possibly encountered in the implementation of blog project as a remedial intervention in jhs science. it contained ten (10) items which the respondents would fill in with the help of a likert scale. mean and standard deviation was utilized to describe the respondents’ perceptions on blog project as a remedial intervention in jhs science. two-sample t-test was made to determine significant difference between studentand teacher-respondents’ perceptions towards blog project as a remedial intervention. results and discussion table 2. shows the perception of the teacher-respondents with regards to the bridging learning opportunity gaps (blog) project in science in terms of scope and coverage of the lessons, learning materials and activities, and instructional process and learning environment. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 45 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 42-52, 2023 table 2: teacher-respondents’ perceptions on the bridging learning opportunity gaps (blog) project in science in terms of scope and coverage of the lessons, learning materials and activities, and instructional process and learning environment indicator mean desc. a. scope and coverage of the lessons 1. the science lessons included in the program are those which are considered by students to be very difficult. 4.47 sa 2. the choice of topics for remedial classes focuses on the core areas of the science subject. 4.32 sa 3. the lessons are carefully chosen to address and fill in specific learning gaps in science. 4.68 sa 4. the lessons include important concepts and theories prescribed in the science subject. 4.63 sa 5. the lessons are designed to help students fully attain the general objectives of the science course. 4.71 sa 6. the choices of lessons for remediation are based on the standards and guidelines set by deped specifically on students’ capabilities and intellectual readiness. 4.55 sa 7. the lessons adequately support the development of required skills and proficiency expected from science students. 4.58 sa overall mean = 4.56 sd = 0.57 (strongly agree) b. learning materials and activities 1. the learning materials include sufficient information for the students to fully understand the lessons. 4.71 sa 2. the learning materials employ interactive activities to effectively reinforce learning. 4.47 sa 3. the remedial materials follow the standard and easy-to-read format set by deped. 4.55 sa 4. materials used for skill development in supplementing a basic program are specifically related to the particular skill in which a given student or group of students are deficient. 4.42 sa 5. although materials are of equal interest to all students, materials are still chosen and evaluated in accordance with realistic needs and interests of the student or group of students concerned. 4.61 sa 6. the activities are not time-consuming and energy draining. 4.42 sa 7. the materials are selected and evaluated for suitability in achieving the objectives of the remedial program. 4.74 sa overall mean = 4.56 sd = 0.57 (strongly agree) c. instructional process and learning environment 1. the instructional process of remediation includes tutorial, mentoring, coaching, and other ways of delivering the organized learning experiences. 4.58 sa 2. the remedial sessions are in strict compliance to the existing rules and policies of the iatf to protect both the teachers and the learners from a possible covid-19 infection. 4.39 sa 3. the teacher prepares simplified lessons for easy understanding of learners that are subject for remediation. 4.76 sa 4. the teacher challenges the learners to participate and raise his/her concerns during remedial class sessions. 4.79 sa 5. the teacher practices individualized teaching to monitor the students’ learning abilities. 4.42 sa 6. the teacher invites parents to discuss problems concerning their children and help them in their work. 4.47 sa 7. the teacher effectively manages the remedial sessions wherein students are given full opportunities to learn and participate. 4.47 sa overall mean = 4.56 sd = 0.56 (strongly agree) legend 1.00-1.80 ... … … strongly disagree (sd) 1.81-2.60 … … … somewhat disagree (sda) 2.61-3.40 … … … neutral (n) 3.41-4.20 … … … somewhat agree (swa) 4.21-5.00 … … … strongly agree (sa) https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 46 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 42-52, 2023 scope and coverage of the lessons concerning the scope and coverage of the lessons, the teacher-respondents “strongly agree” on the seven indicators stipulated in the instrument with an overall mean (x) of 4.56. this further suggests that for the teacher-respondents, the coverage and scope of the lessons included in the project blog are appropriate and in accordance with the goal of the project. learning materials and activities in terms of learning materials and activities, the overall mean (x) of 4.56 revealed that the teacher-respondents “strongly agree” on the identified indicators. this forwards that the teacher-respondents believe that the learning materials and activities conceptualized, created, and used/ conducted by the teachers serve their purpose of helping learners catch-up with the identified science lessons. instructional process and learning environment with regard to instructional process and learning environment, the teacher-respondents manifested that they “strongly agree” to all the parameters given as supported by the overall mean (x) of 4.56. this connotes that for the science teachers, they made necessary adjustments to the instructional process in consonance with the objectives of blog project as a remedial intervention in jhs science and provided a safe learning environment for those who need reinforcement and remediation amidst the threats of the pandemic. table 3 shows the perception of the teacher-respondents with regards to the bridging learning opportunity gaps (blog) project in science in terms of assessment methods and remedial class monitoring and evaluation. assessment methods table 3: teacher-respondents’ perceptions on the bridging learning opportunity gaps (blog) project in science in terms of assessment methods and remedial class monitoring and evaluation indicator mean desc. d. assessment methods 1. the assessment methods used are simple wherein the results are easy to understand and communicate. 4.74 sa 2. the assessment methods used are one on one wherein the data inform and reveal individual remedial action. 4.71 sa 3. the assessment process is done periodically and regularly to respond to and establish the learner's academic needs. 4.58 sa 4. the assessment results are entered in an assessment recording sheet to check progress. 4.79 sa 5. the choice of assessment method is relevant to the nature of the science topics/ lessons. 4.68 sa 6. the assessment activities/ exams given are not too easy and not too difficult. 4.66 sa 7. the results of the assessment serve as a basis for planning and designing further instructional interventions to ensure mastery and continuity of learning. 4.79 sa overall mean = 4.71 sd = 0.49 (strongly agree) e. remedial class monitoring and evaluation 1. the school head or his/her designated school official regularly monitors the remedial intervention program. 4.58 sa 2. the school, through its faculty, has early alert systems that identify students who are having personal difficulties and who are struggling academically in this setup. 4.45 sa 3. remedial teachers keep in close contact with other teachers to discuss or share their experiences with others to find out ways to improve students’ learning and behavior. 4.32 sa 4. remedial teachers coordinate with the advisers and the counselor to monitor students and forward recommendations. 4.45 sa 5. monitoring reports are compiled and analyzed to increase persistence, retention, and success rates. 4.39 sa 6. the school adopts an institutionalized evaluation of the remedial intervention activity in science. 4.29 sa 7. the school coordinates with other stakeholders and professionals to evaluate the other aspects of the program such as covid-19 risk management and issues concerning the mental health of the learners. 4.50 sa overall mean = 4.42 sd = 0.57 (strongly agree) legend 1.00-1.80 ... … … strongly disagree (sd) 1.81-2.60 … … … somewhat disagree (sda) 2.61-3.40 … … … neutral (n) 3.41-4.20 … … … somewhat agree (swa) 4.21-5.00 … … … strongly agree (sa) https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 47 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 42-52, 2023 as for the assessment methods, the teacher-respondents concurred that they “strongly agree” to all the seven (7) indicators with an overall mean (x) of 4.71. this suggests that for the teacher-respondents, modifications in the assessment aspect were made to make the process simpler and understandable. this has allowed a more immediate feedbacking mechanism. remedial class monitoring and evaluation concerning remedial class monitoring and evaluation, the teacher-respondents, garnering an overall mean (x) of 4.42, revealed that they “strongly agree” to the seven (7) indicators. this means that the teacher-respondents believe that proper coordination and implementation are enforced in monitoring and evaluating blog as a remedial intervention in jhs science. table 4 summarizes the teacher-respondents’ perceptions on the implementation of blog as a remedial intervention in jhs science in terms of scope and coverage of the lessons, learning materials and activities, instructional process and learning environment, assessment methods, and remedial class monitoring and evaluation. table 4: summary table on teacher-respondents perceptions on the implementation of blog project as a remedial intervention in jhs science indicator mean sd description a. scope and coverage of the lessons 4.56 0.57 strongly agree b. learning materials and activities 4.56 0.57 strongly agree c. instructional process and learning environment 4.56 0.56 strongly agree d. assessment methods 4.71 0.49 strongly agree e. remedial class monitoring and evaluation 4.42 0.57 strongly agree grand mean 4.56 0.55 strongly agree legend 1.00-1.80 ... … … strongly disagree (sd) 1.81-2.60 … … … somewhat disagree (sda) 2.61-3.40 … … … neutral (n) 3.41-4.20 … … … somewhat agree (swa) 4.21-5.00 … … … strongly agree (sa in a nutshell, the grand mean of 4.55 interpreted as “strongly agree” reveals that the teacher-respondents show positive perception on the bridging learning opportunity gaps (blog) project in science considering the parameters set, to wit; scope and coverage of the lessons, learning materials and activities, instructional process and learning environment, assessment methods, and remedial class monitoring and evaluation. this further suggests that for the teacher-respondents, the blog project as a remedial intervention in jhs science in science was successfully implemented in the secondary level. this supports the contention of ganga, mazzariello, and edgecombe (2018) that remedial education activities, like the blog project as a remedial intervention in jhs science, improve students’ reading, writing and mathematics skills in all levels of schooling. it is known as compensatory education, developmental education, preparatory education, and academic upgrading specifically during the pandemic. student-respondents’ perceptions on the bridging learning opportunity gaps (blog) as a remedial intervention in jhs science table 5 shows the perception of the student-respondents with regards to the bridging learning opportunity gaps (blog) project in science in terms of scope and coverage of the lessons, learning materials and activities, and instructional process and learning environment. table 5: student-respondents’ perceptions on the bridging learning opportunity gaps (blog) project in science in terms of scope and coverage of the lessons, learning materials and activities, and instructional process and learning environment indicator mean desc. a. scope and coverage of the lessons 1. the science lessons included in the program are those which are considered by students to be very difficult. 3.39 n 2. the choice of topics for remedial classes focuses on the core areas of the science subject. 4.10 swa 3. the lessons are carefully chosen to address and fill in specific learning gaps in science. 4.20 swa 4. the lessons include important concepts and theories prescribed in the science subject. 4.01 swa 5. the lessons are designed to help students fully attain the general objectives of the science course. 4.23 sa 6. the choices of lessons for remediation are based on the standards and guidelines set by deped specifically on students’ capabilities and intellectual readiness. 3.94 swa 7. the lessons adequately support the development of required skills and proficiency expected from science students. 3.90 swa https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 48 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 42-52, 2023 overall mean = 3.97 sd = 0.78 (somewhat agree) b. learning materials and activities 1. the learning materials include sufficient information for the students to fully understand the lessons. 3.77 swa 2. the learning materials employ interactive activities to effectively reinforce learning. 4.00 swa 3. the remedial materials follow the standard and easy-to-read format set by deped. 4.04 swa 4. materials used for skill development in supplementing a basic program are specifically related to the particular skill in which a given student or group of students are deficient. 3.76 swa 5. although materials are of equal interest to all students, materials are still chosen and evaluated in accordance with realistic needs and interests of the student or group of students concerned. 3.81 swa 6. the activities are not time-consuming and energy draining. 4.10 swa 7. the materials are selected and evaluated for suitability in achieving the objectives of the remedial program. 4.07 swa overall mean = 3.94 sd = 0.77 (somewhat agree) c. instructional process and learning environment 1. the instructional process of remediation includes tutorial, mentoring, coaching, and other ways of delivering the organized learning experiences. 4.03 swa 2. the remedial sessions are in strict compliance to the existing rules and policies of the iatf to protect both the teachers and the learners from a possible covid-19 infection. 4.23 sa 3. the teacher prepares simplified lessons for easy understanding of learners' subjects for remediation. 4.24 sa 4. the teacher challenges the learners to participate and raise his/her concerns during remedial class sessions. 4.10 swa 5. the teacher practices individualized teaching to monitor the students’ learning abilities. 3.74 swa 6. the teacher invites parents to discuss problems concerning their children and help them in their work. 3.84 swa 7. the teacher effectively manages the remedial sessions wherein students are given full opportunities to learn and participate. 3.93 swa overall mean = 4.02 sd = 0.78 (somewhat agree) legend 1.00-1.80 ... … … strongly disagree (sd 3.41-4.20 … … … somewhat agree (swa) 1.81-2.60 … … … somewhat disagree (sda) 4.21-5.00 … … … strongly agree (sa) 2.61-3.40 … … … neutral (n) scope and coverage of the lessons the overall mean of 3.97 interpreted as “somewhat agree” suggests that the student-respondents do not have the strong conviction that the scope and coverage of the lessons included in the remediation program are based on their needs and in consonance with the core areas of the subject. learning materials and activities concerning learning materials and activities, the studentrespondents revealed that they “somewhat agree’ on the parameters set as reflected in the overall mean of 3.94. this connotes that while the student-respondents acknowledge the learning materials and activities prepared and conducted by science teachers for blog as a remedial intervention in jhs science, they are still not strongly convinced that these materials and activities are really responsive to their academic needs during the pandemic. instructional process and learning environment the overall of 4.02 interpreted as “somewhat agree” suggests that there are still rooms for improvement in the instructional processes observed in blog as a remedial intervention in jhs science particularly in individualizing instruction and discussing problems with the students’ parents and/or guardians. table 6 shows the perception of the student-respondents with regards to the bridging learning opportunity gaps (blog) project in science in terms of assessment methods and remedial class monitoring and evaluation. assessment methods for the assessment methods, the student-respondents forwarded that they “somewhat agree” to all the indicators identified with an overall mean of 4.02. this suggests that the assessment methods used in blog as a remedial intervention in jhs science should be revisited and reexamined as to their reliability and validity. remedial class monitoring and evaluation with regard to remedial class monitoring and evaluation, the student-respondents revealed that they “somewhat agree” to the parameters set with an overall mean of 3.95. this suggests that for the students, there are still https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 49 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 42-52, 2023 loopholes in the monitoring and evaluation aspect of the program particularly on the identification of students with personal difficulties. this is corollary to the data on scholastic standing that majority of the students who were subjected to blog as a remedial intervention in jhs science in science were actually average to high performing students. only few low performing students participated in the remedial program. table 7 summarizes the student-respondents’ perceptions on the implementation of blog as a remedial intervention in jhs science in terms of scope and coverage of the lessons, learning materials and activities, instructional process and learning environment, assessment methods, and remedial class monitoring and evaluation. table 6: student-respondents’ perceptions on the bridging learning opportunity gaps (blog) project in science in terms of assessment methods and remedial class monitoring and evaluation indicator mean desc. d. assessment methods 1. the assessment methods used are simple wherein the results are easy to understand and communicate. 3.94 swa 2. the assessment methods used are one on one wherein the data inform and reveal individual remedial action. 3.97 swa 3. the assessment process is done periodically and regularly to respond to and establish the learner's academic needs. 3.90 swa 4. the assessment results are entered in an assessment recording sheet to check progress. 4.17 swa 5. the choice of assessment method is relevant to the nature of the science topics/ lessons. 4.04 swa 6. the assessment activities/ exams given are not too easy and not too difficult. 4.01 swa 7. the results of the assessment serve as a basis for planning and designing further instructional interventions to ensure mastery and continuity of learning. 4.09 swa overall mean = 4.02 sd = 0.77 (agree) e. remedial class monitoring and evaluation 1. the school head or his/her designated school official regularly monitors the remedial intervention program. 4.01 swa 2. the school, through its faculty, has early alert systems that identify students who are having personal difficulties and who are struggling academically in this setup. 3.76 swa 3. remedial teachers keep in close contact with other teachers to discuss or share their experiences with others to find out ways to improve students’ learning and behavior. 4.03 swa 4. remedial teachers coordinate with the advisers and the counselor to monitor students and forward recommendations. 3.86 swa 5. monitoring reports are compiled and analyzed to increase persistence, retention, and success rates. 4.04 swa 6. the school adopts an institutionalized evaluation of the remedial intervention activity in science. 3.76 swa 7. the school coordinates with other stakeholders and professionals to evaluate the other aspects of the program such as covid-19 risk management and issues concerning the mental health of the learners. 4.19 swa overall mean = 3.95 sd = 0.79 (somewhat agree) legend 1.00-1.80 ... … … strongly disagree (sd) 1.81-2.60 … … … somewhat disagree (sda) 2.61-3.40 … … … neutral (n) 3.41-4.20 … … … somewhat agree (swa) 4.21-5.00 … … … strongly agree (sa) table 7: summary table on student-respondents perceptions on the implementation of blog project as a remedial intervention in jhs science indicator mean sd description a. scope and coverage of the lessons 3.97 0.78 somewhat agree b. learning materials and activities 3.94 0.77 somewhat agree c. instructional process and learning environment 4.02 0.78 somewhat agree d. assessment methods 4.02 0.77 somewhat agree e. remedial class monitoring and evaluation 3.95 0.79 somewhat agree grand mean 3.98 0.79 somewhat agree https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 50 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 42-52, 2023 legend 1.00-1.80 ... … … strongly disagree (sd) 1.81-2.60 … … … somewhat disagree (sda) 2.61-3.40 … … … neutral (n) 3.41-4.20 … … … somewhat agree (swa) 4.21-5.00 … … … strongly agree (sa overall, the grand mean of 3.98 interpreted as “somewhat agree” suggests that the student-respondents perceived that they “somewhat agree” to the policies embedded in the conceptualization and implementation of the blog project as a remedial intervention in jhs science in science particularly in its parameters to wit; scope and coverage of the lessons, learning materials and activities, instructional process and learning environment, assessment methods, and remedial class monitoring and evaluation. this is suggestive of students having a different evaluation of the program compared to that of the teachers which receive more positive results. the notions of the students need to be taken seriously since they were the ones who actually experienced the implementation of the project; hence, their perceptions are essential in the improvement of the remedial program in science. while this study supports the results in the action research of rai and penjor which states that the impact of remedial classes to students is positive, the current study recorded moderately positive feedback unlike in the reviewed study wherein students were extremely satisfied with remedial class. difference between the teacher-respondents and the student-respondents perceptions on the bridging learning opportunity gaps (blog) project as a remedial intervention in jhs science table 8 presents the difference in the perceptions on blog as a remedial intervention in jhs science between the studentand the teacher-respondents in terms of: scope and coverage of the lessons with a mean difference of 0.60 and t-value of 5.119; learning materials and activities with a mean difference of 0.62 and t-value of 5.246; instructional process and learning environment with a mean difference of 0.54 and t-value of 4.641; assessment methods with a mean difference of 0.69 and t-value of 6.001; and remedial class monitoring and evaluation with a mean difference of 0.48 and t-value of 3.920. table 8: difference between the teacher-respondents and the student-respondents perceptions on the bridging learning opportunity gaps (blog) project perception respondents mean difference t-value teachers (n = 38) students (n = 70) mean (sd) mean (sd) a. scope and coverage of the lessons 4.56 -0.51 3.97 -0.69 0.6 5.119** b. learning materials and activities 4.56 -0.51 3.94 -0.71 0.62 5.246** c. instructional process and learning environment 4.56 -0.49 4.02 -0.72 0.54 4.641** d. assessment methods 4.71 -0.45 4.02 -0.74 0.69 6.001** e. remedial class monitoring and evaluation 4.42 -0.52 3.95 -0.74 0.48 3.920** critical value (c.v.) = 1.9826 at 0.05 level of significance with df = 106 * = significant at 0.05, ** = highly significant at 0.01; ns = not significant these values are greater than the critical value (cv) of 1.9826. thus, the corresponding null hypothesis is rejected. hence, there is a significant difference in the perceptions on blog project as a remedial intervention in jhs science in science between the studentand the teacher-respondents. as gleaned in the previous discussion, the teachers had more positive feedback from their experience in the implementation of blog project as a remedial intervention in jhs science in science as compared to the students in all the parameters identified to wit; scope and coverage of the lessons, learning materials and activities, instructional process and learning environment, assessment methods, and remedial class monitoring and evaluation. this implies that while the two sets of respondents have generally positive feedback on the implementation of blog project as a remedial intervention in jhs science, the teacher-respondents are more favorable than their student-counterparts. this is not surprising since for the teachers, and at the same time the implementers, they did their best in catering to the needs of the students amidst the pandemic. as to the part of the students, their observations were based on how they were able to experience the project with consideration of both its strengths and limitations. problems and challenges encountered in the implementation of blog as a remedial intervention in jhs science table 9 discusses the prevalence of the different problems and challenges encountered by both the teacherand the student-respondents in the implementation of the project blog. after computing the overall composite rank and the overall rank, it was revealed that the most dominant problem experienced by the two groups of respondents https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 51 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 42-52, 2023 table 8: difference between the teacher-respondents and the student-respondents perceptions on the bridging learning opportunity gaps (blog) project problems and challenges rank for teacherrespondents rank for studentrespondents overall composite rank overall rank 1. there are parents who are not that cooperative. 5 5 10 4 2. other stakeholders do not show support and active participation. 8 3 11 6 3. some learners who need the intervention activity live in areas far from the location of the school. 3 8 11 6 4. some teachers lack training on and professional exposure to remedial instruction in science. 2 10 12 8.5 5. with the duties and tasks entrusted to teachers in the modular setup, it is already hard for them to prepare learning plans and materials for remedial sessions. 5 7 12 8.5 6. there is no sufficient budget to support teachers in their tutorial/ remedial efforts. 6 2 8 3 7. the continuity of the program is hindered by the changing community quarantine classifications and policies imposed by the iatf. 4 1 5 1 8. some lessons/ concepts in science are difficult to explain/ discuss in the limited remediation activities. 7 4 11 6 9. the teachers lack knowledge in using educational technology in the preparation of teaching aids. 9 9 18 10 10. with the limitations of the current educational setup, teachers cannot attend to the specific needs of each learner. 1 6 7 2 is that the continuity of the program is hindered by the changing community quarantine classifications and policies imposed by the iatf. this is followed by teachers who cannot attend to the specific needs of each learner due to the limitations of the current educational setup, no sufficient budget to support teachers in their tutorial/ remedial efforts, and parents who are not that cooperative after computing the overall composite rank and the overall rank, it was revealed that the most dominant problem experienced by the two groups of respondents is that the continuity of the program is hindered by the changing community quarantine classifications and policies imposed by the iatf. this is followed by teachers who cannot attend to the specific needs of each learner due to the limitations of the current educational setup, no sufficient budget to support teachers in their tutorial/ remedial efforts, and parents who are not that cooperative. conclusions the teacher-respondents manifested highly positive perceptions while the student-respondents registered somewhat positive perceptions on blog project as a remedial intervention in jhs science considering all parameters set. this concludes that although both sets of respondents manifested positive perceptions on the conceptualization and implementation of blog project as a remedial intervention in jhs science, teachers assessed it with more optimism. teachers, as the implementers, considered the project as well-implemented, while the students, as the subjects, acknowledged more gray areas in its execution. problems were encountered by both the teacherand the student-respondents in the implementation of the blog project as a remedial intervention in jhs science in science. this concludes that the project, since it is still in its pilot implementation, has areas needing improvement. teachers, as implementers, forwarded specific problems affecting the implementation particularly on individualizing instruction. students, on the other hand, as subjects, identified key predicaments, mainly on the changing policies of the government concerning quarantine protocols. references alayon, d. p. 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(2020). covid-19 response–remediation. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 1 american journal of education and technology (ajet) implementation of the no child left behind (nclb) policy: examining the perceived roles of public teachers in prosperidad national high school, philippines jeffry m. saro1*, frances mae d. bernardos1, gellibee e. gaviola2, charl james g. cruiz3 volume 2 issue 3, year 2023 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i3.1664 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: may 18, 2023 accepted: june 09, 2023 published: june 30, 2023 the no child left behind policy ensures equal education and accountability for all students. the study aimed to investigate how the “no child left behind” policy has been implemented and to know the vital roles that teachers play in the teaching-learning process. the study was quantitative in nature and employed a descriptive-correlational design. purposive sampling was used to select 50 secondary teachers to participate in the study. the study used statistical tools to analyze and interpret data, using weighted mean and pearson product-moment correlation analysis to determine the relationship between school administration’s support and teachers’ perceived roles. as for the findings, teachers need to be accountable for their students’ academic performances and be resourceful in making activities and remediation practices necessary for the implementation of the no-child policy. the budget allocation should be reviewed. the relationship between financial support, level of professionalism, and remediation practices was statistically significant with a p-value of 0.05. technical support had weak associations, but financial support had strong associations. nclb policy emphasizes equal access to education through effective teaching and learning strategies. the researchers recommended that school administration and the department head of education limit auxiliary tasks, provide more seminars, workshops, and trainings to teachers, and revisit the nclb policy. keywords nclb, accountability, remedial practices, teachinglearning strategies, learners 1 prosperidad national high school, prosperidad district i, division of agusan del sur, philippines 2 marbon national high school, talacogon west district, division of agusan del sur, philippines 3 las navas elementary school, prosperidad district iv, division of agusan del sur, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: jeffrysaro123@gmail.com introduction the no child left behind program was adopted by many countries, including the united states of america and india, to improve educational standards in each of those nations. the no child left behind act of 2001 (nclb), which president george w. bush signed into law on january 8, 2002, was another federal government initiative to guarantee high-quality education for all children in america by mandating the states to improve and monitor students’ performance. it seeks to give learners the knowhow and abilities required for problem-solving in the twenty-first century (brandi, 2022). the no child left behind (nclb) policy is an act that was adopted by the department of education (deped) in the philippines. additionally, the “no child left behind act of 2010” was introduced by the senator manny villar, which protects and even promotes the individual right of the citizens to have the quality education they deserve and to take appropriate steps to make great education easily accessible to all. the nclb policy is about education for all children (rebusa et al., 2022; ebarle, 2023). nclb is a strong, controversial law that affects many facets of public-school education. the most recent reauthorization of the esea, known as the code, is sometimes recognized as the most important piece of federal education legislation in history. since nclb’s passage a few years ago, it has become increasingly important in education, compelling states, school districts, and schools to concentrate on teaching results (yell et al., 2016). despite the efforts that teachers make to educate every child, data indicate that filipino students routinely do significantly worse than students from practically every other country in the world on the international test standard. the scale of the act has also placed an unimaginable strain on teachers. evidence also suggests that the legislation has had a positive impact on teachers attitudes toward classroom management, in addition to having a negative impact on their views of teacher cooperation (rebusa, refogio, & san jose, 2022). however, the difficulties brought about by covid-19 have rocked the educational system. philippine education adopted the mixed and modular modalities for more than two years by redesigning the typical student involvement and the teachers’ pedagogical practices. as face-to-face instruction begins, teachers find it challenging to interact with their students. one of the biggest problems teachers are facing right now is that most students are struggling to understand what they have read and, regrettably, are unable to read even a simple phrase. the policy eventually endures, allowing for level advancement even when students have trouble conceptualizing the material. the question of how much each learner had learned during the previous two years during the pandemic time was brought about by concerns about their academic performance. this remains a significant source of accountability for the teacher, who is required to follow the policy even if the performance is subpar. to accomplish this, marefe bolongaita (2022) cited a recent suggestion that the “no read, no pass policy,” which will be strictly enforced while remaining forgiving of those who choose not to read, present an option under the leadership of the recently elected vice president and https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i3.1664 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= mailto:jeffrysaro123@gmail.com pa ge 2 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 1-15, 2023 secretary of education, sarah duterte. setting up tutorial reading classes under the strict direction of the language supervisor was suggested by sarah duterte (mosaid, 2022). the intention of this study project was to put into practice the vital role that teachers play in the teachinglearning process as they carry out their responsibilities as no child left behind policy implementers. research questions the study aimed to investigate how the “no child left behind” policy has been implemented and to know the vital roles that teachers play in the teachinglearning process at prosperidad national high school, prosperidad district i, division of agusan del sur, philippines. specifically, the study sought to answer the accompanying research questions: 1. what is the extent of support provided by the school administration in the implementation of the “no child left behind” policy in terms of: 1.1 technical support; and 1.2 financial support? 2. what is the level of manifestation of perceived teachers’ roles in the implementation of the “no child left behind” policy in terms of: 2.1 accountability; 2.2 professionalism; 2.3 classroom activities; and 2.4 remediation practices? 3. is there a significant relationship between the extent of support provided by the school administration and the level of manifestation of the perceived teachers’ roles in the implementation of the “no child left behind” policy at prosperidad national high school? 4. based on the findings of the study, what teachinglearning strategies may be proposed and advocated for the implementation of the “no child left behind” policy at prosperidad national high school? literature review the review of literature and related studies that have been used in the study are relevant to this investigation. the discussions of the review that were done based on the variables utilized in the research have given more meaning to the study. teachers as the implementers of nclb policy according to simpson et al. (2004), the “no child left behind policy” has had a substantial impact on k–8 settings because instructors and students are held accountable for following a certain set of standards established by the federal government. according to an article in intervention in school and clinic, the no child left behind (nclb) act “is possibly the most significant educational initiative to have been enacted in decades.” nclb has fundamentally changed the k–8 classroom environment in terms of curriculum, instruction, and teaching strategies. as stated by de villa and manalo’s research from 2020, “secondary teachers’ preparation, challenges, and coping mechanisms in the pre-implementation of distance learning in the new normal,” there have been significant changes in education as a result of the covid-19 pandemic, including a move away from faceto-face classes and toward other learning modalities, including distance learning. regarding this, digital literacy is acknowledged as the essential tool for lifelong learning and acquiring knowledge and useful skills for industry 4.0. however, given the expensive price, there are still drawbacks. costs and upkeep, online availability of platforms and tools, and lack of ability to use them. as nilson & goodson (2018) stated, “instruction heavily relies on technology, leaving the teachers not fully prepared and lacking competence”. given the challenges the covid-19 outbreak created while schools were closed, it is even more crucial to provide adolescents with help so they may develop selfcontrol. for instance, the chinese ministry of education has advised teachers to help students by giving them guidance and support “to scientifically design homebased learning plans, rationally select resources, and focus on building students’ independent learning ability” (zhou et al., 2020). peer mentoring enables them to work together and exchange best practices. when putting together learning resources and ict tools, they consult one another for advice and help. the holistic growth and well-being of educators are strongly supported by mentoring. peer mentorship enables educators to develop competency in the new norm and foster confidence as they accept change. as a useful means of maintaining connections, teachers enjoy the assistance they receive from one another. and when individuals experience appreciation and respect, they will provide great service by providing insightful instruction (linton, 2017). even beyond the classroom, students may do better academically and make progress in their social and emotional development when teachers cultivate a healthy environment and sense of well-being among themselves (loveless, 2020). administration support for the implementation of nclb policy with a very difficult school year ahead in the philippines, education secretary leonor briones, who oversees the department of education (deped), declared that every effort would be made to ensure that no filipino student would fall behind in their education as the nation continues to struggle with the covid-19 pandemic. according to section 10 of the “no filipino child left behind act of 2010,” ten (10) billion pesos must be added to the department of education’s (deped) current budget to help fund school construction and facility repairs, the purchase of science lab equipment and computers, and the hiring of new teachers, including those who will instruct in the night school. each member of congress is required to designate thirty percent (30%) of their legislative initiatives towards educational https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 3 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 1-15, 2023 programs in their home districts. it is still necessary to go further into how these budgetary allocations are put into practice because it is challenging for teachers to let students move through levels without showing that they have learned the material (danger, 2012). a cep report concluded that nclb has increased pressure on teachers while negatively affecting staff morale. byrd-blake et al. (2010) report that teachers say retrospectively that their confidence has declined since nclb was signed and feel frustrated by a test-driven instructional culture. increased accountability could alter some of these characteristics, affecting teachers’ composition. for example, if responsibility led to a closer link between compensation and employment, on the one hand, student outcomes, the risk of a teaching job would increase. how this would affect the composition of teachers depends on several factors. for example, if less-effective teachers are more vulnerable, while moreeffective teachers would typically benefit, the profession might attract a different set of entrants. alternatively, when weighing a life – our commitment to teaching, those potentially the best teachers could steer away if they felt the risk of being judged unfairly was too high. we know very little about how accountability affects risk or even the perceptions of risk and, thus, its effect on the willingness to enter or remain in teaching (hanushek & rivkin, 2010; gara et al., 2022). teachers accountability the responsibilities of a teacher go far beyond simply transmitting curricular objectives to pupils; they also need to provide them with the resources they need to succeed socially and academically both inside and outside of the classroom. for students to become critical, autonomous thinkers, teachers must equip them with the tools to critically assess the world around them. the ability to detect, analyze, and evaluate the limitless amount of information available in our quickly evolving digital environment requires students to be skilled in using higher-level thinking abilities. according to alsolamy (2017; cited by saro et al., 2022), teachers play a significant part in supervising and directing students. teachers should be able to coach in addition to giving cues and reminders, offering counsel, and modeling, all of which are crucial components of the educational environment. at critical junctures and offer children who are unable to complete the assignments a high level of assistance. the artificial tools and behaviors that teachers employ to produce realistic environments are equally crucial to take into consideration, according to minda masagi’s 2018 article. activities for the classroom can never do more than reflect reality. which is the primary issue, for instance, if teachers urge students to create a scenario in which one acts as a teacher and the others as students? it is likely that this condition only benefits the ways in which instruction is delivered and how students are managed in a scheduled setting. it could not reflect genuine situations where a teacher might employ a variety of tactics to include students in the classroom environment. school technical support technical assistance is needed for strengthening sbm implementation in schools, which needs to be checked for quality assurance. the most important ways to provide technical assistance are through classroom observation, learning action cell (lac) sessions, and individual coaching. in those three areas, teachers’ weaknesses are being strengthened and improved to address the diverse needs of their learners (magcanas, 2019). the importance of monitoring teaching and learning directly influences teachers’ approaches to supervision in secondary schools in the kedah district of kubang pasu, according to a study by khun-inkeeree et al. (2019), titled “effects of teaching and learning supervision on teachers’ attitudes to supervision at secondary schools in kubang pasu district, kedah.” the findings show that knowledge and technical skill characteristics significantly and favorably in secondary school students. the results also reveal that “the dimensions of technical skills have a significant influence on the attitude toward supervision.” technical expertise may have a direct influence on teachers’ attitudes toward supervision in secondary schools in the kubang pasu district of kedah if the supervisor is disciplined and adept at the most recent teaching and learning methods to have a distinct and perpetually moving aim. as a teaching leader, the supervisor must make intelligent decisions and set priorities, thus the issue of time restrictions cannot be used as an excuse. this result demonstrates unequivocally that the supervisor and all the teachers get along well. a positive cooperative culture between supervisors and supervised teachers can be fostered by a relationship that helps to dispel emotions of isolation and fear. this demonstrates the dedication and effectiveness of the supervisors in the kubang pasu district of kedah in achieving the supervisory objectives as stated by the moe. school-classroom activities research from the gsi teaching & resource center shows that when students work together on learning assignments, they retain material better and can apply and extend their new knowledge more successfully. additionally, this approach promotes learning across students with varied backgrounds and learning preferences. additionally, active learning strategies are more engaging in the eyes of both the teacher and the students. while some types can be done with only minimal forethought, others require more careful logistical organization. as mentioned by fauzi et al. (2021) in their article. students’ critical thinking skills about chemical equilibrium material are improved by group research and think pair share procedures, according to the study “the effectiveness of collaborative learning.” in the cooperative learning method known as “think pair share,” students discuss https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 4 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 1-15, 2023 their potential solutions to a problem that the teacher has presented. working on a solution with a partner, the student then presents the solution to the class. the “think pair share” teaching strategy has the advantage of allowing students to work both alone and collaboratively. this fully increases student participation possible and gives each student more opportunities to be recognized and to share their participation with others. masruddin (2018), “the efficacy of using short videos through group work in teaching speaking to indonesian english as a foreign language (efl) students,” stated that students can achieve greater results using technology while using videos as an effective technique for teaching english, and the student’s interest in the learning process is increased. level of teachers’ professionalism researching pre-service teachers and making interventions in their training processes for teacher wellbeing is important because, as stated by byrne, rietdijk, and pi (2021), the erosion of teacher well-being begins during the period of teacher training. cardoso (2022) in their study titled “a correlational predictive study of teacher well-being and professional success in foreign language student teachers in mathematics” asserts that this is the case. considering the basis and style of earlier research, piechurska-kuciel (2019) points out that in-service foreign language teachers are more likely to feel stress and burnout compared to teachers in other subjects. as many people teach a language they are still learning, which is quite stressful, this is typically caused by linguistic anxiety. there is a consistent relationship between personality, stress, and instructors’ wellbeing among language teachers from various international backgrounds. teachers remediation practices through the efforts of remedial reading teachers, the reading abilities of struggling readers have been continuously improved in the philippines. however, the nation lacks definite policies regarding the identities, functions, difficulties, and requirements of such teachers. the success of students who received remediation compared to those who did not has been examined in several descriptive studies on remediation (bettinger & long, 2005; campbell & dickson, 2017; gabasch, 2001). does remediation effective for all students?’’ asks angela boatman and bridget terry long in their essay from 2018. a few recent studies have attempted to establish the causal effects of remediation using quasi-experimental designs, considering the relevance of remediation and the quality of academic preparation. every study focuses on students who are just about to graduate from remediation. to assess the effects of cleanup in ohio, for instance, bettinger and long (2009) used instrumental variable estimates. the authors compare academically similar students who had various experiences with remedial courses by taking advantage of institutional variance in placement policies and using distance from a student’s home to the closest four-year college as an instrument for college choice (and hence placement). comparing placement in remediation to academically similar peers who were exempt from taking remedial courses, the authors discovered that placement in remediation improved the likelihood of continuing in college. including all students in assessments the participation of every student in statewide tests is a priority under nclb. this inclusion is crucial for guaranteeing equitable chance to meet the state’s high expectations for students with impairments or limited english proficiency. the school and the larger system lack the necessary data to track development, identify areas of weakness, and modify instructional practices when large groups of children are not assessed (taylor et al., 2010). president bush proposed the “no child left behind” law in 2003, which outlines expectations for academic achievement and the ability to achieve significant objectives in accountability, average yearly progress, and the recruiting and selection of qualified classroom instructors. he thought that greater academic achievement produced superior graduates and citizens in the future. the department of education in the philippines embraced nclb through this policy (lumogda, 2011). all types of students, even those who have autism, are covered by nclb. the enhanced guidelines for quality education for learners with special needs are now being reviewed by the commission on higher education in order to be put into place for the forthcoming academic year. support services for college and university enrolment as well as suitable accommodations for students with disabilities are prerequisites. methodology research design the study was quantitative in nature and employed a descriptive-correlational design. it aimed to provide static concepts of situations as well as establish the relationship between different variables (mcburney & white, 2009). this design was appropriate to the study because it enabled and explored the relationships and connections between the extent of administration support for nclb policy and the level of manifestation of the perceived roles of public teachers in the implementation of “no child left behind” policy. nonetheless, it concentrated on how teachers’ view the underlying components and responsibilities of the nclb policy in the teaching-learning process in the education system. the variables can be measured, typically on the instruments, and the number of data gathered can be analyzed and interpreted using statistical procedures (cresswell, 2008). population and respondents of the study the study was conducted at prosperidad national high https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 5 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 1-15, 2023 school, prosperidad district i, division of agusan del sur, philippines. the participants were the secondary teachers of the school. purposive sampling was utilized in selecting the participants based on their motivational interests to participate in the conduct of the study. there are fifty (50) secondary teachers who responded to the study. research instrument the research instrument utilized in the study was an adaptation of the study of ebarle (2023) and arante & magarin (2023); the researchers modified some items that were not relevant to the study’s objective. it was based on the following major parts, such as part 1, which dealt with the extent of support provided by the school administration in the implementation of the nclb policy, which has 10 items of indicators. part 2 focused on the level of manifestation of the perceived roles of the public secondary teachers about the “no child left behind policy” implementation as described by 10 items of indicators. afterwards, below part 2, there was a guided question indicating what teaching-learning strategies should be proposed and advocated in the implementation of nclb policy. data gathering procedure the proponents secured the permission and approval of the school principal of prosperidad national high school. after which, the researchers sent a letter and a validation form to the three validators to check the modified research materials. the validators are the school head and the assistant principal of the school operation management, a language and reading coordinator at the same time, a master teacher i, and the school paper advisor and a master teacher i. the set of validators has been selected since they have expertise in checking the technicalities of the materials and have experience with the concerned problem. after securing all the pertinent documents, the researchers sent the consent letter to the respondents. after they agreed and signed the said consent form for 24 to 72 hours, the researchers distributed the survey questionnaire to the involved respondents. the retrieval followed, and the collected data were subjected to a reliability test treated with cronbach’s alpha. the data gathered was tallied and properly analyzed through a statistical treatment. statistical treatment the study has utilized statistical tools in analyzing and interpreting the data gathered. the researcher used the weighted mean to determine the extent of support of the school administration in the implementation of nlcb policy and the level of manifestation of the perceived role of the public teachers. nonetheless, pearson product-moment correlation analysis has been used to determine the significant relationship between the school administration’s support and the level of manifestation of the perceived roles of the teachers under the “no child left behind policy” at prosperidad national high school. extent of support provided by the school administration of pnhs scale range descriptive response verbal interpretation 1 1.00-1.49 strongly disagree very poor 2 1.50-2.49 disagree poor 3 2.50-3.49 neutral fair 4 3.50-4.49 agree satisfactory 5 4.50-5.00 strongly agree very satisfactory level of manifestation of the perceived roles of teachers scale range descriptive response verbal interpretation 1 1.00-1.49 strongly disagree not observed 2 1.50-2.49 disagree rarely observed 3 2.50-3.49 neutral occasionally observed 4 3.50-4.49 agree sometimes observed 5 4.50-5.00 strongly agree always observed research ethical considerations according to bryman and bell (2007), there are principles related to research ethical considerations such as that the research participants must not be subjected to any harm, respect their dignity, full consent should be attained, the protection of their privacy has to be ensured, there must be an adequate level of confidentiality and anonymity, deception and exaggeration about the aims and objectives must be avoided, affiliations, sources of funding, and conflicts of interest have to be declared, and communication must be honest and transparent. the data collection procedure for the current investigation followed the standard principles for ethical considerations in research. the teacher-participants who participated in the study were informed of the main goal and objectives of the study. also, this provides an assurance that their https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 6 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 1-15, 2023 identities will always be secured with the utmost interest and confidentiality. hence, the researcher removed the data that was collected, which means that its purpose is the investigation of the present study. results and discussions the study was conducted to investigate the perceived roles of the public teachers in prosperidad national high school, prosperidad district i, in the division of agusan del sur. the findings and the results of the study has been presented properly, the data gathered were analyzed and interpreted using the suited statistical tools. the findings are being shown below in a narrative presentations and it was sequentially discussed based on the research questions of the study. table 1: the extent of technical support provided by the school administration in the implementation of the “no child left behind policy” items indicators weighted mean descriptive response verbal interpretation 1 the school administrators conducted observations of teachers once a year. 4.56 strongly agree very satisfactory 2 conducted collaboration tasks with co-teachers during a lac session. 4.42 agree satisfactory 3 equally distributed materials and other school-related resources among the teachers. 3.80 agree satisfactory 4 provided inquiry-centered and hands-on materials for the teachers. 3.82 agree satisfactory 5 conducted faculty meetings focused on the implementation of the "no child left behind" policy. 4.20 agree satisfactory 6 identified students that need improvement in academic areas of learning. 4.52 strongly agree very satisfactory 7 received more computers and tablets for teachers and students learning. 3.72 agree satisfactory 8 conducted teacher training and seminars about reading. 3.98 agree satisfactory 9 conducted seminars for teachers in subjects such as science, social science, mathematics, english, etc. 4.24 agree satisfactory 10 conducted assessment and evaluation tools used for frustration learners and orientation to teachers. 4.30 agree satisfactory overall mean 4.16 agree satisfactory *legend: 1:00-1.49, strongly disagree; 1.50-2.49, disagree; 2.50-3.49, neutral; 3.50-4.49, agree; 4.50-5.00, strongly agree as shown in table 2, the extent of technical support provided by the school administration in the implementation of the “no child left behind” policy. based on the results, it was indicated that the school administration had fully supported the teachers (table 1, indicators 2 and 5), that there were collaboration tasks with co-teachers during a lac session, and that faculty meetings focused on the implementation of the “no child left behind” policy. the results in indicator 2 showed a mean value of 4.42 (satisfactory supported), and indicator 5 had a 4.20 (satisfactory supported). the respondents rated the school administration as having very satisfactory support in the conduct of teachers’ classroom observation and received ratings of 3.82 (satisfactory) for the hands-on materials and the inquiry-centered activities for students, and satisfactory ratings for indicator 7, which indicates that teachers and students have access to computers at school for learning, which is attainable at the ict laboratory. all the involved indicators had been verbally described as satisfactory and supported by the school administration, as well as the supports received during the seminars, the distribution of the materials and school-related resources, the conduct of assessment and evaluation tools used for the frustrated learners as well as the orientation to teachers, and nonetheless, the identification of schools that need improvement in academic areas of learning. generally, the extent of technical support by the school administration on the implementation of the nclb policy had an overall mean of 4.16 (satisfactory support). it was implied that the practices and strategies of the teaching-learning process of the teachers for the child not to be left behind were not maximized. also, the technical assistance on the manipulation of the handson use of the technologically based resources had been quietly monitored by the school administrations. findings from the study “looking at the no child left behind policy: the implementers’ perspective,” by rebusa et al. (2022), revealed that teachers typically said that the “no child left behind policy” created a load https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 7 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 1-15, 2023 and provided them additional work. they also mentioned that they had to work harder. such a situation blatantly shows that implementing teachers did not receive much technical help, yet the school is trying to support the teachers in a manner that they can apply to students, which is also evident in the study’s findings. in line with the study of loeb and figilo (2011; cited by arante and magarin, 2023) that the school had more need for monitoring and orientation to teachers for the nclb policy, aside from that, the administration should have a positive accountability on the trainings at the school for reading and other related academic areas for the learning process. according to the study by gaille (2017), the country needs to develop more standards for the educational process for individual students and even improve teacher qualifications. table 2: the extent of financial support provided by the school administration in the implementation of the “no child left behind policy” items indicators weighted mean descriptive response verbal interpretation 1 extra assistance has been provided financially through resources to low-scoring students. 3.28 neutral fair 2 conducted collaborative ideas and hands-on activities for the lgu and barangay officials during the implementation of the nclb policy. 4.00 agree satisfactory 3 provided and received more projectors and technological tools for the teaching-learning process. 3.16 neutral fair 4 conducted an orientation about financial planning for teachers and school staff to allocate mooe funds accurately. 3.84 agree satisfactory 5 reward the teachers who have made improvements in students learning. 3.98 agree satisfactory 6 provided extra monetary support to students who were in financial need, such as for school supplies. 2.90 neutral fair 7 provided extra support for classroom resources and other localized materials. 3.18 neutral fair 8 provided classroom materials for reading intended for frustrated learners. 3.30 neutral fair 9 reward teachers who have improved their teaching styles with students in need of reading practice. 3.20 neutral fair 10 provided ict resources to low-performing grade levels. 3.02 neutral fair overall mean 3.39 neutral fair *legend: 1:00-1.49, strongly disagree; 1.50-2.49, disagree; 2.50-3.49, neutral; 3.50-4.49, agree; 4.50-5.00, strongly agree table 2 presents the extent of the financial support of the school administration in the implementation of the “no child left behind policy”. the findings indicated that the teachers conducted collaborative ideas and handson activities for the lgu and barangay officials during the implementation of the nclb policy, conducted an orientation about financial planning for teachers and school staff to allocate mooe funds accurately, and rewarded the teachers who have made improvements in students learning (indicators 2, 4, and 5) with a verbal description of agree that was interpreted as satisfactory and supported. on the other hand, most of the indicators (1, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10) have been verbally described as neutral or uncertain, and there was fairly-good financial support for the implementation of the nclb policy. based on the findings, it implies that the implementers have indicated that the nclb policy needs financial support from school administration for it to be fully implemented. accordingly, there must be a review of the school budget financially to look at the teacherimplementers view and their roles in the implementation of the nclb policy for its improvement since the policy stipulated that there was financial assistance to local educational agencies (rebusa et al., 2022). no student would be left behind, according to the department of education, following president rodrigo duterte’s signature of the alternative learning system law. this was adopted as a policy, and it is now the responsibility of the teachers to carry it out. as a result, the teachers’ roles now include more than just imparting knowledge in the many learning areas; they also must be accountable, professional, and implement corrective measures in the classroom. based on the findings of the study on the perceived roles of the teachers in the implementation of the nclb policy are indicate in the following tables shown below. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 8 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 1-15, 2023 table 3: the level of manifestation of perceived roles of public teachers in the implementation of “no child left behind” policy in terms of accountability items indicators weighted mean descriptive response verbal interpretation 1 monitored the learners’ progress in all domains of development, namely, the cognitive, socio-emotional, physical-motor, and moral-spiritual domains. 3.82 agree sometimes observed 2 conducted a parental orientation towards the assessment of their child. 4.24 agree sometimes observed 3 conducted a brigada pagbasa implementation through partnerships with barangay officials, government agencies, and stakeholders. 4.46 agree sometimes observed 4 utilized an extensively constructed set of ready-made tests for all learners. 4.08 agree sometimes observed 5 conducted a home visitation with students who are struggling with their academic tasks, particularly in reading. 4.10 agree sometimes observed 6 teacher-parent coordination in crafting the iep for students with special needs and concerns. 3.98 agree sometimes observed 7 assessed the curriculum for students’ consistency at school. 3.86 agree sometimes observed 8 continued professional growth through participation in training and seminars. 4.18 agree sometimes observed 9 a descriptive record is used to identify slow learners and keep track of their progress. 4.30 agree sometimes observed 10 progress report forms are used to track a learner's progress. 4.38 agree sometimes observed overall mean 4.14 agree sometimes observed *legend: 1:00-1.49, strongly disagree; 1.50-2.49, disagree; 2.50-3.49, neutral; 3.50-4.49, agree; 4.50-5.00, strongly agree on table 3, presented above, the perceived roles of the teachers in terms of accountability are listed. as described, it pertains to teachers’ responsibilities for professional growth, curriculum, implementing students learning, and academic progress. based on the results, all indicators of accountability have shown equally good results, ranging from the weighted mean of 3.82 to 4.46 (sometimes observed). thus, the slow learners are easily identified based on the accountability process and monitoring of the teachers. this signified that the implementation of the “no child left behind” policy had been sometimes observed in a manner that teachers were aware of. the results also conveyed that home visitation and the partnership with the barangay officials in implementing the brigada pagbasa are sometimes observed. additionally, the level of manifestation of the perceived roles of the teachers in prosperidad national high school in the implementation of nclb policy for teacher accountability was moderate (m = 4.14), based on the outcome results. it would be implied that the monitoring and tracking of the student’s growth and learning performances in becoming well-learned individuals were the teachers’ responsibilities and roles, which if not put into full action, would be monitored for well-guided guidance at school. overall, it was noted how well the regulation was being implemented in terms of teachers’ accountability. loeb and figilo (2011) assert that well-monitored accountability has a good impact on teachers, staff members, and student achievement. since it would track each student’s educational progress and even enhance instructor credentials, it will enable the nation to develop its achievement criteria (gaille, 2017). as opposed to being told what they must teach rather than developing the curriculum, these standards will direct teachers in what they must cover in the classroom. additionally, standards guarantee that all students’ progress at the same rate and receive the same kind of instruction (robertson & griffiths, 2009). the table presents the level of manifestation of the perceived roles of the public teachers, particularly prosperidad national high school teachers, in the implementation of the “no child left behind” policy in terms of professionalism. as can be seen, the implementers viewed the policy as somehow moderately observed or sometimes observed in their school, which had an overall mean value of 4.21. based on the findings that all the indicators have been https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 9 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 1-15, 2023 table 4: the level of manifestation of perceived roles of public teachers in the implementation of “no child left behind” policy in terms of professionalism items indicators weighted mean descriptive response verbal interpretation 1 participated in any seminars and training offered by the department of education. 4.40 agree sometimes observed 2 teachers’ orientation towards reading interventions and capability-building programs in reading. 4.38 agree sometimes observed 3 crafted contextualized materials that suit learners’ abilities. 4.18 agree sometimes observed 4 plans and lessons prepared for students through teachers’ collaboration. 4.10 agree sometimes observed 5 collected available learning materials related to the implementation of the nlcb policy in the k–12 curriculum. 4.24 agree sometimes observed 6 technical assistance is provided to the no child left behind policy at school through team teaching. 3.74 agree sometimes observed 7 adapted k-12 basic education curriculum based on learners’ needs. 4.12 agree sometimes observed 8 teachers’ flexibility towards learning programs and school-related trainings. 4.30 agree sometimes observed 9 seek professional growth through participation in training relevant to education and nclb policy. 4.44 agree sometimes observed 10 flexibility to put in extra time and effort in lessons for remediation. 4.20 agree sometimes observed overall mean 4.21 agree sometimes observed *legend: 1:00-1.49, strongly disagree; 1.50-2.49, disagree; 2.50-3.49, neutral; 3.50-4.49, agree; 4.50-5.00, strongly agree 100% verbally described and have agreed on the indicators under professionalism. the indicators (1 and 9) have the highest weighted mean among the indicators, such as the indicator that teachers participated in any seminars and training offered by the department of education, which had a mean of 4.40, and that they are seeking professional growth through participation in training relevant to the no child left behind policy (m = 4.44). researchers and educators alike must know how teachers interpret and respond to policy changes. however, the processes of policy interpretation and execution are frequently not straightforward, and a variety of factors, including an organization’s location and a person’s role, connections, and prior experiences (experiences related to their line of work), may affect policy comprehension and application (long, 2019; cited by saro et al., 2022). table 5: the level of manifestation of perceived roles of public teachers in the implementation of “no child left behind” policy in terms of classroom activities items indicators weighted mean descriptive response verbal interpretation 1 implementation of the no child left behind policy in the classroom setting. 4.26 agree sometimes observed 2 used the windows card to enhance learners problemsolving skills. 3.72 agree sometimes observed 3 conducted differentiated instruction for students. 4.30 agree sometimes observed 4 readiness of teachers in the general education classes and promoting diversity. 4.44 agree sometimes observed 5 used of real objects ("realia and replica") during discussion for effective learning to happen. 4.64 strongly agree sometimes observed 6 conducted experiments in lessons, particularly in science subjects, if needed. 4.32 agree sometimes observed https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 10 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 1-15, 2023 7 used the localized and contextualized instructional materials to simulate learning among the learners. 4.22 agree sometimes observed 8 rewarding the learners who have shown academic advancement. 4.26 agree sometimes observed 9 conducted summative tests to identify students’ abilities and check their progress. 4.34 agree sometimes observed 10 have available computers, technology tools, or any appropriate learning resources that support their needs and enable them to fully participate in the activities. 4.04 agree sometimes observed overall mean 4.25 agree sometimes observed *legend: 1:00-1.49, strongly disagree; 1.50-2.49, disagree; 2.50-3.49, neutral; 3.50-4.49, agree; 4.50-5.00, strongly agree as shown in table 5, the level of manifestation of the perceived roles of the public teachers in the implementation in terms of the conduct of classroom activities. the classroom activities in classes are one of the major tasks of the teacher. the purpose of the activities in the classroom is to check how students actively participated in class and to evaluate how well their learning through the lesson has been tackled. aside from that, the classroom activities have depended on the subject matter and the lesson of the teachers. the teachers could utilize appropriate learning resources that greatly support their needs and enable them to fully participate in the activities, so they would be motivated to learn. generally, the overall mean was 4.25, which means that teachers agreed on the indicators that had been used in the study. as to the perceived roles of the teachers, they have used real objects (“realia and replica”) during discussion for effective learning to happen (m = 4.64), which means having realia and replica would greatly help students understand the concepts of the lessons aside from the fact that those are available in the community. the rest of the indicators had a mean of 3.72 to 4.44 based on the findings of the study. teachers are responsible for creating exceptional and high-caliber learning environments, according to zamri & hamzah’s study in 2019, “teachers’ competency in table 6: the level of manifestation of perceived roles of public teachers in the implementation of “no child left behind” policy in terms of remediation practices items indicators weighted mean descriptive response verbal interpretation 1 initiated, designed, and implemented reading programs for students’ learning. 4.28 agree sometimes observed 2 appropriate interventions were provided for slow learners. 4.02 agree sometimes observed 3 conducted with a little teacher during remedial readings. 3.96 agree sometimes observed 4 provided reading journals and other reading resources to monitor students’ progress in reading. 3.94 agree sometimes observed 5 initiated one-on-one tutoring for those students who have difficulty solving mathematical problems and understanding scientific information. 3.88 agree sometimes observed 6 provided learners with workbooks in subject areas wherein students can enhance their skills in reading as well as collecting information. 3.90 agree sometimes observed 7 conducted peer tutoring to raise learners test scores. 4.08 agree sometimes observed 8 modified learning resources appropriate for their needs are provided to learners. 3.84 agree sometimes observed 9 emphasized phonics instruction in remedial sessions. 3.74 agree sometimes observed 10 collaboration of the teacher and the reading volunteers in implementing reading for learners. 4.18 agree sometimes observed overall mean 3.98 agree sometimes observed *legend: 1:00-1.49, strongly disagree; 1.50-2.49, disagree; 2.50-3.49, neutral; 3.50-4.49, agree; 4.50-5.00, strongly agree https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 11 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 1-15, 2023 implementation of classroom assessment in learning,” which found that teachers need a high level of competence to carry out their implementer responsibilities and achieve a good system of learning assessment. table 6 shows the level of manifestation of the perceived roles of teachers in the implementation of the no child left behind policy in terms of remediation practices. it has been presented that the overall mean value was 3.98 among the indicators of the remediation practices. as can be seen in the indicators (1 and 10), initiating, designing, and implementing reading programs for students’ learning is very useful for the remediation practices, which had m = 4.28, as well as the collaboration of the teachers and the reading volunteers in implementing reading programs for the learners and following the no child left behind policy. it can be deduced that for any program or project to be successful , full implementation must be achieved. contextualization is indeed required to support the no child left behind policy, as suggested by fan et al. (2021) in their study titled “integrating diagnostic assessment into curriculum: a theoretical framework and teaching practices.” they stated that they preferred to use diagnostic tests in the classroom that were appropriate for the specific language learning context and curriculum in order to direct follow-up remediation. in line with the study findings, dee & jacob (2010) found that putting the “no child left behind” policy into practice enables students to work well in groups or pairs. the results also show that respondents agreed that students could read and grasp simple sentences under the policy. in terms of student academic performance, the implementation level of this strategy is quite satisfactory. they emphasized in the report that nclb has enhanced the performance of elementary school students, especially in math. he concluded that nclb benefits elementary students, especially those at lower levels, for this reason. table 7: summary matrix of results for the perceived roles of public teachers on the implementation of nclb policy variables overall mean descriptive response verbal extent of support technical 4.16 agree satisfactory financial 3.39 neutral fair perceived roles of public teachers accountability 4.14 agree sometimes observed professionalism 4.21 agree sometimes observed classroom activities 4.25 agree sometimes observed remediation practices 3.98 agree sometimes observed *legend: 1:00-1.49, strongly disagree; 1.50-2.49, disagree; 2.50-3.49, neutral; 3.50-4.49, agree; 4.50-5.00, strongly agree as for the summary matrix of results, the financial support has an overall mean of 3.39 (neutral). the teachers were uncertain about their response because they were not able to act with regards to the needs of the policy or because being implementers was very difficult for them without financial assistance. therein, the budget allocation for the no-child policy implementation should be reviewed. professionalism was perceived as the role of the teacher that needed more or better cultivation and development. the teachers need to be accountable to their students’ academic performances for them to provide the necessary intervention for those low learners as well as provide materials for the least learned competencies in all subject areas by making materials contextualized, localized, and indigenized. teachers need to be resourceful as well in making activities and remediation practices necessary for the implementation of the policy. based on the correlational table 8: correlation analysis of the relationship between the extent of support provided by the school administration and the level of manifestation of the perceived roles of the teachers in prosperidad national high school in the implementation of the nclb policy teachers’ perceived roles technical support financial support r p r p teachers’ accountability 0.590 0.001 0.455 0.053 level of professionalism 0.585 0.001 0.352 0.012 classroom activities 0.647 0.002 0.294 0.112 remediation practices 0.660 0.000 0.515 0.001 *legend: tsp = 50; α =0.05 level of significance https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 12 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 1-15, 2023 analysis of the relationship between the extent of support provided by the school administration and the level of manifestation of the perceived roles of the teachers at prosperidad national high school in the implementation of the “no child left behind” policy (table 8). as shown in the findings, teachers’ accountability, professionalism, the conduct of classroom activities and tasks, and even remediation practices had a moderate to strong relationship with the technical support provided by the school administration (r = 0.590, 0.585, 0.647, and 0.660), which are statistically significant with a p-value of 0.05. forbye, the teacher’s accountability, level of professionalism, and the conduct of classroom activities are in weak association (r = 0.455, 0.352, and 0.294) based on statistical findings; however, the financial support from the school administration focusing on the remediation practices manifested a strong relationship of r = 0.515. generally, the data showed that the relationship analysis between financial support, level of professionalism, and remediation practices was statistically significant with a p-value of 0.05. a substantial positive association between classroom activities and administration assistance, both in terms of technical and financial aspects, is shown to exist among the roles that were identified. this suggests that more educational tools, teaching resources, and technology are required inside the classroom in order to completely implement the nclb policy. in addition, the administration of the school must be able to deal with the monetary barriers to the implementation of the nclb policy at the school. learning can be more effective, interesting, and enjoyable table 9: proposed teaching-learning strategies in the implementation of the nclb policy at prosperidad national high school item teaching-learning strategies procedural concepts 1 carousel brainstorming • the goal of this strategy is to have each group record their knowledge of a subject or the lesson. • give each group a set amount of time, and when it is up, ask them to pass their chart to another group and move on to the next chart. • the students must read the responses of the other groups, and then the other groups who received them add another list to it. • also, the users can add question marks to responses they believe were off-target, and aside from that, they would circle and highlight those they believe were on-target. 2 popsicle stick • put the name of each student on a popsicle stick. • place all the sticks in a cup. • the teacher will ask a question of the class and have the students whose names are on the stick respond to the question. 3 peer tutoring • to work on individuals or the students in small group sessions to guide them in such a manner that they can answer questions on course content as presented by the teachers. • by facilitating learning as a guide manual for the students’ teachers, this strategy would help the student in their least learned subject to become a successful independent learner. 4 guided practice strategy • the purpose of this strategy is to guide the students by using the “i do, we do, you do” method that provides a gradual release of responsibility from the teachers to the students 5 teacher-parent collaboration • this strategy would help the teachers assist the students’ difficulties by tapping the parents so they can have contextualized instructional modules for the students. • the parent would help his or her child at home by focusing on the lesson that students may find hard to understand. • the school must have proper monitoring and consultation with parents in regards to the performance of the students in school. • conduct a program related to the “no child left behind” policy and invite parents and guardians to have transparency and knowledge about the policy. 6 remediation classes • this strategy gives time for slow learners to improve their academic performance. • video lesson so that it can be a take-home activity. • contextualized, localized, and indigenous learning materials should be provided to students who attended remedial classes so that they can relate to them. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 13 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 1-15, 2023 7 game-based learning strategy • game-based learning could improve student’s computer-based knowledge. • incorporates game characteristics and principles into interactive learning activities. 8 pause strategy • this strategy could be used in a lecture or discussion to provide students with time to review their lecture notes, discuss in pairs or groups to clarify, as well as assimilate and retain the lecture material. 9 differentiated instruction • this learning strategy would give all students the opportunity to keep pace with the learning objectives. • the teachers will be reminded that, no matter what you are teaching, the students will find certain material engaging while others will not, and the students involved will learn the same material in varying amounts of time. 10 read and explore strategy • giving students some reading materials that are locally made content to interactively interact with what they have read for reinforcement especially important for those who cannot read properly or have no comprehension level. • exploring what they have read would somehow make them think about what the passage or the reading materials are all about. through the application of the suggested and proposed teaching-learning strategies in education. the suggested strategies were extracted at the suggestion of the teachers at prosperidad national high school. conclusion it was believed that professionalism was an aspect of teaching that needed to be developed and nurtured. by providing materials for the least-instructed competencies, teachers must be held responsible for their students’ academic progress. to implement the policy, administration support is required in both the technical and financial aspects. to implement the policy, the classroom needs more technology, teaching aids, and educational materials. based on the findings, the study presented several teaching-learning strategies for the implementation or support of the “no child left behind” policy by which students learning must be more effective, interactive, and motivated to learn. the nclb policy emphasizes equal access to education. recommendations based on the gathered findings and the drawn conclusion the researchers recommended the following: 1. financial support must be prioritized and reviewed by the school administration in order to support teachers’ needs in the implementation of the nclb policy. 2. it has been suggested that the department head limit the auxiliary or school tasks not related to teaching so that teachers can have time to focus on their lesson as well as effectively carry out their duties and responsibilities. 3. provide more seminars, workshops, and trainings to teachers relevant to the no child left behind policy. 4. the researchers suggested that the said policy should be revisited and viewed by the administration, and the views and experiences of the teachers and implementers should be regarded. acknowledgments the researchers wish to acknowledge with the utmost gratitude the following people who helped and never doubted pushing out the study successfully; without them, the study would not be possible. • the school principal iii of prosperidad national high school, mr. michael s. pareja, gave the researchers permission and approval to conduct and distribute the survey questionnaire to the randomly selected secondary teachers. the support of the school administration and their immediate valuable response encourage the researchers to carry out and finish the study within the set timeframe. • the researchers would like to acknowledge the effort, time, interest, and help given by the teacher-respondents of the study; without their valuable interests and participation in the study, the research would not have been completed. • the researchers contributed equally to the study in terms of preparing the manuscript, editing, revising, and even running the statistical analysis of the data gathered. • the parents and the family of the researchers for their valuable support, unconditional love, and both financial and emotional needs. • the almighty god for giving the researchers knowledge to do the study, wisdom, strength, protection, guidance, and blessings declaration of conflicting interests there were no potential conflicts of interest regarding the research, writing, or publishing of this research study, the authors confirmed in their declaration. funding interests the authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. this means all the financial needs for this study were met by the involved proponents. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 14 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 1-15, 2023 references arante, r. b. & magarin, m. p. 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(2019). teachers’ competency in implementation of classroom assessment in learning. creative education, 10, 2939-2946. https:// doi.org/10.4236/ce.2019.1012218. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 53 american journal of education and technology (ajet) perceptions and online experiences of stem students toward customized e-commons stephanie anne o. kim1*, joy b. saldana2 volume 2 issue 2, year 2023 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i2.1560 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: april 01, 2023 accepted: april 21 , 2023 published: april 28, 2023 to ensure learning continuity, the philippine’s department of education adapted distance education as the alternative, amidst the pandemic. to help with the shift, the department developed deped commons for the purpose of providing easily accessible learning resources. in the same token, calbayog city national high school in samar, philippines developed the customized e-commons. being a first attempt and a work in progress, the online platform is admittedly incomplete and the purpose of this study was to evaluate and improve it. using the descriptive-correlation design, the study aimed to determine stem students’ perceptions and online experiences with the customized e-commons. fifty percent (50%) of the total stem student population was assigned as respondents using the simple random sampling technique. the findings reveal positive perceptions and online experiences in all criteria, specifically in quality, usability, potential effectiveness, support system, and resources. however, despite the overwhelming approval, the customized e-commons relatively had lower marks with indicators pertaining to internet connectivity and consumption, indicative of the needed optimizations to make the platform compatible with slower and limited internet. the study calls for further research on the subject with a more balanced representation of students from other strands and disadvantaged backgrounds. keywords customized e-commons, online learning, online experiences, perceptions, stem students 1 calbayog city national high school, samar, philippines 2 christ the king college, calbayog city, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: kimstephanieanne@gmail.com introduction once a distant threat, the virus that originated from china has now affected almost every country on earth. the philippines was one of the hardest hits. to ensure the continuity of education, the department of education switched to distance learning. in support of this change, the department established the deped commons, with a framework proposed to provide teachers and students free and quality learning resources (deped, 2020). additionally, the department emphasized its desire to develop a community that produces and curates open learning resources (oers) that are more relevant and practical for both learners and educators. this is an attempt to combat digital divide and at the same time bring the online modality to its maximum potential. however, the department of education’s first year in adapting distance education had been less than satisfactory (magsambol, 2021). this performance can be attributed to the institution’s lack of time to prepare as well as the lack of technological resources. further worsening the case is the country’s slow and expensive internet, which ranked below fifty (50) in the world in terms of speed but 32nd in terms of expensiveness (barreiro, 2021). with the telecommunication industry’s shortcomings highlighted during a time where the internet is not only used for acquiring learning resources but also used as the medium of instruction itself. deped admits that the commons is a work in progress and there is a need for continued effort to make it accessible for all students and teachers. in view of this, the customized e-commons can also be considered an incomplete work, having been derived from the deped commons. therefore, changes must be made within the employed digital commons of the nation’s schools, the platform should be evaluated and improved. in the same spirit, the calbayog city national high school in samar, philippines developed its own e-commons, a derivative of the deped commons. this is to provide a more customized, localized and relevant online platform to the institution’s students and faculty. this study aimed to enhance the customized e-commons platform by evaluating its first-year performance. stem students from calbayog city national high school in samar, philippines were surveyed to determine their perceptions and online experiences with the platform. based on the findings, recommendations were made to improve both the customized e-commons and deped commons platforms. literature review this research is built on the community of inquiry theory by garrison et al. (2003). a theory designed to help teachers create online communities. the distant feel of online learning can easily make students feel disconnected, and thus certain measures have to be employed. in this regard, the coi theory introduces three essential elements educators should consider: the social presence, the teaching presence and the cognitive presence. the social presence refers to “the ability of learners to project their personal characteristics into the community of inquiry, thereby presenting themselves as real people.” online learning should not take away the https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i2.1560 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= mailto:haytham.elaoufy%40gmail.com?subject= mailto:kimstephanieanne%40gmail.com?subject= pa ge 54 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 53-61, 2023 individuality of each student, which it easily does due to restricted interaction between students, and with their instructors. the teaching presence is described as “the design, facilitation, and direction of cognitive and social processes for the purpose of realizing personally meaningful and educationally worthwhile learning outcomes.” one of the criticisms of online learning is the relatively lesser quality of teaching which is no fault of the teachers, but a weakness of the medium itself. lastly, cognitive presence, which is “the extent to which the participants in any particular configuration of a community of inquiry are able to construct meaning through sustained communication.” a good learning environment should foster discourse and reflection, and the same should be found in a good online educational community. these two presences are also existent within e-commons, which is by definition also an online community. and so, the community of inquiry theory is relevant and applicable to the present study, which aims to enhance the customized e-commons to facilitate a better online community. the theory served as a guide to keep the current effort on the right track. sarkar (2020), listed the recent developments that made online learning much more appealing than ever before. online learning has grown much less expensive than traditional learning methods. since the cost of teaching has decreased, so have the students’ expenses. the modality has also vastly grown, with courses available on almost every topic at the touch of a button. and with it, the number of students also increased leading to the development of study groups involving those of different nationalities. the success can be attributed to the mediums’ flexibility that allows students to study at their own pace. and with the content available online, it can be revised wherever and whenever, helping establish standardized quality. furthermore, a study by paul & jefferson (2019), found no significant difference in student performance between those who took online learning and those who opted for traditional classes. implying that the medium itself is not a major factor in the decrease in quality, but the disparities evident between developed and developing countries. literature on the subject is divided on which of the modalities is better (traditional f2f vs distance learning), but both modalities are proven to be relatively effective. the study further uncovered the translatability of concepts between traditional and online learning. herman and bannister (2017), as cited by paul and jefferson, also found similar results. the 2017 study found that instructors can design their courses effectively for online delivery with participating students performing just as good as traditional f2f learners however, online learning is not always fully enjoyed by online learners. the reason being is the presence of barriers that prevent learning engagement to happen. athabasca university (2019), identified five (5) barriers to online learning in their institution and proposed solutions on how to overcome them. among those, is poor time management on part of the students, which is partly due to the flexibility of the medium. having the student establish an activity/assignment schedule could substitute the absent rigid structure. lack of motivation is another issue, which is a product of a sense of isolation. having family members involved themselves in checking with the students’ progress could be a solution. the list further includes administrative issues as one of the barriers, as students often find it difficult to keep in touch with their instructors. encouraging students to contact classmates via social media instead for updates is an alternative. technical issues are inevitable, but it can be solved by having the students prepare themselves against possible technical difficulties and having the it department assist them. lastly, regarding cost issues, which is the main problem for students of disadvantaged backgrounds, the university solves it with the “pay as you go” program, where students can take courses whenever they find it affordable. moneymax (2021), enumerated the advantages and disadvantages of distance learning, specifically in the philippines. distance learning, as is the case anywhere, provides flexibility, you can study anytime and anywhere as long as you submit your assignments on the given dates. it also saves time, once you’re done with the activities, you can spend the rest of the day doing what you want. it can also be cheaper, public school’s distance learning programs are offered free or with minimal fees, private schools also offer relatively cheaper programs as compared to traditional classes. it is also self-paced, you are not forced into a rigid structure that might not suit your circumstances, with distance learning you can plan things your own way. the disadvantages, on the other hand, include minimal social interaction. there is little interaction between students and teachers, which may lead to a feeling of isolation. distance learning also leaves students with little support, often leaving them to study on their own. in the philippines, accessibility is also a struggle. since not everyone has device access and internet connection. lastly, distance learning requires a lot of self-motivation, as distractions and the lack of guidance may be discouraging factors. most students are digital natives and so few will have digital difficulties, the priority then for most teachers is to teach them discipline and structured accountability (acker, 2020). while better than no schooling at all, the sudden switch to online education necessitated by covid-19, may have led to subpar results when compared to traditional face-to-face (f2f) classes (oecd, 2020). unicef (2020) reports that in nearly 3/4th of the countries worldwide, only less than half of their population has connected to the internet, but 73 percent of the governments use distance education. marcellis-warrin et al. (2020) point out that rich families have a clear advantage in digital classrooms. the disparity of online education and technological access between rich and poor makes education delivery inconsistent and unfair. institutions https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 55 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 53-61, 2023 should adopt distance education with empathy, and must understand the many difficulties students encounter. bolido (2021) writing for the philippine daily inquirer noted that, locally, the instantaneous shift left schools in the philippines no time to prepare, and the few successes were the schools that were already “easing their way into a more technology-rich system before the pandemic”. the main issues were the access to devices and cost of connectivity. further worsening the situation is the fact that face-to-face classes are suspended therefore the burden of ensuring connectivity is on the individual households. these setbacks can be blamed on the slow adaptation of technology-rich management systems prior to the pandemic. there is a needed change of mindset, things will always be disrupted, and people have to be trained to cope with it. online learning in the context of a pandemic is different from traditional learning and much more challenging. the fact is that “exposure to the outside world is still essential even in e-learning” (tannir, 2020). distance education provides various benefits, but would those benefits still be fully enjoyed, if other aspects of the student’s life is affected by the pandemic? the only apparent solution is to replace exposure to the outside world with virtual communication since the pandemic forbids physical contact. to maintain the mental well-being of the student, the internet should play its role of facilitating social connection to the outside world. in an attempt to identify the students’ perception on online learning, al-mawee et al. (2021), conducted a case study at the western michigan university, involving 420 students. the students’ negative perceptions included the perceived lack of interaction between teachers and students. in addition to this, there was no perceived improvement of grades, in comparison to if classes were done in person. this is attributed to the institution’s lack of preparedness as well as the limited information on the best practices with regard to the modality. positive perceptions, on the other hand, included the time and place flexibility in terms of attendance and doing assignments. other positive perceptions include gas savings and more free time to spend with family. this time, including the faculty’s perspective, elayan (2021) conducted a similar undertaking at the middle east university. the respondents comprised eighty-six (86) students and twenty-nine (29) instructors. the study reveals that students agree that online learning provides easy access to learning resources and an efficient system of handling and submitting assignments and activities. typically, the students’ perceived disadvantages of the modality is the high internet cost as well as the fact that the online modality is not suitable for all subjects, especially those that are more hands on. as for the feedback from the instructors, they positively commented on the modality’s ease of access to learning resources and its capability to record and archive online lectures for future use. the instructors’ negative feedback, pertained to the digital illiteracy present among the faculty and the online exams’ lack of credibility. elayan concludes that there is a need for proper infrastructure for the online learning modality to be a sensible replacement to traditional learning. research in the philippines found the defining difference between studies conducted in developed and developing countries. barrot et al. (2020) finds that while technology use and competency is one of the hurdles in developed countries, it is not the case in developing countries. their research finds that the learning environment and internet access are the biggest hurdles in the philippines. these hurdles are not significant issues for developed countries, however, in the philippines where most families are in the low and middle-income groups, limitations in learning space and facilities and internet costs challenge students. students frequently link their lack of financial resources to their access to the internet, educational materials and necessary equipment for online learning. the research also finds differences in results between pre-covid studies and researches conducted during the pandemic. while anxiety and financial issues is also numbered among the hurdles of online education in pre-covid studies, the study conducted by barrot and his colleagues finds that covid-19 has significantly aggravated it. anxiety experienced by students during the pandemic, does not only come from the fear of covid-19 itself but also from physical and social limitations, unfamiliarity to new educational platforms and concerns for their financial situation. rotas & cahapay (2020) found that it is even worse for students in remote places. although the threat of covid-19 is much lesser, students from remote communities had a harder time adjusting to the new modality. after summarizing the responses, the researchers found twelve themes: unstable internet connectivity, inadequate learning resources, electric power interruptions, vague learning contents, overloaded lesson activities, limited teacher scaffolds, poor peer communication, conflict with home responsibilities, poor learning environment, financial related problems, physical health compromises, and mental health struggles. the researchers argue that the results reveal the multifaceted struggle of students from a developing country afflicted by a pandemic. the study encourages that politicians should lobby for the improvement of technology and electricity access for remote communities cuadrado-garcia et al. (2010) noted however, that perception is not just influenced by socio-economic status. other factors, such as gender can also influence it. for instance, female students were more interactive with their digital commons, and they showed higher resource and wiki views as well as comments in forums, which ultimately translated to them having higher grades. it also has been revealed that male students find their class activities negatively affecting their social life while female students want more of it, and show the need for more interaction. results also included that male students require more assistance when it comes to utilizing the https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 56 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 53-61, 2023 online software, supporting the idea that the flexible and interactive nature of online learning is more compatible to women. overall, though, the researchers find that gender differences in online learning are scarce, but still these differences are worth noting. yu (2021) conducted a similar study although covering more ground aside from gender, including educational level and personality. consistent with the previously mentioned study, yu’s research found no significant difference in learner outcomes between genders. however, the research finds more clear differences between male and female learners in terms of perception towards online learning. females were more persistent and committed and have more self-regulation than their male counterparts, while male learners were more stable in their attitude and can employ more learning strategies and have better technical skills. when it comes to educational levels, postgraduate students favor online learning over undergraduate students. this is because postgraduate students are more capable of self-regulating than their juniors. when it comes to personality, traits such as extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness have a positive impact on learner outcomes, while neuroticism has a more negative effect. materials and methods the descriptivecorrelational research design was used for the endeavor, which is a research methodology used for “studying the relationship between two variables with the help of statistical analysis” (kermer, 2021). it is a non-experimental research design, wherein natural and occurring relationships between variables are investigated. the methodology is most useful when describing relationships between variables without establishing causal connection. in this study, the variables are: student perceptions, online experiences, and the students’ profile in terms of grade level. the respondents of this study were students from calbayog city national high school senior high school department. stem strand consists of four hundred thirty (430) students all utilizing the calbayog city national high school e-commons amidst the pandemic. the sample size was determined using the simple random sampling technique and the slovin formula by utilizing table 1: frequency and percentage distribution of the stem students grade level sections total sample no. of the respondents percentage grade 11 apollonius 59 29 13.30% bernoulli 59 29 13.30% copernicus 58 28 12.84% diophantus 57 28 12.84% grade 12 antares 49 26 11.93% bellatrix 53 27 12.39% centaurus 49 26 11.93% delphinus 47 25 11.475 grand total 430 218 the five (5%) error on it. as tabulated above, there are a total of four hundred thirty (430), all of which are senior high school stem students. of the four hundred thirty (430) respondents, there are a total of two hundred thirty-two (232) grade 11 students, and one hundred ninety-eight (198) grade 12 students. in the four hundred thirty (430) respondents, there are a total of one hundred ninety-seven (197) male students, and two hundred thirty-three (233) female students. only one hundred fourteen (114) students were the respondents in grade 11 while in grade 12 were one hundred four (104) respondents, a total of two hundred eighteen (218). these samples were calculated using the slovin formula. the researcher adapted the survey questionnaire used in a study by chakraborty. et. al (2020), with minor modifications to facilitate the aim of the present research. the questionnaire consisted of statements concerning the perceptions and online experiences of stem students toward the customized e-commons, and the student’s expressed affirmation or disagreement by using a 5-point likert scale. with the guidance of the stem cluster head and coordination with the advisers of the stem strand, the questionnaires were distributed and answered via online, and the data were transferred to a hard copy. after the data has been gathered, the respondents were then profiled and their responses tabulated and classified. part i contained the profile of the respondents in terms of grade level. part ii pertained to the students’ perceptions towards the customized e-commons. it contained twelve (12) indicators for every sub-scale of quality, usability and potential effectiveness. part iii focused on the student’s individual online experiences with the customized e-commons. it consisted of twelve (12) indicators for every sub-scale of support system and the resources needed to use it. in data gathering and completion of this study certain steps have been observed: the researchers asked first for the approval of a request letter for the conduct of the study from the office of the schools division superintendent, division of calbayog city, samar philippines. the request letter was duly signed by the researchers, noted by https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 57 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 53-61, 2023 table 2: perceptions toward calbayog city national high school e-commons as determined by stem students indicator mean description a. quality the costumized e-commons … 1. has the same quality of education to traditional learning. 4.12 agree 2. has given me a satisfactory experience. 4.06 agree 3. is adequate in its role as a platform for online education. 4.01 agree 4. has engaged me in the teaching and learning process. 4.20 agree 5. has a satisfactory performance. 4.19 agree 6. delivering appropriate lesson delivery and instruction. 4.24 strongly agree 7. provides features which are beneficial to the students. 4.24 strongly agree 8. provides access to a sufficient array of learning materials and resources. 4.45 strongly agree 9. does not contain content that promotes any form of discrimination. 4.25 strongly agree 10. provides error-less and reliable resource materials. 4.27 strongly agree 11. facilitates a good learning environment. 4.19 agree 12. provides learning that is compatible with a diverse group of learners. 4.13 agree overall mean = 4.20 sd = 0.70 (agree) b. usability the customized e-commons… 1. is useful amidst the current circumstances. 4.62 strongly agree 2. is well designed and easy to navigate. 3.34 neutral 3. is properly maintained and has minimal malfunctions. 4.05 agree 4. is well-optimized to cope with bad internet connection. 3.89 agree 5. helps make schoolwork easier to do. 4.17 agree 6. is simple enough to be used by students with low digital literacy. 4.05 agree 7. is applicable to mobile devices for navigation purposes. 4.40 strongly agree 8. allows multiple types of internet connection. 4.08 agree 9. provides a comforting experience as much as usability is concerned. 4.20 agree 10. allows on-device storage and sharing options. 4.21 strongly agree 11. contain contents of different media formats (video, audio, image and text). 4.26 strongly agree 12. provides features that enable feedback to the contents available. 4.24 strongly agree overall mean = 4.13 sd = 0.75 (agree) c. potential effectiveness the customized e-commons… 1. is capable of helping produce competent students. 4.13 agree 2. is able to instill the necessary skills and attitudes in students. 3.93 agree 3. can be incorporated for the long-term. 4.20 agree the research adviser, and recommended by the dean of the graduate school. a request letter addressed to the school principal was made, asking permission to gather information about the customized e-commons through the focal person, and for the permission to distribute the questionnaires to the respondents. another request letter attached to the questionnaire was distributed to the student-respondents. the gathering of data was undertaken with the stem advisory teachers, who helped in administering the distribution of the questionnaires through google form or group chat or messenger. this was subject to the approval of the panel committee. the researchers then processed the data to finally produce findings and formulate conclusions. the researchers kept the privacy and confidentiality of the student-respondents answer. percentage and frequency counts were used to describe the demographic profile of the respondents in terms of grade level. sample mean and standard deviation were used to calculate the mean score of the respondents’ answers in defining an overall view of the students’ responses on their perceptions as well as their online experiences. results and discussions in terms of quality of the customized e-commons, the https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 58 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 53-61, 2023 4. shows relevance for a long-term use. 4.08 agree 5. can substitute physical classrooms for the time being. 4.36 strongly agree 6. has the potential to bring the school’s quality of education to new heights. 3.40 neutral 7. has no significant barriers that keep students from fully enjoying it. 2.58 disagree 8. provides an array to finish my grade level with the expected competencies. 4.19 agree 9. has no significant issues as much as continuity of adoption is concerned. 4.19 agree 10. provides comfort while engaging with my studies. 3.91 agree 11. is able to showcase the benefits of e-learning. 3.94 agree 12. provides the same effectiveness to students with disadvantaged backgrounds. 3.77 agree overall mean = 3.89 sd = 0.93 (agree) scale description 1.00-1.80 ... … … strongly disagree 1.81-2.60 … … … disagree 2.61-3.40 … … … neutral 3.41-4.20 … … … agree 4.21-5.00 … … … strongly agree overall mean of the perception of stem students was 4.20 with a description of ‘agree’. the result implies that the stem students agree that the customized e-commons in science is of quality all across the board. providing the same quality of education, quality user experience, accurate, sufficient and helpful. this implies that the e-commons is largely well-received among stem students. in terms of the usability of the customized e-commons, the overall mean of the perception of stem students was 4.13 with a description of ‘agree’. this implies that they are also satisfied with the customized e-commons in terms of usability, with five of 12 indicators with “strongly agree” ratings. however, despite the high overall result, the students found issues with the e-commons compatibility with slow internet connection. implying that the customized e-commons could use improvement in that regard. regarding the potential effectiveness of the customized e-commons, the overall mean of the perception of stem students was 3.89 with a description of ‘agree’. the high rating implies that the students perceive the customized e-commons with high potential effectiveness, with students strongly agreeing that it is capable of substituting classrooms for the time being. however, students refute that the customized e-commons are free from significant barriers, and are neutral to the notion that the e-commons could bring the school into new heights. suggesting that students, though highly satisfied, have reservations with the highly satisfactory but not faultless platform. table 3: overall perceptions toward the customized e-commons in terms of quality, usability, and potential effectiveness as determined by stem students grade level mean sd description quality 4.20 0.70 agree usability 4.13 0.75 agree potential effectiveness 3.89 0.93 agree overall total 4.07 0.79 agree overall, the perceptions toward the customized e-commons as determined by stem students when it comes to quality, usability, and potential effectiveness is highly satisfactory. generally, this infers that stem students have positive feedback toward the online platform and this learning management system can assist the needs of students in terms of quality, usability, and potential effectiveness. this was in line with paul & jefferson (2019) statement that there is no significant difference in student performance between those who took online learning. inferring that it is not the medium itself that is causing the decline in quality, but rather the disparities between developed and developing countries. the literature on the subject is divided on which modality is superior (traditional face-to-face vs distance learning), but both modalities have been shown to be relatively effective. the study also revealed the concept’s translatability between traditional and online learning. table 4: perceptions toward calbayog city national high school e-commons as determined by stem students indicator mean description a. support system the customized e-commons … 1. provides an option to contact my science teachers for assistance. 4.11 agree 2. is responsive as much as the support system is concerned. 4.19 agree https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 59 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 53-61, 2023 in terms of the support system of the customized e-commons, the overall result shows a mean of 4.10 with a description of ‘agree’. it can be concluded that the stem students are in agreement that the online platform provides a satisfactory support system. which in turn, strongly substantiates the claim that the said platform has working and responsive feedback channels, and active monitoring staff. in terms of resources needed of the customized e-commons, the overall result shows a mean of 3.84 with a description of ‘agree’. this implies that the students have found the customized e-commons as resource-efficient, and considerate to the disadvantaged. however, indicators that pertain to internet connections earned disagree ratings, which indicates that the online platform is not slow-internet friendly and internet data-efficient, suggesting a need for optimization of the platform, with regards to internet connectivity. therefore, the online experiences using the customized e-commons as determined by stem students when it comes to support system and resources needed are overall ‘agree’. generally, this infers that the stem students have positive online experience while using the online platform for their online classes. this also suggests that the customized e-commons are appropriate and built for the ease of use by the students to make their online classes more bearable since the system is supportive of the needs and capacity of students. 3. encourage students to provide feedback and suggestions. 4.11 agree 4. has multiple channels which provide assistance. 3.86 agree 5. allows feedback from the student. 4.17 agree 6. has a robust support system. 4.31 strongly agree 7. has offline channels for feedback. 3.75 agree 8. provides affordable options for financially struggling students. 4.08 agree 9. allows and enables teachers to monitor their students regularly. 4.53 strongly agree 10. provides the student the flexibility to attend their homework within a workable time frame. 3.89 agree 11. helps manage stress while engaging in the learning process. 4.05 agree overall mean = 4.10 sd = 0.77 (agree) b. resources needed the customized e-commons… 1. requires no other resources other than hardware and internet access. 3.94 agree 2. can work with low-end devices. 3.94 agree 3. can work with slow internet connection. 2.26 disagree 4. is friendly to mobile devices. 4.22 strongly agree 5. is not too demanding of internet data. 2.19 disagree 6. offers affordable courses. 4.05 agree 7. provides reasonable offers for financially struggling students. 4.14 agree 8. provides cost-effectiveness of online education. 3.81 agree 9. provides satisfying resources and investments. 4.02 agree 10. allows flexible time for household chores and for oneself. 4.83 strongly agree 11. provides free and accessible learning materials. 4.45 strongly agree 12. contains no premium features available only to the financially able. 4.19 agree overall mean = 3.84 sd = 1.07 (agree) scale description 1.00-1.80 ... … … strongly disagree 1.81-2.60 … … … disagree 2.61-3.40 … … … neutral 3.41-4.20 … … … agree 4.21-5.00 … … … strongly agree table 5: overall online experiences toward the customized e-commons in terms of support system and resources needed as determined by stem students grade level mean sd description support system 4.20 0.70 agree resources needed 3.89 0.93 agree overall total 4.07 0.79 agree https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 60 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 53-61, 2023 table 6: test of difference in the perceptions of the stem students toward the customized e-commons when grouped according to grade level sub-scale respondents mean difference t-value grade 11 (n = 114) grade 12 (n = 104) mean (sd) mean (sd) a. quality 4.1 -0.66 4.3 -0.58 0.2 2.390s b. usability 4.1 (0.66 4.3 -0.47 0.2 2.568s c. potential effectiveness 3.96 -0.78 4.1 -0.59 0.13 1.446ns critical value (c.v.) = 1.982 at 0.05 level of significance with df = 216 s= significant; ns = not significant the table presents the difference in the perceptions toward the customized e-commons when grouped according to grade level in terms of: quality with a mean difference of 0.20 and t-value of 2.390; and usability with a mean difference of 0.20 and t-value of 2.568. these values are greater than the critical value (cv) of 1.982. thus, the corresponding null hypothesis is rejected. hence, there is a significant difference in the perceptions toward the customized e-commons when grouped according to grade level. the mean difference in the perception toward the customized e-commons when grouped according to grade level regarding its potential effectiveness is 0.13. the corresponding t-value for this difference is 1.446. this value is less than the critical value (cv) of 1.982. thus, the corresponding null hypothesis is not rejected. hence, there is no significant difference in the perceptions toward the customized e-commons when grouped according to grade level regarding its potential effectiveness. overall, the null hypothesis is rejected. this implies that there is a significant difference in the perceptions toward the customized e-commons when grouped according to grade level. this indicates that the grade 12 stem students have more positive perceptions toward the online platform in terms of its quality and usability than grade 11 stem students. however, they are not much different across the grade level in terms of their perceptions toward its potential effectiveness. table 7: test of difference in the online experiences of the stem students toward the customized e-commons when grouped according to grade level sub-scale respondents mean difference t-value grade 11 (n = 114) grade 12 (n = 104) mean (sd) mean (sd) a. support system 3.97 0.68 4.23 0.56 0.26 3.118s b. resources needed 3.67 0.62 4.02 0.60 0.35 4.308s critical value (c.v.) = 1.982 at 0.05 level of significance with df = 216 s= significant; ns = not significant the table shows the difference in the online experiences using the customized e-commons when grouped according to grade level in terms of: support system with a mean difference of -0.26 and t-value of -3.118; and resources needed with a mean difference of -0.35 and t-value of -4.308. these values are greater than the critical value (cv) of 1.982. thus, the corresponding null hypothesis is rejected. hence, there is a significant difference in the online experiences of the stem students toward the online platform when grouped according to grade level. this implies that grade 12 stem students had more positive online experiences using the platform in terms of support system and resources needed than the grade 11 stem students. conclusion the customized e-commons has been proven useful and effective in its role in helping cater the continuity of education in calbayog city national high school, samar philippines at least according to the stem students. the respondents reported satisfaction with the customized e-commons’ quality, usability and potential effectiveness. similarly, the respondents reported positive online experiences with the customized e-commons, regarding the support system and the resources required. all of this an implication of a well-designed and functional online platform. however, despite the overwhelmingly positive feedback, indicators pertaining to internet consumption had a relatively negative response. indicative of a needed improvement of the learning management system’s internet connectivity. the study indicates that grade 11 and 12 stem students have different experiences with online learning. grade 11 students generally report more challenges, such as technical issues and difficulty staying motivated, compared to grade 12 students who appear to have adapted better. possible factors contributing to these differences include maturity level and previous experience with online https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 61 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 53-61, 2023 learning. however, it is important to note that individual experiences may vary, and further research is needed to fully understand the factors that influence perceptions and online experiences of these students. to improve the online learning experience of stem students, the researchers recommend optimizing the e-commons platform to reduce internet data consumption. additionally, the school should raise awareness among students about the benefits of using the platform and provide guidance on how to make the most out of it through orientation sessions. these measures can enhance the overall online learning experience of stem students using the e-commons platform. references acker r. (2020, april 13) insights on adapting to a virtual learning environment from the president of southern new hampshire university. harvard business law. retrieved on october 17, 2021, from https://hbr. org/sponsored/2020/04/insights-on-adapting-to-avirtual-learning-environment-from-the-president-ofsouthern-new-hampshire-university athabasca university (2019, august 20) barriers to online learning (and how to overcome them! retrieved on october 12, 2021, from https://news.athabascau. ca/learners/barriers-to-online-learning-and-how-toovercome-them al mawee w., kwayu k., and gharaibeh (2021). student’s perspective on distance learning during covid-19 pandemic: a case study of western michigan university, united states. international journal of educational research open, 2. https://doi. org/10.1016/j.ijedro.2021.100080 barreiro v. 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(2019). a comparative analysis of student performance in an online vs. face-to-face environmental science course from 2009 to 2016. frontiers in computer science, 1, 7. https://doi: 10.3389/ fcomp.2019.00007 rotas, e. e., & cahapay, m. b. (2020). difficulties in remote learning: voices of philippine university students in the wake of covid-19 crisis. asian journal of distance education, 15(2), 147-158. https:// doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4299835 sarkar s. (2020, may 16) a brief history of online education adamas university. retrieved september 16, 2021 from https://adamasuniversity.ac.in/a-briefhistory-of-online-education tannir a. (2020, april 18) elearning during a crisis: a different perspective. elearning industry. https:// elearningindustry.com/elearning-during-a-crisisdifferent-perspective yu, z. the effects of gender, educational level, and personality on online learning outcomes during the covid-19 pandemic. int j educ technol high educ 18, 14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-021-00252-3 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 11 9 american journal of education and technologies (ajet) developing a sustainable digital transformation framework for the continuum of primary to tertiary education in bangladesh roshidul hasan1*, md. sabbir hossain2, syeda zakia nayem3, md. mahmudul haque4 volume 1 issue 2, year 2022 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i2.1777 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: september 18, 2022 accepted: october 05, 2022 published: october 10, 2022 this research article delineates the development of a sustainable digital transformation model aimed at improving the educational landscape from primary through tertiary levels in bangladesh. given the digital revolution’s significant role in modern education, it is crucial for countries to adapt and transform their educational models to ensure a future-ready generation. our approach focuses on secondary data and document analysis, enabling us to draw insights from existing reports, studies, and educational policies. the first section of the paper examines the current state of digital infrastructure in bangladesh’s education system, identifying areas where digital technology has yet to be fully integrated or utilized. it provides an assessment of the challenges, including socio-economic factors, rural-urban disparities, and infrastructure limitations that may hinder the digital transformation process. following this, the paper introduces a comprehensive, scalable, and sustainable model for digital transformation. this model is premised on robust digital infrastructure, inclusive digital pedagogy, capacity building among educators, and a policy framework that encourages innovation while ensuring equal access to digital education resources. the paper concludes by highlighting how this model can significantly enhance the quality and reach of education in bangladesh. it also provides a roadmap for similar low-to-middle-income countries embarking on their digital transformation journey in education. through our research, we aim to promote an inclusive, sustainable, and digitally-enabled education system that leaves no one behind, adhering to the global sustainable development goals. keywords developmental, sustainable, digital, performance, education 1 department of computer science and information technology, bsmrau, bangladesh 2 department of ict education daffodil international university (diu), bangladesh 3 department of educational technology, bangabandhu sheikh mujibur rahman digital university (bdu), bangladesh 4 department of development and poverty studies, sher-e-bangla agricultural university, bangladesh * corresponding author’s e-mail: roshidul.hasan@gmail.com introduction education’s digital transformation is a global phenomenon, reshaping pedagogical strategies, learning experiences, and institutional administration worldwide (alvarez, 2022). this digital shift is particularly significant for developing countries like bangladesh, offering innovative remedies to persistent issues in education, including access to quality education, disproportionate student-teacher ratios, and geographical limitations (hossain, rahman, & salehin, 2023). bangladesh has embarked on a path towards comprehensive digital integration in education as part of its nationwide “digital bangladesh” vision launched in 2009. this ambitious endeavor aims to establish a knowledgeintensive society, with education being one of the central pillars (government of bangladesh, 2009). over the past decade, notable progress has been made in this direction, including the introduction of digital multimedia content in classrooms, ict training for teachers, and establishment of computer labs in schools (islam, rahman, & rahman, 2021). despite these positive strides, a complete digital transformation enveloping the entire education system from primary to tertiary levels remains a considerable challenge (karim & noy, 2022). transitioning to a fully digital educational infrastructure necessitates an in-depth understanding of the specific socio-cultural context, the digital divide, infrastructure limitations, and teacher readiness for digital pedagogical transformation (rahman, islam, & alam, 2023). it requires the development of strategies that are comprehensive, sustainable, and adaptable to rapid technological changes. moreover, as the covid-19 pandemic has highlighted, digital transformation in education is not merely a trend but an absolute necessity to ensure educational continuity in times of crisis (unesco, 2023). this research is an endeavor to design a sustainable digital transformation model tailored to bangladesh’s unique context. by conducting a thorough secondary data and document analysis, we aim to understand the multifaceted challenges and opportunities within the educational landscape of bangladesh. our study investigates the potential of digital technologies to overhaul education delivery, augment learning outcomes, and democratize access to education resources. the proposed model in this research, with its strategic focus on sustainability and inclusivity, could serve as a blueprint for digital transformation efforts in other developing countries sharing similar socio-economic dynamics. literature review the integration of digital technology into education has been an area of keen interest and extensive research in recent years. its potential to enhance teaching and learning processes, expand educational access, and improve institutional efficiency has been widely acknowledged (alvarez, 2022). the need for a digital transformation in education has gained further momentum due to the covid-19 pandemic, which disrupted traditional https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v1i2.1777 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= mailto:roshidul.hasan@gmail.com pa ge 12 0 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 119-128, 2022 educational practices globally, necessitating a rapid shift towards online and remote learning (unesco, 2023). developing countries like bangladesh face unique challenges and opportunities in their digital transformation journeys. the government’s “digital bangladesh” vision has driven several initiatives, including digital multimedia content, ict labs, and teacher training, enhancing digital literacy and inclusivity (government of bangladesh, 2009; islam, rahman, & rahman, 2021). despite these advancements, barriers like infrastructure limitations, digital divide, and insufficient readiness for digital pedagogy still persist (karim & noy, 2022; rahman, islam, & alam, 2023). the importance of a sustainable digital transformation model, especially in developing countries, has been emphasized by several studies (lwoga, 2022; nambiar, 2023). sustainability in this context is multifaceted, involving economic, environmental, and social aspects. it suggests the need for affordable, scalable, and environmentally friendly digital solutions that promote social inclusion and equal access (lwoga, 2022). conceptual framework based on the literature, our conceptual framework proposes a four-pronged approach to developing a sustainable digital transformation model for bangladesh’s education sector. digital infrastructure this includes both hardware and software requirements, internet connectivity, and other technological resources necessary for digital education (karim & noy, 2022). digital pedagogy this involves the integration of digital technology into teaching and learning processes, requiring the training and capacity building of educators (alvarez, 2022; hossain, rahman, & salehin, 2023). inclusive access this emphasizes the need for digital transformation to be inclusive, catering to diverse learner needs, and minimizing the digital divide (rahman, islam, & alam, 2023). policy and regulation this aspect involves the formulation of supportive policies, regulations, and strategic planning that facilitate and govern digital transformation in education (government of bangladesh, 2009). the objectives of this study are 1. to propose a sustainable model for digital transformation in bangladesh’s education system, drawing from the analysis of secondary data and documents. 2. to provide recommendations for policy and practice to aid the successful implementation of the proposed mode materials and methods research design this study applied an interpretive, qualitative research design, specifically utilizing document analysis as its primary methodological approach. in qualitative research, the interpretive design allows for an in-depth understanding of social phenomena within a specific context (klein & myers, 1999). document analysis, a systematic procedure for reviewing or evaluating both printed and digital documents, is effective for exploring intricate details and themes relevant to the research topic (bowen, 2009). research locale and sample the research focused on bangladesh’s education system, traversing from primary through to tertiary education. the sample incorporated an array of materials, including policy documents, research papers, case studies, and reports, all of which are connected to digital transformation initiatives within bangladesh’s educational sphere. sampling design to identify the most suitable materials for this study, a purposive sampling technique was employed. in the realm of qualitative research, this non-probability sampling strategy is frequently utilized to select ‘information-rich’ cases, which can provide the most insightful understanding about the phenomena being studied (palinkas et al., 2015). data gathering procedure the data collection procedure consisted of an exhaustive review and examination of relevant literature, policy documents, reports, and case studies. scholarly articles and research papers were retrieved from established academic databases, while policy documents and reports were acquired from the official websites of relevant governmental and international organizations. a careful keyword search, review of abstracts or executive summaries, and subsequent full-text analysis of pertinent documents constituted the core process of our data gathering. data analysis procedure thematic analysis, a method used in qualitative research to identify, analyze, and report patterns within the data, was applied to the gathered materials (braun & clarke, 2006). this analysis involved a step-by-step process beginning with data familiarization, generation of initial codes, searching for themes, reviewing and defining themes, naming themes, and culminating in the creation of the final report. ethical consideration given the research solely involved publicly available documents, ethical concerns associated with privacy, confidentiality, and informed consent were minimal. nevertheless, strict adherence to academic integrity and research ethics was maintained throughout the study. all utilized sources were accurately cited following the apa guidelines, ensuring the intellectual contributions of others were appropriately recognized. current state of digital transformation digital transformation in bangladesh’s education system https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 12 1 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 119-128, 2022 has been receiving substantial attention in recent years. the country is making noticeable progress in incorporating digital technologies into its education system across primary, secondary, and tertiary levels. governmental efforts have been a crucial driving force behind this transformation, evident in policy initiatives such as the “digital bangladesh” strategy (ministry of science and technology, 2021). the government has committed to utilizing information and communication technology (ict) in education, reflected in its vision to digitize all textbooks and expand internet connectivity in schools and colleges (uddin & rahman, 2021). the proliferation of smart classrooms, online learning platforms, and digital resources are concrete manifestations of these efforts. the introduction of digital learning materials has not only improved the accessibility of education but has also proven to be an effective tool for enhancing students’ comprehension (islam & grönlund, 2022). digital learning centers (dlcs) have been established throughout the country, providing students with access to an expansive digital library, encouraging interactive learning, and fostering an inclusive educational environment (rahman et al., 2022). despite these advancements, there is a substantial digital divide that requires attention. rural regions are struggling to keep pace with urban areas due to infrastructural challenges and limited internet access (siddiquee & kagan, 2020). limited digital literacy among educators and students in rural areas compounds these challenges (karim & clement, 2022). to summarize, while there has been considerable progress in the digital transformation of bangladesh’s education system, it is essential to address the existing inequalities to ensure that this transformation benefits all sectors of the country equally. analysis of existing policies and case studies understanding the policy landscape provides significant insight into the strategic direction of digital transformation in bangladesh’s education system. bangladesh’s vision of becoming a knowledge-based society underlies many of its existing policies, as outlined in the national ict policy and the “digital bangladesh” strategy (ministry of science and technology, 2021). the national ict policy (2009) identifies education as a priority sector, with the aim to integrate ict in teaching, learning, and school management (hoque et al., 2021). this policy has seen several reforms over the years, indicating the government’s commitment to continuously improving the education sector’s digital readiness. the “digital bangladesh” strategy further underscores the government’s determination to embed digital technologies within the education sector. the strategy advocates for comprehensive digitization of the country, with education being a focal point (siddiquee & kagan, 2020). digital content development, multimedia classroom initiatives, teacher training programs in ict, and establishment of computer and language labs are key components of this strategy (uddin & rahman, 2021). case studies provide real-world perspectives on how these policies are implemented. one such case study on the integration of ict in secondary schools found that digital content’s introduction significantly improved student engagement and comprehension (islam & grönlund, 2022). the study also highlighted the importance of teacher training in ict for the effective implementation of digital tools in classrooms. another case study focused on the “learning and earning development project” (ledp) revealed how this program trained a substantial number of individuals in ict skills, leading to improved employability and promoting entrepreneurship in the digital economy (begum & alam, 2022). these case studies illuminate the potential of digital transformation in the educational sector. however, they also underscore the importance of targeted interventions, such as teacher training in digital technologies, infrastructural investments, and the need to ensure equitable access to digital resources across urban and rural regions. challenges and opportunities digital transformation in bangladesh’s education sector faces a myriad of challenges. the most significant among them is the digital divide, with disparities in access to and usage of digital technologies observed between urban and rural areas (karim & clement, 2022). infrastructure, specifically, reliable electricity and internet connectivity, is still not widely available in many parts of rural bangladesh (rahman et al., 2021). limited digital literacy among educators and students, particularly in rural regions, exacerbates these issues (ahmed et al., 2022). despite efforts to train teachers in digital technologies, there remains a need for more comprehensive and ongoing training programs to ensure effective integration of these technologies into teaching and learning processes (uddin & rahman, 2021). additionally, resource constraints pose another challenge. many schools lack the necessary funding to acquire digital devices or maintain internet connectivity, limiting the potential benefits of digital transformation (karim & clement, 2022). despite these challenges, there are notable opportunities that can expedite digital transformation in education. the rapid proliferation of mobile technology in bangladesh provides an excellent platform for mobile learning. smartphone penetration has been increasing dramatically, offering an affordable and accessible medium for delivering digital education, even in remote areas (itu, 2022). the government’s commitment, as evidenced by initiatives like the “digital bangladesh” strategy and national ict policy, is another opportunity. these initiatives reflect a strategic vision and willingness to invest in digital transformation in the education sector (siddiquee & kagan, 2020). international aid aimed at digital development, such as the world bank’s “digital bangladesh” project, also presents an opportunity to enhance digital infrastructure and provide digital literacy training (world bank, 2021). these opportunities, if wellutilized, could help mitigate the challenges and propel digital transformation in bangladesh’s education system. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 12 2 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 119-128, 2022 proposed sustainable model based on the insights gained from the secondary data and document analysis, a sustainable model for digital transformation is proposed. the model emphasizes inclusivity, scalability, and adaptability, focusing on a phased approach that considers local realities and resource constraints. sustainable model for digital transformation in bangladesh’s education system as the 21st-century progresses, the education model is evolving significantly to incorporate digital advancements. these innovations promise to revolutionize traditional teaching and learning processes, making education more efficient, personalized, and accessible. the following figure 1: sustainable model for digital transformation in bangladesh’s education system sections outline the different aspects of this future education model. education cloud as an institutional information system the cloud represents a major shift in how educational institutions manage and distribute information. an education cloud as an institutional information system is essentially a digital infrastructure that stores, manages, and distributes educational resources across a network. it allows for centralized management of resources, data analytics, and the delivery of educational content. this can lead to greater efficiency, scalability, and costeffectiveness. cloud-based systems also enable remote access, allowing students and staff to access educational resources from anywhere, at any time (alabbasi et al., 2020). metaverse as a platform and community as discussed earlier, the metaverse provides an immersive, interactive virtual environment where users can learn, collaborate, and socialize. this platform can support both synchronous and asynchronous learning, accommodating various learning styles and paces. as a community, the metaverse can foster a sense of belonging among students, promoting collaborative learning and enhancing social interaction in the virtual space (bailenson, 2021). lms data analytics and exam proctoring learning management systems (lms) have evolved beyond being mere content delivery platforms. with data analytics, lms can track student performance, engagement, and learning patterns, providing valuable insights to enhance teaching strategies and personalize learning experiences. lms can also support online exam proctoring, ensuring academic integrity in remote assessments. with ai-powered proctoring tools, institutions can monitor student activities during exams, detect any anomalies, and deter cheating (soffer & nachmias, 2018). artificial intelligence in education (aied) aied can revolutionize education by making it more personalized and adaptive. with intelligent tutoring systems (its), ai can assess student understanding in real-time, provide immediate feedback, and adapt instruction to individual needs. aied can also automate administrative tasks such as grading and scheduling, freeing up time for teachers to focus on more complex educational tasks (vanlehn, 2011). metaverse contents the content in the metaverse can vary from traditional texts and videos to more immersive ar and vr experiences. with these technologies, abstract concepts can be visualized, historical events can be re-enacted, and scientific phenomena can be simulated, making learning more engaging and effective. furthermore, these contents can be personalized based on learner’s preferences, enhancing learner motivation and engagement (kerawalla et al., 2022). this future education model, however, is not without challenges. issues such as data privacy, digital divide, technology infrastructure, and acceptance of ai in education need to be addressed. furthermore, teacher training and support are critical to ensure effective use of these technologies in teaching and learning. in conclusion, while this future model of education promises to bring about a significant transformation in the way education is delivered and received, it is imperative https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 12 3 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 119-128, 2022 to ensure that these technologies are implemented in a manner that truly enhances the learning experience, taking into account the diverse needs and contexts of learners. education cloud represents a pioneering comprehensive education management software and hardware solution, encompassing both academic and administrative aspects. it serves as a transformative platform that empowers educational institutions by facilitating their growth through the monitoring of student and teacher performance, timely assessment of human resources, enhancement of academic activities, efficient resource management, monitoring of student and teacher success, promotion of research excellence, and improvement of institutional effectiveness and productivity. additionally, education cloud fosters campus-wide communication among its users. the user-friendly nature of education cloud is complemented by its integration of diverse features and a strong emphasis on productivity. it offers a range of administrative and academic functions that can be accessed through various modules, including the pre-admission module (comprising crm, email, and sms), student admission, course management, class management, examination management, result management, online class facilitation, tuition fee management, student accounts accounting, human resource management (hrm), payroll management, leave management, and staff attendance management. by utilizing these services, educational institutions can effectively address recurring challenges related to administration, information sharing, and performance evaluation. figure 2: education cloud at a glance of modules and features figure 3: integrated education cloud user and module architecture education cloud module and user mapping table 1: policy element description inclusive policy policies should aim to ensure equal access to digital technologies across urban and rural areas, taking into account socioeconomic disparities (hoque et al., 2021). continuous policy reform regular review and update of policies should be implemented to align with rapidly evolving digital technologies (siddiquee & kagan, 2020). https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 12 4 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 119-128, 2022 integration of face-to-face learning and distance learning the covid-19 pandemic triggered a massive shift from traditional face-to-face learning to distance learning globally, including in bangladesh. this change has been necessitated by the health and safety concerns posed by the virus. however, even before covid-19, there was a steady increase in the adoption of digital learning technologies, albeit at a slower pace. let’s consider the percentages of integration between face-to-face and distance learning before, during, and in the future after covid-19. before covid-19 the majority of education in bangladesh was conducted via face-to-face classroom learning, approximately 90%. synchronous online learning was minimal, accounting for about 5%, and asynchronous learning through learning management systems (lms) and social networking sites (sns) made up around 5%. the use of digital tools and content was largely limited to urban, well-resourced schools and tertiary institutions (islam & grönlund, 2022). during covid-19 with the onset of covid-19, face-to-face learning dramatically reduced to approximately 10%, as schools and tertiary institutions were closed for physical attendance. synchronous learning increased significantly to around 45% as teachers and students switched to realtime online learning platforms such as zoom, google meet, etc. asynchronous learning also rose to about 45%, with increased reliance on lms and sns for self-paced learning. the usage of digital tools and contents became almost ubiquitous, being an essential component of remote learning (ahmed et al., 2022). future post-covid-19 as we navigate the post-covid-19 era, it is expected that there will be a balanced integration of face-toface and distance learning, creating a blended learning environment. face-to-face learning might resurge to around 50%, with synchronous and asynchronous learning each accounting for 25%. the use of digital tools and content is expected to remain high at 100%, as they will be integral in both face-to-face and online learning environments. this prediction is based on the expectation that the lessons learned and the infrastructure developed during the pandemic will continue to be utilized (rahman et al., 2021). these shifts have significant implications for the design and implementation of educational policies and strategies. policymakers, educational institutions, and teachers need to adapt to these changes, ensuring that quality education is maintained, irrespective of the learning mode. the future of education: intelligent tutoring systems intelligent tutoring systems (its) represent a significant shift in the field of education, harnessing artificial intelligence (ai) to personalize learning experiences based on individual student needs (vanlehn, 2011). these systems can adapt to learners’ abilities and knowledge states, provide targeted feedback, and present educational content in a manner that maximizes the learning outcome. its can revolutionize the learning process in several ways. personalized learning with its, learning is no longer one-size-fits-all. intelligent tutoring systems can assess a student’s learning style, strengths, weaknesses, and pace, tailoring content and delivery accordingly. this could lead to improved academic achievement, engagement, and retention (woolf et al., 2020). real-time assessment and feedback its can assess students in real-time, providing immediate and precise feedback on performance. they can highlight areas of weakness that need improvement, and guide students towards resources or strategies that can help (ma et al., 2019). scalable education with the ability to adapt to individual learning styles and provide personalized instruction, its can make quality education accessible and scalable. it can be especially beneficial in regions with limited access to quality teachers or educational resources (nye et al., 2014). figure 4: integration of face-to-face learning and distance learning https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 12 5 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 119-128, 2022 figure 5: the future of education: intelligent tutoring systems looking ahead, the integration of its in education is expected to increase as ai technologies advance. the future might see its with more sophisticated natural language processing capabilities, enabling more humanlike interactions (graesser et al., 2019). there is also potential for its to integrate with other technologies, such as augmented reality (ar) or virtual reality (vr), to create more immersive learning experiences (woolf et al., 2020). however, the implementation of its also comes with challenges. privacy concerns, ethical considerations, technology infrastructure, and the acceptance of ai in education are among the barriers that need to be addressed (zawacki-richter et al., 2019). as we move forward, it is essential for educational policies and practices to adapt to these changes, ensuring the responsible and effective integration of its in education. the metaverse in education: expanding the horizons of learning the metaverse, an expansive virtual reality space where users can interact with a computer-generated environment and other users, has begun to emerge as a new frontier in education. as we move further into the digital age, concepts like the metaverse are becoming more feasible, promising to revolutionize how we perceive and conduct education. in line with the objectives of digital transformation in education set out in this research article, the metaverse can play a significant role in shaping the future of education in bangladesh, particularly in enhancing digital learning experiences. here’s how. immersive learning experiences the metaverse can create a more immersive learning environment compared to traditional online learning platforms. with the use of augmented reality (ar) and virtual reality (vr), students can engage in simulations, explore virtual labs, or take virtual field trips, making learning more interactive and engaging (bailenson, 2021). personalized learning similar to intelligent tutoring systems, the metaverse can also offer personalized learning experiences. by leveraging ai, it can adapt to the learning pace and style of each student, creating a tailored learning path for individual needs (gupta et al., 2023). collaboration and social interaction the metaverse can facilitate social interaction and collaboration in a virtual environment. students can work together on projects, participate in group discussions, and even socialize, replicating aspects of the physical classroom environment in the virtual world (kerawalla et al., 2022). equity in access to resources the metaverse can provide equal access to educational resources regardless of geographical location. this can be particularly beneficial for students in rural or https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 12 6 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 119-128, 2022 remote areas, providing them with the same learning opportunities as urban students (warburton, 2022). lifelong learning the metaverse isn’t limited to formal education. it offers an avenue for lifelong learning, where individuals can pursue learning based on their interests and at their own pace, beyond the constraints of traditional educational systems (kerawalla et al., 2022). despite these potential benefits, the implementation of the metaverse in education also poses significant challenges, including issues related to accessibility, digital literacy, privacy and data security, and the digital divide. it is essential that these challenges are addressed in the process of designing and implementing a sustainable model for digital transformation in education. as we envision the future of education in the context of the metaverse, it is essential to align this innovative technology with pedagogical goals and practices, ensuring that it serves to enhance teaching and learning experiences rather than just being a new tech phenomenon. figure 6: the metaverse in education: expanding the horizons of learning table 2: infrastructure element description robust digital infrastructure investment in reliable electricity and internet connectivity, particularly in rural areas, is paramount (rahman et al., 2021). accessible digital devices efforts should be made to ensure schools are equipped with necessary digital devices, and students have access to affordable personal devices for learning (itu, 2022). table 3: capacity building element description digital literacy training comprehensive and continuous digital literacy training for educators and students to ensure effective integration of digital technologies in education (ahmed et al., 2022). curriculum integration integration of digital skills into the curriculum at all levels of education to prepare students for the digital economy (uddin & rahman, 2021). table 4: research and development element description localized digital content development of localized digital learning materials that are contextually relevant and cater to the learning needs of students (islam & grönlund, 2022). continuous research regular research to evaluate the impact of digital transformation initiatives and identify areas of improvement (begum & alam, 2022). this model emphasizes a holistic approach, addressing not only the technological infrastructure but also the need for relevant policy, capacity building, and ongoing research and development. it recognizes that digital transformation in education is not a one-off event, but a continuous process that needs regular assessment and adaptation to the evolving digital landscape. recommendations for policy and practice based on the analysis of the current state of digital https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 12 7 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 1(2) 119-128, 2022 transformation in bangladesh and the proposed sustainable model, several recommendations for policy and practice are outlined. develop inclusive policies it is crucial for policy makers to develop policies that not only promote digital transformation but also ensure its inclusivity. this includes addressing the digital divide and ensuring that students and teachers in rural and remote areas have access to the same resources and opportunities as their urban counterparts (hoque et al., 2021). a policy framework that incentivizes affordable digital device acquisition, especially in underserved areas, can also help bridge the divide. invest in infrastructure without robust digital infrastructure, particularly reliable electricity and internet connectivity, digital transformation efforts will be hindered (rahman et al., 2021). significant investment in infrastructure development should be a priority in both policy and practice, ensuring that learning isn’t interrupted due to lack of essential services. 3. enhance digital literacy: training programs should be developed and implemented to enhance the digital literacy of both students and teachers (ahmed et al., 2022). special focus should be given to educators, enabling them to integrate digital technologies effectively into their teaching methodologies. curriculum modifications should also be considered to introduce digital skills from early stages of education. promote localized digital content content localization ensures that digital learning materials are relevant and tailored to the local context. this makes learning more relatable and engaging for students (islam & grönlund, 2022). therefore, it is recommended to foster collaborations between educators, content creators, and tech companies to develop localized digital content. encourage continuous research regular research should be conducted to evaluate the impact and effectiveness of digital transformation initiatives. this can help identify challenges, opportunities, and areas that need improvement (begum & alam, 2022). research findings should then be utilized to inform policy and practice. secure sustainable funding last but not least, securing sustainable funding is critical for the success of digital transformation. policy makers should 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(2020). the effect of intelligent tutoring systems on students’ learning. journal of educational computing research, 58(1), 178-223. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 34 american journal of education and technology (ajet) argumentation using the indigenous language as a strategy to reduce misconceptions: addition and subtraction of directed numbers classroom motlatsi mathunya1* volume 2 issue 2, year 2023 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i2.1533 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: march 30, 2023 accepted: april 21 , 2023 published: april 28, 2023 this article explores argumentation using indigenous language as a strategy to reduce misconceptions in addition and subtraction of directed numbers. within a social constructivism theory, the study was a quasi-experimental design. the two groups, the experimental group (n=39) and control group (n=39), wrote a pre-test and post-test. the pre-test was analysed to find the persistent errors that the students made and were interviewed to find their misconceptions. the finding of the study has revealed that the students have the misconception of an overgeneralization, misconception of direct translation and commutative misconception. during the intervention, both groups were familiarised with scientific argumentation, the control group argues in english and the experimental groups were introduced to argumentation in their native language (sesotho). after using the statistical package for social science (spss) the experimental group’s performance on the post-test was significantly better than that of the control group. the number of misconceptions for the experimental group was reduced. lastly, the study’s finding has shown that the arguments were longer, clear, and more meaningful in their indigenous language. the students’ performance was even positively influenced by indigenous language argumentation. it is, therefore, recommended that the students’ homegrown language be used as an alternative language of instruction. keywords argumentation, misconceptions, indigenous language, mixed method, social constructivism 1 kolonyama high school, leribe, lesotho * corresponding author’s e-mail: mathunya1961@gmail.com introduction an argumentation is a discourse comprising a claim, data, warrant and backing (doǧan & sir, 2022). argumentation exposes one to different ideas and improves learning amongst the students (gross et al., 2008). argumentation is a learner-centered strategy (qhobela & moru, 2011). ojose (2015) posits that learners would always experience misconceptions due to the nature of mathematics. fumador and agyei (2018) assert that misconceptions are unavoidable; therefore, further research is needed on misconceptions and strategies to minimise them. misconceptions can be minimised through strategies including argumentation using indigenous languages. makara and tau (2019) postulate that directed numbers, as a part of mathematics, is defined as the positive (numbers to the right of zero), and negative numbers (numbers to the left of zero). according to makara and tau (2019) and makonye and fakude (2016), directed numbers are useful for temperatures less than zero, and owing in the bank is designated by the negative. the directed numbers lay foundation for most of the topics in mathematics, for example, algebraic expression, sequences, vectors, matrices, transformation and equations, to mention but a few. mathematics is acquired through language-based activities, which involves listening, reading and discussions (essien, 2018). the students who learn in another language are challenged by concepts than those who are instructed in their native language. according to msimanga and lelliott (2014), learning in a second language impose dual risk to the students who are learning the second language, which they are not even good at and using it to acquire the academic content. a number of studies were conducted on the importance of the use of native language in content delivery and acquisition (essien, 2018; msimanga & lelliott, 2014; taylor & coetzee, 2013). in several other african countries, such as eswatine, english is considered as a language of instruction. in lesotho, there are two official languages: sesotho (the language of people in lesotho) and english, which is the only mode of instruction used in classrooms across the country in secondary schools. several studies (faize et al., 2018; gross et al., 2008; indrawatingsih et al., 2020; qhobela, 2012), have emphasised on the importance of argumentation in a classroom. as faize et al. (2018) note, argumentation develops critical thinking, enquiry promotion, conceptual understanding and performance improvement. in the context of lesotho, there two studies about argumentation, qhobela and moru (2011) and qhobela (2012). qhobela (2012) has studied the challenges of argumentation as a strategy to improve talk in a physics classroom. qhobela and moru (2011) wanted to establish learning physics using argumentation as a feasible strategy. other studies were contacted in the directed number focusing on misconceptions, errors and their causes in the directed numbers (for example, khalid & embong, 2020; kshetree et al., 2021; makonye & fakude, 2016; ojose, 2015; sadler, 2012). the current study differ with all those in that, i have combined the indigenous language, argumentation and misconceptions, which lead to persistent errors in an attempt to increase the https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i2.1336 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= mailto:haytham.elaoufy%40gmail.com?subject= mailto:mathunya1961%40gmail.com?subject= pa ge 35 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 34-41, 2023 literature on argumentation using indigenous language as a strategy to reduce misconceptions in addition and subtraction of the directed numbers from the context of lesotho. as highlighted above, researchers have shown the importance of argumentation in learning and it is a strategy of introducing learners centered approach (qhobela and moru, 2011). what stands out to be the theme of this paper is practicing argumentation using the sesotho language to reduce misconceptions. statement of the problem mathematics is spiral in nature (ministry of education and training [moet], 2009), and the directed numbers lay a foundation for most topics in mathematics. as a result, there is a need for it to be understood by the students, and it is essential to be delivered successfully to the students. the directed numbers are a basis for success in algebra (khalid & embong, 2020). the earlier researchers, such as gross et al. (2008), have underscored the significance of argumentation. essien (2018) has established the importance of native language in learning. however, in lesotho, the notion of the directed numbers, important as it is, is taught in english, the second language. this study was, therefore, motivated by the fact that the existing literature on reducing misconceptions, argumentation using indigenous language showed very little evidence of pursuance of the phenomenon in the context of lesotho. the following research questions inform the study: what persistent errors do grade 8 students make, and the misconception they have in addition and subtraction of the directed numbers? can argumentation using the indigenous language in class help in reducing the misconceptions that the students have? what are the challenges of argumentation in sesotho language? the findings of this study would, consequently, assist the teachers to design their instruction to help minimise the students’ misconceptions. literature review the literature was reviewed on persistent errors and misconceptions in directed numbers from both empirical and theoretical perspectives. this was followed by the advantage and disadvantages of argumentation and indigenous language used in learning and teaching of mathematics. persistent errors and misconceptions in addition and subtraction of directed numbers misconceptions are unavoidable stages in the learning process (moru & mathunya, 2022). the result that the misconception leads to persistent errors has been shared by the several studies, for example, iddrisu et al. (2017) and moru and mathunya (2022). in the study conducted by aydin-guc and aygun (2021) and kim et al. (2016), it was reported that the students made a reversal error where they map the order of words from the question. these results resemble those of iddrisu et al. (2017) where the participants did not mind the subtrahend and the minuend in the question. in this case, the student has the misconception of direct translation (kim et al., 2016; mathunya, 2022). the misconception of direct translation is where the students match the order of words that appear in the question (kim et al., 2016). in the study of makonye and fakude (2016), the students carried out the operations in the reverse order by matching the terms in the given words order. based on the feedback from the learners’ task and the interview of makonye and fakude (2016), where the students were asked to subtract -12 from -10, the minuend is -10 and subtrahend is -12. however, the students took minuend as -12 and subtrahend as -10 and gave their answer as -2. the students did not consider the minuend and subtrahend in the question, and this overlaps with the finding of the studies by kim et al. (2016) and rababaha et al. (2020). misconceptions originate from inappropriate generalisation of previously learnt content (aydinguc & aygun, 2021; im & jitendra, 2020). this is a misconception of overgeneralisation. in dealing with integers, the students make an error called sign error. in the study by khalid and embong (2020), the students were given -6-(-2); in this study the students gave their answer as 4. makonye and fakude (2016) reported that the students were asked to solve -7-(+3), and the students gave their answer as 4. in both studies, the students ignored the negative sign involved. misconceptions are the underlying wrong beliefs and principles in one’s mind that causes errors (makonye, 2016). olivier (1989) opines that misconception of interference is a situation where the previously learnt content interferes with the new knowledge. rule mixes error, which is a case where the students mix the rules learnt. for example, in the study of khalid and embong (2020), the students were given -2-6 and their answer was 8 because negative and negative make positive. multiplication of integer’s knowledge interferes with the addition of integer knowledge. advantage and disadvantages of argumentation and indigenous language used in learning and teaching of mathematics conner et al. (2014), faize, (2015), foutz (2018) and qhobela (2012), supported by indrawatingsih et al. (2020), who confirm the importance of argumentation and emphasised that effective argumentation skills are vital for conceptual understanding and good communication. conner et al. (2014) argue that argumentation assist the students to reflect on their learning. conner et al. (2014) and foutz (2018) posit that argumentation is a technique for mathematics instruction that assist the students to overcome misconception and other challenges such as selfdoubt. mueller and yankelewitz (2014) noted that argument clear up the misunderstanding. classroom mathematics argumentation leads to increase in conceptual understanding and better achievements (faize, 2015; faize et al., 2018; kosko et al., 2014;). doğan and sır (2022) argue that argumentation improves mathematics https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 36 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 34-41, 2023 strategies. three components of an argument are the claim, data to support the claim, and lastly, warrant connecting the data to claim (toulmin, 2003). however, the teacher may have problems teaching the students argumentation. taylor and coetzee (2013) state the importance of the use of native language as opposed to english language. essien’s (2018) research in three different african countries, where the focus was on the role of the language in the teaching and learning of early grade mathematics, the study found out that the indigenous languages used in class are facing the challenge that are not fully developed into academic languages. qhobela and moru (2011) found that practicing argumentation using a second language as a challenge and turn to use their native language as opposed to the medium of instruction. the theoretical frame work this study is underpinned by the vygotsky (1968) social constructivism theory. constructivism can be summed up as the students actively constructing knowledge rather than passively receiving it from the environment. it also shows that social interactions are important for knowledge construction. smith et al. (1993) contend that the students’ mathematical misconceptions are directly connected to constructivism. this includes a schema as an intellectual tool for knowledge stages and retrieval, along the twin process of accommodation and assimilation. the new knowledge contradicts the prior knowledge leading to error and misconceptions. when the schema is not properly reshaped and reorganised, misconceptions result (zhiqing, 2015). in light of the above, the study used social constructivism as the students engaged into argumentations with each other to construct knowledge. argumentation involves social process where the students works in groups and engaged in mathematical discourse; in which they support their position and weaken the opponent. methodology the study was a quasi-experimental research design with pre-test and post-test for both control and experimental groups. the pre-test seeks to find the error that the students display and the misconceptions that they have. the experimental group was subjected to argumentation in sesotho while control group argued in english. the two classes of 39 students of 13-17 age range each made up the study population. the experimental group had 29 girls and 10 boys while the control group had 31 girls and 8 boys. a toss of a coin did the naming of the group as experimental or control. the researcher taught both groups. the study was conducted in one high school in a semi-urban area of lesotho. this school is located 10 kilometers from teyateyaneng town, and it is found in leribe district. it is mixed gender school with classes from grade 8 to grade 11. it admits the students from the entire kolonyama community. it was selected purposively and conveniently because it is closer to the researcher, that is, it is accessible, imposing to financial constraints and time wasted. stages of data collection the data were collected in three stages from the learner preand post-test with 20 open ended questions, interview and observation. the first stage was solving the directed numbers problems to identify the persistent errors and the interviews to spot the misconceptions that the students have. as underscored earlier, a persisted error is a result of misconceptions. the students from both the groups were given the same test to write on the directed numbers. the questions of the tests were designed by the researcher from various mathematics textbooks and were aligned with the grade 8 curriculum, and they were designed in alignment with the literature review. this helped note the persistent errors the learners made in evaluating the directed numbers. the interviews were conducted with ten (10) students from both the groups to trace their thinking pattern to find the misconceptions they have. in the second stage, the students from both the groups were then introduced to the formal argumentation for 6 months. they were taught how to make a mathematical claim and evidently support it. they were also familiarised to discuss a mathematics phenomenon argumentatively. the control groups were asked to argue in english on the task looking at their answers. the experimental group students were asked to form arguments in sesotho. both groups are given ten (10) activities from the mathematics curriculum over 6 months from january 2022 to june 2022 to practice before working on the post-test. the students were in groups of 5 for both control and experimental group. the argumentation were video recorded, depending on the persistent error that the students had; they were 160 episode of the argumentations recorded. the videos were observed and transcribed. on the contrary, in the stage 3, the students from both groups were then given a pre-test to write, which was organised as the pre-test. the post-test was written by the students after argumentation in languages. the scripts from both groups were then analysed to note the persistent errors that were made. this helped to comprehend whether the argumentation in the indigenous language helped reduce the misconceptions. reliability and validity of data collected the author constructed the test items and validated by mathematics educators from others schools; one of them is a marker for lesotho general certificate of secondary examinations (lgcse) final examination. the tests items were closely aligned with the research questions. the expert validated the tests in relation to the content, construction and language used. the comments from those expect were discussed and implemented to give the tests the new structures. the interviews were audio recorded and the argumentation episodes were video recorded for accuracy when analysing the data. the https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 37 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 34-41, 2023 video-recording increase the accuracy when transcribing the arguments of the episodes. translating from sesotho to english was done by the expert from the national university of lesotho. analytical framework coral and bokelmann (2017) perceive that analytical framework is difficult to define; however, it is a model that guides and facilitates sense making and understandings. it further assists to organise a research by linking the theoretical question to the empirical analysis, which represents the flow of knowledge in various contexts and conditions. according to essien (2017), an analytical framework is developed from the theoretical framework. it should also have clear descriptors or indicators that will help in answering the research questions. this framework also provides an explanation within the scope of the theoretical field on how to get to the categories and subcategories of the analysis and their contribution to the thrust of the study in answering the research questions (essien, 2017). where the intention was to identify the persistent errors (an error done by the students in two or more questions) and the misconceptions that the students have, thematic analysis was used for both the pre-test and the interview. alhojailan (2012) defines thematic analysis as a process of locating the thinking pattern of the interviewees, and the pattern of action showed. the researcher analysed the students’ tests noting the error pattern and conduct, as well as the interview to find the misconceptions that they have. an argument is made up of the claim, supporting explanation for the answers (warrant) and a further explanation (backing) to verify why the warrant is valid, hence the claim. the second research question, the spss was used to find the statistical analysis, for example, mean, standard deviation and the t-test for both groups. they were done to find the statistical significance between for the pre-test and post-test averages. results as highlighted earlier, the results of the pre-test were analysed to identify the persistent errors that the students have while the interview was conducted to find the misconceptions that the students have. the intervention part followed where the students made arguments in english and sesotho. the post-test was used to find the effect of the languages on the students’ misconceptions stage 1: persistent errors from the pre-test and the misconceptions from the interview analysis this section presents the persistent errors and the misconceptions that the students have from the interview. note that the word “researcher” is abbreviated with the letter, “r”, for the interview, s40 means the students number forty, and q3 is question 3. the analysis of the students’ scripts from both groups displayed five common persistent errors. those errors include sign error, where the students know the expectations of the question but do not consider the negative signs involved. below is an extract from the interview with s35, who is from the experimental group on q2 (a). rcan you explain how you obtained 16 as an answer to -9+7? s35i took 9 and added 7. that is 9+7=16 and i put negative in front of 16. the interview shows that when preceding a number, the negative sign is ignored. the students focused on the sign in between the two terms. the misconception that the learners have is the misconception of overgeneralisation over the addition operation. the finding that the student ignores the negative sign involved overlaps with that of khalid and embong (2020). table 1: sign error and the frequent students’ responses questions 3 (a) -9+7 (d) -7+(-4) (e) -6-(-10) (f) -8-(+3) (h) -3-(-2) answer(s) -16 -3 -16 -11 -5 experimental (19) 48.7% (19) 48.7% (16) 41.0% (18) 46.2% (16) 41.0% control (20) 51.3% (21) 53.8% (17) 43.6% (15) 38.5% (17) 43.6% reversal error is where the students match the order of words as they appear from the question. s23 made the reversal error on all questions shown on table 2. below is an extract from the interview with s23 who is from the experimental group on q3 (a). s23 the question writes, “subtract 2 from 5”, and i said 2-5= -3 because it said subtract, so we use minus sign. according to the constructivist theory, such errors occur because the learners fail to comprehend the question’s requirements (abdullah et al., 2015). this is caused by a table 2: the frequent students’ responses showing reversal error questions 3 (a) subtract 2 from 5 (d) subtract-2 from 8 (c) subtract -5 from -2 answer(s) -3 -10 -3 experimental (27) 74.4% (31) 79.5% (31) 79.5% control (30) 76.9% (30) 76.9% (29)74.4% https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 38 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 34-41, 2023 misconception of direct translation. this misconception concurs with the finding by kim et al. (2016). method error is the error unique to this study resulting from incomplete procedure in a method. this method works for addition and subtraction of the directed numbers, but the learners could not complete it. s80 (who is a member of control group), made this error persistently on all the questions shown on table 3. below is what transpired in the interview with s80 about q2 (b). r are you saying that + -= hence 8-10, if so can you tell me how you got 2 as an answer? s80i looked at 10 and subtracted 8, that is, 10-8=2; that is how i got 2. rwhy have you interchanged 8 and 10 to have 10-8 instead of 8-10? s80-the method, sir that we used in class allows us to do that, and the answer will still be the same with those who used number line or other methods. again, sir, 2+3=5=3+2=5. according to the constructivists, the learners had an incomplete appropriate schema. the interview shows that the learners knew how to add the directed numbers but could not complete the method used by assigning the answer the sign of a bigger number. the commutative misconception causes it; this misconception has emerged as a result of this study. this misconception is as a result of the interference of the two schemas: the directed number, addition and the commutative property from the last line where the student made an example of a correct commutative property of addition. table 3: method error the frequent students’ response questions 3 (a) -9+7 (d) -7+(-4) (f) -8-(+3) (h) -3-(-2) answer(s) 2 3 5 1 experimental (19) 48.7% (26) 66.7% (15) 38.5% (24) 61.5% control (20) 51.3% (25) 64.1% (16) 41.0% (22) 56.4% stage 2: argumentations in sesotho (experimental group) and in english (control group) the following are the episodes of the argumentation that took place in the groups of students. note that whenever words are in brackets (), it shows a direct translation from sesotho, the bolded words in brackets were english words used during the sesotho argument, three dots = … denote inaudibility of the video and s72 denotes students number 72. episode 1 the following argumentation took place amongst the members of the experimental group on the sign error (persistent error) caused by the misconception of overgeneralisation. item: work out the following -8-(+3) s74 (-8-(+3)=-5. i combined the signs ± =-, and this will give -8-3, which gives -5; therefore, my answer is -5). s52 (i disagree with you. -8-(+3)=-11. after combining the signs, the question looks like -8-3. we stared first by adding 8 and 3 to get 11 and put a negative sign in front of 11. we can also use a number line to get the same answer). s74 and s52 started their arguments with the claims that -8-(+3)=-5 and-11. s74 supported the wrong claim by warrant and backing. however, he made a wrong conclusion. s52 maintained the claim by workings, providing enough backing by the use of the number line to get to the correct answer. this episode shows that s52 was fluent in his home language. episode 2 the following argumentation took place amongst 8 members of the control group. item: work out the following -8-(+3) s10 my answer is -11. i said -8-3=-11 s24 my answer is -5. s18 i agree with -11 and i used a number line. there is a claim and no evidence that supports the claim from the above argumentation. the students just mentioned their answers to -8-(+3). it was, consequently, observed on the video recorded that the students made the correction of the related questions after realising that the answer is-11 without accounting for their answers. episode 3 the following is the argumentation of the students from the experimental group on reversal error (persistent error) caused by the misconception of direct translation. item: subtract 2 from 5 s66 (my answer is -3. i said 2-5=-3. with the use of number line you can still get -3 as an answer). s75 (did you understand the question? which is the subtrahend in the question? can you make yourself clear? the question said subtract 2 from 5 not subtract 5 from 2. i think you did not read the question for understanding. my answer is 3; i said 5-2=3). s67 (i think i understand and agree with s75, the subtrahend is 2 and minuend is 7. i made a mistake as s66). from episode 3, the students had the claims, which were supported. s75 started by opposing the opponent and make a claim, which was warranted. the above argument shows clearly that the entire members understood the question expectation. that means engaging in this argument lead to conceptual understanding as s67 admitted. the finding that argumentation improves conceptual understanding match those of qhobela (2012). https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 39 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 34-41, 2023 episode 4 this argument is from the control group on reveal error (persistent error) caused by the misconception of direct translation. item: work out the following “subtract 2 from 5” s04 my answer is 3 because i said 2-5=-3. s29 my answer is 3. i said 5-2. we subtract 2 not 5. from episode 4 each learner made a claim and supported it, but the backup reason was not supported. the students showed how they evaluated their answers. as observed in the video, the students were not socially flexible to explain their answer. episode 5 the following is the argumentation of the students from the experimental group on method error (persistent error) caused by the commutative misconception. item: work out -9+7 s48 (let us talk about the question: -9+7, which is the correct answer? i can see two possible answers, that is, -2 and -16. what is your take on it? my answer is -16. i said 9+7=16 and placed negative in front of 16, which is my answer). s56 (i agree with -2. i took the bigger number and subtracted a smaller number, and the answer that i got took the sign of a bigger number. see, 9 is bigger than 7, which means that we are going to say, 9 subtract 7, which is 2 and you put negative in front of 2. we can also use a number line method to see that a negative in front of 9 should be taken as part of 9, showing where it should be on the number line and compare the answers). s48 (i think that i get your point. i did not consider the negative involved thanks). episode 5 shows that s48 presents a claim, which is a wrong claim. there was a warrant to support this claim, and a concluded 16 as an answer. s56 proposed a correct claim, which contradicted s48. s56 provided a correct warrant and the data to draw a conclusion that is sound. s56 also backed up the argument with the use of the number line. the argumentations above show that the students can freely express themselves when they use their native language (sesotho) and a sound argument can be made. according to the constructivist, the students engaged their prior knowledge in their discussion (olivier, 1989). episode 6 argumentation from the control group on the method error (persistent error) caused by the commutative misconception. item: work out -9+7 s19 answer is -16. i took -9+7=-16 s10 i disagree with you. my answer is -2 . i took 9 and subtracted 7 to get 2. i took the sign of a bigger number. from episode 6, the students make some claims and said their workings without explaining their answer, for example, s19. on the contrary, s10 made a short explanation of how the answer is arrived at. after the explanation given by s10 in the argument, s19 was still uncertain with the explanation as observed in the video. in general, the argumentations show that the students can freely express themselves when they use their native language (sesotho). the language is wordy in sesotho while in english, some did not even construct full sentences; this finding concurs with that of qhobela (2012). argumentation in sesotho was clear on how the conclusion was arrived at while in english, it sounds just like discussions where a good idea is supported without both warrant and data supporting the claim. the finding that the students code-switch between the two languages matches that of essien (2018). this was seen where the students lack enough sesotho-mathematics vocabulary. stage 3: comparison of the students’ performance after the two languages according to lgcse standard, pre-test, only 1(2.56%) out of 39 students, passed from the control group and 3(7.69%) out of 39 students passed from the experimental groups. the marks of all the students in the experimental group students increase after the indigenous language argumentation. about 7 students from the control groups’ marks did not improve after auguring in english. there was a general improvement of the students’ marks in the experimental group, meaning that the numbers of misconception were reduced. the experimental group had a mean score of 25.79 and control group’s mean score was 23.59 in the pre-test with a p-value of 0.521 which is grater that 0.05, this shows that the two means were the same statistically with 95% level of confidence. after augmentation in sesotho and english, the mean score for the experimental group was 55.64 and 34.87 for the control group. the p-value is less than 0.05; therefore, the two means are different statistically with 95% confidence level. this means there is a statistical significance rise in experimental students’ scores in the post-test as oppose to control group. table 4: it shows the paired statistical analysis of the students’ performance for pre-test and post-test for both groups tests groups mean% standard deviation mode range t-value p-value pre-test control 24.62 14.07 30 (50)50-0 -0.648 0.521 experimental 26.79 15.15 30 (60)60-0 post-test control 34.87 14.89 30 (55)60-5 -5.514 0.000 experimental 55.64 12.99 40 (55)85-30 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 40 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 34-41, 2023 discussion the indication that the students have the misconception is when they make the persistent error on the given task. the study shows that the students made the following persistent errors: sign error and reversal error, which overlap with those reported in the literature. in addition, there surfaced the method error, which is unique to the study, hence the study’s contribution to the literature. in the case of the sign error, the students could not comprehend the binary nature of the negative sign. according to the results of the study, the grade 8 students have the misconception of overgeneralisation and the misconception of the direct translation with overlaps with those reported in the literature. the lesson learnt from this study is that, the teacher should ensure that the methods that they give to learners do not lead to more misconception in mathematics. it is evident in this study that argumentation using sesotho language is meaningful and lengthy while in english, the short sentences are made and conclusions are arrived at from unclear argument. the study also found that argumentation using indigenous language brings about good performance as the number of misconception deceases. this means that the score of the post-test of the experimental group and the control group were 53.13 and 34.13, respectively. that insinuates a means deference of 19.0 points for the post-test between the two groups. in addition to the study of qhobela (2012), who showed that argumentation is crucial in classroom, this study has found that argumentation using native language is more important. it can be concluded that argumentation using the indigenous language assists the students to recall their prior knowledge as the students were able to refer mostly to what they learned before. argumentation using sesotho improves the students’ investigation skills as the students collect information to convince their opponent and build their argument. argumentation using the indigenous language is challenged because the sesotho language has not been developed into the language of instruction. this complements the findings of other studies, such as essien’s (2018). some of the words were difficult to translate them into sesotho because of lack of sesotho-mathematics vocabulary. the students from the control group had a problem with the mathematics command, such as, “subtract from”. those who used their language (tlosa ho), mastered all the questions with that phase because they were in their language. conclusion the students made persistent error and have misconception when solving the directed numbers. the theory of social constructivism and the literature assisted the researcher in naming the emerging error and the misconception. the study has shown that the students’ indigenous language argumentation appear to be useful and lead to meaningful arguments and conceptual understanding as their performance improved, which is the study’s contribution to the literature. however, there are challenges associated with the use of indigenous language in argumentation to reduce misconceptions. those include deficiency of sesotho-mathematics vocabulary. it is, therefore, recommended that sesotho should be developed into a language of instruction. references abdullah, a.h., abidin, n.l.z. & ali, m. 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(2015). assimilation, accommodation and equilibration: a schema-based perspective on translation as process and as product. international forum of teaching and studies, 11(1), 84–89. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 10 5 american journal of education and technology (ajet) an investigation into the experiences of teachers and head teachers in relation to government-run primary schools: a case of lilongwe urban makarios kizito chimowa1*, stewart maganga2 volume 3 issue 2, year 2024 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v3i2.2697 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: april 11, 2024 accepted: may 13, 2024 published: may 17, 2024 the focus of this paper is on the experiences of teachers and head teachers in government run schools in the lilongwe urban area. three schools were focused upon: mkwichi primary school in area 47; mbinzi primary school in area 3, and tsokamkanansi primary school in area 43. this study was exploratory in that there has been a paucity of research carried out in the urban schools of malawi particularly those run by the government. the study further utilized the qualitative approach and among the methods utilized included semistructured interviews and focus group discussions. in terms of the findings, the study found that in so far as inclusive education in urban schools is concerned, challenges do abound. these include the lack of specialist teachers trained in special needs including material required to assist teachers and head teachers with handling students of special needs. among some of the propositions were for the government to provide them with resources needed to assist learners with special needs. keywords inclusive education, head teachers, special needs, teachers, urban schools 1 department of education foundations, faculty of education, emmanuel university, p.o. box 30583, lilongwe, malawi 2 department of social sciences, faculty of education, emmanuel university, p.o. box 30583, lilongwe, malawi * corresponding author’s e-mail: k.chimowa@emunimw.com introduction the issue of inclusive education has garnered attention in recent times. this holds true in malawi which is signatory to a number of international conventions, notably the african charter on the rights and welfare of the child in 1999, the united nations convention on the rights of persons with disabilities in 2006, including the recent african charter on human and people’s rights in 2022. what prompted the need for malawi to recognize inclusive education was when, in 1994 the government announced free primary education (fpe) after the country transitioned from a one-party to a multi-system of government. as a response to this, the numbers that enrolled in primary schools increased rapidly which in turn meant that there was a high-demand for new teachers (kunje et al., 2003). in spite of the high enrolment of learners in primary schools, it would be found that those with special needs were often neglected. as a result of this, there was a need for a framework that defined the policy direction that the ministry of education sought to follow. after a number of consultations, it culminated in the national strategy on inclusive education (nsie) of 2017 – 2021. the nsie aimed at moving from an education that merely focused on special needs to one that is inclusive (de souza, 2022). this is especially true when considering that when malawi first introduced the concept of “inclusive education”, it was normally associated with those learners with special education needs (sen) and disabilities. as a country that grapples with socio-economic challenges, it was befitting that when it comes to the discussion concerning “inclusive education”, the definition ought to be one extended to children who headed households, child labourers, children with albinism including street children (de souza, 2022). although a blueprint has been set up to address the challenges pertaining to inclusive education in malawi, it is imperative to establish its state. specific attention has been focused upon urban schools run by government. the study is an exploratory one in that it will seek to establish what has been the state of inclusive education in malawi. purpose and objectives of the study the purpose of this study was to investigate the experiences of teachers and head teachers in relation to governmentrun schools around lilongwe urban. the urban area of lilongwe was chosen as a research site on the basis that considerable attention has not been paid to this site specifically in as far as inclusive education is concerned. the following objectives drove the research: • to determine the knowledge of teachers and head teachers as it relates to inclusive education • to investigate the challenges that both teachers and head teachers experience in inclusive education • to determine teachers and head teachers’ views regarding possible ways forward in so far as inclusive education is concerned including providing recommendations based on the responses provided by the teachers and head teachers. research questions the research will be determined by the following questions: i. what level of knowledge do both teachers and head teachers possess in so far as inclusive education is concerned? ii. what challenges do teachers and head teachers experience in so far as inclusive education is concerned? pa ge 10 6 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 105-108, 2024 iii. what possible solutions can teachers and head teachers provide in terms of dealing with the challenges of inclusive education? significance of the study the study is significant in that there is a paucity of studies that examine the experiences of those in government-run urban schools in malawi. therefore this study contributes to the literature regarding inclusive education with specific attention paid to those in government-run urban schools in malawi. literature review inclusive education in malawi is relatively new. this must be attributed to the fact that after malawi voted for a multiparty system of government which transformed the dynamics of malawian society. as a result of these changes, it would prompt the introduction of the free primary education (fpe) programme. the intended purpose of this programme was to curb the dropout rate that existed in the pre-1994 period (al-samarrai & zaman, 2006). what this led to was an unprecedented enrolment of learners from disadvantaged backgrounds. in spite of this, it would lead to an overcrowding of classrooms resulting in teachers being forced to teach under trees (hummel & werning, 2016). there is no doubt that the fpe was one strategy that sought to address the disparities as it concerns access to education. the reality, however, was that it did not adequately address the issue of inclusive education. even before inclusive education appeared in the picture, malawi initially focused their focus on learners with special needs. one of the few institutions to look into the issue concerning learners with special needs was the montfort college of special needs situated in nguludi, chiradzulu district. what prompted this need for a special needs college was when the catholic missionaries recognized that it was not sufficient to provide formal education if the needs of those with special education needs are not met (chimwaza, 2015). it was imperative that a school be developed that would cater for their needs along in what would become known as the montfort college of special needs. two decades later, a new special education programme for learners with difficulties would be established by the ministry of education. during its early stages, it was found that when it came to defining what constituted “inclusive education”, it came to be understood as those learners who had learning difficulties and disabilities (ministry of education, science and technology [moest], 2021). at present, montfort college of special needs is the only institution in the country that offers specialized training on special needs education. with that said, it does not adequately address the question as to what constitutes “inclusive education”. when speaking of inclusive education, it is not focusing solely on those with learning difficulties and disabilities but also those that have been marginalized. in the case of malawi, those that have been marginalized include those that are abused and neglected, those living with hiv/ aids, unwed teenage mothers and so on (moest, 2021). the argument behind inclusive education is that every child irrespective of their circumstances, should have a fair chance (chimwaza, 2015). that said, it has been acknowledged that as a developing country, malawi has found itself in a position where it has had to import concepts that do not mirror the realities facing the education system in the country (hummel & werning, 2016). this specifically holds true when it comes to inclusive education. in a study conducted by chimwaza (2015), it has been acknowledged that when it comes to the understanding of what constitutes “inclusive education”, teachers had a limited view of what it was all about. this has to be attributed to the lack of teacher expertise (de souza, 2022). it is found that because both lecturers and teacher training colleges lack the skills to train inclusive education teachers, there is a lack of expertise in the teachers being deployed in the schools (de souza, 2022). other challenges include the fact that as lecturers and teachers lack the necessary expertise on inclusive education, it is found that tenets of special education tend to overshadow inclusive education (de souza, 2022). even within mainstream education, it is found that more emphasis is placed on special rather than inclusive education (de souza, 2022). most public schools in malawi have had to contend with lack of proper infrastructure. as school infrastructure is an essential aspect of inclusive education, most public schools in malawi have had to contend with a lack of proper classrooms, sanitation facilities and playgrounds, including water points, which have had a direct impact on education access quality and equity (de souza, 2022). moreover, there is the issue of gender disparity to consider. de souza (2022) noted that boys are often favoured over girls and these often hinder the prospects of achieving inclusive education. it is further worth mentioning that as a country, malawi is made of four urban centers which are blantyre, lilongwe, mzuzu and zomba. being said, it is worth stating that the challenges that have been addressed thus far tend to be prominent in the rural as opposed to the urban areas. it is because of this that one would conclude that these are challenges solely faced in the rural areas. in response to this, the study will determine whether the challenges mentioned can be found in the urban schools as well. materials and methods with regard to the methodology, three urban schools were sampled upon. these included tsokamkanansi primary school in area 43, mkwichi primary school in area 47 and mbinzi primary school in area 3. initially, it was intended that a total of 47 teachers and 3 head teachers would be sampled but due to time constraints, it was found that a total of 31 were sampled instead. considering that the sampled population was small, it was felt that a quantitative approach would not be appropriate in this regard. this is because a quantitative approach would require a large population of 100 and above. pa ge 10 7 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 105-108, 2024 therefore, a qualitative approach was utilized for this study. among the methods that were employed for this study they included focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews. when it came to the focus group discussions, teachers were divided into five or six individuals. it is worth mentioning that this was dependent upon the schools visited. semi-structured interviews were utilized when it came to addressing the experiences of teachers and head teachers with regard to inclusive education. when it came to data analysis, it was organized and summarized into themes. considering that the study employed a qualitative approach and at the same time, focused on the experiences of both teachers and head teachers in the urban schools, specific quotes were obtained to express the sentiments of both teachers and head teachers alike. results and discussion knowledge of the teachers and head teachers in regard to inclusive education to address the main question concerning the experiences of both teachers and head teachers regarding inclusive education, it was imperative to begin by establishing their knowledge of inclusive education. in all three schools that were visited, it was established that both teachers and head teachers had basic knowledge of inclusive education. this knowledge is normally acquired through workshops and seminars. despite having acquired this knowledge, they indicate that handling learners with special needs was insufficient. they further highlighted that in spite of this, knowledge they have acquired is beneficial in the sense that it would deter them from chastising and abusing those with special needs. for instance, one teacher highlighted the benefits of knowing inclusive education: as teachers you find that in addition to the general education we receive from our respective colleges and universities, we need to acquire training in inclusive education. this training not only enables us to handle learners with special needs alone but also prevents us from abusing them. they, like any other normal learner have the right to an education as enshrined in the constitution. challenges experienced by head teachers and teachers as it relates to inclusive education aside from establishing the knowledge both teachers and head teachers have as it relates to inclusive education, it was imperative to explore the challenges experienced by both teachers and head teachers as it relates to inclusive education. in all the three schools that were visited, most did admit that the challenges were numerous. among the challenges that were highlighted in all three schools mentioned was the issue of the lack of teachers who specialized in inclusive education. most did highlight the fact that despite having the required knowledge to handle learners with special needs, what was most important was for schools to have a specialist trained in inclusive education. other challenges that were highlighted included the lack of teaching resources most notably braille for those that are blind and have difficulties with sight and hearing aids for those that are hard in hearing. most of the teachers did highlight that this had an impact on their school performance. as one teacher highlighted: we cannot neglect these learners. by not having all the necessary equipment needed to aid in their education, we are actually giving the message that they are not worthy of our attention which i think is not right. you will find that among these learners there are those that are talented. these need to be nurtured. furthermore, there was the issue concerning large classrooms. both teachers and head teachers have highlighted that there have been situations whereby because they handle large classrooms, they often find themselves neglecting those learners with special needs and this puts them in a disadvantageous position as it sends a wrong message to them. suggestions on how to improve the state of inclusive education as given by both teachers and head teachers there was further need to look into how the state of inclusive education could be improved. among the suggestions provided by both teachers and head teachers was the fact that there was need for teachers to be trained in inclusive education. they emphasized on the need for a component of inclusive education to be incorporated in the education curriculum as this will lead them to acquire the necessary skills needed to handle those with special needs. other suggestions include the fact that there was need for government and stakeholders through city councils to improve the school improvement programme as it did not cater all the problems surrounding inclusive education. there was further need for institutions of higher learning to train more teachers in inclusive education limitations of the study the study was not without its limitations. some of the limitations included the issue of time and resources needed to undertake the study on a wider scale as it is not a complete reflection of the situation in the wider malawian context. this is specifically when considering that undertaking such a study in a singular research site is not sufficient to provide an accurate picture of the situation on the ground. conclusion although inclusive education is relatively new in the malawian context, it is slowly receiving the attention it deserves in recent times. this study is no exception. when it comes to inclusive education, focus has tended to be placed on the experiences of schools in rural areas, and this is often at the neglect of those schools found in urban areas. in this case, the focus was upon local urban schools found in lilongwe district. based on the findings from this study it has demonstrated that the issues found pa ge 10 8 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 105-108, 2024 in urban schools are no different to those in the rural areas. some of the greatest threats facing inclusive education in most schools in malawi include the fact that there is a lack of teachers that have specialized training in inclusive education, lack of adequate teaching resources and issues of overcrowding in the schools. in light of the fact that malawi seeks to build a democratic society that is inclusive of everyone, what this study has come to demonstrate is that more must be done to improve the state of inclusive education in malawi. based on the findings that have been presented thus far, the following recommendations can be made: • there is a need for more higher learning institutions especially those with an education faculty to incorporate a component of inclusive education in their curriculum. • the government can collaborate with international partners and well-wishers to provide the necessary resources for teachers of learners with special needs. • as montfort college is the only institution in the country offering training in special needs, there is need for more institutions in the country that could offer training in inclusive education in order to address the challenges facing schools in malawi. references al-samarrai, s. & zaman, h. (2006, october). abolishing school fees in malawi: the impact on education access and equity. https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/130/ chimwaza, e. s. (2015, june). challenges in implementation of inclusive education in malawi: a case study of montfort special needs education college and selected primary schools in blantyre [master’s dissertation, diakonhjemmet university college] vid: open. https://vid.brage.unit.no/vid-xmlui/ handle/11250/2385760 de souza, b. (2022). policy responses to inclusive secondary education in malawi. rwandan journal of education, 6(1), 18 – 32. https://www.ajol.info/index. php/rje/article/view/232844. hummel, m. & werning, r. (2016). inclusive education: “same same but different”. examples from guatemala and malawi. zep: zeitschrift für internationale bildungsforschung und entwicklungspädagogik, 39(3), 22 -27. https://www.pedocs.de/frontdoor.php?source_ opus=15433 kunje, d., lewin, k. & stuart, j. (2003). primary teacher education in malawi: insights into practice and policy. centre for international education. ministry of education, science and technology (moest). (2021). towards an inclusive education system in malawi. https://rodra.co.za/images/countries/malawi/policies/ inclusive%20education%20strategy-2017-2021.pdf pa ge 1 pa ge 11 6 american journal of education and technology (ajet) utilization of student-created videos for laboratory activities in physics magayanes r. l. s.1, sarmiento b. g.2*, miguel j. r. p.3, diaz, j. j. g., argañosa j. b., brillantes l. c., luyahan j. t., barachina j. m. d., oca m. d. d.4 volume 2 issue 2, year 2023 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i2.1561 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: april 13, 2023 accepted: may 27 , 2023 published: june 07, 2023 the shift from a traditional to an online mode of learning due to covid-19 pandemic led the researchers to conceptualize and create videos for students who have no access to a laboratory facility. this research assessed the effect of student-created videos to the academic performance of fifty-three (53) bachelor of secondary education (bsed) students in physics 1 (electromagnetism) and 4 (waves and optics). the student-created videos served as the intervention of this research. laboratory worksheets and survey tools were used for data gathering. the paired samples t-test was utilized to determine the significant difference in the test scores before and after the intervention. results showed that academic performance in physics improved when coupled with student-created videos. laboratory videos helped enhance the quality of the learning process. therefore, this may be adopted in science subjects with laboratory component. keywords intervention, physics, student-created videos 1 the bridgewater school international inc., siniloan, laguna, philippines 2 mapua malayan colleges laguna, cabuyao, laguna, philippines 3 sti college, santa cruz, laguna, philippines 4 moreh global innovative college inc., victoria, laguna, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: bgsamiento@mcl.edu.ph introduction the widespread outbreak of the covid-19 pandemic has put education in a more complex and new teaching and learning environment. every student tried to adjust to the new normal, particularly science students who are required to perform laboratory activities that can enhance the learners’ knowledge and skills along with the continuous growth of technology, video and multimedia play a significant role in the rapid increase in secondary and higher education. educators learned to utilize videos from various websites and social media platforms to enable the students to comprehend the concepts deeply. student-created videos are undeniably helpful for the implementation of laboratory experiments. conducting experiments play in the holistic development of a student and the society at large. united nations educational scientific and cultural organization (unesco, 2014) encourages schools to improve instruction to make science and mathematics more appealing and increase the interest of more learners to venture in these fields. educational institutions are anchored in transforming learners to possess skills, thus, students are involved in doing pbl (project based learning) to cultivate their interest and strengthen their attitude toward learning science and technology. in this study, the researchers designed videos as supplementary tools for laboratory activities in physics 1 (electromagnetism) and 4 (waves and optics). the shift from a traditional to an online mode of learning due to covid-19 pandemic led the researchers to conceptualize and create videos for students who have no access to a laboratory facility. in march 15, 2020, national and local governments in the philippines imposed community quarantine as a measure to limit the spread of the virus (olanday and rigby, 2020). the suspension of face-to-face classes is a significant issue in science education, particularly in physics, because it requires experiments that should be conducted in a laboratory facility. experiments in science stimulate the mind through exploration and discovery, promoting critical thinking. teaching science without experiments would not be as practical as teaching with it (lindstorm, 1994 cited by dewitt et al. (2013). in the same paper, it was stated that learners remember and understand better when they see, hear, and do. the author also mentioned that the level of a student’s understanding of a subject during instruction is higher (75%) when they see, hear, and produce materials compared to students who only see during instruction (20%) and see and hear only (40%). amidst the restrictions to conduct face-to-face classes due to the covid-19 pandemic, the laguna university (lu) continued the teaching-learning process by implementing the seamless blended digital learning program (sbdlp) since the summer term, 2020 until at present. through the university’s learning management system all courses are delivered using digital modules that are made available to the students. all the learning resources such as files, power points, videos, and major examinations are uploaded through it as well. the researchers having analyzed the problem came up with the idea of developing student-created videos by creating through a step-by-step procedure to follow that may help teachers and students develop, guide, and stimulate their interest in scientific inquiry. the challenges that this research tried to solve is not an isolated case. the results of the experiment conducted by researchers at harvard university showed that using youtube as an alternative is as effective and even more effective than live demonstrations (fiorentino, 2020). concerning that matter, a research published in 2015 investigated the https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i2.1561 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= mailto:haytham.elaoufy%40gmail.com?subject= mailto:bgsamiento@mcl.edu.ph pa ge 11 7 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 116-123, 2023 effects of using digital video as an enhancing tool for teaching students’ laboratory-based lessons. the benefits of using video are the development of more autonomous learners; more time to pool and analyses class data; demonstrators’ time used for higher-level interaction with students, and the production of reusable learning objects forming the basis of more inquiry-based laboratory learning (croker et al., 2015). this research assessed the effect of student-created videos to the academic performance in physics 1 and 4. in the study of smith (2016), student-created reflective videos contributed significant learning that can “count” as a creative form of self-expression as well as an alternative method of measuring the learning process throughout project based learning (pbl). objectives of the study this study specifically sought: 1) to identify the challenges encountered by science students in conducting laboratory activities; 2) to design student-created videos as learning tools to conduct laboratory activities in physics; 3) to assess the academic performance of the respondents before and after the intervention; and 4) to determine the effectiveness of the intervention in terms of: a) suitability b) relevance c) level of engagement d) audio-visual quality. literature review according to jackman (2019), youtube is one of the modern e-resources that can be utilized in the modern tertiary instructional method. jackman (2019) added that it is the foremost broadly used view facilitating site, as seen as noticeable modern e-resources with various benefits within the college classroom too. as stated by seilstad (2009) youtube clips are fair a basic way to form the instructing fabric related and indicated. the results display the effectiveness of utilizing youtube recordings on the accomplishment of understudies and individual reflection on their learning advance (almurashi, 2016). however, one of the most significant obstacles for students in efficiently using the internet is information overload, which may necessitate students allocating time to select the helpful and acceptable material (dubovi & tabak, 2020). this action is stern when new or inexperienced users seek to validate and analyze the dependability of resources. dubovi & tabak (2020) also stated another issue that youtube users have while using videos for learning: the uneven quality of the accessible videos. since you tube is well-known for its simplicity of use, especially for youngsters, the aspect of perceived ease of use in examining it may be meaningless for adult students (ponce et.al, 2017). youtube offers a low barrier to entry for children due to its basic and straightforward ui (user interface). to avoid problems with the use of videos for teaching and learning, it is necessary to customize videos based on the needs of the learners. this study is anchored on the cognitive theory of multimedia learning by mayer and moreno (2002), active learning is more efficient when both auditory and visual channels are activated simultaneously under the principle that we have in auditory and visual channels for information processing and memory building. furthermore, eick and king (2012) stated that the use of instructional videos demonstrates that videos attract visual learners. this supports the cognitive theory of multimedia learning. moreover, buzzetto-more (2014) stated that viewing videos from youtube has been found to hold students’ attention. lastly, youtube videos boost the learning process and make learning more meaningful (buzzetto-more, 2013). another well-known network learning theories built for e-learning environments is connectivism. according to siemens (2006), connectivism is a philosophical paradigm that views learning as perceived as a network phenomenon mediated by technology and socialization. in connectivism, the starting point for learning occurs when learners connect with and engage in a learning environment to act on knowledge. clustering similar areas of interest that enables interaction, sharing, dialog, and thinking together is known as “learning communities” (siemens, 2006). thus, as stated by milligan (2006) learners can now build personal learning environments that allow them to generate as well as consume learning. since knowledge is continuously evolving, new additions to the field can influence its importance. based on the information learned, students need to access new information, determine its importance, and make decisions. significant skills that contribute to learning are the ability to search out current knowledge and process secondary and international information. studies on the relationship of student-created videos to the academic performance of physics students are still limited. the study results will benefit both students and teachers because teaching and learning laboratory-related topics can be effective without complicated equipment. moreover, this study is beneficial because it proposed some guidelines for making compelling videos for teaching physics, particularly in laboratory activities. methodology research design the research study is a quasi-experimental design based on data collection, analysis, and interpretation. in this study, the quasi-experimental research allowed the researchers to draw more unambiguous conclusions about the causal relationship between two variables (marsden & torgerson, 2012). moreover, in the quasi-experimental design, pretest and post-test were used to examine the effectiveness of the student-created videos for laboratory activities in physics 1 and 4. it assessed the academic performance of bsed students at laguna university after implementing the student-created videos for laboratory activities in physics. the study covered physics 1 (electromagnetism) and physics 4 (waves and optics). worksheets and survey tools were used in collecting data. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 11 8 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 116-123, 2023 this method served as an opportunity to share their experiences across the research process. in addition, this enriched their ability and allowed the respondents to answer the questions profoundly. the research design improved the understanding of the causal effects of various educational policies and interventions by focusing on internal validity—did the policy or intervention being studied cause a significant change in the observed outcome (and if so, by how much)—thereby yielding an unbiased estimate of the average treatment effect (campbell, 1957). lastly, the data were gathered, summarized, and analyzed to achieve the study’s objectives. research locale the study was conducted at the college of education of laguna university located at brgy. bubukal, santa cruz, laguna sports complex. it offers bachelor of secondary education (bsed) program major in science. this institution was selected to determine the effect of student-created videos to the academic performance of bsed physics students. population of the study thirty-five (35) bsed-2 science students were selected as respondents for physics 1 (electricity and magnetism) course, and eighteen (18) students from bsed-3 science were selected as respondents for physics 4 (waves and optics) in the first semester a.y. 2021-22 (september to october). a total of fifty-three (53) students participated in the study. research instruments a survey form was used to identify the challenges encountered by the students in courses with laboratories. the study underwent three stages towards completion: planning stage the digital modules uploaded in the learning management system of laguna university, ilearnu, served as the basis to develop the video content and laboratory worksheets (pre-test and post-test). the two modules developed by science teachers were: physics 1 (electricity and magnetism) and physics 4 (waves and optics). development stage an outline on video content was prepared by the researchers and was validated by two science teachers with doctorate degree and with ten years of teaching experience. actual materials were used to enhance the video content. the videos were uploaded to the youtube channel, ilabuagham tech which can be accessed via this link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/ ucej0gbseuvwam9pv5q2tx2g. laboratory worksheets parallel to the studentcreated videos were created for physics 1 and physics 4. the topics in physics 1 were series and parallel circuit and magnetism to electricity while physics 4 included topics on real and virtual images and behavior of light. to determine the perceptions of the students on the student createdvideos, the researchers used a survey tool that was administered using google form. the first part of the questionnaire was the respondents’ baseline information. the second part consists of questions about the respondents’ experiences in utilizing student-created videos on youtube that were designed to conduct laboratory activities. the last part assessed the perceptions or opinions on the studentcreated videos. validation stage this stage includes the assessment of the studentcreated videos of two chosen experts. revisions on the videos were done based on their evaluation, comments, and suggestions to further improve the material. the laboratory worksheets and evaluation form on the perception on the student-created videos were also validated by the experts. data gathering the challenges encountered by the students in terms of courses with laboratories were gathered with the use of google forms. the data was obtained from students’ scores in their laboratory activities in the pre-test and post-test. in the pre-test, the researchers provided the digital modules of laguna university as a basis to answer laboratory worksheets. for the post-intervention stage, worksheets were coupled with student-created videos in physics 1 and 4. after that, a post-test was administered. the researchers also conducted online surveys through structured questionnaires using google docs that focused on the student’s perceptions of using studentcreated videos for conducting laboratory activities in physics. to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention the following criteria were included in the survey: a. suitability (fitness of the intervention that meets the students’ needs) b. audio-visual quality (quality of the sound that is aligned to the sequence of visuals being shown) c. level of engagement (describes the level of motivation of the students that includes positive emotional connection) d. relevance (appropriateness of intervention and parallelism to the worksheets) treatment of the data the performance of physics students before the intervention was measured by conducting a pre-test. the student-created videos were shown to the students before giving the post-test. the result of the pre-test and post-test served as a basis to determine if the academic performance improved after the intervention (studentcreated videos). the raw scores in the pre-test and post-test were recorded and subjected to statistical analysis. descriptive statistics such as frequency distribution and means were computed. the paired sample t-test (alpha of 0.05) was used to https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 11 9 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 116-123, 2023 determine if there was a significant difference in the test scores in the pre-intervention and post-intervention stages. parallel to the average pre-test and post-test scores, a proficiency scale from sabales (2018) was adopted and modified and was utilized for data interpretation. for the survey tool, a likert scale from 1-5 was used for the evaluation of student-created videos. the corresponding interpretation were as follows: outstanding, above average, average, below average, and needs improvement. results and discussion before the pandemic, laboratory activities in physics were conducted inside the university, however, when the pandemic started, students conducted their experiments at home. the researchers thought of creating videos to address this concern. this study showed the effect of utilizing student-created videos to the academic performance in physics 1 and 4. the respondents’ level of academic performance was higher in the postintervention stage. moreover, these findings were similar to the study by (nadelson, scaggs, sheffield, and mcdougal, 2014), who found an increase in knowledge and performance in the laboratory, after exposure to the videos, to the reiteration of content. learning tools in the form of videos were helpful due to their authentic content. another study by richtberg and girwidz (2019) stated that students show a positive attitude toward educational videos on youtube. also, 76% of the students rated the quality of the educational videos as good and very good. challenges encountered in science courses in conducting laboratory activities table 1 shows the challenges encountered by physics students with their laboratory courses. majority (90%) of the respondents said that lack of laboratory materials and equipment is the first in rank when it comes to their physics laboratory. half of the respondents (55%) stated that lack of money to buy the required materials are one of the challenges they encountered. some (45%) stated that one video or reference is not enough to answer all the questions in the worksheet. thirty-five percent of the respondents (35%) encountered difficulty in following the procedure in their laboratory courses. thirty percent of the respondents (30%) experienced difficulty in finding references to answer the worksheets while few (15%) have other reasons. table 1: challenges encountered in physics courses when conducting laboratory activities challenges encountered number of respondents percentage lack of laboratory materials and equipment 18 90% lack of money to buy the required materials 11 55% difficulty in following the procedure 7 35% difficulty in finding references to answer the worksheets 6 30% one video/reference is not enough to answer all the questions in the worksheet 9 45% others 3 15% the challenges encountered by the students in courses with laboratory were (from greatest to least): 1. lack of laboratory materials and equipment; 2. lack of money to buy the required materials; 3. one video/reference is not enough to answer all the questions in the worksheet; 4. difficulty in following the procedure; 5. difficulty in finding references to answer the worksheets the result of the survey served as the basis for creating videos as supplementary tools in physics 1 and 4. academic performance in physics table 2 shows the results of the average scores of the respondents before and after the intervention. the data from the given set of scores in the pre-test shows that in phy1series and parallel circuit, the respondents achieved “proficient level” with an average score of 16.31 and in phy1magnetism to electricity the respondents achieved “approaching proficiency” level with an average score of 9.54. the respondents in phy4-real and virtual image achieved developing level with an average of 8.83 and phy4-behavior of light respondents achieved approaching proficiency level with an average of 15.67. the data obtained from the scores of the post-test of bsed reveals that the respondents in phy1-series and parallel circuit achieved “proficient level” with an average score of 18.6 and phy1-magnetism to electricity achieved “proficient level” with an average score of 12.4. the respondents in phy4-real and virtual images achieved “approaching proficiency” level with an average score of 13.28 and phy4-behavior of light respondents achieved “proficient level” with an average score of 17.83. table 2: summary of the average scores of all the respondents before and after the intervention topics pre-test score *proficiency level post-test score *proficiency level phy1-series and parallel circuit 16.31 proficient 18.6 proficient phy1magnetism to electricity 9.54 approaching proficient 12.4 proficient https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 12 0 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 116-123, 2023 table 3 shows the p-value for each topic in physics. the lower the p-value (less than 0.5), the higher the significant difference between the pre-test and post-test scores. pace and jones (2009) pointed out that viewing videos incorporating contextual examples provide an opportunity to build scientific literacy, a common goal of curricula. table 3 shows that the topic in physics 4behavior of light had the lowest p-value meaning the studentcreated video had a significant difference in improving the proficiency of the students. this was followed by the suitability of student-created videos as a learning tool for conducting laboratory activities in physics. less than half of the respondents (43.4%) strongly agree, and some (39.6%) answered agree. still, there were some respondents (15.1%) in a neutral state. audio-visual quality table 5 shows the percentage of the responses from 53 respondents of selected bsed science major on the audio-visual quality of student-created videos. some respondents (35.8%) gave above average while 35.8% gave average rate too. meanwhile, some respondents (28.3%) gave an outstanding rate. phy4-real and virtual images 8.83 developing 13.28 approaching proficiency phy4-behavior of light 15.67 approaching proficiency 17.83 proficient *source: scale adopted and modified from sabales (2018) table 3: summary of the results of t-test: paired two sample for means topic p-value physics 4: behavior of light 0.000197957 physics 1: magnetism to electricity 0.000269751 physics 4: real and virtual images 0.000811789 physics 1: series and parallel circuit 0.025634798 topic, physics 1-magnetism and electricity and topic on physics 4real and virtual images, respectively. the topic wherein the proficiency level had the least significant difference was related to physics 1series and parallel circuit. this study is similar to the study of al musleh (2017) wherein about 92% of the students agree that the laboratory videos helped them prepare for laboratory activities ahead of time. in the same study, approximately 80% of the students prefer to watch the laboratory videos rather than read the traditional laboratory sheets, while these videos do not cover all the information supplied in the laboratory hand out nor the theory part of the experiment. ninety percent (90%) of the respondents of al musleh agree that the videos helped them make better use of their time during the actual laboratory activity, and to get more accurate results. students’ perception on the studentcreated videos suitability table 4 shows the percentage of the responses from 53 students of selected bsed science majors about the table 4: suitability of the student-created video in physics scale number of respondents percentage outstanding 23 43.4% above average 21 39.6% average 8 15.1% below average 1 1.9% needs improvement 0 0% table 5: student-created videos in terms of audiovisual quality scale number of respondents percentage outstanding 15 28.3% above average 19 35.8% average 19 35.8% below average 0 0% needs improvement 0 0% level of engagement table 6 shows the percentage of the responses from 53 respondents of the selected bsed science major in terms of the level of engagement with the video. some respondents (35.8%) gave an outstanding rate, and 34% gave an above-average rate. meanwhile, some respondents gave an average rate of 28.3%. table 6: student-created videos in terms of being engaging scale number of respondents percentage outstanding 19 35.8% above average 18 34% average 15 28.3% below average 1 1.9% needs improvement 0 0% relevance student-created videos allow the users to watch and analyze the videos ranging from 5 to 10 minutes. bos et al. (2016) stated that watching recorded videos as a supplement in class heightened the efficiency of the knowledge base of the learners compared to simply watching videos of lectures that did not contribute to learning. arifin et al. (2020) stated that watching youtube https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 12 1 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 116-123, 2023 videos in class enhances the ability of the learner to comprehend and elicit information. it enables the learner to grasp the lesson efficiently and lively manner. it can make the learning process more delightful and meaningful. furthermore, youtube videos depict more realistically and comprehensively than conventional teaching methods. yaacob & md saad (2020) also stated that using youtube as a learning platform can help users accomplish various learning objectives, including cognitive, social, emotional, and behavioral. videos on youtube related to certain topics may be able to assist users in improving their cognitive abilities. table 7 shows that more than half of the respondents (54.7%) gave outstanding rate, while 26.4% gave an aboveaverage rate. meanwhile, some respondents (18.9%) gave an average rate of 28.3%. brame (2016) stated in her article that the effective use of video as an educational tool is increased once instructors consider three elements which are the following: managing a cognitive feature load of the video; increasing a. lack of laboratory materials and equipment; b. lack of money to buy the required materials; c. one video/reference is not enough to answer all the questions in the worksheet; d. difficulty in following the procedure; e. difficulty in finding references to answer the worksheets 2. the pre-test average score of the students in phy1series and parallel circuit is 16.31 with a rating of “proficient” while the average post-test score is 18.6 with a rating of “proficient.” the average pre-test score of the students in phy1-magnetism and electricity is 9.54 with a rating of “approaching proficiency,” while the post-test average score is 12.4 with a rating of “proficient.” 3. the average pre-test score of the students in phy4real and virtual images is 8.83 has a rating of “developing level” while the average post-test score is 13.28 with a rating of “approaching proficiency.” the pre-test average score of the students in phy4-behavior of light is 15.67 with a rating of “approaching proficiency” while the posttest average score is 17.83 with a rating of “proficient.” 4. the topic in physics 4-behavior of light had the lowest p-value meaning the student-created video had a significant difference in improving the proficiency of the students. this was followed by the topic in physics 1-magnetism and electricity and the topic in physics 4 real and virtual images, respectively. the topic wherein the proficiency level had the least significant difference was related to physics 1series and parallel circuit. 5. the students’ overall satisfaction with the studentcreated videos used as a learning tool for conducting laboratory activities in physics is high (47.2%) with a description of “strongly agree.” 6. the students’ rate in the suitability of the studentcreated videos as a learning tool for conducting laboratory activities in physics is high (43.4%), with a description of “outstanding.” the students’ rate in the relevance of the student-created videos to the topic is high (54.7%) with a description of “outstanding.” the students’ rate in the engagement level of the student-created videos is high (35.8%) with a description of “outstanding.” the students rate of the audio-visual quality of the studentcreated videos is high (35.8%), “above average.” conclusion based on the findings of the study the following conclusions were obtained: • lack of laboratory materials and equipment was the first in rank regarding the challenges encountered by the students in science courses with laboratory. • laboratory activities in physics were effective if coupled with student-created videos. • the respondents’ level of academic performance with the use of student-created videos was higher in the post-intervention stage. • the topic in physics 4behavior of light had the lowest p-value meaning the student-created video significantly improved the students’ proficiency. this table 7: relevance of the student-created videos to the topic scale number of respondents percentage outstanding 29 54.7% above average 14 26.4% average 10 18.9% below average 0 0% needs improvement 0 0% student engagement with the video and promoting active learning from the video. brame (2016) added that a few recommendations considering these three elements are keeping videos brief and centered on learning objectives, using audio-visual elements to deliver suitable explanations, making these elements balanced instead of redundant, emphasizing significant ideas and concepts, using a casual style to enrich engagement, and embed videos of active learning with guide questions, interactive elements, or supplementary assignments. the studentcreated videos were suitable learning tools for conducting laboratory activities in physics. for the videos to be effective, they should be relevant to the topic, engaging, and possess a pleasing audio-visual quality. the role of science teachers in creating their own material for instruction and assessments is as critical as their techniques and strategies provide the medium to design learning tools. as such, it is very significant to consider their competencies to develop students’ research skills, helping them refine their projects, and training them to become problem-solvers, critical thinkers, and creative thinkers (dost-sei & upnismed, 2011). based on the data analysis, these were the significant findings: 1. the challenges encountered by the students in courses with laboratory were (from greatest to least): https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 12 2 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 116-123, 2023 was followed by the topic, physics 1-magnetism and electricity and the topic in physics 4real and virtual images. in contrast, the topic in physics 1: series and parallel circuit had the least significant difference in improving the proficiency level. • the student-created videos were suitable learning tools for conducting laboratory activities in physics. according to the respondents, the videos were relevant to the topic, engaging, and have a pleasing audio-visual quality. recommendations considering the conclusions drawn from the findings, the recommendations of the study are as follows: 1) science teachers may integrate learning tools into their teaching strategy to help solve the lack of access to laboratory materials and equipment, especially during a pandemic. the components of an effective learning tool included in this study may be used as a basis for the implementation. 2) the student-created video should be concise, but to the point, focusing on the most relevant aspects of the experiment to facilitate the learning process. 3) other researchers can also assess the effectiveness of student-created videos across different topics. acknowledgment the researchers would like to express their immense gratitude to the people who supported and imparted their knowledge in completing this study. our sincerest gratitude to all the bsed science 2nd and 3rd year students of laguna university for their cooperation and honesty during the data gathering. above all, to god almighty who made everything possible. references almurashi, w. a. 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(2020). acceptance of youtube as a learning platform during the covid-19 pandemic: the moderating effect of subscription status. tem journal, 1732–1739. https:// doi.org/10.18421/tem94-54 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article 1776 copy.indd pa ge 1 pa ge 91 american journal of education and technology (ajet) challenges to rural infrastructural development and coping strategies in mezam division, north west region of cameroon funwi godlove ngwa1, yinkfu randy nkuh1*, roland nformi1, ngwani awudu1 volume 2 issue 3, year 2023 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i3.1776 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: june 11, 2023 accepted: july 06 , 2023 published: august 05, 2023 despite efforts made to improve rural infrastructural development over time, many rural infrastructural projects in the rural mezam division have remained of poor quality. this paperset out t make an evaluation of the challenges faced by the local population in the mezam division and the coping strategies they have adopted to cope with the rural under development. 260 questionnaires were distributed and 210 were obtained. 30 interviews were conducted with rural dwellers, ngos, community-based associations, and state administrators three focus group discussions were organized with 8 members, bringing the total to 24 participants. multivariate analysis was utilized to establish the framework for judging the quality of rural infrastructural projects and to identify the various coping strategies in the rural mezam division.data have been analysed both qualitatively and quantitatively; and have been presented on fi gures, tables, and photos.findings revealed that rural infrastructure projects in the rural mezam division are often implemented in challenging environments such as a poor administrative system, scarcity of skilled labour force, low institutional capacity, and high levels of mismanagement. the various development sectors such as agriculture, transport, education and health sectors are affected negatively which has led to rural underdevelopment. as such, the rural people who are the main benefi ciaries of rural infrastructure have adopted different coping strategies in the different development sectors in order to sustain their lives. furthermore, the paper holds that the way forward is for the ruralcouncils to be made autonomous so that they can raise revenue through taxes and use the fi nances for rural development. keywords rural infrastructure, challenges, coping strategies, mezam division 1 department of geography, faculty of social and management sciences, university of buea p.o. box 63 buea, cameroon * corresponding author’s e-mail: yinkfurandy8@gmail.com introduction rural development is often taken to denote developmental activities and initiatives that are taken by the governments, donors, non-governmental organizations, and communities with the objective of improving the standards of living in rural areas. with the potentials in the rural areas and challenges abound as exploitation is concerned, there is a glaring call for appropriate rural developmental policies and a more effective use of resources to improve on the living conditions of the rural population through developmental projects. statement of the research problem although, it is perceived that adequate provision of infrastructural facilities will enhancethe introduction and adaptation of innovative ideas towardsthe bettermentof the quality of life in the rural areas. this has led to rural underdevelopment in the rural mezam division. ruralmezamdivision has splendid opportunities for investment, wealth creation, culture, tourism and other socio-economic activities. all four municipalities regardless of size are endowed with natural and human resources. its population is industrious, resourceful, and uniquely hospitable and of exotic cultures. other examples of the strengths include a rich natural resource base that could be exploited for production purposes, traditional defense groups, indigenous knowledge, local markets, forest resources and livestock. there exist enough opportunities in the region, if used effi ciently, responsibly and transparent, will encourage sustainable infrastructural development for the benefi t of the rural population and its benefi ts spread to the entire region. unfortunately, the implication of these rural development projects in the rural mezam has been impeded as observed by the topdown approach in which the rural people are not involved in projects conception, planning and monitoring which often lead to failure and abandonment of many valuable projects (un, 2005). thus, the rural people are barely sustaining their lives with local indigenous ideas which are rudimentary and not sustainable enough. methodology mezam division is one of the seven divisions in the north west region of cameroon with a surface area of 1,841.45km2. the region is situated within the highland area of the north west region of cameroon. it is located between latitudes 5°40`n and 7° 50`n of the equator, and longitudes 09°8` e and 11° 51` e of greenwich meridians (ndenecho and akum, 2009). mezam division is boarded to the north by boyo division, south by the west region, east by ngoketunjia division and west by momo division. rural mezam occupies the north and the southern parts of the division (figure 1). rural mezam constitute bafut, bali, santa and tubah rural municipalities have a combined population of over 498,000 people. santa sub-division has the largest pa ge 92 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 91-103, 2023 population, which stands at over 223,000people, followed by bafut and bali sub-divisions with about 129,000 and 89,000 people respectively while tubah is the least with 57,000 inhabitants as of 2015 projections (united councils & cities of cameroon (cvuc)-visited, 2022). rural mezam has an agrarian economy with over 80% of the population involved in either the cultivation of crops or the rearing of animals. data for this study were gotten from both primary and secondary sources. primary sources of data included questionnaires, interviews and group discussions. these primary data sources targeted individuals and groups who were directly involved and contributed to the rural development process in mezam. the populations of the four rural municipalities of santa, bafut, bali and tubah were investigated to obtain this fi rst-hand information. these rural populations were targeted because they are the benefi ciary groups and constitute the main stakeholders who have a pivotal role to play in their rural development process. the community members provided information regarding their views, feelings and opinion about their contributions to development programs that intend to enhance service delivery and satisfaction of basic needs. secondary data was obtained from published sources such as textbooks, archives, legislation, policies, and previous research papers while unpublished sources of data included theses, dissertations, documents, reports and written materials about stakeholder contributions to rural development.data from both primary and secondary sources was analysed using the descriptive and inferential statistical techniques. measurable aspects of data such as responses from questionnaires and interviews were analysed using quantitative analyses. in order to attain this objective, a mixed research methods was adopted in this research with quantitative and qualitative applied. two hundred sixty (260) questionnaires were distributed and two hundred and ten (210) were obtained, giving a total of 80.8% responses. this sample frame was accompanied by 30 interviews were conducted on rural dwellers, ngos, community based associations and state administrators beside three focus group discussions. figure 1: location of the study area, a) north west region in cameroon, b) mezam division in the north west region, c) a detailed layout map of mezam division. source: adopted from ndenecho and akum (2009) these primary sources of data gave the researcher fi rsthand information about what existed in the fi eld. besides these, photos of infrastructural projects were taken to show the magnitude of the problem. multivariate analysis was utilized to establish the framework for judging the quality of rural infrastructural projects and to identify the various coping strategies in the rural mezam division. quantitative data were analyzed using percentages and presented on charts. non-measurable aspects of the data such as the state of development projects like roads, water supply and educational facilities were analyzed using qualitative techniques. the qualitative analysis was done with the help of fi eld observation. the data was then presented with the help of fi gures, photos, and bar charts. results and discussions rural infrastructural challenges the various rural development sectors in mezam include agriculture, transport, education, health water, and electricity supply. these sectors face different challenges in their development endeavors to serve the populations. pa ge 93 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 91-103, 2023 challenges in the agricultural sector constraints to agricultural development in rural mezam include confl icts, remoteness of production areas, diffi culties in marketing agricultural produce due to fl uctuations in prices, and ineffective post-harvest operations, all attributed to the poor condition of roads linking the production areas to towns which are the main markets (figure 2). findings revealed that 34.3% of the rural population suffers from confl icts such as farmergrazier, socio-cultural and inter-tribal confl icts as well as the anglophone crisis. the result also show that 24.3% of the rural population suffer from high cost of transportation, 20.5% suffer from bad and seasonal roads, 11% suffer from losses render from food rot and 10% suffer from the lack of storage and preservation techniques. these challenges limit agricultural productivity which lowers the incomes of the rural people thus rendering them poor. women and vulnerable groups are also figure 2: challenges in the agricultural sector in the rural mezam source: field work (2022) acutely affected. female headed households are generally poorer and often fall within the lowest income categories of people as they suffer more in the rural mezam. the women and female headed households are thus involved in seasonal crops which yield little income compared to perennial crops. mbororolivestock farmersin the rural mezam division just like the female population do not own land and cannot carry out settled livestock breading in ranches. this keeps them wondering on the hills in transhumant form of cattle rearing causing farmer/ grazier confl icts in the region. poverty alleviation among the women and mbororo populations is thus a diffi cult task given the fact that these groups of people do not have access to land. development takes place on land but their inability to own land leave the marginalized female and mbororo populations with meagre resources to depend on. the business sector in rural mezam also face challenges such as limited access to loan, low prices for agricultural produce, poor quality and limited market sheds, absence of large scale business operators, lack of price control, inadequate social facilities like toilets, slaughter slaps, water, poor hygienic conditions in rural markets, overcrowded and disorganised markets as well as low level of transformation and preservation of local products which lead to food decomposition and waste (figure 3). findings revealed that 28% of the population complained of insuffi cient constructed market sheds which makes storage and sell of their marketable products diffi cult. the results also show that 20% complained of low prices of agricultural products which reduce the incomes of farmers and discouraging most youths to get involve in farming activities. figure 3: challenges in rural markets of mezam source: field work (2022) pa ge 94 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 91-103, 2023 the rural people in mezam (17%) also complained of the absence of water and electricity while 14% complained of the lack of market fences and security guards to secure the few shops in the market. the growth of income generating activities, small and medium-size enterprises in rural areas is further hindered by numerous national and district regulations related to licensing, business fees, and taxation adversely affecting business development and limiting motivation for the private sector to invest in the rural mezam. higher operational costs, poor infrastructure, and distances from major markets all act as a disincentive. farmers still expose their products to bad weather conditions which lead to food decay. there is poor organization among agricultural producers in the rural mezam which has also made it diffi cult for them to determine the price of their produce. they are thus often cheated by buyers mostly the “buyamsellam” who come in to buy from them in major towns in cameroon and beyond. the situation is further worsened by the fact that some farmers’ cooperatives in the rural mezam have gone bankrupt and collapsed due to mismanagement. this has discouraged most farmers who chose to work individually and the benefi ts of cooperative farming through increased farmers’ incomes and better living standards are all lost leaving rural farmers in mezam trapped in poverty. challenges in the transport sector the poor state of rural roads is a critical constraint to the development of the agriculture sector which is the major economic activity in the rural mezam. out of the total road network, only 11.5% of the rural roads are paved roads and 88.5% unpaved. only 14% of the unpaved roads are in good condition, 25% in fair condition and the remaining 61% is in poor condition and highly seasonal in nature (north-west regional delegation of transport, 2022). the performance of the road sector has deteriorated to the extent that transport has become a constraint to economic recovery especially in the agricultural sector which is a backbone of the rural economy in mezam division. poor road network especially farm to market roads make it diffi cult for circulation of vehicles and motor bikes leading to post-harvest loss. producers and service providers are facing the problem of accessing markets for their products or services due to poor transport and communication services in these rural communities. unfair competition of local products has led to dumping of agricultural products in rural markets most especially during peak periods. challenges in the educational sector schools in rural mezam still suffer from insuffi cient staff; classrooms, workshops in technical schools and where these workshops do exist, insuffi cient machines, figure 4: challenges in rural educationin the rural mezam source: field work (2022) breakdowns, and power failure are common. schools are also located far off from some communities and children still trek over long distances to attend school (figure 4). findings revealed that 22.4% of the rural population complained of the absence of school fences which allow intruders like thieves and stray animals also get into the school campuses looting, destroying gardens with crops and fl owers. the population of rural mezam also complained of long distance to school (20%) as pupils and students have to trek over long distances to get to schools. the results also show that 17.2% of the population complained of insuffi cient teachers in schools, 18.6% complained of insuffi cient classrooms, 11.9% complained of insuffi cient benches while 10% of the rural populations complained of high rates of school fees. children still trek over long distances to attend schools, while those who graduate from secondary schools need to move out of their villages to have access to high school education. observation revealed 63% of rural areas in mezam where the remoteness of schools still constitutes a real hindrance to effective schooling. children in remote parts of bafut, pinyin, bawock and babanki still attend school at older ages due to remoteness and long distances to schools. besides remoteness, the inaccessibility to other social services has been the cause of the lack of assiduity and punctuality of teachers in the countryside. moreover, the teachers newly recruited into the civil service and private pa ge 95 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 91-103, 2023 sector who have mostly been trained in towns fi nd it diffi cult to adapt themselves to an environment where there is no internet, no phone network, where the habitat is not decent, where there is shortage of drinking water and electricity, where their children cannot attend schools equipped with ict as is the case in most villages in the rural mezam division. there have been thus frequent absenteeism and job abandonments on the part of teachers. most rural mezam still run short of teachers due to these social problems. attacks on school buildings, teachers, parents and children have been frequent in the course of the anglophone crisis. almost 9 out of every 10 children have been out of school for nearly three years with 80% of schools closed in the rural mezam (unesco, 2019). children forced to fl ee to bush areas have been left without access to any form of education. children out of school face a myriad of severe protection risks including sexual exploitation and abuse, gender-based violence, harassment, recruitment by armed groups, arbitrary arrest, early marriage, pregnancy and child labour. children have also been separated from their families during displacement or have had to head households as a result of their parents or care givers being killed during confl ict. schools that remain operational are signifi cantly under-resourced. most teachers are now out of work and the majority from the private sector is not receiving any salary. those who are still able to work require training for teaching in a crisis context, including how to provide psychosocial support to children. the situation is aggravated by the politicization of education with the declaring that children should not go to school until a political solution is agreed. the crisis has slowed down and worsens the state of socio-economic development of rural mezam as most stakeholders are scared of the insecurity. challenges in the water supply sector most households in the communities used water from small wells, springs, streams or river for daily activities. however, water from streams is unsafe because it is polluted by cattle and debris from soil erosion due to increased farming activities on watersheds. in addition, the supply of water from small wells or the streams and springs is often insuffi cient because of reduction of discharge during the dry season. climate variability couples with unprotected nature of water catchments have all led to an increase in the number of intermittent streams with drastic drop in the base fl ow of most rivers in the region. dry stand pipes, absence of potable water, unwillingness of some people to participate in realising potable water schemes has resulted to water rationing and other problems facing the water sector in the rural mezam (figure 5). figure 5: challenges inwater supply in the rural mezam source: field work (2022) figure 5 shows the challenges in the water supply sector in rural mezam. a majority (30%) of the population of rural mezam lack of potable water while 23% complained of the dirty nature of drinking water, 18% complained of the seasonal fl ow of water sources, 13% complained about water rationing, dry standpipes as well as the absence of water management committee. despite the internal and external efforts made to involve local communities in domestic water supply projects in the rural mezam division, the problem of water shortages is still acute in the region. the problem lies in the fact that there is inadequate participation of local communities in water development projects. the populations are mostly involved in the implementation stages of project implementations while projects are mostly conceived by the well to do in society without the consultation of the masses. in addition, most of the large water projects that were established and managed by communities in the past have failed mainly due to population growths which has outgrown the capacities of these water schemes as is the case in bafut and bali. some households have to trek for over long distances taking too much time to collect drinking water from the nearest spring during the dry season. this is common in cattle grazing areas like pa ge 96 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 91-103, 2023 northern bafut and sabga. thus, clean water supply has been the main concern for local communities in the rural mezam. potable water is drinkable, good for personal hygiene but each year millions of people die as aresult of dirty water (who, 2015) observations showed that village water projects were not effi ciently operated as water was left fl owing and wasted while other neighbourhoods lacked water. in addition, the small nature of water storage tanks of not more than 30m3 were designed to serve a small number of people in the villages and due to fi nancial constraints, little efforts had been made to improve the scheme and increase the number of water points to meet the increasing populations. water catchments in the community are also not protected and often invaded by cattle and farmers which have increased the number of seasonal streams and springs in the municipality. increased in intermittent streams, population growths and water shortages during the dry season were the main reasons which caused the people to fetch water from doubtful sources posing a health risk to the people in most localities. this fi nding corroborate that of ngwani et al, (2023) in nkambe and ndu who noticed that water from most sources is not treated exposing the populations to diseases. at the household level, water consumption in suffi cient quantity and quality minimum of 25 litres per capita per day is a basic human right (united nations, 2010) which is indispensable for a healthy and productive life to reduced disease incidences, reduced health-related costs and improved socio-economic development. to improve the likelihood of sustainability, water supply schemes require co-fi nancing, where households contribute part of the money, labour or materials to build facilities. these contributions are inadequately available in the rural mezam leading to water shortages. challenges in the health sector unfortunately health programs in the rural mezam often do not achieve their potential scale due to social, cultural and management factors which are linked to health workers and administrators who sometimes are positioned between the health sector and the rural communities. some of the health problems in the rural mezam include long distance covered by patience to get to hospitals, absence of specialist in health centres, absence of laboratories in health centres, absence of pro-pharmacist, insuffi cient nurses and ignorance on the part of the populations on the availability of some medical facilities in their communities due to poor communication (figure 6). figure 6: challenges in the health sector in the rural mezam source: field work (2022) findings in fi gure 5 revealed that 22.4% of the rural population of mezam do not have health specialists in the hospitals and health institutions which has force some of them to travel out of their communities to seek for medical care in bamenda, 20.5% complained of long distances for most patience to get to the nearest health centre with inaccessible roads which further weaken patience, 19.5% lack laboratory in their health centre which makes it diffi cult for them to be tested and treated in their communities, 17.5% do not have pro-pharmacist which makes them to buy drugs from roadside vendors while 11.4% complained of the insuffi cient nurses in the health centres and hospitals to care for patients. rural mezam is still to benefi t from a well-established health and sanitation system due to insuffi cient health staff, insuffi cient experts, lack of toilets in some homes, open defecation of humans and animals, lack of potable water in some communities and their consequences in form of diseases and pest. most of the health problems in the rural mezam division are attributed to infectious or communicable diseases with preventable causes but the poor management of the health sector has kept the rural populations ignorant on how to go about some of these illnesses. the health situation of the rural population in mezam is still relatively low due to challenges in the health sector. the poor, aged, handicapped and underprivileged that can neither pay nor trek to health centres are left ignorant and untreated. pa ge 97 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 91-103, 2023 the failure of government to sustainably develop rural mezam has urged the rural people to seek for alternative adaptation measures to cope with the diffi culties of rural under development. the rural people in mezam have adopted different indigenous adaptation strategies in the sectors of agriculture, water supply, education, health and transport to cope. indigenous coping strategies in agriculture in the rural mezam some of the rural indigenous strategies adopted in the rural mezam include mixed cropping, mixed farming, fi eld rotation, composting and use of manure, irrigation and njangi groups (figure 7). figure 7: indigenous coping strategies agricultural sector source: field work (2022) figure 7 shows the indigenous adaptation strategies in response to challenges face in the agricultural sector in rural meza. the rural people in meza have adopted local strategies to improve on their outputs. findings revealed that 24% of the rural people in mezam adopted mixed cropping. the results also indicated that 21% of the rural people have adopted mixed farming, 17% adopted farm rotation, 14% adopted composting, burning (ankara), and the use of manure, 11% adopted the use of wood ash as pesticide, 8% belong to njangi and cigs while 5% adopted farm irrigation as a means of improving their outputs. the farmers are poor and cannot afford fertilizers to improve their yields. they also have small farm sizes since they cannot afford machines to plough large plots. as such the farmers adopt mixed cropping so that within the same farm, if one crop fails to produce good yields the other will help sustain the farmer. mixed cropping also help improve soil fertility as the nodules of crops like beans do help improve soil fertility which boost farmers output. the farmers also rotate crop cultivation on the small pieces of land they cultivate so that tubers can help soften the soil while root nodules help improve soil fertility. a majority of farmers use compost manure mostly in ‘ankara’ as well as animal and fowl dung to improve on soil fertility since they cannot afford fertilizers (figure 8). however, the ankara system is controversial as burning cause loss of hydrogen and kills soil organisms (lambi 2001). figure 8: indigenous agricultural coping strategies in the rural mezam source: field work (2022) pa ge 98 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 91-103, 2023 figure 8 shows the various adaptation measures adopted by the rural farmers in mezam in an effort to withstand the challenges in the agricultural sector. the farmers have adopted mixed farming technique to rear birds and animals as a source of protein as well as cultivate crops since they cannot afford buying from the market all the time. pest and diseases also affect crops cultivated by farmers and they mostly use wood ash to fi ght against blight affecting potatoes and vegetables since they cannot afford insecticide. some farmers maintain soil fertility by allowing farm plots to fallow, letting cattle to graze on fallow farms since cow dung helps to enrich the soil. some farmers are trying to increase their income by getting into the process of their produce mostly through farmer’s cooperatives but the high cost of processing machines coupled with the low income of farmers makes it diffi cult for most farmers to afford such machines. indigenous coping strategies in the transport sector rural participation has in most cases been implemented through village development associations (vdas) which get the rural people involved in community labour to improve on their transport and communication. the rural population has embarked on local indigenous strategies like the clearing of road sides, digging and levelling of roads, draining and fi lling of potholes, building culverts and bridges as well as the erection of rain gates (figure 9). figure 9: indigenous coping strategies in transport sector source: field work (2022) figure 9 revealed that 36% of the rural people in mezam division have been clearing and cleaning road sides with cutlasses and hoes as a way of maintaining rural roads. the results also show that 25% of the rural people have been involve in the digging, widening and levelling of foot paths to create new roads in enclave communities for automobiles to access such. also, 20% of the rural population has been involved in the draining and fi lling of potholes on rural roads, 13% involved in the building of culverts and bridges while 6% has been involved in the construction of rain gates. the rain gates prohibit heavy duty vehicles from using the rural earth roads during heavy rainstorms to limit the muddy and slippery nature of roads during the rainy season. all these strategies adopted by the rural people have help to improve on the state of rural roads but the seasonal nature of these roads still leave the rural populations in high need of wellconstructed and maintained roads (figure 10). figure 10: a locally constructed bridge on a farm-to-market, road in pinyin, santa municipality source: field work (2022) pa ge 99 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 91-103, 2023 photo 1 shows a locally constructed bridge on a farmto-market road in pinyin-santa municipality. the populations of villages in the rural mezam have adopted the technique of constructing bridges with local materials like sticks and planks to link farm to market roads. these roads in most cases are not motorable but can be used by motor-bikes and pedestrians to transport inputs to farms and farm products to the market (photo 2). the lessons learned from rural roads sector in the rural mezam division still show short comings due to insuffi cient focus on road maintenance and community involvement. despite rural adaptation strategies, the road sector underdeveloped. poor road network especially farm to market roads make it diffi cult for circulation of vehicles and motor bikes leading to post-harvest loss. experiences from community participatory projects are of great importance to rural road development and maintenance but effective community participation still lead to poor transport network as transport development is in a topbottom approach. figure 11: farmers using a truck for transportation in bafut source: field work (2022) photo 2 shows farmers using a truck for transportation on an earth road in the bafut municipality. the poor state of farm to market road in the rural mezam does not permit the free movement of vehicles. this has made the transportation of farm produce diffi cult causing farmers to adopt head portage and the use of trucks as well as motor bikes for transportation. indigenous coping strategies in the health and education the high rate of unemployment, poverty, teenage pregnancy and poor health infrastructure further weakens the rural population rendering them unable to participate in the development of their communities. the rural people in mezam have thus developed indigenous strategies of taking care of their health needs given the few medical specialist and insuffi cient facilities. health care delivery in the rural mezam has thus utilized community volunteers from time to time in different forms to link the community with the health care system. community based volunteers are often involved in giving health education, maternal and child health and family welfare services, management of minor ailments, fi rst aid and vaccinations. the rural people also visit herbalist and traditional doctors to get solutions to their health needs as well as get involved in sanitation activities (figure 12). figure 12: health sector coping strategies source: field work (2022) pa ge 10 0 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 91-103, 2023 the people of rural mezam have adopted local strategies to prevent, treat and reduce the rate of infections in their various communities. findings from fi gure 10 revealed that 35.6% are involved in sanitation activities such as watering, sweeping, laundry washing of utensils in their homes. the people are also involved in clearing around their immediate surroundings, water supply sources construction of latrines in homes, markets, churches and schools. the results also show that 25.3% of the population visit traditional doctors to seek for treatment given the fact that health centres are not up to expectation while 15% of the population use herbs and back of trees as medicine for treatment. given the few available health centres and the long distances to get to them, 23.1% of the population use bikes and at times trek to get the health centres or traditional doctors to get treatment. only 4% of the rural people are involved in volunteering and sensitisation due to their low levels of education and little or no compensation for voluntary services. some diseases like malaria and fractures from accidents have been carefully handled in these rural communities through these indigenous health strategies thus reducing the health burden in the community. however, these indigenous health strategies are of great help to the rural populations in mezam given the fact that the state and the private sector have not been able to fully provide the essentials of rural health system. the indigenous health strategies are still not effi cient enough thus leaving the rural areas in need of sustainable health facilities. comprehensive care coordination is an essential element of a high performance system because it facilitates patient-centre care integration; effectively utilizes scarce rural resources; and improves clinical quality through timely information sharing among clinicians, patients, caregivers, and community-based support providers which rural mezam division is still lacking. the people have also resorted to the construction of classrooms, toilets and administrative blocks, providing benches and didactic materials, provision of potable water, electricity and payment of teachers in a move to reduce the challenges affecting the educational sector in the rural mezam (figure 11). figure 13: coping strategies the in educational sector source: field work (2022) figure 13 shows that 29.2% of the population has been involved in the construction of classrooms and administrative blocks in the various schools in the rural mezam division to solve the problem of insuffi cient classrooms while 23.3% had participated in the provision of benches to schools to solve the problem of insuffi cient benches in schools. findings also revealed that 22.1% of the population of rural mezam division has been involved in the payment of pta levees. this money had been used to pay pta teachers, buy didactic materials figure 14: books donation by pta at cotecc bafut, location: latitudes 6˙70˙n and longitudes 09˙89˙ e source: field work (2022) pa ge 10 1 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 91-103, 2023 and other school needs. the population (11%) has also been involved in the building of toilets in schools in an effort to improve on the sanitation situation in schools and reduce the rate of infections among school children while 9.3% had been involved in the provision of potable water in schools and 5.1% had been involved in the provision of electricity to run computer laboratories and other school machines especially in technical schools. all these contributions and others like donation of text books, drinking pales and sensitisations have been aimed at reducing the burden of school needs which have not been met by rural councils and other administrative units involved in rural development in mezam (photo 3). photo 3 shows the donation of books by pta at cotecc bafut. the inability of parents to fully acquire school materials for their children has made the pta s to adopt the approach of assisting students with books and other school materials in an effort to boost education in the rural mezam. involvement of the parents and the community in school management and more so in budgeting and allocation of funds to meet various expenses helps them to understand how the money they contribute through fees payment and pta levees are spent. as a result, they are likely to appreciate the use of resources that they provide and they could be inspired to provide more. this has enabled them to provide infrastructure and give resources according to priorities and capability. indigenous coping strategies in water supply in the rural mezam the rural populations in mezam have resorted to water harvesting, segmenting water uses along streams and rivers, clearing and cleaning around streams and springs, as well as digging wells and trenches for access to improved water sources (figure 12). figure 15: indigenous coping strategies in water sector source: field work (2022) findings shows that majority (29.7%) of the rural people have resorted to springs as their sources of drinking water given the absence of potable water in their communities. findings also show that 22.3% of the population depends on streams as sources of drinking water while 18% of the people depend on water harvesting during the raining season. rural mezam is not a water defi cient community but access to clean drinkable water is still a problem and 15% of the rural population confi rmed to have participated in the clearing and cleaning their sources of water for accessibility and to maintain its clean state while 9.4% of the population had participated in the digging of trenches for the laying of pipes to connect water and 6% had been getting their drinking water from wells. the few wells are explained by the fact that they are costly to construct by individuals and shallow wells do dry up during the dry season thus making the water crisis in the rural mezam more acute. in areas like upper bafut where cattle rearing are common, cattle do invade drinking water sources amongst other human activities. access to potable water remains a great challenge in the 21st century as water scarcity affects over 40% of figure 16: laundry in a small stream at agyati, bafut municipality source: field work (2022) pa ge 10 2 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 91-103, 2023 the world’s population (who, 2018). clean water and sanitation is called to question as to whether it availability will be achieved by 2030 (sdg no.6). safe and affordable drinking water is the dream of most people in the rural mezam. this is in line with kimengsi et al (2015) that water problems in buea are fuelled by poor planning of local council and government. some villagers have segmented water uses along major streams reserving the upper courses of streams for drinking water sources while laundry, bathing and animals drinking are reserved respectively in the lower courses of the streams. some springs and stream courses are serving as shrines to limit human activities in these areas and reserve these water sources for the rural populations. these indigenous strategies have reduced the amount of turbidity in water sources but the challenges and access to good drinking water are still much available in the rural mezam division (photo 4). photo 4 shows women doing laundry in stream at agyati in the bafut municipality. the shortage and at times absence of potable water makes women and children to carry out laundry in streams since transporting water over long distances to for domestic activities becomes diffi cult. collecting and carrying large amounts of water is physically demanding and limits time available to pursue educational, professional and leisure activities. moreover, women and girls risk physical and sexual assault when collecting water or trying to fi nd a sanitized location to relieve themselves. access to potable drinking water and secure sanitation facilities is recognized as a human right. however, the importance of water, particularly in rural communities, lies not only in its requirement for sustaining life. water is necessary for food production, economic activities and environmental integrity, which all contribute to human wellbeing. the incidence of water-based (schistosomiasis), waterborne (cholera), water-related (malaria) and water-washed (example, scabies) diseases can be abated through the sustainable and affordable access to improved water supply and better hygiene services which rural mezam division is still lacking. safe drinking water, basic toilet and hygien practices have become scarce with locals being victims of their scarce impacts. this fi nding is similar to that of ngwani et al in 2023 and african policy circle (2020) who associated these scarcities to poor planning and governance. conclusion the indigenous people in the rural mezam go through major diffi culties given the failure of stakeholders to improve on the living conditions of the rural people through rural development projects. the state at all levels and development partners have not really succeeded in mobilizing resources to achieve the desired infrastructural needs of the rural people in mezam division. decisions towards community development are taken by project initiators, with little or no involvement of community members. the rural people in their frustration tend to adopt indigenous strategies in the various rural development sectors which are not sustainable for their livelihoods. a sound rural development policy must be sustainable, effi cient and affordable which would require a fundamental shift in attitudes and techniques, thereby encouraging planning with the communities at the grassroot which is still to be achieved in the rural mezam. recommendations rural developmental projects should therefore be planned and executed by the rural councils as custodians of rural development with the support of other stakeholders like the ngos, cbos, the state and development cooperation agencies. effective sensitisation and empowerment of the rural people as well as the collaboration between the stakeholders enhanced by the pivotal role of the rural councils will build enhance confi dence in the various stakeholders. there is growing consensus that for communitymanaged projects to succeed, they require good governance that provides an enabling environment for the local populations to wrest a living and to improve upon their living standards. good governance in the management of community projects is articulated around effectiveness in the rule of law, accountability, participation and engagement, and equitable sharing of project-related benefi ts and responsibilities. good governance in municipal council projects must focus on rights, responsibilities, revenue/returns from the projects, and relationships between local stakeholders. references african policy circle (2020). addressing the challenges of urbanisation in africa. a summary of 2019 africa policy discussion blackman, r., (2003). community-base and-driven development: the world bank research observer. 19 (1). the international bank for reconstruction and development davids, i., maphunye, k. and theron, f. (2005). participatory development in south africa: a development management perspective. pretoria: j. l. van schaik publishers fao (2005). plan of action for people’s participation in rural development: twenty-sixth session, fao conference. rome, 9-28, nov. gebremdhin, s. h. (2004). assessing community participation for sustainable development: the galanefhi water supply project. unpublished master’s thesis. stellenbosch: university of stellenbosch kimengsi, j. n & amawa, s. g. (2015). water rationing in the buea municipality; patterns effects and copping strategies. african journal of social sciences 6(3), 39-sl lambi, c. m. (2001). environmental constraints and indigenous agricultural intensifi cation in ndop plain, upper noun valley of cameroon. readings in geography. 179-190 pa ge 10 3 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 91-103, 2023 ndenecho, e. n. (2009). implications of fuel wood yield, availability and harvest in tubah mountain forest, cameroon. global journal of human social science,10, 49-55 ngwani, a., nformi, r., ngwa. f. g. and yinkfu. r. (2023). spatial planning challenges and implications on the development of nkambe and ndu secondary towns in the north-west of cameroon. international journal of current research in multi-discipline, 8(2), 01-14 raniga, t. and simpson, b. (2002). community participation: rhetoric or reality. social work: a professional journal for the social worker, 38(2), 182-190. thwala, w. d. (2010). community participation is a necessity for project success: african journal of agricultural research, 5(10), 970-979. http://www/ academicjournals.org/ajar un (2005). a division for sustainable development. indicators for sustainable development: review and assessment, background paper, new york. who (2018). drinking water, world health organisation fact sheets. https://www.whoint/int news room factsheet. accessed 27th 2020 world bank (2003). reaching the rural poor. a renewed strategy for rural development, washington dc world bank (2004). world development report: making services work for poor people. washington dc: world bank pa ge 1 pa ge 1 american journal of education and technology (ajet) algopsychalia of out-of-field teachers: a qualitative inquiry charlie t. anselmo1*, marie claire c. anselmo1 volume 3 issue 3, year 2024 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v3i3.2285 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: may 07, 2024 accepted: june 10, 2024 published: june 15, 2024 this study explores the experiences of out-of-field teachers, educators teaching subjects beyond their area of expertise. it investigates the challenges they face, the strategies they use to cope, and recommendations for their success. it examines a varied group of teachers with diverse academic backgrounds and teaching experience, highlighting the multifaceted nature of out-of-field teaching. out-of-field teachers face significant emotional and pedagogical challenges. feelings of insecurity, uncertainty about the subject matter, and difficulty grasping unfamiliar material contribute to emotional distress, including stress and anxiety. some even report a diminished sense of authority in the classroom. despite these hurdles, the study reveals the resilience of these educators. teachers employ various coping strategies like thorough preparation, seeking support from colleagues, prioritizing well-being, and managing workloads effectively. continuous professional development also plays a crucial role in boosting their skills and confidence. the study offers practical suggestions to alleviate mental strain and enhance teaching effectiveness. these include adaptability in teaching approaches, fostering support networks, prioritizing emotional well-being, maintaining a positive outlook, managing workloads, and engaging in ongoing professional development. keywords algopsychalia, out-of-field 1 college of education, isabela state university philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: charlie.t.anselmo@isu.edu.ph introduction individuals create a sense of uniformity when they engage across boundaries or socio-cultural divides in solving mutually difficult challenges and making decisions with a similar aim. education has significantly influenced this uniform adherence to global political, cultural, and economic standards. the growing tendency toward such a progressive educational system has highlighted the need of having skilled professors for successful science learning. it has commonly identified instructor quality as one of the most important factors in influencing learner performance. it is also a critical need in any educational institution. however, such a scenario is difficult to accomplish when students are taught by professors who are not experts in their profession. out-of-field instruction is instruction in any subject. competence outside of the teacher’s area of specialization. this issue is especially prevalent among lower-level learners taught science by out-of-field lecturers who are otherwise specialists in other topics. as a result, teachers might experience mental anguish or algopsychalia, which is frequently experienced by depressed persons or those who suffer anxiety, even though there may be no physical or biological stimulation that would cause the discomfort. due to the scarcity of literature on the topic of teachersubject mismatch in science teaching in classrooms, the problem of out-of-field teaching in science merits fresh investigation. this research will look at out-of-field instructors or teachers that teach outside of their field of specialty in teaching science in deped cauayan. out-offield instructors, as defined in the research, are individuals who are currently teaching a topic that is unrelated to their area of expertise. the research will be based on the assumption that instructors will be provided with the essential tools to provide adequate science education since it demands in-depth knowledge of the subject (general topics in a subject). the philippine k–12 curriculum has grown with high expectations from science teachers. furthermore, this study also learns about the problem of teaching across specializations from the experiences of teachers themselves and about their coping mechanisms for adjusting to the challenges. this study is believed to be appropriate and relevant to the present situation of the philippines education system, which aims to be at par with other countries through different interventions in school, as well as personal interventions of teachers to mitigate the problem. this study has attempted to minimize teachers’ difficulty in imparting science knowledge to students. this study will attempt to devise a culturebased model of teaching that would boost teachers’ confidence and will be reflected in lesson engagements in a localized, differentiated, and sustainable mode of science instruction. the study also aimed to enhance government organizations such as the department of education (deped) and the commission for higher education (ched) by making its framework more relevant in managing instructors in order for them to be more efficient and effective. objective of the study the main objective of the study is to describe and understand the lived experiences of out-of-field teachers as they teach subjects beyond their expertise and to explore the emotional or mental status of out-of-field teachers. pa ge 2 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 1-8, 2024 specifically, the study aim: 1. to identify the profile of the respondents. 2. to identify the lived experiences of out-of-field teachers. 3. on the ways of coping with the difficulties and challenging experiences of out-of-field teachers. 4. to address the possible suggestions that might help out-of-field teachers teach well and alleviate mental anguish or algopsychalia. literature review conceptual literature out-of-field teaching before ingersoll coined the term, the phenomenon of professors being assigned to teach subjects in which they had little to no experience, or in which their fields of specialization or training did not match, had largely gone unnoticed (e. co et al., 2021). in a deeper sense, the us department of education states that “teachers are out-of-field if they do not have an undergraduate major or minor in the topic in which they teach most courses” (strong, 2020). in western australia, mcconney and prince defined outof-field teaching as imparting knowledge in a topic or profession for which a teacher has neither a major nor a minor tertiary teaching qualification (mcconney, & price, 2019). in malaysia, the phrase “out-of-field teaching” refers to the practice of placing instructors in subject areas that are unrelated to their educational background. these instructors are those who work in the philippines without a degree or certification in the topic they are expected to teach (lopez jr. & roble, 2022). in education, there are a number of reasons why out-offield teaching happens. according to ingersoll, the causes include inconsistencies between a teacher’s credentials and their teaching assignment, demands from the teachers’ union, and teacher shortages (ingersoll, 2019). according to ingersoll, other underlying causes of teacher shortages include inadequate pay, problems with student behavior, lack of topic instructors, and principals having to hire stand-ins. he argued that resolving these problems will help schools have fewer out-of-field teachers and, thus, fewer teacher shortages (ingersoll, 2019). the out-of-field teaching scenario was a result of the teacher’s union as well as poorly matched teachers (shavelson, 2019). mcconney and prince recommended that school administrators be informed of the precise number of teachers needed in each specialist area to prevent misassignment in classrooms in cases where the teacher shortage indicators failed to estimate the required number of teachers qualified in specific subjects (mcconney, & price, 2019). algopsychalia define “algopsychalia” as a nonspecific psychogenic pain disorder. in addition, called psychalgalia. see also algopsychalia; psychic pain. [coined in 1884 by scottish psychiatrist thomas smith clouston (1840–1915)] (apa dictionary of psychology, 2022). by contrasting distinct types of pain, it is possible to differentiate the many experience components that contribute to the constitution of pain. the term “bodycentered” pain in smrdu’s qualitative study refers to pain sensations that are primarily physical in nature (even if they lack a clearly defined direct biological cause). suffering, however, is not necessarily strictly physical: some psychopathologies, such as borderline personality disorder and severe depression include intense emotional pain, which is occasionally referred to as psychological or mental pain or algopsychalia (lopez jr. & roble, 2022). here, the terms mental agony and psychic suffering are defined as two distinct psychoanalytic ideas. the foundation of psychoanalysis is the idea of mental suffering, which freud first proposed and was later developed by a number of researchers, primarily bion. while psychic suffering may be both named and described by the patient, mental pain is pain that the patient claims are difficult to put into words and devoid of any connections. the psychic apparatus’ intolerance of being injured by really unpleasant emotions is where mental anguish originates. mental anguish, as opposed to psychic suffering, resists elaboration and change through dreamwork. in his therapeutic practice, the analyst has a significant challenge: how to deal with and change the patient’s mental discomfort, which might impede or halt the analytical process. by assisting patients in transforming their mental anguish into psychic suffering, or by reactivating in a patient the series of changes that leads to thinking, analysts can help patients get through this obstacle. the analyst is also challenged by the patients’ mental suffering since he must put up with his own countertransferenceinduced mental patient. during psychoanalytic treatment, suggestions for the analyst on how to handle the patient’s mental distress are put forth (fleming, 2019). pain or hurt that comes from non-physical sources is referred to as emotional pain. sometimes, the behaviors of others are what cause this emotional pain. sometimes it may be brought on by loss, regret, or sadness. in other instances, it could be the outcome of a mental health issue, including sadness or anxiety. whatever the source, you may experience severe psychological suffering that has a profound impact on a variety of aspects of your life. even though it is sometimes disregarded as being less significant than physical pain, mental pain must be treated properly. emotional discomfort is often accompanied by a variety of typical emotions that can affect both your physical and mental well-being (hartney, 2022). materials and methods the researcher will utilize a non-experimental, purely qualitative research design. non-experimental utilize that the researcher will not manipulate the variables of the study. to be specific the researcher will use the qualitative research design which is none numerical and will gather data through a written open-ended survey form. pa ge 3 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 1-8, 2024 non-experimental without the use of an independent variable in the investigation. researchers doing non-experimental research simply assess variables as they occur naturally rather than influencing an independent variable (in the lab or real world) (6.1 overview of non-experimental research – research methods in psychology, 2017). qualitative research design seeks to explain the whys and hows of the phenomena under consideration (unlike quantitative). as a result, qualitative research is sometimes characterized as being subjective (as opposed to objective), and its conclusions are recorded in writing as opposed to numerically (shuttleworth & wilson, 2008). research locale the study will be conducted at cauayan city isabela during the school year 20222023. research participants the research participants or informants of the study are the out-of-field teachers at cauayan national high school and other school campus within the mucicipoality. they are purposely selected or the sampling scheme will use is the purposive sampling technique. research instrument the researcher will use self-made guide questions for a written open-ended survey form. the following are the questions that will be used: guide questions 1. what is the profile of the respondents in terms of bachelor’s degree courses, master’s degree course, years of teaching, and subject taught? 2. what are the challenges experienced by out-of-field teachers? 3. what are the disadvantages or difficulties in adjusting to the academic content of the subject? 4. do out-of-field teachers have difficulties in answering students’ questions about the subject? 5. do out-of-field teachers have difficulties in establishing authority? 6. do out-of-field teachers have difficulty in using appropriate teaching approaches? 7. do out-of-field teachers experience mental anguish or algopsychalia? 8. what is the coping mechanism used by the out-offield teachers? 9. what suggestion might help out-of-field teachers teach well and alleviate mental anguish or algopsychalia? results and discussion profile of the respondents the provided data includes information about 13 respondents, including details about their education, teaching experience, and subjects they are teaching. based on the information, here is a summary of the characteristics of the respondents: the respondents come from various educational institutions, including isabela state university, merry sunshine montessori school, saint clare college of table 1: profile of the respondents respondents school bachelors' degree course master’s degree years of teaching subject taught 1 isabela state university bsed major in gen. science none 1 to 2years science & esp 2 isabela state university bsed major in general science none 1 to 2years science, mapeh, mtb, christian living 3 isabela state university bsed major in gen. science none 1 to 2years general science, mapeh 4 isabela state university bsed biological science maed general science 7 years above edukasyon sa pagpapakatao 5 isabela state university bsed major in general science maed general science 7 years above math, science, araling panlipunan, filipino, mapeh, tle 6 merry sunshine montessori school bsed major in gen. science maed general science 1 to 2years math, science, araling panlipunan, filipino, mapeh, tle 7 saint clare college of region 02 bsed major in general science maed general science 1 to 2years math, science, araling panlipunan, filipino, mapeh, tle 8 university of perpetual help system laguna isabela campus bsed physical science ms chem education 7 years above math, science, araling panlipunan, filipino, mapeh, tle pa ge 4 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 1-8, 2024 region 02, university of perpetual help system laguna isabela campus, cauayan city school of excellence, inc., turod integrated school, children of lourdes academy cauayan inc., philippine yuh chiau school inc., and bucari national high school. most of the respondents have bachelor’s degrees related to education, with a focus on science, general science, or biological science. the bachelor’s degree courses include bsed major in gen. science, bsed major in general science, bsed biological science, and bsed physical science. a few of the respondents have master’s degrees in education-related fields, specifically maed general science, mst physics, maed etol, and ms chem education. the majority of the respondents do not have master’s degrees. respondents have varying levels of teaching experience, with the majority having 1 to 2 years of experience. some respondents have more extensive teaching experience, with 3 to 4 years, 5 to 6 years, or 7 years and above. the subjects taught by the respondents are diverse and cover a range of areas. these subjects include science, esp, mapeh (music, arts, physical education, and health), mtb (mother tongue-based multilingual education), christian living, general science, math, araling panlipunan (social studies), filipino, tle (technology and livelihood education), general mathematics, statistics, pe (physical education), research, earth and life sciences, and other minor subjects. teaching profiles • respondent 4 and respondent 5 have extensive teaching experience (7 years above) and hold master’s degrees, making them well-qualified educators. • respondent 8 also has extensive teaching experience (7 years above) and holds a master’s degree. • respondent 10 has 3 to 4 years of teaching experience and holds both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree. • some respondents (respondent 1, respondent 2, respondent 3, respondent 6, respondent 7, respondent 9, respondent 11, and respondent 12) have bachelor’s degrees related to science education but are teaching subjects beyond their formal field of expertise. lived experiences of out-of-field teachers 9 cauayan city school of excellence, inc. bsed major in general science none 1 to 2years science, esp, ap, mapeh 10 turod integrated school bsed physical science mst physic; maed etol 3 to 4 yrs general mathematics, statistics, pe, research, earth and life sciences, and physical sciences 11 children of lourdes academy cauayan inc. bsed major in gen. science none 1 to 2years science and other minor subjects 12 philippine yuh chiau school inc. bsed major in general science none 3 to 4 yrs science and other minor subjects 13 bucari national high school bsed physical science maed general science 5 to 6 years science and other minor subjects table 2: lived experiences of out-of-field teachers theme description difficulty in teaching unfamiliar subjects out-of-field teachers express challenges and difficulties when teaching subjects for which they lack expertise. they feel disconnected from the subject, leading to a lack of confidence and effectiveness in teaching. mastery of the subject teachers often express a desire to reach a level of proficiency in the subjects they teach. they feel like they are in the process of learning themselves, leading to nervousness and a sense of ongoing education. meaningful learning content importance of engaging and relevant educational material is emphasized. having meaningful content is crucial to support teaching, especially when teachers are not experts in the subject. uncertainty and nervousness out-of-field teachers report feelings of uncertainty and nervousness in their teaching. they express doubts about the correctness of their explanations, affecting their selfconfidence and classroom atmosphere. pa ge 5 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 1-8, 2024 the lived experiences of out-of-field teachers are marked by challenges in teaching unfamiliar subjects, a strong desire for subject mastery, the need for meaningful educational content, feelings of uncertainty and nervousness, issues related to instructional methods and training, a mix of positive and negative experiences, the constant adaptation to changing educational requirements, and the importance of wide reading and resource utilization to enhance their teaching skills. these experiences underscore the complex and multifaceted nature of teaching, particularly when educators are teaching beyond their field of qualification and specialization. coping and challenges of out-of-field teachers differences in medium of instruction and lack of training challenges related to differences in the medium of instruction and a lack of training are mentioned. this could refer to issues with teaching methods and a shortage of training in unfamiliar subjects. balancing positive and negative experiences a mix of positive and negative experiences is described, including parental concerns, administrative work, and appreciation from students or colleagues. the teaching profession is portrayed as multifaceted. adapting to learners' needs and curriculum changes the challenge of adapting to students' needs and evolving curricula is a recurring theme. out-of-field teachers must adjust to changes in education, making their roles more complex. wide reading and resource availability respondents emphasize the importance of being well-read and resourceful to discuss unfamiliar concepts and topics effectively. self-directed learning and resource utilization are critical. quality education and resources the quality of education provided by out-of-field teachers is influenced by the availability of resources to support their pedagogical efforts. access to materials, support, and training is crucial. table 3: coping and challenges of out-of-field teachers theme description advance preparation and mastery of the subject advance reading and studying the subject matter in-depth. seeking assistance from colleagues for overcoming difficulties. difficulty in grasping course material talking to experienced colleagues. peer tutoring with co-teachers. searching for a better understanding of the subject. grade level differences and adjustment to the environment adapting to different grade levels and classroom environments. coping with a potential loss of confidence. lack of training regarding content emphasizing the importance of self-directed learning and advance reading. becoming more creative and confident. technical terms and communication coping with highly technical terms and ensuring student understanding. planning effective teaching approaches. stress, anxiety, and emotional coping coping with stress and anxiety through words of affirmation, meditation, and reflection. managing anger issues. handling questions and performance anxiety coping with performance anxiety and preparing for lessons. establishing authority, especially in unfamiliar subjects. professional development and learning emphasizing the importance of continuous professional development, workshops, and training. resilience and motivation motivation to continue learning and establishing authority. building resilience in the face of challenges. out-of-field teachers employ a range of coping strategies, including advance preparation, seeking assistance, adapting to different environments, self-directed learning, addressing emotional challenges, managing performance anxiety, and engaging in continuous professional development, demonstrating resilience and motivation to navigate the difficulties and challenges of teaching subjects beyond their expertise. the responses provided by out-of-field teachers indicate that many of them experience some form of mental anguish or algopsychalia as a result of their teaching experiences. this mental distress can manifest in various ways, including stress, anxiety, occasional feelings of anxiety, anger issues, and emotional turbulence. daily job pressures, overwhelming workloads, and challenging situations involving students, parents, administration, or tragic events in the school environment contribute to these feelings of mental distress. it is evident that pa ge 6 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 1-8, 2024 teaching subjects outside their field of expertise can bring about a range of emotional and psychological challenges for these educators. recommendations of out-of-field teachers to alleviate mental anguish or algopsychalia to help out-of-field teachers teach effectively and alleviate mental anguish, fostering flexibility, seeking support and preparation, prioritizing emotional wellbeing and a positive mindset, managing workloads, and engaging in ongoing professional development is crucial. these strategies aim to create a supportive and effective teaching environment for educators facing subject-related challenges. table 4: recommendations of out-of-field teachers to alleviate mental anguish or algopsychalia theme description flexibility and engagement be flexible in teaching approaches. create an engaging environment to encourage student participation and interest. seeking support and preparation seek help or suggestions from colleagues aligned with the subject matter. study subjects in advance to avoid mental distress. attend trainings or orientations to prevent curriculum mismatches. emotional well-being and mindset focus on good physical health and access to mental health support. develop a love for the subject, students, and teaching itself. manage time, adjust to the situation, and enjoy the field. encourage open communication with those who understand the field. positive perspective and workload management look on the bright side of the situation. consider reducing excessive workloads that may cause distress. emphasize the quality of teaching over quantity. professional development attend seminars, workshops, and training to improve teaching skills and competence. conclusions in conclusion, this study delved into the complex realm of out-of-field teaching, shedding light on the experiences, challenges, coping strategies, and suggestions of educators who find themselves instructing subjects outside their field of expertise. the findings revealed a diverse group of teachers with varying academic backgrounds and years of experience, illustrating the multifaceted nature of this phenomenon. the lived experiences of out-of-field teachers underscored the significant emotional and pedagogical challenges they encounter. feelings of insecurity, uncertainty, and difficulties in grasping course material often led to emotional distress, including stress and anxiety. some teachers also reported a loss of authority in the classroom, which can impact the teaching-learning dynamic. however, the study also illuminated the resilience and determination of these educators. they demonstrated a commitment to their profession by employing coping strategies such as advance preparation, seeking support from colleagues, and emphasizing emotional well-being and workload management. continuous professional development emerged as a critical component of improving teaching skills and reducing mental anguish. the practical suggestions offered to alleviate mental anguish and enhance teaching effectiveness underscore the importance of adaptability, support networks, emotional well-being, a positive mindset, workload management, and ongoing professional development. these recommendations serve as valuable guidance for both out-of-field teachers and educational institutions seeking to support and empower these educators. in the ever-evolving landscape of education, acknowledging the challenges faced by out-of-field teachers and implementing strategies to alleviate their mental anguish is paramount. by doing so, educators are better equipped to provide quality education, ultimately benefiting students and the broader educational community. this study offers a significant contribution to the ongoing discourse surrounding the experiences and well-being of out-of-field teachers and provides a foundation for further research and practical interventions in this important area of education. recommendation these recommendations aim to create a more supportive and empowering environment for out-of-field teachers, enabling them to teach effectively and reducing the mental anguish associated with this teaching context. it is essential for educational institutions to recognize the unique challenges faced by these educators and take proactive steps to support their professional growth and well-being. based on the results of the study, the following recommendations are made for educators and educational institutions: support and professional development educational institutions should prioritize the professional development of out-of-field teachers. this includes offering regular workshops, seminars, and training sessions that address the specific needs of these educators. such programs can enhance their teaching skills and subject knowledge, ultimately reducing feelings of insecurity and emotional distress. pa ge 7 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 1-8, 2024 peer support networks encourage the establishment of peer support networks within schools. colleagues who are aligned with the subject matter can serve as valuable resources for outof-field teachers, providing assistance, guidance, and suggestions. this can help improve teaching effectiveness and confidence. mental health and well-being schools should recognize the importance of educators’ mental health and well-being. access to school-based mental health support should be ensured. additionally, strategies to manage stress and anxiety, such as stress management workshops or mindfulness practices, can be integrated into the school environment. flexible teaching approaches promote flexibility in teaching approaches. out-of-field teachers should be encouraged to adapt their methods to suit the unique challenges of teaching subjects beyond their expertise. this may involve using innovative teaching strategies that engage students and foster a positive learning environment. workload management educational institutions should consider workload management for all teachers, including out-of-field educators. excessive workloads can lead to emotional distress, so a balance should be struck between teaching hours and the time required for quality lesson preparation. ongoing adaptation. emphasize the importance of ongoing adaptation and learning. out-of-field teachers should be encouraged to embrace a growth mindset and continue to develop their skills and knowledge. advance reading and staying updated with subject matter can contribute to their confidence and competence. positive school culture promote a positive school culture where the accomplishments and contributions of out-of-field teachers are acknowledged and celebrated. a supportive environment can boost teacher morale and confidence. research and collaboration. encourage educators to engage in collaborative research and knowledge sharing. this can help them stay informed about the latest developments in their subject areas and build a network of colleagues who can provide support and guidance. references apa dictionary of psychology. 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(2020). ‘education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire’: it’s an inspiring quote, but did wb yeats say it? the irish times. retrieved from https://www.irishtimes.com/news/education/ education-is-not-the-filling-of-a-pail-but-the-lightingof-a-fire-it-s-an-inspiring-quote-but-did-wb-yeatssay-it-1.1560192 tingzon, l. l., & buyok, h. j. a. (2022, november 11). lived experiences of non-tle teachers teaching tle subjects: a phenomenological inquiry. european journal of education studies. retrieved february 4, 2023, from https://oapub.org/edu/index.php pa ge 1 pa ge 62 american journal of education and technology (ajet) the efficacy of recast vs. explicit corrective feedback on students’ english pronunciation of common words: the case of english department students at ibn tofail university el ghazi bougataia1*, hind brigui2 volume 2 issue 4, year 2023 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i4.2179 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: october 31, 2023 accepted: december 02, 2023 published: december 07, 2023 this study investigates the effectiveness of recast and explicit corrective feedback on students’ pronunciation improvement among first-year english university undergraduates at ibn tofail university, and compares these feedback types to determine the most effective one. a pilot study was conducted to give insights into the pronunciation difficulties faced by students. based on this latter, the main study was done to address the aims of the investigation. a quasi-experiment was designed with 45 participants divided into three groups: explicit, recast and a control group. the impact of recast and explicit corrective feedback was assessed through the kruskal-wallis test, and the comparative assessment was done using welch’s t-test. the results indicate that both recast and explicit corrective feedback positively influenced students’ pronunciation development. yet, the explicit feedback appears superior and more effective than recast, demonstrating a high influence on students’ pronunciation errors. hence, the investigation suggests that educators should be explicit enough to help students better develop their pronunciation. keywords oral corrective feedback, explicit corrective feedback, recast, pronunciation 1 faculty of languages, letters and arts, ibn tofail university, kenitra, morocco 2 applied linguistics and tefl, department of english studies, faculty of languages, letters and arts, ibn tofail university, kenitra, morocco * corresponding author’s e-mail: elghazi.bougataia@uit.ac.ma introduction over the past decades, there has been a dramatic call and a demand for teaching english as a second or foreign language, owing to its essentiality as it allows people to learn and acquire the competencies and skills that are needed for today’s world (richards & rodgers, 2014). it is true that english has become an international language with many speakers worldwide (crystal, 2012). however, the teaching of such global language could not escape from some challenges. while there are several ways and techniques to teach english and its skills and subskills, pronunciation remains one of the hardest elements to teach. and due to the globalization and internalization of english, however, perspectives on the teaching of pronunciation have completely changed. consequently, the world witnessed a great change that has made it from teaching a native-like pronunciation to teaching an intelligible one, since the change emphasizes great use of english in communicative contexts in classroom (tarone, 2005; zheng, 2019). yet, it is not necessary to sound like a native speaker with a perfect native-like accent, but clarity is what counts (cahyalita, 2013). in fact, a clear pronunciation is the one that enables people to better understand each other without any misconceptions. far from any pedagogy that targets a native-like accent, the goal of teaching pronunciation is to seek an intelligible accent by addressing some of its main elements, such as speech length, rhyme, pauses, segmental clarity, and stress (hinkel, 2006). to help students better acquire and learn languages, as well as language features like pronunciation, several researchers suggested using oral corrective feedback (e.g., couper, 2017; karimi & esfandiari, 2016; lyster & ranta, 1997; zohrabi & behboudnia, 2017). as zheng (2019) reported, a teaching approach that combines both oral corrective feedback and communicative language teaching activities is strongly recommended as it allows pupils to focus on and apply the linguistic forms within the communicative contexts, thereby enhancing their accuracy. nevertheless, providing feedback, especially in the context of communication, was not immune to criticism from some researchers’ detractors. krashen (1982, p. 74) thinks of error correction as a “serious mistake”. to support his claim, he noted that feedback makes students go defensive, as they concentrate more on the form rather than the meaning (p. 75). xu (2009) thinks of correction as a process that makes students monitor themselves to not repeat the error rather than repair it. on the other hand, other researchers found oral corrective feedback to be advantageous and essential as it helps students better notice their errors, especially in communicative activities, learn and acquire languages and features like vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation (e.g., alsolami, 2019; ellis, 2009; hartono et al., 2022; russell & spada, 2006; sheen, 2007). the concern of providing feedback started a long time ago with the behaviorist theory. according to this theory, pupils are corrected right after they make a mistake since mistakes are seen as undesired behaviors and should be eliminated through a stimulus, mainly a punishment or a reward (skinner, 1938). the stimulus is the teacher’s correction, whereas the response is the students’ error reparation. taking these points to consideration, providing feedback is merely seen as a stimulus, mainly behavior, pa ge 63 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 62-73, 2023 that is aimed at correcting learners’ errors through negative or positive reinforcement. hence, students, according to this theory, are seen as recipients of stimuli. years after, some researchers have proven that feedback, either oral or written, can trigger learners’ cognitive processes (e.g., fujio, 2017). far from the stimulus and response procedures, oral feedback can activate essential cognitive processes, such as self-correction and feedback recognition (fujio, 2017). further, oral corrective feedback has witnessed a great interest from another theory, namely interactionism, which underlines the importance of learners’ meaningful interactions to learn a language (vygotsky, 1962). the interactionist approach was a result of the interactionist hypothesis, which states that breakdowns of communication could create a situation where learners receive feedback to correct their speaking errors, especially form-focused ones (long, 1996, as cited in abbuhl, 2021). owing to its emphasis on learners’ attention to form in meaningful-based contexts, abbuhl (2021) clearly states its positive outcomes through providing oral corrective feedback during a conversation to better help interlocutors develop their pronunciation, seeking significant improvements to understand and as well as to be understood. years after, as oral feedback garnered considerable interest from various researchers of applied linguistics, there has been the first investigation on the oral corrective feedback, which conducted by lyster and ranta (1997). the researchers found that oral corrective feedback entails six categories, namely recast, explicit, metalinguistic corrective feedback, repetition, clarification request and elicitation. the study has aroused a strong interest and desire of several researchers as it necessitates further investigation on the efficacy of the oral feedback categories found by lyster and ranta (1997). there have been some studies which attempted to fulfill the gap needed concerning the oral feedback categories, yet most of them yielded contradictions, which resulted in a heated among researchers, especially those who tackled recast and the explicit corrective feedback. some researchers claim that recast is more effective than the explicit feedback (e.g., banaruee et al., 2018; karimi & esfandiari, 2016; goo & mackey, 2013). conversely, other researchers found that the explicit feedback is more effective than recast (e.g., alahmed & jalal, 2022; couper, 2017; lyster and ranta, 1997; lyster and ranta, 2013; sheen, 2004). however, in line with these results, some researchers found nearly no significant difference between the two feedback categories (e.g., zohrabi & behboudnia, 2017; mirzaie & valizadeh, 2021). but, one extremely allimportant point to consider is that identifying the most effective oral feedback category poses great challenges, as the determination demands extensive considerations, such as the level of learners being corrected, teachers’ preferred correction technique, classroom contexts, the time provided to students to correct their mistakes, and more (lyster & ranta, 1997; yoshida, 2008). there have been, indeed, considerable studies on the impact of recast and the explicit corrective feedback, yet few studied investigated this latter regarding pronunciation (e.g., alahmed & jalal, 2022; karimi & esfandiari, 2016; zohrabi & behboudnia, 2017). this issue has also been previously alluded to by pawlak (2012) a long time ago. the reasons for this loss could be due to the view of pronunciation as less important, lack of special training, confidence and more (couper, 2017). additionally, the studies which investigated the oral corrective feedback regarding other skills and elements of language, like grammar acquisition and writing are not yet fully settled, and sometimes the results of those investigations are insufficient when it comes to the implementation of feedback over a long period of time (russell & spada, 2006, as cited in zheng, 2019). regarding the fact that there were very few studies which dealt with the impact explicit corrective feedback and recast regarding pronunciation in the moroccan context (e.g., benhima & slaoui, 2020), the present study will investigate the efficacy of these oral corrective feedback types on learners’ pronunciation, and it will compare their effect as well to identify the most effective one for correcting pronunciation mistakes. further, the present investigation will explore some studies that examined oral corrective feedback on other language skills and components. however, the targeted pronunciation of this study is the pronunciation of some common words of english. this phenomenon, as agung et al. (2021) stated, is known for many students of english who study it as a second and a foreign language, yet the reasons behind this issue varies according to one person to another. research questions the study attempts to answer the following research questions: do recast and the explicit corrective feedback have any significant impact on students’ pronunciation errors? which oral corrective feedback is more effective in eliminating errors of pronunciation? in order to find answers for the research questions above, the study suggested the following hypotheses: the recast and explicit corrective feedback have a positive impact on students’ pronunciation errors the explicit feedback type is more effective than recast in improving students’ pronunciation literature review over the past decades, there has been a renewal of interest in investigating the efficacy of recast and explicit corrective feedback among researchers of applied linguistics. however, while there has been much research concerning this latter, few researchers have taken pronunciation into consideration in their studies. therefore, the ultimate goal of this paper is to fulfill this gap and study the impact of recast and explicit feedback on pronunciation. the present chapter presents the importance of pronunciation, reviews different perspectives on oral pa ge 64 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 62-73, 2023 corrective feedback, namely recast and explicit corrective feedback, and critically discusses the efficacy of those feedback types regarding pronunciation and other language components as well. pronunciation darcy (2018) made an eye-catching statement about the importance of pronunciation, in which she noted that no language could be animate without sounds. further, she stressed that pronunciation is what enlivens the other components of language, such as grammar and vocabulary. pronunciation is an essential component of language by which interlocutors interact and understand each other perfectly (thomson & derwing, 2015). without smooth pronunciation, pupils might face various issues, like the incapability of being clear to listeners and some kind of prejudice (gilakjani et al., 2011; fayer & krasinski, 1987). a study by fayer and krasinski (1987) showed that students with an unintelligible pronunciation were classified as low proficient by their jury members. also, the investigation reported that some of the teachers who were listening to the audio of those who had pronunciation difficulties made their judgment without completing the audio. with that being said, the learning of pronunciation is found to be advantageous for learners’ speech intelligibility since this latter contributes to clear and facile communication between speakers and gives some positive stereotypes about speakers (darcy, 2018; thomson & derwing, 2015). thus, despite being aware of grammar and vocabulary, students with pronunciation difficulties still find issues when they try to be comprehended by listeners (gilakjani et al., 2011). oral corrective feedback oliver and adams (2021) define oral corrective feedback as a teacher or peer response that intends to correct learners when their production of language is faulty, inappropriate, ambiguous or unrelated to the language being learned. however, as a form of error correction and in a more detailed definition, oral corrective feedback, as various researchers agree, refers to any information, comments or acts, either explicit or implicit, verbal or non-verbal, made by teachers to intentionally repair learners’ errors (richards & schmidt, 2011; lightbown & spada, 1999; oliver and adams, 2021). such feedback is a negative type, and it is used to correct students for their faulty language output, unlike the positive kind, which involves words and phrases that encourage students to produce more language (richards & schmidt, 2011). concerning the effect of oral corrective feedback, there have been some investigations regarding this later on in the development of language learning. many researchers of applied linguistics investigated the impact of oral corrective feedback on language learning and concluded that it is of great benefit to learners as it helps them enhance their learning of language and repair errors (e.g., alsolami, 2019; ellis, 2009; hartono et al., 2022; muslem et al., 2021). on the other hand, some other researchers oppose oral corrective feedback and consider it useless and harmful to learners (e.g., krashen, 1982; truscott, 2007; truscott & hsu, 2008; xu, 2009). truscott and hsu (2008) conducted a study on the impact of oral corrective feedback on writing, and they concluded that feedback is of no to little use in the short term for students. however, they admitted that error correction may be beneficial to students in day-to-day classrooms. considering these points, the researchers who are against oral corrective feedback are not opposing the act of correction itself. in fact, most of them have a contrary view of the way correction occurs and when. that is, it is when and how that matters. these issues were tackled by hendrickson (1978) from the very beginning of error correction and feedback. in his article, he stated five extremely essential questions on error correction, and two of them were about when and how to correct errors. types of oral corrective feedback lyster & ranta (1997) have determined the types of oral corrective feedback. they concluded that this latter consists of six categories, namely recast, explicit correction, elicitation, metalinguistic feedback, repetition, and clarification request. however, the explicit and recast oral feedback types are the ones that will be tackled in the next session since they are the main concern of the present study. explicit corrective feedback the explicit feedback refers to teachers’ indication to students’ errors which is followed by a correction (lyster & ranta, 1997). see the following example: student: i have a cat (/kʌt/). (phonological error) teacher: well, it is pronounced as cat (/kæt/). the student, phonetically speaking, made two mistakes. the first one is the sound /k/ which was pronounced as a backed sound. the second mistake is the utterance of the vowel /æ/. however, the teacher in this example made the student aware of his or her mistake and provided the correct pronunciation of the word cat. recast recast is an implicit type of correction that merely involves teachers’ paraphrases of mistakes that are meant to correct students, without any indication to errors. (lyster & ranta, 1997; richards & schmidt, 2011). see the following example: student: i have a cat (/kʌt/). (phonological error) teacher: okay, you have a cat (/kæt/). in this case, the educator indirectly provided the pupil with the correct pronunciation without indicating the error. the recast corrective feedback is known to be an implicit type of correction. nevertheless, the issue with this category of feedback at hand is that it is multifaceted and requires a detailed approach to thoroughly understand its intricacies. as sheen (2006) noted, recasts could sometimes be non-corrective or corrective, i.e., they can pa ge 65 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 62-73, 2023 be positive or negative feedback. also, they can sometimes be explicit, especially when they are clear and short (sheen, 2006; sato, 2011). to put it differently, recasts can be clear and direct as the explicit corrective feedback when teachers correct their students by reformulating the faulty utterances but adjusting their tone to make corrections noticeable (sheen, 2006). moreover, the directness of this latter depends on students’ recognition of recast as negative corrective feedback rather than positive, the context of the discourse, the length of the correction process, and more (sheen, 2004, 2006; sato, 2011). the effectiveness of recast and explicit corrective feedback the determination of the efficacy of any strategy, whether it is feedback, a way of teaching and learning or any other pedagogical strategy, requires many considerations, such as learners’ levels, classroom context, educators’ knowledge of pedagogy, learners’ and teachers’ behaviors and attitudes, and so on (lyster & ranta, 1997). nevertheless, some researchers have tried to compare the efficacy of the explicit and recast feedback types on pronunciation through quasi-experiments. yet, the results have been inconsistent, as some researchers reported that explicit feedback provides significant advantages for students more than recasts, while others have found no significant difference or even the opposite. a study conducted by alahmed and jalal (2022), which tackled the effect of using explicit and recast corrective feedback on students’ pronunciation, revealed that explicit correction was more beneficial than recasts. conversely, karimi and esfandiari (2016) reported in their study, which investigated the stress patterns in english, that recasts were more effective than explicit corrective feedback. however, a study by zohrabi and behboudnia (2017), which tackled the effect of delayed and immediate explicit and recast feedback types on students’ pronunciation, revealed that there was no significant difference between the two corrective feedback types, and both of them were useful to students. additionally, some studies have compared the impact of the explicit and recast feedback types, yet their focus was on other skills and components of language, such as students’ willingness to communicate, speaking, writing, grammar, and more. however, their results yielded contradictory and conclusive evidence too, with some studies supporting the efficacy of the explicit corrective feedback over recast (e.g., yu, 2022; zheng, 2019; varnosfadrani & basturkmen, 2009), while others suggesting the opposite (e.g., banaruee et al., 2018; li, 2010; ayoun, 2001). still, some studies found evidence to support them both (e.g., mirzaie & valizadeh, 2021). in light of these points, studying the efficacy of error correction or any other method in the field of teaching will never yield a singular outcome. as stated by bingjie (2016), the question “is recast the most effective corrective feedback type?” is controversial itself, though it seems to be simple. the divergence in the studies which tackled the explicit feedback and recast could be due to many factors, such as students’ level and recognition of this latter as corrective feedback, the difficulty of words and components being treated, and more (lyster and ranta, 1997; banaruee et al., 2018; bingjie, 2016). as banaruee et al. (2018) reported regarding the conflicting results on the impact of recast and explicit correction, it is rather difficult to assume that one feedback type would be effective in treating all errors; thus, it is essential to investigate several error categories to approximate a better result. the purpose of this literature review was to clearly show the importance of pronunciation and critically tackle its concern regarding recast and explicit feedback. as with any method or strategy in the field of teaching, there are opposers and supporters of oral corrective feedback, especially when it comes to communicative contexts. for instance, krashen (1982) strongly attacks feedback and states that it hinders students’ communicative progress, while hartono et al. (2022) claim that oral corrective feedback facilitates rather than interferes with students’ speaking performance, without denying the fact that oral corrective feedback indeed made some students worry about make mistakes. concerning the issue with oral corrective feedback, the literature review presented previous studies that studied the recast and explicit feedback and elaborated on these two types more. however, while the study aims at finding a solution for the issue of oral feedback and pronunciation that has existed for a long time, it could be said that the efficacy of those feedback types, namely recast and explicit, could not be easily determined but at least an approximate and a better result could still be achieved. methodology the goal of the present investigation is to study the effectiveness of recast and the explicit corrective feedback on students’ pronunciation errors, and compare the impact of those feedback types to determine the most effective one. so as to reach the objectives of this investigation and answer the research questions and test the hypotheses, the present paper carried a quantitative, quasi-experimental design. the participants in this experiment are assessed in three groups, mainly two experimental groups and one control group. the efficacy of the explicit corrective feedback and recast is assessed through the measures of pre-test and post-test. concerning the variables of this investigation, there are 2 independent variables and 1 dependent variable. the independent variables are the feedback types which are the explicit corrective feedback and recast, while the dependent variable is students’ correction of pronunciation errors. participants the participants were 45 undergraduate students. they were taken from the department of english at the university of ibn tofail, faculty of languages, literature and the arts. the students shared the same level as all of pa ge 66 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 62-73, 2023 them were s2 students. the students who made between 7 and 10 errors are the students were counted in this investigation. those who made fewer mistakes, while not included in the study, were also corrected ethically speaking. instrumentation the instruments that were used in this study were a pretest and a post-test. the pre-test contained ten words which involve some common mispronounced words by students. the post-test contained the same words, yet their order was different. the use of isolated words outside of the context in tests was intentional, strategically speaking, so as to avoid any words’ influence on other words at the level of pronunciation. thus, this ensures a well-focused evaluation on students’ phonetic features and makes their pronunciation clear to analyze. the words were chosen based on approximately 7 years of experience as a student. that is, throughout being a student at ibn tofail university, some words of english were mispronounced daily by students of english both inside and outside of the class. pilot study before the main investigation, a pilot study was used to assess the appropriateness and as well as the effectiveness of the research instruments (see appendix c). it involved 10 most repeated errors of pronunciation, based on 7 years of experience as a student at ibn tofail university. therefore, 15 participants were selected for this pilot investigation and divided into 3 groups: explicit, recast and control group, to make sure that the chosen words were actually mispronounced. the participants sat for both a pre-test and a post-test as well. the aim of the pilot study was to potentially identify and account for any issues in the chosen words, and evaluate the clarity of the pronunciation assessment criteria. the results of the pilot study yielded feedback to make necessary modifications and adjustments to the instruments and used procedures, ensuring the validity and reliability for the main investigation. data collection and procedures the participants of this investigation were first divided into 3 groups, namely explicit, recast and control group. each group contained 15 students. all the groups were asked to read the selected words individually. after few days, approximately 5 days, the students individually sat for the post-test which includes the same words but in different order. the present investigation acknowledges the importance of statistical assumptions when it comes to ensuring the reliability of research. therefore, 2 tests, namely normality and homogeneity, were conducted to test the assumptions, since those tests are ultimately essential for the chosen statistical method of this research paper which is one-way anova. the one-way anova is used to evaluate the impact of recast and explicit feedback on students’ pronunciation. normality assumption the ultimate goal of the normality test is to assess the data and see whether it meets the normality assumption. i.e., it tells whether the collected data follows a normal distribution. this test helps selecting the correct and appropriate methods for analyzing the data. homogeneity assumption the homogeneity assumption assesses whether the variability within each group is closely the same. it is very essential as it ensures the validity of the statistical analyses, especially those which rely on equal assumption variances. thus, the test of homogeneity was deployed to determine if the variances within the groups are statistically comparable or not. the assumption tests are extremely crucial to the analysis of the data of the present investigation. making sure that the data meets the required criteria makes the reliability of this study stronger to draw conclusions on the impact of recast and the explicit corrective feedback on students’ pronunciation. data analysis the data were collected, statistically analyzed and summarized using descriptive statistics. also, methods of inferential statistics were used to test the hypotheses of the present investigation. first, the data were prepared. the mean, median and mode of the pre-test and post-test were calculated. the first hypothesis (h1) was tested via one-way anova, while the second hypothesis (h2) was tested though a t-test. results and discussions the following section shows the pilot study’s results and then moves to the results of the normality test, homogeneity test, the pre-test and post-test, descriptive and inferential statistics. results of the pilot study table 1 show the number of errors made the students. in the explicit group, the students made 45 errors with mean of 9. for those who received recast, they committed 47 errors with the mean of 9.4, yet those in the control group made 49 with 9.8 in the mean. table 1: pre-test results groups number of students number of errors mean median mode std. dev explicit 5 45 9 9 9 0 recast 5 47 9.4 9 9 0.45 control group 5 49 9.8 10 10 0.44 pa ge 67 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 62-73, 2023 table 2 reveals the results of the post-test and the students’ repeated mistakes. the explicit group repeated 23 errors with the mean of 4.6. for the recast group, the students repeated 32 errors with 6.4 in the mean. as for the control group, the students made 48 errors with the mean of 9.6. only one error was corrected by a student in this group, which did not receive any feedback. table 3 shows the results of the post-test and students’ corrected errors. the students in the explicit group corrected 22 errors with the mean of 4.4. for those in the recast group, they corrected 15 errors with 3 in the mean. as for the control group, there was only one corrected error by a student, with the mean of 0.54. the pilot study provided essential insights and proved table 2: post-test results of the repeated errors groups number of students repeated errors mean median mode std. dev explicit 5 23 4.6 6 6 1.94 recast 5 32 6.4 6 6 0.54 control group 5 48 9.6 10 10 0.54 table 3: post-test results of the corrected errors groups number of students corrected errors mean median mode std. dev explicit 5 22 4.4 6 6 2.3 recast 5 15 3 3 2 1 control group 5 1 9.6 10 10 0.54 that the pronunciation of chosen words was challenging to the targeted students, and the explicit feedback and recast to be effective. therefore, this pilot study has paved the way to the main investigation on the impact of oral corrective feedback, mainly explicit and recast on students’ pronunciation. normality test results the normality test was conducted to assess the distribution of the data of the present investigation. in the test, 2 common normality tests were used, which are the kolmogorov-smirnov and the shapiro-wilk. they assess whether the data is deviated from the normal table 4: normality test results tests of normality feedback kolmogorov-smirnova shapiro-wilk statistic df sig. statistic df sig. explicit .172 15 .200* .909 15 .129 recast .201 15 .106 .874 15 .038 cg .473 15 .000 .525 15 .000 *. this is a lower bound of the true significance. a. lilliefors significance correction distribution. the results of the normal test are shown in table 1. based on table 4, the test of kolmogorov-smirnova shows 0.172 in statistics in the explicit group with the p value of 0.200*, 0.201 for the recast group with 0.106 in the p value and 0.473 for the control group with the p value of 0.000. as for the shapiro-wilk test, the explicit group got 0.909 in statistics with the p value of 0.129, 0.874 for the recast group with 0.038 in the p value and 0.525 for the control group with the p value of 0.000. taking these points to consideration, as the p values of the explicit and recast groups are greater than the alpha value (α = 0.05), the data of those groups are normally distributed. however, the control group scored 0.000 in both the kolmogorov-smirnov and shapiro-wilk tests, resulting in a low p value that is less than that of the alpha (α = 0.05). hence, the data of the control group are not normally distributed. homogeneity test levene’s test was done to assess the whether the groups’ variance is equal. table 2 shows the results of the homogeneity test. according to those findings, the levene statistic based on mean is 18.417 with 2 and 42 degrees of freedom and the p value of 0.000. based on median, the statistic shows 11.438 with 2 and 42 degrees of freedom as well and the p value of 0.000. based on median and with adjusted df, statistic reveals 11.438 with 2 and 26.483 degrees of freedom and 0.000 in the p value. last, based on trimmed mean, the statistic shows 19.202 with 2 and 42 degrees of freedom and the p value of 0.000. therefore, as all of the methods’ results have 0.000 in the p value, which is a very low value (less than 0.05), they all indicate a high difference in variances among the groups. based on the tests of normality and homogeneity, it appears that the explicit and recast groups are normally pa ge 68 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 62-73, 2023 distributed, yet the control group is not. also, the test of homogeneity shows that the groups’ variances are not equal. this is due to the control group which made more errors than those groups which received the oral feedback. hence, the investigation opts for a non-parametric test (e.g., kruskal-wallis test). results of the main study pre-test and post-test results descriptive statistics were used to calculate the groups’ mean, median, mode and the standard deviation as well. table 3 indicates the results of the pretest. for the posttest results, 2 tables were used to do the calculation for the repeated and corrected errors. tables 4 indicates the results of the repeated errors in the post-test, whereas table 5 shows the corrected errors. table 6 show the number of errors made by each group. as shown above, the total number of errors made by students in the explicit group is 145 with mean of 9.66. in the recast group, the students got 147 errors with the mean of 9.8, while the control group made 149 with 9.93 in the mean. the is no big difference between the groups concerning this latter. the table 7 reveals the number of repeated errors by table 5: homogeneity test results tests of normality levene statistic df1 df2 sig. students’ corrected errors based on mean 18.417 2 42 .000 based on median 11.438 2 42 .000 based on median and with adjusted df 11.438 2 26.483 .000 based on trimmed mean 19.202 2 42 .000 table 6: pre-test results groups number of students number of errors mean median mode std. dev explicit 15 145 9.66 10 10 0.48 recast 15 147 9.8 10 10 0.41 control group 15 149 9.93 10 10 0.25 table 7: post-test results of the repeated errors groups number of students repeated errors mean median mode std. dev explicit 15 62 4.13 5 6 2.44 recast 15 110 7.33 7 9 1.49 control group 15 146 9.73 10 10 0.59 table 8: post-test results of the corrected errors groups number of students corrected errors mean median mode std. dev explicit 15 88 5.86 5 4 2.44 recast 15 40 2.66 3 1 1.49 control group 15 3 0.26 0 0 0.59 the groups. the explicit group which has the mean of 4.13 repeated 62 errors. for the recast and the control group, the former has 110 repeated errors with the mean of 7.33, while the latter got 146 errors with the mean of 9.73. according to those calculations, the students who received explicit correction made less errors than those who received recast. for the control group, the students got 149 errors in the pre-test, yet they corrected 3 errors though they received no feedback. according to table 8 the errors that were corrected, the explicit group repaired 88 errors with the mean of 5.86. the students in the recast group fixed 40 errors with the mean of 2.66, while the control group with the mean of 0.26 corrected 3 errors without receiving feedback. considering those findings, the students who received feedback corrected some of their errors, unlike those who received no impact. however, some students in the control group, while did not receive any correction, corrected a total of 3 errors. this latter surely was out of the investigation’s control, and the way these students corrected those words remains unknown. for the group that received the correction explicitly, they fixed more errors than those who were corrected implicitly using recasts. kruskal-wallis test to test the first hypothesis (h1), the kruskal-wallis test was conducted as the study is dealing with a nonparametric measurement. a null hypothesis (h0.1) was pa ge 69 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 62-73, 2023 made to test the first hypothesis (h1). consider the following: h1: recast and explicit corrective feedback have a positive impact on students’ pronunciation errors. h0.1: recast and explicit corrective feedback have no positive impact on students’ pronunciation errors. firstly, since the investigation deals with the efficacy of the corrective feedback types, the dataset of the corrected errors was taken into consideration regarding the kruskal-wallis test (see table 7), and a post-hoc test was used to compare the pairwise of the feedback types. a test of the null hypothesis was done and the results are shown in table 9. in table 9, the null hypothesis (h0.1) assumes that there table 9: hypothesis test summary results hypothesis test summary null hypothesis test sig. decision h0.1 the distribution of groups is the same across categories of feedback. independent-samples kruskal-wallis test .000 reject the null hypothesis. asymptotic significances are displayed. the significance level is .050. is no significant difference in the feedback distribution among the groups. the p value associated in kruskalwallis test is less than the significance level (0.05). therefore, there is a strong evidence to reject the null hypothesis and accept the other hypothesis, which states that the oral corrective feedback has a positive impact on students’ pronunciation errors. in table 10, total n represents the number of students, which is 45. test statistic shows 32.944, which is a large score that indicates a big difference among the groups regarding the targeted variable. the degree of freedom is 2, and a very small value of p which is 0.000 in the asymptotic sig. (2-sided test), which indicates a strong evidence to reject the null hypothesis. table 10: kruskal-wallis test result independent-samples kruskal-wallis test summary total n 45 test statistic 32.944a degree of freedom 2 asymptotic sig. (2-sided test) .000 a. the test statistic is adjusted for ties. the table 11 reveals the comparisons between different pairs of feedback groups (explicit, recast and control group). the sample 1-sample 2 column shows which two groups are being compared in each row. for each comparison, a statistical test value is provided, which assesses the difference between the means of the two groups that are being compared. for the std. error column, it indicates the standard error associated with each comparison. the std. test statistic shows standardized test statistic that helps assess the significance of difference between groups. while sig is the p value, adj. sig. is the adjusted significance which allows to control the familywise error rate when dealing with multiple comparisons. in each row, the p value is less than the significance level (0.05). this indicates a significant difference, statistically speaking, between the groups. the adjusted significance level in the adj. sig. column is very low with the value of 0.000, stressing a statistical significance of the comparisons. according to these findings, the oral corrective feedback recast and explicit significantly influenced students’ pronunciation development. hence, the explicit corrective feedback and recast, based on the present results, have a positive impact when it comes to helping students correct their pronunciation errors compared to the control group. table 11: post hoc test (pairwise comparisons of feedback) pairwise comparisons of feedback sample 1-sample 2 test statistic std. error std. test statistic sig. adj. sig.a cg-recast 15.567 4.728 3.293 .001 .003 cg-explicit 27.033 4.728 5.718 .000 .000 recast-explicit 11.467 4.728 2.425 .015 .046 each row tests the null hypothesis that the sample 1 and sample 2 distributions are the same. asymptotic significances (2-sided tests) are displayed. the significance level is .05. a. significance values have been adjusted by the bonferroni correction for multiple tests. pa ge 70 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 62-73, 2023 welch’s t-test since the present investigation is dealing with both normal and non-normal distributed groups with unequal variance, the study adopted the welch’s t-test to test the second hypothesis (h2). the welch’s t-test is a suitable test that is used to compare the mean of 2 groups, which have unequal variance. the results of the test are shown in table 12. a second null hypothesis (h0.2) was created to test the second hypothesis (h2), and they are represented as follows: h0.2: the explicit feedback type is less effective than recast in improving students’ pronunciation h2: the explicit feedback type is more effective than recast in improving students’ pronunciation table 12: welch’s t-test results independent samples test levene's test for equality of variances t-test for equality of means f si g. t df si g. (2 -t ai le d) m ea n d iff er en ce st d. e rr or d iff er en ce 95% confidence interval of the difference lower upper feedback equal variances assumed 6.531 .016 4.323 28 .000 3.200 .740 1.684 4.716 equal variances not assumed (welch’s t-test) 4.323 23.191 .000 3.200 .740 1.669 4.731 since the investigation is dealing with 2 groups with unequal variance, the results that are considered are those of the “equal variances not assumed” column, which is the welch’s t-test. in the test, it seems that the t statistic is 4.323, the degrees of freedom are nearly 23.191, and the p value (sig.) is very low as it is 0.000. the mean difference between the explicit and recast groups is 3.200, with the standard error of 0.740, and a confidence interval for the mean difference that ranges from 1.669 to 4.731. the welch’s test indicates a significant difference between the groups, since the p value is very low (0.000). also, as the mean difference of 3.200 on average, it suggests that the group which received an explicit feedback outperformed the group which received recast in correcting students’ pronunciation errors. considering these points, there is a strong evidence to reject the null hypothesis (h0.2). all in all, the hypotheses (h1 and h2) were both confirmed. the first one which deals with the impact of the oral feedback, namely recast and the explicit feedback, was confirmed with the test of kruskal-wallis. the results show that the students who received oral corrective feedback corrected some of their pronunciation errors, yet those who were in the control group did not since they received no feedback. as for the second hypothesis, it was done by the independent t test, which was welch’s test since the groups had unequal variances. the results of the welch’s t-test revealed that the students who were corrected explicitly outperformed those who received recast. discussion this section presents the analysis, discussion and interpretation of the key findings of the present study. the objectives of the study were to investigate the impact of recast and explicit corrective feedback regarding students’ pronunciation and determine the most effective corrective feedback between the two types. the results came up with essential insights into the objectives and purposes of the study. therefore, so as to provide a more comprehensive understanding and implications of the results, the section examines them in the context of existing literature and explains their significance as well. the investigation deals with the efficacy of recast and explicit corrective feedback as oral treatments regarding students’ pronunciation and also investigates the most effective type between those 2 treatments, namely recast and explicit. as indicated in the results, the students who were exposed to oral corrective feedback, either recast or explicit, repaired some of their pronunciation errors. yet, the students who did not receive any feedback, namely the control group, did not repair their errors. but, few of them pronounced very few words correctly. the justification for this is that they either corrected the error by doing their own investigation to correct errors or met some students who received feedback, from whom they might get the corrected pronunciation. hence, in line with the first hypothesis, which states that recast and the explicit have an impact on students’ pronunciation, recast and explicit indeed influenced students positively and helped them fix their pronunciation errors. as for the most effective type of feedback, the explicit corrective feedback type appears to be the dominant one compared to recast. therefore, the second hypothesis, which says that the explicit feedback is more effective than recast when it comes to correcting students’ pronunciation errors, was also confirmed. considering these points, the results of the first research objective, which is about the impact of recast and explicit feedback on students’ pronunciation, seem to be similar to those found by zohrabi and behboudnia (2017) and mirzaie and valizadeh (2021), as their results show that the use of oral corrective feedback, namely recast and explicit, pa ge 71 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 62-73, 2023 helps students improve their pronunciation. concerning the second research objective, which is about the most effective feedback type, the results are in line with those found by alahmed and jalal (2022), varnosfadrani and basturkmen (2009), yu (2022) and zheng (2019). their investigation shows that explicit corrective feedback is more beneficial to students compared to recast. however, this latter contradicts the findings of karimi and esfandiari (2016), which show in their investigation that the students who received recast benefited more than those who received the explicit corrective feedback. the explicit corrective feedback is a type of error treatment that involves clear indication of errors before the process of correction (lyster & ranta, 1997). it could also contain feedback only without any indication of errors, just like recast, but with an adjusted voice tone, which indicates that there is a faulty use of the target language (sheen, 2006; sato, 2011). as for the recast corrective feedback, it is done by paraphrasing the learners’ faulty language production (lyster & ranta, 1997). in the results, students subjected to explicit corrective feedback demonstrated superior performance comparable to those exposed to recast. the superiority of the explicit type could be due to its ability to point out errors and give tutors more time to help students correct those errors. on the other hand, recast can be done most of the time quickly, and the learners may correct their mistakes instantly but forget them quickly owing to the short time they get when corrected through this type of correction. the results of the present investigation yielded essential significance in the process of oral error treatment regarding the mastery of pronunciation. based on this study, recast and explicit corrective feedback are very crucial to students as they contribute to their pronunciation improvement. while the findings show that the explicit type is more effective than recast, still recast is a kind of feedback that could sometimes be a good choice, especially when dealing with students who can realize its corrective force. conclusion the objectives of this investigation were to study and question the efficacy and impact of recast and explicit corrective feedback regarding students’ pronunciation errors and determine the most effective one. this study was conducted to fill the gap that was left a very long time ago (pawlak, 2012), given the very limited investigations that were done regarding the efficacy of recast and explicit feedback on pronunciation (e.g., alahmed & jalal, 2022; karimi & esfandiari, 2016; zohrabi & behboudnia, 2017). the findings show that the students who received oral corrections, mainly recast and explicit feedback, repaired most of their pronunciation errors, unlike those who received no treatment. yet, the learners who were corrected explicitly repaired more errors than those who were corrected through recast. this suggests strong evidence for teachers to be more explicit when correcting their students’ pronunciation. and because of the advantages that the explicit feedback type has over recast, being more explicit helps learners become more focused while receiving the correction and grants them more time to correct their specific errors after their teachers indicate them. pedagogical implications the investigation tackled the efficacy of recast and explicit corrective feedback regarding pronunciation. according to its findings, educators can use oral feedback to help students repair pronunciation errors. also, the study recommends using explicit correction as it is a very direct and clear feedback type, which helps students notice their faulty utterances and correct them. while recast is also effective, explicit feedback seems to be more effective, according to this study, as it makes learners more focused and aware of their errors for better correction. therefore, the more educators help students repair errors, the more correct and natural the students’ pronunciation will be. recommendations for further research the study investigated recast and explicit feedback and compared their efficacy regarding students’ pronunciation improvement. however, while the results were essential, there were some areas that the investigation could not tackle, such as the examination of the other four corrective feedback types, namely metalinguistic corrective feedback, repetition, clarification request and elicitation, and the investigation of the other language skills and components. limitations as with any investigation, this study has some potential limitations. the limitations help better understand and make good use of the implications of the results. this section discusses the limitations of this study and the areas that could not be tackled. the first concern in this study is the number of participants, which is a total of 45 students. while the results were significant, a larger number of participants could have yielded more sufficient results. also, some participants had only five days between the pre-test and post-test, yet some had 7 seven days. furthermore, while this investigation tried to create a homogeneous environment for all the participants by selecting only s2 students, this process still does not guarantee that all of them had the same proficiency level. considering these points, stating the limitations helps refine further research on the used methods and strategies to correct students’ pronunciation and excel at facilitating language acquisition. reference abbuhl, r. 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(2017). the effect of explicit and implicit corrective feedback on segmental word-level pronunciation errors. applied research on english language, 6(2), 237-266. https://doi. org/10.22108/are.2017.21348 appendices appendix a: pre-test read the following words: 1increase 2develop 3based on 4education 5vegetables 6young 7strong 8communication 9professor 10of appendix b: post-test read the following words 1of 2professor 3communication 4strong 5young 6vegetables 7education 8based on 9develop 10increase appendix c: pilot study the correct pronunciation (transcription) of the words was taken from cambridge dictionary (cambridge dictionary: find definitions, meanings & translations, 2023). words students’ pronunciation correct pronunciation increase /* ɪnˈkriːz/ or /* ɪnˈkrɪz/ /ɪnˈkriːs/ or / ɪnˈkris/ develop /*ˈdɪvalap/ /dɪˈveləp/ based on /*beɪzd ɒn/ /beɪst ɒn/ education /*ˈedʊkeɪʃn/ /edʒəˈkeɪʃn/ or / edʒʊˈkeɪʃn/ vegetables /*veʒɪteɪblz/ /ˈvedʒtəblz/ young /*juŋg/ /jʌŋ/ strong /*strɒŋg/ /strɒŋ/ or /strɔŋ/ communication /*ˈkumɪnɪkeɪʃn/ or /*ˈkumnju:keɪʃn/ /kəmjuːnɪˈkeɪʃn/ professor /*ˈpra:fɪsər/ /prəˈfesə(r)/ of /*ɒf/ /ɒv/ or /əv/ pa ge 1 pa ge 68 american journal of education and technology (ajet) factors affecting employee retention of private companies in cambodia using delphi method ramon macaraig jr.1*, soun hong1, sau lay1 volume 2 issue 1, year 2023 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i1.1246 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: january 28, 2023 accepted: march 08, 2023 published: march 14, 2023 in slightly more than a decade (1988-2000), the eminent issue for companies was one of attracting and retaining people with the skills necessary to do the work. the situation became even more complex during 2001 – 2009 period as an economic meltdown forced thousands of companies to cut back or downsize their employee populations. employee turn-over is often associated with “employee retention”. employee retention plays an important role to keep up with other companies amidst the rapid evolvement of global economic environment. the objectives of the study are (1) to identify and assess the factors affecting employee retention of private employees in cambodia from the experts point of view such as hr practitioners etc. and (2) to recommend ways on how to improve employee retention. the researcher employed delphi method technique with 2 rounds. the delphi methodology is used to determine, predict and explore group attitudes, needs and priorities. the researcher invited 34 panel of experts who are at least middle managers of private companies in cambodia such as hr professionals and managers and with at least 5 years of experience in the field. after round 2, the experts agreed that there are 5 factors greatly affecting employee retention of private companies in cambodia and they are: compensation; promotion, opportunity and growth; work environment; training and development; and work-life balance. keywords compensation, employee retention, human capital, job satisfaction, training and development 1 national university of management, phnom penh, cambodia * corresponding author’s e-mail: ram.macaraig@yahoo.com introduction employee retention plays an important role to keep up with other companies amidst the rapid evolvement of global economic environment. competition put pressure on companies to maintain their competitive edge. a company with a low retention rate (high turnover) means the company will not benefit from their investment in recruitment, training and development and management inputs and lose their internal know-how, intelligence and experience. when turnover is high, a vicious and expensive cycle of recruitment, induction, training starts and both internal as well as external relationships with customers may suffer (ses & nil , 2015). retention is a complex concept and there is no single recipe for keeping employees with a company. employees have been important resources to any organization. based on their critical character, they can be termed the life-blood of an organization. employees are human capital of any organizations as they possess the skills, experience, abilities and cumulative tacit knowledge that have economic value to firms. some labor is more productive than other labor simply because more resources have been invested into the training of that labor, in the same manner that a machine that has had more resources invested into it is apt to be more productive. again, employee retention is important in realizing a full return on investment. the success of any organizations relies on the quality of its employees. with the challenge in keeping skilled workforce amidst increasing demand on quality products or services with tight turnaround time, the companies, particularly hr must develop strategies in recruitment, engagement, retention, training, compensation and benefits, motivation and succession planning. statement of the problem on the average company loses approximately $1 million with every 10 managerial and professional employees who leave the organization. combined with direct and indirect costs, the total cost of an exempt employee turnover is a minimum of one year’s pay and benefits, or a maximum of two years’ pay and benefits. according to catalyst.org. (2020), the greatest year-over-year increases in the talent shortage have been in the united states, sweden, finland, hungary, and slovenia. us companies had an average turnover rate of 22% in 2018, with 15% attributed to voluntary turnover. while canadian companies had an average turnover rate of 21% in 2018, with 12% attributed to voluntary turnover (catalyst.org, 2020). in asia, hong kong is lauded for its strong and stable economy but plagued by manpower shortages, employee turnover stands at over 10 percent, and over 20 percent for business and professional services in 2016, according to the hong kong institute of human resource management. however, in china, where the former one-child policy has created an aging society with a lack of young workers to support it, the problem is even worse. in the meantime, the number of 15-to-24-yearolds entering the labor force is expected to decrease by nearly 30% in the next decade (jarman, 2017) lastly in cambodia, between 2011 and 2014, where the number of people employed rose by 23.5%, example in construction, it rose by around 40%; finance and insurance employment rose approx. 38% or in essence an increase pa ge 69 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 68-82, 2023 of employment rate and having one of the fastest growing economies in the world over the last decade, the country is still lacking of workforce (low, 2015). in cambodia, term “war for talent” could be used to describe the current job market. there is a battle taking place for the best people that the country has to offer even the largest companies with the biggest budgets and attractive list of benefits are struggling to find and retain quality staff (low, 2015). the most common reason for the employee resigning according to employers in cambodia’s is an offer of better salary and compensation elsewhere. better compensation offered in particular by new and emerging sectors, such as financial services in cambodia, remains a significant challenge in retaining employees and managing hr today (ses & nil, 2015). in the study conducted by (national employment agency (nea)), it revealed that the skills gaps and inability to recruit qualified people was impacting business performance as: 61% reported delay in development of new products and services; 48.4% reported losing business or orders to competitors; 43.4% reported difficulty meeting customer service levels; 34.1% reported increased workload for current staff and 29.4% reported difficulty meeting quality standards. the pressure of supply and demand will also result in growth of salary expectations for skilled people. thus, it is important for companies to understand the needs of their employees and develop strategies on how to retain them. research questions today business environments are kept changing rapidly, the technological shift and increasing reliance on data and automation together with the changing demands and needs of the customers are among the driving forces that demand for employees with skills and specialisms in areas that didn’t even exist a few years ago. thus, one of challenges of the businesses is the retention of its employees. the businesses must find ways on how to retain its employees to cope up with the evolving needs and demands of the employees as the effect of the changing environment. the researcher would like to find out the factors that makes cambodian workforce to stay with their employers. the researcher is seeking answers for the following questions. 1. what are the factors affecting employee retention from the experts’ point of view? 2. how private companies improve employee retention? objectives of the study the objectives of the study are the following: 1. to identify and assess the factors affecting retention of private employees in cambodia from experts’ point of view such as hr practitioners etc. 2. to recommend ways on how to improve employee retention research scope and limitation the current research study has some limitations that should be noted. first, the experts participated are working only around phnom penh, in order to have a bigger picture of the factors affecting employee retention of private employees in cambodia, the future researchers should expand to a larger area including those experts in the provinces. secondly, the future research should be conducted on specific industries. significance of the study the significance of the study is to understand the factors that affects the decision of the employees to stay in the companies from the experts point of view. by understanding these factors, the companies will be able to develop strategies on how to keep their best employees. in doing so, the companies will reduce recruitment cost, increase productivity and efficiency resulted to quality output – products or services at low cost and maintain its competitive edge or be ahead of their competitors. research gap it could be observed that many researchers have comeup with various employee retention influencing factors varying from high to low. this implies that there is no agreement in fixing a right mix of human resource practices as to how to keep an employee loyal to the organization. this also depends on the employer’s emphasis and choice of factors that best suits her/his organization; yet, all begins with recruitment to create a strong committed work force with a real task to retain them. (mita et. al., 2014). although, there are a lot of study affecting staff retention globally from many organizations, it is also noted that there are not so much research about this in cambodia. therefore, to have a broader understanding, this study attempts to review the factors affecting staff retention in cambodia particularly in private companies. literature review literature review is one ingredient of research evidences which provide the value of research more clearly in seeking some tools to test hypotheses as well as solving problems. in this chapter, the critique is conducted against conceptual and empirical literature of the present research problem study which indicates about the relationship between the independent and depend variables. concept of employee turnover turnover is the rotation of workers around the labour market; between firms, jobs and occupations; and between the states of employment and unemployment (abassi and hollman, 2000). this workforce activity segments into two categories, voluntary and involuntary. involuntary turnover refers to the dismissal of employees, whereas voluntary turnover occurs when employees resign. while many studies have clustered these two distinct classifications, this study is aiming to examine voluntary turnover specifically. since management cannot control voluntary turnover, these are fertile grounds for research pa ge 70 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 68-82, 2023 and, by examining the implications of this phenomenon, such research asserts the need to establish preventive measures for minimizing collateral damage. voluntary turnover often results in departing employees migrating to competing firms, creating an even more critical situation, since this knowledge can now be used against the organization. voluntary turnover has in fact been accelerating over the past decade, as recent studies have shown that employees on average switch employers every six years. this situation demands senior management to consider the repercussions of voluntary turnover, and immediately create contingency plans. otherwise, senior management may be caught unprepared, if (or when) their best performers leave (stovel & bontis, 2002). while functional turnover (i.e. bad performers leave, good performers stay) can help reduce sub-optimal organizational performance (johnson et al., 2000), excessive turnover can be detrimental to the firm’s productivity. this can result in the loss of business and relationships, and can even jeopardize the realization of the firm’s objectives. to compound the negative sideeffects of turnover, not all of the departing employees are considered sub-optimal performers. dysfunctional turnover (i.e. good performers leave, bad performers stay) damages the organization through decreased innovation, delayed services, lethargic implementation of new programs, and degenerated productivity (abassi & hollman, 2000). such activity can radically affect the firm’s ability to prosper in today’s competitive economy; leaving even the most ambitious firms unable to succeed due to the inability to retain the right employees. if it is presumed that the smartest and most talented employees are often the most upwardly mobile, then strong organizations may become unable to actualize strategies and complete key business transactions, if they do not proactively manage their turnover (stovel & bontis, 2002). abassi & hollman (2000) highlight five reasons for employee turnover in the organization: 1. hiring practices; 2. managerial style; 3. lack of recognition; 4. lack of competitive compensation systems; and 5.toxic workplace environments. concept of employee retention in slightly more than a decade (1988-2000), the eminent issue for companies was one of attracting and retaining people with the skills necessary to do the work. the situation became even more complex during 2001– 2009 period as an economic meltdown forced thousands of companies to cut back or downsize their employee populations. during that period alone, more than million jobs have been eradicated leaving a scenario of lost trust, eroded loyalties, financial demise, growing employee cynicism and diminished productivity. employee stress levels have escalated as morale and creativity plummet, while simultaneously, the cost of absenteeism and medical related expenditures have risen. further, companies are now indicating that product quality is beginning to suffer; customer satisfaction is dropping and many organizations are beginning to experience a significant increase in turnover of key talent—especially amongst those individuals considered most ‘crucial’ to the downsized organization (lyons & nelson, 2009). retention is a complex concept and there is no single recipe for keeping employees with a company. in literature, retention has been viewed as “an obligation to continue to do business or exchange with a particular company on an ongoing basis” (zineldin, 2000). employee-retention is generally ‘the intention of employees to stay loyal to their current-workplace’ (huang et al., 2006). it is concerned with keeping or encouraging employees to remain in an organization for a maximum period of time (nnadi & chinedu, 2019). employee retention is a technique adopted by businesses to maintain an effective workforce at the same time to meet operational requirements (mita, m. et al,2014). workforce planning for wisconsin state government (2015), defined “employee retention” is a systematic effort to create and foster an environment that encourages employees to remain employed by having policies and practices in place that address their diverse needs. concept of human capital the concept of human capital is that people possess skills, experience, abilities and cumulative tacit knowledge that have economic value to firms (choo & bontis, 2002; harris, 2015). although the theory was developed to study the economic value of education more recently has been applied to selection, training, compensation and human resource management in general. human capital theory postulates that some labor is more productive than other labor simply because more resources have been invested into the training of that labor, in the same manner that a machine that has had more resources invested into it is apt to be more productive. one of the basic tenets of human capital theory is that, like any business investment, an “investment in skillbuilding would be more profitable and more likely to be undertaken the longer the period over which returns from the investment can accrue”. again, employee retention is important in realizing a full return on investment. human capital theory includes the length of service in the organization as a proxy for job relevant knowledge or ability. a person’s job relevant knowledge or ability influences that person’s wage, promotional opportunity and/or type of job (harris, 2015). therefore, skills and knowledge represent capital because they enhance productivity. in other words, people add value to a firm to the extent that they will perform future services. human capital is the results of a firm’s making a deliberate investment through hiring certain individuals “on the market” or developing them in-house. this investment, via human resource management, carry both out of pocket and opportunity costs and are justified only if they produce pa ge 71 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 68-82, 2023 future returns via increase productivity. moreover, human capital commands a price on the market because it is valuable to other firms and perhaps more important, it is transferrable. this transferability is a critical difference between human capital and physical capital. firms do not actually “own” human capital. it is embodied in employees, who are free (within limits) to move from one firm to another. therefore, control costs or cost retaining and motivating employees (such as wages), must be considered human capital investment as well. factors affecting employee retention compensation davies et al., (2001) said the view that compensation to top workers is given by every organization but very few organizations use it strategically. however, they said that “salary and benefits policies are not being used strategically, within the organization to improve morale, reduce turnover, and achieve targets within an establishment”. horwitz et al. (2003) cited that transparency of pay decision boosted the retention. gardner et al., (2004) viewed that pay is considered as a motivator as well as employee retention technique. milkovich & newman (2004) have clearly stated that among all types of reward, monetary pay is considered one of the most relevant and significant factor in retention. tremblay et al., (2006) also observed that performance related-pay is a retention facilitator. moncraz et al., (2009) concluded that although compensation was not one of the top factors influencing non-management turnover but compensation can act as a critical factor in reducing managerial turnover and increasing commitment. however, a study by (das & baruah, 2013) cited the fact that monetary compensation is perceived to be one of the most powerful; and significant retention factors (milkovich and newman, 2004). according to mouton & bussin (2017), employees have specific compensation expectations. these expectations are a critical factor in employee engagement and are one of the features that employer branding could mitigate in ensuring resource costs are contained. parker and wright (2001), confirmed that employees behavior and retention can be influenced by monetary compensation. reward and recognition “reward” as something that the organization offers to the employees in response of the work as well as performance and something which is desired by the employees. according to walker (2001), recognition from bosses, team members, coworkers and customer enhance loyalty. “watson wyatt” a global consulting firm, conducted a survey in usa, in the year 2002 among 12750 employees at all levels of job and in all major industry sectors to know about their attitudes toward their workplace and their employers. it was found in the survey that recognition is important for workers and they want to listen that their work followed recognized and appreciated. silbert (2005) mentioned that reward is important because it has an enduring impression on employees which, in turn, gives the employees an impression that they are valued in the organization. the value of recognitions have a positive relationship with satisfaction (ali and ahmed, 2009). however, according to nagib et al. (2017) the rewards offered by the company to employees and the ability to retain them are not a sufficient reason to prevent employees from quitting their companies during the crisis. job security during the study of japanese workers that employment features like lifetime employment and seniority system, and job security lead to high commitment, job satisfaction as well as retention of employees in an organization. job performance and organizational commitment are negatively correlated with job insecurity. mentioned that job security at work is one of the basic factors that drive employees to uphold his work, it influences positivity the retention of employees (nagib et al., 2017) promotion and opportunity for growth/ development opportunities meyer et al, (2003) stated internal career development of employees is often the best predictor of an employee’s effective commitment. prince (2005) viewed talented employees are required for maintaining a competitive advantage and employees want career growth opportunities to develop and rise in their career ladder. such plans include advancement plans, internal promotion and accurate career previews at the time of hiring. eyster, et al., (2008) stated that job flexibility along with lucrative career and life options, is a critical incentive for all employees. according to selesho & naile (2014) on their research on academic staff, academic growth or professional development drives them to keep their employment. development in employee’s skill and expertise also contributes to the employee satisfaction, to keep experienced and competent employees; career growth is treated as motivation. career development positively affects job satisfaction ( bui and ho, 2018) autonomy spence et. al. (2009) also linked autonomy and retention through job satisfaction. they observed that autonomy is predictor of job satisfaction. according to them, autonomy on the job influences employee decision to stay in the organization. andrews & wan (2009) also identified autonomy as an influential factor of job retention. christeen (2015) characterized “autonomy” as the ability to choose how to do one’s work; having influence over one’s work; and flexibility in workload decisions” training and development messmer (2000) found that one of the important factors in employee retention is investment on employee training and career development. organization always invests in pa ge 72 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 68-82, 2023 the form of training and development on those workers from whom they expect to return and give output on its investment. tomlinson (2002) forwarded the view that organizations can keep the leading edge in this competitive world by having their employees well trained in the latest technologies. garg & rastogi (2006), explained that in today’s competitive environment feedback is very essential for organizations from employees and the more knowledge the employee learn, the more he or she will perform and meet the global challenges of the market place. handy (2008) has mentioned that proper innovation, and assimilation of new knowledge is essential for survival in any work environment. thus, knowledge is the most expensive asset of any firm. leidner (2013) also viewed that employee loyalty is improved through training and development. from the other side, there are still many arguments mentioned different consequences of training. training provides employees better skills that result in the preferences for working in other companies or on the job training has the negative correlation to turnover retentions (benson, 2006) participation in decision-making hewitt (2002) has mentioned that modern businesses always keep its employees well informed about all the important affairs of its business and involves them in decision-making at all levels which can exploit the talents of its employees. supporting the view, noah (2008) found in his research that employee involvement in decisionmaking helps in creating a sense of belongingness among the employees, which helps in creating a good congenial working environment and contributes towards building a good employer-employee relationship. according to grissom (2012) under an effective manager, employee participation in decision making will correlate positively with employee retention, since employee attachment to the organization likely increases as they are given a voice in organizational goal setting, direction, and policy. in contrast, under an ineffective manager, participation will predict lower employee retention. work-life balance in results of the fast pace environment, work-life balance is increasing its important for engagement and affecting retention. hyman et al. (2003) in their empirical research in the uk found that interventions of work demands into personal life (e.g. working during the week-end) resulted into heightened stress and emotional exhaustion among the employees. according to ellenbecker (2004), work-life balance is becoming gradually more central for employees and tends to affect employees’ decision to stay in organization. nowadays employees long for flexible work schedules which allow them to take care of both their personal and professional life. in a study conducted by the australian telework advisory committee (2006), it was found that 70% of businesses that incorporated telework options reported a number of positive benefits, such as increased business productivity and reduced costs, improved employee flexibility and work life balance, and increased workforce participation. loan-clarke et. al. (2010) observed that a job that gives the holder the possibility to fulfill his/her family responsibilities increases employee retention. mita, & ravneeta (2014) observed a direct relation between employees’ decision to stay and work-life balance. work environment/social support/healthy work atmosphere most of the employees are spending most of their life working thus it is important to have a stress-free and family like environment. in fact, some of the companies are using this (family-like; work-fun environment) as one of their strategies of retaining employees. kossivi et al. (2016) have identified that a favourable environment is a flexible atmosphere where work experience is pleasant and adequate. meanwhile, pawirosumarto et al. (2017) cited (tyssen, 2005) as saying that a work environment is a physical type of space, physical layout, noise tool materials, and co-worker relationships. according to miller et. al. (2001) employees get benefited by work environment that provide sense of belonging. brill et. al (2001), revealed that the design of workspace has a huge effect on employee commitment and satisfaction. wells & thelen (2002) have stated in their study that organizations which have generous human resource policies, have a very good chance to satisfy and retain employees by providing them an appropriate level of privacy and sound control on work environment which enhances the motivation levels to commit with the organization for the long term. ramlall (2003) stressed the need for recognizing the individual needs of an employee in an organization as it will encourage commitment and provide a suitable work environment. wood (2013) reached the conclusion that availability of resource can be a determinant factor in retention. in addition, pawirosumarto et al., (2017) explained a conducive work environment would give a good impact on the continuity of the employment, while less conducive work environment will negatively impact the continuity of its employment leadership/managerial leadership brunetto & farr-wharton (2002) were of the view that supervision of the immediate manager increases the level of job satisfaction in the public sector employees. chunghsiun et. al. (2009) has found that leadership style can affect organizational commitment and work satisfaction positively and work satisfaction can affect organizational commitment and work performance positively. tymon et. al. (2011) identified supportive supervision from managers as a contributing factor to employee retention. kroon & freese (2013) also viewed that participative leadership style plays a significant role in employee retention. employed branding employer branding is one of the growing areas of interest pa ge 73 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 68-82, 2023 to organizations. becoming a “desired employer” in the eyes of employees are not an easy to attain. employer branding is “the package of functional, economic, and psychological benefits provided by employment and identified with the employing company. shaker & ahmed (2014) defines employer branding as the process of portraying an image of the firm to its’ prospective employees in the labour market as a great working place. employer branding is the representation of an organization to the external potential employees as well as how the organization will appear to the current existing employees. crain (2009) viewed employer branding as an emotional attachment and identification between organizations and employees. as a specific example of the link between employer brand, employee retention and the result of increased productivity, consider that people may be willing to take a salary cut to work for a company with a good employer brand, such as google. google is considered to have a leading employer brand, treating employees like precious commodities (matsangou, 2015). if staff turnover rates are reduced, the acquisition, resourcing and transition cost to the company is reduced. social identity theory provides confirmation that employer branding increases organisations’ attractiveness and retention, as current and potential employees pursue membership in organisations that boost their self-concept (biswas & suar 2016). employer branding is composed of tangible and intangible benefits offered by an organisation to attract and retain employees (tanwar & prasad 2017). a competitive remuneration structure is traditionally the cornerstone of employer brand, but research has found that psychological factors such as work–life balance, work atmosphere (tanwar & prasad, 2017) and more flexible work arrangements (hagel, 2012) are increasing in significance for employees. techniques to improve employer branding include internal communication, training support, various leadership, practices (such as the visibility of senior managers), reward programmes, recruitment practices, and feedback from clients and staff (vatsa, 2016). according to mouton & bussin (2017), the employees with a high overall employer branding score were more satisfied with their employers, and employees with low overall employer branding score were less satisfied with their employers. also, people with high overall employer branding scores were less likely to be actively looking to move and were less likely to consider leaving the organisation if approached by another company. job satisfaction there is no subject in the history of the study of management that has been darkened by so great a controversy as that of job satisfaction and its impact on organizational performance. what exacerbated the problem further is the unavailability of a single definition that is usually accepted which defines job satisfaction. this has left the subject both complex to define and subject to as many definitions as there schools of thought on the subject. job satisfaction describes how content an individual is with his or her job. the term was first defined by hoppock in 1935 as a combination of psychological, physical and environmental circumstances that cause a person to say, “i am satisfied with my job”. among the most accepted definition of job satisfaction is by locke in 1969, who defined job satisfaction as a positive emotional feeling as a result of one’s evaluation towards own job or job experience by comparing between what was expected from the job and what was actually obtained. job satisfaction is the result of the interaction of the employees’ values and the employee’s perception towards the job and environment (bernard 2012). job satisfaction seems to be a popular matter for all fields and subjects, from customers, employers, employees, students to many other people in the world, they all need a certain level of gratification. armstrong (2009), explained that the positive attitude and excitement are perceived by employees themselves called job satisfactions whereas job dissatisfaction refers to negative feeling and unfavorable attitude. job satisfaction is the key ingredient that leads to recognition, income, promotion, and the achievement of other goals that lead to a feeling of fulfillment (kaliski,2007). job satisfaction is the collection of feeling and beliefs that people have about their current job. people’s levels of degrees of job satisfaction can range from extreme satisfaction to extreme dissatisfaction. in addition to having attitudes about their jobs as a whole. people also can have attitudes about various aspects of their jobs such as the kind of work they do, their coworkers, supervisors or suborinates and their pay (george et.al., 2008). in general, “job satisfaction” is a multifarious and complex concept. it has a close relationship with motivation but it is not the same as motivation, it’s more relevant to people’s attitudes and feelings. there are many factors affect the satisfaction, for example, salary, promotion, management, team work and working condition (bui and ho, 2018). job satisfaction also mediates the relationship between work interfering with family and turnover (huffman et al., 2014). managers are able to reduce employee turnover by increasing employee job satisfaction, which was supported by a meta-analysis of 67 studies covering 24,556 people (kreitner and kinicki, 2010). cambodia labour market based on the latest survey conducted by hrinc. in 2019 – 2022, only 25 percent of cambodians between the age of 15 and 44 are college graduates and the remaining 75 percent are either graduates of primary school, high school, or did not go to any school at all. however, the age of 15 and 44 comprise the majority of cambodia’s workforce. according to them, with the 8.6 million workers in 2016, 30% of these workers are most active in agriculture. this resulted to shortage of workers for jobs that are highly technical in nature. the world economic forum’s global human capital pa ge 74 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 68-82, 2023 report 2017 gave cambodia the poorest score in asean for educating and training its citizens to develop a competitive workforce and put their skills to productive use. cambodia ranked 92nd out of 130 countries in terms of human capital development. the national employment agency (nea) report, 4th employers survey on the lack and the gap of skills in the jobs market in 2017, showed that 77.9 percent of employers in the hospitality sector faced recruitment difficulties. and more than 50 percent of employers in shipping and logistics, health, education and training, food and beverage processing, and the insurance and finance sectors face similar problem. in annual compensation and benefit survey conducted by hrinc. in 2019 – 2020, we can observe that most of the entry level positions are only offered a salary which is only slightly above minimum wage, usd 182 in 2019 and some positions are even have salary below minimum like call center agent. also, from the recent research of hrinc, they found out that the most attractive employment conditions are work-life balance, 92% followed by competitive compensation, 87% while only 20% and 30% mentioned about employment security and training programs, respectively. in cambodian law, an employer or an employee who wishes to terminate an undertermined duration contract (udc) must give written notice, an employee can leave work as early as after 7 daysnotice if they are employed for 6 months or 15 daysnotice if they are employed for 2 years (table 4.6). the span of time required to find replacement is very short compared to the time they needed to fill-up the vacant position. materials and methods sample size skulmoski et al. (2007) observe that a homogeneous group needs a smaller sample (10–15) but heterogeneous ones (such as in an international study) may require up to several hundred subjects (hung et al, 2008). however, according to okoli and pawlowski (2004), the delphi group size does not depend on statistical power, but rather on group dynamics for arriving at consensus among experts. thus, the literature recommends 10–18 experts on a delphi panel. lastly, linstone (2002) recommends panels between 10 and 50. in this study, 34 panel of experts who are at least middle managers of private companies in cambodia such as hr professionals and managers and with at least 5 years of experience in the field participated in the research. data collecting method primary data the experts were asked about the factors of employee retention according to significance, for their case, the most common reasons they noted from resigning staff. the delhi technique is conducted in two (2) rounds. after the first round, the researcher gave feedback about the results thus experts were asked again for another same set of questions. the results of the last stage, determine the most important factors affecting employee retention secondary data secondary data will be collected from the journal articles that related to the field of the study, census, printed books and online articles which were published on reliable and available website such as google, google scholar and other online library. secondary data is useful to the researcher to have more insights on the topic. the electronic search site: www.google.com and www.scholar.google.com were employed influential for the up-to-date source on the topic. research instrument research instrument is a tool used to collect, measure, and analyze data related to your research interests. it also refers to questionnaires or data gathering available in many options which are used to collect the information that relevant to research questions (wilkinson & birmingham, 2003). a research instrument can include interviews, tests, surveys, or checklists. for this study, the researcher selects questionnaire as the research instrument. a questionnaire is a research instrument consisting of a series of questions (or other types of prompts) for the purpose of gathering information from respondents. questionnaire design in this research, the questionnaire will be done into 2 languages english and khmer for better understanding of the respondents. the questionnaire will be divided into 3 parts. the first part of the questionnaire will be the introduction about the researcher and purpose of the questionnaire. the second part will be the personal information of the respondents such as age, civil status (single, married, divorce/separated), gender, academic qualifications, working experience, job position, industry sector (financial service (banks, insurance); manufacturing, tourism, education, retails) and salary. the third part will be the questions related to the factors affecting employee retention which will be measured by 7-point likert scale. frequency analysis frequency analysis will be used to organize personal information data of respondents. this technique is convenience and provide a specific information and percentage of the variable that the researchers looking for (li, 2013). to analyze the personal information of respondents such as age, civil status, gender, academic qualifications, working experience, job position and industry sector results and discussion most of the prior works have used “maslow’s need heirarchy theory” as its foundation in identifying the factors that affects employee retention. according to this theory, people including employees and organizations are pa ge 75 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 68-82, 2023 motivated by the desire to achieve or maintain the various conditions upon which these basic satisfactions rest and by certain more intellectual desires. the researcher focused on private companies having the highest turnover rate (shamsuzzoha, 2008). according to the previous researches, employees in private companies are most likely to receive highest salary and benefits than those working at public companies. however, employees at private companies are also the most vulnerable in terms of job security. the private companies give table 1: profiles of respondents (n=34) age frequency valid percentage (%) 1 18 to 27 years old 7 20.6 2 28 to 37 years old 22 64.7 3 38 to 47 years old 4 11.8 4 48 years old and above 1 2.9 total 34 100.0 gender frequency valid percentage (%) 1 male 17 50.0 2 female 17 50.0 total 34 100.0 civil status frequency valid percentage (%) 1 single 21 61.8 2 married 13 38.2 3 divorced 0 0.0 4 widowed 0 0.0 total 34 100.0 academic qualifications frequency valid percentage (%) 1 undergraduate 0 0.0 2 bachelor graduate 26 76.5 3 masteral graduate 3 8.8 4 doctoral graduate 5 14.7 total 34 100.00 organization frequency valid percentage (%) 1 financial service (bank/insurance) 1 2.9 2 manufacturing 7 20.6 3 tourism/hospitality 1 2.9 4 education 2 5.9 5 retails 1 2.9 6 others 22 64.7 total 34 100.0 job position frequency valid percentage (%) 1 employee 0 0.0 2 low level of management 0 0.0 3 middle level of management 32 94.1 4 top or upper level of management 2 5.9 total 34 100.0 work experience frequency valid percentage (%) 1 under 5 years 0 0.0 2 5 years above 20 58.8 3 below 10 years 7 20.6 4 10 years and above 7 20.6 total 34 100.0 source: primary data analysis with use of spss -21 pa ge 76 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 68-82, 2023 the most attractive compensation package when the business experiences high growth but also implements immediate downsizing when the business is not growing or experiencing downturn. the following are the respondents’ profile. based on the results, the panel of experts met to the criteria set by the researcher. based on the round 2 results of delphi method technique (table 1), “compensation” was found to be the most significant or important factor while “autonomy” was found to be the least significant or important factor of employee retention of private companies in cambodia. the experts agreed that the 5 factors greatly affecting employee retention of private companies in cambodia are: compensation; promotion, opportunity and growth; work environment; training and development; and work-life balance. table 2: delphi method round 2 results conclusion the panel of experts identify the factors that influence employee retention and they are compensation, worklife balance, work-environment, promotion, opportunity and growth, training and development, reward and recognition, job security, participation in decision making, employee branding, autonomy and leadership. among these factors, the researcher found out that the most influencing factors affecting employee retention are compensation; promotion, opportunity and growth; work environment; training and development; and worklife balance. it is very important for the private companies in cambodia to address these factors understanding the issues in hiring employees due to lack of relevant skills, educational attainment to perform the jobs, shortage of labour and span of hiring versus resignation notice. recommendation staff retention is an endless dilemma among private companies not only in cambodia but also in other part of the world. the businesses are evolving and customers are becoming more demanding – requiring quality products and valueadded services with reasonable price. thus, it is important for the companies particularly private companies to develop a strategy pertaining to the employee retention factors such as reward and recognition; job security; promotion, opportunity and growth; autonomy, training and development; participation in decision making; work-environment; leadership; employer branding and most especially on compensation that leads to job satisfaction thus employee retention and work-life balance. the company is like a second home of every employee. one third of employee’s life or 90,000 hours is spent at work over a lifetime. therefore, a company must develop strategies on how to make the working life stress free and meaningful. in results, it will yield do high staff retention and results to high productivity and eventually high profitability. understanding the importance of human capital or employee retention and the situation of private companies in cambodia, the researcher would like to recommend or suggest the following to stakeholders. 1. companies should establish organization for their hr professionals to actively discuss the issues the employees are facing and develop a standard resolution for attaining common goals. 2. companies should organize a regular townhall or forum with their employees. this encourages open communication. 3. companies should ensure there are clear job description. 4. companies should hire right employees at the start. one of the reasons why employees are quitting the jobs are due to mis-matching. knowledge and understanding human behavior are the qualities hr professionals should possess or at least the interviewers. job matching is important to save time however we should ensure to remove bias and preferential treatment and do it pa ge 77 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(1) 68-82, 2023 objectively. we should ensure we have deep understanding and knowledge of the sectors. a poor onboarding experience for a new hire builds a foundation of negativity in the new job. first impression last. on the other hand, we should be transparent about the company and the nature of jobs to find the suitable employee. 5. companies should invest in employee’s career by sending them for trainings. employees would stay with their company longer if it invested in their career development. in today’s economy, employees understand that they need to keep their skills sharp to remain competitive and move up the ladder. 6. companies should provide training to their managers. you might heard the saying, the people don’t quit the jobs but their bosses. this is true if the relationship to their managers are not harmonious. the managers should be sent to “leadership” trainings especially those who are first-time supervisors. 7. companies should recognize employee contribution. the employees are also human being. they would like to be recognized for their effort and for a job well done. 8. companies should review company benefits. company should align the benefits to the position and years the employees stay in company. 9. companies should provide a clear career growth pathway. the world of work is changing fast, and employees know they need to keep moving or risk falling behind. yet many worry that they lack opportunities for promotion and upward mobility within their current companies. as a result, they look outside the organization for their next step. dedicated career pathing can help increase employee engagement and reassure employees that they have future in the company. afterall, we do not want our competitors to benefit to our long investment to our employees. 10. companies should improve employer branding. having a positive culture that promotes trust and have strong and honest commitment to diversity and equity to every member of the organization. be a business known for the positive causes and organize activities such as promoting environmental protection, helping charities and organizations or local community that everyone would like to be associated with and be proud of. workers tend to stay longer at organizations where they are aligned with the values, vision, and mission. 11. companies should provide safe, conducive, fun, family-like working environment. the employees need a secure, peaceful and relaxing working environment to relieve from day-to-day stress. 12. companies should avoid micro-management. people would like to feel they are trusted and more often would like to explore, decide and learn by themselves. coaching and right guidance would help. according to hrinc survey in 2019-2020, the qualities the staff preferred to their direct managers the most are caring, good communication and competent. 13. every company should develop salary or compensation structure commensurate to experience and educational background. companies that provide transparency around their pay and a clear, simple pay policy are more likely to win over employees. lastly, we should update the compensation structure considering the minimum wage increase, inflation rate and competitors offering. this will help us to decide the right salary we are going to offer to new employees and eliminate unfairness to the current employee. thus, eliminate dissatisfaction and improve employee retention. 14. prioritize work-life balance. companies should consider flexible schedule or remote work. 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(2000). trm total relationship management, student litterateur, lund pa ge 1 pa ge 13 6 american journal of education and technology (ajet) community perceptions on health and environmental implications of poor management of solid waste materials around local dump sites in the buea municipality, cameroon yinkfu randy nkuh1*, eleme clara namondo1, titamoh bridget kah1, landoh nelson nteimaah1, agborneke kelvin ayuk1 volume 2 issue 3, year 2023 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i3.1896 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: may 27, 2023 accepted: august 04, 2023 published: august 17, 2023 numerous urban areas are today faced with many challenges posed by poor waste management and disposal especially in the developing countries. analogously, these challenges are faced by urban dwellers in the buea municipality. the study aims at assessing the health and environmental implications of poor waste management in the buea municipality. it is an observatory and interrogatory study with a cross-sectional research design and dealing with 250 household dwellers selected through the simple random sampling technique. primary data were obtained through questionnaires, interview guides, and field observations, supplemented with secondary data from magazines and published articles. data collected were added codes and themes and inputted on excel version 17 and spss version 13. descriptive and inferential statistical techniques were adopted to establish percentiles, frequencies and magnitudes. findings revealed that the siege population in the buea municipality lacks adequate waste management facilities and this has pushed a significant proportion of them to always dump their waste materials generated from their booming domestic and economic activities into drainage channels, roadsides, and pits. the poor management of these waste materials has resulted to the occurrence of water and airborne diseases such as diarrhea, dysentery, cholera and typhoid fever affecting the population. portable water sources and homes are also polluted by effluence from these waste dump sites. urban dwellers adapt by boiling water from contaminated sources and cleaning up of nearby dirty gutters but their efforts are unfruitful. the work concludes that the buea municipality offers perennial and inter-generational opportunities to its population and recommends that holistic and bottom-top approaches such as daily clean-up campaigns; provision of trash-cans as well as the sensitization of the general community must be implemented in order to provide a congenial environment for the population. keywords wastes disposal, health and environmental implications, dump sites 1 geography department, faculty of social and management sciences, university of buea, cameroon * corresponding author’s e-mail: yinkfurandy8@gmail.com introduction solid waste management (swm) refers to the activities designed to effectively collect, transport, treat and dispose waste due to public health concerns, aesthetics, natural resource conservation and other environmental considerations (munala and moirongo, 2011). the principal aims of swm are to protect the environment and safeguard the health of the population. unfortunately, many cities especially in developing countries are grappling with high volumes of solid waste and face vast inadequacies with their management (gutberlet et al., 2017). throughout the world, all human activities result in the generation of waste. according to the united nations populations fund, unfpa, (2008), about 3.3 billion human populations live in towns and cities and this number is expected to increase to about 5 billion by 2030 countries with fast growing urban populations face serious waste disposal problems mainly because the rate of waste generation is often not matched by improvement in management and disposal of the waste materials. according to boadi and kuitunen (2002), large amounts of garbage generated in urban settlements mostly come from households, schools, medical facilities and industrial activities. according tozerboc (2003), significant factor that contributes to the problem of solid wastes in a developing country scenario is the lack of proper collection and transportation facilities. improper planning coupled with rapid growth of population and urbanization serves to add congestion in streets, and as a result the waste collection vehicles cannot reach such places, thus allowing filth to build up over time. lack of monetary resources, at times, results in improper or no transportation vehicles for waste disposal adding another dimension to the ever-rising cycle of problems. in 2012, 1279 illegal waste dump sites were shut down, compared with 759shut down sites in the previous year inuk. hazardous waste was found in the illegal sites. 1/20 of them encompassed asbestos in waste, 1/5 contains chemicals, fuel and oil. each year, illegal waste dumping costs uk tax payers £1 billion (defra, 2015). in ethiopia, less than half of the solid waste produced is collected and 95 percent of that amount is either indiscriminately thrown away at various dumping sites on the periphery of urban centers or at a number of socalled temporary sites and typically empty lots scattered throughout the city abiye et al., (2008.). the open dumping of waste is a major source of land contamination, water and air pollution, environmental pa ge 13 7 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 136-146, 2023 degradation and health hazards (omoleke, 2004). the principal impacts from the open dumping of waste include the contamination of groundwater, surface water and soil due to leachates from solid waste dumps (firdaus& ahmad, 2010). the same issues emerging from poor waste disposal have been so astronomical in most towns in cameroon such as yaounde, douala, bamenda and particularly in the buea municipality and this paper is to address these issues. statement of the problem the recent ground breaking population growth alongside the multitudes of anthropogenic activities in the buea municipality have not been accompanied with adequate waste management schemes such as trash-cans, monitored waste dump sites and adequate collection points , that is, the population growth rate rose from 5.6% to 42% for the year 2005 and 2020, respectively (buea council statistics, 2021). these have led to the massive production of solid waste materials mainly from domestic activities, commercial centers and locally created micro industries such as bakeries. the inability of the population to effectively manage these waste materials has led to the creation of exposeddump grounds within the living environments where these waste materials are often disposedon daily basis. the inability of the local council, ngos and waste management companiessuch as the hygiene and sanitation of cameroon (hysacam) to evacuate these waste materials from such grounds indue times as stipulated by the united nation (within 24hours) have therefore enhanced the fast transformation of these areas into favorable grounds for harmful parasites such as mosquitoes, midges and flies. more so, these sites are incubators of harmful illnesses such as cholera, typhoid, malaria and skin infection diseases coupled with the ever-empowering smells often emitted from suchsites. these sites are also volcanoes for the frequent pollution of nearby dependable streamsas well as pollutants toinhabited homes especially during torrential rainfall when the effluence is carried to nearby inhabited environments. the local populations have been grappling with measures to cope with this blunder but everything is seemingly futile. it is therefore in the consideration of these legendary issues that this paper attempts an examination of the types of waste materials and sources, theirchallenges and the mitigating measures. literature review mengistie & baraki (2010) conducted a study on community based assessment on household management of waste and hygiene practices in kersaworeda, eastern ethiopia. in this study the researchers‟ objective was to assess the status of waste management and hygiene practices in kersaworeda, easteren ethiopia. from the study they found that majority of the households (66%) disposed of their solid wastes in open dumps and 6.9% of the households had temporary storage for solid wastes. furthermore, many scientific papers like those of fitton et al., (1982), stressed that most of the drinking water sources are oftentimes contaminated by water materials percolating from nearby waste dump sites. the concept of proper waste management solid waste management is the collection, transport, processing or disposal, managing, and monitoring of solid waste materials. the term usually relates to materials produced by direct or indirect human activity, and the process is generally undertaken to reduce their effect on health, the environment, or aesthetics. proper waste disposal and management can be done by applying the reduction, reuse and recycle (3r) method. reducing means lessening the amount of trash/garbage produced. reusing refers to using materials more than once while recycling means creating new material or product out of trash/garbage. figure 1: waste management practices davidson, g. (2011) materials and methods study area the buea municipality is found in fako division, south west region of cameroon. it is situated between latitudes 4o3” and 4o12”n of the equator and longitudes 9o2” and 9o9”e of the greenwich meridian. it is situated precisely on the slope of the mount cameroon, which is the highest peak in west and central africa, at an altitude of about 4100m above sea level. buea sub-division is bounded in the south west by a portion of the atlantic ocean and limbe, south by douala, muyuka in the east and the north-eastern part by mount fako. figure 2 shows the actual layout of the buea municipality. given its mountainous location, buea sub-division enjoys a cool climate which is conducive for human habitation and the performance of human and economic activities such as agriculture and commerce. there exists a sub-tropical highland climate condition in the buea municipality. because of its location on the slope, high elevated areas are characterized by intense cool while those at the lower elevation are face with some degree of elevated temperature. the area consists of steep sloping terrain with table lands at some point which have given rise to the development of human settlements. it is found within the tropical rainforest with vegetation ever green. there exists volcanic soil with few portions pa ge 13 8 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 136-146, 2023 figure 2: layout of the buea municipality source: buea council archives (2020) of sedimentary soil due to the influence of weathering and climate elements. the population is growing in an alarming rate with developing nucleated settlements and linear settlement patterns. approximately 70% of the population is into primary as well as secondary activities. research approach it was an observational and interrogatory study that adopted the cross-sectional research design. the aim of employing the observational research approach was to get an insight of the nature and the quantities of waste materials disposed by the population in the different quarters and the actual sites where these waste materials are being disposed. furthermore, the interrogatory approach helped the research to inquire on the main factors that have instigated the monstrous deposition of waste materialsat unexpected points within the municipality as well as the effects that these uncontrolled waste dumpsites have on the population of the concernedareas. a preliminary field reconnaissance survey was accomplished whereas, through the stratified random sampling techniques, 7 quarters in the buea municipality with population concentrations, lucrative business activities and active points such as markets and parks were mapped out. these quarters were muea, bomaka, mile 16, molyko, bonduma, bakweri town and buea town. within these targeted quarters, 250 persons were selected as key informants through the random sampling techniques. furthermore, detailed observation which was done with the use of checklists was in order to examine the types and the spots where waste materials were being disposed. interviews were also conducted within these quarters, especially with victims of such a phenomenon. a 500m fabre tapewas used to measure the distance between some locally created waste dump sites to the main road and to the living environments. interrogations and focus group discussions were other primary data options. as a concern, the secondary data, magazines, newspapers, post related articles beside online and offline sources of materials on waste management were reviewed. the qualitative data obtained from the field survey were assigned code and themes and later inputted on excel version 17 and imported to spss version 13 where they were checked for normality and analyzed through descriptive statistical techniques to determine their frequencies, mean, percentages and variances. for the quantitative data gathered in the survey processes, inferential statistical techniques such as chi-square and correlation were applied in analyzing them. cause and effects as well as relationships were established through this method. an essential ethical consideration was the strict implementation of the measures against covid-19 and the cholera pandemic. respondent’s information were highly kept confidential. results and discussions pattern of settlements, household sizes and type of waste materials figure 3: household sizes in the buea municipality fieldwork (2022) pa ge 13 9 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 136-146, 2023 the first aspect analyzed was the nature of settlements in the buea municipality. field observations established that approximately 70% of houses in this municipality were clustered around areas of convergence or areas with economic opportunities or social facilities such as molyko, muea, mile 16 and buea town. also, there are areas where linear settlements have developed along the main roads such as parts of molyko. investigations on household sizes as well as the types of waste materials generated by household dwellers revealed the following results as presented on figure 3. in line with the information presented on figure 3, a majority (38%) of the households contain 6-7 persons, 24% contain 4-5 persons while 19.2% contain 2-3. furthermore, 18% contain more than 8 persons and the least (0.8%) are households with a single person. as concern the types of waste materials and their sources, findings revealed that plastic waste materials and food residuals are the common types of waste materials produce in this municipality. details of these are presented on figure 4. with respect to the information on figure 2, 40% of the waste materials produce are plastic waste materials, 30% are food residuals while 15% organic waste materials. more so, 5% are metals while 10% is other type of waste materials such as leather bags and pieces of clothes. figure 5 shows waste materials dispose in molyko quarter in buea. figure 4: types of waste materials produce in the buea municipality source: fieldwork (2022) figure 5: shows waste materials dispose in molyko and buea town quarters source: fieldwork (2023) methods of disposal, frequencies and time interval of management during the course of the study, investigations were made on the methods in which household dwellers dispose their diverse waste materials. details of these are presented on figure 6 in line with the information presented on figure 3, findings revealed that a majority (50.5%) of households dispose their waste materials just within their environments, 20% dispose in nearby drainage channels while 10% burnt their waste materials. furthermore, 9% dispose their waste materials into nearby pits, 7.5% dispose in any nearby streams while 3% discard them directly into the hysacam trash cans. figure 7 shows the different methods of wastes disposal in the buea municipality. during the course of the field survey, investigations were done on the frequency at which individuals dispose waste materials in a week, and findings revealed the following information presented on figure 8. pa ge 14 0 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 136-146, 2023 in line with figure 8, finding shows that close to a half (49%) of the population disposes waste materials approximately 4-5 times in a week, 30% disposes 4 times in a week while 11% disposes 2-3 times in a week. the least (10%) claimed that they dispose waste materials on daily basis. in consideration of the monthly time intervals as to which waste management bodies/organizations manage the discarded waste materials from the centrally dispose sites, findings show that sometimes the waste materials are abandoned at the sites for about a month or more. details of these were as presented on figure 8. figure 6: methods of waste disposal by households in the buea municipality source: fieldwork (2023) figure 7: shows different methods of waste disposal in soppo and muea source: fieldwork (2023) figure 8: frequency of waste disposal by households in the bomaka municipality source: fieldwork (2023) in relation to the information presented on figure 9, a majority (38%) of the population said that the waste management bodies manage (carry away) the discarded waste materials in their locality after a period of 1 month, 24% said after 3 weeks, 18% said after 2weeks and 12% said after one week. furthermore, 4% said that within 6-7 days, 2.8% said 4-5days while 1.2% said 2-3 days. figure 10 shows the hysacam company managing wastes materials in the buea municipality. in line with the lengthy periods of time (1 month) taken by the waste management bodies to evacuate the disposed waste materials, findings were done with regards to the pa ge 14 1 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 136-146, 2023 various bodies that manage waste materials in the buea municipality. in doing so, 82% of the population said that the main organization responsible for waste management is the hysacam company while 13% said that it is the local council while 5% said that it is the local population. the fact that the hysacam company solely manages most of the waste materials generated throughout the buea municipality therefore justifies the reasons for the poor management of these waste materials. distance of households to locally created waste dump sites and their implications during the course of the investigations, in order to do a concrete analysis on the implications of the locally created waste dump sites within the localities concern, the distance between the local dump sites and household environments were taken into consideration. this was done on a distance ranges of <50m, 50-100m, 101m-200m, 201m-350m, 351m-450m and >500m. findings therefore revealed that most of the locally created waste dumped sites were between 50m-100m from the living environment. details are presented on figure 11 figure 9: time interval of managing discarded waste materials in the buea municipality source: fieldwork (2023) figure 10: shows the hysacam company managing waste materials in mile 16 and muea source: fieldwork (2023) figure 11: distance of the local waste dump sites to household environments in the buea municipality source: fieldwork (2023) pa ge 14 2 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 136-146, 2023 in line with the statistics presented on figure 6, 40% of the population said that locally created waste dump sites are 50m-100m away from their living environments, 20% said that they are 101m-200m away, 18% said that they are < 50m while 10% said that they are 201m-350m away. furthermore, 8% said they are 351m-450m away and the least (4%) said they are above half a km (500m) away from their homes. figure 12 shows people selling around waste dumped site in the muea quarter. as concerned the implications of these locally created waste dump sites, 2 aspects were used in analyzing them, that is, the health and the environmental implications. as concern the health implications, the following results as presented on figure 13 were noted in the field. figure 12: people selling around waste dump site in the muea quarter in buea source: fieldwork (2023) figure 13: health implications of uncontrolled waste dump sites to the population source: fieldwork (2022) in line with the information presented on figure 13, as concern the health challenges, a majority (28%) of the population complained that they are usually face with malaria, 18% pointed at typhoid fever, 14.8% compliant of loss of appetites while 12% said vomiting. furthermore, 10% attributed the occurrence of dysentery to these local dump sites, 9.2% made mentioned of stomach bites while 8% revealed that they are faced with cholera diseases. it was however noted during the field survey that most of the dump sites are highly characterized by harmful parasites such as mosquitoes, midges, and flies which are good recipes for malaria transmission. in order to scientifically prove that poor waste disposal and management affect the health of the populations, through a dependent t-test analysis, the dominant illness which is malaria was analyzed with respect to the cases observed during the rainy season when the waste materials are poorly managed with the cases in the dry season when they are fairly managed. this was done within a period of 8 years, that is, from 2015-2022 with data collected from two prominent health units located in molyko and muea localities. the test was statistically significant at 0.005% and with a t-test value of 8.2. detailed results of the analysis were as presented on table 1 and 2 table 1: paired samples statistics mean n std. deviation std. error mean pair 1 rainy_season_malaria 129.75 8 17.790 6.290 dry_season_malaria 76.75 8 19.278 6.816 pa ge 14 3 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 136-146, 2023 table 2: paired samples test paired differences t df sig. (2-tailed) mean std. deviation std. error mean 95% confidence interval of the difference lower upper pair 1 rainy_season_malaria dry_season_malaria 53.000 18.283 6.464 37.715 68.285 8.199 7 0.000 about the result on table 2, the test was statistically significant at a degree of freedom of 7 with a test value of 8.2 and at siginificance of 0.05%, that is t (7)=8.2, p=0.005. with respect to the means of the malaria occurrence for the two season, we concluded that there was statistically significant reduction in malaria cases from 129.75 in the rainy season to 76.75 cases thus, resulting to a difference of 53 cases with an increasing cases in the raining season and decreasing cases in the dry season. from this result, we draw our conclusion that the huge amount of waste materials amassed on roadsides, streams and on the environment are the direct causes of the emerging and multiplying cases of malaria in most of the quarters as concern the environmental implications of these dump sites, it was noted thatmost of the areas where these dump sites are located are characterized with multitudes of environmental challenges which range from pollution, contaminations and smells. details of these environmental challenges were as presented on table 3. table 3: environmental challenges of locally created waste dump sites in the buea municipality environmental issues frequencies percentages (%) 1 pollution of water sources 40 16 2 creation of nasty and dirty environments 50 20 3 disruption of environmental comforts 45 18 4 hideout for harmful insects 40 16 5 soil contaminations 20 8 6 pollution of nearby environments with toxics 55 22 totals 250 100 source: fieldwork (2022) with regards to the information presented on table 3, 22% of the population said that the most environmental challenges of locally created waste dump points are the pollution of nearby environment with toxic substances and the creation of nasty and dirty environment as support by 22% and 20%, respectively. also, 18% said that they usually disrupt environmental comforts while 16% pointed at the challenges of water pollution and hideout areas for harmful parasites. the least (8%) attributed it to soil contaminations. figure 14 show wastes materials discarded into streams in the buea municipality. figure 14: show waste materials discarded in some portable streamsin soppo and mile 17 source: fieldwork (2023) pa ge 14 4 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 136-146, 2023 indigenous adaptation measures to the challenges created by local waste dump sites during the course of the field investigations, the multitude of issues identified necessitated investigations on their indigenous adaptation measures. figure 8 comprises details of the challenges. in line with the information on figure 15, a majority (38) of the population said that they boil water from un-trusted sources before drinking, 22% said that they do visit the hospital for treatment of infections while 20% said that they do daily clean-up of the affected environments. furthermore, 14% usually burn up the waste material while 6% transfer from the affected environments. figure 16 shows indigenous adaptation measures to the challenges of wastes materials in some parts of the municipality. figure 15: indigenous adaptation measures to the challenges of poor water management source: fieldwork (2023) figure 16: individuals adaptation measures to poor waste management in molyko and mile 17 source: fieldwork (2023) discussions findings revealed that the house sizes in the buea municipality are well loaded with many people found in a single household. this isso because of the many people who are today found in the area. most of the waste materials from anthropogenic activities are food residues, plastic materials and garments. these findings were in line with those of kuitunen (2002), who in his scientific paper noted that large amounts of garbage generated in urban settlements mostly come from households, schools, medical facilities and commercialactivities. adequate waste management facilities have not been developed in the area and so, the skyrocketing populations scramble to dispose their waste materials. in the course of searching for ways to dispose their waste materials, they end up randomly dropping them around locally created waste collection points, drainage channels and streams. these findings were consistencewith those of nabegu(2010) who noted that a majority of the people living in slum areas disposemuch of their waste materials just within their residential areas(pits, gutters and drainage channels) because of the distance to the nearby waste collection points which was often congested. furthermore, because of the booming economic activities in the area and the operation of commercial activities by the population, most of them dispose waste materials at least 4-5 times on weekly bases. this means that the waste managementpersonnel/institutions must be effective and ready tomanagethese heaps of waste materials randomly disposed by the population. agreater proportion of the population also leaves just 50m-100m from points where waste materials are being disposed. this goes further to giveproves of how vulnerable the population be affected by this uncontrolled sources. these findings were in line with those of sule (2001)who in assessing the implication of waste materials in the lagos and the calabar states of pa ge 14 5 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 136-146, 2023 nigeria. he noted that, most of the population who were affected were found closer to the waste collection points as concern the various health issues emanating from the poor disposal of waste materials within the environment, the population do suffer of malaria and typhoid fever since such points are favorable grounds for malaria parasites as well as transmitters of water borne diseases. saheri et al., (2009) in assessing the implications of waste materials on the population of kuala lumpur, the capital city of malysia, noted that waste disposal grounds were well defined gateways to malaria diseases, typhoid and other water and airborne diseases. some of these heath challenges have as well been mentioned in the recent articles published by the who (2021). as concern the environment, findings had it that nearby portable stream sources were often polluted with most of the environments appearing nasty due to the poor spread of waste materials by wind and water. around areas where there is market gardening, effluence from these waste dump points do pollutes the soil and marking it less productive. this finding was in conformity with those of medina (2002) who noted in his study of poor waste disposalthat most water sources in the area of study were contaminated by polluted water that flows from the nearby unmonitored landfills. as strategies to overcome some of the challenges emerging from these poorly disposed waste materials, most of the populations always use the local methods in boiling water for domestic uses, especially those from untreated sources. furthermore, some wealthy individuals visit hospitals while a majority of the populations cleanup nearby blocked and dirty gutters in theenvironments. the european commission (2014) has elaborately outline measures such as community clean up and sensitization on water use as effective measures to deal with the challenges of poor disposal of waste materials. conclusion the population in the buea municipality has grown astronomical over the years with booming economic activities. on the contrary, adequate waste management schemes such as trash-cans controlled waste collection points and landfills have not been provided for the population. as a resultof such laxities, the population usually dumped their waste materials anywhere possible around the environment and in streams; drainage channels and sometimes burn them. the heaps of these waste materials have become grounds for harmful parasites such as mosquitoes, midges and rodents. with regards to the fact that the population livescloser to such contaminated grounds, they have been gateways to air and water borne diseases such as typhoid, dysentery, malaria and diarrhea and thus affecting a majority of the population who on daily basis spend colossal sums of money in the hospital for medications. as a resultof the unfriendly effects of these waste materials, the population cannot survive with them and in considering these challenges; they have been implementing multitudes of adaptation measures such as boiling of water and cleaning up of nearby gutters where waste materials are extremely dumped. however, since their adaptation measures are weak and there is no cooperation in the communities, most of their adaptation measures are usually futile and the situation has become normal in the area. therefore, stakeholders and private organizations must take actions in the management of waste materials in this municipality and if this is not effectively done, then the increasing population number in the area shall face a lot of environmental and health issues. recommendations in order to improve the level of waste management in the buea municipality and to create a more comfortable condition for the urban dwellers, the following should be put into practiced by the following personnel’s/ organizations. -the government can create many waste dump sites and train more persons who can effectively manage waste materials within the buea municipality -the government can also fund the local council and other institutions in charge of environmental sustainabilityso that they will have the financial ability to carry out their activities. -the government couldalso construct waste management institutions thatwill work in line with the current ones operatingin the area to ensure effective waste management activity in the area. -the local council should control the careless disposal of waste materials; they should levy fines and penalties on those disposing waste materials recklessly. -they mayalso installed trash-cans within the quarters for the population to also dispose their waste materials inthem. -they canalso organize weekly clean up campaigns to clean areas where these waste materials are deposited. -the council couldalso employand train workers who can assist in the management of these waste materials. -ngos couldhelp and sensitize the general public on the risks of poor waste disposal and also to train them on modern ways of managing waste materials. -theycould support the municipal council with funds in order to increase their financial ability to manage waste materials. -as for the local population, could they should learn how to recycle waste materials and avoid using nondegradable waste materials such as plastics. -they couldalso avoid disposing waste materials into drainage channels and dump them directly to hysacam. -the hysacam company should make should that all waste collection points are visited on daily basis to collect the waste materials. more so, they should also employ many workers to assist them in managing these wastes materials. references abiye, t.a. (2011). provenance of groundwater in the crystalline aquifer of the johannesburg area, south africa. international journal of the physical pa ge 14 6 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 136-146, 2023 science, 6(1), 98–111. available online at http://www. academicjournals.org//jps boadi, k. o. and kuitunen, m. (2002). urban waste pollution in the korle lagoon, accra, ghana,’ the environmentalist 22(4), 301–309. davidson, g. (2011). “waste management practices: literature review” dalhousie university office of sustainability. firdaus, g. and ahmad, a. (2010). management of urban solid waste pollution in developing countries. int. j. environ. res., 4(4), 795-806. gutberlet, j. & julian s. y. (2017). bridging weak links of solid waste management in informal settlements: journals.sagepub.com kuitinen, m &boadi, k. o. (2002). urban waste pollution in the korle, lagoon, acrra, ghana. the environmentalist, 22(4), 301-309 medina, m. 2002. globalization development and municipal solid waste management in third world cities. mengistie, b., & baraki, n. (2010). community based assessment on household management of waste and hygiene practices in kersa woreda, eastern ethiopia. ethiopian journal of health development, 24(2). https:// doi.org/10.4314/ejhd.v24i2.62958 munala, g., &moirongo, b. o. (2011). the need for an integrated solid waste management in kisumu, kenya. journal of agriculture science and technology, 13(1), 65–78. nabegu, a. b. (2010). an analysis of municipal solid waste in kano metropolis, nigeria. journal of human ecology, 31(2), 111–119. https://doi.org/10.1080/097 09274.2010.11906301 omoleke, i. i. (2004). management of environmental pollution in ibadan, an african city: the challenges of health hazard facing government and the people. journal of human ecology, 15(4), 265–275. https://doi.org/10.1080/09709274.2004.11905704 saheri, s., masoud, a.m., noor, e.a.b., noor, z.b.m., rawshan, a.b. (200).life cycle assessment for solid waste disposal optionin malaysia sule, o. (2001). the environmental pollution critically: a synopsis on environmental management, nigeria. unfpa annual report, (2008). compendium of who and other un guidance on health and environment (2021) zerbock, o. (2003) urban solid waste management: waste reduction in developing nations. written for the requirements of ce, 5993. pa ge 1 pa ge 25 american journal of education and technology (ajet) links between the teacher’s atmosphere postures and the pupils’ study postures when solving proportionality problems, identified under implicative statistical analysis in ichc-mgk lwanga albert razafindrabehita1, juvenile christalin ravelomanana1*, vatosoa tsirinala fabiola ravelojaona1, hery frédéric rakotomalala1, andré totohasina1 volume 4 issue 1, year 2025 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v4i1.3056 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: may 07, 2024 accepted: june 22, 2024 published: december 21, 2024 this article aims to examine the possible links between the teacher’s atmospheric postures and the students’ learning postures during the teaching of mathematics, particularly with regard to solving proportionality problems in 3rd grade at bourbon college on reunion island. this analysis will be based on the observation of teaching practices through video sequences, and will be deepened through the use of implicative statistical analysis (isa) according to ichc-mgk. the study results show that maintaining a space for dialogue encourages students to adopt an academic posture. creating this space for dialogue also helps to capture their attention. as a result, the study highlights the importance of providing teachers with in-depth training and a better understanding of their pupils’ individual needs. this would enable them to adapt their teaching methods more effectively to the particularities of each learning context, in order to improve student success. keywords atmosphere posture, isa, proportionality, study posture 1 mathematics and computer science laboratory, enset, university of antsiranana, madagascar * corresponding author’s e-mail: lwanga.razafindrabehita@gmail.com introduction at present, france is cited as one of the countries in europe that is suffering from a drop in the level of its pupils, more specifically in mathematics. according to the 2019 timss (trends in international mathematics and science study) survey, “the mathematical skills of french pupils show a worrying trend”. this decline even extends to france’s overseas territories. for réunion, the results in mathematics from the national assessments of september 2023 for 4th year classes are worrying, placing the island among the french overseas departments with a low level in mathematics. these findings are very different from unesco’s objectives for education in less than a decade’s time. indeed, by 2030, unesco aims to establish education systems that guarantee inclusive, equitable and quality education for all, in line with its sdg-4 (sustainable development goal 4). in this article, in line with unesco’s objectives, we are interested in the teacher’s body with the aim of improving the transmission and acquisition of knowledge in the classroom. our study will focus particularly on the management of the classroom environment that should be conducive to learning, following on from and complementing our work on the interdependencies between the teacher’s postures and the pupils’ study postures in the teaching-learning of mathematics on solving proportionality problems, in the 3rd (or 9th) year class at bourbon college on réunion island, continuing the work of ravelomanana et al. (2024) and razafindrabehita et al. (2024). this study is still based on theory of bucheton & soulé (2009) of the reciprocal of the teacher’s postures and the pupils’ study postures. postures or gestures are very important to teaching/ learning in the classroom because the teacher’s body speaks just like his or her voice (tellier, 2013). so we asked ourselves the following question: what are the links and relationships between the teacher’s attitudes to managing the classroom atmosphere and the pupils’ attitudes to studying? in order to provide some answers to this question, we are going to detect some atmospheric postures of the teacher and study postures of the pupils present in the videos of teaching sessions on proportionality, filmed in this 3rd year class, before proceeding to the analysis of the data collected in relation to our observation grid drawn from the grid of (hella et al., 2019). the processing and interpretation of the results will be based on the said implicative statistical analysis according to the mgk measure (isa-mgk) implemented under the ichc-mgk software in order to be able to open discussions. materials and methods an observation of videos filmed in 3rd classes at bourbon college on reunion island, focusing on the teaching of mathematics and more specifically on solving proportionality problems, was carried out. this observation was carried out using the pedagogical theory of bucheton and soulé (2009) as well as a number of informatics tools. tools used based on the theory developed by bucheton & soulé (2009), which focuses on atmospheric postures, we are able to understand the variety of approaches adopted by the teacher to guide pupils’ activity in the classroom. pa ge 26 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 25-31, 2025 these postures represent the teacher’s attitudes aimed at creating an environment conducive to learning in the classroom (atm1, atm2, atm3): • atm1: create a space for dialogue, • atm2: maintain a space for dialogue, • atm3: capturing students’ attention. in response to the teacher’s atmospheric postures, bucheton and soulé (2009) identify six possible postures for pupils (pel1,...,pel6): • pel1: “a school posture”, characterising more the way in which the pupil tries above all to fit in with the expected school norms, tries to fit in with their teacher’s expectations. • pel2: “a first-doing posture”, describing the way in which pupils throw themselves into the task without thinking too much, letting all sorts of ideas or solutions come to light without going into it any further. • pel3: “a playful-creative posture”, translating here that the pupil uses creativity to reinvent the task he has been given. table 1: extract of binary table. sequences atm1 atm2 atm3 pel1 pel2 pel3 pel4 pel5 pel6 seq1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 seq2 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 seq127 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 seq128 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 • pel4: “a reflective posture”, which is one that enables the pupil not only to be in the act, but to look back on this act, to “secondarise” it in order to understand its aims, failures and contributions. • pel5: “a posture of refusal”, designating the refusal to do, to learn, the refusal to conform, which is always an indicator to be taken very seriously. it often leads to identity and psycho-affective problems, and to symbolic or real violence suffered by pupils. • pel6: “a dogmatic stance”, which manifests an assertive lack of curiosity. the “i already know”, the “my former teacher, my mother, etc. have already told me”. in this case, the pupils are not involved in what they have to learn. the digital tools used included youtube to transcribe the videos, which lasted a total of 256 minutes, subdivided into 128 sequences of 2 minutes each. excel was used to create an observation grid, while ichc-mgk was used to analyse the data collected (table 1). the teacher’s atmospheric postures and the students’ study postures observed during all the sessions of the course are recorded in the observation grid in order to produce a binary table (table 1) which will be used for subsequent analysis. methods the data collected is processed and studied using the theory of implicative statistical analysis (isa) gras, (1979), which is a non-symmetrical method of analysing data that crosses subjects or objects with variables of different types (in our case boolean). the technique of extending implicative and cohesive hierarchical classification ichc (ratsimba-rajohn & gras, 1992) called implicative and cohesive hierarchical classification based on mgk (ichc-mgk) (rakotomalala, 2019) is applied to the analysis of these data collected to deal with the numerical and graphical problems required by the use of isa. this application is also used to classify mgk-valid rules according to the cohesion index based to mgk (rakotomalala & totohasina, 2018) in order to obtain meta-rules to facilitate interpretations of the analysis results. let (k,s,t) be a binary context (table 1). consider the set of sequences s= {seq1, seq2,..., seq128} and the set of items (postures) t = {atm1, atm2, atm3, pel1,…, pel6} (table 1). the association rules between two boolean variables are defined by analyzing the contingency table obtained by crossing them (table 2). table 2: table of contingence and the conjoint probability associate v v ̅ ∑ v’ v’ ̅ ∑ u nuv nuv ̅ nu u’ p(u’∩v’) p (v’ ̅∩u’) p (u’) u ̅ nu ̅v nu ̅v ̅ nu ̅ u’ ̅ p (u’ ̅∩v’) p (v’ ̅∩ u’ ̅) p (u’ ̅) ∑ nv nv ̅ n ∑ p (v’) p (v’ ̅) pa ge 27 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 25-31, 2025 mathematical modelling consider a discrete finite probability space (s,t(s),p) such that for any event x in t(s), p(x)=(card(x)/card(s)). let us note the set of n sequences, over which we have measured m bernoulli random variables, and let i be the set of items i = {i1,i2,i3,...,in}. for all x ∈ p(i) \ {∅ ; i}, for all xi∈ x,xi is an application from s to {0 ; 1} and p(xi=1)=(card(xi -1 (1)))/n, where n = card(e). any nonempty part of i will be called a motif of i. so for the motif u,u’=u-1 (1) and nu=card(u’). for the motifs u and v, nuv=card(u’∩v’) the number of transactions that use both u and v. agree to u ̅=i-v be the logical negation of a motif u. the real number p(u’) will be called the support of the motif u noted supp(u)= (card(u’))/n (agrawal et al., 1993). a probabilistic interest measure is a real function μ of t(i) × t(i) such that for any association rule u→v , with u∩v = ⊘, the value of µ (u→v ) is computed from the four quantities n = card(s), p (u’), p (v’) and p(u’∩v’) = supp(u∪v ). finally, for two motifs (or items) u and v in a binary context, the measure of interest mgk is defined by theoretical research in rakotomalala et al., (2017) and rakotomalala et al., (2018) allowed us to develop an mgk -valid association rule extraction algorithm (rakotomalala & totohasina, 2018). • the extraction of association rules is based on the mgk measure of interest, which detects a possible nonsymmetrical relationship between two of the variables, the validation of the extracted rules is done with respect to the favorable component mf gk which is implicative and the critical value mf gk (α) having a relationship with the χ2 statistic of independence or dependence of degree of freedom 1 at the risk threshold α chosen by ourselves such that mf gk>mf gk (α) with in our case, α=10%, which gives the critical value of χ2 equal to 2.7. • the value of the support according to mf gk such that supp mf gk(u→v) = supp(u)[(1-supp(v)) • the hierarchical classification implicative and cohesive method according to the mgk(ichcmgk) measure of interest is based on the cohesion (rakotomalala et al., 2018). results and discussion in this section, we will analyses the characteristics of the variables. we will then talk about the im-plicative graph of the postures and the interpretation of the rules extracted by the ichc-mgk. finally, we are opening the discussions about the results. characteristics of the variables tables 3 and 4 below show the characteristics of teacher postures and student postures in different atmospheres. it appears that the pupils’ postures, in particular the school posture (pel1) and the first-doing posture (pel2), are the most common, with rates of 81.25% and 64.84% respectively. less frequent postures, with rates below 50%, are classified as rare postures. these include creating the space for dialogue (atm1), maintaining the space for dialogue (atm2), capturing students’ attention (atm3), reflective second (pel4), dogmatic (pel6), playful-creative (pel3) and refusal (pel5), with respective rates of 9.38%, 10.16%, 34.38%, 28.12%, 19.53%, 7.81%, 2.34%. • an implicative graph, denoted g, consists of a finite set of variables representing the vertices of the graph, and edges associated with the normalised support value of valid rules. for ease of interpretation and to highlight meaningful relationships, only implications with a support value suppf (n)mgk (u→v)≥0.5 are retained; alternatively, the implicative tendency of u over v is preferred to neutrality (gras et al., 2001). • the value of suppf (n)mgk ∈ ]0.5;1] is used to establish the value of cohesion between two items, denoted (rakotomalala & totohasina, 2018) with: mf gk(u→v)+supp(v)] is generally small (rakotomalala et al., 2017). it is therefore essential to normalise this value (rakotomalala & totohasina, 2018), and we denote it by suppf (n)mgk , with table 3: characteristics of the variables. postures atm1 atm2 atm3 pel1 pel2 pel3 pel4 pel5 pel6 occurrence 12 13 44 104 83 10 36 3 25 average (%) 9,38 10,16 34,38 81,25 64,84 7,81 28,12 2,34 19,53 table 4 below summaries the frequency of these postures, which are ranked according to the average number of occurrences. the teacher and the students all have postures classified as rare, while the very frequent ones are those of the students. table 4: frequency of the postures. very frequent postures rare postures pel1 et pel2 atm1, atm2, atm3, pel4, pel6, pel3 et pel5 pa ge 28 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 25-31, 2025 results obtained with ichc-mgk table 5 presents the value of the support normalised according to mgk of the favouring rules, sets out the links between the different atmospheric postures of the teachers and the study postures of the pupils. it seems likely that there is a link between teachers maintaining the space for dialogue (atm2) and pupils adopting the academic posture (pel1). furthermore, it is common to see students adopting a dogmatic posture (pel6) while being in the school posture (pel1), suggesting a possible influence of students’ attitudes on their engagement in the learning process. however, it seems unlikely that teachers will maintain the space for dialogue (atm2) when students adopt the school posture (pel1). table 5: table showing normalised supports based to mgk : supp(n)mgk atm1 atm2 atm3 pel1 pel2 pel3 pel4 pel5 pel6 atm1 0,258 0,619 atm2 0,236 1 atm3 0,122 pel1 0,026 0,044 pel2 pel3 0,078 0,254 pel4 0,31 pel5 0,277 pel6 0,787 0,089 0,499 taking into account normalised supports greater than 0.5 on the valid rules according to mgk in table 5, we obtained three rules which describe an implicative graph g composed of five vertices and three edges (figure 1). the academic posture (pel1) is linked to two other postures: maintaining the space for dialogue (atm2) and dogmatic posture (pel6), with respective involvement values measured by mgk of 1.0 and 0.787. this indicates that “the maintenance of the space for dialogue by the teacher often puts the pupils back in the academic posture and the pupils in the dogmatic posture are probably both in the academic posture”. the creation of the space for dialogue (atm1) is associated with an outgoing edge that connects to the posture of capturing students’ attention (atm3), with a normalised support value of 0.619, i.e. “often, the teacher creates a space for dialogue by capturing students’ attention”. tables 6 and 7 show significant cohesion between the different postures observed. in particular, there was a strong cohesion between the teacher’s maintenance of a space for dialogue (atm2) and the pupils’ academic posture (pel1), as well as a moderate link between the academic posture (pel1) and the dogmatic posture (pel6). on the other hand, the relationship between creating space for dialogue (atm1) and capturing students’ attention (atm3) seems feeble. figure 1: implicative graph g of the teacher’s atmospheric postures and the students’ study postures table 6: mgk cohesions for pairs of variables atm1 atm2 atm3 pel1 pel2 pel3 pel4 pel5 pel6 atm1 0 0,284 atm2 0 1 atm3 0 pel1 0 0 pel2 pel3 0 0 pa ge 29 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 25-31, 2025 pel4 0 pel5 0 pel6 0,665 0 0 table 7: cohesion values for pairs of sorted variables pair of variables (atm2, pel1) 1.0 (pel6, pel1) 0.665 (atm1, atm3) 0.284 according to the hierarchical classification of valid rules according to, two meta rules stand out, represented in table 8 and as a dendrogram in figure 2: • r1: (atm2→pel1) : when the teacher maintains the space for dialogue, the pupils are generally in a scholastic posture; • r2: (atm1→atm3): creating a space for dialogue generally engages students’ attention. table 8: hierarchical rules with interclass cohesion, interclass implication and significant value level rule inter-class cohesion inter-class involvement significant value 1 (atm2→pel1) 1.0 1.0 0.02406090 2 (atm1→atm3) 0.284 0.619047 3.3895319130506404e-4 figure 2: dendrogram of the meta-rules these meta-rules (table 8 and figure 2) provide important insights into the dynamics observed in the classroom, highlighting the impact of teacher actions on student behaviour. they could be used as a basis for improving teaching practices and fostering a more effective learning environment. for example, by understanding that maintaining a space for dialogue fosters an academic posture in students, teachers could be encouraged to use this strategy to encourage student engagement in the learning process. discussions and suggestions the results of the analysis of the characteristics of the variables (tables 3 and 4) seem to indicate some interesting trends in the postures adopted by teachers and students in the classroom. the prevalence of postures such as the school posture and the first-done posture among students perhaps suggests a certain passivity or an expectation of direction from teachers, while the less frequent postures, such as creating the space for dialogue or maintaining the space for dialogue, could indicate a need to encourage more interaction and active engagement by students in the learning process. the observations in table 5 reveal complex links between teacher and student postures in the classroom. in particular, the likely relationship between teachers’ maintenance of the space for dialogue and students’ adoption of the school posture (r(1)) highlights the pa ge 30 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 4(1) 25-31, 2025 importance of open communication and interaction in encouraging student participation. this suggests that when teachers maintain an environment conducive to exchange, pupils are more inclined to adopt an attentive and receptive attitude. in sequence 16 (seq16), a pupil calls out to the teacher while the others are chatting (figure 3): “[...] teacher! teacher! [...] “. the teacher is still responding to another pupil: “[...] i think i’m talking here? [...] you’ve called me four times and i haven’t answered [...], so when you call me and i don’t answer, it’s because i’m helping another pupil. [...] raise your hand, wait your turn [...]”. immediately afterwards, the pupils keep quiet to listen to what the teacher is explaining and wait for their turn to speak. figure 3: image extract from sequence 16 furthermore, the finding those students are likely to adopt a dogmatic posture (pel6) while being in an academic posture (pel1) (tables 6 and 7) raises questions about classroom dynamics and the impact of students’ attitudes on their engagement in the learning process. further exploration of this relationship is crucial to understanding the factors that influence students’ active participation and the quality of their learning. however, the low probability of teachers maintaining the space for dialogue (atm2) when students adopt the academic posture (pel1) (tables 6 and 7) is a point of interest. it may be that teachers are less likely to encourage dialogue when students appear to be focused on academic tasks. however, this raises the question of whether ongoing communication might further enrich the learning experience and foster a deeper understanding of the topics being discussed. thus, to improve classroom dynamics, we suggest promoting strategies that encourage open communication and active participation on the part of both teachers and students. teachers could be trained to maintain a balance between structuring academic activities and promoting an environment where ideas and questions are valued. in addition, pedagogical techniques such as small group discussions, debates and interactive activities could be used to stimulate student engagement and foster collaborative and reflective learning. conclusion in this study, we explored bucheton & soulé’s (2009) hypothesis concerning the reciprocal adjustment of teachers’ and pupils’ postures. data were collected by observing mathematics teaching sessions focusing on solving proportionality problems in 3rd classes at college bourbon on réunion island, then analysed using ichcmgk software. we identified links between teachers’ atmospheric postures and pupils’ study postures during teaching practices. after examining the videos, divided into 128 sequences, we found that the teacher rarely adopts an atmospheric posture, just as the students rarely adopt a secondary reflective posture. in addition, we observed that the maintenance of a space for dialogue by the teacher generally leads to an academic posture in the students, particularly when the creation of this space for dialogue is associated with student attention. it is important to stress that proportionality is one of the most delicate concepts in science teaching. indeed, this study of postures during the teaching of proportionality is of vital importance because of its impact on rectifying any misconceptions pupils may have in this complex area.with a view to improving the education system and guiding public policy in the field of education, it is imperative to stress the need for in-depth training for teachers, equipping them with a better understanding of pupils’ individual needs. this would enable them to adapt their teaching approaches more effectively to the specific characteristics of each learning context. references aagrawal, r., imieliński, t., & swami, a. 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(2024). relationships and interdependencies of the teacher’s piloting postures and the pupils’ study postures when solving proportionality problems, analysedwith implicative statistical analysis in hcic-mgk. american journal of educational research, 12(6), 195-200, doi: 10.12691/education-12-6-2. tellier, m. (2013). i gesture, therefore i teach: the role of pedagogical gestures in the language classroom. québec français, 170, 62–63. pa ge 1 pa ge 15 4 american journal of education and technology (ajet) implementation of field study courses in teacher education institutions (teis) in oriental mindoro audie bryan a. buhay1* volume 2 issue 3, year 2023 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i3.1930 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: july 25, 2023 accepted: august 28, 2023 published: september 14, 2023 this study assessed the extent of the manifestation of the learning experiences. specifically, it determined the extent of manifestation of learning experiences in the areas of observations of teaching-learning in the actual school environments, participation and teaching assistantship, and teaching internship and the differences in the assessments of students and teachers on the extent of manifestation of learning experiences. this research study used the descriptive design of research. the subjects of this study were 345 composed of 259 field study students and 86 faculty members of the education programs among teis in oriental mindoro. the researcher used a researcher-made questionnaire. the data collected were treated statistically using the most appropriate statistical methods. descriptive statistics such as weighted mean, standard deviation and a four-point rating scale were employed in analyzing and interpreting the data gathered. results revealed that the extent of manifestation of the learning experiences is lower in terms of participation and teaching assistantship compared to teaching internship, and observations of teaching-learning in actual school environment. moreover, the assessment made by students and teachers on the extent of manifestation of learning experiences varies significantly. a proposed management plan may be developed and endorsed to the administrators of teis in oriental mindoro for further checking and validation. the proposed management plan may be implemented by the deans of education programs of teis in oriental mindoro. future researchers may replicate the study including the baco community college. keywords learning experiences, teacher education institutions (teis), observations of teachinglearning in actual school environment, participation and teaching assistantship, teaching internship 1 baco community college, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: bab_sag07@yahoo.com introduction teaching, often regarded as the noblest profession, plays a fundamental role in shaping the future of individuals and society. educators have the power to ignite young minds, inspire lifelong learning, and create positive impacts that transcend generations. with such significance placed upon teaching, it becomes crucial to ensure that teachers are equipped with the necessary knowledge, skills, and experiences to excel in their profession. in the realm of tertiary education, teacher education institutions (teis) play a pivotal role in preparing future educators for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. teis serve as the training ground for aspiring teachers, providing them with the theoretical foundations, practical skills, and hands-on experiences necessary for their development. among the various components of teacher education, field study courses stand out as a vital aspect, as they provide prospective teachers with the opportunity to apply their knowledge in real classroom settings. college-level fieldwork courses are essential for giving pre-service teachers real-world teaching experience in a motivating and authentic setting. field training’s objectives include shaping and bolstering the fundamental teaching strategies and offering feedback. before beginning a teacher preparation program, years of in-school experience begin the process of professional development. the foundation of professional development during teacher education is built on these encounters and associated memories. future teachers form opinions about their skills based on observations in the classroom and on the field. the learning experiences of pre-service teachers is a crucial component of their professional identity and in their teaching careers. the sense of self and understanding of the role of teachers affects their teaching, professional development, retention in the teaching profession, and other aspects of their life outside of the classroom. it also influences individual teaching effects by influencing their concrete behaviors while teaching. the decisions that teachers make both now and in the future regarding pedagogy, assessment, and student learning are constrained by how they perceive themselves as teachers. the value of field experience in enhancing teaching abilities like lesson planning, classroom management, teaching strategies, and assessment strategies has been highlighted by numerous studies. some of these skills were described as administrative, pedagogical, and technological skills. field experience also improved the students’ ability to plan lessons. other studies have shown that field experience helped pre-service teachers develop their assessment abilities. for instance, fan et al. (2019) specified that efforts of pre-service teachers from the united states and china were considered when using various assessment techniques and grading during pre-service teachers’ focus groups. formative assessment was used by pre-service teachers because it had a number of benefits, including increasing productivity and giving students the chance to develop their skills and knowledge. field work courses are critical component of teacher pa ge 15 5 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 154-164, 2023 education programs around the world, providing valuable opportunities for hands-on learning, exposure to diverse contexts, and professional identity development. by working in real-life classroom settings with diverse student populations, pre-service teachers can connect the theories and concepts they learn in the classroom with the practical realities of teaching. the said courses also offer opportunities for mentoring, feedback, and reflection on teaching practices. ultimately, these experiences help pre-service teachers to develop the skills, knowledge, and professional identities required to become effective teachers who can make a positive impact on the lives of their students. in the philippines, field work courses are commonly known as practice teaching and are required for all education students. practice teaching provides preservice teachers with opportunities to apply the theories and concepts they learn in the classroom to reallife teaching situations. pre-service teachers typically complete two practice teaching courses, each lasting for at least six weeks, in a variety of settings such as public and private schools, urban and rural areas, and different grade levels. however, there have been some challenges in implementing effective practice teaching programs in the country, including inadequate support and supervision for pre-service teachers, insufficient training for cooperating teachers, and limited resources for schools. these challenges highlight the need for ongoing efforts to improve the quality of field work courses and to ensure that pre-service teachers receive the necessary support and guidance to become effective educators. the commission on higher education (ched) memorandum no. 30 s. 2004 provides guidelines for the implementation of field study courses in teis (biong, 2013). it was stressed in article i, sec i of the said memorandum that the philippine education is merely dependent on the proper preparedness of the teachers on the important roles and functions. stated in article iv of the said memorandum is for teachers to have deep and principled understanding of the learning process and how it will be transferred to their students. as support to such, implementation of this order aims to strengthen the integration of theory and practice in teacher education programs by providing opportunities for pre-service teachers to engage in meaningful field study experiences. under this order, teis are required to offer field study courses as part of their teacher education programs. these courses are designed to provide pre-service teachers with opportunities to observe, participate in, and reflect on classroom teaching and learning activities in real-life settings. the courses also provide opportunities for preservice teachers to interact with teachers, students, and other stakeholders in the education community. the order also outlines the minimum requirements for field study courses, including the number of hours required, the minimum number of visits to schools, and the roles and responsibilities of the teis, schools, and cooperating teachers. the order emphasizes the importance of providing pre-service teachers with guidance, feedback, and support during their field study experiences to ensure that they develop the necessary skills and competencies to become effective teachers. this also highlights the importance of field study courses in pre-service teacher education and provides guidelines to ensure that these courses are implemented effectively and contribute to the development of high-quality teachers in the philippines. meanwhile, the ched memorandum no. 30 s. 2004 has served as the standard for all teis. the teacher education students in this program may complete six field study courses that are aligned with some professional education courses before beginning their student teaching or practicum, as stated in the implementing guidelines. aside from the six-unit practicum course, each of the six field study courses receives one (1) unit of credit. in the second year of the revised curriculum’s implementation, which begins way back academic year 2006–2007, the field study component of the curriculum was launched. in implementing the program, teis may create their own models without entirely departing from the ched model. the order specifies that field study courses should be offered as part of the teacher education program and should be designed to provide pre-service teachers with opportunities to observe, participate in, and reflect on classroom teaching and learning activities in reallife settings. the specific subjects to be covered in field study courses may vary depending on the tei and the program, but they should be aligned with the curriculum and standards for teacher education in the philippines. the order emphasizes that field study courses should be integrated with other courses in the teacher education program to ensure that pre-service teachers have a comprehensive understanding of teaching and learning practices. the courses should also provide opportunities for pre-service teachers to interact with teachers, students, and other stakeholders in the education community (balagtas et al., 2016). during student internship, together with a mentor, also known as the cooperating teacher, the pre-service teacher, also known as an apprentice, student teacher, or intern, walks through the entire teaching process (graves, 2010). here, the pre-service teacher puts all of the lessons learned in theory and content courses into practice. they also test their understanding of pedagogical content from related courses before engaging in practice teaching. both public and private basic education schools that are partners or cooperating with the institution hold practice teaching sessions. the effective delivery of education at all levels continue in the face of pandemic that has drastically changed many facets of daily life. teis embraced the unique opportunity and challenge by offering courses in creative and adaptable ways that are appropriate for the context of educational institutions, teachers, and students. in accordance with ched memorandum order no. 4, section, the ched recently published guidelines on the implementation of flexible learning. while deped issued an order on the adoption of basic education learning continuity pan pa ge 15 6 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 154-164, 2023 for school year 2020–2021 in accordance with deped order no. 12, s. 2020 to ensure continuity of learning at the tertiary level considering the covid-19 public health index in 2020 (ancheta & ancheta, 2020). cmo no. 4 denotes that the next batch of teachers must be adequately prepared by teis and cooperating schools to teach in the post-pandemic, new normal environment. therefore, in addition to the current efforts being made to deliver courses using flexible modalities, it is also necessary to redesign the field study and practice teaching courses in a manner that is appropriate for the current context. to ensure the health, safety, and security of the teachers, students, pre-service teachers, and other stakeholders during the pandemic, it is essential to move away from residential or face-to-face teaching toward flexible learning in higher education and learning delivery modalities in basic education. further, in a joint policy known as regional memoranda no. 499, s. 2021, the commission on higher education (ched) and the teacher education council secretariat (tecs) of the department of education (deped) supported pre-service teachers’ field study and teaching internships for improved experiential, developmental, and competency-aligned learning. in addition to ensuring and maintaining the teachers’ effectiveness and efficiency, this is done to develop a new generation of teachers who will be able to teach in the post-covid-19 learning environment. by utilizing a variety of new normal learning modalities, the joint policy seeks to make field study and teaching internships experiential, developmental through coaching and mentoring, and in line with the learning continuity plan and the most essential learning competencies (melcs). moreover, the licensure examination for teachers (let) serves as a predictor of performance of teis, as stipulated in ra 7836 (amanonce & maramag, 2020). the need for this study is evident. it seeks to address the gaps in knowledge and understanding of teis, the efficacy of field study courses, and the challenges faced during their implementation. by shedding light on these areas, it will be possible to identify areas for improvement, enhance the effectiveness of teacher education, and ultimately contribute to the development of highly competent educators. being a professor in one of the teis in the province of oriental mindoro who has been handling field study courses, the researcher have observed that most of the pre-service teachers who have taken field study courses still lack learning experiences in terms of teaching skills that encourage students’ involvement and enhance classroom interaction. teaching skills refer to various kinds of processes that are used to share knowledge with students. the main objective of teaching skills is to facilitate student learning. this includes the creation of an environment, where students can get involved in learning in a manner that suits them. in addition, though there were studies undertaken that focuses on field study course, still, only a few studies have inquired into the learning experiences of pre-service teachers in field study courses and there has been no research published that assessed the implementation of field study courses in teis in oriental mindoro. hence, this study assessed the extent of manifestation of learning experiences in the areas of observations of teachinglearning in actual school environment, participation and teaching assistantship, and teaching internship. objectives of the study this study assessed the extent of the manifestation of the learning experiences. specifically, it determined the extent of manifestation of learning experiences in the areas of observations of teaching-learning in actual school environments, participation and teaching assistantship, and teaching internship and the differences in the assessments of students and teachers on the extent of manifestation learning experiences. methodology this research study used the descriptive design of research. the subjects of this study were 345 composed of 259 field study students and 86 faculty members of the education programs among teis in oriental mindoro. the participating teis were chosen because they were the only teis in oriental mindoro which has huge population of students. the researcher used a researcher-made questionnaire. the data collected were treated statistically using the most appropriate statistical methods. descriptive statistics such as weighted mean, standard deviation and a four-point rating scale were employed in analyzing and interpreting the data gathered. weighted mean this was utilized to describe the extent of manifestation of manifestation of learning experiences in the areas of observations of teaching-learning in actual school environment, participation and teaching assistantship, and teaching internship. standard deviation this was utilized to describe the spread of the respondents’ responses on the extent of manifestation of manifestation of learning experiences in the areas of observations of teaching-learning in actual school environment, participation and teaching assistantship, and teaching internship. t-test this was used to test the significant differences between the assessments of the two groups of respondents on the extent of manifestation of manifestation of learning experiences. scoring and interpretation the assessment on the extent of manifestation of manifestation of learning experiences were reported using the 4-point likert scale as shown below: pa ge 15 7 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 154-164, 2023 results and discussions extent of manifestation of learning experiences learning experiences refer to the engagement or involvement of students in the classroom in order to obtain knowledge. in this case, the students learned from experiences and apply it in the actual classroom situation which can be facilitated by the teachers. the discussions present the gathered data from the students and faculty on the extent of manifestation of learning experiences in the areas of observations of teaching-learning in actual school environment, participation and teaching assistantship, and teaching internship, as shown in table 1 to 4. observations of teaching-learning in actual school environment this refers to an act of watching a teacher’s performance in their classroom or learning environment. in this study, this refers to the extent of manifestation of learning experiences in the area of observations of teachinglearning in actual school environment under field study 1 among teis in oriental mindoro. table 2 presents the extent of manifestation of learning experiences in the areas of observations of teaching-learning in the actual school environment. table 1: four-point rating scale option score range interpretation 4 3.50 – 4.00 great extent 3 2.50 – 3.49 moderate extent 2 1.50 – 2.49 slight extent 1 1.00 – 1.49 least extent table 2: observations of teaching-learning in actual school environment item student faculty overall mean wm sd vi wm sd vi wm sd vi 1. hold simulations in field study classes before the actual field study in schools. 2.99 0.63 me 3.22 0.44 me 3.11 0.54 me 2. check the lesson plans during the field study. 2.96 0.52 me 3.13 0.49 me 3.05 0.50 me 3. provide orientation on field study before the start of the actual field study courses. 2.88 0.69 me 3.14 0.44 me 3.01 0.56 me 4. look into the development and usage of av teaching aids during the field study. 2.97 0.51 me 3.00 0.49 me 2.99 0.50 me 5. observe classroom management and student participation reinforcement in the field study. 2.91 0.60 me 3.00 0.49 me 2.96 0.54 me 6. give feedback and insights during class observations 2.95 0.52 me 2.97 0.49 me 2.96 0.50 me 7. include detailed notes or comments and recommendations in the observation report 2.94 0.50 me 2.95 0.45 me 2.95 0.47 me 8. watch teacher’s performance as a part of a formal job performance evaluation 2.93 0.53 me 2.90 0.49 me 2.92 0.51 me 9. observe formative and summative assessments during the delivery of lesson 2.46 0.83 me 2.59 0.49 me 2.53 0.66 me 10. conduct an observation check on different key areas such as planning, teaching, techniques, and student-teacher relationships 2.33 0.76 me 2.14 0.45 me 2.24 0.60 me composite mean 2.80 0.62 me 2.84 0.47 me 2.82 0.54 me wm=weighted mean; sd= standard deviation; vi= verbal interpretation;; me=moderate extent; as assessed by students, holding simulations in field study classes before the actual field study in schools obtained the highest weighted mean of 2.99, with standard deviation of 0.63, described as moderate extent. on the other hand, conducting an observation check on different key areas such as planning, teaching, techniques, and studentteacher relationships obtained the lowest weighted mean of 2.33, with standard deviation of 0.76, described as moderate extent. the overall mean of 2.80, with standard deviation of 0.62, described as moderate extent, concluded that for students, the extent of manifestation of learning experiences in the areas of observations of teachinglearning in actual school environment is not at a great pa ge 15 8 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 154-164, 2023 extent, yet the students perceived that teis prioritizes holding of simulations in field study classes before the actual field study in schools. in contrast, less attention is given to conducting an observation check on different key areas such as planning, teaching, techniques, and student-teacher relationships. this result is related to the statement of corcoran and o’flaherty(2018) that the teacher and principal effectiveness can be evaluated in terms of student achievement scores or assessment of teacher performance which requires pre-service teachers to demonstrate effective teacher behaviors in applied settings. critics have however argued for process-based measures that evaluate directly what teachers do in the classroom. classroom observations as rated by expert observers are often used as a way of assessing teacher performance, including during teacher preparation. meanwhile, as assessed by faculty, holding simulations in field study classes before the actual field study in schools obtained the highest weighted mean of 3.22, with standard deviation of 0.44, described as moderate extent. on the other hand, conducting an observation check on different key areas such as planning, teaching, techniques, and student-teacher relationships obtained the lowest weighted mean of 2.14, with standard deviation of 0.45, described as moderate extent. the overall mean of 2.84, with a standard deviation of 0.47, described as a moderate extent, concluded that for faculty, the extent of manifestation of learning experiences in the areas of observations of teachinglearning in an actual school environment is not at a great extent, yet the faculty perceived that teis prioritizes holding of simulations in field study classes before the actual field study in schools. in contrast, the faculty also supposed that less attention is given to conducting an observation check on different key areas such as planning, teaching, techniques, and student-teacher relationships. this result can be linked with the findings pianta et al. (2012) who investigated the affective domain of teacherstudent relationships. the findings showed that the core of strong teacher–student relationship revolve around how it influence the instruction and learning taking place in the classroom. each contextual category developed because of this case study includes elements of the teacher and student interaction that have an actual impact on the learning environment in the classroom, as shown by student work samples and responses to teacher interaction. finally, as assessed by both students and faculty, holding simulations in field study classes before the actual field study in schools obtained the highest weighted mean of 3.11, with a standard deviation of 0.54, described as moderate extent. it was followed by checking the lesson plans during the field study s with weighted mean of 3.05, with standard deviation of 0.50, described as moderate extent. providing orientation on field study before the start of the actual field study courses gained the third highest weighted mean of 3.01, with standard deviation of 0.56, described as moderate extent. holding simulations in field study classes before the actual field study in schools is an effective way to prepare student-teachers for their upcoming teaching internship. it allows them to practice their teaching skills in a safe and controlled environment, where they can receive feedback from their mentors and peers. this method is based on the principle of experiential learning, which states that individuals learn best through hands-on experience and reflection. by simulating a classroom environment, student-teachers can develop their lesson plans, teaching techniques, and classroom management strategies. additionally, they can identify areas for improvement and adjust their approach accordingly. thus, holding simulations in field study classes is crucial in ensuring that student-teachers are well-prepared for their actual field study and can maximize their learning experiences. on the other hand, conducting an observation check on different key areas such as planning, teaching, techniques, and student-teacher relationships obtained the lowest weighted mean of 2.24, with standard deviation of 0.60, described as moderate extent. it was followed by observing formative and summative assessments during the delivery of lesson with weighted mean of 2.53, with standard deviation of 0.66, described as a moderate extent. watching teacher’s performance as a part of a formal job performance evaluation gained the third lowest weighted mean of 2.92, with standard deviation of 0.51, described as moderate extent. conducting an observation check on different key areas such as planning, teaching techniques, and studentteacher relationships is critical to ensure the quality of the field study courses for student-teachers. however, in some cases, this area obtained the lowest weighted mean because of a lack of standardization in observation tools and criteria. this can lead to subjectivity and inconsistency in evaluating the performance of studentteachers. additionally, the lack of training and support for cooperating teachers in conducting observation checks can also contribute to the low weighted mean in this area. thus, it is essential to establish a standardized observation tool and criteria, as well as to provide adequate training and support to cooperating teachers, to improve the effectiveness and reliability of observation checks in field study courses. the overall mean of 2.82, with standard deviation of 0.54, described as moderate extent, concluded that for faculty, the extent of manifestation of learning experiences in the areas of observations of teaching-learning in actual school environment is not at a great extent, yet both students and faculty perceived that teis prioritizes holding of simulations in field study classes before the actual field study in schools. in contrast, both students and faculty also supposed that less attention is given to conducting an observation check on different key areas such as planning, teaching, techniques, and studentteacher relationships. this result can be linked with the findings of cook et al. (2018) that despite studies showing the value of studentpa ge 15 9 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 154-164, 2023 teacher relationships for student functioning, little is known about the best ways to foster these connections, especially in secondary education. participation and teaching assistantship this refers to an activity that allows a preservice student to take part in and help with a small number of actual teaching-learning tasks related to learning assessment, creating instructional materials, creating bulletin boards, and other classroom procedures. in this study, this refers to the extent of manifestation of learning experiences in the area participation and teaching assistantship under field study 2 among teis in oriental mindoro. table 3 presents the extent of manifestation of learning experiences in the areas of participation and teaching assistantship. table 3: participation and teaching assistantship item student faculty overall mean wm sd vi wm sd vi wm sd vi 1. ensure warm accommodation of host school during assistantship work of student-teacher 2.89 0.37 me 3.06 0.37 me 2.98 0.37 me 2. conduct pre and post conference after class observation of the student-teacher. 2.92 0.37 me 3.02 0.37 me 2.97 0.37 me 3.show student-teacher how the lesson plans are prepared. 2.90 0.37 me 2.97 0.37 me 2.94 0.37 me 4. supervise student-teacher during actual field study and in the actual classroom observations. 2.83 0.72 me 3.05 0.37 me 2.94 0.55 me 5. stimulate student-teacher to participate and assist in actual teaching-learning activities 2.93 0.76 me 2.91 0.76 me 2.92 0.76 me 6. provide outcome-based experiential tasks, such that the pre-service student go through increasing opportunities for experience. 2.90 0.57 me 2.90 0.57 me 2.90 0.57 me 7. encourage student-teacher to conduct action research 2.83 0.48 me 2.88 0.48 me 2.86 0.48 me 8. encourage student-teacher to provide class activities that are related to the lessons, contextualized to the needs of the learners, and aligned with most essential learning competencies (melcs) 2.41 0.76 se 2.56 0.76 me 2.49 0.76 se 9. require student-teacher to have a portfolio that contains sample lesson on learning plans and demonstration training 2.23 0.48 se 2.20 0.48 se 2.22 0.48 se 10. allow student-teacher to experience directly or vicariously classroom teachings before they finally go to the field to teach 1.98 0.57 se 1.94 0.57 se 1.96 0.57 se composite mean 2.59 0.62 me 2.63 0.57 me 2.61 0.59 me wm=weighted mean; sd= standard deviation; vi= verbal interpretation; ge=great extent; me=moderate extent; se= slight extent as assessed by students, stimulating student-teacher to participate and assist in actual teaching-learning activities obtained the highest weighted mean of 2.93, with standard deviation of 0.76, described as moderate extent. on the other hand, allowing student-teacher to experience directly or vicariously classroom teachings before they finally go to the field to teach obtained the lowest weighted mean of 1.98, with standard deviation of 0.57, described as slight extent. the overall mean of 2.59, with standard deviation of 0.62, described as moderate extent, concluded that for students, the extent of manifestation of learning experiences in the areas of participation and teaching assistantship is not at a great extent, yet the students perceived that teis prioritizes stimulating student-teacher to participate and assist in actual teaching-learning activities. in contrast, less attention is given to allowing student-teacher to experience directly or vicariously classroom teachings before they finally go to the field to teach. this result is related to the findings of korucu kış (2021) who investigated whether exposing student teachers to critical incidents through kolb’s experiential learning cycle could result in meaningful learning. the findings showed that the intervention process had the qualities of being active, constructive, authentic, intentional, and collaborative, and that it also improved the domainpa ge 16 0 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 154-164, 2023 specific knowledge and skills of practicum students. the practicum students reported that this experience supported them during remote practicum and positively impacted their development, despite a few concerns raised that will be used to improve the future implementations of the first action plan. several justifications for the use of virtual vicarious experiences of critical incidents during covid-19 and beyond are provided, drawing on the study’s findings. meanwhile, as assessed by faculty, ensuring warm accommodation of host school during assistantship work of student-teacher obtained the highest weighted mean of 3.06, with standard deviation of 0.37, described as moderate extent. on the other hand, allowing studentteacher to experience directly or vicariously classroom teachings before they finally go to the field to teach obtained the lowest weighted mean of 1.94, with standard deviation of 0.57, described as slight extent. the overall mean of 2.63, with standard deviation of 0.57, described as moderate extent, concluded that for faculty, the extent of manifestation of learning experiences in the areas of participation and teaching assistantship is not at a great extent, yet the faculty perceived that teis prioritizes ensuring of warm accommodation of host school during assistantship work of student-teacher. in contrast, the faculty also supposed that less attention is given to allowing student-teacher to experience directly or vicariously classroom teachings before they finally go to the field. this result can be linked with the findings of the study of kwok (2021) that preservice teachers held contradictory opinions about the theories of classroom management that were developed as part of university coursework. analyses showed a shift toward more teacher-centered beliefs and behavior after student teaching in settings with teacher-centered practices was complete. finally, as assessed by both students and faculty, ensuring warm accommodation of host school during assistantship work of student-teacher obtained the highest weighted mean of 2.98, with standard deviation of 0.37, described as moderate extent. it was followed by conducting pre and post conference after class with weighted mean of 2.97, with standard deviation of 0.37, described as moderate extent. showing student-teacher how the lesson plans are prepared gained the third highest weighted mean of 2.94, with standard deviation of 0.37, described as moderate extent. ensuring warm accommodation of the host school during the assistantship work of the student-teacher obtained the highest weighted mean among the different areas evaluated in the study. this could be attributed to the fact that the success of the student-teacher’s assistantship work heavily relies on the cooperation and support of the host school. a warm and welcoming environment can provide a positive atmosphere for the student-teacher to effectively learn and gain experience in the field. moreover, the support and guidance of the cooperating teacher can also greatly impact the studentteacher’s performance and motivation. when the host school provides ample support and assistance to the student-teacher, they are more likely to have a fulfilling and successful field study experience. this can lead to better learning outcomes and ultimately, better-prepared teachers. on the other hand, allowing student-teacher to experience directly or vicariously classroom teachings before they finally go to the field to teach obtained the lowest weighted mean of 1.96, with standard deviation of 0.57, described as slight extent. it was followed by requiring student-teacher to have a portfolio that contains sample lesson on learning plans and demonstration training with weighted mean of 2.22, with standard deviation of 0.48, described as slight extent. encouraging student-teacher to provide class activities that are related to the lessons, contextualized to the needs of the learners, and aligned with most essential learning competencies (melcs) gained the third lowest weighted mean of 2.49, with standard deviation of 0.76, described as slight extent. the strategy of allowing student-teachers to experience classroom teachings before they go to the field to teach obtained the lowest weighted mean in the study, which may be due to several reasons. firstly, some teacher education institutions may not have enough resources and opportunities to provide direct or vicarious teaching experiences to their student-teachers. secondly, some student-teachers may not see the value and importance of experiencing classroom teachings before going to the field to teach, as they may think that they can learn everything they need to know from their courses and readings. thirdly, some student-teachers may prefer to learn through trial and error, rather than through preemptive experiences. finally, some teacher education institutions may prioritize other strategies, such as simulations and pre/post-conferences, over providing direct or vicarious teaching experiences. overall, while this strategy may have some limitations and challenges, it is still essential for teis to provide their student-teachers with as many learning opportunities and experiences as possible to help them become effective and competent teachers in the future. the overall mean of 2.61, with standard deviation of 0.59, described as moderate extent, concluded that for faculty, the extent of manifestation of learning experiences in the areas of participation and teaching assistantship is not at a great extent, yet both students and faculty perceived that teis prioritizes ensuring of warm accommodation of host school during assistantship work of student-teacher. in contrast, both students and faculty also supposed that less attention is given to allowing student-teacher to experience directly or vicariously classroom teachings before they finally go to the field. this result can be linked with the findings of clark (2016) that at both the preservice and in-service teacher stages, student teachers generally report higher perceptions of their ability to carry out instructional tasks than interns do. pa ge 16 1 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 154-164, 2023 teaching internship this refers to a chance to apply the knowledge and abilities learned during the teacher education program in a middle or high school classroom and to further that knowledge through real-world experience working with students. in this study, this refers to the extent of manifestation of learning experiences in the area teaching internship among teis in oriental mindoro. table 4 presents the extent of manifestation of learning experiences in the areas of teaching internship. as assessed by students, providing the duration of the actual field study appropriate to develop teaching skills obtained the highest weighted mean of 3.87, with standard deviation of 0.83, described as great extent. on the other hand, showing the school forms and how they are prepared to the student-teacher obtained the lowest weighted mean of 2.19, with standard deviation of 0.72, described as slight extent. the overall mean of 2.67, with standard deviation of 0.66, described as moderate extent, concluded that for students, the extent of manifestation of learning experiences in the areas of teaching internship is not at a great extent, yet the students perceived that teis prioritizes providing of the duration of the actual field study appropriate to develop teaching skills. in contrast, less attention is given to showing the school forms and how they are prepared to the student-teacher as well as serving as mentors to student-teacher. in accordance with this, zhao and zhang (2017) discussed that students who participated in internships scored lower on the emotion dimension of professional identity than students who did not, which was possibly due to the students’ emotional exhaustion during the internship. undoubtedly, the differences between the preservice teachers’ professional identities before and after their internships were connected to various definitions of professional identity as well as to some elements of the teacher education process. the difficulty of the transition from student to teacher was lessened by providing support for pre-service teachers, such as mentoring new teachers during their first teaching assignments, integrating school culture, communicating lesson plans with experienced teachers, etc. according to a study on new teachers, their success and wellbeing were impacted by the encouragement and affirmation they received from their supervisors, assistants, and parents. as assessed by faculty, allowing student-teacher at host school to become volunteer tutor as part of auxiliary service obtained the highest weighted mean of 2.84, with standard deviation of 0.90, described as moderate extent. on the other hand, showing the school forms and how they are prepared to the student-teacher obtained the lowest weighted mean of 2.30, with standard deviation of 0.90, described as slight extent. the overall mean of 2.75, with standard deviation of 0.75, described as moderate extent, concluded that for faculty, table 4: teaching internship item student faculty overall mean wm sd vi wm sd vi wm sd vi 1. provide the duration of the actual field study appropriate to develop teaching skills. 3.87 0.83 ge 2.77 0.90 me 3.32 0.86 me 2. include activities in the actual field study helpful in developing teaching skills. 2.96 0.83 me 2.83 0.90 me 2.90 0.86 me 3. work with host school and teachers to ensure an appropriate placement for each student-teacher 2.96 0.54 me 2.76 0.71 me 2.86 0.63 me 4. allow student-teacher at host school to become volunteer tutor as part of auxiliary service. 2.85 0.83 me 2.84 0.90 me 2.85 0.86 me 5. work with field study coordinator to select and approve cooperating teacher(s) for each student-teacher 2.88 0.52 me 2.77 0.72 me 2.83 0.62 me 6. work with the field study coordinators and host school to resolve issues as needed 2.84 0.78 me 2.73 0.74 me 2.79 0.76 me 7. provide a balance between theory and actual field study in the tei pre-service teaching program. 2.53 0.54 me 2.79 0.71 me 2.66 0.63 me 8. delegate responsibility to the student-teacher 2.62 0.52 me 2.64 0.72 me 2.63 0.62 me 9. serve as mentors to student-teacher 2.28 0.78 se 2.73 0.74 me 2.51 0.76 me 10. show the school forms and how they are prepared to the student-teacher. 2.19 0.72 se 2.30 0.90 se 2.25 0.81 se composite mean 2.67 0.66 me 2.75 0.75 me 2.71 0.71 me wm=weighted mean; sd= standard deviation; vi= verbal interpretation; ge=great extent; me=moderate extent; se= slight extent pa ge 16 2 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 154-164, 2023 the extent of manifestation of learning experiences in the areas of teaching internship is not at a great extent, yet the faculty perceived that teis prioritizes allowing of student-teacher at host school to become volunteer tutor as part of auxiliary service. in contrast, less attention is given to showing the school forms and how they are prepared to the student-teacher as well as serving as mentors to student-teacher. in accordance with this, kim and corcoran (2018) showed that persistence was weakly but positively correlated with campus environment engagement, higher grades were associated with persistence, and male and minority pre-service teachers had lower persistence rates. implementing evidence-based programs to enhance the campus environment and support candidates who are at risk are among the implications. as assessed by both students and faculty, providing the duration of the actual field study appropriate to develop teaching skills obtained the highest weighted mean of 3.32, with standard deviation of 0.86, described as moderate extent. it was followed by including activities in the actual field study helpful in developing teaching skills and working with host school and teachers to ensure an appropriate placement for each student-teacher with weighted mean of 2.90, with standard deviation of 0.86, described as moderate extent. working with field study coordinator to select and approve cooperating teacher(s) for each student-teacher gained the third highest weighted mean of 2.86, with standard deviation of 0.63, described as moderate extent. the high weighted mean obtained for providing the appropriate duration of the actual field study to develop teaching skills highlights the importance of allowing sufficient time for student-teachers to immerse themselves in the actual classroom setting. teaching is a complex and dynamic profession that requires a wide range of competencies and skills. providing an appropriate duration for the field study allows student-teachers to gain practical experience in applying the theories and concepts they learned in their academic courses. through this, they can observe and analyze classroom dynamics, adapt to the learners’ needs, and practice their teaching strategies. a longer duration also allows student-teachers to learn from a variety of experiences, work with different cooperating teachers, and encounter a wide range of teaching situations. this exposure to diverse teaching situations helps to develop their teaching skills, build their confidence, and prepare them for their future roles as educators. overall, providing an appropriate duration for the actual field study is crucial in developing the necessary teaching skills of student-teachers. on the other hand, showing the school forms and how they are prepared to the student-teacher obtained the lowest weighted mean of 2.25, with standard deviation of 0.81, described as slight extent. it was followed by serving as mentors to student-teacher with weighted mean of 2.51, with standard deviation of 0.76, described as moderate extent. delegating responsibility to the student-teacher gained the third lowest weighted mean of 2.63, with standard deviation of 0.62, described as moderate extent. showing the school forms and how they are prepared to the student-teacher obtained the lowest weighted mean in the study. one possible reason for this is that the focus of the field study course may be more on the development of teaching skills and practical experience in the classroom, rather than administrative tasks. while it is important for student-teachers to be familiar with the school forms and how they are prepared, this may not be the most pressing concern during the limited duration of the field study course. additionally, some teacher education institutions may have separate courses or modules dedicated to teaching the administrative aspects of teaching, which could explain why this area received a lower level of importance in the study. it is important to note, however, that familiarity with administrative tasks is still an essential aspect of being a teacher, and it may be beneficial for teacher education institutions to find ways to integrate this into the field study course in a way that is meaningful and relevant to the student-teachers’ future teaching careers. the overall mean of 2.71, with standard deviation of 0.71, described as moderate extent, concluded that for both students and faculty, the extent of manifestation of learning experiences in the areas of teaching internship is not at a great extent, yet the students perceived that teis prioritizes providing of the duration of the actual field study appropriate to develop teaching skills. in contrast, less attention is given to showing the school forms and how they are prepared to the student-teacher as well as serving as mentors to student-teacher. this is associated to the results shown in the study of zhao and zhang (2017) that mentor support at field school promoted the development of pre-service teachers’ professional identities. specifically, compared to before the field teaching practice, intrinsic value identity, including work content, work pattern, etc., increased, and extrinsic value identity, including work environment, income, and social status, etc., did not significantly change after experiencing teaching practice. differences on the assessments of the two groups on learning experiences table 5 presents the significant differences between the assessment made of students and teachers on the extent of manifestation of learning experiences. table shows that the assessment made by students and teachers on the extent of manifestation of learning experiences is regarded statistically significant since the p values are 0.0005, 0.0001, and 0.0002, respectively. hence, the null hypothesis is rejected. based on the findings, it shows that the assessment made by students and teachers on the extent of manifestation of learning experiences varies significantly. this indicates that the students and teachers have different perspectives on the extent of manifestation of learning pa ge 16 3 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 154-164, 2023 experiences varies significantly. the assessment made by students and teachers on the extent of manifestation of learning experiences may vary significantly due to various reasons. firstly, students and teachers have different perceptions of what constitutes effective learning experiences. for example, students place more emphasis on hands-on activities and group work, while teachers may prioritize individual assignments and assessments. students and teachers have different expectations of the field study course and its outcomes. for example, students may expect to gain practical teaching experience and develop classroom management skills, while teachers may expect students to demonstrate subject knowledge and mastery of teaching techniques. finally, the assessment also be influenced by external factors such as the quality of the host school and the availability of resources and support. thus, it is important to consider these various factors when assessing the extent of manifestation of learning experiences in field study courses, and to engage in open and constructive dialogue between students and teachers to ensure that expectations and perceptions are aligned. the results may be parallel with the findings of the study of zhang and zhu (2023) that pre-service teachers would go through a complex transition of their professional identity during the teacher education stage because of the characteristics of their professional identity, which would involve constant negotiation, construction, and acceptance. conclusions the extent of manifestation of the learning experiences is lower in terms of participation and teaching assistantship compared to teaching internship, and observations of teaching-learning in actual school environment. moreover, the assessment made by students and teachers on the extent of manifestation of learning experiences varies significantly. recommendations a proposed management plan may be developed and endorsed to the administrators of teis in oriental mindoro for further checking and validation. the proposed management plan may be implemented by the deans of education programs of teis in oriental mindoro. future researchers may replicate the study including the baco community college. references amanonce, j. c. t., & maramag, a. m. (2020). licensure examination performance and academic achievement of teacher education graduates. international journal of evaluation and research in education, 9(3), 510-516. ancheta, r., & ancheta, h. (2020). the new normal in education: a challenge to the private basic education institutions in the philippines. international journal of educational management and development studies, 1(1). balagtas, m. u., regalado, m. r., barrera, c., oxino, r., suatengco, r., & tondo, j. (2016). 21st century teacher image to stakeholders of teacher education institutions in the philippines. e-international scientific research journal, 6, 1-21. biong, c. t. (2013). the national competency-based teacher standards (ncbts) among the students of the college of education. philippines e-journals, 26(1). clark, s. (2016). an exploratory study examining the influence of the number of reading methods courses on pre-service and in-service teacher perceptions of ability to teach reading. asia-pacific journal of teacher education, 44(2), 125-141. cook, c. r., coco, s., zhang, y., fiat, a. e., duong, m. t., renshaw, t. l., ... & frank, s. (2018). cultivating positive teacher–student relationships: preliminary evaluation of the establish–maintain–restore (emr) method. school psychology review, 47(3), 226-243. corcoran, r. p., & o’flaherty, j. (2018). factors that predict pre-service teachers’ teaching performance. journal of education for teaching, 44(2), 175-193. fan, x., johnson, r., liu, j., zhang, x., liu, x., & zhang, t. (2019). a comparative study of pre-service teachers’ views on ethical issues in classroom assessment in china and the united states. frontiers of education in china, 14, 309-332. graves, s. (2010). mentoring pre-service teachers: a case study. australasian journal of early childhood, 35(4), 14-20. kim, e., & corcoran, r. p. (2018). factors that influence pre-service teachers’ persistence. teaching and teacher education, 70, 204-214. table 5: differences on the assessments of the two groups on learning experiences r es po nd en ts observation of teachinglearning in actual school environment participation and teaching assistantship teaching internship m sd t-crit df p s m sd t-crit df p s m sd t-crit df p s students 2. 82 24 0. 14 41 1. 65 44 15 9 0. 00 05 s 2. 60 1 0. 12 16 1. 65 37 17 3 0. 00 01 s 2. 79 73 0. 40 11 1. 65 95 10 5 0. 00 02 s faculty 2. 90 34 0. 17 62 2. 74 77 0. 17 52 2. 71 51 0. 13 66 **significance level at 0.05** pa ge 16 4 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(3) 154-164, 2023 korucu-kış, s. (2021). preparing student teachers for real classrooms through virtual vicarious experiences of critical incidents during remote practicum: a meaningful-experiential learning perspective. education and information technologies, 26(6), 6949-6971. kwok, a. (2021). pre-service teachers’ classroom management beliefs and associated teacher characteristics. educational studies, 47(5), 609-626. pianta, r. c., hamre, b. k., & allen, j. p. (2012). teacher-student relationships and engagement: conceptualizing, measuring, and improving the capacity of classroom interactions. in handbook of research on student engagement (pp. 365-386). boston, ma: springer us. zhang, y., & zhu, j. (2023). stem pre-service teacher education: a review of research trends in the past ten years. eurasia journal of mathematics, science and technology education, 19(7), em2292. zhao, h., & zhang, x. (2017). the influence of field teaching practice on pre-service teachers’ professional identity: a mixed methods study. frontiers in psychology, 8, 1264. pa ge 1 pa ge 7 american journal of education and technology (ajet) exploring innovative approaches and interventions to address misconceptions and promote effective visual arts education in secondary schools in ghana cyril s. kpodo1*, francis ankyiah1, glover reuben agbelengor2, samuel dah3 volume 3 issue 2, year 2024 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v3i2.2524 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: february 07, 2024 accepted: march 18, 2024 published: march 22, 2024 visual arts education is important in developing students’ creativity, critical thinking, and cultural awareness. however, in ghana, visual arts subjects at the secondary school level often need help with challenges such as lack of resources, large class sizes, and misconceptions about the value of art education. this study aimed to explore innovative approaches and interventions that could address misconceptions and promote effective visual arts education in ghana’s secondary schools. a qualitative document analysis and thematic analysis were conducted. relevant policy documents, national curriculum frameworks, and previous research studies related to visual arts education in ghana were analyzed to identify existing challenges, opportunities, and recommendations. key emerging themes included misconceptions about visual arts subjects, lack of resources, training for art teachers and large class sizes that do not augur well for hands-on learning. the analysis also identified recommendations such as integrating visual arts across the curriculum, promoting art exhibitions, and leveraging community resources and partnerships to support visual arts programmes. this study provides insights into existing challenges in visual arts education in ghana’s secondary schools and highlights innovative approaches that could help address misconceptions and strengthen visual arts programmes. integrating visual arts across subject areas, promoting art exhibitions, improving teacher training, and leveraging community partnerships may help promote effective visual arts education. keywords visual arts education, art education, secondary education, ghana, innovative practices, creative arts integration 1 department of art education, university of education, winneba, box-25, ghana 2 department of publishing studies, faculty of art, college of art and built environment, kwame nkrumah university of science and technology, kumasi, ghana 3 bishop herman college, p.o.box 46, volta rock egion, kpando aloryi, ghana * corresponding author’s e-mail: cskpodo@uew.edu.gh introduction visual arts education plays an important role in students’ development and learning. extensive research has shown that art education can boost cognitive abilities, enhance creative and critical thinking skills, and even improve academic performance in other subject areas (rabkin & redmond, 2006). art provides opportunities for handson project-based learning that allow students to solve problems and develop perseverance (burnaford et al., 2007). this active, participatory learning approach has been linked to higher-order thinking skills and increased engagement in school (deasy, 2002). furthermore, art education helps develop cultural awareness and expression. learning about various artistic disciplines exposes students to different world cultures and perspectives (bamford, 2006). the ability to appreciate artistic works and traditions is an important part of becoming a well-rounded, globally-minded citizen. visual arts education in particular focuses on developing creative design skills through areas such as drawing, painting, sculpture and photography. this hands-on learning allows students to explore novel ideas and gain confidence in self-expression (eisner, 2002). while arts education provides valuable benefits, visual arts programmes in ghana’s secondary schools face several challenges that hinder their effectiveness (nortey, bodjawah & poku, 2021). large class sizes, sometimes exceeding 50 students, make it difficult for teachers to provide individualized feedback and attention to develop students’ creative skills (british council, 2014). resources such as art supplies, materials, and technology are also limited in most schools due to lack of funding (nortey, bodjawah & poku, 2021). misconceptions about the value of visual arts subjects also exist among administrators, teachers, parents, and students (akyeampong et al., 2013). they are often seen as less important or rigorous than core academic subjects. this impacts motivation and voluntary enrolment in art courses. at the same time, visual arts teachers often do not receive adequate training nor support to develop pedagogical skills specific to art disciplines (british council, 2014). the national curriculum also does not fully integrate visual arts across other subject areas. these challenges have contributed to declining interest and participation in visual arts education within ghana’s secondary school system (nortey, bodjawah & poku, 2021). if left unaddressed, students may lose opportunities to develop their creative capacities. this warrants further exploration of innovative solutions. given the challenges faced by visual arts programs in ghanaian secondary schools, there is a need to explore innovative solutions that could strengthen arts education. previous studies have documented issues such as lack of resources, large class sizes, and misperceptions about the value of arts subjects (nortey, bodjawah & poku, 2021; british council, 2014). however, more research is still needed to understand promising approaches and interventions. pa ge 8 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 7-11, 2024 the purpose of this qualitative study is to explore innovative strategies that could address misconceptions and promote effective visual arts education in ghana secondary schools. through document analysis of existing policies, curricula and research relating to arts education in ghana, the study seeks to identify recommendations for interventions aimed at enhancing teacher training, community partnerships, integration of arts across subjects and other areas (akyeampong et al., 2013). developing a deeper understanding of challenges and opportunities could help inform policies and practices to support visual arts programs in the future. literature review value and benefits of art education research has demonstrated numerous cognitive, social, and academic benefits of art education. art learning facilitates creative and critical thinking skills that are transferable to other subject areas (deasy, 2002). when integrated across disciplines, art can boost understanding and retention of non-art content like languages, mathematics, and science (ruppert, 2006). studies have also linked art education to improved academic outcomes. students who participate more extensively art tend to have higher gpas, standardized test scores, and rates of college enrollment (rabkin & hedberg, 2011). art may help strengthen problemsolving, reasoning, and communication abilities which are essential for success in school and career (burnaford et al., 2007). on a social and personal level, art education can develop cultural awareness, collaboration skills, confidence, and enthusiasm for learning. through experiential learning in visual arts, students gain self-expression, perseverance and enhanced engagement in the learning process (bamford, 2006; eisner, 2002). art education deals with both cognitive and non-cognitive benefits such as analysis, interpretation, critical thinking, creativity, intuition and emotional expression which are increasingly recognized as important for holistic human development and wellbeing. challenges faced by art programmes in developing countries art education programmes in developing countries face challenges similar to those seen in ghana. several studies have identified common issues such as lack of funding, large class sizes, and shortage of qualified art teachers (unesco, 2006; bloomfield & childs, 2000). limited funding is a significant barrier, as it impacts the availability of basic resources like art supplies, equipment, technology and instructional materials (bloomfield & childs, 2000). large class sizes over 50 students also make it difficult for teachers to provide individualized learning and feedback in hands-on art subjects (unesco, 2006). retaining qualified art teachers also poses a challenge, as teaching may not be perceived as a prestigious or well-compensated career. without adequate ongoing professional development, teachers’ capacity to implement innovative and student-centred art pedagogy can be hindered (british council, 2014). in many communities, there remains the misconception that art subjects are not financially nor academically worthwhile compared to other disciplines like maths and sciences. this affects participation rates and overall prioritization of visual arts within educational systems (british council, 2014). existing approaches to strengthen art education several evidence-based strategies have been employed globally to address challenges in art education systems. integrating visual arts across academic subjects can help improve understanding and make learning more engaging (deasy, 2002). for example, using drama to illustrate a history lesson or singing to reinforce maths concepts. leveraging community resources through partnerships with local art organizations, museums and individual artists brings enriching art experiences into schools at a low cost (manner, 2002). such collaborations also help raise awareness of art programmes. promoting student art exhibitions and performances develops pride and motivation, while educating families and community members about the learning and skills developed (burnaford et al., 2007). exposing the process builds appreciation for art disciplines. investing in teacher professional development, for instance through workshops, continuing education credits and best practice sharing, helps update pedagogy and renew enthusiasm (bloomfield & childs, 2000). supportive policies and funding priorities also signal the value placed on visual arts learning. methodology research approach this study employs qualitative research methods to gain an in-depth understanding of the issues. specifically, document analysis and thematic analysis were used to analyze existing secondary data sources related to visual arts education in ghana. document analysis is a systematic procedure for reviewing and evaluating printed and electronic material (bowen, 2009). it was used to examine policy documents, curricula, programme evaluations and academic articles that could provide insights into the key themes within the data. thematic analysis allows for themes and patterns to emerge from the raw data through an inductive coding process (braun & clarke, 2006). it was applied to analyze the documents and identify common challenges, opportunities and recommendations discussed across sources. together, these qualitative approaches are appropriate for extracting relevant information from a wide range of materials and interpreting the data collected to address the study purpose (bowen, 2009; braun & clarke, 2006). the methods allow for rich description and understanding of the context surrounding visual arts education in ghana. pa ge 9 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 7-11, 2024 data sources the data sources analyzed in this study consisted of national education policy documents and frameworks, curriculum guidelines, as well as previous research studies related to visual arts education in ghana. policy documents from the ministry of education in ghana provided context on goals and priorities for visual arts learning at the secondary level (ministry of education, 2010). national curriculum frameworks outlined the pedagogical approach and learning outcomes for visual arts courses (ghana education service, 2007). previous evaluative studies and assessments of school programmes served as additional data sources. these included assessments by international organizations like unesco and the british council (unesco, 2006; british council, 2014). academic research articles published in peer-reviewed journals also informed the study (akyeampong et al., 2013). analyzing these varied data sources allowed for triangulation to identify corroborated themes across different studies and contexts (guion et al., 2011). the documents collectively provided robust data to address the research questions. data analysis procedures the analytic process involved several steps guided by approaches for qualitative document analysis and thematic analysis (bowen, 2009; braun & clarke, 2006). first, all documents were compiled and carefully reviewed to gain familiarity. initial impressions and potential themes were noted. next, an inductive coding process commenced where excerpts from the data relating to challenges, opportunities or recommendations in visual arts education were systematically labeled. codes were then analyzed to identify connections and patterns, which formed the basis of initial themes. themes were reviewed about the coded extracts and entire data set to validate accurate representation. finally, the finalized themes were defined and analyzed. rich descriptions were written incorporating relevant quotations and comparisons across data sources for triangulation. notewriting was used throughout to document analytic decisions and reflections. the process enhanced trustworthiness through an audit trail and introspection (bowen, 2009), and results were reported thematically to address the research objectives. results theme 1 misconceptions about the value of visual arts subjects analysis of the documents revealed widespread misconceptions regarding the importance and usefulness of visual arts subjects in ghana (akyeampong et al., 2013; british council, 2014). arts courses were often not viewed as seriously as other compulsory subjects by educators, parents and students. british council’s (2014) study reported “a lack of recognition for the arts within communities and society as a whole in ghana” (p.16). visual arts were frequently perceived to lack rigor or job applicability compared to courses like mathematics. this influenced lower enrolment and promotion of visual arts at the secondary level. as described in ghana’s most recent education strategic plan, “not all see the relevance of art to progress in life” resulting in limited support and resources devoted to art programmes (ministry of education, 2010, p.45). studies also found visual arts subjects compromised as class sizes increased or faced budget cuts (akyeampong et al., 2013). these misconceptions posed obstacles to the growth and reputation of art disciplines in schools. greater awareness of the cognitive, socio-emotional and career benefits of art education was deemed necessary to shift mindsets (british council, 2014). theme 2 lack of resources and teacher training a recurring challenge noted across data sources was scarcity of materials, technology and instructional resources available to support quality art education (british council, 2014; unesco, 2006). ghana’s education policy documents acknowledged limited funding prevented adequate resourcing of visual arts and other non-core subjects (ministry of education, 2010). specific resource constraints included shortages of art media and supplies, basic equipment like cameras or pottery wheels, and reference materials for art history lessons (british council, 2014). the national curriculum framework stated many schools lacked conducive facilities for studio-based art classes (ghana education service, 2007). compounding these issues, studies found visual arts teachers frequently did not receive subject-specific training (akyeampong et al., 2013). continuing professional development was limited due to budget restrictions. this hampered abilities to employ innovative teaching strategies or experiential learning techniques outlined in standards (unesco, 2006). the lack of resources and pedagogical capacity-building created barriers to fully realizing curricular goals of nurturing creativity and technical skills in visual arts (ghana education service, 2007). investment in material and human capital was needed to strengthen the quality and outcomes of art education. theme 3 large class sizes impacting hands-on learning across the secondary schools studied, large class sizes posed challenges for arts pedagogy requiring individualized support and feedback (british council, 2014; unesco, 2006). ghana’s education strategic plan reported an average national ratio of 47 students to one teacher at the secondary level (ministry of education, 2010). the british council (2014) observed class sizes exceeding 50 students in some visual arts classes. this made it difficult for teachers to circulate, monitor progress and pa ge 10 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 7-11, 2024 provide constructive guidance for assignments and projects (akyeampong et al., 2013). group critiques and demonstrations were also near impossible with such high pupil-teacher ratios. as the national curriculum envisioned learning approaches like guided studio practices and processoriented assignments, large classes hindered a handson, experimental approach (ghana education service, 2007). both studies recommended class size reductions or increased teaching support staff to allow more individualized instruction essential for art subjects (british council, 2014; unesco, 2006). overcrowding compromised effective implementation of creative, experiential pedagogies and limited opportunities for formative feedback vital to artistic development. existing recommendations from documents reviewed analysis of data sources revealed several recommendations put forth to strengthen visual arts education in ghana. the british council (2014) suggested promoting visual arts advocacy efforts and community engagement activities to shift misconceptions. they also called for investments in teacher professional development and learning resources. unesco (2006) recommended integrating art across disciplines and leveraging local artistic talents through partnerships. akyeampong et al. (2013) similarly endorsed cross-curricular approaches and suggested hiring more specialized visual arts instructors. ghana’s education policy document outlined goals of increasing budget allocations for instructional materials and facilities conducive to visual arts learning (ministry of education, 2010). the national curriculum framework recommended reducing class sizes and empowering teachers through ongoing skills training (ghana education service, 2007). stakeholders emphasized the need for multifaceted solutions addressing challenges related to perceptions, resources, pedagogy and infrastructure support systems (british council, 2014; akyeampong et al., 2013; unesco, 2006). a coordinated, well-resourced approach was deemed critical to realize the full benefits of art education standards and curricula. discussion key innovative approaches to address findings community arts programmes developing visual arts programmes that engage communities can boost appreciation of art learning (catterall & dumais, 2012). partnerships between schools and local galleries or performance groups could showcase student work and its impacts (manner, 2002). this type of civic engagement may help shift misconceptions identified in theme 1. technology-driven resources investing in educational technologies, such as online digital portfolios, virtual field trips or interactive learning games, can augment limited materials (garrett, 2010). technology presents opportunities for visual arts instruction even in under-resourced environments as identified in theme 2. co-teaching models piloting co-teaching models where other subject teachers partner with specialist art educators could help address large class sizes as per theme 3, while building teacher capacity (banks, 2018). station-teaching and small group demonstrations become more feasible. integrating creative arts across curriculum research shows integrating creative arts such as visual arts, drama and dance into core subjects can positively impact learning (deasy, 2002). for example, students might illustrate historical events through a sketch note activity or learn mathematical equivalence through an original song. this aligns with recommendations from unesco (2006) and akyeampong et al. (2013) captured in theme 4. integrating creative arts would allow visual arts skills and concepts to complement and reinforce other subjects throughout the school day. it could boost appeal for visual arts learning while addressing large class sizes and resource constraints by spreading the tuition of art across multiple teachers. studies demonstrate integration benefits student motivation, creativity, and academic achievement across disciplines (deasy, 2002; manner, 2002). with training and curricular support, schools in ghana could harness this approach. promoting exhibitions and community involvement holding student art exhibitions and cultural performances in schools and public spaces can cultivate pride in artistic talents while educating audiences on learning gains from art courses (burnaford et al., 2007). this addresses the misconceptions around relevance identified in theme 1. increased community involvement through volunteer initiatives and donations appeals may also generate resources as per theme 2. regularly showcasing student work and involving the local community can help strengthen relationships between schools and their surroundings (manner, 2002). partnerships with community organizations can provide volunteering instructors or travel opportunities to cultural institutions like museums for hands-on lessons. broadcasting achievements widely through media builds social capital for the visual arts. improving teacher professional development a priority should be enhancing subject-specific training and continuing education for visual arts teachers as noted in theme 2 (akyeampong et al., 2013). workshops, conferences and credentialing programmes can equip instructors with modern pedagogical techniques including integrating visual arts across disciplines. targeted development helps apply student-centred approaches within pa ge 11 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 7-11, 2024 curriculum guidelines (ghana education service, 2007). in-service development sessions provide opportunities for collaborative planning and peer mentoring on classroom management strategies in large classes. communities of practice support instructors in sharing best practices and resources (butterfield, 2018). investments in professional learning directly build teacher capacity essential to quality visual arts education delivery. ongoing skills renewal empowers visual arts educators as lifelong learners. conclusions this study identified several key challenges facing visual arts education at the secondary level in ghana based on an analysis of policy documents, research and curriculum standards. there were widespread misconceptions about the value of art subjects. visual arts courses also faced constraints such as limited resources, large class sizes, and inadequate teacher training that impeded optimal implementation of the curriculum. however, the findings also point to potential innovative solutions that could help address these challenges. approaches like integrating the visual arts across the curriculum, utilizing educational technologies, and facilitating community engagement show promise, based on existing research. improving teacher professional learning and embracing team-teaching models further present opportunities to strengthen art pedagogy in ghana. a limitation of this study was its reliance on documentary sources without new primary data collection. further mixed-methods research involving stakeholder consultations and case studies could provide deeper insights. there is also a need for empirical evaluation of the recommendations proposed and their impact on systemic and learning outcomes over time. continued research is warranted to guide evolving policies, practices and investments supporting vibrant secondary visual arts education in ghana. references akyeampong, k., pryor, j., ampiah, j. g., adu yeboah, f. (2013). meeting universal basic education goals in africa: the effectiveness and shortcomings of six country case studies: an exploration of the evidence and issues. comparative education, 49(2), 127-152. https://doi.org/10.1080/03050068.2013.796932 bamford, a. (2006). the wow factor: global research compendium on the impact of arts in education. waxmann verlag. banks, c. m. (2018). a qualitative study on teachers’ perceptions of co-teaching in inclusion classrooms. seton hall university dissertations and theses (etds). bloomfield, a., & childs, j. (2000). teaching integrated arts in the primary school: dance, drama, music, and the visual arts (1st ed.). david fulton publishers. https://doi. org/10.4324/9781315068800 bowen, g. a. (2009). document analysis as a qualitative research method. qualitative research journal, 9(2), 2740. https://doi.org/10.3316/qrj0902027 braun, v., & clarke, v. (2006). using thematic analysis in psychology. qualitative research in psychology, 3(2), 77101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa british council. (2014). the arts in schools: impact and implementation. https://www.britishcouncil.org/ sites/default/files/arts-in-schools-report-v2.pdf burnaford, g., brown, s., doherty, j., & mclaughlin, h. j. (2007). arts integration frameworks, research & practice. arts education partnership. butterfield, s. c. (2018). teacher characteristics and instructional practices that influence music student learning: a case study of exemplary high school music teachers (publication no. 10743505). proquest dissertations publishing. catterall, j. s., & dumais, s. a. (2012). the arts and achievement in at-risk youth: findings from four longitudinal studies. research report #55. national endowment for the arts. deasy, r. j. (ed.). (2002). critical links: learning in the arts and student academic and social development. arts education partnership. eisner, e. w. (2002). the arts and the creation of mind. yale university press. garrett, j. a. (2010). arts integration professional development: teacher perspective and transfer to instructional practice. walden university. ghana education service. (2019). visual arts syllabus for senior high schools. curriculum research and development division. guion, l. a., diehl, d. c., & mcdonald, d. (2011). triangulation: establishing the validity of qualitative studies. university of florida ifas extension. retrieved from https://scholarship.shu.edu/dissertations/2606 manner, b. m. (2002). arts throughout the curriculum: how classroom teachers’ use of arts activities can affect student learning and other outcomes. american educational research association. ministry of education. (2010). education strategic plan: 2010 to 2020 (vol 1-3). republic of ghana. nortey, s., bodjawah, e. k., & poku, k. a. (2021). the intellectual legacy of gold coast hand and eye curriculum and art education in ghana. international journal of education & the arts, 22(6). retrieved from http://doi.org/10.26209/ijea22n6 rabkin, n., & hedberg, e. c. (2011). arts education in america: what the declines mean for arts participation. national endowment for the arts. rabkin, n., & redmond, r. (2006). the arts make a difference. educational leadership, 63(5), 60-64. ruppert, s. (2006). critical evidence: how the arts benefit student achievement. national assembly of state arts agencies. unesco. (2006). road map for arts education. world conference on arts education: building creative capacities for the 21st century. pa ge 1 pa ge 10 8 american journal of education and technology (ajet) a study of ict awareness, proficiency, and usage among post-graduate (pg) students dipankar paul1*, sanjib kumar roy1 volume 2 issue 2, year 2023 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i2.1656 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: april 30, 2023 accepted: may 24, 2023 published: may 28, 2023 icts have now become a buzzword in teaching and learning. historically, technology has been developed to solve problems, improve living standards and increase productivity. in the educational context, the objectives of ict are to increase productivity and solve teaching-learning problems. information and communication technologies play a major role in shaping the new global economy and producing rapid changes in society. the purpose of the study is to find out the awareness level of various ict devices, proficiency of ict devices, and the usage of various ict devices by the pg students. this study was descriptive research that adopts the survey method. here the researcher used simple random sampling to select 50 samples. to conduct the present investigation, the researcher utilized a self-made questionnaire to gather data, it includes 32 items that are divided into three major dimensions on the basis of the research objectives. the researcher used mean, sd, and t-tests for the statistical analysis of data. after analysis of the data this study found that there is a significant difference between male and female, and no significant difference between urban and rural pg students in the awareness level of various ict devices. the two groups of students, namely male and female, differ significantly; the other two groups, urban and rural, do not differ significantly in terms of their proficiency in various ict devices. the study also found that four groups of students namely male, female and urban, rural differ significantly in terms of the usage of various ict devices. keywords awareness, ict, proficiency, usage 1 coochbehar panchanan barma university, india * corresponding author’s e-mail: pauldipankar321@gmail.com introduction nowadays, we live in a knowledge-based community and a knowledge-based global world, where knowledge is a terrific source of power, wealth, and strength for individuals and nations alike. it is also true that there has been a significant increase in both quality and growth. we require new technologies in order to gain access to and make proper use of this expanding knowledge. furthermore, simply gaining knowledge is insufficient; we have complete control and mastery over the knowledgegathering process. it is only possible with the help of information and communication technology. icts have now become a buzzword in teaching and learning. the use of icts in education is frequently referred to as “information” education. historically, technology has been developed to solve problems, improve living standards and increase productivity. therefore, it may also be used with similar views in education. in the educational context, the objectives of ict have become to increase productivity and solve problems in teaching and learning programs. information and communication technologies (icts) play a major role in shaping the new global economy and producing rapid changes in society. if we focus on the three words behind ict, they are information, communication, and technology. to help individuals and organizations use information, ict considers all the uses of digital technologies. it covers any product that will store, retrieve, manipulate, transmit, or receive information electronically in a digital form. the integration of icts in teaching and learning is very similar to the term information of education. the information represents the necessary components, conditions, and catalysts for the modernization of education, which will permit the move from the reproductive model of teaching and learning to an independent model of teaching and learning to an independent model that promotes creativity and information. literature review it is an extremely important part of any research as it shows what other researchers have already done and what other researchers are doing contemporarily. in other words, it basically helps the investigator to find various research gaps. it provides methodology, tools used for data collection, and techniques applied for the analysis. thus, it provides a critical review and appraisal of the related studies and shows how the related studies contribute toward advancing the present knowledge regarding the specific area under investigation. investigator has reviewed the literature related to the study in the area of ict awareness, use, and need of the students. there is a number of studies available on ict but in this chapter, only those studies reported that are relevant to the present study. the studies have been reported in a precise manner and an attempt has been made to develop a holistic perspective of the findings in order to explain the relationship with the present study. for the above-mentioned purpose, some of the following studies have been reviewed. thanuskodi, s., (2018) this paper is an attempt to https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i2.1656 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= mailto:pauldipankar321@gmail.com pa ge 10 9 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 108-115, 2023 investigate the use of information and communication technology among the students of rural areas in tamil nadu. a survey was carried out for this purpose using a questionnaire tool. the findings indicated that more than half acquired their internet skills through training from college. the results indicated the majority of students used the internet weekly (56.53%). the study found that most of the respondents (73.91%) used the internet for literature searches. mondal, m., & ali. r., (2018) the study’s goal is to determine the availability and use of ict resources during the teaching-learning process in higher secondary schools in west bengal. a questionnaire prepared in three dimensions (availability of resources, student use, and teacher use) is administered to 144 students for this purpose. this study employs descriptive research and the survey method. the data is analyzed using two types of statistics: descriptive statistics that use mean, standard deviation, and correlation, and inferential statistics that use the t-test in addition to determining which areas have ict resources and which use the most. at the conclusion of the study, it was discovered that ict resources are more readily available in urban areas than in rural areas, that there is a difference in ict use between male and female students, and that there is a low correlation between the use of ict resources by teachers and students during the teaching-learning process. wasif, n. m., (2015) conducted a study in pakistan to determine the use and impact of ict in the education sector. he gathered data from 429 respondents from 5 colleges and universities to learn about the use and impact of ict in pakistan’s education sector. he gathered data from rawalpindi, pakistan, using convenient sampling. the findings indicate that having and using ict improves students’ knowledge and learning skills. this suggests that the presence of ict improves educational efficiency while also obliging policymakers in the education sector. according to thanuskodi, (2013) e-resources are spreading online and in other formats. this phenomenon is caused by the rapid advancement of information technologies, such as the internet and digitized techniques. the availability of e-resources (including e-journals, e-books, and so on) is increasing, though no exact number is available. these modifications significantly increase the size of the electronic resource. electronic resources have become one of the most important aspects of a digital library. in accordance with the study, slightly more than one-third of respondents (40 percent) spent less than two hours per session on the internet, followed by those who spent two to three hours per session (29.17 percent). the study also found that 30.83 percent of the 120 respondents used the library’s website to search for documents. according to jebamalar’s., (2013) study of 179 research researchers and users of arts and science colleges associated with manonmaniam sundaranar university who used ict-based resources and services, 31.84 percent of them had sluggish access speeds. kamaldeen. o., (2012) investigated basic technology teachers’ awareness and attitudes toward the use of information and communication technology for sustainable development in the lagos state education districts i, iv, and vi. it was discovered that technophobia, poor use of ict, operational skills in electronic devices, and students’ negative attitudes have nothing to do with teachers’ attitudes toward 57 ict, whereas staff development programs are thought to be relevant to attitudinal change. the study’s dataset was gathered via a questionnaire and analysed using descriptive statistics. the findings revealed that while basic technology teachers have a positive attitude toward ict, they lack adequate information integration methods and techniques. jude, & dankaro., (2012) conducted a study on ict usage by a teacher at the college of education in katsina-ala, benue, nigeria, and discovered that 95.0 percent of the teachers had personal laptops or computers, compared to 87.5 percent of the teachers who did not have access to college laptops or computers. in their offices, 82.5% of lecturers lacked internet access. radio (90%) and power point presentations (82.5%) were not commonly used in lectures by lecturers. florence, n. k., (2011) conducted a study on perceptions of the role of ict on quality of life in ugandan rural communities. the study found that ict adoption and use for improvement are still limited. furthermore, it concluded that states and policymakers should take a pluralistic approach to ict provision, focusing not only on availability and affordability but also on increasing people’s awareness and agency for development benefits. gomleksiz., (2004) investigated teachers’ attitudes toward the use of technology in the classroom. a total of 150 english teachers were polled on a 36-item scale measuring positive and negative attitudes toward technology use among english teachers. it was discovered that while teachers have positive attitudes toward the use of technology, they do not have or use it at the desired level. research gap from the several related works of literature, it is observed that different studies have been conducted on ict. everyone gives more importance to the availability and usefulness of ict. most of the available studies were reviewed and findings indicated that there may be less research has been conducted on ict awareness, application, and usage among pg students of coochbehar. so, there is a knowledge gap existing in this area. keeping this view in the mind, the researcher wants to conduct the study on ict awareness, application, and its usage among pg students of coochbehar. purpose of the study the purpose of the study is to find out the awareness, level of various ict devices, proficiency of ict devices, and the usage of various ict devices by the pg students for their academic purpose. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 11 0 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 108-115, 2023 delimitation of the study the present investigator limited the scope of this study by selecting only post-graduate students from the coochbehar panchanan barma university, coochbehar, west bengal. the number of participants in the study was also a limitation, the total number of participants in the study is 50 among all the population. objectives of the study 1. to find out the awareness level of pg students in connection with various ict devices. 2. to know the proficiency of ict devices among the pg students. 3. to know the usage of various ict devices by the pg students for their academic purpose. hypothesis of the study on the basis of the above objectives the investigator fixed the following hypothesis: 1. there is no significant difference between male and female pg students in relation to the awareness level of various ict devices. 2. there is no significant difference between urban and rural pg students in relation to the awareness level of various ict devices. 3. there is no significant difference between male and female pg students in relation to the proficiency of various ict devices. 4. there is no significant difference between urban and rural pg students in relation to the proficiency of various ict devices. 5. there is no significant difference between male and female pg students in relation to the usage of various ict devices for their academic purpose. 6. there is no significant difference between urban and rural pg students in relation to the usage of various ict devices for their academic purpose. methodology this study was conducted on ict awareness, proficiency, and usage among post-graduate (pg) students. so, the present trend about the theme was to focus by this study through applying descriptive survey method. it involves an element of interpretation of the meaning or significance of what is described. thus, the description is combined with a comparison or contrast involving measurement, classification, interpretation, and evaluation. population of the study the population of the present study is all the postgraduate students of coochbehar panchanan barma university, west bengal. sampling and sample to collect data the investigator used a simple random sampling technique to select samples. a total of 50 participants were selected for this study. from the 50 participants, 25 are male, and the rest of the 25 participants are female. the investigator divided the population into four categories (urban, rural, and male, female). here the researcher purposively selected the institution. participants gender residence 50 male female urban rural 25 25 33 17 tool and technique to conduct the present investigation, the researcher developed and utilized a self-made questionnaire, it includes 32 items which are divided into three major dimensions on the basis of the research objectives. which are listed below – 1. awareness level of various ict devices. 2. proficiency in various ict devices. 3. usage of various ict devices. statistical technique used for the study the above figure 1 shows the research model for the present study. post-graduate students have different types of ict skills, like using ict devices, ict resources, and their awareness level of ict. it has a statistical technique figure 1: the research model for the present study https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 11 1 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 108-115, 2023 specially designed to test whether the means of more than two quantitative populations are equal. for example, the residence is a variable and it can be categorized as urban and rural. gender is a variable and can also be male and female. results h0.1: there is no significant difference between male and female pg students in relation to the awareness level of various ict devices. from the above-motioned table, it was found that the essential value for judging significance with a degree of freedom of 48 is 2.01 at a 0.05 level of significance and 2.68 at a 0.01 level of significance. our calculated t-value is 3.04, which is greater than the table value. so, at 0.05 and 0.01 levels of significance, the null hypothesis is rejected. the above-mentioned table also shows that there is a difference in the mean of the two groups. table 1: showing the results of the mean, sd, and t-value of male and female pg students to know the awareness level of various ict devices group n mean sd t-value table value result male 25 43.12 2.63 3.04 2.01 at 0.05 significance significance female 25 41.08 2.08 2.68 at 0.01 significance as a result, it can be concluded that there is a significant difference between male and female pg students in the awareness level of various ict devices. h0.2: there is no significant difference between urban and rural pg students in relation to the awareness level of various ict devices. figure 2: graphical representation of data as shown in the table, 2.01 at 0.05 level of significance and 2.68 at 0.01 level of significance are required values for assessing significance with a degree of freedom of 48. the “t” value we calculated is 0.39, which is lower than the table value, as a result, the null hypothesis cannot be rejected at 0.05 as well as 0.01 level of significance. the table 2: showing the results of the mean, sd, and t-value of urban and rural pg students to know the awareness level of various ict devices group n mean sd t-value table value result urban 33 42.52 2.90 0.39 2.01 at 0.05 significance no significance rural 17 41.29 1.77 2.68 at 0.01 significance figure 3: graphical representation of data https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 11 2 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 108-115, 2023 hypothesis is therefore accepted. though the above table shows a slight difference in the mean of the two groups, still it is not significant at any standard level of significance. as a result, we can conclude that the two groups of students, urban and rural, do not differ significantly in terms of their awareness of various ict devices. h0.3 there is no significant difference between male and female pg students in relation to the proficiency of various ict devices. table 3: showing the results of the mean, sd, and t-value of male and female pg students to know the proficiency of various ict devices. group n mean sd t-value table value result male 25 51.12 2.56 3.08 2.01 at 0.05 significance significance female 25 49.12 2.01 2.68 at 0.01 significance figure 4: graphical representation of data from the above-motioned table, it was found that the essential value for judging significance with a degree of freedom of 48 is 2.01 at a 0.05 level of significance and 2.68 at a 0.01 level of significance. our calculated’ value is 3.08, which is greater than the table value. so at 0.05 and 0.01 levels of significance, the null hypothesis is rejected. the above-mentioned table also shows that there is a difference in the mean of the two groups. as a result, it can be concluded that there is a significant difference between male and female pg students in relation to the proficiency of various ict devices. h0.4 there is no significant difference between urban and rural pg students in relation to the proficiency of various ict devices. table 4: showing the results of the mean, sd, and t-value of urban and rural pg students to know the proficiency of various ict devices group n mean sd t-value table value result urban 33 50.64 2.62 1.6 2.01 at 0.05 significance no significance rural 17 49.59 1.85 2.68 at 0.01 significance figure 5: graphical representation of data https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 11 3 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 108-115, 2023 as shown in the table, 2.01 at 0.05 level of significance and 2.68 at 0.01 level of significance are required values for assessing significance with a degree of freedom of 48. the “t” value we calculated is 1.6, which is lower than the table value, as a result, the null hypothesis cannot be rejected at 0.05 as well as 0.01 level of significance. the hypothesis is therefore accepted. though the above table shows a slight difference in the mean of the two groups, still it is not significant at any standard level of significance. as a result, we can conclude that the two groups of students namely urban and rural, do not differ significantly in terms of their proficiency of various ict devices. h0.5 there is no significant difference between male and female pg students in relation to the usage of various ict devices for their academic purpose. table 5: showing the results of the mean, sd, and t-value of male and female pg students to know the usage of various ict devices for their academic purpose group n mean sd t-value table value result male 25 42.56 1.77 2.89 2.01 at 0.05 significance significance female 25 41.20 1.63 2.68 at 0.01 significance figure 6: graphical representation of data as shown in the table, 2.01 at 0.05 level of significance and 2.68 at 0.01 level of significance are required values for assessing significance with a degree of freedom of 48. the “t” value we calculated is 2.89, which is higher than the table value, as a result, the null hypothesis is rejected at 0.05 as well as 0.01 level of significance. though the above table shows a slight difference in the mean of the two groups. as a result, we can conclude that the two groups of students namely male and female differ significantly in terms of the usage of various ict devices for their academic purpose. h0.6 there is no significant difference between urban and rural pg students in relation to the usage of various ict devices for their academic purpose. table 6: showing the results of the mean, sd, and t-value of urban and rural pg students to know the usage of various ict devices for their academic purpose group n mean sd t-value table value result urban 33 42.40 1.30 3 2.01 at 0.05 significance significance rural 17 41.32 1.28 2.68 at 0.01 significance figure 7: graphical representation of data https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 11 4 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 108-115, 2023 as shown in the table, 2.01 at 0.05 level of significance and 2.68 at 0.01 level of significance are required values for assessing significance with a degree of freedom of 48. the “t” value we calculated is 3, which is high than the table value, as a result, the null hypothesis is rejected at 0.05 as well as 0.01 level of significance. though the above table shows a slight difference in the mean of the two groups. as a result, we can conclude that the two groups of students namely urban and rural differ significantly in terms of the usage of various ict devices for their academic purpose. discussion and findings objective 1 learning is facilitated by ict when students are knowledgeable or experienced about the availability of information and communication technology (ict) devices that can be utilised to quicken and simplify their learning. students who are aware of the availability of information and communication technology (ict) devices are more likely to use them. thus, the study’s first objective was to determine the awareness of ict devices among postgraduate students that ict could help them with their learning. on the basis of data analysis, the investigators clearly found that the majority of postgraduate students in this survey were aware of the various ict facilities utilised in their learning, but there were differences in their awareness. the researchers found that there is a difference in the awareness level of various ict devices between male and female pg students. but there is no difference in the awareness level of various ict devices between urban and rural pg students. objective 2 another objective of the study was to know the proficiency of ict devices. here the data collected by the investigators specifically represented that the students need to be proficient in using ict devices to acquire adequate information for their learning. the capacity to achieve a goal with the highest level of accuracy and the least amount of time and effort highly depends on their proficiency. many postgraduate students who participated in this study were proficient in using different ict devices for learning, however, there were differences exist of their proficiency. the study established that male and female pg students differed in their proficiency in using various information and communication technology (ict) devices. it is also measured that there is no difference in the proficiency of various ict devices between urban and rural pg students. objective 3 the last objective of the study was to investigate whether postgraduate students have the necessary skills to learn through the use of ict devices. after careful organization and interpretation of the data the investigators innovated that depending on their competence in using ict devices, postgraduate students considered ict facilities to be useful and simple to use. it was found that the majority of postgraduate students had basic skills in the use of ict for their academic purposes. in addition, this study also reveals that there is a difference in the usage of various ict devices among male and female, urban and rural pg students. conclusion the future roadmap of ict-based education depends on the speed of broadband penetration, availability of webenabled and mobile-compatible learning content, and maturity of consumers in accepting the digital format of education. to boost students’ learning, the instructor should be in a position to integrate modern teaching and learning techniques with technology. technology may set new standards for student education and learning experiences. to make ict an effective and integral tool of education, monitoring, and evaluation must be a priority. the urban-rural, male-female divide in terms of awareness, access, equity, and resources will continue to be the main issues that indian educators will have to address as the needs of the learning community will change on a priority basis. reference bature, b. (2016). the role of information and communication technology as a tool for effective teaching and learning of mathematics. journal of applied & computational mathematics, 5(6), 1-3. http:// doi.org/10.4172/2168-9679.1000333 beena, & mathur, m. (2012). a study on the ict awareness of m.ed. trainees. international journal of business management & economic research, 3(4), 573578. http://ijbmer.com/docs/volumes/vol3issue4/ ijbmer2012030402.pdf birader, b., rajsekhara, g. r., & kumar, b. (2006). a study of internet usage by students and faculties in kuvempu university. library herald, 44, 283-294. deaney, r., ruthven, k., & hennessy, s. (2003). pupil perspectives on the contribution of information and communication technology to teaching and learning in the secondary school. research papers in education, 18(2), 141-165. hasin, i., & nasir, m. k. (2021). the effectiveness of the use of information and communication technology (ict) in rural secondary schools in malaysia. journal of education and e-learning research, 8(1), 59-64. http:// doi.org/10.20448/journal.509.2021.81.59.64 jebamalar, a. a., seethai, r. m., & vanathi, n. b. (2013). utilization of ict based resources and services by the users of arts and science colleges in tirunelveli district, tamil nadu: a study. asian journal of information science and technology, 3(1), 41-44. https:// www.trp.org.in/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/ ajist-vol.3-no.1-jan-jun-2013-pp.41-441.pdf https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 11 5 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 108-115, 2023 jude, w. i., & dankaro, j. t. 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(2020). awareness and utilization of ict among undergraduate students of government dental college, trivandrum, kerala district. library philosophy and practice (e-journal), 4540. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/4540 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 1 pa ge 24 american journal of education and technology (ajet) strategic intervention material (sim) on senior high school student learning in stocks and bonds oswald ii e. zabala1* volume 2 issue 4, year 2023 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i4.2182 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: september 30, 2023 accepted: october 27 , 2023 published: november 02, 2023 strategic intervention material (sim) is a type of instructional material that is designed to be targeted and effective for students who are struggling with a particular concept or skill. sim typically includes a variety of activities and resources that are designed to help students learn and master the material. this study investigated the effectiveness of strategic intervention material (sim) in improving the academic achievement of grade 11 students in distinguishing stocks and bonds. a quasi-experimental design with a non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest design was used. sixty-four (64) participants were selected as subjects of the study. mean and t-tests were used as tools in the analysis of data. the results revealed that sim significantly improved the academic achievement of students in distinguishing stocks and bonds. the experimental group achieved a significantly higher mean score on the posttest than the control group. additionally, the experimental group achieved a better gain score than the control group. this study suggests that sim is an effective instructional strategy for improving student achievement in distinguishing stocks and bonds. further research is needed to investigate the effectiveness of sim in other subjects and with other student populations. keywords strategic intervention material, mathematics education, senior high school, general mathematics 1 bernardo d. carpio national high school, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: oswald.zabala001@deped.gov.ph introduction in the 21st century, mathematics is more important than ever before. it is essential for success in a wide range of fields, from science and engineering to business and finance (national council of teachers of mathematics, 2020). however, many students struggle with mathematics. in the philippines, the results of the national achievement test (nat) show that students consistently perform poorly in mathematics (department of education, 2012). one way to improve student achievement in mathematics is to use strategic intervention material (sim). sim is a type of instructional material that is designed to be targeted and effective for students who are struggling with a particular concept or skill (barredo & joan, 2019). sim typically includes a variety of activities and resources that are designed to help students learn and master the material. research has shown that sim can be effective in improving student achievement in a variety of subjects, including mathematics. for example, a study by barredo and joan (2019) found that sim was effective in improving the performance of grade 5 students on a mathematics standardized test. lev vygotsky’s social development theory suggests that students learn best when they are actively engaged in the learning process and when they have opportunities to collaborate with others (vygotsky, 1978). vygotsky also believed that students learn best when they are able to build on their existing knowledge. sim provides students with opportunities to be actively engaged in the learning process and to collaborate with others. for example, sim may include activities such as group projects, problemsolving tasks, and discussions. sim also provides students with opportunities to build on their existing knowledge by providing them with scaffolding and support. albert bandura’s social learning theory suggests that people learn by observing and imitating the behaviors of others (bandura, 1977). bandura also believed that people are more likely to imitate behaviors that are rewarded and less likely to imitate behaviors that are punished. sim can be used to promote social learning by providing students with opportunities to observe and imitate the behaviors of successful peers. for example, sim may include videos of successful students solving problems or discussing concepts. sim may also include activities that allow students to work together to solve problems or complete tasks. jerome bruner’s constructivist theory suggests that students learn by constructing their own knowledge (bruner, 1966). bruner believed that students learn best when they are actively engaged in the learning process and when they have opportunities to explore and discover concepts on their own. sim provides students with opportunities to be actively engaged in the learning process and to explore and discover concepts on their own. for example, sim may include activities such as hands-on experiments, inquiry-based learning tasks, and projects. sim also provides students with opportunities to receive feedback on their work, which can help them to refine their understanding of concepts. objectives the study aims to provide evidence that sim is an effective instructional tool for improving student achievement in mathematics, particularly in general mathematics. the pa ge 25 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 24-29, 2023 study aimed to answer the following questions: 1. what is the academic profile of students in mathematics in the first quarter? 2. is there a significant difference in the pretest mean score of the students in the control and experimental group? 3. is there a significant difference in the posttest mean score of the students in the control and experimental group? 4. is there a significant difference between the posttest mean score of the students in the control and experimental group? the findings of the study will be used to develop and implement sim-based interventions to help students master the mathematics concepts and skills needed for success in the 21st century. the study will also provide evidence that sim is an effective instructional tool for improving student achievement in mathematics, particularly in general mathematics. literature review mathematics intervention materials (mims) are instructional resources designed to help students who are struggling in mathematics. they can be used in a variety of settings, including individual or small group tutoring, after-school programs, and summer schools. mims typically focus on specific mathematical concepts or skills that students have not yet mastered. they may include a variety of instructional activities, such as explicit instruction, guided practice, and independent practice. mims may also include assessment tools to help teachers track students’ progress and identify areas where they need additional support. several studies have shown that mims can be effective in improving student outcomes in mathematics. for example, a study by gersten et al. (2009) found that students who received intervention with a mim made significantly greater gains in mathematics achievement than students who did not receive intervention. similarly, a study by fuchs et al. (2008) found that students who received intervention with a mim were more likely to reach grade-level proficiency in mathematics than students who did not receive intervention. mims can be particularly effective for students who are struggling in mathematics due to specific learning disabilities, such as dyscalculia. a study by butterworth et al. (2011) found that students with dyscalculia who received intervention with a mim made significant gains in mathematics achievement. strategic intervention materials (sims) are a type of mim that is designed to be used in a systematic and strategic way. sims typically include a set of instructional materials, such as lesson plans, worksheets, and assessment tools, that are designed to help students master specific mathematical concepts or skills. sims also typically include guidance for teachers on how to implement the intervention materials effectively. strategic intervention materials (sims) are targeted instructional resources that are designed to help students who are struggling to learn a particular concept or skill (gersten et.al, 2019). sims are typically used in conjunction with regular classroom instruction, and they can be provided in a variety of formats, such as worksheets, online activities, or individual tutoring (nrti, 2010). sims have been shown to be effective in improving mathematics student learning. a 2019 meta-analysis of 43 studies found that sims had a significant positive effect on mathematics achievement for students of all grade levels and ability levels (gersten et al., 2019). the metaanalysis also found that sims were more effective than other types of intervention programs, such as remedial instruction and summer school (gersten et al., 2019). a few studies have been conducted in the philippines on the effectiveness of sims in improving mathematics student learning. for example, a study by abucejo et al. (2021) found that the use of sims was effective in improving the mathematics achievement of grade 7 students in zambales national high school. the study found that students who used sims outperformed students who did not use sims on a standardized mathematics test. another study, conducted by diaz et al. in 2020, found that the use of sims was effective in improving the mathematics achievement of grade 9 students in a private school in manila. the study found that students who used sims outperformed students who did not use sims on a standardized mathematics test. a 2023 study by bornaa et al. compared the effectiveness of traditional face-to-face and e-learning modes of teaching senior high school geometry. the study found that students who received instruction in a blended learning environment that combined face-toface instruction with online sim activities outperformed students who received instruction in a traditional face-toface classroom setting on a standardized geometry test. methodology this study made use of the quasi-experimental research design particularly the pretest-posttest non-equivalent group design. gribbons, barry & herman (1997) define quasi-experimental pretest-posttest nonequivalent design as a research design that eliminates a major limitation of the nonequivalent group, posttest only design in which at the start of the study, the differences of the two groups were empirically assessed, therefore, it is suited for this to find out if the use of sim will have an effect to the academic achievement of students that were intact and natural setting at bernardo d. carpio national high school, located at pioneer village, buhangin, davao city. sixty-four (64) grade 11 students were selected as subjects of the study coming from two sections who have the closest mean average grade. ethical considerations were followed in the conduct of the study which includes voluntary participation, informed consent, confidentiality, and anonymity. the diagram below shows the non-equivalent control group design. pa ge 26 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 24-29, 2023 o1 x o2 -----------------------o3 o4 where: x= refers to the experimental treatment (use of sim) ----= refers to the non – random assignment of respondents o1 = refers to the pretest of the experimental group o2 = refers to the posttest of the experimental group o3 = refers to the pretest of the control group o4 = refers to the posttest of the control group moreover, the researcher utilized questions that cover the “distinguishes stocks and bonds” as part of the first quarter coverage based on the learning competencies of the department of education. the pretest and posttest were designed to measure the academic achievement of grade 11 students. the pretest and posttest both consist of a 25-item test that determines the level of academic achievement of the students in the topic. the subjects took the test twice with the same content of the test, pretest and posttest. the pretest was administered to the subjects prior to the treatment. the pretest was helpful in assessing students’ prior knowledge on of “distinguishes stocks and bonds” and testing initial equivalence among groups. a posttest was administered to measure treatment effects. in addition, the results of pretest and posttest were analyzed and categorized using the scale below: 0.00 – 5 very poor 5.01 – 10 poor 10.01 – 15 satisfactory 15.01 – 20 very satisfactory 20.01 – 25 outstanding further, this study employed the following statistical tests in the treatment of data. there were the mean and t-test for paired dependent samples. mean is described as the center of gravity of a distribution and is described as the common score of the entire group. on the other hand, the t-test for uncorrelated samples was used to test the significance of the difference between the pretest and posttest mean scores in the experimental and control group while the t-test for paired samples was used to test the significance of the difference between the pretest and posttest mean scores within each group. results and discussion academic profile of students in mathematics table 1 describes the academic profile of students in grade 11 mathematics. it was displayed that students in the experimental group recorded a mean of 79.53 while the control group registered a mean of 79.83. there was table 1: academic profile of students groups n minimum maximum mean std. deviation control 32 75.00 86.00 79.83 2.77738 experimental 32 75.00 87.00 79.53 3.03434 table 2: test of the significance of the difference between the pretest mean scores of the experimental and control group groups mean sd description t-stat p-value decision experimental 7.26 2.15 poor .738 0.738 accept ho, reject hacontrol 6.50 2.32 poor in the level of significance. this means that the null hypothesis was accepted which denotes that there was no significant difference between the pretest mean scores of the students in the experimental and control group on the topic of stocks and bonds. the result above reveals that there was no significant difference in the pretest means scores of students in both groups. this suggests that students from both groups performed poorly in the pretest. in addition, this implies that there is an equal performance in the two groups during the pretest. moreover, the findings were supported by sahin (2010) who asserts that the effect of any strategy or material on the academic achievement of students in any written course was found to be non-significant in the pretest scores of the experimental and control group in the written expression achievement test. significant difference in the posttest scores of students table 3 discusses the significance of the difference between the posttest mean scores of the experimental and control group. it notes that the posttest mean score of the experimental group is 17.74 and 14.30 in the control group. the performance of the students in the experimental group is described as very satisfactory and satisfactory in the control group. the computed t-stat was 2.463 at 62 degrees of freedom and the p-value was a slight difference in the grade of students in the first quarter in both groups. this implies that the students in both groups have an almost equal performance in the said subject. therefore, an intervention in improving their performance was highly desired or appropriate. significant difference in the pretest scores of students table 2 indicates the significant difference between the pretest mean scores of the students in the experimental and control groups in the topic stocks and bonds. the experimental group gains a mean score of 7.26 while the control group earns a mean score of 6.50. there was a slight difference of 0. 76. the performance of both groups on the topic can be described qualitatively as poor. the computed t-stat was 0.738 at 62 degrees of freedom and the p-value was 0.738 which was greater than .05 pa ge 27 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 24-29, 2023 0.000 which was less than .05 is the level of significance. this implies that the null hypothesis was rejected which denotes that there was a significant difference between the posttest mean scores of the students in the experimental and control groups. the result reveals that there was a significant difference between the posttest mean scores of the two groups. this implies that students in the experimental group learned better than the students in the control group as indicated by higher mean. further, the exposure of the students in the experimental group to the strategic intervention material given helped them master the lesson better than the students in the control group. moreover, this result supports the view that the use of learning strategies contribute to the higher academic performance of students. significant difference in the pretest and posttest scores of students table 4 presents the pretest and posttest mean scores of the experimental and control groups on the topic of stocks and bonds. it displays that the mean score of the experimental group in the posttest is higher than the pretest which registers the mean scores of 7.26 and 17.74. the performance of the students in the experimental group in the pretest was described as poor and very satisfactory during the posttest. on the other hand, the mean scores of the students in the table 3: test on the significance of the difference between the posttest mean scores of the experimental and control group groups mean sd description t-stat p-value decision experimental 17.74 3.05 very satisfactory 2.463 0.000 reject ho, accept hacontrol 14.30 2.89 satisfactory table 4: test on the significance of the difference between the pretest and posttest mean scores of the experimental and control group group mean (pretest) description mean (posttest) description t-stat p-value decision experimental 7.26 poor 17.74 very satisfactory 2.365 0.000 reject ho, accept ha control 6.50 poor 14.30 satisfactory reject ho, accept ha control group recorded as 6.50 in the pretest and 14.30 during the posttest. the performance of the students in the control group during the pretest and posttest was described as poor and satisfactory. in the experimental group, the computed t-stat was 2.365 and the p-value was 0.000 which was lesser than 0.05 in the level of significance. this means that the null hypothesis was rejected. this denotes that there was a significant difference between the pretest and posttest mean scores of the students of the experimental group in the topic stocks and bonds. on the contrary, the control group registers a p-value of 0.000 which was lesser than 0.05 in the level of significance. this means that the null hypothesis was rejected denoting that there was a significant difference between the pretest and posttest mean scores of the students of the control group in the topic stocks and bonds. the findings above reveal that there was a significant difference between the pretest and posttest mean scores of the students in the two groups. the result suggests that students in the experimental group who were exposed to the treatment, and strategic intervention material, have gained significant learning in the topic of distinguishing stocks and bonds as indicated by a higher mean. the increase in mean score in the posttest was attributed to the effect of the strategic intervention material which resulted in an increase in scores or better performance of students. this finding is supported by the constructivist point of view which posits that when learners actively engage in interactive and student-centered activities, learners learn a lot on their own. thus, increasing their academic gain or resulting to better performance. moreover, this study is supported by the study of abuda, et. al. (2019) which found that the use of quick response embedded strategic intervention material (qrsim) had a significant positive effect on the mathematics achievement of struggling learners. the results of the study showed that the students in the experimental group significantly outperformed the students in the control group on a posttest of mathematics achievement. the findings of this study are consistent with the findings of other studies on the effectiveness of sim in improving student achievement in mathematics. the traditional method employed in the control group also suggests that there was a significant difference in the pretest and posttest mean scores of students. this signifies that students who were exposed to traditional method have learned something in the topic that distinguishes stocks and bonds as indicated by an increase in the score during the posttest. the result was supported by the finding of schwerdt and wupperman (2014) who implies that even without the integration of learning strategy, students’ achievement in mathematics was enhanced. another study that supports the effectiveness of traditional teaching methods in mathematics is a study pa ge 28 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 24-29, 2023 by lessani et.al (2017) who reviewed the literature on traditional teaching methods in mathematics and found that there is a strong body of evidence to support the effectiveness of these methods. their study found that traditional teaching methods can be particularly effective for teaching students’ basic skills and knowledge in mathematics. significant difference in the posttest score of both groups table 5 points out the significant difference between the mean gain scores of the experimental and control groups in the topic that distinguishes stocks and bonds. the experimental group obtains a mean gain score of 10.48 while the control group records 7.80. the computed t-stat in the experimental group notes 1.583 while the control group notes 1.325 explaining that there was a significant difference in the mean gain score of the experimental and control groups. the p-value obtained for both groups was less than 0.05 in the level of significance. this indicates that the null hypothesis was rejected, and it proves that there was a significant difference in the mean gain scores of the experimental and control groups. the result from the analysis points out that the table 5: test on the significance of the difference between the mean gain score of the experimental and control group groups mean gain t-stat p-value decision experimental 10.48 1.583 0.000 reject ho, accept ha control 7.80 1.325 0.000 reject ho, accept ha experimental group obtained a greater mean gain score than the control group. thus, students performed better in the experimental group than those in the control group. the study of cerujano (2019) supports the result by concluding that the developed sims could purportedly serve the purpose of addressing the learning gaps in mathematics. students learned best on the topic because the material given through sim was simplified and easy to understand. hence information is retained longer, and mastery is achieved. this study is supported by adonis (2019) who concluded that the use of contextualized strategic intervention materials (csims) developed by the researcher has improved the students conceptual understanding based on the results of the formative and summative assessments. another study by balazo (2021) provides evidence that esimath can be an effective intervention for struggling learners in mathematics. the study showed that the group that received esimath-based instruction performed significantly better on the posttest than the group that received conventional instruction. the effectiveness of sim as a strategy needs to be explored to measure its relevance in the teaching workplace. as shown in the table, it contributes greater gain on the part of the students. conclusion the study investigated the effectiveness of strategic intervention material (sim) in improving the mathematics achievement of high school students. the results showed that the use of sim resulted in a significant improvement in the posttest mean scores of the experimental group compared to the control group. the experimental group also recorded higher mean gain scores than the control group. the study recommends that teachers adopt sim as a strategy or instructional material in teaching mathematics lessons. the department of education is also encouraged to intensify its campaigns to improve the national achievement test results of the students by engaging teachers in this kind of material. references abuda, b. f., balazo, g. f., orque, j., cabili, m.c., & maestre, m. f. a. (2019). struggling learners’ mathematics achievement level using quick response embedded strategic intervention material. international journal in information technology in governance, education and business, 1(1), 39-45. abucejo, m. b., cruz, l. b., & santos, j. p. (2021). the effectiveness of strategic intervention material (sim) in improving the mathematics achievement of grade 7 students. international journal of scientific research, 10(2), 17-22. adonis, a. b. (2020). contextualized strategic intervention materials in grade 9 mathematics. people: international journal of social sciences, 5(3), 850-868. balazo, g. f. o. (2021). struggling learners’ achievement level using electronic strategic intervention material in mathematics (esimath). american journal of agricultural science, engineering, and technology, 5(2), 207214. bandura, a., & walters, r. h. (1977). social learning theory: prentice-hall englewood cliffs, nj. barredo, k., & joan, k. (2019). effect of strategic intervention material (sim) on academic performance: evidence from students of science vi. international journal of scientific and technology research, 8(10), 292295. bornaa, c. s., abugri, m. a., & iddrisu, a. b. (2023). comparative study of traditional face-to-face and e-learning modes of teaching senior high school geometry. american journal of education and technology, 2(2), 10-14. bruner, j. s. (1966). toward a theory of instruction. harvard university press cerujano, j. (2019). effectiveness of the developed strategic intervention materials in mathematics 9 as perceived by select junior high school teachers and students in nasugbu east district. ascendens asia journal of multidisciplinary research abstracts, 3(2b). pa ge 29 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 24-29, 2023 diaz, a. m., santos, j. p., & cruz, l. b. (2020). the effectiveness of strategic intervention material (sim) in improving the mathematics achievement of grade 9 students. international journal of education and research, 9(12), 1-10. department of education (2012). national achievement test results 2012. department of education, philippines. gersten, r., compton, d., haymond, k., & dimino, j. (2019). a meta-analysis of the effects of strategic intervention material (sim) interventions on mathematics achievement. educational psychology review, 31(1), 269-306. lessani, a., yunus, a. s. m., & abu bakar, k. b. (2017). traditional teaching methods in mathematics: a review of literature. people: international journal of social sciences, 32(12), 1285-1297. national center on response to intervention (nrti). (2010). response to intervention: the rti approach to learning and behavior. retrieved from https:// www.rti4success.org/ national council of teachers of mathematics (2020). principles to actions: ensuring mathematical success for all. national council of teachers of mathematics. schwerdt, g., & wuppermann, a. c. (2014). lecturebased teaching versus inquiry-based teaching: a metaanalysis. educational research review, 12, 1-20. vygotsky, l. s. (1978). mind in society: the development of higher psychological processes. harvard university press. pa ge 1 pa ge 76 american journal of education and technology (ajet) maintenance and support system for information and communication technology (ict) resources julien tiza d. madronio1* volume 2 issue 2, year 2023 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i2.1619 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: april 16, 2023 accepted: may 14 , 2023 published: may 17, 2023 the lack of technical support and maintenance impedes to the utilization of ict resources in schools. as part of the government’s commitment to achieve the goals embedded in the country’s vision 2020, a number of schools have been beneficiaries of ict facilities like computers, printers, laptops, lcd projectors, and speakers through the department of education computerization program (dcp). this descriptive-correlational research study assesses the status of the maintenance and support system of ict resources in public elementary schools in the district of san jose, northern samar, philippines. results revealed that school heads, ict coordinators, and teachers were least satisfied of ict maintenance procedure. in the same manner that the school heads, ict coordinators and teachers support system were moderately satisfactory. there were significant differences in the maintenance procedures among the respondents particularly in replacing or repairing the faulty components and upgrading hardware and software. this concludes varied ways in which the respondents respond to the maintenance of faulty components and upgrading the hardware and software. furthermore, difference on the technical support workload and technology integration among the three groups of respondents appeared to vary in terms of support system. the finding singles out the varied compliance of the respondents in technical support and technology integration. keywords technical support, maintenance procedure, ict resources 1 geratag elementary school, geratag, san jose, northern samar, 6402, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: julientiza.madronio@deped.gov.ph introduction thanks to information and communication technology (ict), governments can benefit from an effective infrastructure. ict improves the management and operation of educational institutions, as well as the processes of learning. countries must be able to benefit from technological developments. rapid developments in ict are difficult to manage for educational managers, and schools. the ict integration in the curriculum has been designed to help cope with these developments and situations of change (ghavifekr, & rosdy, 2015). it helps schools to develop ict systematically and effectively in their programs and activities (developing and using indicators of ict use in education, 2003). all these can be achieved through ict facility provisions, adequate funding, and infrastructural development (onajite, 2022). ict offers governments a productive infrastructure. ict also enhances the management and organization of educational institutions, and the learning processes themselves. countries must gain from technological advancements. it is challenging for educational administrators and institutions to keep up with the rapid advancements in ict. the use of ict in the curriculum has been created to aid in adjusting to these advancements and situational changes (andoh, 2012). it aids schools in developing ict in their programs and activities methodically and efficiently (deped order no. 78, s. 2010). however, the efficiency of the integration of ict in curriculum does not depend so much on technological advances but rather on the good practices and also a set of constraints and challenges that continue to hamper the creation, implementation of ict-related programs and activities (selmi, 2023). many schools lack internet access, and the majority of their equipment is broken and useless. therefore, the question is how such circumstances can be avoided. programs addressing the upkeep and support of ict resources, particularly for elementary schools, should therefore exist to achieve this (johnson, jacovina, russell, & soto, 2016); information and communication technology (ict) in education, 2016). sincere observation shows that the majority of school administrators just store broken machinery or equipment in a corner. sometimes a technician may be called in to fix the problem (education world, n.d.). however, because no one at the school knows how to fix the computer, the technician will overcharge the institution, or worse, the technician will simply suggest that the institution buy a new one (ten things about computer use in schools that you don’t want to hear but i’ll say them anyway, 2012). this situation serves as a reminder that schools should use pertinent specialized support services as extensively as possible. when appropriate, school principals and ict coordinators should encourage subject and classroom teachers to communicate with such services. the effective deployment of ict in education policy is facilitated by a well-developed ict infrastructure in the economic sector (unesco report, 2004). one of numerous crucial economic methods to guarantee sustainable economic development of any country is the use of ict in education policy (unesco report, 2004). it is necessary to pay attention to technological advances for the total https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i2.1619 mailto:https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet%0d?subject= mailto:haytham.elaoufy%40gmail.com?subject= mailto:julientiza.madronio@deped.gov.ph pa ge 77 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 76-83, 2023 transformation in the education sector in general. in this permanent challenge, it is necessary to adapt to the digital transformation, in order to better respond to the needs and challenges of a constantly changing environment (tamer, & knidiri, 2023). the researcher’s concept to evaluate the level of ict resource maintenance and support system across primary schools in san jose district, division of northern samar, philippines, was inspired by the aforementioned citations. materials and methods this quantitative study used a descriptive-correlational research design to identify the status of maintenance and support system for ict resources among the elementary schools in the district. the main instrument of the study was a survey questionnaire, which was adapted from the study of (ona, 2010) titled maintenance and support systems for ict resources in state universities and colleges in region iii. the public elementary schools in the san jose district’s public-school system’s current ict maintenance and support system were assessed in this descriptive research investigation. this study, which demonstrated the distinction between the maintenance and support system among school responders in the district, was a correlational study. results maintenance procedure school heads the indicators with the highest rating, as shown in table 1, are “monitoring the condition and functionality of networks and equipment, including testing website accesses and links,” and “periodic back up of stored files on a school network.” the indicators with the lowest means are “periodic replacement of parts,” and “installing and removing equipment and applications.” the data indicates that the maintenance procedure falls short of expectations. this suggests even more that not all of the conditions were fully satisfied, such as the first two lowest indicators, because it necessitates funding and appropriate training or experience on how this maintenance should be performed. the indicators with the highest rating, as shown in table 1.1, are “monitoring the condition and functionality of networks and equipment, including testing website accesses and links,” and “periodic back up of stored files on a school network.” the indicators with the lowest means are “periodic replacement of parts,” and “installing and removing equipment and applications.” the data indicates that the maintenance procedure falls short of expectations. this suggests even more that not all of the table 1: maintenance procedure according to school head specific indicators mean response interpretation 1. periodic replacement of parts 2.42 rarely least satisfactory 2. renewal of consumable supplies 2.67 sometimes moderately satisfactory 3. repair or replacement of faulty components 2.67 sometimes moderately satisfactory 4. updating or upgrading hardware and software, including installing new operating system versions 2.67 sometimes moderately satisfactory 5. periodic backup of stored files on a school network 2.75 sometimes moderately satisfactory 6. monitoring the condition and functionality of networks and equipment, including testing website accesses and links 2.92 sometimes moderately satisfactory 7. installing and removing equipment and applications 2.50 sometimes least satisfactory grand mean 2.66 sometimes moderately satisfactory conditions were fully satisfied, such as the first two lowest indicators, because it necessitates funding and appropriate training or experience on how this maintenance should be performed. ict coordinators according to table 2, the indicators with the highest ratings are “renewal of consumable supplies” and “installing and removing equipment and applications,” while the indicators with the lowest ratings are “periodic back up of stored files on a school network” and “monitoring the condition and functionality of networks and equipment, including testing website accesses and links.” from the statistics, it can be concluded that the maintenance process is insufficient. the inspectorate’s (inspectorate, 2008) conclusion that a lack of technical maintenance is a key barrier to the development of ict in schools was confirmed by the current conclusion. table 2: maintenance procedure according to ict coordinators specific indicators mean response interpretation 1. periodic replacement of parts 2.67 sometimes moderately satisfactory 2. renewal of consumable supplies 2.75 sometimes moderately satisfactory 3. repair or replacement of faulty components 2.58 sometimes least satisfactory 4. updating or upgrading hardware and software, including installing new 2.58 sometimes least satisfactory https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 78 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 76-83, 2023 operating system versions 2.58 sometimes least satisfactory 5. periodic backup of stored files on a school network 2.50 sometimes least satisfactory 6. monitoring the condition and functionality of networks and equipment, including testing website accesses and links 2.50 sometimes least satisfactory 7. installing and removing equipment and applications 2.75 sometimes moderately satisfactory grand mean 2.62 sometimes moderately satisfactory teachers according to table 3, the two indicators with the highest ratings are “updating or upgrading hardware and software, including installing new operating system versions,” and “renewal of consumable supplies.” in contrast, the indicators with the lowest ratings are “monitoring the condition and functionality of networks and equipment, including testing website accesses and links,” and “repair or replacement of faulty components.” nevertheless, elementary school teachers rated the overall maintenance as “satisfactory.” the findings suggest that the district’s maintenance practices were subpar, particularly when it came to replacing broken equipment. this conclusion is supported by members of the international education advisory (2008), who emphasize the importance of hardware, software, and maintenance. ona (2010) disagreed with the finding that indicated the number of full-time technical. table 3: maintenance procedure according to teachers specific indicators mean response interpretation 1. periodic replacement of parts 2.16 rare least satisfactory 2. renewal of consumable supplies 2.18 rare least satisfactory 3. repair or replacement of faulty components 2.08 rare least satisfactory 4. updating or upgrading hardware and software, including installing new operating system versions 2.24 rare least satisfactory 5. periodic backup of stored files on a school network 2.16 rare least satisfactory 6. monitoring the condition and functionality of networks and equipment, including testing website accesses and links 2.04 rare least satisfactory 7. installing and removing equipment and applications 2.18 rare least satisfactory grand mean 2.15 rare least satisfactory table 4: summary result of maintenance procedure specific indicators wm interpretation 1. periodic replacement of parts 2.42 least satisfactory 2. renewal of consumable supplies 2.53 moderately satisfactory 3. repair or replacement of faulty components 2.44 least satisfactory 4. updating or upgrading hardware and software, including installing new operating system versions 2.50 moderately satisfactory 5. periodic backup of stored files on a school network 2.47 least satisfactory 6. monitoring the condition and functionality of networks and equipment, including testing website accesses and links 2.49 least satisfactory 7. installing and removing equipment and applications 2.48 least satisfactory grand mean 2.48 least satisfactory the district ict maintenance received the lowest overall satisfaction ratings from the three groups of respondents, as shown in table 4. “renewal of consumable supplies” and “updating or upgrading hardware and software, including installing new operating system versions” are the indicators with the highest ratings, both of which are evaluated as being moderately satisfactory. however, “periodic replacement of parts” and “repair or replacement of faulty components” are the indicators rated as least satisfactory. it can be deduced from the data that the district had poor maintenance in terms of fixing and upgrading the defective parts or units. it also implies that the school fund is able to manage the upkeep of renewable resources and the updating of software and hardware. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 79 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 76-83, 2023 support system school heads according to table 5, the district’s support system is generally rated as “moderately satisfactory,” with a grand mean of 2.92. the indicators with the lowest ratings are “technical support workload as indicated by the various ratios of support calls to support staff, of support staff to number of computers, and of support staff to the number of users,” “help desks and other forms of putting a person to resolve a problem or provide advice,” and “automated information systems, such as searchable frequently asked questions (faq) databases.” table 5: support system (school heads) specific indicators mean response interpretation 1. help desks and other forms of putting a person to resolve a problem or provide advice 3.08 sometimes moderately satisfactory 2. automated information systems, such as searchable frequently asked questions (faq) databases 3.08 sometimes moderately satisfactory 3. initial training and familiarization tours for equipment and software, whether automated or conducted by a human 2.83 sometimes moderately satisfactory 4. instructional and curriculum integration support, usually through observation and personal interaction between a teacher and a technology coordinator 2.92 sometimes moderately satisfactory 5. technology integration support for administrative applications, usually conducted through specialized consultants or software/systems vendors 2.92 sometimes moderately satisfactory 6. technical support staffing as indicated by the number of persons assigned to technical support 2.83 sometimes moderately satisfactory 7. technical support workload as indicated by the various ratios of support calls to support staff, of support staff to number of computers, and of support staff to the number of users 2.75 sometimes moderately satisfactory grand mean 2.92 sometimes moderately satisfactory ict coordinators the level of support among ict coordinators in the district is depicted in table 6. the support system is “moderately adequate,” according to the weighted mean of 2.70, which indicates that it was modest. the table also demonstrates that the district ict coordinators are requesting changes to the current support system, including help desks and other avenues for placing table 6: support system (ict-coordinators) specific indicators mean response interpretation 1. help desks and other forms of putting a person to resolve a problem or provide advice 2.83 sometimes moderately satisfactory 2. automated information systems, such as searchable frequently asked questions (faq) databases 2.83 sometimes moderately satisfactory 3. initial training and familiarization tours for equipment and software, whether automated or conducted by a human 2.75 sometimes moderately satisfactory 4. instructional and curriculum integration support, usually through observation and personal interaction between a teacher and a technology coordinator 2.58 sometimes least satisfactory 5. technology integration support for administrative applications, usually conducted through specialized consultants or software/systems vendors 2.67 sometimes moderately satisfactory 6. technical support staffing as indicated by the number of persons assigned to technical support 2.67 sometimes moderately satisfactory 7. technical support workload as indicated by the various ratios of support calls to support staff, of support staff to number of computers, and of support staff to the number of users 2.58 sometimes least satisfactory grand mean 2.70 sometimes moderately satisfactory https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 80 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 76-83, 2023 someone to solve an issue or offer guidance. on the contrary, they are anticipating the greatest support in terms of burden for technical support as well as support for integrating education and curriculum. additionally, data show that although ict coordinators are given access to help desks for their assistance, they still value ict integration in the classroom. this outcome teachers the depth of the district’s teacher support network is shown in table 7. with a weighted mean of 2.16, satisfaction is lowest. in addition, each indicator received the lowest rating possible. the results suggest that the district’s support system is usually underwhelming in the eyes of the instructors. additionally, given that all of the teachers rated the indicators’ rarity as high, it can be assumed that the ict support requested by them is not being given adequate consideration. meenakshi (2013) and tondeur (2010) concur with this conclusion, stating that many teachers are hesitant to adopt ict because of insufficient administrative assistance received by their respondents. with a grand mean of 2.59, table 8 depicts the district’s total support system, which scored only moderately satisfactorily. the common least indicator is “technical support workload as indicated by the various ratios of support calls to support staff, of support staff to the number of computers, and of support staff to the number of users,” according to the three groups of respondents. the common indicator with the highest rating is “help desks and other forms of putting a person to resolve a problem or provide advice.” the outcome suggests that the respondents are given guidance and support for overcoming ict issues. however, given that there was only one ict coordinator per school, it implies that they also need support for ict table 7: support system (teachers) specific indicators mean response interpretation 1. help desks and other forms of putting a person to resolve a problem or provide advice 2.28 rare least satisfactory 2. automated information systems, such as searchable frequently asked questions (faq) databases 2.19 rare least satisfactory 3. initial training and familiarization tours for equipment and software, whether automated or conducted by a human 2.05 rare least satisfactory 4. instructional and curriculum integration support, usually through observation and personal interaction between a teacher and a technology coordinator 2.30 rare least satisfactory 5. technology integration support for administrative applications, usually conducted through specialized consultants or software/systems vendors 2.09 rare least satisfactory 6. technical support staffing as indicated by the number of persons assigned to technical support 2.10 rare least satisfactory 7. technical support workload as indicated by the various ratios of support calls to support staff, of support staff to number of computers, and of support staff to the number of users 2.09 rare least satisfactory grand mean 2.16 rare least satisfactory table 8: summary result of support system specific indicators wm interpretation 1. help desks and other forms of putting a person to resolve a problem or provide advice 2.73 moderately satisfactory 2. automated information systems, such as searchable frequently asked questions (faq) databases 2.70 moderately satisfactory 3. initial training and familiarization tours for equipment and software, whether automated or conducted by a human 2.54 moderately satisfactory 4. instructional and curriculum integration support, usually through observation and personal interaction between a teacher and a technology coordinator 2.60 moderately satisfactory 5. technology integration support for administrative applications, usually conducted through specialized consultants or software/systems vendors 2.66 moderately satisfactory https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 81 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 76-83, 2023 6. technical support staffing as indicated by the number of persons assigned to technical support 2.53 moderately satisfactory 7. technical support workload as indicated by the various ratios of support calls to support staff, of support staff to number of computers, and of support staff to the number of users 2.47 moderately satisfactory grand mean 2.59 moderately satisfactory test of difference differences in the maintenance procedure according to school heads, ict coordinators, and teachers the difference in maintenance practices among school administrators, ict coordinators, and teachers was examined using an f-test one-way anova. the computed value of f= 8.22 has a significance value of 0.02, which is smaller than the margin of error of 0.05, as shown in table 9. the f value was also computed to be 8.09, less than the 0.05 margin of error with a significance value of 0.01. the null hypotheses are thus disproved, indicating that there are significant disparities between the three groups of responders, particularly in the updating or upgrading of hardware and software as well as the repair or replacement of defective components. these results demonstrate that maintenance practices among school leaders and ict coordinators are more extensive than those among teachers. table 9: difference in the maintenance procedures for ict as rated by the respondents maintenance procedures school heads ict coordinators teachers f sig. interpretation periodic replacement of parts 3.10 3.20 2.60 1.23 0.21 not significant renewal of consumable supplies 2.40 2.50 2.00 0.92 0.10 not significant repair or replacement of faulty components 3.80 3.10 2.20 8.22 0.02 significant updating or upgrading hardware and software, including installing new 3.90 3.40 2.10 8.09 0.01 significant operating system versions 3.30 3.14 2.80 1.30 0.49 not significant periodic backup of stored files on a school network 3.20 3.30 2.80 1.11 0.46 not significant monitoring the condition and functionality of networks and equipment, including testing website accesses and links 3.20 3.10 2.80 0.10 0.62 not significant installing and removing equipment and applications 3.20 3.00 2.60 0.88 0.53 not significant table 10: difference in the support systems for ict as rated by the respondents support system school heads ict coordinators teachers f sig. interpretation help desks and other forms of putting a person to resolve a problem or provide advice 3.11 2.60 2.78 1.22 0.23 not significant automated information systems, such as searchable frequently asked questions (faq) databases 2.20 2.70 2.76 0.87 0.10 not significant initial training and familiarization tours for equipment and software, whether automated or conducted by a human 2.33 3.00 2.25 1.87 0.08 not significant difference in the support system according to school heads, ict coordinators, and teachers calculations indicate that the null hypothesis is rejected and the alternative hypothesis is accepted when the computed value of f=7.54 with a significance value of.01 is less than the margin of error of 0.05. according to this result, school administrators and ict coordinators have a heavier workload than instructors when it comes to technical help. this suggests that although ict coordinators and school administrators intended https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 82 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 76-83, 2023 instructional and curriculum integration support, usually through observation and personal interaction between a teacher and a technology coordinator 2.09 2.45 2.02 1.18 0.25 not significant technology integration support for administrative applications, usually conducted through specialized consultants or software/systems vendors 3.10 2.36 1.93 5.87 0.00 significant technical support staffing as indicated by the number of persons assigned to technical support 3.00 2.30 2.36 1.08 0.29 not significant technical support workload as indicated by the various ratios of support calls to support staff, of support staff to number of computers, and of support staff to the number of users 3.33 4.00 2.47 7.54 0.01 significant considerable technical support for teachers, it was insufficient. additionally, according to the computed value of f=5.87 with a significance of 0.00, which is less than the margin of error in 0.05, the technology integration support for administrative applications, typically provided by specialized consultants or software/systems vendors, was found to be significantly different among the three groups of respondents. by performing this calculation, the null hypothesis is rejected in favor of the alternative. it implies that the tasks of school administrators and ict coordinators are true of technology integration, but not those of instructors. this suggests that school administrators and ict coordinators are more concerned with issues like technology integration for administrative purposes than teachers are. conclusion according on the study’s findings, the following conclusions were made: the least satisfied parties with the maintenance process were teachers, school administrators, and ict coordinators, which hurt how effectively ict was maintained. similar to how the support systems for teachers, school administrators, and ict coordinators were only somewhat effective, more ict support systems are required. hardware and maintenance methods were substantially connected. however, the software and maintenance procedure, did not appear to have any meaningful relationships. this means that ict hardware requires more stringent maintenance than ict software. the respondents’ maintenance practices varied significantly, especially when it came to upgrading hardware and software and replacing or repairing damaged components. this brings to a close the various responses from the responders to the upkeep of broken parts and upgrading the hardware and software. additionally, among the three groups of respondents, there appeared to be variation in the support system and workload for technical support for administrative applications. the conclusion highlights the respondents’ varying levels of compliance with regard to technical support and technological integration. reference andoh, b.c. (2012). factors influencing teachers’ adoption and integration of information and communication technology into teaching: a review of the literature. international journal of education and development using information and communication technology (ijedict), 8(1), 136-155. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ej1084227. pdf deped order no. 78, s. 2010 – guidelines on the implementation of the deped computerization program (dcp). https://www.deped.gov.ph/2010/06/10/do78-s-2010-guidelines-on-the-implementation-of-thedeped-computerization-program-dcp/ developing and using indicators of ict use in education. (2003). compiled by unesco asia and pacific regional bureau for education, bangkok, and southeast asian ministers of education organization regional centre for educational innovation and technology, metro manila, philippines. bangkok: unesco bangkok, 39 p. https://en.unesco.org/ icted/sites/default/files/2019-04/ictedu.pdf education world. (n.d.). the administrator’s role in technology integration. https://www. educationworld.com/a_tech/tech087.shtml ghavifekr, s. & rosdy, w.a.w. (2015). teaching and learning with technology: effectiveness of ict integration in schools. international journal of research in education and science (ijres), 1(2), 175-191. hofer, m., chamberlin, b., & scot, t. (2004). fulfilling the need for a technology integration specialist. t.h.e journal, 32(3), 34-39. information and communication technology (ict) in education. (2016). internet speed, bandwidth and aging devices impact the use of ict in schools. https:// audit.wa.gov.au/reports-and-publications/reports/ information-and-communication-technology-ict-inhttps://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet pa ge 83 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(2) 76-83, 2023 education/key-findings/internet-speed-bandwidthaging-devices-impact-use-ict-schools/ inspectorate. (2008). ict in schools. www.ict-inschools-inspectorate-evaluation-studies.com international education advisory board. (2008). learning in the 21st century: teaching today’s students on their terms. www.ieab_whitepaper040808.com. johnson, a. m., jacovina, m. e., russell, d. e., & soto, c. m. (2016). challenges and solutions when using technologies in the classroom. in s. a. crossley & d. s. mcnamara (eds.) adaptive educational technologies for literacy instruction (pp. 13-29). new york: taylor & francis. published with acknowledgment of federal support. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ ed577147.pdf meenakshi, i. (2013). importance of ict in education. iosr journal of research & method in education (iosrjrme), 1(4). www.iosrjournals.org. mndzebele, n. (2013). challenges faced by schools when introducing ict in developing countries. international journal of humanities and social science invention, 2(9), september. www.ijhssi.org. ona, f.l. (2010). maintenance and support systems for ict resources in state universities and colleges in region iii. unpublished master’s thesis in tarlac state university. tarlac city. onajite, g. o. (2022). investigation of student-teachers readiness and attitude towards utilization of ict in studying business education in delta state, nigeria. american journal of economics and business innovation, 1(2), 11–22. https://doi.org/10.54536/ajebi.v1i2.173 read, a.a. & read, n. (2012). ict in education in central and west asia a work in progress. funded by asian development bank, 22-23. roberts, l.g. (1998). reaching the president’s technology literacy challenge: what’s next? paper presented at the families, technology, and education conference, chicago, il. selmi, s. a. (2023). use of ict to promote literacy in sub-saharan africa. american journal of multidisciplinary research and innovation, 2(1), 49–64. https://doi. org/10.54536/ajmri.v2i1.1182 tamer, h., & knidiri, z. (2023). university 4.0: digital transformation of higher education evolution and stakes in morocco. american journal of smart technology and solutions, 2(1), 20–28. https://doi.org/10.54536/ ajsts.v2i1.1300 ten things about computer use in schools that you don’t want to hear (but i’ll say them anyway). (2012). https://blogs.worldbank.org/edutech/10-things tondeur, j. van keer, h., valcke, m. & van braak, j. (2010). ict integration in the classroom: challenging the potential of a school policy. www.ictintegration. classroom.challenging.com. unesco report. (2004). understanding and defining literacy. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/ pf0000146186 unesco report. (2004). ict in education policy. https ://en.unesco.org/icted/si tes/defaul t/ files/2019-04/15_ict_in_education_policy_ghana. pdf https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article 2658.indd pa ge 1 pa ge 96 american journal of education and technology (ajet) stakeholders’ challenges in implementing printed modular instruction to support kindergarten learners catherine g. chan1*, helen o. revalde1 volume 3 issue 2, year 2024 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v3i2.2658 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: march 19, 2024 accepted: april 22, 2024 published: may 08, 2024 this study determined the status and challenges of the printed modular instruction to kindergarten learners of south district 7, schools division of cebu city. there were 55 purposively selected respondents composed of school heads, teachers, and parents who expressed their perceptions on the challenges encountered in assisting the kindergarten learners enrolled during the pandemic and had of the printed modular instruction as an education delivery approach. the data gathered were organized, tallied, summarized, tabulated, and treated using descriptive and inferential statistics. findings revealed that school heads often encountered diffi culty in providing help in terms of instruction to the learners providing help in terms of instructing to the learners providing help in terms of instruction to the learners providing help to learners in terms of instruction. teachers rarely encounter problems, and parents consider the unavailability of mobile phones to contact the teacher as the top challenge. there was no signifi cant relationship between the profi le and the profi les of the school head respondents. there was no signifi cant relationship between the profi le of the kindergarten teacher respondents. there was a signifi cant relationship between the educational attainment and family income profi le of the kindergarten parent respondents. these fi ndings stress the necessity for a broad-based, inclusive educational approach rather than individual solutions. modular instruction and equal access to quality education for all students require tailored support for varied family circumstances and collaboration with all educational stakeholders of the pupils and improve the delivery of educational services. keywords early childhood education, stakeholders’ challenges, printed modular instruction, modular distance learning, descriptive correlational design, cebu city, philippines 1 cebu technological university, main campus, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: catherinechan327@gmail.com introduction the onset of the covid-19 pandemic has precipitated an unprecedented global educational transformation, compelling a swift pivot towards competency-based learning to address the emergent needs of approximately 1.6 billion students worldwide (ewing, 2021). as health risks made traditional classrooms unsuitable, homeschooling accelerated this change. the philippines department of education (deped) swiftly implemented signifi cant reforms to launch distance learning initiatives in the basic education-learning continuity plan. this proposal included k-12 curricular adjustments, modular distance learning (mdl), online distance learning (odl), and tv/radio-based instruction to ensure education continuity (calimlim et al., 2021). this pivot was supported by seameo-innotech and the commission on higher education (ched) teacher training and parent orientation programs to facilitate a smooth transfer to accessible and diversifi ed learning modes. leaders must develop adaptive, context-specifi c responses to global crises like the pandemic to protect and sustain educational opportunities. green et al. (2020) recommends adaptive, resilient educational frameworks to handle pandemics. unesco (2020a) says that approximately 1.5 billion kids worldwide were affected by school closures, underlining the importance of effective distance learning modalities. printed modular instructions (pmi) are a key bridge for continued educational engagement outside of traditional classrooms. modular training promotes self-paced learning and fast reinforcement, which are essential to pandemic education (nasr, 2020). smith and smith (2020) show how countries adapted their education systems, highlighting both new ideas and persisting issues. technological hurdles and access discrepancies shape pmi’s operating backdrop. this global perspective helps explain localized pmi implementation since it corresponds with educational adjustments to ensure learning continues despite the epidemic. however, the rapid adoption of printed modular instruction (pmi) due to covid-19 has presented considerable challenges for school heads, teachers, and parents school heads struggle with module distribution, quality verifi cation, and limited resources (panunciar et al., 2020). teachers have trouble printing interactive lessons and getting real-time feedback on student comprehension (karal, 2015). the transition requires parents to directly educate, yet time, resources, and a digital divide limit access to online tools (micheli, 2015). though santos (2023) claims that students generally have a positive attitude toward the use of modular materials, dela cruz et al. (2022) reveal that the pupils still have diffi culty dealing with the activities in their modules. these issues highlight equity as educational differences increase, particularly among low-income households (azubuike et al., 2021). inclusion techniques that meet all learners’ needs are essential. all stakeholders must work together to create adaptive, supporting strategies to keep education accessible pa ge 97 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 96-104, 2024 and effective during disruptions (de klerk, 2021). school leaders and teachers’ preparedness and adaptability emphasize the need of administrative support and instructional leadership in the distant learning transition (mcleod & dulsky, 2021). on the one hand, home-based modular learning’s effectiveness depends on parents’ engagement and resources, indicating a multidimensional ecosystem that supports students’ educational journeys during the epidemic (dunmeyer, 2021). this study uses mezirow’s transformative learning theory and kolb’s experiential learning theory to argue for major educational reform during the epidemic. it suggests that educators and other stakeholders can overcome pandemic problems by experiencing, refl ecting, comprehending, and experimenting, creating an innovative learning environment. the diverse experiences and challenges of educational stakeholders including school leaders, teachers, and parents complicate this picture which if not being empirically explained and addressed, may have negative consequence on the learners’ learning acquisition. hence, this study determines the school heads, teachers, and parents’ challenges encountered in printed modular instruction (pmi) to teach and support the kindergarten learners during the pandemic period. this hopes to provide empirical data to existing studies and literature and benchmark insights to formulate viable interventions to continuously improve the delivery of quality basic education services that promotes educational resilience and uphold filipino children’s right to quality education despite the crisis. methodology this research employed a descriptive correlational design, a methodology aimed at understanding the relationships between variables without any manipulation (pandey & pandey, 2021). this approach facilitated a comprehensive understanding of the school heads’, teachers’, and parents’ problems encountered in printed modular instructions of the kindergarten learners. there was a total of 55 respondents selected through general sampling technique. etikan and bala (2017) explained that general sampling approach refers to the methods used in research to pick a specifi c set of individuals, items, or instances from a larger population to participate in a study. the survey questionnaire is composed of the respondent groups’ profi le and their perceived challenges encountered in printed modular instructions of the kindergarten learners. the data gathered were organised, tallied, summarised, tabulated, and treated using descriptive and inferential statistics. results and discussion table 1 presents a detailed profi le of the school heads (n=5), focusing on their age, experience in school leadership, and training in instructional leadership and kindergarten curriculum content. this profi le provides vital insights about leadership capacities within the study’s educational setting. table 1: profi le of the school heads (n=5) frequency percentage a. age [in years] 41 45 3 60.00 more than 45 2 40.00 b. relevant experience as school heads 1 5 years 0 0.00 6 10 years 2 40.00 more than 10 years 3 60.00 c. relevant training in instructional leadership 50 59 hours 1 20.00 60 69 hours 1 20.00 70 and above 3 60.00 d. relevant training in kindergarten curriculum content 40 49 hours 1 20.00 50 59 hours 1 20.00 60 69 hours 0 0.00 70 and above 3 60.00 the age distribution indicates a mature leadership group, with 60% of the school heads aged between 41 and 45, and the remaining 40% being older than 45. this indicates a wealth of life and professional experience that could improve leadership and decision-making. black (2015) has indicated that older leaders are more effective at addressing educational issues due to their experience and complexity. most school heads (60%) have been in their positions for more than 10 years, demonstrating their knowledge and familiarity with school leadership. pa ge 98 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 96-104, 2024 the remaining 40% have worked 6–10 years. day (2020) found that school leadership experience directly affects school performance and student outcomes, underlining the relevance of experienced leadership in educational success. in relevant training, 60% of school heads have received over 70 hours of instructional leadership and kindergarten curriculum content training, demonstrating a strong commitment to professional development in crucial areas. zepeda (2019) claim that ongoing professional development is essential to effective educational leadership, and this extensive training ensures that school leaders are well-equipped with the latest educational strategies and leadership techniques. table 2 details the ages, gender, civil status, educational backgrounds, teaching experience, and training of 20 kindergarten instructors. this profi le illuminates the early childhood education workforce in the assessed context. table 2: profi le of the kindergarten teachers (n=20) frequency percentage a. age [in years] 26 30 4 20.00 31 35 10 50.00 36 40 4 20.00 41 45 2 10.00 b. sex female 18 90.00 male 2 10.00 c. civil status married 15 75.00 single 5 25.00 d. highest educational attainment masters graduate 4 20.00 masters level 12 60.00 college graduate 4 20.00 e. teaching experience in kindergarten less than a year 1 5.00 1 5 years 5 25.00 6 10 years 12 60.00 more than 10 years 2 10.00 f. relevant training attended below 30 hours 1 5.00 30 39 hours 2 10.00 40 49 hours 6 30.00 50 59 hours 1 5.00 60 69 hours 0 0.00 70 and above 10 50.00 teachers are concentrated in the mid-career range, with 50% between 31 and 35, 20% each between 26-30 and 36-40, and 10% between 41 and 45. this shows that most teachers are acquiring profi ciency and confi dence in their teaching approaches, which walters and gardner (2019) suggest that the rise of self-confi dence can be a period of substantial professional growth and development. 90% of the sample are female teachers, mirroring a trend in early childhood education where women dominate teaching roles. bragg (2020) found that gender diversity in education improves young learners, therefore this gender imbalance raises questions about diversity in teaching perspectives and the need of providing role models of both genders. most teachers are married (75%), whereas 25% are single. this demographic information does not immediately affect teaching practices, but it can inform support structures and professional development needs by revealing the social makeup of the teaching team. teachers are highly educated, with 80% holding master’s degrees. this suggests a highly educated workforce, essential for pedagogical strategy creation and implementation. schneider and preckel (2017) found that teachers with higher education levels boost student outcomes, pa ge 99 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 96-104, 2024 suggesting they can provide high-quality early childhood education. most (60%) had 6–10 years of teaching experience, suggesting seasoned educators. podolsky (2019) found that teaching experience improves pedagogical skills and classroom management. table 3 shows the age, gender, civil status, educational achievement, work status, instructional leadership training, and family monthly income of kindergarten parents (n=30). this comprehensive profi le illuminates these parents’ different origins and impacts their views on their children’s education, particularly in the context of printed modular instructions. table 3: profi le of the kindergarten parents (n=30) frequency percentage a. age [in years] 20 25 2 6.67 26 30 8 26.67 31 35 9 30.00 36 40 9 30.00 more than 40 2 6.67 b. sex female 28 93.33 male 2 6.67 c. civil status married 23 76.67 single 7 23.33 d. highest educational attainment doctoral level 1 3.33 masters level 1 3.33 college level 8 26.67 secondary level 15 50.00 elementary level 3 10.00 e. employment status owned a business 3 10.00 probationary/casual 1 3.33 project-based 1 3.33 regular/permanent 10 33.33 seasonal 15 50.00 f. training in instructional leadership below 30 hours 26 86.67 30 39 hours 0 0.00 40 49 hours 3 10.00 50 59 hours 0 0.00 60 69 hours 0 0.00 70 and above 1 3.33 g. family monthly income [in php] below 10,000 19 63.33 11,000 20,000 2 6.67 21,000 30,000 7 23.33 31,000 40,000 2 6.67 most parents (86.67%) are between 26 and 40. this shows that most parents are in the prime of their working and parenting years, juggling professional and family life, which can affect their ability to support their children’s education. most responses are women (93.33%). this shows that moms may be the primary caretakers and more involved in their children’s education. many parents (76.67%) are married, implying that most children live in pa ge 10 0 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 96-104, 2024 dual-parent families, which may affect parental support for education. single parents (23.33%) suggest that a considerable number of children may rely on single caregivers for educational support, which may impede modular teaching participation. parental education varies, with 50% having completed secondary school and 26.67% college. parents’ capacity to help with or understand written modular instructions may depend on their educational level, as better education may make educational materials easier to navigate. parental employment status shows that 50% work seasonally and 33.33% permanently. the high rate of seasonal employment in the economy can affect children’s schooling assistance and resources. instructional leadership training is scarce among parents, with 86.67% having less than 30 hours. this shows insuffi cient formal preparation for educational leadership in their children’s learning. finally, 63.33% of families earn below 10,000 php per month, emphasizing economic issues that could impact educational resources and modular learning. these fi ndings matter to educators and policymakers. the parents’ different socio-economic and educational backgrounds highlight the necessity for fl exible educational support systems. schools and educators may need to provide more resources or support for parents with lower educational attainment or fi nancial diffi culties to help them support their children’s learning. the overwhelming number of women in parental responses and seasonal jobs underline the need for fl exible and inclusive educational initiatives that suit working parents. posey-maddox and haley-lock (2020) have underscored that tailoring communication and involvement to parents’ various schedules and capacities might boost parental engagement and educational success. guan, a. g. r., & benavides (2021) discuss that parents limited instructional leadership training suggests that schools should offer workshops or resources to empower them to be more involved in their children’s education, particularly in using printed modular instructions. table 4 shows that school heads encounter many issues with printed modular instructions, especially in remote learning settings. table 4: problems encountered by school heads in printed modular instructions (n=5) rank indicators mean stdev interpretation 1 diffi culty in providing help in terms of instruction 3.60 1.67 often 2 diffi culty in meeting the teachers 3.40 1.82 often 3 distribution of modules in terms of schedules 3.00 1.87 seldom 3 parent’s cooperation during the distribution of modules 3.00 1.58 seldom 4 retrieval of modules in terms of schedules 2.80 1.79 seldom 4 parent’s cooperation in the retrieval of modules 2.80 1.48 seldom 4 diffi culty in tracking teachers’ progress 2.80 1.30 seldom 5 diffi culty in conducting classroom observation 2.60 1.14 seldom other problems encountered 3.00 2.00 seldom aggregate mean : 3.00 1.63 seldom range: 1.00-1.79 not at all; 1.80-2.59 rarely; 2.60-3.39 seldom; 3.40-4.19 often; 4.20-4.00 always the table indicates that the most pressing issues, occurring “often,” are the diffi culties in providing instructional support (mean=3.60) and in facilitating meetings with teachers (mean=3.40). these diffi culties are essential because they affect student education and instructor effectiveness. smith and doe (2020) found that good instructional support and regular instructor cooperation improve student learning, especially in remote or modular learning situations. the table also reveals that scheduling module distribution, parent cooperation in module distribution and retrieval, tracking teachers’ success, and classroom observations are “seldom” (2.60–3.00). these data show logistical and engagement concerns are less common than instructional support issues. jones et al. (2021) found that logistical challenges and parent participation signifi cantly affect remote learning implementation. the fi ndings imply that educational leaders and legislators should prioritize instructional assistance and teacher collaboration frameworks, especially in non-traditional learning contexts. valverde-berrocoso et al. (2021) illuminate that successful communication, remote teaching professional development, and regular feedback and support between school executives and instructors may require digital technologies. berryhil et al. (2020) corroborate that remote learning requires better parent-school collaboration and module distribution and retrieval logistics. flexible scheduling, clear parent expectations, and resources to help parents support their children’s learning at home are options. these challenges and solutions demonstrate the necessity for a coordinated approach involving educational leaders, teachers, parents, and the community to ensure quality education for all students. table 5 outlines the challenges faced by kindergarten teachers when implementing printed modular instructions, providing a detailed perspective on the frequency and nature of these obstacles. pa ge 10 1 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 96-104, 2024 most of the issues identifi ed fall within the “rarely” category, indicating that while challenges exist, they are not frequently encountered in the educational process. with a major exception in the “always” category, the teachers’ nonspecifi c “other problems encountered” constitute the biggest issue, requiring immediate action and additional research. inability to contact learners, module distribution according to schedules, and accountability for module job completion all have mean ratings of 2.35 to 2.50, indicating they occur rarely. parental cooperation diffi culties in module distribution and retrieval and challenges in reaching out to learners are similarly unusual, with typical scores around 2.25 to 2.30. internet outages, however, potentially serious, are rare, with a mean score of 2.15. bozkurt et al. (2022) stress the need of regular and good communication between teachers, students, and parents and the necessity for clear guidelines and support mechanisms for remote learning. timmons et al. (2021) also emphasize the importance of family involvement in early childhood education, especially in distant or modular learning situations, noting that initiatives to increase this involvement can address some of the issues noted. table 6 offers an insightful view into the challenges encountered by parents of kindergarten students when navigating printed modular instructions, table 5: problems encountered by kindergarten teachers in printed modular instructions (n=20) rank indicators mean stdev interpretation 1 inability to contact the learners 2.50 0.15 rarely 2 distribution of modules in terms of schedules 2.35 0.30 rarely 2 accountability on who does the answering 2.35 0.20 rarely 3 parent’s cooperation during the distribution of modules 2.30 0.21 rarely 3 diffi culty in reaching out to learners 2.30 0.18 rarely 3 cooperation of parents 2.30 0.15 rarely 4 retrieval of modules in terms of schedules 2.25 0.27 rarely 4 parent’s cooperation in the retrieval of modules 2.25 0.19 rarely 5 no internet connection 2.15 0.15 rarely other problems encountered 4.70 0.21 always aggregate mean : 2.55 0.20 rarely range: 1.00-1.79 not at all; 1.80-2.59 rarely; 2.60-3.39 seldom; 3.40-4.19 often; 4.20-4.00 always table 6: problems encountered by kindergarten parents in printed modular instructions (n=30) rank indicators mean stdev interpretation 1 unavailability of mobile phone to contact the teacher 3.87 1.48 often 2 poor signal or intermittent internet connection 3.63 1.52 often 3 confl ict due to work 3.60 1.50 often 3 getting and returning modules based on schedules 3.60 1.65 often 4 getting and returning modules based on its number of modules 3.53 1.63 often 5 diffi culty in understanding the content 3.40 1.61 often 6 diffi culty in motivating children to fi nish the module 3.37 1.63 seldom other problems encountered 4.93 0.37 always aggregate mean : 3.74 1.42 often range: 1.00-1.79 not at all; 1.80-2.59 rarely; 2.60-3.39 seldom; 3.40-4.19 often; 4.20-4.00 always the aggregate mean score of 3.74, with a standard deviation of 1.42, positions these challenges in the “often” category, signifying that parents frequently face hurdles in supporting their children’s education through this modality. unavailable mobile phones to contact teachers, poor or intermittent internet signal, work confl icts, and logistical diffi culties in obtaining and returning modules according to schedules and volume are the main issues, all of which occur “often.” an et al. (2021) highlight that the digital divide and educational accessibility show how technological and logistical hurdles can drastically reduce remote learning’s effi cacy. understanding module material and inspiring children to fi nish their work, though less common, nevertheless falls under the “often” category, emphasizing the necessity for accessible and interesting instructional information for parents and children. according to lee and martin (2022), parental support is essential for young learners’ engagement and success in remote learning. “other problems encountered” has an alarming mean of 4.93, indicating that parents confront pa ge 10 2 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 96-104, 2024 considerable, undefi ned challenges “always.” it appears that parents are not adequately supported in the context of written modular instructions. table 7 explores the relationship between the profi les of school head respondents (n=5) and the problems they encountered with printed modular instructions. table 7: relationship between profi le of the school head respondents and their problems encountered in printed modular instructions (n=5) variables chi-square df critical value signifi cance result problems encountered in printed modular instructions and age 2.222 2 5.991 not signifi cant ho accepted relevant experience as school heads 2.222 2 5.991 not signifi cant ho accepted relevant training in instructional leadership 2.222 4 9.488 not signifi cant ho accepted relevant training in kindergarten curriculum content 2.222 4 9.488 not signifi cant ho accepted the chi-square values show that age, relevant experience, relevant instructional leadership training, and relevant kindergarten curriculum content training do not statistically affect school heads’ problems with printed modular instructions. the chi-square values for each variable are 2.222, with degrees of freedom (df) varied per variable, but none of the results attain statistical signifi cance (5.991 for variables with df=2 and 9.488 for variables with df=4). these data imply that school heads’ demographics and professional development do not affect printed modular teaching implementation issues. according to mixon et al. (2019), educational implementation issues are generally systemic and transcend age, experience, and training. the limitations of printed modular instruction require systemic, not individual, solutions, suggesting educational policy address infrastructure and resource issues. collective problem-solving tactics like peer-sharing and support networks may succeed because school heads’ traits don’t affect problems. continuous research into these diffi culties is stressed, pushing for focused solutions to promote equitable access to quality education for all children, regardless of instructional modalities. table 8 delves into the relationship between various demographic and professional characteristics of kindergarten teacher respondents (n=20) and the problems they faced with printed modular instructions. all variables reveal no statistically signifi cant link table 8: relationship between profi le of the kindergarten teacher respondents and their problems encountered in printed modular instructions (n=20) variables chi-square df critical value signifi cance result problems encountered in printed modular instructions and age 8.250 9 16.919 not signifi cant ho accepted gender 3.333 3 7.815 not signifi cant ho accepted civil status 3.704 3 7.815 not signifi cant ho accepted highest educational attainment 6.111 6 12.592 not signifi cant ho accepted teaching experience in kindergarten 10.866 9 16.919 not signifi cant ho accepted relevant training attended 9.259 12 21.026 not signifi cant ho accepted between kindergarten instructors’ profi les and printed modular instruction issues. in each example, chi-square values for age, gender, civil status, greatest educational attainment, teaching experience, and relevant training attended are below the essential values for signifi cance, accepting the null hypothesis (ho). like school heads, kindergarten teachers’ obstacles in applying printed modular instructions are not greatly infl uenced by their age, gender, civil position, level of education, years of teaching experience, or relevant training. this is congruent with rasheed et al. (2020), who found that systemic diffi culties rather than educator qualifi cations cause educational problems. these fi ndings suggest a systematic rather than individual approach to printed modular instruction’s problems. broad-based techniques for varied teaching groups are needed since concerns are universal. systemic enhancements, such as module design, distribution, and support methods, emphasize the need to address educational issues at their roots to help educators teach effectively in varied circumstances. pa ge 10 3 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 96-104, 2024 table 9 investigates the relationship between various demographic and contextual characteristics of kindergarten parent respondents (n=30) and the problems they encountered with printed modular instructions. table 9: relationship between profi le of the kindergarten parent respondents and their problems encountered in printed modular instructions (n=30) variables chi-square df critical value signifi cance result problems encountered in printed modular instructions and age 14.056 16 26.296 not signifi cant ho accepted gender 1.607 4 9.488 not signifi cant ho accepted civil status 5.404 4 9.488 not signifi cant ho accepted highest educational attainment 26.667 16 26.296 signifi cant ho rejected employment status 23.467 16 26.296 not signifi cant ho accepted relevant training in instructional leadership 9.526 8 15.507 not signifi cant ho accepted family monthly income 22.571 12 21.026 signifi cant ho rejected the null hypothesis (ho) is rejected because the parents’ highest educational attainment is associated with their issues, with a chi-square value of 26.667, which surpasses the critical value of 26.296 for 16 degrees of freedom (df). it appears that parents’ educational attainment affects printed modular instruction issues. according to gomez and tran (2021), parents with higher education backgrounds may have different expectations and capacities while interacting with their children’s education, which may affect their perception and handling of instructional problems. second, with a chi-square value of 22.571 against a critical value of 21.026 for 12 df, family monthly income is also associated with issues. benner et al. (2016) found that socioeconomic position affects educational access and support at home, which may explain why families have trouble with printed modular instructions. age, gender, civil status, work position, and instructional leadership training did not signifi cantly affect diffi culties encountered. it appears that these demographic parameters do not signifi cantly affect the modular education issues parents experience, suggesting that the issues are universal. these fi ndings indicate the necessity for educational programs that accommodate family socioeconomic and educational diversity. to guarantee equal education access, families with lesser fi nances or educational backgrounds may benefi t from simpler materials, tutorials, and fi nancial aid. knopik et al. (2021) underscore that parental involvement in educational planning and recognition of their importance in remote or modular learning are key. addressing family needs can improve modular instruction and assist children’s learning, highlighting the relevance of inclusivity and accessibility in educational interventions. conclusion based on the fi ndings of the study, it is concluded that the diffi culty of educational challenges in printed modular instruction, showing no association between school heads’ and instructors’ profi les and problems but showing that parents’ education and family income affect such issues. these fi ndings stress the necessity for broad-based, inclusive educational approach rather than individual solutions. modular instruction and equal access to quality education for all students require tailored support for varied family circumstances and collaboration with all educational stakeholders of the pupils and improve the delivery of educational services. references alipio, m. ewing, l. a. 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(2019). professional development: what works. routledge. pa ge 1 pa ge 70 american journal of education and technology (ajet) the role of recreational trips in providing educational values for female elementary school students maali baz1*, nadia almutairi1 volume 3 issue 2, year 2024 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v3i2.2566 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: march 19, 2024 accepted: april 22, 2024 published: april 26, 2024 this research shed light upon the various recreational values involved and how recreational trips matter in the growth and development of students. the primary school students, specifically the female students, were targeted here, and the discussions were carried out regarding how these recreational trips influenced the performance of the various candidates. this descriptive research was conducted on a group of 797 participants from the government and private schools. the findings of the study indicate that a majority of 51.7% members were found to opt for five or less training courses. and 44.8% of all the members were among those who were interested in educational courses.keywords recreational trips, primary school students, female students 1 king saud university medical complex, riyadh, kingdom of saudi arabia * corresponding author’s e-mail: maali661@outlook.com introduction background the recreational trips are one among the most underestimated activities that the parents of the children do not quite value. the teachers are usually instructed to guide the students concerning the various activities that they conduct regularly, however there is this lack of proper attention from the teacher’s end that makes the children lose their focus from how else they can learn and grow (thomas et al., 2019). these recreational trips are perfect extra co-curricular activities conducted by the various instructors and these emphasize on how the students can develop themselves to become better by staying in touch with the world that exists outside their homes and educational institutes. as it comes to exploring the various recreational activities, sports activities have always been considered to be among the essential ones. these recreational assessments show improved cognitive, mental and physical health among individuals (black et al., 2021). hence, these kinds of sports activities need extra attention in regard to how these keep students active. the problem usually arises regarding the various women who refuse to participate in these kinds of activities and how these kinds of women are found to lag behind when it comes to recreational activities. in most asian states and specifically in the middle east, women’s participation in sports has mostly been found to be a rather disliked activity (tsuda & wyant, 2024). the recent data that was found to be shared by the european commission also helped determine how the children are not quite capable of meeting the standard of physical activities (sgro et al., 2019). these recreational activities need to be understood in terms of how the various outdoor activities need to be examined rather closely in regards to how these are beneficial. as it comes to women, it is in most of the cases an issue related with the lack of awareness of the young girls in terms with how their rights are not within their knowledge (2022 ,يريطملا). back during covid-19, these sorts of issues arose when the students were found to have plenty of leisure time, and these candidates were kept under the supervision of their parents. the schools were providing their instructions online, and the various students here were asked to make sure and understand whether or not their other activities, along with their studies, were being influenced. the students were not able to grasp the various concepts of their studies solely because a proper supervision of the instructors was not provided to them (alasiri et al., 2024). the activeness was found to be fading among these students as these students were presumed not to participate any further in the different kinds of physical activities. this was what clearly proved the significance of the various recreational activities and helped determine how the improvements were meant to be made (fabian et al., 2024). there were various conflicting opinions among the students concerning how the improvements had to be made here and how the different opportunities had to be utilized on a rather thorough basis. keeping in account the fact that despite there being plenty to research, this theme has not been investigated quite much over recent years. schools are stated to be among the essential spaces where these sorts of issues have to be addressed, as academic learning is not the only activity that occurs around these schools. rather, it is the mental health improvement and the physical improvement of the students that essentially matter in regard to these. hence, it has been indicated that the closing of the schools, whether for temporary vacations or long-term periods, needs to be worked upon, all the while considering the kind of damages that are likely to be caused (pattison et al., 2021). the emotionally vulnerable children are expected to find rather longer influences on their physical pa ge 71 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 70-78, 2024 and mental health if such influences are detected. literature review research question the core question of the research is: “how do the recreational trips contribute to imparting educational values to primary school students in riyadh?” the main question gives birth to the following subquestions: 1. what is the contribution of recreational trips in regard to the moral values of primary school students? 2. what contribution is made by the recreational trips in terms of the scientific values of primary school students? 3. what is the contribution of recreational trips to generating recreational value for primary school students? 4. what kind of contribution do the recreational trips make while imparting cultural values to primary school students? research objectives the objectives of the research include: 1. examining the contribution of recreational trips in regard to moral values to primary school students. 2. evaluating the contribution of recreational trips in terms of some scientific values to primary school students. 3. determining the contribution of recreational trips in regard to imparting recreational values to primary school students. 4. exploring the contribution of recreational trips in terms of imparting cultural values to primary school students. recreational trips the recreational trips have been academically accepted to be among the trips where students are involved in extra-curricular activities other than their studies that help them learn differently. these may include visits to amusement parks, museums or other similar places where physical movements of the children are involved. plenty of risk-relevant assessments can be found, but it is the satisfaction of the other parties affiliated with the travellers that essentially matters for these scenarios. the evaluation of the tourists’ safety is what is meant to be handled for these kinds of situations, as this determines the potential issues that are likely to arise. the intentions of the tourists are taken into analysis for these sorts of scenarios as the question in concern is always about the satisfaction that must be provided (humagain & singleton, 2021). furthermore, it has also been detected that recreational travel in recent years has been found to be reduced drastically, which eventually leads to nonessential travel. those people who were found to be least interested in such kinds of travel have been found to have increased since the inception of the pandemic (sunanto et al., 2024). these recreational trips in recent years have proven through the students who have participated in these to be quite beneficial and quite productive as far as the growth and the learning of the students is concerned. the young girls of primary schools have discovered a lot about the professional lifestyle at quite a young age as these girls normally do not get opportunities to learn about all the stuff. all such sorts of trips for these kinds of scenarios are likely to leave long-term influences on the mindsets of the young girls which can be quite problematic. in account of the fact that other essential trips such as shopping and work have never been changed, these recreational trips have, regardless, been changed (anwari et al., 2021). this is probably because these kinds of recreational trips are not given as much importance by the responsible authorities. primary school students the students are among the most essential capitals that are likely to contribute rather significantly on the society in overall, therefore a wise investment can be made on these. quite simultaneously, however, there are some improvements needed in the educational system overall. the innovation in the various teaching methods is what needs to be emphasized, as societal changes can be brought about because of these. as communication advancements and information can be embraced while teaching, diverse opportunities can be offered by education. the reporting and the accountability, therefore need to be understood by the students as these help understand elements of the practical life (gagnon, 2024). it is the responsibility of the counsellors, educators and, most importantly, the parents who play an essential role among children while helping them understand these (gagnon, 2024). the overall failure or success of any candidate is affiliated with factors of multiple kinds and all of these are likely to leave an influence on the learning outcomes achievement. the interest and the motivation of the children are among the essential components that have to be taken into rather serious consideration as these clarify how one is capable of learning and growing. the interest can be defined as one’s tendency and its persistence in regards to how the attention must be provided to these candidates and how the various activities must be remembered. if anyone, regardless of age, is even slightly interested in some activity, then that candidate is likely to give an extra amount of attention. motivation quite simultaneously is understood to be a kind of element that is likely to contribute rather deeply in the growth of the students where their actual potential is likely to be revealed (hasmirati et al., 2023). hence, the two of these factors have to be handled simultaneously in order to make sure that the learning and development of the children must not be compromised. all of the different activities for such sort of scenario might involve interest for each candidate as the reading is a kind of interest that needs to be implanted among the children. at the same time, they are a younger portion of their childhood. the families of the young children play quite a vital role in this as they provide a kind of pa ge 72 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 70-78, 2024 environment to the children that helps them gain interest in learning. the parents of the various children need to maintain awareness, and they have to pay rather close attention to make sure the children are involved with learning (prawiyogi et al., 2020). however, these kinds of learning activities need to be examined rather thoroughly while these would be involved with the recreational trips of the different groups of children. a special emphasis needs to be provided regarding how reading can be involved within the extra-curricular activities of the various groups of children. theoretical framework leisure trips the leisure trips are found to be among the most underestimated trips of all, probably because there hasn’t been much of an emphasis concerning these. these trips are, however among the most beneficial ones as these help the children learn and grow with time. the mental and physical health of the various children of different ages are expected to be affected quite significantly because of these. it is, therefore, quite essential here that the various challenges that are likely to come the way would be found to be influenced. these elements correlate with how the educational performance of the various children and the other groups is quite likely to be influenced because of these (mozolev et al., 2020). the various leisure trips are meant to provide extra support in terms of how the educational performance of the various candidates can be found to be improved. all such sorts of trips have to be handled in terms of the kind of values they are quite likely to contribute. these kinds of trips are also quite likely to leave rather negative influences on the multiple candidates, as supervision of the adults is quite an essential factor that plays a vital role. the different assessments that have to be monitored for these sorts of scenarios are clearly connected with how intellectually the improvement in the development of the various students can be found to be visible (kim et al., 2019). the supervision of the various teachers is what needs to be executed rather carefully and it must be evaluated on a rather regular basis where multiple assessments would be handled altogether. educational values these are a set of beliefs that an individual defines as per the emotional regulations that would have surrounded him. these beliefs have to be addressed in terms of how all of the different values shape the mindsets of the various individuals as a whole. there are plenty of social values that are formed as an outcome of the prevailing beliefs of the family members. these comprise of how the parents do not take any sort of interest in the education of their young girls, which eventually prevents them from progressing (2015 ,يريطملا دمح نب دمحم). all of the different values for such sorts of scenarios require extra attention in terms of how the various beliefs must be handled by making sure that these values do not contradict what is normally found in society (simanjuntak, 2020). all such sort of beliefs require extra attention in terms of the amendments and improvements that would be made at different intervals of time and would require extra attention on the basis of bringing ethical values into the educational sectors. all the educational values and beliefs of the various candidates in these kinds of scenarios would have to be studied, and rather careful attention would have to be provided in terms of how the recreational trips would come and contribute through these. the different elements that have to be worked upon here are affiliated with the kind of professional influences these trips are likely to leave on the multiple different candidates. the educational reforms that are meant to be made from time to time are among those through which the students are provided with exposure to the world that exists outside their classrooms (choobchian et al., 2024). therefore, these kinds of trips have to be considered an essential part of the educational courses as these would give opportunities to the different groups of female students regarding how they can grow and progress with time. methodology research strategy as it comes to scientific rigour, the descriptive research application is found to be critiqued on a often basis. the issues that have arisen within the created issues for this sort of approach are among those that have occurred because of the inconsistency found in the decision-making. differentiating between the descriptive research design and other methodologies is found to be rather difficult (doyle et al., 2020). in the academic industry, descriptive research can be stated to be a kind of distribution that involves one or more than one variable. there can be multiple different categories that can be considered to be a part of the descriptive studies, as these include case series, ecological studies, case reports and cross-sectional studies (maulana et al., 2024). these descriptive studies are also quite likely to come up with a minimum number of errors in the report. research instruments as it comes to mixed method-based studies, the collection of the data is usually conducted through semi-structured interviews or structured questionnaires. for these, there can be, at times, quite some differences found in regard to the data collection methods, interpretations of the data and the analysis that is meant to be conducted (harris & brown, 2019). the analysis that has to be conducted here would clearly be about bringing over the in-depth questions with the assistance of the structured or semistructured instructions guide. when real research is involved, the semi-structured questions are meant to be considered a rather reliable and quite valid source (kopzhanov et al., 2024). therefore, these interview questions and the questionnaires have been finalized for better results. pa ge 73 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 70-78, 2024 sample size the sample of the research holds quite some significance in terms of how the scope of the research is meant to be shaped and the kind of influence that it leaves in terms of practice and theory. the sampling for this scenario is quite likely to leave a rather long-term influence in terms of how the practical impact of the research is likely to affect for a rather longer amount of time. the kind of sampling that is conducted has quite a strong connection with how the research methods are affected (cash et al., 2022). keeping in account the other factors of this research a sample size of 797 teachers from the government as well as private schools had been finalized for selection. the survey that had been conducted involved these teachers as the questions were placed before these candidates. data analysis the analysis of the data for such sort of research has to be evaluated in terms of how all of the different amendments must be made from time to time. the information that is collected from various ends has to be evaluated in terms of the different issues that have to be taken rather deeply. all of the research articles that are found to be quite closely relevant would have to be studied and identified in terms of how much accuracy can be detected. the mixed methods approach, therefore, has to be worked upon as it has acquired quite a strong position in recent years among social scientists (timans et al., 2019). further ahead, the effectiveness of the analysis of the entire data for such sort of scenarios has to be worked upon in regards to how the correlation of the different datasets must be conducted rather effectively. results and discussion school type considering the sample of 797 candidates, the two categories were formed as per the kind of schools that these students belonged to. the two categories included government schools and private schools as the investigation of the studies was carried out as per these. among these candidates, the candidates of government primary school were 62.9% and the candidates of the private school here were 37.1%. this distribution was meant to be handled in terms with how the ministry of education was playing its role and how it was contributing to academic improvement. as the number of government schools was found to be tremendously higher than the private schools, it was therefore detected that factors such as administrative work, a decrease in the quorum of the quotas, and the additional requirements contributed to these (alfaraidy, 2020). all of these evaluations had to be identified in regards to which sector was found to be contributing the most. table 1: school type ranking % k school type m 1 62.9 501 governmental 1 2 37.1 296 my parent 2 100% 797 total number of years of experience as per this table, the number of working years of the various teachers was meant to be handled, and it had to be detected in regards to how the amendments had to be made. as far as the highest number of teachers was concerned, they were found to be 395 in the entire distribution, and their ratio was found to be 49.6%. these teachers had 3 to 5 years of working experience as the instructors. then, further ahead, the candidates with the lowest ratio of all were found to be 79 in total, and they contributed 9.8% of the total percentage. these were those who had 10 years or even more of their professional experiences. it was eventually concluded here that the teachers with the highest number of experiences were the ones who were found to carry out these recreational trips rather easily (basheer alotaibi, 2022). table 2: number of years of experience ranking % k years of experience m 2 23.5 187 less than 3 years. 1 1 49.6 395 from 3-5 years. 2 3 17.1 136 from 6-9 years. 3 4 9.8 79 10 years and more. 4 100% 797 total specialization as the ratio of the specialization of the various teachers was investigated in regards to which department these candidates belonged to, it was detected that there were, in total, three different sections of specialization. these included the scientific section, the literary section and the administrative branch. eventually, it was the literary section where the number of teachers was found to be pa ge 74 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 70-78, 2024 highest at 403. these were found to be 50.6% in total, as they did possess half of the entire sample. further ahead, the administrative branch was found to be at the lowest percentage as these candidates were 185 in total. the overall percentage of these candidates here was 23.2%, which is slightly less than a quarter of the entire ratio. the information regarding the specialization of these candidates was quite essential, primarily because these recreational trips have quite an essential connection with how the teachers with specialization can contribute as per respective areas of expertise (basheer alotaibi, 2022). table 3: specialization ranking % k specialization m 2 26.2 209 scientific section 1 1 50.6 403 literary section 2 3 23.2 185 administrative branch 3 100% 797 total academic qualification for these 797 candidates, while the educational qualification of these candidates was found to be distributed, it became rather clearer that there were four categories in total. these included the educational diploma, the bachelor’s, master’s and the phds. these four qualifications are among the ones that are normally found in riyadh that make the individuals rather eligible to be instructors and teachers (alarifi, 2019). the ratio of these instructors can be found here in terms of the highest for the bachelor’s and the lowest for the phds. the qualification of bachelor was found among 544 candidates, who were 68.3% among all. and the phds in concern were only 12 among all of the 797 candidates as these were just 1.5% of the total percentage. hence, it was proved that the majority of the candidates here possessed a bachelor’s education. table 4: academic qualification ranking % k qualification m 2 22.0 176 educational diploma 1 1 68.3 544 bachelor's 2 3 8.2 65 master's 3 4 1.5 12 phd 4 100% 797 total number of trip candidates the research’s sample was further studied in regards to the number of trip candidates, and this was divided as per the posts. this was categorized with 3 posts, 4-5 posts, 6-9 posts and more than 10 posts for the participation in trips. while evaluating the facts and figures, it was estimated that candidates with 3 posts were found to be at the highest percentage of 45.4% with 362 candidates. the lowest ratio that was eventually detected was where there were 6-9 posts found, with a percentage of 12.7% in total. their quantity in terms of number here was found at 101. table 5: number of trip candidates ranking % k number of trip participants m 1 45.4 362 3 posts. 1 2 25.7 205 from 4-5 posts. 2 3 12.7 101 from 6-9 posts. 3 4 16.2 129 10 posts or more. 4 100% 797 total working in activities then, as the work in activities were found to be examined in rather detail, it was clarified here that the number of candidates who fell under the category of work in activities was 519, as these candidates were 65.1% in total. then further ahead, those who fell under the category of never worked as entrepreneurs were 34.9% with 278 in terms of quantity. pa ge 75 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 70-78, 2024 age as the age of the various candidates can be found to be examined, these were categorized into four sub-sections. these four sections included candidates who were less than 25 years old, candidates who fell under the category of 25 to 34 years of age, then 35 years to 44 years old candidates followed by the final category of 45 years and above. as the figures can be analyzed rather deeply, it becomes visible that candidates under 25 years of age were 107 in quantity, and these were 13.4% in total, which was the lowest among all. then, for the highest ranking in all, the candidates who fell between the age group of 35 to 44 years of age were 311 in quantity, and these were found to be 39% in total. table 6: working in activities ranking % k work in activities m 1 65.1 519 she previously worked as an activity leader. 1 2 34.9 278 she has never worked as an entrepreneur before. 2 100% 797 total table 7: age ranking % k the age m 4 13.4 107 under 25 years old. 1 2 25.5 203 from 25 years 34 years. 2 1 39.0 311 from 35 years 44 years. 3 3 22.1 176 from 45 years and over. 4 100% 797 total monthly income as the monthly income of all of the candidates can be found to be examined, it becomes clear that the lowest ratio that was found in terms of the income of the multiple candidates was found to be 76 in terms of quantity, which was 9.5% of the overall percentage. these candidates had less than 4000 riyals as their monthly incomes. on the other hand, the highest ratio was found at 287, where the candidates having more than 10,000 riyals as their basic salary was reported at 36%. it has been examined here that the satisfaction level of the employees is what plays quite a crucial role (alarifi, 2019). the employment ratio in the state overall can be found to be the kind of one that determines whether or not the employees are getting the desired amount of satisfaction from their jobs, which contributes further. table 8: monthly income ranking % k monthly income m 4 9.5 76 less than 4000 riyals. 1 2 33.8 269 from 4000 riyals 7000 riyals. 2 3 20.7 165 from 8,000 riyals 10,000 riyals. 3 1 36.0 287 more than 10,000 riyals. 4 100% 797 total number of training courses utilized further questions were asked regarding the training courses that had to be taken into consideration as all of these were meant to be addressed in terms of how the different courses had been worked upon. these were also categorized into four sub-divisions. among all of the respondents, 10.8% of the candidates were among those who stated that they did not take any training courses. 51.7% of all of the respondents indicated here that they had actually taken around 5 training courses or even less than these. as the different percentages are analyzed, it becomes evident that the ratio of these courses was found to be increasing (alyahya et al., 2019). considering the fact that these training courses had higher demand, the professional development of the candidates was found to be quite closely affiliated with these. table 9: number of training courses utilized ranking % k the number of training courses you have taken m 4 10.8 86 i did not take training courses. 1 1 51.7 412 5 training courses or less. 2 pa ge 76 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 70-78, 2024 types of training courses then, further ahead, the questions were asked concerning how the multiple candidates took the training courses of various categories. this question was also sub-categorized into four different sections, and these included administrative, vocational, indicative and educational. however, the number of candidates in this particular scenario was 711. among these, the highest of all were found at 319 for the educational ones and the lowest of all were detected at 90 for the vocational ones. the training of the various female teachers is what has to be taken into rather deeper consideration here as these teachers are then instructed to carry out the pedagogical procedures that are considered to be among the essential goals of education (alanazi & al turki, 2021). 2 22.5 179 from 6 courses 9 training courses. 3 3 15.0 120 10 training courses or more. 4 100% 797 total table 10: types of training courses ranking % k type of training courses taken m 2 28.7 204 administrative 1 4 12.7 90 vocational 2 3 13.8 98 indicative 3 1 44.8 319 educational 4 100% 797 total strengths every research ought to make itself valuable by adding strengths to its various components. these elements make the research rather useful by adding value to overall aspects of the research by helping understand how the research in overall is likely to contribute to the academic industry overall. this research overall is likely to have various kinds of strengths as this research possesses information from various research articles from the past. the multiple opinions of the different research scholars for these kinds of scenarios have to be taken into consideration in regard to how the evolution of the different concepts came to be. the research of recent times had added value to the discussion, all the while contributing to the strength of the overall research. all of the different elements that added value to the research were included as these were meant to help understand the different ideologies rather easily. limitations the boundaries and the constraints of the research are among the essential components as these prevent the chances of errors in research. the limitations of the research have to be explored in regard to how much of an accuracy one can expect while designing these. as far as the research in question is concerned, the limitations of this particular research include the fact that only the research articles of recent times have been used for literature here. furthermore, all the instruments that were included in the research were among those that were deemed fit as per the descriptive nature of the research. apart from these, this research was strictly constrained within the saudi arabia region. future implications the researchers of the future, who are looking ahead to investigate on somewhat similar theme, are recommended here to pursue through some other methodology. all such sort of implications have to be worked upon in terms of how fruitful outcomes can be expected if the research can be carried out rather thoroughly. moreover, future researchers are also recommended to be very careful concerning the various ethical implications that have to be taken into consideration. all of the different moral codes of academic conduct that the educational institutes instruct must be taken into consideration. and lastly, future researchers are also advised to exceed the boundaries of saudi arabia and conduct surveys on some other asian countries or even beyond the boundaries of asia. conclusion the research shed light on recreational trips and the various values that are found to be affiliated with them. four values were discussed as the sub-dimensions of the research, and their influence on the female students of primary schools was worked upon. the education industry was targeted and both the private along with the government schools were discussed. the analysis of the standard deviation and the 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(2024). integrating an online international collaboration into a physical education teacher education program. journal of physical education, recreation & dance, 95(1), 28-32. pa ge 1 pa ge 5 = american journal of education and technology (ajet) correlational study of students’ moodle log for assessments and feedback on assessments on moodle for a mandatory pre-degree english course komal karishma1*, krishna raghuwaiya1 volume 2 issue 4, year 2023 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i4.1998 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: august 13, 2023 accepted: september 19, 2023 published: september 28, 2023 this study explored the correlation between students’ moodle logs on assessments and feedback on assessments on llfxx moodle page. nine forms of assessments and four forms of feedback on assessments on llfxx moodle page were studied. four of these assessments are part of students’ continuous assessments which add up to 50% of their course work. three of the feedbacks on assessments are for these continuous assessed assignments and tests. 80 blended mode students from the laucala campus of the university participated in this research. llfxx, which is a mandatory pre-degree english course was used for the purpose of this research. a quantitative research method was employed to analyse data. data was extracted on moodle logs of llfxx blended mode laucala students and were analyzed using two statistical tests. pearson’s chi-square test in spss was used to find the correlation between moodle logs for assessments and feedback for assessments on llfxx moodle page. pearson’s correlational coefficient test from spss was used to find the degree of association between moodle logs for each of the assessments and their feedbacks in llfxx. there was no correlation (statistically insignificant) found between the moodle logs for test 2 for llfxx and moodle logs for feedback on tests. however, there was a statistically significant correlation found between the moodle logs of other assessments and their feedback for llfxx. keywords assessments, correlation, feedback, moodle, lms 1 university of the south pacific, laucala campus, private mail bag, suva, fiji islands * corresponding author’s e-mail: komal.karishma@usp.ac.fj introduction many components play a crucial role in the teachinglearning process. one of these is assessments. assessments are in form of end of session test, monthly tests, short tests, homework, mid-term exam, end of term exam, mid-year exam, annual exam, and continuous assessments like assignments, projects, reports, seminar presentations, oratory, and debate. the purpose of the assessments is to motivate students, give feedback to students and teachers, measure students’ performance and progress in the course, assist in curriculum design, for diagnosis purposes and to support student’s collaboration (hooda et al, 2022). these assessments are crucial for all stakeholders (hooda, et al, 2022; dawson, et al., 2019; faulconer, griffith, & gruss, 2021) of the teaching and learning process as it is a reflection of how much and how well a student has been able to recognize, comprehend and reproduce the information, in form of knowledge, that was learned. it is also a reflection for the teacher to assess his or her teaching skills and make improvements where needed. the parents and administrators of the school get an opportunity to recognise the students’ abilities and capabilities and this assists in planning for their future from the very beginning. with the emphasis on assessments and their achievements in form of pass and fail or as a position or rank in class or as a grade was given priority, another crucial component of the teaching-learning process gained a lot of attention from the stakeholders. the feedback from assessments gained its importance gradually and today is as significant as any form of assessment. feedback is an essential part of the learning process (the university of the south pacific, 2022; hooda, et al, 2022)). the quantity and quality of feedback on assessments have been under study for some time now and will be discussed in the later chapters. instructors have been trained across the world to give adequate feedback in such a way that students recognise and learn from their mistakes in a positive and motivational manner without any damage being done to their morale. the feedback should not just give them the correct answers, as this does not lead to any form of constructive learning. the feedback should guide and encourage students to identify their errors and correct them using the guidelines from the teachers. many tertiary institutes provide a marking guide with assessments. these guide students whilst doing their assessments, as it clearly outlines the expectations of the assessments and the marks allocated for each section. it also ensures that all markers adhere to one set of marking guide to ensure students are not penalized in any form if the marking is done by more than one marker. it is always argued that the feedback on assessments is as crucial as the assessments themselves, and therefore, every teacher has to be very careful while giving feedback on students’ assessments to ensure that constructive and critical learning takes place after students receive their marked assessments. this is possible if assessments are strategised, and reliable feedback are made and their impacts are analysed in higher education environment (hooda et al, 2022). pa ge 6 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 5-16, 2023 background the university of the south pacific (usp) is a regional university and has students from its twelve member countries (cook islands, fiji islands, kiribati, marshall islands, nauru, niue, samoa, solomon islands, tokelau, tonga, tuvalu, and vanuatu). the courses are taught in four modes: face-to-face, blended, online and print at each level (pre-degree to post-degree). moodle is a mandatory component of the teaching and learning process for the four modes of delivery. each of the courses at usp has continuous assessments (assignments, tests, mid semester tests, lab reports, projects, and seminar presentations) and the final exam. there are a few courses that only have continuous assessments and there is no final exam (100% coursework) component. as per section 2.2 (b) of the usp assessment procedures (2022) and section 1.2 (b) of the usp assessment & associated regulations (2022), all continuous assessments are uploaded on moodle for marking. before any assessment is marked, its similarity percentage is checked with “turnit-in” software (the university of the south pacific, 2022). if the similarity percentage is less than 20% (or in some cases, as determined by the course coordinator), only then it is marked. any assignment caught to have been plagiarized is penalised according to the usp’s student academic integrity regulations (the university of the south pacific, 2023). since these continuous assessments are uploaded on moodle, they create moodle logs. a moodle log is created every time a student views, edits, checks, deletes a file or comment, adds a comment or uploads an assignment. however, a moodle log does not guarantee any interaction on moodle. a student might have logged on to the course moodle page and logged out without engaging or interacting on the course moodle page. for most of the continuous assessments, a marking rubric is made available for the students beforehand with the assignment questions usually at the beginning of the semester or when assessments are given; except for tests and mid semester tests. these marking rubrics are vetted by academics (course coordinators and their seniors) and the instructional designers (ids) from the centre for flexible learning (cfl). such rubrics act as a guideline when students attempt their assessments because it inform them of the expectations of the markers and the marks that they could get if they follow the marking rubrics attentively. they are also a guideline for markers and ensure that marking is done as fairly as possible and at par. the feedback given to students on their assignments is also constructive and needs them to think critically and identify the areas which they could have performed better while ensuring that their morale towards their studies is not diminished. according to usp’s assessment procedures, section 2.2 (h): for all continuous assessment activities, detailed feedback must be published for each individual student submission within three weeks of the submission deadline. with reference to the assessment rubric, feedback should clearly outline the strengths and weaknesses of the specific assignment and indicate ways in which the student can improve their work in subsequent assignments (the university of the south pacific, 2022). many at times, students do not realize the importance of feedback from assessments as they are not informed of the crucial role the feedback from the assessments play. reference to the feedback reflect students’ weak areas that need improvement. once these weaknesses are overcome, students will be able to score better results. they are not errors pointed out but are guidelines for the future that could assist in better performance. therefore, students need to refer to the feedbacks, whether they are verbal, written as hardcopies or available online on lms like moodle. the rationale of the study despite what the literature explains on the significance of assessments and their feedback and what students perceptions are on these, there is no research done to examine students’ actual usage (moodle logs) for assignments and their respective feedback. this is pioneer research of such nature in the pacific and thus would add substantial evidence to the research on assessments and their feedback, especially on moodle. since assessments and the feedback on assessments play such a significant role in the teaching learning process, it was crucial to study them at tertiary level (usp) and explore if students realised its importance in a mandatory pre-degree english course (llfxx). therefore, the two research questions that framed this study were: q1. there is a correlation between students moodle log with assessments and feedback from assessments on the llfxx moodle page. q2. there is a correlation between each of the assessments and the feedback from each of these assessments on the llfxx moodle page. literature review while assessments are a mean to reflect how much a student has learnt, feedback for these assessments not only identify the errors that a student has made and shows the ranking or score that the student achieved with the quality of work submitted but it acts as a guideline to enable students to improve on their weaknesses. learning is always referred to as a process and not as a product. feedback on assessments are one of the components of this process that ensures that if these feedbacks are followed and improved upon, then learning takes place and thus, students progress with the process. however, students must use feedback to their full potential (elsayed & cakir, 2023). feedback can be given by instructors simultaneously in the class as lessons progress (usually verbal), or towards the end of the class collectively. some feedbacks are errors being corrected by the instructors for the students whilst other feedbacks compel students to pa ge 7 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 5-16, 2023 contemplate upon the guidelines to correct the errors themselves (allwright, 1975). this enables students to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills for future use. it shows that students are developing as scholars. such learning is for a lifetime. effective feedback are crucial as it allows learning to be self-regulated, increases students’ motivation and academic performance, acts as a responsible factor towards course completion as it encourages student engagement, addresses accountability issues, and provides valuable information to instructors to improve feedback practices and assessment (hooda, et al, 2022). these feedbacks should provide specific information related to the activities that enables real understanding of the content and abilities (sadler, 1989; cavalcanti, et al., 2021). however, feedbacks are only effective if they are worked or improved upon and if they are given in a timely manner (elsayed & cakir, 2023). usp’s assessment procedures, section 2.2 (i) states that students should have ‘received marks or feedback for their assignment within three weeks of the submission deadline’ (the university of the south pacific, 2022). students may lose their interest in the given activity if the feedback is not given early or within a timeframe that enables it to be constructive with the given and future work and activities. when feedback is delayed, so is learning as acquiring of knowledge and skills is either paused or slowed due to the gap being created with the unlearnt information which is the missing knowledge and/or skill (elsayed & cakir, 2023). if feedback is delayed or late then it becomes a problem for few students as they cannot change their study habits (nehring, dacey, & baghaei, 2017). immediate feedback gives better result in improving students’ outcomes (butler & winnie, 1995; attali & kleij, 2017; cavalcanti, et al., 2021; hooda, et al, 2022) and students had better academic improvement with a positive impact on their learning (crimmins & midkiff, 2017; hooda, et al, 2022). students like getting regular feedbacks even in form of quizzes as they find it to be valuable for their studies (nehring, dacey, & baghaei, 2017). students are motivated and accomplish better grades with good assessment (nikou & economides, 2016; hooda, et al, 2022) and well defined feedback. providing feedbacks on online platforms like moodle also have the same benefits and challenges like a classroom or paper based assessment and feedback. most importantly, the network needs to be stable, and instructors and students are able to use moodle skillfully (peiping, 2016). at times, feedback can be misinterpreted by students or students may face problems in interpreting it (clack & dommett, 2021; coelho, et al, 2022; kuo, lin, wang, & nie, 2022; elsayed & cakir, 2023). an online environment also can facilitate automatic feedback. in online courses, feedback becomes critical as students and instructors are separated geographically and physically (cavalcanti, et al., 2021). automatic feedback increases students’ performance in activities, it does not ease instructors’ workload, and manual feedback is not more important than automatic feedback (cavalcanti, et al., 2021). since there is a lack of face-to-face interaction amongst students in an online course, feedback plays a crucial role (ypsilandis, 2002; cavalcanti, et al., 2021). instructor needs to provide highquality feedback to assist students (nicole & macfarlanedick, 2006; cavalcanti, et al., 2021). moreover, higher education is employing peer assessments as a form of feedback, especially in bigger courses. the response of students is positive if they received support and training before engaging in online peer assessment, however, while designing these activities, it is significant to set assessments that are at par with students understanding of the concepts (kumar, et al, 2020). peers grades correlated highly with staff-assigned grades (kulkarni, et al., 2013) and pre-service teachers could observe different performances consistently (kurnaz, 2021). research has also shown that while grades are valid and reliable amongst peer graders, there is a significant difference when compared with facilitator grade (kumar, et al, 2020). students’ perception of feedback in higher education is also studied across the world. useful feedback is those that they could use for self-assessment, and those that show their strengths, weaknesses and guide them towards what specifically they need to go back and study (pokorny & pickford, 2010). there are students who also have a negative response to the feedback that is provided and to improve their performance after the feedback, few students opted for independent learning (robinson, pope, & holyoak, 2013). the argument on assessments and feedback, their effectiveness and the perceptions of the instructors and students on these are areas that need to be further investigated. with the forever changing classroom environments (traditional or virtual), the area of investigation is vast and this has a lot of challenges when implementing any strategy to be practiced in the teachinglearning process. methodology quantitative research method facilitates numerical data and variables to be examined using software (apuke, 2017; bloomfield & fisher, 2019; queiros, faria, & almeida, 2017) and was therefore used for this study. students’ engagement with assessment and feedback from assessment (moodle logs) on llfxx (a compulsory predegree english course at usp) moodle page was collected throughout the semester of their enrollment. study program and participants usp offers llfxx as a compulsory english course at the foundation level for its pre-degree programs. it is offered through blended and print modes at preliminary (year 12 equivalent) and foundation (year 13 equivalent) levels. 80 blended mode students were investigated for this study. they were based at laucala campus of usp (main campus) in the fiji islands. data information sheet about the research was circulated to all students who were enrolled in llfxx via blended mode at pa ge 8 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 5-16, 2023 the laucala campus. however, only 80 students signed the consent form and gave their permission to participate in the study. their confidentiality remained intact during and after the study. students’ moodle logs on assessments and feedback on assessments were collected as the statistical data by extracting this from llfxx moodle page. instruments under this quantitative study, students’ moodle logs from their engagement with the assessments and feedback from assessments on the llfxx moodle page was extracted and analysed. pearson’s chi-square test and pearson’s correlational coefficient test were used to find the correlation between assessment moodle logs and feedback from assessment moodle logs (chi-square test) and the correlation between each assessment and the feedback from that assessment (correlation coefficient test). data analysis the two tests: pearson’s chi-square and pearson’s correlation coefficient, on spss were used to analyse the quantitative data. pearson’s chi-square test shows the correlation between two variables (students’ moodle log on llfxx moodle page for assessments and feedback on assessments). whereas, pearson’s correlation coefficient test will show the degree of association between each assignment and its feedback. data was collected from students’ moodle logs on the llfxx moodle page. the moodle logs on assessments and the moodle logs on feedback from assessments were extracted from the llfxx moodle page, but their mean (µ) and standard deviation (σ) were calculated on excel. these moodle logs were analysed using pearson’s chi-square test to find the correlation between these two engagements (assessment and feedback from assessments) and the pearson’s correlation coefficient is the test statistics that measures the statistical relationship, or association, between two quantitative variables for continuous assessments (total assessments with feedback on total assessments, assignment 1 with feedback on assignment 1, assignment 2 with feedback on assignment 2, test1 with feedback on test and test 2 with feedback on test) to see if there is a linear relationship. a linear relationship gives insight into how two variables interact with one another. results students uploaded their assignments (1 and 2) on moodle. these are assessed by the marker (course coordinator and facilitator(s)) and uploaded on moodle with the marks. there is also a comment section on moodle which can be filled while uploading assessed assignments. tests 1 and 2 were online on moodle and feedback (marks and correct answers) are given once the test closed. each student is given 2 attempts for each test. students’ moodle logs with assessments and feedback from assessments were extracted from llfxx moodle page and their µ and σ were calculated on excel. these are shown in the next two line graphs. students’ moodle logs on llfxx moodle page figure 1 shows students’ moodle logs on llfxx moodle page. it has 4 continuous assessments (assignment 1, assignment 2, test 1 and test 2) and 5 self-assessments figure 1: students’ moodle logs for assessments on llfxx moodle page (sample test1, sample test2, grammar starting test, verb quiz and essay quiz). the four continuous assessments add up to 50% of the students’ final marks towards their grades at the end of the semester. the five selfassessments are used for revision purposes by students before assignments and tests are due. from the four continuous assessments, the highest moodle logs were recorded for assignment 2, which is the major assignment with a 20% contribution to continuous assessment, had a total of 1825 clicks. its µ = 20.28 pa ge 9 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 5-16, 2023 and σ = 22.45. assignment 1 (15% towards continuous assessment) had the second highest moodle logs (1567 clicks). its µ = 17.41 and σ = 13.55. there were more moodle logs for test 1 than test 2. test 1 had 473 clicks, and its µ = 5.26 and σ = 3.21. test 2, on the other hand, had a total of 337 clicks and its µ = 3.74 and σ = 2.8. both tests are worth 7.5% respectively and added together, contribute 15% towards the continuous assessments. these four assessments contribute 50% towards the final marks at the end of the semester. from the five self-assessments, students had the highest moodle logs for grammar starting test, usually opened on moodle at the beginning of the semester. there was a total of 347 clicks and the µ = 3.85 and σ = 3. sample test 1 had a total of 337 moodle logs, µ = 3.54 and σ = 3.25. 221 moodle logs were recorded for sample test 2, µ = 2.46 and σ = 2.99. the verb quiz had 212 moodle logs. its µ = 2.36 and σ = 3.46. the least number of moodle logs were recorded for essay quiz (173 clicks); its µ = 1.92 and σ = 2.35. however, if all nine assessments moodle logs are taken into consideration than it can be seen that there are more moodle logs for grammar starting test than there are for test 2. the most to the least moodle logs order would be assignment 2 (1825), assignment 1 (1567), test 1 (473), grammar starting test (347), test 2 (337), sample test 1 (319), sample test 2 (221), verb quiz (212) and essay quiz (173). figure 2 shows students moodle logs for the feedback on the assessments. three of the feedbacks are for continuous assessments. one is feedback from selffigure 2: students’ moodle logs for the feedback from assessments assessment. the highest moodle log is for feedback for assignment 1. there are a total of 234 moodle logs. the µ = 2.6 and σ = 2.55. feedback on assignment 2 has the second highest moodle logs (148). the µ = 1.64 and σ = 2.83. the feedback on both tests is recorded together as a total of 104 moodle logs, µ = 1.16 and σ = 2.45. the feedback from the self-test, which was the final exam answer, had the lowest moodle logs (74). the µ = 0.82 and σ = 1.36. pearson’s chi-square test the pearson’s chi square test on spss was used to analyse the data to calculate the correlation between students moodle logs on assessments and their moodle logs on feedback from assessments on llfxx moodle page. the alpha value used for this research was 0.05. before using spss to carry out the test, it was formulated that: ho: there is no correlation between students’ moodle logs on assessments and their moodle logs on feedback from assessments. h1: there is correlation between students’ moodle logs on assessments and their moodle logs on feedback from assessments. using a two tailed test, the test variable (p) was calculated. if p < alpha result is statistically significant (correlation), meaning there is a correlation (alternative hypothesis) between two variables. however, if p > alpha result is statistically insignificant (no correlation) and shows that there is no correlation (null hypothesis) between the two variables. the result also shows the degree of freedom (df). this represents the number of values that are free to vary in the final calculation of statistics. chi-square test for moodle logs for assessments and feedback on assessments on llfxx moodle page the p value for the test variable is, p = 0.001 < 0.05 pa ge 10 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 5-16, 2023 hence, the result is statistically significant emphasising that there is a correlation between students moodle log on assessments and students moodle logs on feedback from assessments on the llfxx moodle page, thus, accepting the alternative hypothesis. table 1: chi-square test result for moodle logs for assessments and feedback on assessments for llfxx value df asymptotic significance (2-sided) pearson chi-square 1269.651a 1120 .001 likelihood ratio 367.639 1120 1.000 linear-by-linear association 23.938 1 <.001 n of valid cases 80 a. 1197 cells (100.0%) have expected count less than 5. the minimum expected count is .01. pearson’s correlation coefficient pearson’s correlation coefficient is utilised if there are two quantitative variables and the researcher wishes to see if there is a linear relationship between those variables. it looks at two things. firstly, it shows pearson’s correlation which shows the association the two variables have with each other. if variable on y axis increases, so should the variable on the x axis. this correlation is signified by the use of r. the r in linear relationship shows the following: if r is: 0.7 < 1 then the linear is a very high correlation, 0.5 < 0.7 then there is a high correlation, 0.3 < 0.5 then there is a medium correlation, 0.1 < 0.3 then there is a low correlation, and 0 < 0.1, then there is no apparent correlation. secondly, pearson’s correlation coefficient shows the p-value of the two tailed test. if the p-value is < 0.05, then there is evidence of a statistically significant bivariate association between the two continuous variables pearson’s correlation coefficient in spss is used to analyse the correlation between the statistical data. before using spss to carry out the test, it was formulated that: ho: there is no correlation between students’ moodle logs on assessments and their moodle logs on feedback from assessments. h1: there is correlation between students’ moodle logs on assessments and their moodle logs on feedback from assessments. using a two tailed test, the test variable (p) was calculated. if p < alpha result is statistically significant (correlation), meaning there is a correlation (alternative hypothesis) between two variables. however, if p > alpha result is statistically insignificant (no correlation) and shows that there is no correlation (null hypothesis) between the two variables. total moodle logs for assessments and feedback on assessments table 2: total moodle logs for assessments and feedback on assessments correlations assessment total feedback total assessment total pearson correlation 1 .503** sig. (2-tailed) <.001 n 80 80 feedback total pearson correlation .503** 1 sig. (2-tailed) <.001 n 80 80 **. correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). table 2 shows in the 2 tailed test that p = 0.001 < 0.05. hence, there is a significant correlation (alternative hypothesis) between the total moodle logs for assessments and feedback on assessments. the r value for the correlation is 0.503. thus, showing a high positive correlation between the two variables. figure 3 is a scatter graph showing a high positive statistical linear graph (r = 0.503) for students’ total moodle log for assessments and total moodle logs for feedback on assessments. majority of students had a moodle log of <100 on llfxx moodle page for assessments. this was even lesser (<10) for feedback. only 1 student had a moodle log of nearly 300 for assessments and nearly 30 for feedback. another student had <100 moodle log for assessments but a high (nearly 40) moodle log for feedback. moodle logs for assignment 1 and feedback on assignment 1 table 3 shows students moodle log for assignment 1 and students moodle log for feedback on assignment 1. the 2 tailed test shows that p = 0.001 < 0.05, hence, there is pa ge 11 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 5-16, 2023 a significant correlation (alternative hypothesis) between students moodle log in assignment 1 and their feedback on assignment1. the r value is 0.396 showing a medium positive correlation between the two variables. figure 4 is a scatter graph showing a medium positive statistical linear graph (r = 0.396) for students’ moodle logs for assignment 1 and for feedback on assignment 1. majority of students moodle log is <60 for assignment 1 and < 10 for feedback on assignment 1. only 1 student had a higher moodle log (approximately 100) for assignment 1 and its feedback (>10). there was a student with a <20 moodle log for assignment 1 but a high moodle log for feedback (>10). figure 3: total assessment and feedback on assessments moodle logs for llfxx table 3: moodle logs for assignment 1 and feedback for assignment 1 correlations assignment 1 feedback a1 assignment 1 pearson correlation 1 .396** sig. (2-tailed) <.001 n 80 80 feedback a1 pearson correlation .396** 1 sig. (2-tailed) <.001 n 80 80 **. correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). figure 4: moodle logs for assignment 1 and feedback for assignment 1 on llfxx moodle page pa ge 12 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 5-16, 2023 moodle logs for assignment 2 and feedback on assignment 2 students’ moodle log for assignment 2 and students’ moodle log for feedback on assignment 2 are shown in table 4. the 2 tailed test shows that p = 0.001 < 0.05, hence, there is a significant correlation (alternative hypothesis) between students moodle log in assignment 2 and their feedback on assignment 2. the r value is 0.512, thus, showing a high positive correlation between the two variables. figure 5 is a scatter graph showing a high positive correlation in a statistical linear graph (r = 0.512) for students’ moodle logs for assignment 2 and for feedback on assignment 2. only 1 student had nearly 200 moodle logs for assignment 2 and >10 but <15 moodle logs for feedback on assignment 2. another student had a moodle log of 20 for feedback on assignment 2 and a moodle log of >20 but <50 for assignment 2. remaining students had assignment 2 moodle logs of <100 and feedback moodle logs of <10. majority of students had <50 moodle logs for assignment 2 and <5 for feedback on assignment 2. table 4: moodle logs for assignment 2 and feedback on assignment 2 correlations assignment 2 feedback a2 assignment 2 pearson correlation 1 .512** sig. (2-tailed) <.001 n 80 80 feedback a2 pearson correlation .512** 1 sig. (2-tailed) <.001 n 80 80 **. correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). figure 5: moodle logs for assignment 2 and feedback on assignment 2 on llfxx moodle page moodle logs for test 1 and feedback on test students’ moodle log for test 1 and their moodle log for feedback on test are shown in table 5. the 2 tailed test shows that p = 0.003 < 0.05, hence, there is a significant correlation (alternative hypothesis) between students moodle log in test 1 and their feedback on test 1. the r value is 0.327, showing a medium positive correlation. the scatter graph in figure 6 is showing a statistical linear graph showing a medium correlation (0.327) for students’ moodle logs for test 1 and for feedback on test. majority of students had <10 moodle logs for test 1 and <7 for feedback on test. 2 students had a moodle log of >12 for test 1 but <5 for feedback on test. there were 2 students who had a higher moodle log for feedback for test (>10) table 5: moodle logs for test 1 and feedback on test correlations feedback test test 1 feedback test pearson correlation 1 .327** sig. (2-tailed) .003 n 80 80 pa ge 13 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 5-16, 2023 than logs for the test. one of these student had a moodle log of >12 for the feedback for test but <12 for test 1. the other student had >10 moodle log for feedback on test but <2.5 for test 1. moodle logs for test 2 and feedback on test 2 table 6 shows students’ moodle log for test 2 and their moodle log for feedback on test. the 2 tailed test shows that p = 0.738 > 0.05, hence, there is an insignificant test 1 pearson correlation .327** 1 sig. (2-tailed) .003 n 80 80 **. correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). figure 6: moodle logs for test 1 and feedback on test table 6: moodle logs for test 2 and feedback on test correlations test 2 feedback test test 2 pearson correlation 1 .038 sig. (2-tailed) .738 n 80 80 feedback test pearson correlation .038 1 sig. (2-tailed) .738 n 80 80 figure 7: moodle logs for test 2 and feedback on test for llfxx pa ge 14 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 5-16, 2023 correlation (null hypothesis) or no apparent correlation between students moodle log in test 2 and their feedback on test. the r value is 0.038. the scatter graph in figure 7 is showing a non-statistical graph emphasising a no correlation (r = 0.038) between students’ moodle logs for test 1 and for feedback on test. many students did not have any moodle log for the feedback for test 2 (0). one student had a moodle log of >15 but <20 for test 2 but 0 moodle log for feedback on test. there were 2 students who had >10 moodle logs for feedback for test but <5 moodle logs for test 2. discussion this study investigated two research questions. firstly, it examined if there was a correlation between students moodle log with assessments and feedback from assessments on the llfxx moodle page. there was a total of 5474 moodle logs for assessments in figure 1 and 560 moodle logs in figure 2 for feedback from assessments. it was found through pearson’s chi-square test that there was a correlation between students’ moodle logs on assessments and feedback from assessments as p = 0.001 < 0.05 (table 1). from the nine forms of assessments (figure 1), 4 were components of continuous assessments (assignment 1, assignment 2, test 1 and test 2) which adds up to 50% towards their final marks (result). the remaining 5 (sample test 1, sample test 2, grammar starting test, verb quiz and essay quiz) were for self-assessment activities and for revision purposes. figure 2 shows that the three feedbacks are for continuous assessments (assignment 1, assignment 2 and test) and the fourth feedback is a final exam answer from a previous semester. all the data are very reliable as they are clustered towards the mean as shown in figure 1 and figure 2. secondly, it explored if there was a correlation between each of the assessments and the feedback from each of these assessments on the llfxx moodle page. assignment 1 is a research and note-taking assignment. while marking the assignment, the marker (course coordinator or facilitator(s)) write comments on the assignments. the scores are entered in a marking rubric which is very descriptive against the marks. assignment 2 is writing an argument essay. in this assignment, the marker (course coordinator or facilitator(s)) writes constructive comments, may even correct the errors and check for essay writing structure whilst giving feedback. the score for this assignment is also entered into a very descriptive marking rubric. the marked assignments are entered on moodle with the scores and a comment. the two tests are attempted online (each student is given two attempts) and scores are automatically updated on moodle. students access their scores and correct responses after the tests close on moodle. each of the continuous assessments (assignment 1, assignment 2, test 1 and test 2) were tested against with their feedback (feedback from assignment 1, feedback from assignment 2 and feedback from test) using pearson’s correlation coefficient test to check how closely associated each of these variables are with the other. it was found that apart from test 2, all other continuous assessments (assignment 1, assignment 2, and test 1) had a positive correlation, with their feedback; medium correlation for assignment 1 and feedback from assignment 1 (figure 4) and test 1 and feedback from test (figure 6) and high correlation for assignment 2 and feedback from assignment 2 (figure 5). the total assessments and total feedback on assessments has a p value of 0.001, which is < 0.05. this is a significant correlation (alternative hypothesis) and has a r value of 0.503 and shows a high positive correlation coefficient between the total moodle logs for all assessments and total moodle logs for all feedback from assessments (table 2 and figure 3). a high positive correlation between students’ total assessments and feedback on total assessments shows that students are referring to the feedback on assessments and thus realise its significance in their studies. the two assignments, 1 (table 3 and figure 4) and 2 (table 4 and figure 5), and their feedbacks also show a positive correlation. the p value for both correlations between the assignments and their feedbacks were 0.001. the r value for assignment 1 and its feedback was 0.396 (medium) and for assignment 2 and its feedback were 0.512 (high). although the correlation between the two assignments (1 and 2) differs (assignment 1 is medium and assignment 2 is high), they are positive. the r value for assignment 2 is stronger (0.512) than assignment 1 (0.396). assignment 1 is research and note-taking, which is the first three stages of essay writing, or a preliminary requirement for assignment 2, where students actually write the essay. the moodle logs for feedback on assignment 1 was low and it shows that students check their score, marking rubric and comments and may not need to study the feedback in detail due to the nature of the assignment. however, assignment 2, which is a major assignment (20%), is writing an argumentative essay. the content, argument, structure, style, language, and reference are all graded and commented upon. there would be comments in the essay on all these components, the marks on the marking rubric and the total score out of 20%. due to the high percentage this continuous assessment weighs and the nature of the assessment, there were more moodle logs and thus a higher r value (0.512) showing a high correlation in comparison with assignment 1 and test 1 (medium correlation). similarly, table 5 and figure 6 show a medium positive correlation (p = 0.003 and r = 0.327) between test 1 and feedback from test. in contrary, table 6 and figure 7 showed no correlation (p = 0.738 and r = 0.038) between test 2 and feedback from test. test 1 is the first continuous assessment that students attempt (week 4 of the semester). therefore, the urge to check marks and correct response for the questions is obvious and genuine. however, this enthusiasm decreases (no correlation) for test 2 because by then students are occupied with assessments from pa ge 15 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 5-16, 2023 other courses and preparing for the final examination. overall, the correlation coefficients show that there are correlations with the assessments and its feedback except for test 2. but these correlations are weakly positive and their association with each other (assessment and feedback of assessment) are statistically significant (alternative hypothesis). students attempt assessments and may visit it many times to ensure that its correctly added, and has a low similarity percentage. they may need to delete and resubmit assessments (assignments) if need be. as a result, the moodle logs are high for assessments. however, learners may need to check their feedback once and twice. there is no need to keep visiting the feedback and, therefore, the moodle logs are low. most importantly, each of these assessments and their feedbacks, except for test 2, have a statistically significant result (p < 0.05). this shows that the variables have positive correlation and the association with the variables are quite healthy (medium to high) with each other. moodle logs from assignment 2 and its feedback from assignment 2 (r= 0.512) and moodle logs for total assessments and the feedbacks of total assessments (r = 0.503) have a little stronger correlation than the others. the only continuous assessment that does not show any correlation is moodle logs for test 2 and the moodle logs for feedback from the test. its p value is 0.738 > 0.05 and r value is 0.038 which is very close to zero. both values do not show any correlation or association with each other. this is due to the fact that test 2 is conducted in week 12. this is towards the end of the semester and students are overloaded with assessments from all units as they are struggling to complete their course work (continuous assessments) and prepare for the final examination, which is after 3 weeks. so students do not have the time and energy to visit the feedbacks at that point in time over and over again, especially because it is a test. they may just check their mark in the test. their priority at this pace of the semester is to complete course work and thus their association with test 2 and its feedback has no correlation at all. conclusions this paper studied the correlation (pearson’s chi-square test) between students’ moodle logs for the assessments and feedbacks on assessments. the correlation between each assessment and its feedback, in form of the degree of association with each other, was further investigated with pearson’s correlation coefficient test. it was found that there was a statistically significant correlation (alternative hypothesis) between student’s moodle logs on assessments and the moodle logs on the feedback of the assessments. also, there is a positive correlation between the total moodle logs for each assessments and the total moodle logs for their feedbacks (high correlation), moodle logs for assignment 1 and moodle logs for feedback on assignment 1 (medium correlation), total moodle logs for assignment 2 and moodle logs for feedback on assignment 2 (high correlation), and moodle logs for test 1 and the moodle logs for feedback on test (medium correlation). however, no statistically significant correlation (null hypothesis) was found between moodle logs for test 2 and the feedback from the test. this study shows that the students do realise the crucial role feedbacks on assessments play and they were referred to after assessments were marked and used as guidelines while submitting future assessments. such findings emphasise that every aspect or component of the teaching and learning process is crucial towards students learning, performance in assessments and achieving good results in their courses. a limitation to this study was that only laucala based blended mode students were studied for the purpose of this research. there would have been a wider and more rich data available if all students enrolled in llfxx across the region were examined. reference allwright, r. 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(2002). feedback in distance education. computer assisted language learning, 15, 167-181. pa ge 1 pa ge 11 9 american journal of education and technology (ajet) clarification evaluation of e-learning implementation: a developmental research design eric d. palmerola1* volume 3 issue 2, year 2024 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v3i2.2890 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: april 24, 2024 accepted: may 27, 2024 published: june 01, 2024 e-learning has emerged as an essential component of sustainable education. this study is a clarification evaluation of e-learning implementation at a private higher education institution. this developmental research design was utilized to evaluate the cipp model using the criteria of the oecd with the data gathered from nine participants. the researcher used a validated interview guide to determine the implementation’s context, input, process, and product. in the context of implementation, four themes emerged: efficient compliance with curriculum standards, relevant 21st-century skills, perceived efficiency of teachers and students, and inadequate availability of equipment. two themes emerged for the inputs: a sustainable learning management system and relevant curriculum content. in the process, four steps emerged: planning, pre-implementation, implementation, and monitoring. two themes that impacted product outputs emerged: workload reduction for teachers and efficient access and student monitoring. this concluded that a clear, thoughtful, and clever implementation policy can guarantee smoother and more effective services. additionally, deliberate steps and various actions were taken to ensure the program’s successful delivery. the implementation positively impacted on both teachers’ and students’ output. keywords e-learning implementation, clarification evaluation, quipper, thematic analysis, developmental research design 1 davao de oro state college, compostela, davao de oro, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: eric.palmerola@ddosc.edu.ph introduction education is an integral factor in sustainable development. its importance is very high, especially in third-world countries, mainly because of the increasing pressure to be on par with developed and advanced countries. because of this, the necessity for academic and technical knowledge to teach using technology appeared. e-learning emerged and became a style of assisting in the educational process, and due to this, there is an increasing need for flexible delivery of education. thanks to recent technological advancements, information and computer technology knowledge are now part of many curricula (tchamyou et al., 2019). capinding (2024) revealed that online teaching is efficient and well-received by students. the connection between academic performance, teacher preparedness, student happiness with online learning, and the efficacy of online teaching was also underlined. overall satisfaction and the rate of autonomous learning were good after students received the teaching delivery methods with e-learning (saeheng, 2017). also, it is considered a more effective tool for testing and evaluation than other traditional methods (zakarneh, 2018). however, the emergence of the current technologically advanced world has posed numerous difficulties for didactic instruction in conventional classrooms. both what is to be learned and how learning or knowledge construction should happen require profound reconceptualization, especially in light of the current society’s volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous characteristics (chai & kong, 2017). tria (2020), adopting online learning is laden with dangers, impediments, and challenges for both students and teachers, including poor internet connectivity, a lack of devices, and the disadvantaged. other problems include a lack of equity, inadequate student protection and welfare, low learning levels, and poor evaluation results. sakkir et al. (2021) added that the majority of students oppose the execution of e-learning for a variety of reasons, including poor signal and network connections, high costs, a lack of effective lecture delivery methods, low student motivation, time constraints, and a lack of interaction. notwithstanding the known problems-such as inadequate training, equipment, and experience-teachers’ psychological strain and significant digital disparities among the stakeholders-educators advanced their careers by modifying or proposing modifications to educational procedures (chalkiadakis & noguera, 2024). chalkiadaki (2018) highlighted a particular interest in competencies and abilities pertaining to the development of ict, globalization, and the necessity of innovation in education. in the philippines, e-learning is still a rising market. the philippine government, specifically the department of education, is doing its best to bring quality education. integration of e-learning is one of the goals of k-12 program implementation (deped, 2019). in addition, collado et al. (2022) noted that e-learning is not a recent development in the philippines. the implementation might be weaker than in other nations, and this might be because of a lack of infrastructure, expensive internet access, and a lack of equipment. the nation’s need for more information and communication infrastructure serves as further evidence of the country’s decades-long underinvestment in e-learning. this lack of expenditure pa ge 12 0 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 119-127, 2024 could be attributed to a misunderstanding of how technology can be used to optimize results and simplify instructional procedures in various settings. e-learning has unquestionably cemented its position in the present education system. as e-learning emerges as the new paradigm for modern education globally, creating a better online environment is becoming a significant challenge for many educational institutions (woldeab & brothen, 2019). this study sought to identify variables and factors that influenced the implementation of e-learning. however, the current research focused on performing a clarifying evaluation of the institution’s e-learning implementation. the selected institution has specifically implemented e-learning as a platform, with students using it in all subjects to meet the department of education’s standards and to compete with other institutions in the region and across the country. specifically, these are the objectives addressed in this study: 1. to determine the contexts of e-learning implementation; 2. to identify inputs provided by the school in e-learning implementation; 3. to discuss the process in e-learning implementation; and 4. to determine the impact of e-learning implementation on the products of teachers and students. literature review electronic learning, also known as “e-learning,” is a holistic approach to education that expands learning and teaching opportunities in various subject areas beyond the traditional classroom and has gained widespread acceptance in academic institutions and across all fields of education (rodrigues et al., 2019). e-learning emerged and became a style of assisting in the educational process, and due to this, there is an increasing need for flexible delivery of education (tchamyou et al., 2019). e-learning challenges traditional approaches to education. further, it is a student-centered method that teachers and students widely use. e-learning includes automated test marking and results, the ability to export test scores, quickly analyze the data obtained, complete recording of the actual outcomes of evaluation, such as practice assessments and papers presented, as well as online accessibility to both current and stored evaluation result units (roszak et al., 2021). implementing the k-12 curriculum was one of the most significant educational changes in the philippines. it will bring the basic education system up to international standards by warranting it is suitable, adaptable, and relevant. deped (2019) enumerated three essential elements of the k-12 curriculum: fostering holistic development, preparing students for college and the workforce, and developing their 21st-century skills. information and communication technology is seen as a potent tool and a significant medium for delivering curriculum content. it discusses the instruments and platforms that the department uses to support the implementation of the curriculum, including the deped computerization program (dcp), digital learning repositories, teacher ict training, and information systems that support the provision of basic education. asio et al. (2021) mentioned that internet connectivity and gadgets are essential resources for students’ learning. like any other developing country, the philippines has already embraced the e-learning platform despite the issues regarding effectiveness and affordability that might limit its potential utilization. the rapid development of ict in the 21st century forces teachers who work with students at all educational levels to modify their behavior and mindset (dakhi et al., 2020). al sabah (2020) noted that teachers needed more practice to develop 21st-century skills and that educational policy should support students in developing these skills by updating the curriculum and giving teachers the necessary support, training, and motivation. teachers should receive more technology training to enhance instruction in this age and support the objectives of e-learning (pratolo & solikhati, 2021). these abilities are essential for improving their teaching effectiveness, advancing their professional careers, and successfully preparing students for their future roles in society and the workplace (mystakidis et al., 2021). reyes and gurubel-tec (2024) emphasized that when integrating technologies, teachers’ digital competency—no matter how basic—is considered. abuhassna et al. (2020) argued that administrators should pay more attention to course structure design, and teachers should be trained and skilled. also, it was added that teachers and students should receive workshops and training to achieve the program’s goals quickly. tchamyou et al. (2019) revealed that many students are not yet prepared with e-learning. inadequate infrastructure and a lack of resources were two problems that prevented the successful implementation (qazi et al., 2022). obstacles to e-learning included a need of computers and laptops, unstable and inadequate internet connectivity, inadequate computer labs, and technical issues (zalat et al., 2021). several factors, including poor signal and network connections, high costs, a lack of efficient lecture delivery methods, low student motivation, time restraints, and a lack of interaction, are said to be the main reasons why the majority of students are against the implementation, according to a study (sakkir et al., 2021). teachers’ inability to provide instructional materials, students’ lack of motivation and openness to study, inconsistent and unequally distributed internet connection, and students’ challenging financial situations are some challenges of online learning (nuriddin, 2024). e-learning effectively enhances critical thinking abilities, which shows changes in students’ critical thinking. one of its many advantages is that it allows for teachers and students to work together outside of the classroom and employ cutting-edge techniques and skills (alharbi & lally, 2017). lumagbas et al. (2019) highlighted that the foundations of effective use of technology in the educational process include a willingness to use pa ge 12 1 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 119-127, 2024 technological resources, a shared vision among leaders and stakeholders, and an inclusive and adaptable school environment. according to peechapol et al. (2018), the interaction between the student, teacher, and supplement lecture has positively affected the students’ self-efficacy. students who actively engage with their teacher and peers have higher self-efficacy and satisfaction with online learning. furthermore, surjono et al. (2019) found that the e-learning activities improved students’ learning outcomes. lin and chen (2017) found that compared to traditional learning, e-learning shows and presents better learning outcomes. encarnacion et al. (2021) mentioned that teachers generally agreed that e-learning was helpful and positively affected their teaching methods and overall results. they could concentrate more on teaching and tracking each student’s progress and reduce tasks such as checking papers and creating video courses. notwithstanding the known problems-such as inadequate training, equipment, and experience-teachers’ psychological strain and significant digital disparities among the stakeholders-educators advanced their careers by modifying or proposing modifications to educational procedures (chalkiadakis & noguera, 2024). e-learning systems must be evaluated for acceptance and use in academic settings if their implementation is to be successful. organizational considerations like management support, incentives, and user training were made to describe how e-learning systems are used (ayele & birhanie, 2018). materials and methods this study utilized qualitative design. qualitative is focused on getting insights and understanding of respondents’ perceptions and interpretations of specific scenarios (cristobal & cristobal, 2017). specifically, a developmental research design was used to determine the contexts and inputs the school provided in implementing e-learning, the processes, and the impact of the implementation on the outputs of teachers and students. in instructional design and development, developmental research seeks to enhance the procedures for developing and assessing educational initiatives. it entails methodical research to guarantee internal consistency and efficacy in instructional design (richey & klein, 2014). the study was conducted in a private institution in southern mindanao, region xi, specifically davao city. the researcher used nine (9) participants as the maximum sample size in this study to collect qualitative data. the respondents were chosen using a purposive sampling technique. purposive sampling, refers to a group of sampling techniques that depend on the researcher’s judgment when choosing the study’s units. the researcher used an interview guide that focused on the context, input, process, and impact of e-learning implementation on the products of teachers and students. in the data analysis, the participants’ responses were transcribed for analysis. thematic content analysis, specifically braun and clarke’s six-phase framework, was utilized to familiarize the data, initial coding, search for themes, review themes, define and name themes, and produce the report. this was used to analyze the data by grouping them according to the themes that either evolved directly from the questions or naturally emerged from the gathered data from the respondents (braun & clarke, 2006). results and discussion context in the e-learning implementation based on the results of the descriptions and transcriptions of the participants, four emergent themes surfaced among the thoughts and ideas they shared concerning the contexts of the e-learning implementation. the four emergent themes were: (1) efficient compliance with the deped k to 12 curriculum standards; (2) relevant 21st century skills; (3) perceived efficiency of teachers and students; and (4) inadequate availability of equipment. efficient compliance with the deped k to 12 curriculum standards most participants in the key informant interview and the focused group discussion agreed that everyone must adjust to the new educational system, which is based on e-learning rather than the traditional classroom setting, to ensure that no one falls behind. also, the institution efficiently complied with the curriculum standards required by the department of education. in the key informant interview, participants 1 and 2 discussed how efficiently the institution complied with the deped curriculum’s directive to include technology in the curricula and how it was permitted to operate the program. deped (2019) mentioned that one of the salient features of the k to 12 curriculum is nurturing the holistically developed filipino. one of the things notable in this feature is that graduates are expected to be equipped with information, media, and technological skills. e-learning adoption in education has improved teaching and learning techniques. it enables teachers and students to collaborate and use cutting-edge methods and abilities (alharbi & lally, 2017). this is further corroborated by the comments made by key informant interview participants 3 and 5, who discussed how technology is now widely employed in many spheres of life, including education. the results suggest that administrators, teachers, and students understood and complied with the deped’s request to incorporate e-learning into the curriculum. this can also be taken to mean that everyone has used e-learning integration as a part of teaching students (deped, 2019). tchamyou et al. (2019) claimed that as a result of recent technological advancements, those working in the field of education have begun integrating information and communication technology expertise into their curricula. pa ge 12 2 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 119-127, 2024 relevance to 21st century skills participants discussed how e-learning is relevant to teaching students the theory behind it and how to apply it outside the classroom. they discussed how the curriculum emphasizes 21st-century competencies. the participants also discussed the relationship between e-learning and the growth of digital literacy among teachers and students. the program strongly emphasizes communication skills, life and career skills, and learning and innovation skills (deped, 2019). digital literacy abilities are required for both students and teachers to participate in online learning. it implies that to fully and effectively utilize e-learning, teachers and students must be digitally literate. reyes and gurubel-tec (2024) stressed that instructors’ digital competency must be considered when integrating technologies. therefore, teachers should have more technology training to improve instruction in this age and support the implementation (pratolo & solikhati, 2021). al sabah (2020) noted teachers claimed that they still needed more practice to develop 21st-century skills. educational policy should support students in developing these skills by updating the curriculum and giving them the necessary support, training, and motivation. as shared by participant 4 from the key informant interview, e-learning should be taught so that students can use it even after they finish their studies. participants 6 and 7 from the focused group discussion and the key informant interview contributed their thoughts on how e-learning improved their digital skills. additionally, it encouraged students to think critically and display a favorable attitude toward online learning. as evidenced by the responses, it is crucial to stress that participants think the application of e-learning enhances digital literacy skills. today, being digitally literate will give students many opportunities, and it is essential to integrate lifelong learning with e-learning. the ability for teachers and students to collaborate outside of the classroom and utilize cutting-edge techniques and skills is one of the many advantages of e-learning (alharbi & lally, 2017). e-learning is considered a more effective tool for testing and evaluation than other traditional methods (zakarneh, 2018). perceived efficiency of teachers and students participants offered their perspectives on the difficulties that impacted teacher and student acceptance of the implementation. participant 1 expressed her feelings regarding the revised school roadmap. however, administrators must embrace the change so teachers can do the same. the best method for managing change in an e-learning environment is to train and influence users to improve their digital literacy and gradually shift their attitudes in the right direction (parlakkiliç, 2017). the rapid development of information and communication technology in the twenty-first century forces teachers working with students at all educational levels to modify their behavior and mindset (dakhi et al., 2020). findings show favorable opinions and experiences with the internet, particularly in regard to resources, quality, usability, and potential efficacy (kim & saldana, 2023). in contrast to the traditional technique, which does not require as much preparation in terms of the use of technology, participants 3 and 4 discussed how crucial it is for a teacher to be well-equipped with the necessary equipment needed for the teaching-learning process. teachers should be more receptive to these changes and help students acquire the required learning objectives and competencies because their success in implementation largely depends on them. to guarantee the success of their implementation, e-learning systems must be evaluated for acceptance and use in educational settings (ayele & birhanie, 2018). in the focused group discussion, participants 7 and 9 also shared their sentiments on the usage of e-learning. since this is the first time, they have used it and they have never used it in a school before. lack of interest of students in learning online seemed to be the difficult problem that until now is unanswered. the inability of students to learn productively leaves a change in their achievement. this led them to encounter failing grades and being left behind from the class. low student motivation and a lack of interaction are two of the main reasons why most students oppose the implementation (sakkir et al., 2021). stakeholders are accustomed to traditional pedagogy, and research in educational administration and management constantly reports that many e-learning projects need to meet their goals for various reasons. still, the main one is user resistance to change following the digital requirements of the new era (parlakkiliç, 2017). inadequate availability of equipment concerning efficiency, the lack of adequate equipment for participation in e-learning is the final theme derived from the responses in the context of e-learning implementation. participants 1 and 2 in the key informant interview discussed students’ difficulties as they go to e-learning classes. zalat et al. (2021) found that the main obstacles to e-learning were insufficient computer labs and a need for computers and laptops among students and teachers. this only suggests that technology tools are necessary to execute an e-learning program. also, participants 3 and 5 in the key informant interview shared the same ideas about the insufficient and lack of gadgets among students. lack of resources and inadequate infrastructure were two issues that hindered the success of e-learning implementation (qazi et al., 2022). the problems that students have are essential to the implementation strategy, such as not all students having the necessary equipment to take part in an online course. a study by lukas and yunus (2021) found that teachers faced various challenges, such as readiness to adopt it, accessibility to mobile devices, and internet connectivity, which impacted how effective e-learning could be. some of the issues of online learning were lecturers’ inability to provide instructional materials, students’ lack pa ge 12 3 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 119-127, 2024 of motivation and openness to study, inconsistent and unequally distributed internet connection, and students’ challenging financial situations (nuriddin, 2024). collado et al. (2022) also raised the possibility that there may be less implementation in the philippines, which a lack of equipment and infrastructure and pricey internet access may cause. inputs provided by the school in the e-learning implementation based on the results of descriptions and transcriptions of the participants, two emergent themes surfaced among the thoughts and ideas they shared during the key informant interview and focus group discussion. the emergent themes were (1) sustainable learning management system and (2) relevant curriculum content. sustainable learning management system participants 1 and 2 discussed their experiences using the introduced e-learning platform successfully using the learning resource that was made available. participants stated that implementing e-learning is cost-effective because it is less expensive than hardbound books. furthermore, because of its digital features, the quipper’s content can be used indefinitely and updated regularly, making it sustainable. fostering the holistic development of filipinos, preparing students for college and the workforce, and developing 21st-century skills are three of the six critical components of the k–12 curriculum (deped, 2019). this feature’s emphasis on graduates having information, media, and technological skills is one of its standout aspects. along with communication skills, life and career skills, learning and innovation skills are also emphasized in this program. participants 3 and 4 also added and shared their experiences using the introduced e-learning platform successfully using the learning resource that was made available. based on the responses, it can be further deduced that quipper’s use as a learning management system for the program has progressed the institution’s curriculum. teachers and students can use a range of quipper’s content during synchronous and asynchronous sessions. additionally, it aided in achieving the learning competencies that the deped had laid forth. deped (2019) views information and communication technology as a powerful tool and an essential medium for disseminating curriculum material. the deped computerization program (dcp), digital learning repositories, teacher ict training, and information systems that support the delivery of basic education are just a few of the tools and platforms that are covered in this article. students’ access to the internet and the availability of learning tools, connectivity to the internet, and gadgets are crucial resources for students’ learning (asio et al., 2021). relevant curriculum content participants stated that the institution’s implementation of e-learning made efforts to contextualize the curriculum’s content while adhering to the requirements established by the deped. the curriculum is being followed by the teachers, who have contextualized it in a way that redefines how to offer instruction in a learner-centered e-learning environment without sacrificing the development of students’ critical and analytical thinking skills. teachers must participate in professional development to follow the curriculum and support the adoption of e-learning. it is crucial to offer sufficient training because implementing e-learning with teachers who lack the necessary skills will be very challenging and may result in issues with application use (mystakidis et al., 2021). the basic education-learning continuity plan (belcp), created by deped in 2020, provides continuity in implementing the k–12 curriculum, particularly in terms of matching learning resources with program requirements. incorporating online learning within the deped’s curriculum is one of the objectives of the k–12 programs being implemented in the philippines. process in the e-learning implementation planning in this step, administrators, as well as supervisors, coordinators, and faculties, conducted consultations. this is to talk about how the school is moving toward globalization. one of them is the full integration of an e-learning platform into the curriculum, as it is a new system in the area and one of the salient goals of the k–12 curriculum. deped (2019) views information and communication technology as a powerful tool and an essential medium for disseminating curriculum material. some of the salient elements of this program included cutting the number of school days from five to four per week, scheduling both in-person and online classes and activities, and lightening instructor workloads. planning was evaluated in terms of its relevance. its purpose was relevant to the deped standards of integrating e-learning into the curricula. the basic education-learning continuity plan (be-lcp), developed by deped in 2020, ensures continuity in k-12 curriculum implementation, particularly in matching learning resources with program requirements, such as online training. curriculum and instruction ensures that institutions focus their efforts on providing a basic education curriculum that is relevant, adaptable, and successful. pre-implementation pilot testing was done with selected sections and teachers over a semester to fully understand and conceptualize how the program would be administered, including the delivery of the courses, the administration of assessments, and student consultations. following the pilot testing, teachers’ and students’ opinions were obtained. the e-learning platform’s use, according to both, simplified their tasks. teachers said that they no longer need to do so because the platform can already review many papers after evaluation. students further noted that they can pa ge 12 4 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 119-127, 2024 access study guides, powerpoint presentations, and video lectures using their smartphones or computers rather than carrying around four or five books daily. they further stated that they could access the assignments provided by their teachers at any time and from any place. the study’s findings revealed that overall satisfaction and the rate of autonomous learning were reasonable after students received their teaching delivery methods through e-learning (saeheng, 2017). the study identified essential learning skills like independent learning, flexibility in learning, and interactive learning (mutambik, 2018). pre-implementation was evaluated about the efficiency criterion. it was noted that the administration continued the initiative and began training all instructors in various seminars and workshops connected to technology integration. students attended a webinar workshop on how to use the e-learning platform in addition to teachers. the administrators installed lcd projectors, white screens, and wireless fidelity to deliver the curriculum efficiently. in order to ensure the quality of implementation, bana et al. (2022) proposed that a strategic plan be created to ensure that administrators, teachers, and students are prepared, particularly with regard to the availability of ict devices, digital technology skills, and the availability of online learning support. asare et al. (2023) found that in order to successfully integrate technology, it is necessary to stress the significance of thorough planning, pedagogical considerations, and continuing support. implementation regardless of section or strand, all teachers and students began using the platform in this phase. before the scheduled courses, teachers provide the students with study materials like power points and videos. students will have the opportunity to read more challenging material and be better prepared for class. e-learning features automated test marking and result, exporting test scores and enable quick data analysis, and full archiving of all evaluation results, including practice tests (self-tests) and papers submitted as project work or group work during the course or as a credit requirement; and online access to current and archived evaluation results units (roszak et al., 2021). implementation was evaluated using efficiency as a criterion. since available learning tools are easily accessible, the class was more interesting because the students efficiently familiarized themselves with the subjects or lessons that would be covered. following the teacher’s lesson discussion, the students were given an assessment, which was also made available on the same e-learning platform. teachers can generate their grades as soon as students have finished the evaluation. the students may do the same after taking the test to review their results. monitoring in this step, a quarterly usage report of teachers and students was generated to monitor whether the teachers are utilizing the platform by looking at the number of lessons and assessments they provide every week for the quarter. also, it reports on how well the students respond to the tasks. moreover, a yearly satisfaction survey was conducted to check whether they still prefer to utilize the quipper platform and if it helps them do their academicrelated tasks. the platform’s analytics makes it easier to monitor teachers and students. monitoring was assessed using the impact criterion. it was discovered that their assignments, worksheets, and activities were positively impacted. teachers and students could use the quipper effectively, allowing them to track their progress easily. the interaction between the student, teacher, and supplement lecture has positively affected the students’ academic self-efficacy and satisfaction with online learning (peechapol et al., 2018). surjono et al. (2019) discovered that e-learning activities improved students’ learning outcomes. binoy (2024) added that the delivery of lectures and the facilitation of in-class activities through the use of technology, such as online platforms and collaborative tools, may enhance student engagement and critical thinking. impact of e-learning implementation on the product outputs based on the results of descriptions and transcriptions of the participants, two emergent themes surfaced among the thoughts and ideas shared during the key informant interview and focus group discussion. the emergent themes were (1) workload reduction of teachers and (2) efficient access and monitoring of students. workload reduction of teachers participants 1 and 2 discussed their insights into how e-learning deployment affected their final products. participants 3 and 4 also discussed their insights into how using quipper made their job easier. incorporating e-learning into the teaching process helps reduce the teachers’ duties. since the e-learning platform can generate it as soon as students take the relevant assessment, they do not need to go through the bulk of the exam papers. study materials, powerpoint slides, and video presentations were also available on the portal. the aforementioned lms is the institution’s first significant step toward the high-tech educational path it wants for its stakeholders. because tests are administered online, it eradicates teachers’ burden in checking. automated test marking, information about the result, and archived evaluation results are just some benefits of computer-based evaluation providers (roszak et al., 2021). encarnacion et al. (2021) revealed that teachers generally agreed that e-learning was practical and beneficial to their teaching methods and overall results. they can concentrate more on teaching and tracking each student’s task progress. according to bornaa et al. (2023), teachers should utilize the modern, technologically advanced world to combine traditional in-person instruction with e-learning to improve and expedite teaching and learning. pa ge 12 5 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 119-127, 2024 efficient access and monitoring of students most participants agreed that using e-learning in the classroom had made things more accessible and more comfortable. this is because students can access the learning materials whenever it is convenient for them. a study on the impact and effectiveness of e-learning showed the students’ high degree of agreement on its efficacy. moreover, most of the participants felt a positive impact on their learning styles and their outputs as a whole (encarnacion et al., 2021). according to afroz (2023), online learning boosts time efficiency and provides comfortable, hassle-free access to course materials from any location. participants also added their ideas and experiences on how quipper helped access and monitor the students’ progress. the results show that students are also aware of the benefits of online learning. the outcomes also demonstrated that perceived usefulness rather than enjoyment mediated learners’ readiness for and acceptance of e-learning (rafiee & abbasian-naghneh, 2021). the themes and ideas covered in this study arose from the integrated environment and could serve as an excellent foundation for developing and enhancing contemporary educational pedagogies. the institution can develop and implement well-thought-out strategies that will likely boost the mutual advantages to its stakeholders by improving the services of e-learning. implementing quipper as a learning management system is the institution’s first significant step toward the globalization of education through high technology. for the teachers, the fact that assessments are done online eliminates their problem in checking. through the lens of the administration, the analytics provided by the system will help monitor and facilitate their teachers conveniently. e-learning is still in its infancy in the institution; thus, many developments can be anticipated in the coming years. one of the viable formats that may be used in conjunction with problem-based and authentic learning in the process is the customization and individualization of training for academic education. administrators and educators must be prepared to address these changes and use these innovations to teach future students the most effective and efficient methods to meet the demands of this vuca world. conclusion the contexts of e-learning implementation revealed that program learning goals, program learning objectives, and identifying implementation challenges are critical in planning and strategizing the use of e-learning. a clear, well-thought-out, and smart policy about the implementation can ensure a smoother and more efficient service. the implementation inputs include introducing a well-developed learning management system and contextualized curriculum content set by the deped, ensuring that everything in there is relevant and will lead to the program’s successful delivery. furthermore, the e-learning implementation process revealed that the institution carefully planned the program before it was fully implemented. well-thoughtout steps and different actions were taken to prepare teachers and students. the e-learning implementation positively impacted both teachers’ and students’ output as it reduced teachers’ workload in assessments and preparation for class and helped students efficiently and quickly access materials and monitor their progress. thus, the implementation was relevant because it addressed the needs and developments in the philippines’ educational system. it is also efficient since using quipper has allowed them to reduce teachers’ workload, easily access students’ data, and track their progress. because e-learning platforms are less expensive than hardbound books, they are more cost-effective. the implementation had an impact on both teachers and students. it made it easier for them to access and monitor progress. finally, the cost-effectiveness of e-learning ensures its sustainability. acknowledgment the researcher wants to express his profound gratitude and appreciation to everyone who contributed and gave their valuable time to help complete this paper. references abuhassna, h., al rhami, w.m., yahya, n., zakaria, m., kosnin, a., & darwish, m. 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(2021). the experiences, challenges, and acceptance of e-learning as a tool for teaching during the covid-19 pandemic among university medical staff. plos one, 16(3), e0248758. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. pone.0248758 pa ge 1 pa ge 30 american journal of education and technology (ajet) does emotional intelligence make you an effective teacher? a study of higher education institutions richa verma1* volume 2 issue 4, year 2023 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i4.2108 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: september 29, 2023 accepted: october 31, 2023 published: november 07, 2023 the study aims to analyze the impact of emotional intelligence (ei) on teacher effectiveness (te). 300 teachers from management and engineering department of higher education institutions participated in this study. the data were analyzed through smart pls version 4. findings revealed that there is a significant relationship between emotional intelligence and teacher effectiveness. the research offers new insights and suggestions for higher education institutions regarding the significance of hiring new instructors who possess strong emotional intelligence (ei) abilities and conducting training programs to enhance the ei skills of existing educators. the study has implications for teachers and those involved in policy decisions in higher education. keywords emotional intelligence, teacher effectiveness, higher education, teacher performance, smart pls 1 doon university, dehradun, india * corresponding author’s e-mail: vermaricha.lko@gmail.com introduction in higher education, a teacher’s impact extends beyond merely imparting information. there is an increasing understanding of the importance of emotional intelligence in supporting better teaching and encouraging increased student participation as educational institutions adjust to the changing landscape. according to mayer and salovey (1997), emotional intelligence is the capacity to recognize, understand, and control one’s own emotions, as well as to perceive and react to those of others. this capacity includes a number of abilities, such as self-awareness, self-control, empathy, and social aptitude. these skills play a crucial role in determining instructional strategies and classroom interactions, thus affecting the learning environment as a whole. the enormous influence of emotional intelligence on teachers’ performance has been revealed in recent studies. in higher education, effective teaching includes both subject matter expertise and the creation of a stimulating and encouraging learning environment. teachers with high emotional intelligence can better recognize and address their students’ emotional requirements. self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy, and social skills are just a few qualities that comprise emotional intelligence. this is vital for facilitating successful teaching methods. researchers have discovered that instructors have a significant influence on education and that their views, attitudes, actions, and practices significantly impact classroom quality and student accomplishment (muijs & reynolds, 2002; reynolds, 1998; veeraraghavan & bhattacharya, 1989). according to mayer and salovey (1993), intelligence is the capacity to pay attention to one’s own and other people’s sentiments to see patterns and draw conclusions from the data at hand; thus, controlling one’s emotions is crucial to becoming a successful teacher (wangoo, 1984; madden, 2000). according to goleman (1995), iq accounts for 20% of the choice to be successful in life, whereas 80% is predicted by intelligence. he also discovered that the best performance in development and learning could be achieved through balance. in summary, an effective teacher can be understood as helping develop student skills, learning appropriate study skills, good character, effective decision-making, and changing self-correction (ryan, 1960). mokhetsengoane and pallai (2023) state that teachers are more responsible for shaping students’ behavior, and their role in helping students develop physically and mentally, emotionally, and intellectually is high enough and proud. it is critical to comprehend how emotional intelligence affects teachers’ success in higher education for several reasons. the first benefit is that it enables educators and educational institutions to create focused methods for promoting students’ emotional well-being, which is strongly related to their academic achievement and sense of fulfillment. the discussion on successful teaching methods and pedagogical innovation in higher education is furthered by examining the connection between emotional intelligence and teacher effectiveness. in many different educational contexts, the influence of emotional intelligence on teacher effectiveness has been extensively researched; nevertheless, its precise implications in higher education have received less attention. to improve teacher effectiveness and offer strategies for managing emotions, it is crucial to examine the connection between emotional intelligence and teacher effectiveness in higher education settings. this study aimed to address this gap. pa ge 31 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 30-35, 2023 the specific objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between emotional intelligence and various aspects of teacher effectiveness and to provide recommendations for enhancing teacher effectiveness based on the findings. the article is organized into five sections. following this introduction, section 2 comprehensively reviews of the existing literature on emotional intelligence and its relevance to teaching in higher education. section 3 outlines the research methodology employed for this study, including data collection procedures and data analysis techniques. section 4 presents the results and discusses the implications of the research. finally, section 5 offers concluding remarks, highlights the study’s limitation, and suggests avenues for future research. literature review emotional intelligence according to zhoc et al., chen and guo and michinov and michinov (2022), emotional intelligence is a process of realizing one’s own feelings and regulating those emotions with others. this has the potential to be a significant predictor of group task performance. thorndike (1920) proposed the concept of emotional intelligence (ei) in the 1920s, categorizing it as abstract intelligence, mechanical intelligence, and social intelligence. later, in the 1980s, various academics further developed the idea of emotional intelligence. in 1990, peter salovey and john meyer invented and coined the term “intelligence.” emotional intelligence, according to bar-on (1997), is a key factor in predicting a person’s success in life, including success at job and personal relationships. he adds that emotional intelligence is “an abstract knowledge, skill, and intelligence that affects the ability to cope with interpretation and the good study of human behavior” and that it is “a person’s ability to deal with the needs and anxiety of an environment.” the groundbreaking work of john d. mayer and peter salovey (1990) was originally regarded with skepticism, but daniel goleman, a behavioral writer for the new york times, later came out in favor of it. “emotional intelligence” is the phrase people most frequently use and associate with. emotional intelligence, in the words of daniel goleman (1998), is “the ability to recognize our own and others’ emotions, support ourselves, and manage ourselves in ourselves and in our relationships.” emotional intelligence distinguishes a skill from academic intelligence or pure intellect as determined by the intelligence quotient. maamari and salloum (2023) explain how the effect of emotional intelligence on teachers in universities increases teaching effectiveness. teachers’ extraversion and leadership significantly affect their effectiveness in classroom teaching (abu nasra and arar, 2020). teacher effectiveness measures the impact the teacher has on students while discharging their duties (kim et al., 2019). mattingly and kraiger (2018) highlighted the significant and positive impact of ei training on universities’ ei scores. furthermore, teachers who possess high ei skills can effectively manage their students, develop a healthy teacher-student relationship, cope with workplace stress effectively, and exhibit a boost in positive emotions leading to a learning environment (maamari and majdalini, 2019; martinez-monteagudo et al., 2019). teacher effectiveness gage (1962) defined teacher effectiveness as the influence of a teacher on achieving certain outcomes based on student characteristics, abilities, or characteristics in which outcomes lead to specific strategic goals. teacher effectiveness can also be explained by teacher performance (kumar and rani 2019). teacher effectiveness is the degree to which a teacher meets students’ needs (medley and shannon 1994). it is the relationship between the characteristics of the teacher’s teaching behavior and the effect on the learning outcomes of classroom teaching (flanders and simon, 1969) and teachers’ ability to achieve their social goals. borich and feuton (1977) identified three types of teacher knowledge knowledge, performance , and results. clearly, the success of institutions depends directly on their teachers. the main purpose of education is to improve the effectiveness of teachers. emotional intelligence and teacher effectiveness according to kim et al. (2019), a teacher’s effectiveness in the classroom is determined by the influence they had on the pupils while doing their tasks. maamari and salloum (2023) showed the high impact of emotional intelligence on teacher effectiveness at the university level and also had the positive relationship with the moderator personality traits. mattingly and kraiger (2018), highlight the significant and positive impact of ei training on ei scores in the universities. further, the teachers who possess high ei skills can effectively manage the students, develop a healthy teacher-student relationship and copeup with workplace stress in an effective manner and exhibit a boost in the positive emotions leading to learning environment (maamari and majdalini, 2019; and martinezmonteagudo et al., 2019). lu and chen (2023) examine the effects of teachers seniority, emotional intelligence and team member exchange on their job performance. sharma et. al. (2023) showed the comparison on the basis of gender of 160 teacher with the respect of emotional intelligenec and teacher effectiveness. the ei of teachers influences their results, and a growing body of literature supports this principle (mérida-lópez and extremera, 2017). despite the extensive studies on emotional intelligence and teacher effectiveness in different educational settings, there exists a significant gap in research when it comes to understanding its direct implications within the realm of higher education. most existing studies primarily focus on exploring emotional intelligence in primary and secondary school environments, resulting in a scarcity of empirical investigations that specifically delve into the pa ge 32 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 30-35, 2023 effects of emotional intelligence on teacher effectiveness in higher education. conceptual framework the following hypotheses were tested to meet the objectives of the study: ho1: there is no significant relationship between emotional intelligence and teacher effectiveness among teachers in higher education institutions. ho1a: there is no significant relationship between self awareness and teacher effectiveness among teachers in higher education institutions. ho1b: there is no significant relationship between empathy and teacher effectiveness among teachers in higher education institutions. ho1c: there is no significant relationship between self motivation and teacher effectiveness among teachers in higher education institutions. ho1d: there is no significant relationship between emotional stability and teacher effectiveness among teachers in higher education institutions. ho1e: there is no significant relationship between managing relations and teacher effectiveness among teachers in higher education institutions. ho1f: there is no significant relationship between integrity and teacher effectiveness among teachers in higher education institutions. ho1g: there is no significant relationship between altruistic behavior and teacher effectiveness among teachers in higher education institutions. ho1h: there is no significant relationship between self development and teacher effectiveness among teachers in higher education institutions. ho1i: there is no significant relationship between commitment and teacher effectiveness among teachers in higher education institutions. ho1j: there is no significant relationship between value orientation and teacher effectiveness among teachers in higher education institutions. figure 1: conceptual framework source: author methodology this section outlines the research design, participants, data collection procedures, and statistical techniques employed to investigate the impact of emotional intelligence on teacher effectiveness in the higher education context. the study aimed to gather data from a sample size of 300 participants selected through random sampling technique and who were teaching in management and engineering disciplines within the higher education sector. research design a quantitative research design was adopted to explore the relationship between emotional intelligence and teacher effectiveness. this design facilitated the collection of quantitative data to analyze the extent of the impact of emotional intelligence on different dimensions of teacher effectiveness. participants the participants of this study consisted of teachers from management and engineering disciplines in higher education institutions. the inclusion criteria required participants to have at least two years of teaching experience in higher education. data collection procedures to collect data, a self-administered questionnaire was utilized. the questionnaire was divided into three sections: section a captured demographic information, including age, gender, teaching experience, and academic discipline. section b assessed participants’ emotional intelligence using a validated measurement tool emotional intelligence scales adapted from anukool hyde, sanjyot pethe, upinder dhar(2007) and section c measured teacher effectiveness, employing a teacher effectiveness scale adapted from santosh dhar and upinder dhar (2017). the scale consists of 70 items (34 items of emotional intelligence and 36 items of teacher effectiveness) with responses based on 5 point likert scale starting from “1” which represents strongly disagree to “5” strongly agree. prior to the main data collection phase, a pilot study was conducted with a small group of teachers(n=150) to assess the reliability and validity of the questionnaire. the questionnaires were distributed electronically using an online survey platform, and participants consent was pa ge 33 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 30-35, 2023 retrieved before data collection. data analysis the collected data were analyzed using appropriate statistical techniques. descriptive statistics, such as means, standard deviations, and frequencies, were employed to summarize participants’ demographic characteristics, emotional intelligence scores, and teacher effectiveness ratings. the data was first transferred to ibm spss and then transferred to smart pls version 4 software. ethical considerations this study adhered to ethical guidelines and participants were assured of the confidentiality and anonymity of their responses, and their voluntary participation was emphasized throughout the study. results and discussion data were analysed with smart pls 4.0 using the pls method within sem for path modeling. to begin with, we have the measurement model, which demonstrates how constructs are generated from measurable variables. the structural model, in contrasts, reveals the interconnections between these concepts. composite reliability (cr) & cronbach’s alpha for reliability, ave (average variance extracted), and factor loadings for convergent validity and discriminant validity are the ways to assess the measurement’s (or the outer model’s) fitness. the table shows the acceptance level of internal consistency, convergent validity and discriminant validity ( hair et al. (1998) and the calculated values of the emotional intelligence scale and teacher effectiveness scales. with respect to lowry & gaskin, 2014, factor loading table 1: acceptance level for structural model measurement indices acceptance level ei values te values internal consistency cronbach's alpha a value >0.7 indicates adequate internal consistency and composite reliability 0.959 0.964 composite reliability 0.960 0.965 convergent validity average variance extracted value should be 0.5 or higher to ensure convergent validity 0.699 0.794 discriminant validity fornell-larcker criterion square root of ave is greater than the correlations of the latent variable. value greater than <0.85 0.836 0.891 htmt ratio 0.885 0.885 figure 2: measurement model source: author value should be greater the 0.5. factor loading of factors of emotional intelligence are altruistic behvaiour 0.800, commitment 0.826, empathy 0.858, emotional stability 0.847, integrity 0.802, managing relations 0.737, self awareness 0.940, self development 0.873, self motivation 0.776, value orientation 0.882. factor loadings of factors of teacher effectiveness are analytical 0.922, dependable 0.811, helpful 0.920, knowledgable 0.909, learning oriented 0.907, motivator 0.869, transparent 0.893. plssem was employed to assess the impact of emotional intelligence on teacher effectiveness. above is the graphical representation, where adjusted r square value is 0.793. in this case, it can be seen that teacher effectiveness is being explained by emotional intelligence to the extent of 79.3% which indicates that emotional intelligence plays an important role in teacher effectiveness. we can observe that emotional intelligence and teacher effectiveness are positively correlated. thus the null hypothesis is not accepted. pa ge 34 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 30-35, 2023 figure 3: structural model source: author pls-sem was employed to assess the impact of sub factor of emotional intelligence (self awareness, empathy, self motivation, emotional stability, managing relation, integrity, self development, value orientation, commitment and altruistic behaviour) on teacher effectiveness. it can be seen that teacher effectiveness is being explained by sub factor of emotional intelligence to the extent of 84.3%, 80.1%, 69.2%, 83.5%, 84.6%, 90.3%, 64.9%, 78.9%, 63.1%, and 70.4% respectively. as the value shows, integrity has the highest impact on teacher effectiveness and commitment has the lowest impact on teacher effectiveness. conclusion the results of this study emphasize how crucial emotional intelligence is for management and engineering professors. teachers that possess greater levels of emotional intelligence are better able to build rapport with their students, handle disagreements in the classroom, and foster inclusive learning environments. these results support earlier studies done in various educational settings, underlining the importance of emotional intelligence in fostering good teaching habits and improving student outcomes. the results of this study have applications for professional development and teacher preparation programs in uttarakhand and beyond. education institutions may include emotional intelligence capabilities in their training curriculum by considering the significance of emotional intelligence in higher education. this will provide instructors with the knowledge and abilities to foster supportive and interesting learning environments. in order to emphasize the importance of emotional intelligence in teacher effectiveness, policymakers should also consider including emotional intelligence training as a prerequisite for teacher certification. it is critical to recognize this study’s limitations. the research sample was restricted to uttarakhand-based management and engineering professors, which may have reduced the generalizability of the results to other fields or areas. to gain a deeper grasp of the subject, future study may examine emotional intelligence and teacher effectiveness in other academic fields and learning environments. recommendation research shows that teachers with high intelligence are exemplary in all areas of intelligence and performance. it is therefore recommended that education policy makers and administrators hold annual meetings, workshops, and conferences at the state and national levels to encourage teachers in educational institutions. ethical rules should be given to teachers with the standards and behaviors set forth in the teaching profession. it is recommended that teachers should attend personal and professional development and training courses on regular basis. future research may be conducted to understand the effects of emotional intelligence on the academic achievement of students and some contextual variables like gender, type of institution may be added for new insights. personality trait and self-efficacy can be tested as mediators in exploring the relationship between ei and te. this study is limited to the uttarakhand region. similar studies should be conducted in other states and countries to expand the results. this study is limited to university teachers. references campbell, j., kyriakides, l., muijs, d., & robinson, w. (2004). assessing teacher effectiveness: different models (1st ed.). routledge. chen, j., & guo, w. (2020). emotional intelligence pa ge 35 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 2(4) 30-35, 2023 can make a difference: the role of principals’ emotional intelligence on teaching strategy mediated by principals’ instructional leadership. educational management administration and leadership, 48(1), 82– 105. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143218781066 . flanders, n., & simon, a. (1969). teacher effectiveness. encyclopedia of educational research. (4th ed.) new york: macmillan, 1969. gage, n. l. a floramay & quines (2023). mediating effect of emotional intelligence on the relationship between authentic leadership and organization climate among public school teachers. american journal of multidisciplinary research and innovation, 2(4), 1-12. gage (1962), the handbook of research on teaching. journal of teacher education, 13(1). goleman, d. p. (1995). emotional intelligence why it can matter more than iq for character, health and lifelong achievement. new york bantam books. hair, j. f. , risher, j. j. , sarstedt, m. and ringle, c. m. (2019), when to use and how to report the results of pls-sem, european business review, 31(1), 224. kash, m. m., borich, g. d., and fenton, k. s. (1977). teacher behavior and pupil self-concept. reading, mass.: addison-wesley (in press). kgosiemang, t. p., & khoza, s. d. (2022).the effects of emotional intelligence on teachers’ classroom performance: a case of primary schools in southeast region of botswana. research in social sciences and technology, 7(3), 65-85. lowry, p. b.& gaskin, j. (2014). partial least squares (pls) structural equation modeling (sem) for building and testing behavioral causal theory: when to choose it and how to use it. ieee transactions on professional communication, 57(1-2), 123–146. https://doi. org/10.1109/tpc.2014.2312452 maamari, b. e. and salloum, y. n. (2023). &quot;the effect of high emotionally intelligent teachers on their teaching effectiveness at universities: the moderating effect of personality traits&quot;, international journal of educational management , 37(3), 575-590. madden, t. j. et al. (2000) managing images in different cultures: a cross-national study of color meanings and preferences. business information, news, and reports. mattingly, v., and kraiger, k. (2019). can emotional intelligence be trained? a meta-analytical investigation. human resource management review, 29(2), 140–155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2018.03.002 medley d. m., shannon d. m. (1994). &#39;teacher evaluation&#39; in husén t., postlethwaite t. n. (eds), the international encyclopedia of education, 2nd edn, vol. mérida-lópez, s., &amp; extremera, n. (2017). emotional intelligence and teacher burnout: a systematic review. international journal of educational research, 85, 121-130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2017.07.006 michinov, n., & michinov, e. (2022). can sitting postures influence the creative mind? positive effect of contractive posture on convergent-integrative thinking. creativity research journal. advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/10400419.2022. 2072557 mokhetsengoane, s. j., & pallai, p. (2023). effective teaching in the 21st century: investigating barriers and solutions from one university in assam, india. american journal of arts and human science, 2(1), 19–25. https://doi.org/10.54536/ajahs.v2i1.1390 muijs, d.,& reynolds, d. (2002). teachers&#39; beliefs and behaviors: what really matters? journal of classroom interaction, 37(2), 3–15. r kumar & s rani (2019). teacher effectiveness in relation to values. think india, 22(4). reynolds, j. (1998) an introduction to applied and environmental geophysics. john wiley and sons, ltd., chichester, 796 p. salovey, p., & mayer, j. d. (1990). emotional intelligence. imagination, cognition, and personality, 9, 185–211. salovey, p., &; grewal, d. (2005). the science of emotional intelligence. current directions in psychological science, 14, 281-285. sharma d, patil h, shukla b (2023). a study of secondary school teachers’ teacher effectiveness and emotional intelligence in relation to their gender. aut aut research journal, 14(3). thorndike, e.l. (1920). a constant error in psychological ratings. journal of applied psychology, 4(1), 25–29. wangoo, m. l. (1984). teacher personality correlates and scholastic competence as related to teacher effectiveness. in m. b. buch (ed.), fourth survey of educational research, 1983-1988 (volume ii, p. 1005). new delhi: ncert. zhoc, k. c., king, r. b., chung, t. s., & chen, j. (2020). emotionally intelligent students are more engaged and successful: examining the role of emotional intelligence in higher education. european journal of psychology of education, 35(4), 839-863. pa ge 1 pa ge 10 9 american journal of education and technology (ajet) investigating the relevance of the development and implementation of strategic plans in public sector education institutions: a case of public teacher training colleges in malawi mcpherson charles hudson jere1*, makarios kizito chimowa1, gerald nkowani1, dannie soko1 volume 3 issue 2, year 2024 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v3i2.2732 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: april 08, 2024 accepted: may 13, 2024 published: may 17, 2024 the hub of every academic institution of higher learning rests upon key areas of policies and how they are developed, managed and championed. this research study investigated the relevance of development and implementation of strategic plans in public sector education institutions in malawi. in 2019 and 2020, giz championed the development of strategic plans in ttcs. this was done by facilitating the training of principals in the quest to develop strategic plans. field data was collected using both qualitative and quantitative approaches through document analysis, questionnaires, and focus group discussion guide. the findings of the study indicate that the strategic plans are relevant in public ttcs because of the following factors: government policy, strong committed leadership, organizational culture, structure and effective communication. the study findings support bryant (2013) in his evaluation report in malawi and the study by nyakeriga (2015) who identified the same factors as influencing the development and implementation of strategic plans. the structure is identified by the setup of the public ttcs, with the principal being the top manager, followed by the deputy principal, heads of departments, teaching practice coordinator, and assessment committee chairperson. through the organizational culture, quality assurance and monitoring and evaluation work to track the progress of the implementation process in the ttcs. the study also showed plans the activities in the strategic plan inform ttc budgets. however, the study has firmly established that completing the activities in the strategic plans is a challenge. the study attributes this to erratic and inadequate funding, lack of knowledge on the implementation process and lack of political will. the study proposes investment in continuous professional development with all education stakeholders to fully understand the concept of strategic planning and implementation in order to achieve set objectives. keywords strategic planning, public teacher training colleges, quality assurance, implementation 1 emmanuel university, p.o. box 30583, lilongwe, malawi * corresponding author’s e-mail: mcjere@emunimw.com introduction long-term and medium-term planning in government comes in form of national development plans and strategy papers and policy and investment framework. this section provides a brief historical perspective of development planning and what has led government of malawi to champion the development of strategic plans in the public sector. national development plans government of malawi and its public institutions have used long term planning and medium-term planning as instruments for implementations of development strategy since independence in 1964. the statement of development policies (1971-1980,1987-1996) was the basis of development planning in the first 30 years of independence in malawi and vision 2020 (government of malawi 1997) from year 2000 to around 2022. the government has now adopted agenda 2063 the malawi we want is the basis for development planning to date. the vision 2020 is a list of sectorial vision and aspirations. it required an implementation strategy paper to translate the aspirations into strategies. therefore, the poverty reduction strategy papermprsp was developed. (government of malawi 2002). the mprsp focused on investment in social sectors of education and health. in 2007 the mprsp was replaced by the malawi growth and development strategymgds. the mgds also heralded a change of focus as government felt poverty reduction was best dealt with through sustainable economic growth. agenda 2063 the malawi 2063 (mw2063) agenda expresses the vision and aspirations of malawians. it envisions a youth-centric inclusive wealth creating and self-reliant nation by 2063. the vision is the belief in the abilities to fully harness the resource endowments of the country. a belief in strong governance and efficient public sector systems and institutions provide a facilitatory environment for thriving industry that has backward and forward linkages to the other pillars and service sector. as a nation, having commitment to address the key challenges and barriers to youth development and to protect their health and well-being. there is a guarantee in the provision and accessibility of quality education, skills development and decent work opportunities. sectoral strategic plans in malawi, strategic development planning has always been pa ge 11 0 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 109-118, 2024 buttressed by sectoral development planning. key sectors of agriculture, health, education, energy and transport have always developed sectoral policies and strategic implementation plans that addressed issues outlining the national policy agenda in greater depth. the education sector developed the policy and investment framework (pif1995-2005 & 2005-2012) that responded to mprsp. the national education sector plan (nesp 2008-2017) was developed in response to mdgs i&ii. the national education investment plan that responds and addresses the agenda 2063 was to facilitate high quality delivery of programmes and improve sectoral performance and contribute to effective delivery of the national agenda. despite the presence of these well-meaning policy and strategic sector plans, there was a growing outcry across all sectors about poor performance in public institutions and government departments. development of public sector strategic plans to improve the performance and service delivery to public institutions, government made a policy decision in the year 2000 that all public sector institutions and government departments had to develop strategic plans. this process was to be spearheaded by the department of human resources management and development (dhrmd) in the office of the president and cabinet. this policy decision was hailed by the development partners but it was quickly noted that dhrmd has no capacity to lead the process and there was no framework to guide government ministries and public sector institutions in the development of strategic plans. through canadian government and world bank assistance a guiding document called ‘the integrated strategy implementation planning in government of malawi for government planners was developed (dhrmd 2007). this document is referred to as isp. government then directed that all government departments and public institutions develop strategic plans based on the isp guidelines. kayuni (2016) argues that the process of developing strategic plans is an indicator of positive reform. he further notes that leadership be it political or professional plays a significant role in strategic planning and management and it can be the cause of failure to implement strategic plans., the ministry of education science and technology (2015) developed a strategic plan 2015-2020 which aligns to psip national education sector plan, malawi growth and development strategy (mgdsii). the strategic plan was developed with the intention to operationalize mgds ii. the process of developing the ministry strategic plans received strong support from political and professional leadership. giz in 2019 /2020 facilitated the training of principals in the principles of development of strategic plans in ttcs. the training covered the following key components: how to integrate national policies into the strategic plan; reflecting on vision 2024; finalizing analysis of swot data; deciding for priorities; development of objectives; development of action/implementation plan and development of a monitoring tool. what is interesting is that researchers despite asking giz, dted and the teacher training principals forums no one could produce document to give the rationale and background for providing that support. despite this lack of documentation, the ttcs strategic plan’s structure and layout shows strong support from the directorate of teacher education and development. statement of the problem the government of malawi (gom) recognizes that strategic plans are central in enhancing quality service delivery of public and private sector institutions to achieve the development and planning objectives set out in the national and sectoral development plans. as such gom has issued directives three times, in 2000, in 2007 and 2014(drmd 2000) that all public and private institutions should develop strategic plans. these plans were intended to enhance the smooth running of public institutions and provide for more reforms and innovative approaches. public teacher training colleges fall under this category. after the public ttcs produced their strategic plans between 2019 / 2020, three years down the line is their evidence that these public ttcs have become more innovative or and freedom based. what are the factors that have impeded this progress? it has been three to four years since the launch of these strategic plans. the question that this research is trying to address is, have these strategic plans been relevant? objective of the study there are over 16 teacher training institutions in malawi. this study focused on seven public ttc’s. the purpose of the study was to carry out an investigation on the relevance of strategic plans as regards to college financing, management and institutional sustainability. the study was guided by the following objectives: 1. to determine the knowledge of the development of strategic plans in public sector education institutions 2. to establish the organizational management and work culture in the development and implementation of strategic plans in public sector education institutions 3. to identify key factors that would make strategic plans relevant in public ttcs 4. to identify key factors that would affect the implementation of the strategic plan in public ttcs research question the research focused on four main questions: 1. what are the knowledge and indicators of the development of strategic plans in public sector education institutions? 2. what are the organizational management and work culture on the development and implementation of strategic plans in public sector education institutions? 3. what are the key factors that would make strategic plan relevant in public ttcs? 4. what are the key factors that would affect the pa ge 11 1 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 109-118, 2024 implementation of the strategic plan in public ttcs? significance of the study this study is significant in that: the study results will shed some light on the relevance of strategic plans in the public sector education institutions in malawi due to absence of published study nor evaluation report on the same. the research result that will be shared to government through dted is believed will provide an impetus to government to commission for more in-depth research on how ttc’s are managed and run. the study will make small but significant contributions to the body of local and international knowledge on the factors that impinge on the strategic planning process in public sector in malawi after findings have been published in an international journal. literature review strategic plans emanate from strategy processes. mintzberg and quinn (1992) assert that there is no single universally accepted definition of strategy. this is evidenced by different definitions by deferent authors and experts in strategy process. mintzberg and quinn (1992) have adopted the definition that strategy is a pattern or plan that integrates an organization major goals, policies and action sequences into a cohesive whole. (davis 2013) defines strategy as the means by which long term direction of an organization are realized. the private sector adopted and adapted this approach and have revolutionized the strategy development and management processes. the public sector has generally lagged behind in this field. strategy is studied as subject on its right, and it also approached it from a strategic management or strategic planning. theories and concepts follow the same pattern. david (2013) asserts that strategic management is used more by academia and strategic planning used more by the business world but the two terms can be used synonymously. this study has taken the same approach. the literature review is from strategic management and strategic planning theoretical concepts and empirical studies. whilst as there are many books and research written on strategic management theories and concepts in the private sector or business world, there is paucity of literature on strategic planning in the public sector let alone in the education sector. the focus of this research is on the development, implementation and relevance of strategic plans in public sector education institutions. these factors could be unearthly and understood from a historical perspective, from a management or organizational theory perspective, from a cultural and sociological theory and the conceptual framework strategy development and management process. there lies the challenge as this wide-ranging subject area. the theoretical and conceptual framework discussed in this paper will be deemed as key foundational theories and concepts that will assist in answering the research objectives. a strategic plan is therefore more comprehensive taking an overall view, of the organization direction rather than a substantial period. in this approach (johnson et al) argued that for a successful development and implementation of strategic plans, it must be treated as a project. it is further argued that as such a strategic plan needs to have particular teams of people assigned to work on particular strategic issues over a period. the strategic plan requires a clear brief, top management commitment, milestones, reviews, and appropriate resources. the theory that strategic plan is developed from top-down approach to enable a business or firm to respond to competitive environment resonates very well with the private sector but does not wholly address factors that lead to the development of strategic plans in the public sector. unesco (201 0) advances a theory that the development of strategic plans in the public sector is driven by the need for public sector reform. even though public sector is not expected to make profits and have little autonomy to make decisions they were expected to deliver specific services arid quantifiable results. mullins (2002) makes strong case that all organizations including service organizations and those in the public sector require some of corporate strategy. this assertion is supported by quoting lynch (2000) who states that the strategy process in public arid non-profit organization is governed by broader public policy issues such as politics and monopoly supply, bureaucracy and the battle for resources from government to fund the activities of the organization and by values held by the institution. conceptual framework on the development of strategy and strategic plans conceptual framework is explained in line with visual or written ideas that explain the focal points to be studied or those studied already. it includes key points of variables and any presumed connectivity to the research topic. there are many conceptual frameworks but one could argue that the foundational concept is that of mintzberg conceptual framework or process of developing strategic plans (mintzberg & quinn 1992). this concept advances the view that a strategy can be developed as a plan, ploy, pattern, position and as perspective. basically, a conceptual framework clarifies a research problem and also assists or aids in the refining of the research questions. furthermore, it is the responsibility of this part of the research to guide the data collection and analysis process and also offer a systematic perspective for the researchers. in this case, researchers were helped to understand the process of implementation of strategic plans in public sector education institutions with a focus on teacher training colleges in malawi. strategy as a plan is developed through swot or pestel analysis and results into some sort of consciously intended course of action with built in budgeting information and rewards. it requires management to have certain skills to implement the plan. this is the concept that was followed by all teacher training education institutions. pa ge 11 2 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 109-118, 2024 strategy being such a wide subject area has a lot more models and concepts than outlined above. these models and concepts outlined in the section are more likely to assist the assessment of factors that impact on development of strategic plans in government, public sector in general and public sector education institutions of higher education. empirical literature review there is plenty literature on factors of relevance, the development and implementation of strategic plans in the private sector, but there is not much on public sector institutions and it is quite a task to find published literature on strategic plans in the sector let alone studies to examine relevance of the development and implementation. outlined below are published studies in various journals on studies done for public sector education institutions. the concentration of this literature covers studies done in asia and middle east, east africa and also in malawi though little has been published. literature search for southern africa has so far proved elusive. studies in asia and middle east yang li, (2008) in his study of factors influencing strategy implementation states that there are myriads of factors that can potentially affect implementation of strategic plan. he however argues that these factors are influenced by geographical location and regions. he goes on to say these are best understood when classified as organizational levels, factors and organizational type factors. shahin (2011) in his doctoral thesis on effectiveness of strategic planning in the middle east argues that the factors that apply to the western countries may not necessarily apply in the middle east and that factors that apply in private sector may not apply to the public sector. he cites factors that are critical in public sectors such as constitutional limitations, constraints in decision making process due to political, financial and legal factors that are not key factors in private sector. gabriel (2010), puts forward a very interesting argument that the most difficult part of strategic plan is not technical but human. he further asserts that the development of a strategic plan requires an application of a number of specific techniques which can be taught. the most difficult challenge is to change the mindset of people and introduce a management culture that goes with techniques, he concludes. studies in the public sector education in africa region most studies that are published focus on secondary schools. ndengwa (2014) in his study of factors affecting implementation of strategic plan in secondary schools in kenya states that the implementation of strategic plans is influenced by many factors such as (a) managerial skills, (b) institutional policies, (c) and resource allocation. kibachi, iravo, and luvanda (2014) in their study of factors that affect strategic plan implementation in parastatals in kenya state that a common challenge faced by all organizations whether private or public is how to successfully manage the planning process for the attainment of organizational objectives. they then identify these as risk factors (a) organizational structure, (b) leadership style and (c) funding process in the implementation of strategic plans in the public sector in kenya. chemwei, leboo, and koech (2014) carried out a study on factors that impede the implementation of strategic plans in secondary schools in kenya and conclude that (a) human resources, (b) leadership style, (c) organizational structure and (d) culture of schools were key factors. messah (2007) states that it is a kenyan ministry of education requirement that public organizations including educational culture institutions develop strategic plans. he however notes that factors such as institutional culture and staff management have had a big impact on the failure or successful implementation of strategic plans. njeru, stephen and wambui (2013), in the analysis of factors influencing formulation of strategic plans in secondary schools in embu country in kenya conclude that (a) availability of funds, (b) government policy and (c) employees know how, significantly influence formulation and implementation of strategic plans in public education institutions. messah (2007) in his study of factors affecting implementation of strategic plans in public tertiary institutions, identifies four factors; (a) managerial behavior, (b) resources allocation, (c) management and (d) institutional policies as factors that impact on the development and implementation of strategic plans. the study concludes that out of the four, allocation of resources was the most critical factor. nyakeriga (2015) in the study carried out to investigate factor influencing implementation of strategic plans concludes that apart from organizational culture, structure and administrative systems, effective communication and consensus have very big influence on strategic plan implementation. meiguru, siamoo and salema (2019) study in factors that affect strategic planning implementation diploma teacher training colleges in tanzania reveal that they are external and internal factors, these include resource availability, fear of change, poor communication and lack of skills in tutors and managers. schlebusch and mokhatele (2016) state that strategic planning is powerful instrument for school improvement and ensures coherent action planning for school renewal and change, however attainable targets should be set with the result that success will drive success. oyadele and chikwature (2016) in their studies on teachers perception of the role of strategic planning in educational development in manicaland province zimbabwe find that teachers did not fully understand the concept of strategic planning and its role in education planning, they recommend that since teachers are most valuable resource they should invest in continuous professional development, whilst as hill & jones (2012) states that strategic planning process in private sector is both a formal process initiated by top management and a result of serendipity, it can be argued that in public institutions serendipity is stifled and the formal process through standardized manuals is the pa ge 11 3 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 109-118, 2024 norm. this is evidenced by existence of highly structured instructional manuals (government of south africa 2010, and government of malawi 2007). studies in malawi there is very little published literature on studies done on strategic plans in malawi let alone factors that impact on the development and implementation of strategic plans in public education institutions. bryant (2013) in an internal evaluation report on the malawi polytechnic strategic plan that was carried out on behalf of university of regina and canadian international development agency states that (a) the country economy, (b) organizational culture, (c) strong commitment by leadership, (d) partnership, (e) reward and incentive system were critical factors in strategic plan formulation and are still critical factors in the implementation of the strategic plan. the department of human resource management and development (2013) carried out an organization performance review. this internal report came out with two notable issues (a) there was poor compliance by ministries, government departments and public sector institutions in adhering to directives from the office of the president and cabinet (b) over half the ministries and departments did not have strategic plans. it does not give any analysis to the reasons why this status quo. the dhrmd (2014) monitoring report shows again that out of 48 government ministries and departments, only 22 in the last ten years developed strategic plans. the report does not analyze the factors that led to this lukewarm response to the governments’ directive. it only provides a list of institutions, and it does not provide any further data on when the strategic plan was developed or whether this is first, second strategic plan of the institution. in spite of the above kayuni (2016) in his paper strategic planning in malawi public sector argues that the process of developing strategic plans in the public sector is an indicator of positive reform and further argues that leadership be it political or professional play a significant role in failure or success in strategic planning and management. study of the strategic plans of public ttcs giz in 2019 and 2020 facilitated the training of principals in the principles of development of strategic plans in ttcs. this was a follow up on giz supports to strengthening primary teachers colleges internal management systems though a placement of management experts and the development of college charters. this support therefore anchored both in well trained management but also on government directive that all public institutions should develop strategic plans. giz provided step by step process in the development of strategic plans and the training covered the following key components: how to integrate national policies into the strategic plan; reflecting on vision 2020; mgds 3; how to conduct and summarize swot data; deciding for priorities; development of objectives; development of action/implementation plan and development of a monitoring tool. due to this process the public ttcs strategic plans are similar heavily influenced by public primary tccs culture as directed by dted. methodology this study used both qualitative and quantitative research methods. quantitative research directs a considerable amount of activity towards measuring concepts with scales to provide numerical value whilst as qualitative research focuses more on describing, listening and interpreting. this research followed a multiple methods design (saunders et al 2012) that use a combination of qualitative and quantitative research. having chosen multiple methods that leans more towards qualitative research supported by a quantitative methodology, the research strategy used the survey method. there are 11 public teachers training college in malawi and out of these three opened in 2023. the study selected 7 colleges using randomized sampling and one is a girls college managed through the board of governors. the senior management of the selected institutions that were the visionary of the strategic plan process had a questionnaire each. the middle level management teams that were tasked to implement the strategic plan were 8 per college also had a questionnaire each. the other randomly selected staff members representing their departments had to be interviewed during focus group discussion (fgd). this study used purposive sampling (saunders, et al 2012). the reason for this choice is that purposeful sampling provides an opportunity for an in depth study of information and that purposeful sampling strategy requires relative medium resource package. (emmel 2013). primary data was collected through questionnaires and focus group discussions especially for the head of education institutions (principal). secondary data was collected through document review of institutions’ strategic plans. the questionnaire was framed in such a way that it could capture information on the process of developing the strategic plan and factors that cache group of respondents taken as critical to successful development and implementation of the strategic plan including factors that affect the implementation. ethical issues were considered and researchers implored confidentiality. limitations the study limitation is lack of published research on the impact of strategic plans in public education institutions in malawi. the second was that ttcs could not provide data to support responses on successful implementation of the strategic plans. the last one is failure to reach the targeted groups in some cases. data collection and analysis the data for this research was analyzed using thematic and content analysis. thematic analysis is a method for identifying, analyzing and reporting patterns or themes pa ge 11 4 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 109-118, 2024 within the data collected (bryman, 2004). this method of thematic analysis was chosen by this study because it is flexible and a good method to unravel or loosen the surface of reality (braun and clarke, 2006). after data from all the sources was reviewed, then content analysis was done which led to the categorization basing on the responses from respondents. it is from this categorization that themes emerged. themes that came out very clear are as follows: 1. desk review of public teacher training colleges 2. knowledge and evidence of the existence of the strategic plan 3. management and work culture in the development and implementation of the strategic plan 4. key factors that would make strategic plan relevant 5. factors that would affect the implementation of the strategic plan 6. the themes in this study are presented using brief descriptions as reported by participants with clear labelled tables and figures where possible. discussion of findings in themes and content desk review of strategic plans a desk review was undertaken on all strategic plans collected. the strategic plans had basic elements and these are: vision as basic aspirations of the college, mission as why the college exists and envisioned, swot analysis that was undertaken to identify internal strengths and weaknesses and external opportunities and threats, core values, a belief that the college views as being of central importance, goals, what is considered to be achieved, objectives i.e. actions intended to attain or accomplish and action plans being a detailed plan outlining actions needed to reach the goal. the researchers focused on each strategic plan key result area and noted that there are common kra in all strategic plans and these are: 1. quality ict and library services for teaching and learning. 2. promotion of outreach services in the surrounding community. 3. provision of conducive learning environment and habitable housing for students and staff. 4. maintenance of a committed and motivated staff and students. 5. procurement & disposal of resources and effective record keeping by departments and sections. 6. leadership, management and communication, 7. maintenance and infrastructure. what was noted by researchers was that well-meaning as the common themes key results areas are, being government institutions, required input from other departments such as the department of human resources, ministry of finance and dted therefore lending the strategic plans targets to externalities (threats) not under the control of senior management of ttcs. knowledge and evidence of the existence of the strategic plan the research wanted to find out in the first place if all the participants who were given the questionnaire and during focus group discussions have the knowledge and are aware of the existence of the strategic plans in their respective colleges. this was to confirm not only the availability of the strategic plans but also the participants’ knowledge and use of the strategic plans and therefore relevance in the day-to-day management of the college. in addition, the research also wanted to understand the development of the strategic plan originated from. the results of the study show that responses from both the questionnaires and focus group discussions indicate that participants had knowledge of the existence and acknowledged of the availability of strategic plans in their institutions. 50% of the respondents indicated that the idea of the development of strategic plan came from college management. while 8.3% respondents said that the idea of development of the strategic plan originated from dted and 42% attributed to giz. though there seems a balance, the fact that 50% of the respondents think it was externally driven calls into question the relevance but most importantly practical use of strategic plans to achieve key result areas in the day-to-day teaching and operations of teacher training colleges. mintzbeg argues that a strategic plan to be relevant and successful must be treated both as ploy-reform driven but also as pattern organizational behaviour and position which is internally driven. kayuni (2016) argues that public sector plans must be reform driven, it can be safely concluded that strategic plans were externally driven but still were relevant as they responded to government call. management and work culture in the development and implementation of the strategic plan the research wanted to find out the management of the development and implementation of the strategic plan. the study has revealed from document analysis, questionnaires and focus group discussions that all the teacher training colleges developed their strategic plans through a process that was directed by dted and giz. it followed the process of swot analysis and resulted into developing action plans. these structures that were established such as teaching practice committees to collect data from tp schools, quality assurance teams and monitoring and evaluation teams were a mirror of teachers training college work and management culture firmly established through gz support which is entrenched in each college. the role of structures was confirmed during focused group discussions the focus group discussion generated the following responses on involvement in the development and implementation of strategic plans as one teacher said: “yes, development of strategic plans lecturers were involved. did swot analysis – copy available”. (fgd col z) another teacher had this to say: “most members were involved as we developed questionnaires and collected data in primary schools and did swot analysis” (fgd – col y) pa ge 11 5 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 109-118, 2024 from the same college another teacher said: “there is delegation of duties where others were collecting data, monitoring and evaluation, and budgeting and procurement”. (fgd – col y) “college management team, teaching staff, support staff and students”. (p.col x) another had this to say: “all staffthe strategic plans tackled a number of areas”. (pcol y) the study revealed that the management team at the college established different committees such as quality assurance, teaching practice, budget and finance and monitoring and evaluation to make sure that members of staff get involved in the development of the strategic plans. 80% of respondents as shown in the table indicate involvement. this shows that public tccs strategic plans have high levels of ownership and at the point of development very relevant. the research has revealed that most of the participants were involved in different ways in the development of the strategic plans. key factors that would make strategic plans relevant the research wanted to find out about the relevance of the strategic plans to education institutions in this case public teacher training colleges. nyakeriga (2015) in the study carried out to investigate factor influencing implementation of strategic plans concludes that organizational culture, structure and administrative systems plays crucial role in making strategic plans relevant in ttcs. the study established through document analysis that the availability of key result areas in the strategic plans made them relevant. as stated above there are common key result areas in the strategic plans which ttcs identified as key to the implementation of the plans. one of key result area is quality ict and library services for teaching and learning and this has been achieved through procurement of resources like laptops as indicated here: “there is fully furnished ict laboratory, construction of additional classroom blocks done, refresher courses of both management and support staff done, ramps constructed”. (p x) another comment on the same key result area is this: “procurement of ict gadgets as laptops and desk tops for use in departments”. (hod – col y) another had this to say: “we have increased the number of beamers to three”. (hod col – t) the swot analysis of the strategic plans revealed the opportunities that are there in the ttcs that could be utilized in order to bring improvement of quality teaching. “passing rate for students has been maintained to almost 100%”. (hod col – t) another teacher said: “improved student teacher performance”. (hod col y) welfare of students and staff is among the key result areas (kra) of strategic plans of some ttcs which is promoting the creation of good working culture among all stakeholders that may bring about improved performance for example: a teacher said: “the relationship with tp schools is good”. (hod col z) another teacher said that: “there is good relationship among the teaching staff and non-teaching staff ”. (hod col y) the study also identified another key result area, improved infrastructure, this help in the creation of a conducive working and learning environment for students and staff. it improved accessibility to the college by everyone. this has been supported by a teacher who said: “construction of infrastructure which is user friendly to all students”. (hod – col t) the key result areas made strategic plans relevant since they guided the ttcs not to lose focus as they implement. impact of organizational culture on implementation of strategic plans in ttcs through giz support, public ttcs have development of culture of working committees and efficient departments and sections. these structures were directly involved in the development of strategic plans and therefore it was not difficult for them to be involved in implementation as they did set the targets. the success of every plan is as a result of a well constituted monitoring and evaluation team that is mandated to oversee the implementation of the strategic plan activities. the research findings of the study reveal critical factors in the implementation of strategic plans. the principals played leading role and continue leading the process of implementing the strategic plans by being committed as one principal said: “provide guidance and focus of the strategic plan, reviewing the strategic plans, evaluation of plans and budgeting and allocation of resources.” (col t p) the findings also noted that the implementation of strategic plans in ttcs is well coordinated through the establishment of a structure which is headed by the principal, the deputy principal, head of department, teaching practice coordinator, quality assurance and assessment chair person. though there were a lot of positive attributes there are four factors that if not looked into may affect all the positive gain of strategic plan. these are inadequate funding affects implementation of strategic plans in public institutions since access to finances enable organizations to develop as effective and viable strategies. this is according to the study by muchemi (2005). lack of political will means lack of committed support among key decision makers for a particular policy solution to a particular problem. lack of knowledge means is a general condition of lack of awareness of a particular thing. these key factors have been summarized in the table below. inadequate funding proper funding is the bedrock of project implementation; therefore, funds need to be disbursed timely and pa ge 11 6 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 109-118, 2024 adequately to enable the institutions carry out its programmes. the study established that funding has been erratic and inadequate for public ttcs to implement their plans. almost all (100%) respondents during focus group discussions and responses from questionnaires confirm inadequate funding as a major factor affecting implementation of strategic plans. commitment/political will this is the extent of committed support among key decision makers for particular policy solution to a particular problem. this commitment has been identified from the study through questionnaires and focus group discussions where it has been noted that principals and senior members devote themselves in support of implementing the strategic plans. about 25% of respondents confirmed this support from decision makers especially the principals, deputy principals and committee chairpersons knowledge and skills knowledge provides a strong foundation of understanding and skills bring practical application of the knowledge. it allows individuals to make informed decisions, understand complex concepts and solve problems. it is only a member of staff who has knowledge and skills that can contribute effectively in the implementation of strategic plans. the study has revealed that about 12.5% of respondents acknowledged lack of knowledge and skills affecting the implementation of strategic plans. key factors that would affect the implementation of the strategic plan the effective implementation of the strategic plan is dependent on some factors to facilitate this. the research study established these factors as organizational leadership, organizational culture, organizational structure, availability of funds and government policy. through questionnaires and fgds it was noted that leaders and the leading process are key factors for formulating and implementing strategy because they represent the core of strategic management and this was shown through the principals of the ttcs. leaders influence decisionmaking processes because effective decision-making impacts the implementation of the strategy. a strong culture creates a sense of shared purpose, aligns employees with the organization’s goals, and encourages behaviors that support strategic objectives. all the ttcs developed the charter in which culture is clearly outlined. according to researchers it has been argued that the fit between the strategy and structure of an organization leads to better performance because the structure provides the necessary systems and processes essential for successful strategy implementation. ttcs have good structures which makes it possible to have the strategic plans being implemented though at different levels as revealed by the study. research has revealed that funding is a major determinant of implementing strategic plans in cooperative societies because of the inadequacy of financial resources of their own. public ttcs fall in this category as funds comes from government so it is affected to a greater extend. without government policy ttcs would not have developed their strategic plans. therefore, policies facilitate recurring problems and guide the implementation of strategy. this study established the role of the factors explained in the implementation of ttcs strategic plans. challenges in the implementation of the strategic plans one of the key components of strategic plans is to facilitate reforms to make an organization more competitive. for public institutions government policy had direct influence in formulation of strategic plans through policy reforms, formation of national plans as mgds 2&3 sectoral plans as education sector improvement plans and direct directives (gom2000). this reflects high levels of political will but that funding was not adequate to support all the activities. as indicated in earlier chapters there is overwhelming evidence that dted with support from giz played a key facilitator’s role in implementing this public sector reform. bryant (2013) in an internal evaluation report on the malawi polytechnic strategic plan noted these: the country’s economy, organizational culture, strong commitment by leadership, partnership and reward and incentive system as critical factors in strategic plan formulation and are still critical factors in the implementation of the strategic plan. achievement of key results areas the researchers looked again on the common themes of key results areas such as construction, staff training etc. and noted that most of the key result areas were outside the mandate of the teacher training colleges, it was not surprising that most ttcs are not above 50% in the implementation of strategic plans as indicated by the principals questionnaires. one of the factors could be that with strong guidance from dted and giz there was legitimate expectations that these key result areas could be funded through a project. too many indicators or over ambitious indicators during the focus group discussions, it was conceded that the indicators were over ambitious and could not have been able to be implemented in the five-year plan. the focus group discussions that obvert a period of 15 years or so that giz funded teacher training, it facilitated the provision of funds to meet specific indicators agreed in the 5year slots. this therefore could have had an impact in swot analysis done in each college risks and threats were underplayed due to prioritized culture in implementing ttcs reform programmes budgets ceilings and erratic funding the research has revealed three key factors as shown in the table. out of the three, the issue of funding pa ge 11 7 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 109-118, 2024 kept on appearing from respondents both through the questionnaire as well as focus group discussions. one of the key factors that could render the public ttcs strategic plans irrelevant is inadequate financial support. this is not unique to teachers training colleges only. all public institutions have experienced this. however, one would have expected the swot or pestel to take this into account. looking at the intensity of training ttcs went through on swot analysis this came as a surprise to researchers that it was not fully interrogated. inadequate funding is the critical key factor that would make the strategic plans a mere academic exercise therefore not relevant in ttcs this was supported by other responses from participants who said that: “….funding from the government seems to be an issue when it comes to implementation of the strategic plan.” (fgd col v) one of the teacher said that: “….late funding affects implementation of plans. it compromises the quality of delivery.” (fgd col z) one of the principal had this to say: “….our strategic plans were based on the expected government funding. however, due to the situation on the ground, government is not funding us as anticipated.” another response was this: “…delayed and unreliable funding system.” col x (p) lack of innovative approaches to funding strategic plans in the private sector, the development of strategic plans is buttressed by innovative funding to implement that strategic plan and make the private sector competitive. it was noted through responses to questionnaires and focus group discussions that there was innovative approaches to funding the strategic plans, there was an expectation that either giz or government would provide extra funds. this was a common response during focus group discussion: “some of the issues in the strategic plan need government or donor support.” this did not come as surprise to researchers as organizational culture of public institutions do facilitate innovative ways of funding and all funds that public institutions are channeled into account no 1 the research findings revealed that public ttcs solely depend on government funding in order to implement all their development activities. this is a clear indication that there is lack of innovation among public ttc management putting sustainability of planned activities at risk of failing to be completed. responsiveness to agenda 2063 reforms in both private and public institutions are driven from the top. (mayuni2016). as noted, the development of strategic plans for them to be relevant need to be responsive to government policy direction. all ttc strategic plans were developed before government adopted the agenda 2063 and national implementation plan 1. during group discussions it was surprising that senior members of tccs could not elaborate what agenda 2063 was all about. however, the questionnaires responded by principals were all up to speed on agenda 2063. desk review of public ttcs strategic plans does capture a system of midterm review critical factors that negatively affect the relevance of the strategic plans. the monitoring and evaluation focus on internal matters such as implementation plan. conclusion the study established that there is a strategic plan at each institution that was part of the study. this was supported by document analysis where the strategic plan from each institution that took part was studied. the developments of these plans were highly participative and hugely influenced by the management culture of delegation and specialized committees of the public ttcs and strengthened through giz support. public ttcs have a management culture of each level having tasks deputy principals, heads of department, teaching practice coordinators, quality assurance teams and monitoring and evaluation teams. this enabled a very participative situational analysis through swot process and development of an all-inclusive strategic plan. however, it was also noted that the strategic plan in trying to be all-inclusive had over ambitious targets or had key result areas that were outside the mandate of the ttcs. this aspect would render the strategic plan as an academic exercise and not relevant to the day to day running of the ttcs. questionnaires responded to by principals revealed that most of the plans in third year of implementations had only managed to accomplish 30-50% of the goals and targets set. this could be attributed to the fact that most targets set assumed an increased budget and regular disbursement of funds. however, during the planning period, funding was erratic at making colleges cut down on activities. it was also noted that there was legitimate expectation that giz the traditional donor for ttcs would fund some of the activities, but during this planned period giz, reduced their funding and left the sector. in the minds of the participants, they had no doubts that the strategic plans are relevant in public ttcs because the strategic plans key results areas had focused on procurement of resources, improved teaching and learning, improved welfare for staff and students, improved infrastructure and environmental development, use of information and communication technology (ict) and practicing inclusivity (ie). recommendations based on the findings from the study and literature review, the study recommends the following: both in private and public sector, a strategic plan is highly influenced by the existing policy agenda. to ensure that pa ge 11 8 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 109-118, 2024 the strategic plan remains relevant there should be a set mechanism for bi annual review. this bi annual review would serve three purposes (a) it will ensure that the strategic plans are still responsive to government set agenda, there is change, it will provide for an opportunity to realign the strategic plan second half of implementation to new policy agendas (b) it will allow for monitoring and evaluation results feedback into the goals and targets and where there are too ambitious adjust where they were too casual adjust (c) there is usually high turnover of staff the bi annual review provides an opportunity to bring new staff on board. for the ministry of education specifically dted the researchers would like to make two major recommendations. the first is that ‘teacher training philosophy should be driven by policy agenda of the government.’ there was significant shift from mgds ii & iii to agenda 2063. whilst the strategic plans were hugely responsive to mgds ii & iii the change agenda 2063 made the strategic plans endangered species and not a priority for government to fund the activities therein. there was need and still a need for dted to find funds to have teacher training colleges review the strategic plans. dted currently is through usaid funded programme reviewing teacher training strategies. this is a window of opportunity to review the strategic plans so that they remain relevant second major recommendation is that, ‘within the constraints of public financed institutions dted should negotiate that ttcs can have programmes that will assist in generating funds. references bryant, c. (2013). polytechnic strategic plan – report on mid term review. university of regina canada. chemwai, b. lebo, c. & koeche, j. (2014). factors that impede the implementation of strategic plans in secondary schools in bongo district in kenya. international journal of human and social sciences, 5(1). david, f. (2013). strategic management concepts and cases 14th edition. pearson. government of malawi (2020). agenda 2063 the malawi we want national planning commission. lilongwe: government of malawi. government of malawi (2017). the 2015/16 education sector performance report strengthening governance and management for improved access and quality in education. ministry of education science and technology. government of malawi (2015). ministry of education science and technology; strategic plan 2015-2020. ministry of education science and technology. government of malawi. government of malawi (2014). performance management and policy procedures handbook for civil servants; office of the president and cabinet, lilongwe: government of malawi. government of malawi (2010). malawi growth and development strategy ii 2011-2016 ministry of economic planning and development. lilongwe: government of malawi. government of malawi (2010). malawi growth and development strategy ii 2011-2016 ministry of economic planning and development. lilongwe: government of malawi. government of malawi (2007). integrated strategic and implementation planning in government of malawi, a handbook for government planners. lilongwe: government of malawi. government of malawi (2007). integrated strategic and implementation planning in government of malawi, a handbook for government planners. lilongwe: government of malawi. government of malawi, (1995). policy and investment framework (1995-2005) ministry of education, lilongwe: government of malawi. pa ge 1 pa ge 1 american journal of education and technology (ajet) impact of heuristic approach on students’ academic achievement and retention in map reading and interpretation among secondary schools, municipal zones, kano-nigeria aishatu balaraba musa1*, sa’ad saleh musa2 volume 3 issue 1, year 2024 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v3i1.2328 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: november 27, 2023 accepted: december 23, 2023 published: december 25, 2023 this study explores the impact of employing a heuristic approach on students’ academic achievement and retention in geography education. the sample consisted of 235 ss ii students enrolled in public secondary schools in the municipal education zone, kano, nigeria. the study utilized a quasi-experimental design, with two schools assigned to the experimental group (heuristic approach) and two schools assigned to the control group (lecture method). the geography achievement test (gat) was used as the data collection instrument. ancova was used to test the hypothesis using spss and the findings revealed a significant difference in the mean academic achievements between students taught geography concepts using the heuristic approach and those taught using the lecture method. the experimental group exhibited higher academic achievement compared to the control group, indicating that the use of the heuristic approach enhances students’ understanding and performance in geography. also, there was a significant difference in the mean retention scores of male and female students when taught geography using the heuristic approach. female students achieved higher retention scores than their male counterparts, suggesting that the heuristic approach is particularly effective in facilitating knowledge retention for female students in geography education. based on the findings, it is recommended that educators and curriculum developers incorporate the heuristic approach into teaching methods for geography concepts. training programs and workshops can be conducted to familiarize teachers with effective strategies for implementing the heuristic approach in their lessons. keywords heuristic approach, secondary schools, geography education 1 bayero university kano, nigeria 2 the university of america, curacao * corresponding author’s e-mail: aishatumusab@gmail.com introduction geography is a scientific discipline that focuses on the examination and analysis of the earth’s lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena (american heritage dictionary, 2016). the academic discipline of geography serves to prepare and equip learners with the necessary scientific thinking skills that will be beneficial in their future endeavors. geography is an academic discipline that encompasses the systematic study of the description, distribution, and interaction of various physical, biological, and social features found on the earth’s surface (minn, 2018). the study of geography enables students to develop an appreciation for the wide range of landscapes, populations, and societies that exist in the world. the purpose of geography education is to equip young individuals with the necessary skills to adapt to the challenges presented by an ever-expanding global economy. one argument posits that geography education is most effective when it facilitates self-discovery among young individuals, particularly in a distinctive and unconventional environment. furthermore, the discipline of geography equips students with the necessary practical abilities to thrive in a contemporary economic system, which can be referred to as geographical skills. moreover, a pedagogical tradition exists within the field of geography education that emphasizes the holistic development and cultivation of the student, as well as the promotion of self-reflection regarding their emotions and thoughts pertaining to various locations and phenomena. in nigeria, the subject of geography is typically taught for a duration of three years at the senior secondary school level. the secondary school curriculum consists of a combination of compulsory subjects and optional subjects, with students having the autonomy to select elective subjects from either the art or social science disciplines. notably, certain elements of geography are encompassed within the social studies curriculum, while integrated science is a mandatory subject for all students. the national policy on education of the federal republic of nigeria (frn, 2013) and examination bodies, namely the west african examination council (waec, 2016) and national examination council (neco, 2016), as well as the nigerian educational research and development council (nerdc), have outlined the objectives of teaching geography at the senior secondary school level. there exist multiple pedagogical approaches to the instruction of geography, such as the lecture method and the talk and chalk method. the latter is widely employed by geography educators as a means to effectively address the syllabus, albeit potentially impacting student performance. the methods of teaching and learning have undergone changes over a specific period of time. according to sharma (2018), the traditional lecture method has been superseded by pa ge 2 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(1) 1-8, 2024 contemporary instructional approaches. the approach to education has evolved beyond the traditional lecturebased method known as the “chalk and talk” method. the pedagogical approach to teaching geography has experienced significant transformations, transitioning from traditional methods to contemporary approaches that cater to the unique requirements of each subject. scholars have delineated a variety of strategies for instructing geography, encompassing laboratory activities, lectures, discovery-based learning, inquiry-based learning, demonstrations, problem-solving exercises, processoriented instruction, deductive and inductive methods, as well as simulation and animation techniques (salisu, 2016). the heuristic approach is widely regarded as the most suitable and efficacious pedagogical method for the instruction of geography. the objective of this approach is to foster the cultivation of a scientific mindset and disposition among students. the heuristic method is characterized by learners independently discovering knowledge and information. students are strategically positioned to assume the role of explorers, with the aim of minimizing direct instruction and encouraging independent discovery of knowledge. the inherent curiosity within students motivates them to engage in the process of acquiring knowledge. this approach emphasizes the pursuit of truth, which is grounded in rationality and individual empirical observations. the concept is grounded in the psychological principles of the “trial and error” theory. according to jay (2021), possessing logical and imaginative thinking abilities is essential for implementing this particular teaching strategy. academic achievement refers to the quantifiable assessment of an individual’s accomplishments following their participation in an educational program (lucy, 2015). on the contrary, academic achievement can be understood as an assessment of the outcomes and significant transformations in individuals’ knowledge, skills, and attitudes that arise from their educational experiences (arokoyu, 2017). therefore, when assessing academic performance, it has been found that grades obtained in examinations can be utilized as both predictive and criterion measures (adeyemi & awolere, 2016). despite the efforts made by the nigerian government and parents to invest in science education in order to address the current challenges of the 21st century, the academic performance of students in the subject of geography at the senior secondary certificate examination (ssce) has consistently demonstrated a lower level of achievement in comparison to the increasing number of students enrolled in the course over the course of several years. this observation is supported by the findings presented in the reports of the chief examiners of the west african examinations council (waec) for the years 2014 and 2018. educators who possess effective pedagogical strategies or approaches are able to motivate students to engage in higher-order thinking, achieve notable academic success, and enhance their capacity for knowledge retention. retention can be defined as the process of maintaining or retaining possession of something or someone for an extended period of time (noe et al., 2018). retention refers to the ongoing process of preserving and upholding newly acquired information or components thereof. however, the process of retaining acquired information involves the storage of said information in long-term memory in a manner that facilitates easy retrieval. according to okoye and arimonu (2016), in the context of geography education, educators aspire for students to retain the concepts taught, as the level of retention plays a crucial role in determining students’ performance in assigned tasks or activities. over the years, there has been significant concern regarding academic achievement in the field of geography educational testing (igbudu, 2015). there has been a notable inclination towards a substantial proportion of geography students experiencing academic failure in their examinations at the senior secondary school level. despite being provided with adequate resources and instructional assistance, a significant proportion of students consistently struggle to attain a satisfactory grade in their geography examinations. this matter becomes a subject of significance due to the fact that geography holds a pivotal role in comprehending the complexities of the world and cultivating the capacity for critical analysis. it is imperative to ascertain and rectify the underlying causes of this widespread failure in order to enhance the academic achievements of students studying geography. in order to ascertain the underlying causes of this issue, it is imperative to conduct an examination of various factors, including curriculum design, teaching methodologies, student engagement, and examination format. moreover, when contemplating the enduring consequences of this matter, such as constrained professional opportunities and waning enthusiasm towards geography as an academic discipline, the identification and implementation of efficacious remedies assume utmost significance for the holistic advancement of students and the educational framework. the purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of employing a heuristic approach on students’ academic performance and retention in secondary schools within the municipal education zone of kano, nigeria. the focus of the research is on map reading and interpretation. objective of the study the specific objectives formulated to guide the study are to: 1. investigate the difference between the academic achievements of secondary school students taught geography concepts using heuristic approach and those taught lecture method of teaching in kano municipal. 2. compare the retention ability of male and female students when taught geography concepts using heuristic teaching strategy in secondary schools in kano state. literature review mona (2012) conducted a study to investigate the effects pa ge 3 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(1) 1-8, 2024 of employing the heuristic teaching approach in the instruction of mathematics to tenth-grade students in jordan. the study utilized an equivalent preand post-test two-group design to assess the impact of this approach. to measure student achievement in mathematics, a pre/ post-test was developed as part of the study’s objectives. the study sample comprised 142 students, with 69 male students and 73 female students from the tenth grade at king abdullah school in irbid, jordan, during the first semester of the academic year 2011/2012. the participants of the study were randomly assigned to either an experimental group or a control group. the participants in the study were divided into two groups: the experimental group, which received instruction in mathematics using the heuristic approach, and the control group, which received instruction in mathematics using the lecture method of teaching. the experimental group consisted of 34 male students, while the control group included 35 male students. additionally, the experimental group consisted of 37 female students, while the control group had 36 female students. the preand post-tests of students were subjected to descriptive statistical analyses, specifically using means and standard deviation. the statistical method employed for comparing the control and experimental groups, as well as the gender variable, was a two-way anova (analysis of variance). the results of the study revealed that there were statistically significant disparities in the post-test scores between the control and experimental groups, with the experimental group demonstrating superior performance. additionally, no statistically significant discrepancy in academic achievement was observed based on gender. the research findings indicate that the interaction between gender and group did not yield any statistically significant differences. the researcher suggests several recommendations aimed at improving the efficacy of employing a heuristic approach in mathematics instruction and its impact on students’ academic performance. these recommendations include conducting additional studies at various academic institutions. the research conducted by mona (2012) examined the influence of employing the heuristic teaching approach in the instruction of mathematics to tenth grade students in jordan. in a similar vein, the present study aims to explore the impact of utilizing the heuristic strategy on maps. reading and interpretation among geography students a previous study was conducted in jordan at king abdullah school in irbid, focusing on academic achievement and retention in secondary schools. the present study, on the other hand, will be carried out in the kano municipal education zone in nigeria. in the previous study, a sample size of 142 tenth-grade students was utilized, whereas in the current study, a sample size of 239 students from ssii will be employed. both the past and present studies share similarities as they aim to assess academic achievement. both the present and past studies utilize a quasiexperimental design for data collection. in the present study, the geography achievement test (gat) will be employed, whereas in the past study, the measurement of academic talent (mat) was used for data collection. the past study focused solely on student achievement, whereas the present study aims to investigate both achievement and retention. in a study conducted by antony and adiel (2016), the researchers aimed to investigate the impact of the vee heuristic teaching approach on students’ attitudes towards the acquisition of knowledge in the field of biology. the research was carried out in public secondary schools located in tharaka nithi county. the solomon four-group non-equivalent control group design was employed in this study. a sample of 12 schools was randomly selected from the county, and data was collected from these schools. the sample consisted of 396 participants, with 2 students selected from each of the four boys’ schools, four girls’ schools, and four coeducational schools. a questionnaire assessing attitudes towards biology was developed and employed for the purpose of data collection. the instruments underwent a pilot test in a single-gender school for boys, a singlegender school for girls, and a coeducational school in embu east sub-county in order to determine their reliability. the estimation of the reliability coefficient was conducted using cronbach’s alpha. the research instruments yielded a coefficient value of 0.83. the hypotheses were evaluated using analysis of variance (anova) and t-test statistics at a significance level of α = 0.05. the means were separated using the least significant difference (lsd) method. the research revealed that the implementation of the vee heuristics teaching approach (vhta) had a positive impact on students’ attitudes towards the subject of biology. given that the implementation of vhta has proven to be advantageous for students regardless of their gender or the type of school they attend, it is recommended that educational authorities actively promote its utilization among biology teachers, curriculum developers, quality assurance and standards officers, as well as teacher trainers, in order to enhance the effectiveness of their teaching practices. this research will investigate the impact of employing a heuristic strategy on the academic achievement and retention of geography students in secondary schools within the municipal education zone of kano state, nigeria. the specific focus will be on map reading and interpretation. the study conducted by antony, leonard, and jonathan (2018) aimed to investigate the impact of the vee heuristic teaching approach on students’ attitudes towards learning biology in kenya. the previous study examined individuals’ attitudes, whereas the current study aims to explore the effects of achievement and retention. both present and past research studies exhibit differences in terms of research design. in the past, a study was conducted utilizing the solomon design. the present study employs a four-group non-equivalent control group design, which is a quasi-experimental design. in contrast, the previous study utilized the biology attitude pa ge 4 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(1) 1-8, 2024 test (bat) as an instrument, whereas the present study will employ the general attitude test (gat) as the instrument. both the present and previous studies included samples consisting of both males and females. the present study will utilize four educational institutions. the previous study utilized a sample size of 239 senior class students (ss ii) from 12 schools. additionally, 396 junior class students (form 2) were included in the study. in their study, nwafor et al. (2019) conducted research to investigate the impact of the heuristic method of instruction on the academic performance of senior secondary school students in computer studies. the study was conducted in the ebonyi north education district, specifically in abakaliki, ebonyi state. the study was guided by three research questions and three null hypotheses. the research utilized a quasiexperimental design and implemented a pre-test, posttest, non-equivalent control group design, consisting of an experimental group and a control group. a total of 200 students in their second year of senior secondary education were selected for this study. out of these, 101 students were male and 99 were female. the students were drawn from six senior secondary schools, consisting of two boys’ schools, two girls’ schools, and two coeducational schools. the selection process employed simple random sampling. among the six educational institutions under consideration, three were designated as the experimental group, consisting of one girls’ school, one boys’ school, and one co-educational school. the remaining three schools were assigned to the control group. the students were instructed in the fundamental principles of computer hardware through their respective computer studies instructors, as outlined in the computer science curriculum. the experimental group received instruction using the heuristic method, whereas the control group received instruction using the conventional method. the instruction was conducted within regular school hours, adhering to the standard school timetable. prior to the commencement of the study, a preliminary assessment was conducted among the participants in both experimental groups, and relevant data were duly documented. following the conclusion of the experiment, a post-test was administered, and the data were subsequently recorded. the research inquiries were addressed by employing measures of central tendency and variability, specifically mean and standard deviation. the hypotheses were evaluated through the utilization of analysis of co-variance (ancova) at a significance level of 0.05. the data collection instrument utilized in this study was the computer studies achievement test (csat). the instrument underwent both content and face validation, with a reliability coefficient of 0.98 achieved through the use of the k-r 20 approach. the findings of the study indicated that students who were exposed to the heuristic method of instruction demonstrated superior performance compared to those who were taught using the conventional method. additionally, there was a notable disparity in academic performance between male and female students, with male students exhibiting higher levels of achievement. the study’s findings indicate that the heuristic method of instruction was associated with increased levels of academic achievement. therefore, it is suggested that the heuristic method of instruction be implemented in the teaching of computer studies in secondary schools in order to improve students’ academic performance. the research conducted by nwafor et al. (2019) examined the impact of employing heuristics as an instructional method on the academic performance of senior secondary school students in computer studies within ebonyi state. this current study aims to investigate the influence of heuristic strategies on map comprehension. reading and interpretation among geography students is a topic of interest within the academic community. the present study focuses on the examination of academic achievement and retention rates within secondary schools located in a specific municipal education zone. the city of kano is located in northern nigeria. in previous studies, a sample of 200 ss ii students was selected. for the current study, a sample of 239 intact classes was chosen. previous research has utilized the computer achievement test (cat), while the current study will employ the geography achievement test (gat). both the present and past research share a common experimental design, specifically a quasi-experimental design. furthermore, both studies are similar in that they seek to investigate the impact of student academic achievement. in a study conducted by yaman (2017), an examination was carried out to explore the impact of the science writing heuristic approach on the overall quality of prospective science. the present study examines the relationship between teachers’ proficiency in argumentative writing and their comprehension of science argumentation, specifically the science writing heuristic (swh) approach. the study focuses on the impact of teachers’ abilities on grade 9 students’ performance on a posttest, taking into account their academic achievement levels. the study included four intact classes from a turkish public high school, taught by two chemistry teachers. one class from each teacher was designated as the treatment group, while the other class from each teacher served as the control group. the students in the treatment group received instruction utilizing the swh (student-generated questions, worked examples, and hands-on activities) approach, whereas the students in the control group received instruction through traditional lecture-based methods. the assessment of students’ academic performance was conducted by analyzing their average scores in chemistry from the preceding semester. these scores were utilized to evaluate the influence of the intervention on different levels of achievement. a preand post-test was administered to both groups in order to measure students’ achievement in the areas of chemical change and mixture. the data were subjected to analysis using analysis of covariance (ancova). the results of the study revealed that the student-generated pa ge 5 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(1) 1-8, 2024 work homework (swh) approach had a significantly greater impact on students’ test scores compared to the traditional lecture approach. there was a significant difference in student performance on the post-test based on their levels of academic achievement. the post-test results indicate that individuals classified as low achievers and middle achievers within the swh group exhibited significantly higher performance compared to their counterparts in the lecture group. in a study conducted by okechuku (2014), the objective was to examine the impact of heuristic teaching methods on the academic performance and knowledge retention of students in the field of algebra. the research utilized a quasi-experimental design with a nonequivalent control group. the research was conducted in the state of anambra, located in nigeria. the study utilized two educational institutions. the treatment group received instruction on the theory of indices using a heuristic method, whereas the control group was taught the same topics using a conventional approach. at the commencement of the experiment, a pre-test in the form of an algebra achievement test was administered to the students in both groups. following an eightweek treatment session, the same algebra achievement test was administered to the students as a posttest. the study was guided by three research questions and three null hypotheses. the research inquiries were addressed by employing measures of central tendency such as the mean and variability measures such as the standard deviation. the null hypotheses were examined at a significance level of 0.05 utilizing the statistical technique known as analysis of covariance (ancova). the findings of the research indicate that the heuristic approach exhibits greater effectiveness compared to the conventional approach in promoting students’ academic performance and long-term retention in the subject of linear algebra. the findings of the study indicated that male students who were instructed in linear algebra using the heuristic method exhibited superior performance compared to their female peers. additionally, the study concluded that there was no significant interaction between the instructional method employed and gender in relation to students’ achievement in the field of linear algebra. the purpose of this study is to examine the impact of employing a heuristic strategy on the process of map interpretation. reading and interpretation among geography students is a topic of interest in academic circles. the study conducted by okechuku sunday (2014) examines the impact of the heuristic teaching method on students’ achievement in algebra in anambra state, nigeria. the focus of the study is on academic achievement and retention in secondary schools within the municipal education zone of kano, nigeria. the similarities between past and present studies lie in their examination of students’ academic achievement and their utilization of a quasi-experimental design. in the past study, data was collected using an algebra achievement test paper, which comprised 25 questions. conversely, the present study will employ a different subject test/question paper called the geography achievement test (gat) in the field of geography, consisting of 35 questions. the previous study utilized a sample of 100 students from two secondary schools who were in their second year of senior secondary education (ss ii). in contrast, the current study will involve selecting one intact class from each of four schools, resulting in a total sample size of 239 students. numerous studies conducted in both historical and contemporary contexts have been dedicated to investigating the impact of student academic achievement. the study conducted by muhammad et al. (2020) examines the effects of heuristic and lecture methods of teaching on students’ academic performance. this study employs an experimental design with a pre-test and post-test group arrangement. the treatment group received instruction using the heuristic method, while the non-treatment group received instruction through the lecture method. the duration of the intervention spanned eight weeks. the treatment groups were instructed using activitybased instruction, which involved the utilization of semistandardized lessons and science kits. the findings of the study indicated that the performance of the treatment group was superior to that of the non-treatment group, suggesting that the use of the heuristic method is more effective than the lecture method in the instruction of science in elementary schools (muhammad et al., 2020). julie s. b et. al (2020). in their study to assess the effectiveness of using the simatar mobile application as a tool for improving the grade 8 students’ academic performance, motivation, and attitude towards learning science, as well as the teachers’ assessment upon using the application. results showed that all indicators on the teacher’s and students’ assessment of the simatar mobile augmented reality application were rated as strongly agree. all indicators of students’ attitudes towards science showed improvement after implementing the ar application in science teaching. further, the scores of the student participants in the pre-test and post-test were remarkably increased after using the application. as for the challenges, results revealed that students need the gadgets to use, and they need to gain knowledge on how to manipulate the application. through data analysis using paired samples t-test, it is concluded that the integration of simatar in teaching science increases the engagement and interest of the students in learning the subject, and the application of mobile augmented reality could substantially improve the teaching and learning process. previous research has utilized the simatar mobile application, while the current study will employ the geography achievement test (gat). both the present and past research share a common experimental design, specifically a quasi-experimental design. furthermore, both studies are similar in that they seek to investigate the impact of student academic achievement. pa ge 6 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(1) 1-8, 2024 methodology the study used quasi-experimental design, which is a research design that does not involve random assignment to groups. in this study, two schools were assigned to the experimental group and two schools were assigned to the control group. the experimental group was taught using heuristic approach, while the control group was taught using lecture approach. research instrument the instrument used for this study is geography achievement test (gat). gat was adapted from past question papers of senior school certificate examination (ssce) (2011, 2013, 2018 & 2019). gat was used for pretest, posttest and post-posttest in order to measure the level of academic achievement and retention. however, the nature of the data on the instrument was multiple choice questions. the data collection instrument was divided into two sections, a and b. section a required the demographic data of the respondents such as name, school, class, and gender. section b contained multiple-choice questions related to map reading and interpretation. the gat was made of thirty-five (35) items with multiple choice answered letter a-d. each of which carried 1 mark. hence, the data collection instrument was nominal in nature. result and discussion the study was conducted on 235 students in the sampled schools with school b and c as the experimental group with sixty-four (64) female students and sixty-five (65) male students respectively, and schools a and d as the control group with fifty-four (54) female students and fifty-two (52) male students respectively. the first null hypothesis 1 states that there is no significant difference in the mean academic achievements of students taught geography concept using heuristic source: kerlinger (1973) population and sample of the study the population of this study comprised of all ssii students offering geography in 20 public secondary schools in kano municipal educational zone. specifically, the population of this study covered 4,735 ss ii students for 2019/2020 academic session among which 3,619 were boys and 1,116 were girls selected from municipal zone, kano state and the sample size of 118 females and 117 males making a total of 235 was used for this study using the intact classes experimental and control groups from the municipal secondary schools education zone, kano. a stratified random sampling technique was used in selecting the sample size of ss ii students for this study, while simple random sampling technique was used to select the schools. table 1: ancova results for the mean achievement scores of experimental and control source type iii sum of squares df mean square f sig. partial eta squared corrected model 263.169 a 2 131.584 21.937 .000 .159 intercept 4639.609 1 4639.609 773.506 .000 .769 pretest 12.893 1 12.893 2.150 .144 .009 group 246.065 1 246.065 41.024 .000 .150 error 1391.572 232 5.998 total 142787.000 235 corrected total 1654.740 234 a. r squared = .159 (adjusted r squared = .152) approach and those taught using lecture method. the result reveals that there is significant difference in the mean academic achievements of students taught geography concept using heuristic approach and those taught using lecture method in favour of the experimental group. this finding implies that the use of heuristic approach in teaching map reading in geography enhances the academic achievement of the students which is in line with the findings of mona (2012), nwafor, okpala and okato (2019) and yaman (2017) who found out in their studies, that students learning heuristic approach have higher achievement than those who learnt through conventional or lecture method of teaching. the study observed carefully that the heuristic approach helps a lot in the experimental group and the students performed better than the control group. unlike the conventional method of teaching where the teacher will only teach without making sure that all students were carried together and making sure that no one is left behind. using heuristic approach to teach map reading and interpretation, learning becomes all-inclusive, experiential and evidence-based. learners become active, instead of being passive as they are objectively involved in teaching and learning process. this enhances retention. the second null hypothesis 2 states that there is no significant difference in the mean retention scores of male and female students when taught geography using heuristic approach. the result reveals that there is significant difference in the mean retention scores of male and female students when taught geography using heuristic approach in favour of the female students. this result is contrary to the findings pa ge 7 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(1) 1-8, 2024 of okechuku (2014) who conducted a research on the effect of heuristic method of teaching on students’ achievement and retention in algebra who found that male performed better than their female counterpart and also in line with the cognitive theory of heuristics that explains that by using heuristics to interpret maps in the context of this study, students may develop a deeper understanding of geographic concepts and improve their academic achievement and retention regardless of gender differences. conclusions the study concluded that there is a significant difference in the mean academic achievements between students taught geography concepts using the heuristic approach and those taught using the lecture method. the experimental group, which received instruction through the heuristic approach, demonstrated higher academic achievement compared to the control group and suggested that the heuristic approach can effectively enhance students’ understanding and performance in geography. also there is a significant difference in the mean retention scores of male and female students when taught geography using the heuristic approach and indicated that female students achieved higher retention scores than their male counterparts, emphasizing the potential advantages of the heuristic approach in facilitating knowledge retention for female students in the context of geography education. recommendations the study recommended that educators and curriculum developers should consider integrating the heuristic approach into the teaching methods for geography concepts as training programs and workshops can be conducted to familiarize teachers with effective strategies for incorporating the heuristic approach into their lessons. also educators should employ teaching methods and materials that cater to the unique learning needs and preferences of both male and female students. this may include providing additional support to male students or creating an inclusive classroom environment that encourages the active participation of female students. references adeyemi, s. b., & awolere, m. a. 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(2017). effect of the science writting heuristic approach on the quality of prospective science teacher’s argumentative writing and their understanding of scientific argumentation. journal of scientific and math educ, 16, 421-442. pa ge 1 pa ge 85 american journal of education and technology (ajet) the role of government initiatives in supporting education and health issues in the arab world study in egypt and saudi arabia eman samy h. ashry1* volume 3 issue 2, year 2024 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v3i2.2504 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: march 19, 2024 accepted: april 24, 2024 published: april 29, 2024 the study has given a comprehensive analysis of government initiatives in education and health sectors in saudia arabia and egypt, aiming to assess their impact on diverse demographic groups. the data shows key demographic statistics, perceptions of initiative effectiveness, and communication strategies employed. findings suggested that the government initiatives have positively created an impact on education, particularly in supporting children’s rights and addressing child-related concerns, while early detection and treatment for chronic diseases demonstrate holistic well-being. the study highlights the importance of communication channels like social media in raising awareness and promoting citizen engagement. it has been recommended that their strategies be enhanced in terms of tailoring the initiatives to specific demographics and continuous improvement for successful government initiatives in both countries. keywords health, egypt education, saudia arab education, government initiatives 1 king saud university, riyadh, saudi arabia * corresponding author’s e-mail: emansamy221@outlook.com introduction countries must confront societal risks, particularly health ones, to achieve sustainable development. government initiatives address various development dimensions and have varying levels of popular influence based on cultural, social, and political determinants. arab governments like egypt and saudi arabia have launched health and education initiatives to improve society. in the united states, initiatives like the “better food for all initiative” and the “health care initiative for the american citizen 2013” have been successful in achieving societal change (emanuel et al., 2021). official initiatives, like those of former us president barack obama, have the strength of their message and can lead to societal change. over the past five years, egypt has seen a rise in official initiatives in health and education, including initiatives to improve healthcare and strengthen school information infrastructure. the growth of education during the custodian of the two holy mosques era was characterized by qualitative initiatives aimed at raising university quality (alattiq, 2023). these projects included developing faculty creativity and excellence, supporting scientific and research excellence in universities, and contributing to scientific societies. important initiatives in education include supporting scientific research and development, developing digital skills, and the saudi digital library initiatives (fulton, 2020). however, some initiatives have not achieved their intended goals due to lack of awareness or communication. the research aims to analyze and evaluate communication strategies and protocols used in government initiatives in egypt and saudi arabia. it seeks to determine the impact of government measures on education and health concerns, the influence of communication channels on awareness, specific domains addressed, and the steps involved in executing projects (algahtany et al., 2023). the research addresses questions such as the function of government measures, appealing channels for public information, areas of efforts, and collaboration protocols. the research’s significance lies in enhancing knowledge of government projects, the growing importance of government activities, political leaders’ enthusiasm, and the limited number of studies examining the impact of government efforts on education and health issues. theory of dependence on the media the media dependence theory suggests that individuals’ reliance on media for information increases their importance. this is due to the media’s ability to influence individuals through continuous and intensive transmission. the theory focuses on how media influences beliefs, feelings, and behavior, and how it is influenced by surrounding circumstances, past experiences, and social instability (enders et al., 2021). it suggests that mutual dependence between the public and media is influenced by media performance and conflict intensity, and the stability of the social system, media capabilities, and social system control. the cognitive effects according to this theory include four things included the media aims to clarify ambiguity in events by providing clear explanations or increasing information, while also influencing public attitudes, acknowledging the individual’s role in shaping their perceptions, such as in environmental and educational issues. diffusion of innovation theory everett rogers theory explores the adoption of new ideas, practices or technologies within the society, pa ge 86 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 85-95, 2024 finding the stages such as knowledge, persuasion, decision, implementation and confirmation (min et al., 2021). it helps understand factors influencing adoption, communication channels, and the impact of social systems and individual interactions. literature review communication strategies and protocols in government initiatives saudi arabia can enhance their educational systems by integrating ict, but this requires stronger collaborations, increased funding, human resources, and refined assessment methods (alghamdi & holland, 2020). saudi arabian faculty members are prepared to adopt e-learning due to factors such as self-directed learning, institutional support, communication self-efficacy, and learning-transfer self-efficacy (tayyib et al., 2020). the meaningful communication in english (mce) training course enhances english instructors’ self-assurance and competence, promoting student-centered, interactive, and engaging classroom practices (korucu-kış, 2021). whereas, in health sector the health professionals can improve crisis communication effectiveness by using factbased, transparent messaging, people-centered tactics, and international cooperation (su et al., 2022). health communication executives suggest risk assessments, diverse decision-makers, effective communication procedures, and maintaining a calm demeanor during potential public health emergencies (voges et al., 2023). in egypt to effectively execute health technology assessments in egypt, it is crucial to boost local evidence creation, utilize an mcda framework, and coordinate among hta organizations (a. n. fasseeh et al., 2022). health communication executives suggest evaluating risks, involving diverse decision-makers, establishing clear communication protocols, and maintaining perspective during future public health crises (voges et al., 2023). egypt’s national mental health platform is revolutionizing mental health services by reducing stigma, increasing treatment accessibility, and enabling remote assistance via social media (noby, 2022). the development of responsible leadership abilities among business school students in post-revolution nations like egypt can only be achieved via the implementation of responsible management education, the maintenance of learning, and the assurance of a well-planned concealed curriculum (mousa, 2022). the study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the flipped classroom in higher education, comparing it to traditional methods. a second-year undergraduate nursing class was divided into two groups, one using the flipped classroom and the other using the conventional approach (binoy, 2024). a comprehensive and transformative understanding of new enterprise policy (nep) and emphasizes the importance of technology interventions in innovative teaching and learning (yadav & yadav, 2023). government initiatives in education: a comparative analysis the saudi 2030 agenda prioritizes technology and education, with the national transformation program aiming to equip citizens with digital skills. in 2016, a review of ict in education policies in saudi arabia and the republic of ireland was initiated, focusing on these developments (alghamdi & holland, 2020). the saudi education system prioritizes economic benefits over holistic growth and continuous learning, necessitating a broader perspective in education planning to acknowledge its practical and inherent value (algraini, 2021). saudi arabia’s higher education sector has significantly contributed to its global market competitiveness, transforming the nation into a knowledge-based economy. the government has invested in education, established universities, and graduated students globally. however, new political and economic environments pose challenges (jenkins, 2022). in egypt educators must critically analyze local/national and global educational discourses, analyzing interactions and assessing global political and economic developments, such as democratization and multinational corporate capitalism (ginsburg & megahed, 2021). whereas, egyptian engineering schools graduate 35,000 graduates annually, raising concerns among stakeholders. it has been suggested for the egyptian government that they should explore global experiences from engineering education providers to improve knowledge and skills (elsafty et al., 2020). the egyptian education system needs restructuring, and president al-sisi’s ‘national project’ presents a chance to revolutionize it. however, the political ambiguity could perpetuate current problems. although in egypt civil society organisations (csos) were emerged as substitutes to improve analytical reasoning and political awareness (mirshak, 2020). egypt has implemented upskilling programs in its education sector to enhance results and access better opportunities from international sources (elmassah et al., 2020). whereas, in saudia they have adopted many programs that has improved their educational procedures as this has included vocational programs, international programs (alanazi & benlaria, 2023). evolution of health initiatives in the arab world in egypt government should focus on healthcare professionals’ perspectives on antibiotic stewardship programs, as they have considered barriers like time and awareness, emphasizing the need for supervised training and successful implementation (salem et al., 2023). egypt should prioritise the foundational education, practical training and exploring the potential funding in healthcare to promote pharmacogenetic implementation (nagy et al., 2020). in egypt the interdisciplinary teams were working in the hcc hepatocellular carcinoma and promoting institutional, national and worldwide levels with the help of government of health administration support. however, there were many aspects in health that pa ge 87 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 85-95, 2024 they were considering and focusing in promoting health aspects (rashed et al., 2020). in egypt the government has endorsed the universal health insurance law in 2018 and is working on improving cancer prevention, screening, and early detection in healthcare initiatives (alorabi et al., 2021). whereas, in saudi arabia’s 2030 vision aims for comprehensive healthcare coverage, while the 2020 national transformation program focuses on improving access and establishing a patient-centered model, funded by an independent organization (al khashan et al., 2021). saudi arabia initiated a digital healthcare system overhaul, focusing on telemedicine, ai, cybersecurity, and blockchain to address challenges in the upcoming healthcare sector (alsaywid et al., 2023). artificial intelligence has gained significant traction in saudi arabia, particularly in the field of healthcare. it is being progressively used for image analysis, interpretation, and natural language processing (alkhalifah, 2023). public perception and participation in government initiatives the study indicates that incorporating cultural heritage courses into saudi arabian college curriculums is crucial for the saudi education sector (alhefnawi et al., 2023). saudi arabia’s higher education system lacks language planning and policy, with unrestricted english language use in academics, potentially raising concerns about gender disparities in professional environments (alnasser, 2022). government of saudia arabia are progressively exploring the use of ai in several public sector domains, such as military operations, surveillance, healthcare services, medical research, transportation, education, and emergency response (alshahrani et al., 2022). the egyptian government has been implementing publicprivate partnerships (ppps) to improve the education sector, with the egyptian education initiative (eei) promoting multinational corporations’ involvement in the ict sector. the collaboration aims to integrate egyptian students into the global workforce, aligning with the government’s 2030 vision plan to boost commercial and civil society involvement in education (helmy et al., 2020). in egypt’s educationist collaboration in cultural diversity, csr, sustainability, and higher education is crucial for research combining various disciplines and examining administration perspectives to enhance educational programs (mousa et al., 2020). saudia arabia has adopted e-learning process in order to enhance their educational process as compare from the egypt (alzhrani & alkubaidi, 2020). saudi arabia has experienced professionalization in english language instruction, recognizing the importance of efl instructors for global economic success. this has led to a growing demand for skilled instructors and efficient training methods (alshaikhi, 2020). saudia arabia and egypt have different approaches to public engagement in education. saudi arabia is integrating ai and e-learning while egypt uses public private partnerships to collaborate with multinational corporations. both countries recognises the importance of education in their development strategies but their approaches differ in technology adoption and partnership models, reflecting their unique priorities in achieving educational excellence. methodology this study belongs to descriptive studies, and relies on the (media survey) approach, with its field part in application to a simple random sample of the egyptian public who uses new media. the electronic survey form tool in application to beneficiaries of education and health initiatives. the number of respondents was (300) on a sample of egyptian and saudi media platforms. the survey form’s validity was tested using the face validity method, identifying its suitability for the study. it was presented to ten arbitrators with media science experience from egyptian universities and the gulf to identify weaknesses in form, wording, and style. table 1: primary data demographic number percentage gender male 138 46% female 162 54% education can read and write 32 10.70% less than secondary (elementary-preparatory) 56 18.70% secondary (high school or equivalent) 98 32.70% post-secondary 29 9.70% university 55 18.30% post-graduate 30 10.00% age 18-25 years old 20 6.70% 25-35 years old 92 30.70% 35-50 years old 141 47% 50-60 years old 36 12% 60 years old or older 11 3.70% country egypt 189 63% saudi arabia 111 37% the study reveals that both genders benefit from government initiatives aimed at education, prevention, and treatment to preserve health. the percentage of those holding an intermediate certificate increased by 32.7%, followed by those with less than average qualifications (18.7%), university (18.3%), and aboveaverage qualifications (9.7%). the age group also saw an increase, with 47.0% of the population aged 35-50 years benefiting from these initiatives. egypt’s percentage increased to 63.0%, while saudi arabia’s was 37.0%. pa ge 88 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 85-95, 2024 government initiatives in arab countries aim to develop and improve education to keep pace with technological progress, with egypt and saudi arabia showing interest in this. table 2: the role of government initiatives in supporting education issues issue mean standard deviation rank supporting the rights of the child and protecting them in school 2.23 0.696 17 addressing child abuse and violence in schools 2.53 0.587 2 linking electronic systems with child-related entities 2.68 0.509 1 entering, tracking, and retrieving data as needed 2.38 0.543 11 linking child rights organizations with students in public and private schools 2.45 0.685 5 contributing databases and statistics to the development of educational services 2.38 0.691 11 developing a technical system that relies entirely on artificial intelligence mechanisms 2.36 0.696 13 educating and caring for children in their early years 2.42 0.642 7 nurturing children's special skills 2.44 0.618 6 developing positive behaviors in children in the early stages of education 2.29 0.768 16 building a suitable environment to motivate teachers and students to work and learn well 2.34 0.715 14 opening more channels of communication between the leadership, teachers, and students of the school 2.33 0.696 15 identifying more proposals or complaints faced by both students and teachers 2.39 0.673 10 enhancing family participation in the educational process 2.45 0.675 5 providing students with the necessary life skills 2.4 0.664 9 promoting lifelong learning values 2.33 0.742 15 empowering youth of both genders by providing diverse educational and training opportunities 2.38 0.685 11 supporting and developing scientific research and supporting scientific competencies 2.47 0.62 4 achieving fair and inclusive education for all groups 2.41 0.66 8 developing the ability to choose the appropriate technologies and digital activities within the classroom 2.37 0.708 12 developing digital libraries and developing the ability to use them 2.48 0.667 3 the study highlights the importance of connecting electronic systems with authorities to address child abuse, violence, and promote early education. it emphasizes the development of children’s academic skills, proficiency, and technological abilities, aligning with advancements in technology and digitalization in education. the phrase “supporting and developing scientific research and supporting scientific competencies” had a mean score of 2.47 and a standard deviation of 620. this facilitates the advancement of scientific inquiry and augments the proficiency of researchers. the phrase “developing digital libraries and developing the ability to use them” had a mean of 2.48 and a standard deviation of 667. digital libraries have facilitated the use of information, worldwide digital websites, and databases in the context of the widespread adoption of remote education. subsequently, the term (inputting data, subsequently tracking it, and retrieving it when necessary) was introduced, with an average of 2.38 and a standard deviation of 543. this signifies the use of technology in advancing education throughout the age of globalization and artificial intelligence. the average value of this term, “participation with databases and statistics in developing educational services,” was 2.38, with a standard deviation of 691. enhancing education necessitates using databases and statistical information to accurately assess the current situation and establish connections between education, the job market, and societal demands. the development of scientific approaches was measured using the phrase “developing the ability to choose appropriate digital technologies and activities within school classrooms”. the mean score for this phrase was 2.37, with a standard deviation of 708. subsequently, the expression (creating a technological system that only depends on artificial intelligence methods) was introduced, characterized by a mean value of 2.36 and a standard deviation of 696. the phrase (increasing family involvement in the educational process) with an average of 2.45 and a standard deviation of 675. the educational process necessitates the involvement and assistance of the family in monitoring students, resolving their issues, and fostering academic success. (further information regarding the challenges or grievances encountered by both students and teachers) is available, with an average pa ge 89 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 85-95, 2024 of 2.39 and a standard deviation of 673. addressing these grievances and analyzing the recommendations contributes to the advancement of education. the statement focuses on ensuring equal and inclusive education for all demographics, promoting lifelong learning, and providing necessary life skills. the phrase focuses on empowering youth of both genders by providing diverse education and training opportunities. the phrase also emphasizes creating an appropriate environment to inspire teachers and students, enhancing communication channels between administration and students. however, these phrases aim to address student attrition, promote lifelong learning, and enhance educational institutions. table 3: the role of government initiatives in supporting health issues issue mean standard deviation rank early detection of viral infections 2.47 0.661 5 evaluation and treatment of hepatitis units 2.34 0.761 11 early detection of diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity 2.36 0.701 10 reducing deaths from diseases 2.41 0.68 8 speedy completion of waiting lists for surgery and critical medical interventions 2.32 0.683 13 early detection of chronic kidney disease 2.54 0.656 1 early detection and treatment of hearing loss in newborns 2.5 0.62 3 early intervention to facilitate treatment and avoid speech problems and delayed speech 2.41 0.709 8 early treatment of eye diseases 2.43 0.659 6 providing one million pairs of glasses and performing 250,000 eye surgeries 2.48 0.667 4 reintegration and empowerment of the visually impaired 2.37 0.718 9 early detection of anemia, obesity, and stunting in school students 2.53 0.603 2 clinical examination and screening for breast tumors and providing free treatment 2.28 0.774 14 awareness of reproductive health and family planning 2.42 0.673 7 detection of diseases (diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity or overweight) 2.33 0.71 12 early detection of infection with hepatitis b, hiv, and syphilis in pregnant women 2.37 0.736 9 monitoring the condition of the mother and child for 42 days after the end of pregnancy to detect risk factors for the mother or child 2.34 0.698 11 governments have been interested in discovering and treating diseases in a way that helps create healthy individuals capable of work and production, and there are many expressions that reveal the achievement of this purpose, namely: (early detection of chronic kidney disease) with a mean of 2.54 and a standard deviation of 656. followed by the phrase (early detection of anemia, obesity, and dwarfism for students schools) with an average of 2.53 and a standard deviation of 603. it was followed by the phrase (detecting and treating hearing impairment and loss in newborn children) with an average of 2.50 and a standard deviation of 620. this helps reduce the impact of hearing loss on the level of relationships or academic achievement. it is followed by the phrase (providing one million medical glasses and performing 250,000 eye surgeries) with a mean of 2.48 and a standard deviation of 667. the study reveals that the most important phrases in the text are protection from poor eyesight, early detection of virus infection, early treatment for diseases of weakness and loss of vision, clinical examination and detection of breast tumors, early intervention to facilitate treatment opportunities, reducing deaths from diseases, reintegrating and empowering the visually impaired, early detection of hepatitis b, hiv, and syphilis for pregnant women, evaluation and treatment through hepatitis virus treatment units, following up the table 4: the extent to which arab governments are keen to publicize their community initiatives using multiple means of communication response saudi arabia (number) saudi arabia (%) egypt (number) egypt (%) total (number) total (%) yes 88 46.6 43 37.8 131 43.6 to some extent 74 39.2 50 45 124 41.3 no 27 14.3 18 16.2 45 15 total 189 100 111 100 300 100 pa ge 90 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 85-95, 2024 condition of the mother and newborn for 42 days after the end of pregnancy to discover risk factors, detecting diabetes, blood pressure, obesity or overweight, and speeding up the end of waiting lists for critical surgical and medical intervention patients. the study emphasizes the importance of health awareness, early detection of diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity, and directing those diagnosed to receive treatment. the data has shown that the participants have supported for an initiative in saudia arabia and egypt. in saudia arabia 46.6% affirmed their support, while 39.2% expressed support to some extent. in egypt 37.8% supported and 45% supported to some extent whereas smaller percentage in both countries relied no. table 5: determinants of implementing initiatives channel mean standard deviation rank official pages of initiatives on social media 2.46 0.635 1 printed publications about the initiative 2.4 0.6 2 awareness seminars and meetings with citizens 2.37 0.71 3 youtube 2.31 0.67 5 newspapers 2.35 0.73 4 television advertisements 2.25 0.728 7 online newspapers 2.28 0.73 6 field data shows various communication methods for raising awareness of initiatives. social media and youtube websites are the most popular, with a large percentage of respondents following initiatives presented by the presidency of the republic. paper publications and newspapers are also used to raise awareness about the importance of initiatives. awareness seminars and meetings with citizens are also used, with an average of 2.37. electronic newspapers are an advanced communication method, while television advertisements reach all homes. hassan’s study (2022) found that the “egyptian woman, egypt’s health” initiative ranks first in terms of interest from tv channels. table 6: methods of communication messages to raise awareness of the contents of government initiatives method mean standard deviation rank used a simple, easy-to-understand colloquial language 2.32 0.74 4 used celebrities to promote initiatives 2.33 0.71 3 used a slogan that is consistent with the campaign 2.09 0.76 8 explained the steps of examination and treatment 2.31 0.72 5 was related to the goal of the campaign 2.47 0.69 2 varied according to the characteristics of the audience 2.21 0.69 7 highlighted the importance of citizen participation 2.23 0.67 6 addressed the emotions and feelings of citizens 2.51 0.65 1 there are many methods of communication messages to raise awareness of the contents of government initiatives, including: addressing the feelings and emotions of citizens: with an average of 2.51 and a standard deviation of 65. messages that urge citizens to protect themselves and their children, and the government’s keenness to help them at no cost, affect the extent of the target groups’ response. communication methods were also linked to the objectives of the campaign initiatives, with an average of 2.47 and a standard deviation of 69. clarifying the campaign’s objective helps increase awareness of these initiatives, and interest in benefiting from this campaign. celebrities were used to promote the initiatives, with a mean of 2.33 and a standard deviation of 71. the use of celebrities represents one of the advertising methods, as many audiences trust the opinions of stars and celebrities. it also used a colloquial dialect that is easy to understand, with an average of 2.32 and a standard deviation of 74. using the colloquial dialect helps reach all groups, and makes the beneficiary groups feel emotionally close and friendly to the person delivering the message. it also explained the examination and treatment steps with an average of 2.31 and a standard deviation of 72. the initiative raises awareness about benefits, emphasizes citizen participation, and influences success. the campaign’s slogans, with an average of 2.09 and a standard deviation of 76, affect audience receptivity to the message, ensuring effective communication and audience understanding. pa ge 91 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 85-95, 2024 the table has shown that the government initiatives allocated across demographic cateogerise in education and health. although students receive 92% allocation, while children and women receive a significant proportion. the elderly receives 20.70% allocation, highlighting the unique healthcare needs. statistical analyzes indicated that there are no statistically significant differences between saudi arabia and egypt with regard to government initiatives serving all groups without discrimination. the percentage of those who believe that government initiatives serve all groups without discrimination increased to 75%, and those who answered to some extent increased by 1.7%, compared to those who answered no by 23.3%. this confirms that government initiatives in the field of education and health aim to provide services without discrimination, given that all citizens have the right to benefit from these initiatives. table 7: categories covered by the initiatives category educational initiatives health initiatives children 8% 25.30% women n/a 27% students 92% 3.30% elderly n/a 20.70% all categories n/a 23.70% table 8: the extent to which justice has been achieved in providing educational and health services country yes to some extent no total saudi arabia 137 3 49 189 egypt 88 2 21 111 total 225 5 70 300 table 9: clarity of procedures for implementing initiatives country clear, understandable, and fast clear to some extent complex, unclear, and slow total saudi arabia 84 56 49 189 egypt 46 29 36 111 total 130 85 85 300 statistical analyzes indicated that there are no statistically significant differences between saudi arabia and egypt regarding the procedures for implementing the initiatives. the percentage of those who believed that the procedures for implementing the initiatives were clear, understandable, and quick increased to 43.3%, and the percentage of those who believed that they were fairly clear was 28.3%, compared to those who saw them as complex, unclear, and slow, by 28.3%. this data confirms the high percentage of people who think it is clear or fairly clear, which helps in raising awareness of the initiative’s goals and how to benefit from them. table 10: the extent of cooperation of the entities implementing the initiatives with other parties country strongly cooperates moderately cooperates weakly cooperates does not cooperate total saudi arabia 100 (52.9%) 39 (20.6%) 33 (17.5%) 32 (16.9%) 189 (100%) egypt 59 (53.2%) 38 (34.2%) 21 (18.9%) 5 (4.5%) 111 (100%) total 159 (53%) 77 (25.7%) 54 (18%) 37 (12.3%) 300 the study found no significant differences between saudi arabia and egypt in cooperation between parties implementing educational and health initiatives. however, the percentage of cooperation increased to 53.0%, indicating community participation in supporting these initiatives. participation in presidential initiatives benefits those involved and their attitudes towards government performance, as demonstrated. the study found no significant differences between saudi arabia and egypt in the contribution of initiatives to problem-solving. however, the percentage of those believing initiatives contributed to problem-solving increased to 41.3%, with 38.3% believing they contributed to some extent. pa ge 92 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 85-95, 2024 table 11: the extent to which initiatives contribute to developing alternatives and solutions to specific problems country yes to some extent no total saudi arabia 78 (41.3%) 68 (36%) 43 (22.8%) 189 (100%) egypt 46 (41.4%) 47 (42.3%) 18 (16.2%) 111 (100%) total 124 (41.3%) 115 (38.3%) 61 (20.3%) 300 (100%) table 12: level of success of educational and health initiatives country succeeded significantly succeeded to some extent succeeded to a small extent did not succeed total saudi arabia 87 (46.0%) 50 (26.4%) 31 (16.4%) 21 (11.1%) 189 (100%) egypt 45 (40.5%) 31 (27.9%) 19 (17.1%) 16 (14.4%) 111 (100%) total 132 (44.0%) 81 (27.0%) 50 (16.7%) 37 (12.3%) 300 (100%) the study found no significant differences in the success of educational and health initiatives between saudi arabia and egypt. however, the success rate increased by 44.0%, with moderate success rates at 27.0% and weak success at 16.7%. this indicates the importance of these initiatives and their effectiveness in serving target groups. the study found no significant differences in the achievement of health initiatives between saudi arabia and egypt. however, the percentage of those believing the initiatives achieved their objectives increased significantly to 67.7%, with 16% stating they achieved moderately, and 16.3% stating they achieved weakly. table 13: the extent to which the goals of the initiatives have been achieved country to a large extent to a moderate extent to a small extent total saudi arabia 133 (70.4%) 25 (13.2%) 31 (16.4%) 189 (100%) egypt 70 (63.1%) 23 (20.7%) 18 (16.2%) 111 (100%) total 203 (67.7%) 48 (16%) 49 (16.3%) 300 (100%) discussion the study has analysed the government programs pertaining towards education and health in saudia arabia and egypt. the study examined the important factors that has included public endorsement, effectiveness of implementation process, collaboration across organisation, impact on problem solving, and overall attainment related to the objectives. the analysis has shown a significant degree of support for these activities in both saudia arabia and egypt with a major indicating agreement. saudi arabia has made significant progress in its healthcare system through increased spending, improved infrastructure, and better care quality. however, challenges like shortages of healthcare workers, lack of preventive care, and health disparities remain, necessitating a more equitable and sustainable approach (gurajala, 2023). the study highlights transparency, collaboration among project teams, and saudi arabia’s superior performance in education and medical facilitation compared to egypt, indicating a high public perception of these initiatives. saudi arabia has successfully implemented e-learning for higher education as part of its educational system upgrade (a. m. m. alharbi, 2024). also, they are more focusing in efl learners by adopting visual learning styles with the strong preferences for group and kinesthetic learning styles (j. m. alharbi, 2024). in saudia the ministry of education aims to enhance the kingdome’s educational sector by enhancing learning outcomes and ensuring that the equal opportunities and enhancing environment and services should be given (kosárová, 2020). whereas, the public education system in egypt comprises three levels that has included kindergarten for 4-14 years, primary school for six years, and preparatory school (isced level 2) for three years (ewiss, 2021). egypt boasts a robust tertiary education system, comprising 17 public universities, 16 private universities, 89 private institutions, and 51 public non-university facilities (mahmoud, 2020). saudi arabia’s national healthcare system offers free universal coverage through government agencies, with increasing private sector participation in service provision (alkhamis & miraj, 2021; rahman & qattan, 2021). saudi arabia’s ministry of health offers integrated healthcare services across all regions, free of charge, under a new health strategy catering to the sector’s needs (sajjad & qureshi, 2020). whereas, the egyptian healthcare system is diverse, involving public and private providers, with the government providing universal health coverage and private services for those financially capable (a. fasseeh et al., 2022). egypt offers subsidized healthcare services, with 80% being free, but those with financial means opt for private care over the low-quality public system (a. fasseeh et al., 2022). the poorest households receive 40% of public subsidies for ambulatory care, while the pa ge 93 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 85-95, 2024 richest receive 16%, a pattern also observed in inpatient care at mohp hospitals (adhikari et al., 2021). in terms of comparison it has been found that the study has found no different in health initiatives among saudia arabia and egypt as both countries fulfilling the objectives in terms of health. conclusions the study examined government initiatives in saudia arabia and egypt related to education and health. it has been found that public support for these initiatives with saudia arabia showing significance improvements in the healthcare. however, challenges like shortage of healthcare workers and health disparities persist. the study has also emphasise the collaboration in project teams, with saudia arabia integrating e-learning into the higher education and prioritising english as foreign language learners. whereas, egypt has also upgraded with advancement in both education and health. study uses a survey method and media reliance theory to understand these roles. the research emphasizes the importance of publicizing community initiatives through various channels, confirming high implementation clarity and cooperation rates. media plays a crucial role in shaping knowledge and trends. recommendation • it is important for the government to use social media in promoting government initiatives and maintained the sustained communication through social media platforms. government should also promote different programs of health and education. • the study suggests that clear implementation of the methods and calls for transparency in government to 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(2023). effective communication management in a public health crisis: lessons learned about covid-19 pandemic through the lens of health communication executives. journal of communication management, 27(1), 64-83. pa ge 1 pa ge 88 american journal of education and technology (ajet) website visitor analysis & branding quality measurement using artificial intelligence sasibhushan-rao chanthati1* volume 3 issue 3, year 2024 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v3i3.3212 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: july 25, 2024 accepted: august 27, 2024 published: august 30, 2024 this article discusses the use of classification of web visitors and determination of branding quality using ai to redesign digital marketing. ai in its various forms, such as machine learning, natural language processing, and computer vision, helps businesses to better understand their users’ behavior, better understand the context of supplied content, and improve user experience. the application of ai in the management of websites offers features such as real-time monitoring, automated content tuning, and analytics for predictions. automated tools can analyze who is visiting the site, what kind of work they are doing in terms of seo, and how to assist with creating high-quality content. also, ai helps with mass and targeted promotions like recommended products and services, variable rates of prices, etc. ai can help unlock significant benefits for businesses, across the board and lead to enhanced engagement in the digital space and thus gives a competitive advantage in the market. the article also discusses investment in training and education for consumers to ensure them remain relevant with emerging technologies in ai and the market. by way of illustration and analysis, the article clearly outlines how the incorporation of ai in organizational functions can bring about operational efficiencies and cost savings, as well as result in remarkable improvements in branding and marketing strategies. the article was first completed in 2021 and later i have modified the article with latest updates till date 2024. keywords artificial intelligence, website visitor analysis & branding quality measurement, automated tools 1 9202 appleford cir, 248, owings mills, md, 21117, united states * corresponding author’s e-mail: sasichanthati@gmail.com introduction the use of artificial intelligence is something new in our daily lives and there is no reason to think that the hype of this artificial intelligence is likely to go away. where is the use of this artificial intelligence? instagram is currently doing this. instagram new tool will block the bad comments and users can highlight only good comments (kietzmann et al., 2018). utilizing machine learning technology an ai-based system teaches software, what a decent comment is and what an awful comment is. it turns out that a few days ago, “staples, a wellknown stationery retailer in the united states”, made a connection with their popular easy button in artificial intelligence (mustak et al., 2021). the stationery company marketed it only as a toy in 2005 and the toy sold well at the time (varsha et al., 2021). at one point staples announced that they were upgrading their easy button so that buyers could purchase products from staples. this easy button connects to the internet with a wi-fi connection (mustak et al., 2021). by pressing this button, the buyer will be able to order the products in staples using voice command. additionally, you can pose various types of inquiries. for this, staples is using machine learning technology included in artificial intelligence (prentice et al., 2019). a computer program must upgrade itself continuously when it goes through the process of machine learning. this artificial intelligence will then try to understand what the buyer wants to buy based on the previous information and he will also talk to the buyer (ameen et al., 2021). if the artificial intelligence does not understand the buyer or understands what he is ordering, he will let the buyer contact the station representative of the staples organization (rana et al., 2022). when the buyer speaks to the representative, the intelligence will listen to their conversation and try to understand what the buyer needs. that way he/she will constantly upgrade himself. staples is now investing heavily in mobile commerce and e-commerce (gupta et al., 2024). on the other hand, if we look further, we will see that a billiondollar industry has developed around “b chat bot”. at present, 70-75% of the staple stationery vendor’s mobile sales are b-to-b and more than half of the revenue comes from the website (hollebeek et al., 2024). staples has also started using chatbots experimentally in their mobile applications. the stationery vendor hopes that in the future they will be able to communicate with their vast customers through this chatbot (suraña‐sánchez & aramendia‐muneta, 2024). finally, staples has updated its mobile app so that shoppers can quickly find their desired product when they visit staples stores. now using this application, a buyer can see on a map what kind of products are in the inventory of staples. if we think back a bit, we can realize that this popular chatbot was nothing but eliza back in 1986. this eliza replays some of the specific scripts of the patients (dadas, 2024). figure 1: ai in website visitor analysis pa ge 89 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 88-101, 2024 literature review artificial intelligence artificial intelligence also referred to as ai is a subset of computer science that is aimed at engineering intelligent machines capable of exercising human like intelligence (prentice et al., 2020). this includes copied human interaction and activities to the robots. it has led to the development of intelligent systems that can reason, communicate, and act like human beings (rana et al., 2022). it includes robotics, speech and image processing, natural language understanding and ai-based problem solving. ai can be described as a set of technologies which can perform those tasks that would otherwise need human intelligence (dadas, 2024). when implemented in standard business processes, these technologies can learn, act, and decide in ways that are as intelligent as human beings, therefore cutting short the time and reducing cost within business operations. the main goal of ai is to create sophisticated systems that mimic human cognition and conduct. it opens a lot of possibilities across many sectors, most of which are either concerned or enthusiastic about the possibilities of ai. also known as the fourth industrial revolution, ai has the potential to solve some of the current problems through use of ml and other ai solutions (chaitanya et al., 2023). in addition, ai can predict future problems and contribute to emergence of new technologies, industries, and environment (chintalapati & pandey, 2022). in a nutshell, ai reproduces and mimics human behavior in machines, including learning, reasoning, and even adaptation (pandey, 2023). using ai, users’ data can be analyzed and understood, including its comprehension and decision-making abilities that are essential for market forecasting and users’ behavior (yüksel et al., 2023). this capability, also known as data forecasting, is used by enterprises across the globe to enhance their strategies of sales and marketing and increase sales (gołąb-andrzejak, 2023). machine learning in marketing ai nowadays is utilized to solve various tasks, including product recommendations, defining the best channels for promotion, customer churn rate and lifetime value estimation, and constructing the customer segments (chen et al., 2021). importance of ai in website visitor analysis in the last decade, ai has grown to be more than a theory; it has become a necessity for any organization that wants to be at par with its competition (hollebeek et al., 2024). at first, ai was simply regarded as a concept of the distant future that will not significantly affect people’s lives. specifically, machine learning, natural language processing (nlp), and computer vision have become indispensable tools in modern marketing and customer analytics (giglio et al., 2020). the efficiency at which ai can analyze vast amounts of data is rapidly changing how organizations comprehend and engage with their clients (huang & rust, 2021). concerning the analysis of website visitors, ai solutions can identify and monitor the behavior of the target audience in real time and reveal its preferences, typical patterns, and critical issues (lies, 2019). this has the effect of making it possible for the organizations to concentrate on meeting the needs of the users in this digital context with corresponding enhanced levels of interaction and satisfaction (hollebeek et al., 2024). for instance, machine learning algorithms may identify patterns of behaviors of visitors that may be difficult or impossible to diagnose using conventional analytical tools (de bruyn et al., 2020). these concepts can be used in website redesign, semantic customization, and niche marketing. nlp is applied in the analysis of text data in customer reviews, social media feeds and chat logs, to establish a positive or negative tone that will enhance the strategy (dadas, 2024). computer vision can be used in image recognition and optimization so that the images used in the websites are appropriate and appeal to the viewers. the advancement of ai has seen a revolution in how firms undertake marketing and customer evaluations (pandey, 2023). ai remains vital for managing digital presence and engaging customers more effectively because of the analytics provided by the technology (yüksel et al., 2023) methodology the paper mainly analyze this project in a few steps. such as how to track the website, how to capture the data of visitors, how to track the location, etc. figure 2: methods for analysis validating website design theme color is particularly important for a brand. the theme color of a brand should be the same as the color of the website of that brand. the design of the site should be light and interactive so that it could load faster, and visitors are easily able to use it (rana et al., 2021). there should be a separate section for your product and services just after the header so that visitors can easily get an idea about your brand (kopalle et al., 2022). in the footer section, there must be a link of terms and conditions, about us, contact us, etc. the ai-based system needs to check all these things (varsha et al., 2021). first, it must check the header of the website, and then pa ge 90 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 88-101, 2024 it will check the body and footer. after full checking, our ai-based system will give a full report and some suggestions about it. if we want to start a new business the basic things which we need to know about are the marketing 4 ps, also known as the marketing mix, which is a fundamental framework used by businesses to develop and execute their marketing strategies (gupta et al., 2024). these four elements are product, price, place, and promotion form the foundation of any marketing plan, enabling companies to effectively reach their target audience, satisfy customer needs, and achieve their business objectives. figure 3: 4ps fundamental framework here’s a detailed description of each of the 4 ps: product the product implies the tangible and/or intangible item, which a company and its outlets provide to satisfy the demand of the target consumers (suraña‐sánchez & aramendia‐muneta, 2024). this component embraces characteristics such as features, quality, design, and branding, packaging, and customer relation services. for products to be shaped and designed to fit or surpass customer needs, expectations, preferences and demand, there is need to adopt an elaborate market analysis process (paschen et al., 2019). with these factors, it is possible for any business organization to facilitate the right products that will be accepted in the market. price price is the amount of money a customer is willing to pay to obtain a given good or service. retail price is a vital component of achieving objectives of sales, profit, and competitiveness since it refers to the price at which products are sold to the consumers (ameen et al., 2021). hence, there are various pricing techniques include cost-based pricing, competitor-based pricing, valuebased pricing, and dynamic pricing. production cost, demand sensitivity, perceived value by consumers, pricing objectives, and business model are some of the reasons that affect the pricing strategies. for example, the same good will cost more in new york city than in owings mills, maryland. pricing can also differ due to customer visits as several firms provide quantity discounts for their products (prentice et al., 2020). place distribution refers to the methods and channels through which products are supplied to the customers (varsha et al., 2021). this includes decisions such as where the product should be distributed, how it should be transported, warehousing, and marketing and sales channels, whether physical stores or online platforms (klumpp, 2018). this means that, firms must establish the relevant distribution channels to target clients with the right product, in the right place at the right time and in the right quantities. a distribution plan may include the direct selling, wholesalers, retailers, online selling or all these strategies. the geographic distribution can also be done at different level, for example at the country level, state level, area level, city level etc. (chaitanya et al., 2023). promotion communication and sales persuasion of the target customers are the key components of promotion that make up promotion mix. promotional activities include advertising, sales promotion, public relations, personal selling, and direct selling (kanimozhi & jacob, 2018). the main reasons for promotion are to inform, persuade, organize demand, and control the sales of products (yüksel et al., 2023). promotion mixes are tailored to the target market, integrated, consistent with marketing goals and objectives, and accommodate corporate image (gołąb-andrzejak, 2023). the marketing 4 ps have been established as a practical guide for businesses to align their toolkit by product, price, place, and promotion. with the application of these elements, such requirements can be fulfilled, as pa ge 91 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 88-101, 2024 well as attain a competitive edge amidst the heightened business competition and ensure business success in the contemporary world. digital marketing with the growth of the internet and information technology, small businesses can reach the target market within a short duration of time. regardless of whether you are operating a marketing team in-house, hiring personnel, or outsourcing your digital marketing activities, it is crucial to understand these basics. here are major ideas and several tips that may be useful for successful development of small business. search engine optimization (seo) search engine optimization otherwise known as seo plays a very integral role in making web pages more visible in search engines. this involves deploying suitable keywords, developing quality content, and making the site friendly to mobile devices (ullah et al., 2020). local seo is useful when one wants to target their niche local customers while comprehensive seo is more target a universal market. content marketing create a detailed plan of what content should be created and what appeals to clients most. produce resources beneficial to readers, viewers, or listeners, including articles, videos, and graphics. there is need to use social media accounts to share and promote this content to achieve optimal results. social media marketing expand the visibility of the business on platforms such as face book, instagram, twitter, and linked. it is important to maintain interaction with your audience through the daily and frequent posts, updates and also the comments section. organic advertising on these platforms can be costly and target age groups with more efficiency in the advertisement. email marketing create and sustain an email list, which can help facilitate the company’s relationships with the customers (elsayed, 2021). use it to customize what you send out, which can be content, offers or merely an update. automate, to an extent, the drip campaigns and follow-ups and white label could include greeting emails for special occasions such as birthdays. pay-per-click (ppc) advertising for example, use google ads and promote your page and products or services. choose the amount of money to spend and select keywords related to the activity of your business. try to keep a constant check on your campaigns and make modifications or additions to see improvements in the numbers. website analytics google analytics must be employed with the aim of analyzing visitors and their interactions with different websites. by analyzing this data, you can make better informed decisions and fine-tune you or your organization’s online presence to achieve a higher performance level as well as improve the user experience. e-commerce and online sales when appropriate, try to sell products or services online. a website that is easy to navigate and transact will guarantee increased customer satisfaction and transactions, hence boosting up sales. mobile marketing today, people use the internet on their mobile phones and, therefore, it is crucial that you make your digital marketing strategy friendly to these users. make sure your website is optimized for mobile and consider mobile advertising to reach even more potential (if applicable). customer relationship management (crm) systems an organization should integrate a crm system to enhance the organization’s capability of handling customer interactions and information (kumar et al., 2021). engage the marketing strategies through crm data in order to streamline the way it communicates with the customers with aims of increasing their loyalty. artificial intelligence (ai) & chatbots: learn how to use ai in customer service and how chatbots can help improve customer experience. ai in marketing can also be helpful in data analysis, personalization and even dealing with many repetitive tasks hence making your marketing activities to be productive and productive. video marketing maximize use of video to share the intended story and/ or spark interaction. the internet is useful for gaining access to a large number of consumers, especially when using websites like youtube or tiktok (kopalle et al., 2022). delivering high quality video content, there can be increased interactivity and awareness of the brand. this way finding a way of relating small business to the digital world, will make the business to expand its market and experience accelerated growth through the integration of these advanced information technology concepts to your digital marketing strategy. this is because protecting oneself in the dynamic digital environment requires that one changes as frequently as the new dynamics. it is essential to stay updated on the latest trends and technologies to remain competitive in the dynamic digital landscape. pa ge 92 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 88-101, 2024 figure 4: digital marketing (bsb or bsc) let us discuss an example. a plumbing or a painting company in maryland state need to target the customers surrounded areas around hundred miles if so more, they need to target the customers located to their surroundings areas as their place strategy should be targeted to the nearby customers only, as the companies cannot provide service on long-distance states like texas or other areas as their service cannot be provided. the digital marketing concepts should only focus on surrounding areas and zip codes to generate relevant leads. if a lead is generated out of state and service cannot be provided, then the lead is considered as an irrelevant lead. let us consider a small software or consulting company, in this case there is no restriction on place, they can support each other worldwide as the service can be provided online and meetings can be done by video calls. search engine optimization (seo) what is search engine optimization (seo) seo is one of the widely used digital marketing techniques that focuses on making a website easily accessible and visible to users through the internet search engine results page. the main purpose of seo is to make a site more popular among users, increasing its ranking for the key word or phrase. the major factors of seo which any website must follow includes keywords, good quality content, mobile compatibility, local seo, link building and technical seo. keyword optimization keyword optimization is a critical factor that leads to the success of any type of seo. keywords are the words that people type into the search engine bar when they are looking for information. it’s important for business owners with websites to generate a list of keywords that are both relevant and highly effective. these keywords should then be incorporated into the web page in the meta tags section, the header section, as well as in the body section of the page. for instance, a painting organization operating in maryland is likely to contain keywords such as maryland painting, local painters, painting services, and residential painting. quality content another of the key strategies when it comes to seo is quality content. in this context, search engine considers a content useful and interesting to users and offers it to the audience. keeping the content fresh and relevant on the website ensures users satisfaction and at the same time informs search engines about the site’s activity which is usually rewarded with a better ranking. mobile-friendliness responsive is foundational in today’s world of technology. as more people use handheld devices to browse the web, site indexing services such as google will favor sites that are friendly to these devices. another factor that can improve the site position on serps is proper mobile optimization for the given web page. link building link building is one of the most crucial elements of the seo technique and refers to the process of obtaining backlinks from authoritative sites. search engines rely on backlinks and consider them as endorsements of a website’s authority and its content’s topicality. it is advisable to pay more attention on quality than the quantity of the links that one is building. local seo local seo is always critical for companies that operate at the local level or targeting the local market. this entails the technical and keyword aspect where the website is optimized for location-based keywords while establishing pa ge 93 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 88-101, 2024 a google my business listing. positive reviews from customers who are happy with the services offered is another factor that is used in ranking local search results. on-page and off-page seo on-site seo means optimization of internal aspects of a website, on the other hand, off-site seo refers to external factors that affect the credibility and ranking of the site. social media, influencers, and mentions in articles make up for the off-page seo that a website could have. there are several visible networks apart from the site that can increase brand awareness and drive organic traffic. technical seo technical seo is a comprehensive method of optimizing the technical features of the website in order to rank better with search engines. this includes such common measures as proper website architecture, managing the speed of pages’ loading, and marking up the site with schema to give search engines more information about page’s content. generally, from the technical perspective, optimizing a site can have a good effect on the results obtained on serps. monitoring and analysis constant evaluation of the seo performance is critical because it helps to determine susceptible niches. through google analytics, google search console and other seo tools such as rank trackers and seo crawlers, one can monitor such aspects as organic traffic, position tracking and user engagement. adapting to changes seo is a constantly evolving field, and the search engines continuously undergo changes to their algorithm. this requires an understanding of the industry trends and changes in algorithms to properly implement an seo strategy. it is crucial for someone to keep on updating their knowledge and embracing new changes to improve on their seo market position. seo is an important and complex field that should be managed in an integrated manner to be effective. to achieve the best results, the focus should be made on such aspects as keywords optimization, the creation of quality content, mobile-friendliness, localization, linkbuilding and regular monitoring of technical aspects to build the website’s relevance and attract great amount of organic traffic. the field of seo remains dynamic and ever changing, therefore it is imperative to continue learning and embracing new changes in the digital world. example using 4 ps marketing strategy for seo product (relevance) when using seo, the term “product” concerns the content and services that are promoted on a website. this element is crucial for seo because it determines how relevant the content is to users’ queries. the right keywords which would have to be used should be chosen from the area of business related to the products or services being offered. developing an insight into the target customers’ requirement and expectations, it is easier to make the information search relevant and useful for the users as well as for search engines. this may be in the form of articles, blog posts, images, videos, and all other information that is posted on the site. price (value proposition) in traditional marketing, the price refers to the amount of money charged for a particular product or service. in seo terminology, “price” is like the benefit, or value, that users derive from a specific website. thus, the presence of high-quality, valuable content on an internet site is paramount to attracting and maintaining user attention. whether it is news or entertainment, multimedia or purchasing products and services, the perceived value of the articles contribute to the overall user experience. this is one of the factors that the search engines look at when ranking websites. place (accessibility and distribution) in marketing, “place” refers to the channels that are employed to get a product to the customers. in seo, it relates to website’s content availability and dissemination to the target audience. keeping a website accessible for search engine crawlers and users is equally important. it entails proper organization of the website, use of appropriate urls and the sitemaps. also, reposting such content on social media and specialized websites and forums increases availability and exposure. promotion (marketing and outreach) promotion in traditional marketing comprises of advertising, public relation, and all other forms of promotion. promotion in seo is the effort put into marketing the website with an aim of attaining a higher rank and traffic. promotion strategies are social media marketing, content promotion via email newsletters, influencer collaborations, and other promotion-related tactics. implementing these promotional strategies aids in increasing brand recognition, obtaining backlinks, and increasing the website’s authority and credibility from the perspective of the search engines. implementing the 4 ps into seo techniques this makes seo stronger and more balanced when it is tied directly to the concepts of the four ps of traditional marketing: product, price, place, and promotion. this approach shifts from the best technical optimization and content creation to focus on all aspects of the website. this way, the business owners can increase their website rank on serps and get more targeted and interested audience by setting their focus on the product (content) relevance, product’s value proposition and price, product accessibility, and promotions. search engine optimization (seo) seo is a method of digital marketing that optimizes a website so that it ranks high on search engines such as pa ge 94 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 88-101, 2024 google, bing, and yahoo among others. in its most basic form, seo is aimed at improving rankings of a website on the search engines, especially those which are relevant to the searched keywords or phrases used by users. seo is the process of enhancing some of the features of a website, such as on-page and off-page features, in order to appeal to the search engines as well as the users. the use of the 4 ps for seo means that businesses can develop a holistic approach to online marketing if they wish to do so. hence, it is a clear indication that the combination of these conventional marketing strategies with contemporary seo approaches is crucial to the formulation of a strong and long-term online marketing paradigm in the current complex online environment. seo implementation to optimize for search engines, one must develop content that is sound, appropriate to the topic, and useful to the intended target public. any key phrases that are highlighted within should be integrated seamlessly into the content for it to rank well on search engines. first, there’s also the question of website accessibility and ease of navigation. that is why website speed, mobile friendliness, and all factors influencing the simplicity of the user’s experience must be enhanced. today, search engines consider the so-called user experience it is better to work only with sites that do not pose any threat to the user. technical seo is also important and should be put into practice by following proper measures. this involves making proper use of meta tag, site map and proper way of using headers. another major approach is linking building with trusted web sites to generate traffic and authoritative links. another important factor which also relates to promotion is promotion. marketing and advertising are important to make the customers aware of the product or services that you are offering. advertising content on the social media sites ensure high traffic links to the site. however, also trying out content marketing methods such as guest blogging, influencer marketing partnership, and email marketing is useful in reaching out to potential clients. the single most significant piece of advice to consider is that search engine optimization is a never-ending endeavor. besides, one should be constantly knowledgeable concerning search engine algorithm updates and users’ behavior. this means always checking and tweaking your tactics to guarantee that the website is properly placed to continue getting relevant organic traffic. technical concepts and apis google search console api: allows us to access data from google search console, providing insights into how googlebot views your website and optimizing your content accordingly. refer the below url for more details: https://developers.google.com/webmaster-tools/v1/ api_reference_index google keyword planner api while google keyword planner itself doesn’t have a public api, we can use tools like semrush or ahrefs, which provide keyword data and insights for content optimization. refer the below url for more details: https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/docs/ keyword-planning/overview google page speed insights api provides website performance insights, including suggestions for improving page speed and user experience. refer the below url for more details: https://developers.google.com/speed/docs/insights/ v5/get-started lighthouse api an open-source, automated tool for improving the quality of web pages. it has audits for performance, accessibility, progressive web apps, seo, and more. refer the below url for more details: https://lighthouse-metrics.com/docs/api ahrefs api ahrefs provides an api that allows you to access backlink data, keyword rankings, and other seo metrics. refer the below url for more details: https://ahrefs.com/api facebook graph api if social media promotion is a significant part of your strategy, facebook graph api allows you to interact with facebook data, including posting content and analyzing engagement. refer the below url for more details: https://developers.facebook.com/docs/graph-api/ twitter api twitter provides an api for integrating with their platform, allowing you to post tweets, retrieve user data, and monitor trends. refer the below url for more details: https://developer.twitter.com/en/docs/twitter-api linkedin api this a trending api will many concepts. refer the below url for more details: https://developer.linkedin.com/ as these apis are not free and when using these apis, we may need to adhere to rate limits, authentication requirements, and terms of service provided by the respective platforms. these apis may require api keys for access. always refer to the documentation of each api for specific details on usage and integration. step-by-step guide on how to integrate it for seo purposes: connecting our website to apis involves several steps, pa ge 95 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 88-101, 2024 including obtaining api keys, integrating the apis into your website’s code, and handling responses. for example, if we need to connect the linked api, the following below steps need to be followed. we need to set up a google cloud platform (gcp) project go to the google cloud console (https://console.cloud. google.com/). create a new project or select an existing one. enable the google search console api in the cloud console, go to the “apis & services” > “library” section. search for “google search console api” and enable it for your project. create api credentials navigate to “apis & services” > “credentials” section. click on “create credentials” and choose “service account key”. select or create a new service account, choose the json key type, and click “create”. this will download a json file containing your credentials. grant permissions go to your google search console account. add the service account email address (found in the json file) as a user with appropriate permissions (at least “restricted” access) to the properties you want to access. install google api client library you can use various programming languages to interact with the google search console api. install the appropriate client library for your preferred language. for example, if you’re using python, you can install the library using pip: pip install google-api-python-client if you are using javascript add the following script tag to your html file to include the google api javascript client library. <script src=”https://apis.google.com/js/api.js”></ script> authentication use the credentials json file you downloaded to authenticate your api requests. the exact method varies depending on the programming language and library you’re using. refer to the documentation of the library you’re using for instructions on how to authenticate. make api requests once authenticated, you can start making requests to the google search console api to retrieve data such as search analytics, crawl errors, sitemaps, etc. you can fetch data programmatically and use it to analyze your site’s performance, identify issues, and optimize for better seo. handle errors and rate limits error handling and rate limits when interacting with the api. implement appropriate strategies to handle errors gracefully and avoid exceeding rate limits to ensure reliable access to the api. integrating the google search console api can provide you with valuable insights into your website’s seo performance, allowing you to make data-driven decisions to improve your site’s visibility in google search results. content analysis after checking the design, the system will check the quality and format of your content. if the system can detect any problem related to the web application content formatting or able to detect some engagement problems, it will immediately prompt about the problems and will suggest, how to fix the problems. ai can analyze large blocks of text and quickly calculate the sentiment behind them. it will be useful to get a prediction on how visitors will respond to your web content. if you do not publish content on your website for a long time, the system will be able to detect it and publish new content using the automatic content writing feature. figure 5: website visitor behavior analysis web analytics & management by web analytics, we mean some of our most popular applications, such as google analytics. but genuine web analytics is not so simple to proceed. depending on the data from the web analytics, the performance of the website can be checked, or the valuation can be determined (kunduru, 2023). the basic steps we are going to follow to perform the web analytics process are: 1. importing and gathering all the data. 2. processing all the data and selecting them according to their importance. 3. analyzing processed data. 4. publishing result after analyzing properly. there are two types of analytics off-site analytics and on-site analytics. on-site analytics are extremely popular such as google analytics, adobe analytics, etc. and off-site analytics mainly deals with the data such as http request data, network level data, and server-generated data pa ge 96 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 88-101, 2024 associated with http requests and some external data (kunduru, 2023). the ai-based system will gather data from both sources so that it can make accurate decisions over them. the system will analyze some of the log-files of the website as the log files may provide the necessary data for our system depending on the popularity of the website (yu et al., 2023). in general, our proposed ai-based framework will collect some important data through on-site and off-site analytics such as visitor’s location, which pages are being visited more, at which time most visitors are coming, and the average spent time of a visitor. depending on this, the ai-based framework will give us an idea of how to improve where we need to improve (shpak et al., 2023). checking website images and optimizing them the framework needs to check all the pictures on the website. if it can detect that the site’s picture is not optimized, it will consequently optimize those pictures. many e-commerce websites lose customers due to a lack of image optimization which will be bad for the company’s revenue (cui et al., 2024). in the opinion of experts, copyrighted and low-quality images are bad for website ranking. so, it is always better to have a picture of the product prepared by a graphic designer. if the website has a copyrighted image, the system will be able to detect it and notify and delete all copyrighted images (chui et al, 2023). google trends with ai & brand management with google trends, it is possible to find out what trends are going on. using this information, brands will be able to do various product designs, product manufacturing, and advanced marketing. suppose now a movie is published and a special character of that movie is trending (jain et al., 2024). now various brands will utilize that character to bring various items to the market. now with google trends, the ai-based system will detect which product is trending or which incident is trending. then ai gives us all the information about that trend. using this information, different brands will be able to design new products (jain et al., 2024). ai helps us do keyword research and find the best keywords. all these keywords are extremely useful for content generation and branding through all this content is quite easy (mer, 2023). utilizing the power of social media through ai: we know that social media is now a very suitable place for branding. but it is not possible to post regularly on social media (jain et al., 2024). the ai-based system will help, with this task. whenever you post content on the website, the ai-based automation system will post a link to that content on all the associated social media accounts. this will bring a gigantic amount of traffic and leads (tekic & füller, 2023). again, ai will keep social media accounts active through auto-generated posts on the associated social media accounts. this makes branding much easier. figure 6: ai system working process brand quality measurement with ai every management activity has measurement and control. it generally deals with brand quality management, brand equity increase, brand vision, brand weakness control. we are going to measure brand quality with ai using a few steps (hicham et al., 2023). collecting data from social media feedbacks a positive comment and review on media can magnify the value of the brand while a negative review or comment can diminish it. so, the ai-based system will first collect the data of the ratio of the positive feedback and negative feedback (swain et al., 2024). collecting data from website comments and after service feedback as we know the brand quality is defined as meeting the expectation of the customers so the system is going to collect data from the brand’s website and take feedback from those customers who use the product or services from that brand (nalbant & aydın, 2023). collecting data from different forums and blogs the system will check different forums and blogs that are discussing our products or services. it will check the sentiment behind all those discussions and collect data accordingly. after collecting all these data from different sources, the system will analyze those data. data analysis can be done according to the preloaded algorithm (kirkby et al., 2023). findings after analyzing all those data it will determine the quality of that brand, the key findings are: transformation of the future of branding and marketing ai has brought unprecedented changes in the field of branding and marketing. ai-driven digital marketing has made branding and marketing much easier. in the age of traditional media marketing, it was difficult to do pa ge 97 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 88-101, 2024 marketing by predicting customer sentiment. but now with the help of ai, anyone can now control the branding and marketing from anywhere in the world. market survey with ai the days of traditional market surveys are now over. in the past, one had to rely on offline surveys to start with product design and marketing. but now with the help of an ai-based automation system, it is possible to gather a lot of data and track customer behavior and get a full idea of their demand and desire. as a result, before designing any product it is understandable that we must look for. apart from that, ai-driven online surveys have made the job of market survey much easier. customer relationship building with ai crm has become much easier now with ai and machine learning. through accepting and analyzing all the information of the customers, their demand and desire will be identified. product and service development will be done according to that information so that it can meet the needs of the customers. it also helps us to understand where we must invest to develop the customer service infrastructure so that the relationship between customer and company becomes stronger. ai changes our visualization with ar/vr ai-based augmented has wholly changed our traditional approach to marketing. now any one can visualize what a product should look like before you manufacture it with the help of augmented reality. again, various e-commerce sites have entirely changed the concept of shopping using augmented reality. for example, before ordering different furniture, you can visualize how that furniture will look in your room. you can visualize how well a dress will suit. this will significantly reduce the chances of buying the wrong product. figure 7: ai changes our visualization with ar/vr marketing using ai is increasing most start-ups are now leaning towards marketing using ai. those who market using ai are becoming more successful than others. so, anyone must use ai to survive in the competition for long time in current situations. benefits figure 8: innovative look at future automatic search engine optimization consistently google gets more than 63k inquiries each second. but with ai and ml advanced seo tools can expedite identifying website issues and offer feedback to shoot your search rankings. ai also helps to automatically adjust your seo setting to boost your website ranking. schema optimization is vital for seo ranking. schema basically helped google to read your content. ai also assists any one to make the website schema optimized. real-time monitoring anyone can monitor their website from anywhere in the world and be able to make necessary changes with the help of ai. it assists you to control all the factors related to your content and website from a centralized framework which makes it handy and easy to use. content adjustment ai helps us to analyze the behavior of different customers and generates a library accordingly. later ai helps us to adjust our web content according to that library. ai also helps us by developing a system that can give suggestions and guide our viewers about our product and services automatically. which helps us to generate more leads from our viewers. churn prediction ai has made this kind of technology a reality. through ml and prediction analysis ai can help to develop a risk model composed of signals that indicates how likely a customer is to end their relationship with your company. accessibility ai makes it easy to create an accessible website for those who are deaf hard of hearing or visually impaired. lead generation with ai-based automation most companies need a good website to get more leads and collect more customer information such as email, phone number, etc. ai can analyze your existing customer base and identify important trends and commonalities. after analyzing these ai will suggest to you what changes you need to do to generate more leads. leads to very vital pa ge 98 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 88-101, 2024 for your branding. sometimes ai helps us to capture new leads by prompting for different forms, coupon codes, and limited time offers to your viewers. user experience development we know that the user experience of a website is particularly important in marketing and branding. if a visitor does not get a good experience by entering your website, it is very harmful to branding. artificial intelligence not just gathers information progressively to produce actionable feedback that can be used to improve the client experience of their site. however, it additionally can adjust to some preloaded configuration to change the client experience with the goal that more visitors will go to the web site. smart personalized communication in the case of branding, the importance of personalized communication has increased. traditional customer communication is no longer as effective as it was before. ai helps marketers with personalized customer interactions. ai empowers marketers to customize their communication system on an individual level. netflix and amazon users already experienced this type of tailored recommendation. amazon always will show you every purchase you have ever made, deals of the day, limited period offers, top picks for you, etc. this is how ai helps your website more interactive. auto-adjusting pricing if you want to increase the sales of your product, you must keep different prices depending on the location. however, it is difficult to offer different prices to different viewers. but ai has made this task easier. ai usually determines the price of a product based on its availability, demand, and customer profile. for example, if you enter an e-commerce site, you will see that the price of the same product looks different at different times. for example, on a particular day, the price of some products is much lower, and the price of some products is higher. smart customer interaction with chatbots figure 9: chat bot vs live chat a chatbot is an impeccable contribution to artificial intelligence. it can continue to talk to the customer for a long time without the help of a customer care executive. as a result, it is conceivable to deal with many clients at once. usually, some frequently asked questions are preloaded in it and then ai responds to the questions of the customers. if there is a vital inquiry, it is transferred to the concerned customer care executive. this way a lot more customers can be handled by hiring very few people. advantages automatic website management our proposed ai-based automation system has made tasks like website management easier and more automated. now there is no compelling reason to recruit someone for website management. the ai-based automation system will now automatically monitor all issues and notify you if any critical issues are found. this ai-based automation system helps in design, content, and seo. ai also helps in the process of page speed optimization. automatic visitor analysis at the beginning of the internet age, it was difficult to do visitor analysis. but now thanks to the generosity of ai it has become much easier now. now ai can track and gather the data of each one of the individuals who are visiting your site. as a result, branding and marketing can be done easily by analyzing all that information. automate repetitive tasks in our everyday work, we will do many repetitive tasks such as sending a thanking mail, verifying certain documents, and much more. using artificial intelligence, we can automate repetitive tasks and even remove “annoying” tasks for humans. faster and smarter decision making utilizing ai alongside different advanced technologies, today’s software can make faster decisions and act faster than humans. individuals can investigate both sincerely and essentially when deciding, but ai-powered systems not only make quick decisions but also provide results faster. as a result, ai can quickly decide what to do if the number of visitors to your website suddenly decreases and can act accordingly. business continuity the use of ai technology not only helps companies in business forecasting and making important decisions but also prepares them for any emergency to ensure business continuity. risk management today relies entirely on data management and analysis. our ai-based systems can help organizations respond proactively. ai and machine learning assist organizations with planning for what is to come. reducing marketing and branding effort & automated customer acquisition with the help of machine learning, companies collect pa ge 99 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 88-101, 2024 data on customer behavior and accurately predict which part of the population is most likely to be a customer. ai algorithms can consider the aftereffects of marketing endeavors and use them to improve vital choices in future figure 10: revenue of ai disadvantages in general, ai is useful in numerous applications, but it also presents several ethical concerns and bias. machine learning may replicate the data bias and hence provide results that are unfair to certain groups. there is a need for business organizations to periodically monitor their ai systems for bias. however, data privacy must be considered to secure customers’ information and build up trust. chatbots may cause communication failure chatbots can sometimes be boring to customers. because they can share certain information and speak certain languages, they may not work as expected by customers. it can even cause customer loss. wrong algorithm makes ai painful due to the wrong algorithm, ai often does not work perfectly. as a result, he often makes wrong decisions and implements many things in the wrong way. therefore, there is a chance of huge losses in marketing and branding. so before using any ai-based framework, it must be tested thoroughly. conclusion in conclusion, ai can be considered as a valuable instrument that allows performing the analysis of the website’s visitors and evaluating the quality of branding effectively. the use of ai in marketing can help provide significant improvements to those businesses, enhancing the success of their strategies, and improving the overall quality of the brands. thus, it can be concluded that ai technology is actively influencing the world of marketing and branding and its usage will become even more extensive in the future providing new ways of the business success in the competitive environment. references ameen, n., tarhini, a., reppel, a., & anand, a. 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(2023). review of artificial intelligence applications in engineering design perspective. engineering applications of artificial intelligence, 118, 105697.https://doi. org/10.1016/j.engappai.2022.105697 pa ge 1 pa ge 12 3 american journal of education and technology (ajet) learning environment and teacher communication behavior as determinants of student engagement abcede g. cebelleros1*, viola p. buenaventura1 volume 3 issue 3, year 2024 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v3i3.3543 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: august 20, 2024 accepted: september 14, 2024 published: september 17, 2024 this study aimed to determine which domains of learning environment and teacher communication behavior as determinants of student engagement. the study involved a total of 300 junior high school students particularly those in grade 9, from one of the public schools in davao del sur division were included in the study using a universal sampling technique. the data gathered were analyzed using descriptive-correlational techniques. the results revealed that there was a high relationship between cognitive engagement and community of peers, high cognitive engagement, and faculty relationships, high cognitive engagement and academic climate, high cognitive engagement and meaningful engagement, high cognitive engagement and mentoring, high cognitive engagement and non-verbal support, high cognitive engagement and understanding and friendly, and high cognizant engaging and encouraging and praise. according to the results, academic climate significantly best influenced student engagement and this domain also of learning environments that significantly best affected the students. the relationships between learning environment, teacher communication behavior, and student engagement were all statistically significant, with moderate to strong positive correlations. the following recommendations were laid down: the teachers are encouraged to play and active role in the students’ engagement to create activities that encourage meaningful engagement, they can be exposed to training about properly preparing classroom to steer engagement in students, and teachers and schools to provide opportunities for students to take part in improving school needs by respectfully suggesting what needs do they see that can help the institution become a place where they can feel at ease while learning. keywords education, learning environment, philippines, student engagement, teacher communication behavior 1 university of mindanao, davao city, & san miguel elementary school, san miguel digos city, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: abcede.geonzon@deped.gov.ph introduction student engagement is a crucial element in encouraging successful learning and academic achievement. nevertheless, there has been an increase in worries regarding the decreasing levels of student engagement in educational environments in recent years (fredricks et al., 2019). insufficient student engagement not only impacts students’ learning experience but also has lasting effects on their educational achievements and future success (quines & relacion, 2022). hence, it is imperative for educators and researchers to grasp the elements that affect student engagement. its common occurrence continually poses challenges among teachers which resulted to a declined student performance. these students who are disengaged might also be identified as those who do not do their homework, are involved in disruptive activities or display negative attitudes to teachers and other students. the engagement of students forms the fundamental basis for effective learning experiences, encompassing cognitive, behavioral, and emotional dimensions (bond et al., 2022; fredricks et al., 2019; li & xue, 2023). extensive research underscores the significance of student engagement, not only as a predictor of academic achievement but also as a catalyst for fostering critical thinking skills, motivation, and positive attitudes towards learning (cooper, 2020; reeve, 2019). as education advances, there is an increasing recognition and understanding among educators and policymakers regarding the factors that contribute to or hinder student participation, making it an imperative area of focus. meanwhile, the physical and social context of learning, commonly called the learning environment, plays a key role in influencing student participation (chapman, 2019; halverson & graham, 2019; skinner & belmont, 1993). this includes elements such as classroom design, resources, and overall atmosphere, which have a major impact on the quality of students’ interaction with educational content. understanding how these environmental factors contribute to engagement or delay is essential for teachers who want their students to be able to take the best of learning experiences. earlier research has examined how both the learning environment and teacher communication behaviors influence student engagement. despite that, there is a gap in our understanding how these two factors work together to impact student engagement. many studies have focused on either the classroom environment or teacher communication behavior, neglecting to consider the synergized effect of both (reeve, 2019). thus, leaves us with a little understanding of how the learning environment and teacher communication interplay to promote student engagement. in essence, the complex relationship between the learning pa ge 12 4 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 123-135, 2024 environment and teacher communication behavior is the key to unlocking students’ unparalleled engagement. this study is aimed at providing valuable insights into the ongoing discussion on educational practices and policies and promoting students’ participation and enrichment of learning experiences. this study aims to determine which domains of learning environment and teacher communication behavior as determinant of student engagement. specifically, it sought to find the answers of the following objectives: first, to describe the level of the learning environment in various aspects, including the community of peers, teacher and student relationships, academic climate, meaningful engagement, mentoring, inclusion and safety, and physical space. second, to describe the level of teacher communication behavior, including aspects such as challenging students, providing encouragement and praise, offering non-verbal support, being understanding and friendly, and exercising control. third, to describe the level of student engagement in terms of affective engagement, behavioral engagement, and cognitive engagement. fourth, to determine the significant relationship between the learning environment and student engagement, as well as between teacher communication behavior and student engagement. lastly, to identify which domains of the learning environment and teacher communication behavior have the most significant impact on student engagement. the following null hypotheses were treated at 0.05 level of significance. there is no significant relationship between learning environment and student engagement and teacher communication behavior and student engagement. there is no domain of learning environment and teacher communication behavior best influences student engagement literature review provided in this section are the discussions on the principles, concepts, ideas and viewpoints from various authors. the first variable of this study is learning environment which is taken from the study of rusticus et al. (2022); shochet et al. (2013) which has the following indicators: community of peers, faculty relationships, academic climate, meaningful engagement, inclusion and safety, and physical space. according to florescu (2020), learning environments play an important role in supporting and improving learning outcomes. it provides students with opportunities to participate in meaningful activities, collaborate with peers, receive feedback and access relevant learning resources. through the design of a conducive learning environment, educators can create stimulating and engaging experiences that promote active learning, critical thinking and problem-solving skills. scholars such as tinto (2022) and havik and westergard (2020) emphasize that a positive peer community enhances student retention and involvement, necessitating intervention like group activities and peer support programs. additionally, meaningful teacher-student relations contribute to student engagement, with teacher involvement, approachability, mentorship, and positive feedback positively influencing learning outcomes (smith & tinto, 2022). the educational environment’s impact on student engagement extends to prevailing attitudes, expectations, and support within academic institutions (halverson & graham, 2019). positive school climates, as highlighted by lee et al.’s 2019 study, foster student motivation and achievement through clear academic expectations, challenging objectives, and recognition of accomplishments. meaningful engagement, as advocated by rui li (2023) involves active, reflective, and purposeful interaction with course content. creating a safe and inclusive environment, recognizing diversity and ensuring equal opportunities, is essential for student well-being and active participation (zepke, 2021; osher et al., 2019). communication behaviors of teachers have a substantial impact on the learning environment and student engagement in various dimensions, including affective, behavioral, and cognitive aspects. educators must be aware of the importance of providing challenging instruction, encouragement, praise, non-verbal support, understanding, friendliness, and maintaining a balance of control to enhance student learning experiences. setting high expectations, presenting complex material, and encouraging critical thinking skills are essential components of challenging communication, as supported by studies emphasizing the positive relationship between challenging teaching practices and student achievement (quines & relacion, 2022; krahe et al., 2021). encouragement and praise significantly influence student motivation and self-esteem, according to research underscoring the importance of positive reinforcement in shaping student behavior and attitudes toward learning (bukit et al., 2023). positive feedback and recognition of students’ efforts contribute to increased affective and behavioral engagement, while non-verbal communication like gestures, body language, and facial expressions play a crucial role in conveying support and creating a positive classroom climate (brobo, 2022; qobilovna, 2023). maintaining understanding, friendliness, and a balanced approach to control contribute to fostering positive teacher-student relationships and creating a supportive learning environment that promotes student engagement and a sense of belonging (xie & derakhshan, 2021; deci & ryan, 2008). in educational research, student engagement is a crucial element encompassing emotions, actions, and thoughts, playing a significant role in understanding student involvement in the learning process. affective engagement focuses on the emotional commitment of students towards their learning experiences, reflecting eagerness, curiosity, and positive emotional behavior. it is closely related to motivation and a sense of belonging within the learning community (fredricks et al., 2019). engagement is the emotional involvement and passion pa ge 12 5 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 123-135, 2024 that characterizes the motivation and desire to participate and accomplish learning activities, according to skinner and belmont (1993). behavioral engagement, as discussed by chapman (2019), refers to the observable actions and participation levels of students in class, including completing assignments and exhibiting on-task behavior. teacher-student relationships and effective classroom management are highlighted by engels et al. (2021) as influential factors in behavioral engagement. in terms of cognitive engagement, fredricks et al. (2019) define it as the use of higher-order thinking skills and active problem-solving. instructional strategies like inquiry-based learning and metacognitive reflection challenge students to think critically and apply their knowledge, ultimately enhancing cognitive engagement (bukit et al., 2023; trowler et al., 2022). the literature cited above have some common elements which are related to the present study. it gave the researcher the idea and confidence that the study being undertaken has an anchor on accepted and proven principles drawn from research. further, the literatures cited in this study helped the researcher in the contextualization of the questionnaires. this study is anchored on self determination theory (sdt) which posits that students are more likely to engage in their learning when they have a sense of autonomy, competence, and relatedness (deci & ryan, 2008). autonomy refers to the students’ need for control and choice in their learning processes, allowing them to pursue topics and methods that align with their interests and goals. competence entails providing students with challenging yet attainable tasks that foster a sense of mastery and growth. relatedness involves creating a supportive and inclusive learning environment where students feel connected to their peers and teachers, fostering a sense of belonging and social interaction. sdt suggests that when these three psychological needs are met, students are more motivated, engaged, and successful in their academic pursuits. this study is also anchored on the social cognitive theory (sct) which emphasizes the role of observational learning and social interaction in student engagement. according to sct, students learn by observing and imitating others, particularly role models such as teachers and peers. additionally, sct highlights the importance of social interaction and collaborative learning, as it provides opportunities for students to engage in discussions, exchange ideas, and receive feedback, which enhances their motivation and engagement (bandura, 2008). another theory on which this study is anchored is the flow theory, proposed by mihaly csikszentmihalyi, suggests that optimal student engagement occurs when the level of challenge in a task aligns with the student’s skill level. when the challenge is too low, students may become bored and disengaged. conversely, if the challenge is too high, students may feel overwhelmed and anxious. flow theory posits that when students are immersed in a state of flow, characterized by a balance between their skills and the task’s difficulty, they experience a deep sense of concentration, enjoyment, and intrinsic motivation (csikszentmihalyi et al., 2018). meanwhile, li and xue (2023), jones and jones (2019) stated that learning environment is indispensable in student engagement. the learning environment plays a role in establishing a culture of student engagement. more so, learning environment shapes how students become engaged in the classrooms where they become active in making their learning. in addition, the pronouncement of mitchell et al. (2019); xie and derakhshan (2021) who pointed out that teacher communication behavior is essential in the foundation of developing a sense of student engagement. hence, teachers are always encouraged to consistently practice desirable communication behavior to increase academic engagement of the students. the study focuses on two independent variables: learning environment and teacher communication behavior. the learning environment includes indicators such as community of peers, teacher and student relationships, academic climate, meaningful engagement, inclusion and safety, and physical space. community of peers emphasizes students’ connection and sense of belonging, while teacher and student relationship highlights the positive link between students and teachers. academic climate refers to students’ ease in meeting academic requirements, and meaningful engagement involves students in decision-making. inclusion and safety create a safe space for students to express themselves, and physical space contributes to a conducive learning environment. on the other hand, teacher communication behavior includes indicators like challenging activities, encouragement, non-verbal support, understanding, and controlling behaviors. the dependent variable of the study is student engagement, encompassing affective, behavioral, and cognitive engagement. affective engagement reflects students’ emotional attachment and fondness for learning at school, while behavioral engagement shows their interest in excelling academically. cognitive engagement involves students relating their school learnings to reallife experiences and analyzing the connections. the study draws from various sources like rusticus, pashootan and mah (2022) for the learning environment variable, fauziah and irmayanti (2023) for teacher communication behavior, and johnson et al. (2022) for student engagement indicators. by examining these variables, the study aims to understand the factors influencing student engagement in the educational setting. materials and methods research respondent the study involved grade 9 students from the division of davao del sur, with a total of 300 out of 330 enrolled students participating as respondents. grade 9 students were chosen due their significant role in the educational transition from middle school to high school, which pa ge 12 6 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 123-135, 2024 involves notable changes in academic standards, social interactions, and individual growth. the study aimed to gather important information about the unique experiences, obstacles, and perspectives of grade 9 students during this transitional period. this school was selected as the research site due to its diverse student body and high educational standards, allowing for a comprehensive understanding of the school environment. the study utilized universal sampling, also known as census sampling, where all grade 9 students from this school were given the opportunity to participate, ensuring equal representation and minimizing potential biases in the findings (cheng et al., 2022). these junior high school students are formally enrolled in the academic year 2022–2023. if respondents are under the age of minors or below 18 years old, the researcher would fully explain the scope of the study and obtain their consent prior to administering the survey questionnaire, its implications, and risk. the research also obtained a consent from both the respondents’ parents and the respondents themselves. the respondents were informed that they could withdraw from participating anytime in the research process. in participating in the study, they were given the free will and was informed that the study is not compulsory for them to get involved. they will be assured that no threats, intimidation, force, or duress will be manifested against them and that their responses will be treated with full secrecy and should not be revealed or disclosed to anyone. teachers, principal, and office staff in the above chosen secondary school in davao del sur were excluded in the study. senior high school as well as grade 7, 8, and 10 students were excluded to participate in the study. materials and instrument the research instrument used by the researcher in gathering data has three parts. the questionnaire dealt with the learning environment, this is an adopted questionnaire developed by shochet, colbert-getz and wright (2013); rusticus, pashootan and mah (2022) for teacher communication behavior is taken from matos, leite, brown and cirino (2014); fauziah and irmayanti (2023) and for student engagement which is taken from hart, stewart and jimerson (2011); johnson et al. (2022). the questionnaire has undergone pilot testing in one of the schools in davao del sur to establish reliability and validity. each variable questionnaire has 2-5 questions for each domain. the validator’s mean rating of survey questionnaire was 4.34 signifying strong validation. based on the result of data during pilot testing the result was acceptable. for each item, the research participant will choose among 5-point agreeableness scaling: 5 for always, 4 for often, 3 for sometimes, 2 for seldom and 1 for never. in evaluating the learning environment, teacher communication behavior and student engagement the following five ranges of means and descriptions were used. the first range, from 4.20 to 5.00, represents a very high level. this means that the provision related to the learning environment, teacher communication behavior and student engagement as described in the item, is consistently observed. the second range, from 3.40 to 4.19, indicates a high level. in this case, the provision is often observed in the learning environment, teacher communication behavior and student engagement. moving on to the third range, from 2.40 to 3.39, we have a moderate level. this suggests that the provision related to the learning environment, teacher communication behavior and student engagement is sometimes observed. the fourth range, from 1.80 to 2.39, represents a low level. here, the provision is rarely observed in the learning environment, teacher communication behavior and student engagement. finally, the fifth range, from 1.00 to 1.79, signifies a very low level. in this case, the provision related to the learning environment, teacher communication behavior and student behavior is never observed in the item. design and procedure the research design employed in this study is a nonexperimental quantitative approach utilizing descriptive correlational techniques. this methodological choice was made because the independent variable under investigation was not manipulated, and there was no random assignment to groups. as highlighted in bloomfield and fisher’s study (2019), descriptive research design entails the comprehensive description of existing conditions variables, facilitating a thorough elucidation of the situation. descriptive research serves to illuminate prevailing issues or concerns, evaluating the nature and extent of association between the learning environment and student engagement, as well as teacher communication behavior and student engagement. moreover, the correlational aspect of the design allows for the determination of significant relationships between the variables, identifying patterns of association between them. this approach is solely focused on describing current conditions without the interference of the researcher (quantitative descriptive & correlational research, 2023). in terms of procedure, the researcher adhered to specific protocols for data collection, beginning with obtaining permission from the schools division superintendent to conduct research in one of the national high schools. following approval, a letter of endorsement was provided to the district supervisor and to school principal involved to facilitate data collection. the research instrument was personally distributed and explained to participants before they completed the questionnaire. to ensure data accuracy, a certificate of appearance was obtained from the school head to validate the integrity of data collection. statistical analyses were employed to interpret the data, organized based on evaluation indicators. cronbach’s alpha values for learning environment, teacher communication behavior, and student engagement exceeded .7, indicating high consistency. pearson’s correlation coefficient was utilized to analyze pa ge 12 7 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 123-135, 2024 the relationship between learning environment, teacher communication behavior, and student engagement. additionally, regression analysis was employed to ascertain which aspects of the learning environment and teacher communication behavior influenced student engagement. it’s important to note that data collection commenced upon obtaining umerc certificate, ensuring adherence to ethical protocols. privacy and confidentiality were rigorously maintained, and participants were fully informed about the study through the informed consent process. recruitment of junior high school students employed a universal approach, free from physical harm or risks. measures were implemented to prevent plagiarism, fabrication, or falsification of data, promoting accuracy and honesty. conflict of interest was managed through collaboration and respect for participants’ autonomy. face-to-face interviews were conducted with relevant authorities’ permission, and revisions were made based on advisor recommendations to uphold professionalism and integrity. results and discussion learning environment shown in table 1 is the level of learning environment scale in terms of community of peers, teacher and student relationships, academic climate, meaningful engagement, mentoring, inclusion and safety, and physical space. the overall mean score of the level of learning environment was 4.16 and standard deviation 0.43, which was described as high. the indicator with the highest mean was mentoring 4.49 and sd 0.66, with a descriptive level of very high. it is then followed by inclusion and safety 4.37 and sd 0.56, which was also described as very high. then physical space has a mean of 4.24 and sd 0.75 described as very high followed by academic climate that has a mean of 4.23 and sd 0.55, described as very high. next was teacher and student relationships have a mean of 4.05 and sd 0.67, with a descriptive level of high, followed by community of peers has a mean of 3.96 and sd 0.63, described as high. meaningful engagement has the lowest mean of 3.80 and sd 0.70 or described table 1: level of learning environment indicators mean sd descriptive level mentoring 4.49 0.66 very high inclusion and safety 4.37 0.56 very high physical space 4.24 0.75 very high academic climate 4.23 0.55 very high teacher and student relationships 4.05 0.67 high community of peers 3.96 0.63 high meaningful engagement 3.80 0.70 high overall 4.16 0.43 high as high. this result means that the respondents’ level of learning environment in terms of mentoring, inclusion and safety, physical space, and academic climate is very high while faculty relationships, community of peers, and meaningful engagement were high. the results imply that the learning environment is generally well balanced, with high scores across multiple dimensions, including mentoring, inclusion and safety, physical space, and academic climate. this indicates that the institution or program has effectively addressed various aspects of the learning environment. while the overall learning environment is perceived as high, there may be opportunities to further enhance the areas with relatively lower means, such as meaningful engagement, community of peers, and teacher-student relationships. the study reveals that high levels of mentoring, inclusion and safety, physical space, academic climate, teacher-student relationships, peer community, and engagement within learning environments significantly impact academic success and motivation, particularly for marginalized student groups facing additional obstacles. effective mentorship plays a pivotal role in enhancing academic performance and motivation, especially for marginalized students, aligning with previous research findings of jones and jones (2019); cayubit and francis (2021). elevated levels of inclusivity and safety foster motivation and participation, which is crucial for marginalized students experiencing discrimination and bullying affirms with the research of florescu (2020) and nuan et al (2021). additionally, ample physical space availability correlates with enhanced access to resources, supporting student learning, particularly for those lacking such resources outside of school is confirmed with the research of jalal et al (2023) and trowler et al (2022). a conducive academic climate, meaningful teacherstudent relationships, supportive peer communities, and significant engagement further contribute to academic success and motivation, echoing existing literature of li and xue (2023); quines and relacion (2022); and froment and de-besa (2022). teacher communication behavior shown in table 2, the level of teacher communication behavior, obtain an overall mean score of 4.02 and standard deviation 0.51, which was described as high. this signifies that the respondents’ engagement was observed. also shown in the table, the indicator which have the highest mean score was understanding and friendly 4.18 and pa ge 12 8 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 123-135, 2024 sd 0.70 with a descriptive value of high. it was followed by controlling with a mean of 4.11 and sd 0.60, which was described as high. further followed by indicators challenging with a mean of 4.06 and sd 0.58 which was described as high, non-verbal support with a mean of 3.96 and sd 0.74, which was is described as high. the indicator with the lowest mean score is encouragement and praise 3.81 and sd 0.74 and is interpreted again as high. the results exposed that the dimension of teacher communication behavior in terms understanding and friendly, controlling, challenging, non-verbal support, and encouragement and praise was notably high. table 2: level of teacher communication behavior indicators mean sd descriptive level understanding and friendly 4.18 0.70 high controlling 4.11 0.60 high challenging 4.06 0.58 high non-verbal support 3.96 0.74 high encouragement and praise 3.81 0.74 high overall 4.02 0.51 high the results imply that teacher communication is equally balanced, with high scores in all domains. this indicates that while teachers exhibit competency in various communication aspects, addressing areas like encouragement and praise can further enhance their communication behavior, thereby better supporting students’ learning endeavors. this emphasized the significance of teacher-student communication that is supportive in nature. the research findings underscore the commendable proficiency demonstrated by teachers in various aspects of communication, significantly contributing to the establishment of a positive learning environment. the high mean score for understanding and friendly communication highlights teachers’ adeptness in comprehending students’ needs and maintaining a friendly demeanor affirms with previous scholarly investigations of bukit et al. (2023) and peng (2021). similarly, the high mean score for controlling communication reflects teachers’ skill in managing classroom dynamics and guiding student behavior, aligning with previous research of yadi (2021). while the moderate scores for challenging communication and non-verbal support indicate a moderate inclination towards stimulating critical thinking and using non-verbal cues effectively affirms with the studies of engels (2021) and li and xue (2023), the moderate score for encouragement and praise suggests an area for improvement, essential for fostering a supportive learning environment as studies of luckeydoo (2023) and zhao (2019) affirms the idea that a positive reinforcement is considered crucial for fostering a supportive learning environment. nevertheless, the high overall mean score for communication underscores teachers’ proficiency in employing diverse communication strategies to support student learning, echoing previous research of fauziah and irmayanti, (2023) and havik and westergård (2020). student engagement shown in table 3, the level of student engagement in terms of affective engagement, behavioral engagement, and cognitive engagement which was the third objective of the study. the overall mean score of the level of student engagement was 4.45 and standard deviation 0.44, which was described as very high. this signifies that the respondents’ engagement was observed. also show below, the indicator which have the highest mean score was affective engagement 4.49 and sd 0.48, with descriptive value of very high. it was followed by cognitive engagement 4.34 and sd 0.63 described as very high the lowest mean score is behavioral engagement 4.32 and sd 0.57 is interpreted again as very high. the results exposed that the respondents’ level of student engagement in terms of affective engagement, behavioral engagement, and cognitive engagement were very high. table 3: level of student engagement indicators mean sd descriptive level affective engagement 4.49 0.48 very high cognitive engagement 4.34 0.63 very high behavioral engagement 4.32 0.57 very high overall 4.45 0.44 very high the results imply that the grade 9 students of one of the junior high school in davao del sur division are highly engaged affectively, cognitively, and behaviorally. with their level of engagement, these students manifest that they take ownership of their learning growth in ensuring academic progress. affective engagement, the indicator with highest mean score, implies that these students strongly desire to learn; they enjoy learning new things in pa ge 12 9 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 123-135, 2024 class; they like thier school; they are happy to be at this school; and always looking forward in going to school. the research findings reveal remarkably high levels of student engagement across emotional, cognitive, and behavioral dimensions, indicating a deep investment in learning and motivation. the elevated mean scores for affective, cognitive, and behavioral engagement suggest that students are highly motivated, interested, and actively involved in their learning processes, this affirms the studies of cents-boonstra et al. (2021); sambara et al. (2022) and halverson and graham (2019). a student’s cognitive engagement with learning activities or materials is the best description of active learning, according to bonwell and eison (1991). the findings underscore the importance of fostering multifaceted engagement to create interactive, collaborative, and enriching educational environments conducive to both academic success and personal growth. the significance on the relationship between learning environment and student engagement presented in table 4 was the significant relationship between learning environment and student engagement in terms of community of peers, teacher and student relationships, academic climate, meaningful engagement, mentoring, inclusion and safety, and physical space and student engagement in terms of affective engagement, behavioral engagement, and cognitive engagement. the overall r-value is .592, while the p-value less than 0.05 level which rejects the null hypothesis. this implies that there was significant relationship between the two constructs. the data revealed that affective engagement had r-values ranging from .183 to .275 with the indicators of the learning environment. behavioral engagement had correlation values between .249 and .469, and cognitive engagement had values from .275 to .429. all computed p-values leading to the rejection of the null hypothesis for each relationship. these results indicate the importance of emotional, behavioral, and cognitive engagement in connection to the various aspects of the learning environment, emphasizing the significance of these engagements in fostering a positive and supportive educational setting. the self-determination theory posits that individuals have three innate psychological needs: autonomy, competence, and relatedness (deci & ryan, 2008). the data presented aligns well with this theory. the significant positive correlation between the learning environment and the various aspects of student engagement (affective, behavioral, and cognitive) suggests that the learning environment is likely supporting the fulfillment of these three basic needs. a supportive and positive learning environment can foster a sense of autonomy, where students feel they have some control and choice in their learning. furthermore, a nurturing learning environment can promote a sense of relatedness, where students feel connected to their peers and teachers. table 4: significance on the relationship between learning environment and student engagement learning environment student engagement affective engagement behavioral engagement cognitive engagement overall community of peers .183** .249** .275** .301** .001 .000 .000 .000 teacher and student relationships .263** .368** .285** .385** .000 .000 .000 .000 academic climate .227** .469** .429** .484** .000 .000 .000 .000 meaningful engagement .213** .409** .429** .453** .000 .000 .000 .000 mentoring .275** .308** .306** .374** .000 .000 .000 .000 inclusion and safety .256** .358** .375** .421** .000 .000 .000 .000 physical space .195** .264** .333** .338** .001 .000 .000 .000 overall .347** .520** .524** .592** .000 .000 .000 .000 *significant at 0.05 significant level bandura’s social cognitive theory emphasizes the importance of environmental and personal factors in shaping an individual’s behavior (bandura, 2008). the data presented aligns with this theory, as the learning environment (an environmental factor) is shown to have a significant relationship with student engagement (a behavioral outcome). the flow theory suggests that individuals experience pa ge 13 0 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 123-135, 2024 a state of optimal engagement and enjoyment when their skills are well-matched to the challenges they face (csikszentmihalyi et al., 2018). the data presented supports the relevance of this theory in the context of learning environments and student engagement. a learning environment that is well-designed and supportive can create the conditions for students to experience a state of flow. the significant positive correlations between the learning environment and the different aspects of student engagement (affective, behavioral, and cognitive) indicate that a well-designed learning environment can foster the conditions necessary for students to achieve a state of flow, leading to increased engagement and better learning outcomes. the study’s findings reveal a nuanced understanding of the intricate relationship between emotions, behaviors, thoughts, and the learning environment, aligning with previous research of brandisauskiene (2021) and fredricks et al., (2019) emphasizing the importance of these interactions in fostering a positive educational setting. affective engagement emerges as significantly connected to several factors such as peer relationships, teacher-student relationships, and the overall academic climate, underscoring the broad impact of emotional involvement on student engagement affirmed by the studies of franklin and harrington (2019); karatas (2019) and buenaventura (2023). the significance on the relationship between teacher communication behavior and student engagement displayed in table is the significant relationship between teacher communication behavior, such as challenging, encouragement, praise, non-verbal support, understanding, friendliness, and control, and student engagement in affective, behavioral, and cognitive aspects. the overall r-value is .611 with a p-value of .000, indicating a rejection of the null hypothesis and a significant relationship between teacher communication behavior and student engagement. affective engagement showed correlations with challenging (.271), encouragement and praise (.211), non-verbal support (.818), understanding and friendliness (.333), and control (.240), all with p-values of .000. behavioral engagement also had strong connections with teacher communication behavior, with correlations of .509 for overall engagement and significant correlations with challenging (.498), encouragement and praise (.269), non-verbal support (.453), understanding and friendliness (.393), and control (.317), all with p-values of .000. moreover, cognitive engagement exhibited a strong relationship with teacher communication behavior, with an overall r-values of .591 and a p-value of .000. cognitive engagement correlated significantly with challenging (.417), encouragement and praise (.365), nonverbal support (.530), understanding and friendliness (.440), and control (.478), all with pvalues of .000. these findings suggest a high level of student engagement due to the impactful teacher communication behavior present in the learning environment. the results highlight the importance of teacher communication behavior in facilitating high levels of student engagement across affective, behavioral, and cognitive aspects. the study reveals a significant relationship between teacher communication behavior and student engagement across affective, behavioral, and cognitive domains, with a strong overall correlation coefficient of .611. specifically, challenging behavior from teachers correlates positively with affective, behavioral, and cognitive engagement, along with encouragement and praise, non-verbal support, understanding, friendliness, and control. table 5: significance on the relationship between teacher communication behavior and student engagement teacher communication behavior student engagement affective engagement behavioral engagement cognitive engagement overall challenging .271** .498** .417** .505** .000 .000 .000 .000 encourage and praise .211** .269** .365** .362** .000 .000 .000 .000 non-verbal support .181** .453** .530** .507** .002 .000 .000 .000 understanding and friendly .333** .393** .440** .494** .000 .000 .000 .000 controlling .240** .317** .478** .446** .000 .000 .000 .000 overall .325** .509** .591** .611** .000 .000 .000 .000 *significant at 0.05 significant level pa ge 13 1 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 123-135, 2024 these findings underscore the crucial role of teachers in fostering student engagement through challenging, encouraging, and supportive behaviors, emphasizing the importance of creating an inclusive and positive learning environment. the study’s results align with selfdetermination theory of deci and ryan (2008). the data reveals a significant positive correlation between various aspects of teacher communication behavior (challenging, encouragement and praise, non-verbal support, understanding and friendliness, and controlling) and the different dimensions of student engagement (affective, behavioral, and cognitive). this alignment suggests that teacher communication behavior plays a vital role in fulfilling students’ basic psychological needs. for example, the positive correlations with encouragement, praise, and non-verbal support can foster a sense of competence and relatedness, while the correlation with control (or the lack thereof) can support students’ autonomy. when these needs are met, students are more likely to be engaged and motivated in their learning. the findings of the study agree with social cognitive theory of bandura (2008). the significant correlations between various aspects of teacher communication behavior and the different dimensions of student engagement (affective, behavioral, and cognitive) indicate that the teacher’s communication style and actions can profoundly impact students’ cognitive, emotional, and behavioral engagement in the learning process. the study’s results confirm with flow theory (csikszentmihalyi, 2018). the data shows that teacher communication behavior, such as challenging, encouragement, and understanding, is positively correlated with student engagement. this aligns with the flow theory, as effective teacher communication can create the conditions for students to experience a state of flow. the strong positive correlations between teacher communication behavior and the different aspects of student engagement (affective, behavioral, and cognitive) highlight the importance of creating learning environments where teachers can effectively communicate and support students in a way that facilitates optimal engagement and flow experiences. the study’s results align with previous research of reeve (2019); wong and liem (2022) and quines and relacion (2022) emphasizing the profound impact of teachers’ behavior and beliefs on student engagement and learning outcomes, emphasizing the need for educators to cultivate supportive, credible, and caring environments conducive to student development and learning. regression analysis of learning environment and teacher communication behavior that best influences student engagement shown in table 6 is the regression analysis of the collected data to test and analyze if there was a significant influence between independent and dependent variables namely the learning environment, teacher communication behavior and student engagement of the grade 9 students in one of the national high school in davao del sur. additionally, the model represents the computed f–value of 21.211 with corresponding p–value of .000 which was lower than 0.05 level of significance. thus, the independent variables learning environment and teacher communication behavior significantly influences the dependent variable student engagement. further, r square is equal to .470 that implies a 47 percent of the variance on student engagement was significantly influenced by learning environment and teacher communication behavior while the remaining 53 percent have a significant relationship by the other aspects. furthermore, there is one out of seven indicator of learning environment having a significant relationship to student engagement. on the other hand, there are two out of five indicators of teacher communication behavior having a significant relationship to student engagement. table 6: regression analysis of learning environment and teacher communication behavior that best influences student engagement student engagement b β t sig. constant 1.486 6.969 .000 learning environment community of peers .021 .030 .581 .562 teacher and student relationships -.029 -.044 -.739 .461 academic climate .121 .149 2.613 .009 meaningful engagement .062 .098 1.619 .107 mentoring .053 .079 1.513 .131 inclusion and safety .077 .097 1.859 .064 physical space .005 .009 .173 .863 teacher communication behavior challenging .153 .201 3.469 .001 encourage and praise -.041 -.068 -1.181 .239 pa ge 13 2 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 123-135, 2024 non-verbal support .080 .133 2.120 .035 understanding and friendly .097 .153 2.613 .009 controlling .114 .154 2.937 .004 r .686 r2 .470 ∆r .448 f 21.211 ρ .000 the study examines the impact of different domains of the learning environment and teacher communication behaviors on student engagement. results indicate that only the academic climate domain significantly influences student engagement, emphasizing the importance of instructional quality, academic support, and classroom environment. additionally, teacher behaviors such as challenging, non-verbal support, and understanding and friendly communication positively impact student engagement. however, encourage and praise and controlling do not show significant influences. these findings underscore the importance of fostering a positive academic climate and employing effective teacher communication strategies to enhance student engagement and improve learning outcomes. this affirms with the study of cooper (2020) and bond et al. (2020). furthermore, the study reveals a positive relationship between the learning environment and student engagement, emphasizing the need for conducive and supportive educational settings. the findings align with previous research of li and xue (2023); quines and relacion (2022); miao et al. (2022); and froment and de besa (2022) highlighting the significance of teacherstudent relationships, peer interaction, and student engagement for academic success and social development. the study contributes to a comprehensive understanding of the factors influencing student success in educational settings, emphasizing the role of the learning environment and teacher communication behaviors. conclusion in conclusion, this research study has provided valuable insights into the connection between the learning environment, teacher communication behavior, and student engagement. the descriptive findings demonstrated that the overall level of the learning environment, teacher communication behavior, and student engagement were high, with student engagement being very high. the relationships between learning environment, teacher communication behavior, and student engagement were all statistically significant, with moderate to strong positive correlations. furthermore, the regression analysis revealed that the learning environment and teacher communication behavior together accounted for a substantial proportion (47%) of the variance in student engagement, with both factors making unique and significant contributions to predicting student engagement. recommendations in understanding of the previous results and conclusion, the succeeding commendation are presented. to improve student engagement in the learning environment from high to very high in terms of meaningful engagement, the teachers are encouraged to play and active role in the students’ engagement. it is crucial to create activities that encourage meaningful engagement. one effective approach is to gamify learning by incorporating elements of competition, rewards, and challenges into activities. games have been shown to engage students both inside and outside the classroom. to improve teacher communication behavior from high to very high, particularly in the areas of encouragement and praise, the teachers are motivated to hold a significant importance in the student’s engagement. they can be exposed to training about properly preparing classroom to steer engagement in students. teaching each day with positivity encourages students to forget partial struggles and get interested in the lessons being taught. in order to improve student behavioral engagement, it is important for teachers and schools to provide opportunities for students to take part in improving school needs by respectfully suggesting what needs do they see that can help the institution become a place where they can feel at ease while learning. when a learner feels comfortable with the environment in learning and the teacher also makes him feel at ease, student engagement is achieved and a better result academically is observed. acknowledgements the researcher expresses her heartfelt appreciation to everyone who contributed to this research. special thanks go to her thesis advisor, dr. viola p. buenaventura, edd. to the statistician of this research, dr. rinante l. genuba, edd, who gave his reliable statistician analysis of the survey result. to the examining committee led by dr. elleine rose a. oliva, edd., dr. mary ann e. tarusan, phd., dr. lovella serrano, edd., dr. edwin nebria, edd, for their guidance, proficient comments and suggestions throughout the study. the researcher is grateful to the department of education schools division superintendent of davao del sur, nelson c. lopez, ceso v, marites l. ungababucejo, jd, principal iii, district principal in charge of padada district, editha i. arendain, principal i of padada national high school for their cooperation who allowed pa ge 13 3 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 123-135, 2024 the researcher to conduct the survey. thanks also go to the student participants (grades 9) from padada national high school for their invaluable contribution to the study. deepest appreciation is extended to her loved ones: husband leo g. cebelleros, whose love, encouragement and inspiration energized her to pursue this study; homer u. geonzon her father, crestita b. geonzon, rosielyn g. murphy her sisters and homer abelardo b. geonzon her brother for being always to give moral, financial, spiritual which inspires the writer to hurdle all the hindrances in realizing her dreams and ambition in life to be real. finally, the researcher acknowledges her profound gratitude to god almighty for his blessings and guidance. to him be the glory forever. references bandura, a. 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(2019). achievement emotions as mediators of teacher communication behavior and student participation: a model construction. proceedings of the international conference on systems engineering and modeling. https://doi.org/10.2991/seiem-18.2019.96 pa ge 1 pa ge 17 american journal of education and technology (ajet) investigating the impact of information communication technology (ict) illiteracy levels on the academic performance of first-year students: a case of emmanuel university makarios kizito chimowa1*, paul muotcha1 volume 3 issue 3, year 2024 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v3i3.2726 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: june 02, 2024 accepted: july 07, 2024 published: july 11, 2024 information communication technology (ict), gives university students a better understanding of how an academic work should be presented and submitted for assignments, exercises, examinations, research work and others. the impact of ict on students’ academic performance in early stages of university education includes benefits like developing the ability to use the university’s academic standards of writing or presenting class work or assignments, seminars, and also research-related presentations. the benefits of using ict outweigh its challenges once one acquires the skill, though society may view the use of ict as unattainable. this study investigated the impact of information communication technology (ict) illiteracy levels on the academic performance of first year students at emmanuel university. based on sdt, ict engagement theory, it is suggested that students’ interests, positive social interactions, autonomy and competence related to ict increase their intrinsic motivation. this enables them to challenge themselves with self-driven technology use, which can generate conditions conducive to optimal academic performance. results of the study revealed that lack of knowledge in ict affects the academic performance of first year university students in many ways. the study recommends that universities should focus on adequately orienting or training first year students in the use of various types of ict and encourage that they keep practicing the skill to become more skillful and experienced. keywords information communication technology, university standards, illiteracy levels, academic performance 1 faculty of education, emmanuel university, p.o. box 30583, lilongwe, malawi * corresponding author’s e-mail: k.chimowa@emunimw.com introduction there has been a revolutionization in the way people live, work and communicate due to information communication technology (ict). in the modern education sector, universities rely heavily on ict to deliver course content, conduct assessments, and communicate with students (aziz, a., & naz, a, 2019). even though ict has become an integral part of modern-day education, many first-year university students still struggle with basic ict knowledge and skills. this lack of ict literacy can have a significant impact on their academic performance and overall university extra-curricular activities. additionally, the digital divide increases this problem, with some students having better access to technology and resources than others. ict illiteracy among first-year students can also impact their potential for success in a digital society (bawa, p.2016). this research paper investigated ict illiteracy levels’ impact on first-year emmanuel university students. purpose of the study the main purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of ict illiteracy levels on the academic performance and experience of first-year students at emmanuel university. the study investigated the extent to which ict illiteracy affects the academic performance of first-year students. it also determined factors contributing to ict illiteracy among first-year students at the institution. furthermore, the study aimed at giving or suggesting solutions to this effect in order to minimize the impact of ict illiteracy amongst first year students at emmanuel university. problem statement ict illiteracy is a growing problem among university students, particularly those in their first year since majority of them did not have a chance to learn ict at secondary level. bawa, p. (2016) noted that many students are unable to effectively use basic ict tools such as email, learning management systems, and online research databases. this can result in poor academic performance, missed deadlines, and reduced engagement with course materials. furthermore, ict illiteracy can impact students’ ability to navigate the digital world and affect their future job prospect. the expectation of emmanuel university to students in first year is that they follow the assessment procedures of writing and presenting typed assignments in a standardized manner in accordance with the academic policy on assessment. it has been observed that most students delay to submit assignments or present their assignments with a lot of errors. this is why this study was conducted to investigate the cause. research questions the research will be guided through the use of the following questions: 1. what is the level of ict illiteracy among first-year students? pa ge 18 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 17-27, 2024 2. to what extent does ict illiteracy affect the academic performance of first-year students? 3. what are the factors contributing to ict illiteracy among first-year students? 4. what solutions can be considered to help minimize the ict illiteracy among first-year students at emmanuel university? literature review literature review explains the literature that is available to support the topic of discussion in project research or an academic writing. it guides the writer or researcher important points that can be a source of linkage to the current ideas or new knowledge. therefore, this section presents literature on the use, importance and general concept of the use of computers or ict related tools in higher learning institutions. the scope shall cover the world views, african views and malawi views on the impact of ict illiteracy levels on academic performance of students. outside africa developed countries such as the united states of america, canada, the united kingdom, and australia, have a significant amount of literature available on the impact of ict illiteracy on first-year university students. for example, ict develops students’ new understanding in their areas of learning (chai et al. 2010). and koc (2005) mentioned that using ict enables students to communicate, share, and work collaboratively anywhere, any time. current research has indicated that ict assists in transforming a teaching environment into a learnercentered one (castro sánchez and alemán 2011). since learners are actively involved in the learning processes in ict classrooms, they are authorized by the teacher to make decisions, plans, and so forth (lu, hou and huang 2010). ict therefore provides both learners and instructors with more educational affordances and possibilities. in today’s technologically advanced world, information communication technology (ict) literacy has become a crucial skill for individuals in various fields. as universities worldwide increasingly rely on digital tools and platforms, it is essential for first-year students to possess adequate ict literacy skills. this literature review aims to explore the impact of ict illiteracy on first-year students enrolled at any university, outside africa, within africa, and in malawi. information and communication technology (ict) includes computers, the internet, and electronic delivery systems such as radios, televisions, and projectors among others, and is widely used in today’s education field. kent and facer (2004) indicated that school is an important environment in which students participate in a wide range of computer activities, while the home serves as a complementary site for regular engagement in a narrower set of computer activities. increasingly, ict is being applied successfully in instruction, learning, and assessment. ict is considered a powerful tool for educational change and reform. a number of previous studies have shown that appropriate use of ict can raise educational quality and connect learning to real-life situations (lowther et al., 2008; weert & tatnall, 2005). as weert and tatnall (2005) have pointed out, learning is an ongoing lifelong activity where learners change their expectations by seeking knowledge, which departs from traditional approaches. as time goes by, they will have to expect and be willing to seek out new sources of knowledge. skills in using ict will be an indispensable prerequisite for these learners. the introduction of digital devices and technology in the modern society has brought much excitement and as well as fear. many people are using modern technology for personal career advancement while others are using it to deceive others through fraud and many other ways. institutions of higher learning for example receive students with different technological abilities and inabilities. as noted in the literature, knowledge in computers has imperceptibly created two major groups or classes of people; digital natives and digital immigrants (ahn & jung, 2016; kirk et al., 2015; metallo & agrifoglio, 2015; nelissen & van den bulck, 2018). whether the individual was born before or after the mainstreaming of computer knowledge, both personal and professional lives’ challenges have made it almost mandatory for all persons to have some level of literacy in computer knowledge (mohammadyari & singh, 2015). for many years up to recent times, the use and presence of smart phones has outweighed that of laptops and desktops or ipads and palm tops. there are many people that use smart phones every day either on personal business or academic work. over the years, people have gradually become more confident and comfortable with smartphone technology while desktop computers assumed a secondary role, a phenomenon that is consistent with visions of the digital future (pantic, pentland, nijholt, & huang, 2007). as previous studies show, over 80% of university students are using smartphones (akyina, manu & dzamesi, 2019; manu, akyina, appiagyei, & opoku, 2018; briz-ponce, pereira, carvalho, juanes-méndez, & garcía-peñalvo, 2017; pratama, 2017). it is interesting to note that the number of students in universities that own personal computers are much lower than those who own smart phones. this could be attributed to many factors like poverty levels versus means of earnings for parents of students. and undoubtedly, the smartphone is like a small computer that can be used to perform functions similar to a laptop or desktop computer. however, despite the promise of “ubiquitous computing” (pantic, pentland, nijholt, & huang, 2007) ushered in, partly, by smartphone technology, there is a need to sustain, if not improve, the teaching and learning of desktop computer applications among university students as this is a pre-requisite for information literacy and lifelong learning (madigan, goodfellow, & stone, 2007; yeboah, dadzie, & owusuansah, 2017). several studies have examined attitudes to, and confirm a shift away from, desktop computing pa ge 19 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 17-27, 2024 (alothman, robertson, & michaelson, 2017; madigan, goodfellow, & stone, 2007; napoli & obar, 2015; tsetsi & rains, 2017). tsetsi and rains (2017), for instance, conclude in their study that marginalized populations, including minority groups, less educated people, and younger people, were prone to smartphone-dependence. they aver, on the other hand, that this dependence proved itself a barrier to digital integration amongst these groups and lowered their chances of empowerment. social networks are spreading rapidly with millions of users, especially among young people in the eu countries. use of social networks in the educational process can be considered a potentially powerful educational tool because today’s students spend much time in online networking activities practically every day. previous research has shown that social network sites (sns) “support educational activities by enabling interaction, cooperation, active participation, information and resource sharing, and critical thinking” (ajjan and hartshorne, 2008; areepattamannil, and santos, 2020; goldsmith-pinkham and guido, 2013; selwyn, 2007, mazman and usluel, 2010). students today demand more independence, networking, interaction, and opportunities in their learning and some of them consider learning management systems a traditional and conservative learning tool (forouzesh, and darvish, 2012; oureshi, raza, and whitty, 2015). the direct link between the use of ict in students’ studies has been the focus of extensive literature during the last two decades. while some scholars believe that icts improve the students’ study habit, others do not support this view. online with the above, valasidou and bousiou (2005) stated that students frequently use ict resources especially internet for their studies, and that internet has huge impact in improving students’ study habits. leuven et al. (2004) against this view, stated that there is no evidence for a relationship between increased educational use of ict and students’ performance. in fact, they find a consistently negative and marginally significant relationship between ict use and some student achievement measures. still, in support of valasidou and bousiou (2005) abdulla y. al-hawaj, wajeeh elali and e.h. twizell (2008) stated that ict has the potential to transform the nature of education: where and how learning takes place and the roles of students and teaching takes place and the roles of students and teachers in the learning process. karim and hassan (2006) also noted the exponential growth in digital information has changed the way students perceive study and reading and in how printed materials are used to facilitate study. based on the extended use of icts in education, the need appeared to unravel the myth that surrounds the use of information and communication technology (ict) as an aid to teaching and learning, and the impact it has on students’ study habits and improvement to learning. therefore, the present study aims to examine the impact of ict on university students’ academic studies. within africa recent studies in ghana were concerned with students’ competency in icts (buabeng-andoh & issifu, 2015; dery et al., 2016; nketiah-amponsah et al., 2017); and perception of stakeholders towards icts in education (edumadze et al., 2017; gyamfi & gyaase, 2015; sarfo & ansong-gyimah, 2010). while studies on students’ ict competencies focused on students’ competencies in a cross-section of computer applications such as email and word processing, the participants of these studies were mostly experienced university students. this study focused on first-year students of a public university recognizing the peculiar needs of first-year students (gontshi & owusu-ansah, 2015), thus providing further evidence of the need to provide targeted tuition in computer applications to this group of students. according to ghana government policy on ict in education in 2001, ghana saw the need to incorporate ict into the main educational stream in order to be globally relevant in this 21st century. this led to the first workshop of all sector stakeholders ‘under the consultative process for the ghana ict for accelerated development (ict4ad) policy in 2001’. a number of issues were discussed pertaining to how ict could be integrated and strengthened in pretertiary educational institutions across the country in an equitable manner. following that workshop, several other meetings were also held. all these subsequent meetings and workshops were all geared towards developing a resilient policy framework in guiding ict implementation across all educational institutions throughout the country. it is not until 2006, when the actual draft document of the policy framework for ict was developed. in the same year, a number of sector stakeholder consultations were held leading to its promulgation in 2009 by the then minister of education (ministry of education ghana, 2015). the main aim envisaged by the policy framework was: “to enable graduates from ghanaian educational institutions – formal and non-formal to confidently and creatively use ict tools and resources to develop requisite skills and knowledge needed to be active participants in the global knowledge economy at all times” (ministry of education ghana, 2015). three pillars formed the ultimate ‘strong hold’ on which the entire ict policy was developed. these are; “ict as a learning and operating tool; ict as integrated into the teaching and learning and ict as a career option for students” (ministry of education ghana, 2015). in this way, students are provided with the requisite skills that will make them successful in this 21st century workplace; by this they have the opportunity to find jobs or become entrepreneurs in the field of ict (ministry of education ghana, 2015). however, in africa, for example ghana, much has not been done by the government and policy makers though they have acknowledged the tremendous benefits ict could bring to the nation as evident in ict policies in education. aside the government’s efforts in providing ict resources to schools, other institutions pa ge 20 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 17-27, 2024 and donors have also supported by supplying ict resources like computers, laptops, internet and other associated materials to senior high schools. for instance, china, in 2016, spent 400,000 ghana cedis (approx. usd 100,000.00) in renovating an ict laboratory for ejisuman senior high school (shs) in the ashanti region and, also subsequently, donated fifty brand new computers to the school (malik, 2017). kpmg, a very famous auditing firm in ghana also renovated a classroom into a state-of-the-art ict laboratory and presented twenty computers to the dzorwulu junior high school in the greater accra region (nyavi, 2016). mtn ghana also partnered with huawei to provide a 200-seating capacity ict facility stocked with reading materials and twenty computers to the juaben shs at a cost of ghc 602,000. the facility also has free internet connectivity to boost research and teaching (adogla-bessa, 2016). a study conducted to investigate the ‘status of implementation of the ict curriculum in ghanaian basic schools’ revealed that technological resources for teaching and training of students were “woefully inadequate” (acquah, 2012). the study indicated that projectors (89.3%), internet connectivity (79.8%), computers (77.4%), and ict laboratories (70.2%) were some of the most inadequate ict resources in ghanaian schools. another study conducted at a senior high school within the lower manya krobo district indicated that there were few computers available for students for studying ict. out of 140 students involved in the study, 137 of them affirmed that they do not have sufficient computers for studying ict (adebi-caesar, 2012). commonly used computer applications in schools and universities there are many educational and non-educational applications that are available at the disposal of students to support their direct learning and indirect learning activities (patterson & patterson, 2017). examples of these educational applications include but not limited to microsoft word, microsoft excel, microsoft powerpoint, word lens, molecule, electronic mail (e-mails), and statistical package for social sciences. whilst non-educational software which could also be used for entertainment and other activities other than education include but are not limited to whatsapp, facebook, twitter, computer games and instagram, mensah (2017) asserts that students used variety of computer applications for educational purposes and leisure. however, he added that the ghanaian students preferred leisured-based applications to education-oriented ones. further, he indicated that the most frequently used web-based applications were facebook, online games, music downloads, video downloads and porn sites with 99%, 56.1%, 96.9%, 87.1%, and 24.1% prevalence rates respectively. in comparison, the education-oriented applications were microsoft powerpoint (or its equivalent), microsoft word (or its equivalent), microsoft excel, statistical software (e.g. spss), exchange of information via e-mail, and information search (e.g. google scholar) with the following prevalence 47.4%, 25.8%, 34.5%, 5.7%, 58.8%, and 62.4% respectively; boni (2018). according to hennessy, harrison, and wamakote (2010), integrating ict into education in africa comes with a number of challenges in the broader scope. this, they regard as spectrum of physical and cultural factors. these factors include intermittent power supply, inadequate technology infrastructure in terms bandwidth, internet accessibility, applications and hardware. furtherance to the above challenges, teacher’ factors such as level of education and literacy rate, lack of participation in professional development, and fear of technology (technophobia) also play a role as barriers to integrating ict into classrooms. aside those factors are issues relating to shortfall of ict resources, learning materials and ict curricula. it has been indicated that the following factors challenged the smooth implementation of ict into classroom in a study conducted among 48 teachers (uma & arulchelvan, 2012). these factors include: lack of time (78%); lack of infrastructure (82%); and lack of skills (65%). challenges facing incorporation of ict into education is not only restricted to acquisition of ict resources but also qualified human resource and adequate time allocation for practical lessons and tuition in ict. with increasing use of information and communication technology in education, students entering university need a basic level of computer proficiency to be able to access course materials and complete assignments. for example, at the university of cape town (uct) all new first year students are required to write an online computer skills test, so that those who lack the necessary skills can be identified and provided with basic learning. (baugh, 2004). in addition, at the university of rwanda (ur), the familiarity and experience with technology for incoming students is not clearly known. dorman, s.m (2000) suggest that universities need to understand this phenomenon for efficient education planning and management. in malawi there has been an increasing uptake of icts across malawi, and at national level, this development may be attributed to the proliferation of smartphones or internet enabled phones and internet data bundles which are somewhat subsidised by mobile network service providers (chaputula, 2012; mtingwi and van belle, 2012). it is worth to acknowledge that several studies have been conducted at mzuni on the use of icts in teaching and learning. this is because mzuzu university has powerful open and distance learning centres in different regions of the country. more challenges that need to be solved include intermittent power supply, which makes internet access difficult (chaputula, 2012) and the very considerable cost of the internet connectivity (elearning industry, 2016). malawi’s reliance on only one source of electrical power is certainly a significant challenge. many companies have tried to bring in solar energy as a source of power, but during rainy season and cold season when sunlight is not enough, solar electricity supply becomes a challenge. pa ge 21 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 17-27, 2024 the usage of ict in higher educational institutions helps students to avail their required information in a short time from anywhere (oliver, 2002). in an academic environment through ict, students can have easy access to electronic information i.e. electronic books/journals, databases, search engines, and web 2.0 (meerza and beauchamp, 2017; wilson et al., 2014; harvey, 2012; okojie, 2010). ict helps students to innovate, enrich, accelerate and extend their skills to strengthen and change their learning pattern (davis et al., 2009; yusuf, 2005; davis et al., 2011; chan, 2002; tearle, 2004; alansari, 2006). after initial support from the united nations economic commission for africa (uneca), which assisted with the development of a national ict policy framework report, the government of malawi adopted a national ict for development policy in december 2005. the policy seeks to address an array of problems faced by the malawian economy and society which include: inadequate market information flow especially on small domestic markets “brain drain” in the ict sector due to low remuneration (essentially, the brain-drain is at two levels: from malawi to other countries especially within the sadc region, and from the public sector to the private sector), inadequate institutional capacity at national, sectoral, and organizational levels, negative attitude towards technology change, underdeveloped telecommunications infrastructure especially in rural areas. its vision is for an ict-led malawi and its mission is to facilitate the creation of an enabling environment for efficient, effective, and sustainable utilization, exploitation, and development of icts in all sectors of the economy in order to attain an information-rich and knowledge-based society and economy. based on a constructive learning approach, ict helps students focus on higher-level concepts rather than less meaningful tasks (levin and wadmany 2006). mcmahon’s study (2009) showed that there were statistically significant correlations between studying with ict and the acquisition of critical thinking skills. but in regards to malawi, there are a number of challenges students in universities face in ict skills. there is limited access to digital learning resources such that ict-illiterate firstyear students have an uphill task in accessing and utilizing digital learning resources. this includes online textbooks, research articles, e-library resources, and learning management systems. limited access to these resources can hinder their ability to engage with course materials effectively. as reid (2002) has indicated, ict offers students more time to explore beyond the mechanics of course content allowing them to better understand concepts. in addition, there is communication barriers in the sense that ict literacy plays a crucial role in facilitating effective communication between students, instructors, and support services. watts-taffe et al. (2003) found that teachers can act as catalysts for the integration of technology through ict. ict-illiterate students may struggle with online communication tools such as email, discussion forums, and virtual meetings. this can hinder their ability to actively participate in academic discussions, seek clarifications, or collaborate with peers (www. researchnetmw.net) methodology the study was hybrid as it combined both qualitative and quantitative approach research. the qualitative research involved the interview and historical documents. in addition, the qualitative methods focused primarily on the kind of evidence (what people told the researchers, what they did) that enabled the researcher to understand what was going on. while quantitative methods emphasized objective measurements and the statistical, mathematical, or numerical analysis of data collected by using administered questionnaires to the students purposively selected. the interviews were conducted to all 45-day (generic) students at emmanuel university. the study involved all 45-day (generic) students at emmanuel university, one librarian and one english lecturer. since the population is 45 students, the sample size remained 45 because the number is less than 1000 as guided by patton’s theory of sample size. sampling method this research was a combination of both qualitative and quantitative in nature. it used a questionnaire’s approach tool to collect and analyze data. the study began with a questionnaire or survey to determine the prevalence of ict illiteracy levels among first-year students at emmanuel university. the data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics (lee, j. 2010). next were semistructured interviews which were conducted with a subset of survey participants to gain a deeper understanding of the impact of ict illiteracy on academic performance. finally, the research reviewed existing literature on strategies for addressing ict illiteracy among university students. data collection methods this study used both primary and secondary data. primary data was in the form of administered questionnaire and interactive interviews. while secondary data was collected in reviewed available documents. the questionnaire targeted and was administered to 45 students while a librarian and a lecturer was interviewed separately. the reason why a questionnaire in general was used is that it is one of the doubtless primary sources of obtaining data in any research endeavour on top of the following advantages as has been put down by seliger & shohamy (1989), robinson, (1991) lynch (1996), nunan (1999), gillham (2000), brown (2001), that questionnaires are one of the efficient means of collecting data on a large-scale basis; they can be sent simultaneously to a great number of people; the inquirer can fairly and easily gather data in field sites; respondents anonymity makes them to share information more easily; they are a timepa ge 22 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 17-27, 2024 efficient way of collecting data from many people; they are cost-efficient. on the other hand, questionnaires have some disadvantages which should be kept in mind whenever they are used as gillham, (2000) and brown, (2001) say: ‘sometimes the answers are inaccurate and questionable; there is usually low return rate when sent by post or email; ambiguity and unclearness of some questions might lead to inaccurate and unrelated responses; some questions may cause misunderstanding; wording of the questions might affect the respondents’ responses.’ the interactive interview is therefore essential because it caters for areas that need immediate clarification. data analysis the data for this research was analyzed using thematic analysis. thematic analysis is a method for identifying, analyzing and reporting patterns or themes within the data collected (bryman, 2004). this method was chosen by this study because it is flexible and a good method to unravel or loosen the surface of reality (braun and clarke, 2006). after data from all the sources was reviewed then content analysis was done which led to the categorization basing on the responses from respondents. it is from this categorization that themes emerged. themes that came out very clear were as follows: • level of computer knowledge and skills • effects of computer knowledge on academic performance • factors contributing to lack of computer knowledge • ways to minimize lack of computer knowledge. results and discussion the study revealed that out of 45 students interviewed only 2 did computer training in secondary school. the rest have had no training because of the following reasons: level of computer knowledge and skills • the study confirms that there are very few students in the first semester of first year at the university with knowledge in computer skills and technology. • it was revealed that only one student had full computer knowledge in the first semester of the year. this signals emmanuel university to a need of in-service training on the use of ict (yildirim 2007). the results are also an indication that government and the private sector need to support schools by procuring more computers, providing ipads, providing electric or solar power supply to complement computer laboratories to operate effectively. most schools are not connected to the national electricity grid especially those in rural areas. table 1: factors contributing to computer illiteracy levels for first year students at emmanuel university factors contributing to computer illiteracy frequency percent (%) lack of computer studies lessons 18 40 lack of computers 13 28.9 not interested in computer studies 1 2.2 no response 13 28.9 total 45 100 the table above show figures in frequency and percentage on the illiteracy levels based on the responses of the students interviewed. according to the report from ministry of education 2022 malawi education statistics report on form four graduate figure, it can easily be analyzed that there are many factors contributing to illiteracy levels in the country. looking at the low numbers of schools offering information communication technology, it is clear and obvious that most student populace that would be accepted into universities and colleges at first year would be of little knowledge and skill. if rural electrification programme is well funded and implemented throughout the country, if every school was offering information communication technology studies as a compulsory subject with well-equipped laboratories, illiteracy levels would have reduced. in some instances, the subject in mention is made to be optional when those who decide not to learn it will still graduate from secondary and go to universities where they will find assignments, research and other academic related work which demand the use of this type of technology. this is an equivalent scenario if primary schools enroll learners straight in grade one or standard one. if grade two students do not perform well, grade two teachers are most likely going to blame grade one teachers for not having done a good job in teaching grade ones. in a similar instance, to avoid the blame game that might arise in colleges and universities by lecturers for some students not having the knowledge of information communication technology, if the government or the private sector cannot manage to provide for all primary and secondary schools with qualified teachers, well equipped computer laboratories, electrification of the computer laboratory buildings, there should be a deliberate programme of preparation to start assembling computers or ict related tools and machinery in the country to make the supply of ict gadgets possible. this might take time, but using students studying for computer engineering at malawi university of science and technology (must) would be an aid deal. if malawi is to achieve the agenda 2063, “the malawi pa ge 23 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 17-27, 2024 we want” policy, then there is need to start entrusting higher learning institutions to help in complementing government to reduce some of the challenges like illiteracy levels in some higher learning institutions in the country. lecturers in institutions should also take the role of writing project proposals in their departments on topics that relate to the importance of computers, smart phones and internet to students in higher learning institutions. this might attract the attention of some corporate institutions to help donate computers or fund such projects. effect of computer knowledge on academic performance the study shows that majority of first year students are affected by lack of computer knowledge in their academic preparations which includes power point presentations and writing of assignments as well as proper use of the internet. this gives pressure to improve scores on examination results (liu and szabo 2009). factors contributing to lack of computer knowledge • it was interesting to note that majority of the students attributed the lack of computer knowledge to lack of computer studies lessons at secondary schools for some learners. • while others said that this was due to lack of smart phones and computers even from their homes. this has led to insufficient skills for managing learning. (frederick, schweizer and lowe 2006). • in some schools, there are no ict laboratories, while in some schools, there is no electricity connectivity. • malawi secondary schools follow the system of subject combination. the issue of subject combination in as much as it is very beneficial to students of different academic abilities, poses a threat to ict general knowledge for students who may want to proceed to university education as the results have shown in this research. this is because others may not be given subject combination with ict due to their pass marks at form two. ❖ some students explained that in some instances, students are meant to choose between computer studies and life skills. this makes the study of computer studies optional posing this challenge of high illiteracy levels related to ict in universities. • students further explained that learning ict in some instances would start in form 3 which is not enough time to master or familiarized themselves with ict knowledge and skills. • some students also stated that other students are told by their friends that ict malawi national examination board (maneb) examinations are very tough, hence choosing another option. • student x reported that: “schools where there are computers, most students like playing games than doing academic work or learning other helpful skills. this is how most computers have been damaged because others become careless in the due course. this of course calls for proper institutional management for computer laboratories and even personal cell phones or ipads.” this would explain misplaced use of ict related resources in some schools which mostly might have been donated by well-wishers can easily send away well-wishers. ways to minimize lack of computer knowledge • majority of the students suggested that the university should be conducting computer lessons to first year students as a way of providing effective, timely, and continuous training to improve ict skills and manage a technology-rich classroom (hutchison and reinking 2011); • while others opted for buying more computers for the university as shown in the figure below which will improve student learning (al-bataineh et al. 2008). • others responded that when writing acceptance letters for students, there should be a statement that all first years should bring either a computer or a smart phone to help in group communications like whatsapp, emails, zoom lectures, checking information from student portals and others. this is because some parents who are not in the computer age do not understand when children ask them to buy such expensive gadgets like laptops. the current university trend is that the university offers an introductory package of computer skills to those interested first year students. because it is optional, most students do not attend. to others, once they acquire minimal skills, they stop attending computer lessons. a comment from the library section currently responsible for orienting students in computer skills said that: figure 1: ways to minimize lack of computer knowledge pa ge 24 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 17-27, 2024 “most students take the ict orientation programme less important because it is not an examinable module. they only see its importance when they start writing assignments.” lecturer x who teaches first years also stated that: “it sometimes becomes very disappointing to receive some assignments with unjustified pages, no page numbers, spelling errors as well as no proper formatting. this, lecturer x said is as a result of high ict illiteracy levels.” the pie chart below shows figures on the response of participants on ways that can minimize the lack of computer knowledge to students at emmanuel university and other higher learning institutions. it has to be noted that these are responses specific to emmanuel university students. ministry of education 2022 malawi education statistics report on ict in primary schools the ministry of education 2022 through the malawi education statistics compiled a report that comprised of figures about total number of schools offering information communication technology lessons and those that are connected to the internet (ministry of education 2022 malawi education statistics report). the report shows that education management information systems (emis) has a record of total number of schools in the country as 7,750. out of this total number, 127 schools are the only ones offering ict lessons. this was explained in the percentage of 1.9%. the report further recorded 170 schools connected to the internet representing a percentage of 2.5% (ibid). see unaltered exact extract table below from the ministry of education 2022 malawi education statics report. the following table is an exact extract from ministry of education 2022 malawi education statistics report table 2: number of schools that offer ict lessons and schools that connected to the internet district total number of schools number of school that offer ict lessons percentage of school that offer ict lessons number of schools connected to the internet percentage of schools connected to the internet chitipa 180 2 1.1% 2 1.1% karonga 186 2 1.1% 2 1.1% rumphi 208 2 1.0% 3 1.4% mzimba north 287 2 0.7% 5 1.7% mzimba south 323 2 0.6% 3 0.9% mzuzu city 67 5 7.5% 7 10.4% nkhata bay 210 1 0.5% 2 1.0% likoma 10 0 0.0% 0 0.0% kasungu 388 4 1.0% 4 1.0% nkhotakota 174 0 0.0% 0 0.0% dowa 254 1 0.4% 1 1.7% ntchisi 157 0 0.0% 0 8.8% salima 179 3 1.7% 3 3.2% mchinji 228 1 0.4% 20 0.7% lilongwe city 314 14 4.5% 10 3.9% lilongwe r. east 283 1 0.4% 2 0.7% lilongwe r. west 283 8 2.8% 11 3.9% dedza 267 5 1.9% 5 1.9% ntcheu 254 8 3.1% 8 3.1% mangochi 339 6 1.8% 7 2.1% balaka 174 1 0.6% 1 0.6% machinga 202 7 3.5% 6 3.0% zomba urban 23 1 4.3% 0 0.0% zomba rural 202 1 0.5% 1 0.5% blantyre city 282 18 6.4% 18 6.4% blantyre rural 200 0 0.0% 1 0.5% mwanza 66 0 0.0% 0 0.0% chikwawa 203 9 4.4% 24 11.8% pa ge 25 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 17-27, 2024 nsanje 112 2 1.8% 4 3.6% chiradzulu 98 5 5.1% 1 1.0% thyolo 212 1 0.5% 3 1.4% mulanje 183 0 0.0% 1 0.5% phalombe 99 15 15.2% 13 13.1% neno 94 0 0.0% 2 2.1% total 6750 127 1.9% 170 2.5% the above information for primary schools is a clear sign that there is great need to maximize the use of ict for primary schools which act as the basis for secondary education which in turn lead to a computer literate first year university students. secondary school enrolment: (direct extract from ‘ministry of education 2022 malawi education statistics report) if you look at the figures above of students enrolled in junior secondary and senior secondary, numbers keep table 3: number of students by sex, proprietor and form form sex private public grand total form 1 male 11365 49393 60758 female 11544 48929 60473 form 2 male 11620 47150 58770 female 11646 45908 57554 form 3 male 10704 40171 50875 female 10849 36397 47246 form 4 male 12914 41912 54826 female 12645 37955 50600 total 93287 347815 441102 reducing. analyzing from this, it is likely that enrollment in university for first years would reduce due to different reasons. however, if all the form four students graduate with computer knowledge and skill, performance for first year students wouldn’t be a problem at university level. limitations the study had its own limitations. one of the limitations was that the study was conducted in a period when students were having end of semester examinations. it is possible that some students might not have given adequate information because of rushing to either go for studying or going home for others who had finished their last papers. the second limitation was that the research was done on a single site (emmanuel university) which might give a biased picture of the recommendations made for other universities. conclusion the study attempted to answer the research questions through the objectives by using a case study design within qualitative and quantitative approach. the study used questionnaires and faceto-face interviews. knowledge and skill in ict provide ability and competency for students in institutions of higher learning not to struggle with obtaining information for assignments and research. ict makes it easy for many academic activities to be achieved. many students with no or little knowledge about information communication technology would most likely submit academic tasks either late or not even submit. ict should not only be understood in a desktop, laptop or palmtop, but rather gadgets that would qualify to be in the category of operating with machines, tools or gadgets that are technological in nature and that have the capacity to help students or anyone access, store or return information in an easy way. we would not rule out the fact in this case that some students’ failure rates in some universities in terms of low marks for assignments are attributed to low ict illiteracy levels. summary of findings the study found out that students and members of staff who were given the questionnaires and interviewed respectively, had different views and reactions. the first reaction was on the level of computer knowledge which majority indicated that they have very little ict knowledge. the second was on the effect of lack of computer knowledge on academic performance which a number of students said that of failure to write assignments. the next was on the factors that led to lack of computer knowledge and majority gave the reason as being lack of computer studies before coming to university. out of the 45 first year students of emmanuel university that were interviewed, 23 were from rural secondary schools while 22 were from urban secondary schools. the last issue was on what they think the university should do to help those pa ge 26 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 17-27, 2024 with little computer knowledge. the response was that the university should be conducting computer lessons to students. implication of the study the knowledge and skill of ict is important especially to the modern world. just as preschool is a back born of primary school, it is necessary for first year university students to have prior knowledge of ict, or introduce a module for a semester or one academic year to enhance effective computer knowledge and skill. from this study, it is clearly showing that poor knowledge and skill in computer information and technology can easily lead to poor student grade performance. the findings of the study have implications for practice. as the findings suggest, computer knowledge has a critical role to play in the academic performance of first year students. in order for first year students to achieve in their academic performance, there is need to expose them to computer studies in their early stages of their schooling, e.g. primary school and secondary schools. recommendation based on the findings and discussions emmanuel university and all other universities to: • establish a department for ict and computer studies • introduce ict lessons as compulsory for all first-year students • conduct ict lessons to all students in the first year for the whole academic year (two semesters) suggestions for ministry of education • introduce computer studies as a compulsory subject in all primary and secondary schools. • buy more computers in schools to enable primary, secondary, college and university students have access to computer knowledge and skills. • create computer laboratories in all secondary schools. • introduce ict course in all training colleges and universities. • train more teachers in computer skills. • lobby for more computer aid to malawi from the donor community. references aziz, a. & naz, a. 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(1990). problems of integrating educational technology into teachers’ education in nigeria. review of education 2, 26 – 34. onyeachu, j. a. (2006). integration of ict(s) in teaching and distance learning in nigeria. a paper presented at 16th annual national conference of technological writers association of nigeria (tewan) and faculty of education, abia state university, utur ramirez e. (2003). the impact of the internet on the reading practices of a university community: the case of unam”, proceedings of the 69th ifla general conferences and council, available at: http://www.ifla. org/iv/ifla69/papers/09e-ramirez.pdf. reid, s., (2002). the integration of ict into classroom teaching. alberta journal of educational research, 48, 30-46. https://epublications.marquette.edu/cgi/viewcontent. cgi?article=1100&context=edu_fac schumacher, p. & morahanmartin, j. (2001). gender, internet and computer attitudes and experience. computer and human behaviour., 17(1), 5-110. watts-taffe, s., gwinn, c. b. & horn, m. l., (2003). preparing preservice teachers to integrate technology with the elementary literacy program. the reading teacher, 57, 130-13. https://www.jstor.org/stable/20205332 yildirim, s., (2007). current utilization of ict in turkish basic education schools: a review of teachers’ ict use and barriers to integration, international journal of instructional media, 34, 17. https://users.metu.edu.tr/ soner/internationaljournals/8.pdf pa ge 1 pa ge 25 american journal of education and technology (ajet) the role of artificial intelligence in developing digital transformation skills language communication, and scientific trends among students of the college of education at al ain university asmaa jumah almahdawi1* volume 3 issue 1, year 2024 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v3i1.2187 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: december 18, 2023 accepted: january 19, 2024 published: january 22, 2024 a scientific subject called artificial intelligence (ai) aims to create computer systems that function as efficiently as a skilled human does. such effectiveness can substantially improve education by utilising the most cutting-edge technologies. to determine the level of ai awareness among al ain university faculty members and to investigate the connections between ai awareness, the digital transformation scale (dts), and the technological, scientific scale (tss), this study set out to measure that awareness. the descriptive-correlational research technique of the study included three analyses, with a particular focus on ai, dts, and tss. 101 academics, or 43.5% of the college of education faculty, were represented in the sample from all departments. they were chosen using a simple random sampling technique. the quantitative data analysis revealed that the faculty members exhibited a medium level of awareness, with a mean score of 3.05 on a 5-point scale. a correlation value of 0.139 and a significance coefficient of 0.165 indicated no statistically significant correlation between faculty members’ awareness of ai and dts. with a correlation of 0.568 and a significance level of p <0.01, the study found that among faculty members, there was a direct and statistically significant positive link between ai awareness and tss. it is essential to prepare faculty members for using ai in the classroom and to modify their perspectives on it by holding seminars and providing them with the training they need to do so. keywords artificial intelligence integration, digital transformation competencies, data-driven curriculum, al ain university 1 al-ain university, united arab emirates, uae * corresponding author’s e-mail: doctorsahiba123456@outlook.com introduction integrating artificial intelligence (ai) into education represents a ground-breaking shift that has redefined teaching and learning methodologies and fundamentally transformed the relationship between students, knowledge, and information (alenezi, 2023). this (alamri et al., 2021). this paper aims to delve into the intricate interplay between ai and education, specifically honing in on its pivotal role in cultivating digital transformation skills, augmenting language communication proficiencies (górriz et al., 2020), and molding an understanding of scientific trends among students enrolled within the college of education. in the contemporary context, where rapid technological advancements permeate every facet of society, education cannot remain impervious to these changes. ai, often described as the “intelligence of machines,” has emerged as a catalyst for reshaping traditional educational paradigms (deslandes, 2023). it empowers educators and learners with tools and strategies that transcend conventional instructional methodologies (megahed et al., 2022). ai has disrupted the conventional “onesize-fits-all” approach to education, paving the way for highly personalised, interactive, and engaging learning experiences (rudovic et al., 2018). this paper, as an exploration of the symbiotic relationship between ai and education, specifically targets three domains paramount to students’ holistic development: digital transformation skills, language communication proficiencies, and scientific trends awareness (holmes et al., 2021). digital transformation skills, in this context, encompass the ability to navigate and leverage the array of digital tools, technologies, and platforms that characterise modern professional environments (smith et al., 2020). integrating ai into education facilitates cultivating these skills by offering tailored learning paths, real-time feedback, and immersive experiences that mimic realworld scenarios (zhang, 2023). language communication, a cornerstone of effective human interaction, is also undergoing a metamorphosis with ai’s integration (gross). natural language processing (nlp) algorithms and ai-powered language learning platforms revolutionise language acquisition by offering instant corrections, personalised lessons, and even crosslingual translation capabilities (pokrivcakova, 2019). this dynamic approach to language learning enhances linguistic aptitude and equips students to engage with a globally diverse community and transcend cultural boundaries (wu et al., 2022). moreover, the paper underscores ai’s role in shaping an understanding of scientific trends among college of education students (ouyang et al., 2022). as ai-driven advancements propel scientific discovery, students need exposure to these trends to remain relevant and adaptable in their future careers (tolmie, 2020). by incorporating ai concepts into educational curricula, educators foster analytical thinking and cultivate a mindset of innovation, ensuring that students are prepared to contribute meaningfully to scientific progress in an ai-driven world (ng et al., 2023). pa ge 26 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(1) 25-34, 2024 integrating ai into education signifies a seismic shift that transcends technological enhancement. it reshapes education into a dynamic and adaptive ecosystem where students are empowered to acquire skills, hone their communication abilities, and comprehend scientific trends in previously inconceivable ways. as industries evolve, propelled by ai-powered innovations, students within the college of education are poised to thrive in this interconnected, ai-driven world. through its exploration of recent techniques and their profound implications, this paper seeks to illuminate how ai’s influence on education is about imparting knowledge and instilling the tools necessary for a lifelong journey of learning and adaptation. literature review the literature study highlights the revolutionary potential of ai in education, particularly in cultivating knowledge of scientific trends, improving language communication skills, and developing digital transformation skills. recent innovations like personalised learning, nlp-powered language tools, and ai-driven research tools show how incorporating ai into education has changed teaching practises and given students the skills they need to succeed in a connected, ai-powered world. the investigation of these methods reveals how the educational landscape is changing and how ai is a technology tool and a key factor in better learning outcomes and skills. digital transformation skills ai-enhanced personalised learning personalised learning systems that adjust to each student’s learning pace, style, and needs have emerged due to the integration of ai into education (katz et al., 2022). adaptive algorithms use data on student performance to create personalised learning routes that maximise engagement and skill development (kerres & buntins, 2020). by providing specialised tutorials and exercises in subjects like coding, data analysis, and digital design, these platforms have successfully imparted skills for the digital transition. intelligent tutoring systems (its) intelligent tutoring systems use ai to offer tailored advice and support to students, simulating the experience of a real tutor. in order to overcome these issues, these systems analyse student replies to find misconceptions and knowledge gaps and then provide targeted explanations and activities (chrysafiadi & virvou, 2021). by adjusting content delivery and guidance to meet the individual needs of each learner, its has proven effective in advancing digital literacy abilities(kochmar et al., 2020). gamified learning environments another emerging method is gamification, which uses ai algorithms to create fun instructional games that encourage the development of digital transformation skills (alomair & hammami, 2020). gamified platforms encourage students to immerse themselves in interactive settings that call for the use of digital skills by including elements of competition, success, and reward (alsadoon et al., 2022). this strategy improves motivation and skill retention, resulting in a deeper comprehension of digital tools. created to align with academic objectives and encourage meaningful learning. in order to maintain the primary goal of learning, educators must balance game characteristics and educational material when creating these environments (tlili et al., 2019). figure 1: basics of digital transformation skills enhancing language communication natural language processing (nlp) applications nlp-powered programmes that offer real-time language correction, feedback, and individualised training have transformed language learning. these tools examine linguistic patterns and make recommendations for better syntax, vocabulary, and grammar (chowdhary & chowdhary, 2020). the importance of nlp in improving language communication is highlighted by its capacity to provide contextual feedback that is in line with each student’s unique demands and academic development (deng & liu, 2018). language translation tools by enabling students to interact with content in several languages, ai-driven language translation systems help to bridge linguistic divides and promote intercultural understanding (ari et al., 2020). students may now access a wide variety of educational resources and perspectives from around the world thanks to the use of tools that use deep learning and neural machine translation to produce precise and contextually relevant translations. conversational agents and chatbots chatbots and virtual assistants are examples of figure 2: basics of enhancing language communication skills pa ge 27 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(1) 25-34, 2024 conversational ai that give pupils a chance to practise their language skills in authentic situations. these representatives interact with the pupils and provide language practise in a safe and encouraging setting (hussain et al., 2019). ai-driven conversational agents imitate human interactions as they advance in sophistication, helping trainees improve their language communication abilities. ai’s influence on understanding scientific trends ai integrated tool with the use of ai-driven research tools, students may interact with large datasets and gain an understanding that is similar to that of ai experts (touretzky et al., 2019). these tools use machine learning algorithms to find patterns, correlations, and anomalies in data, giving students a hands-on, data-driven way to investigate scientific trends and occurrences. predictive modelling and data analysis students gain knowledge and abilities that are essential for comprehending and contributing to scientific trends as a result of the integration of ai-powered predictive modelling and data analysis into curricula (qasim et al., 2020). students get a greater knowledge of the processes underlying ai-driven scientific discoveries by learning how to use algorithms to analyse data and generate informed predictions (gardner et al., 2019). considerations of ethics and bias awareness education must emphasise ethical considerations and prejudice awareness as ai influences scientific trends more and more. the ethical ramifications of ai’s influence on research, data analysis, and decision-making must be understood by students (villegas-galaviz & martin, 2023). education in this area makes sure that students examine scientific developments critically and take into account any potential moral dilemmas and societal repercussions of ai-driven technological progress (shin, 2021). study 1. “promises and implications for teaching and learning from artificial intelligence in education” (2021) authors: maria zenios and charoula angeli country: cyprus summary: this study focused on the implications of ai for teaching and learning in cyprus as it looked at the possibilities of ai in education. it covered how ai may support student engagement, individualised instruction, and effective administrative procedures. the study also called attention to privacy and ethical problems. study 2. “integration of artificial intelligence in higher education: perspectives from india” (2021) authors: vishnu narayanan namboodiri and rakesh chandra panda country: india summary: the employment of ai in higher education in india was the study’s main topic. it covered how ai may facilitate personalised learning, aid in research, and improve administrative procedures. the report also emphasised the importance of strong infrastructure and faculty development. study 3. “a new zealand perspective on ai in education” (2020) authors: dan milward and michael verhaart country: new zealand this study investigated the use of artificial intelligence in education in the setting of new zealand. it covered how data analytics and chatbots, two ai-driven tools, might promote learning analytics and student engagement. the report also emphasised how crucial it is to train teachers to integrate ai successfully. study 4. “a review of the literature on artificial intelligence in k–12 education” (2020) author: william r. watson and sunny l. munn country: united states summary: this review concentrated on ai applications in american k–12 education. it looked at how ai is being used to support instructors, promote personalised learning, and enhance student results. in order to overcome educational issues and advance equity in education, the study addressed the possible advantages of ai. study 4. “a review of artificial intelligence in education from the uk” (2019) authors: vera kuzmina, alexey vinel, and others. country: the united kingdom summary: this review looked at how ai is being used in education in the uk. it covered how ai can personalise learning experiences, help teachers create effective classes, and raise the standard of instruction. the difficulties of using ai ethically and responsibly were also covered in the paper. the strength, level, and quality of a university are determined by its faculty members, and they have figure 3: basics of ai’s influence on understanding scientific trends previous studies previous studies here are a few earlier investigations into the use of ai in education and its effects on various facets of learning in various nations. pa ge 28 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(1) 25-34, 2024 to accomplish the desired educational development goals, particularly in light of the rapid advancement of technology that enables universities to compete on a global scale (gaber et al., 2023). technical education can improve instructors’ abilities to develop teaching competencies and improve teaching methods in the university education system. it is a natural reaction to the educational opportunities afforded by the information and communications revolution (zaki & zangan, 2023). one of the many modern duties and roles that teachers today play is the masterful use of knowledge sources like information networks, computer programmes, and applications, the capacity to directly influence attitudes and design activities and experiences based on technology, and the innovation of the use of educational technologies and knowledge sources. a faculty member needs to possess numerous educational and technical competencies in order to fulfill these duties (martin et al., 2019). al ain university aims to use contemporary technologies to manage the educational process, provide beneficiaries with education in line with the needs and expectations of the present, and improve its effectiveness as a learning centre. however, students enrolled in the educational rehabilitation programmes, some have bachelor’s degree, and some of them are teachers at al ain university, have observed a variance in faculty members’ opinions towards their artificial intelligence, language communication, digital transformation and scientific trends. additionally, there are not enough forums, seminars, programmes, training sessions, or workshops where faculty members may gain the skills necessary to use modern technology and comprehend its significance for the future of education. in light of the factors mentioned earlier, it is crucial to analyse the difficulties that develop in educational systems and to prepare people for the new technological era. according to ahmed (2020), there are still issues with digital education in the arab world at various levels, and additional research is urgently needed to address this problem and all of its components. as a result, the current study’s difficulty became apparent, and the following research questions were addressed: rq1: what level of knowledge do al ain university professors have on artificial intelligence (ai)? rq2: what is the correlation between the level of awareness of artificial intelligence (ai) and digital transformation scale (dts) among faculty members at al ain university? rq3: what is the correlation between the level of awareness of artificial intelligence (ai) technological and scientific scale (tss) among faculty members at al ain university? methodology the descriptive-correlational approach was determined to be the best strategy for the current study after examining the study’s difficulty concerning the study’s subject and nature, objective, and questions. the researchers developed a thorough description and precise diagnosis of the issue because of the method’s capacity to uncover specific information about the phenomenon under study. faculty from al ain university’s college of education in the united arab emirates were included in the study sample. a straightforward random sampling procedure chose them. to gauge the degree of faculty members’ cognitive and performance awareness of ai in developing digital transformation skills, linguistic communication, and scientific trends, a 5-point likert scale was developed for the study. after that, their responses were examined. study population and sample the study population comprised all 232 faculty members employed by al ain university’s college of education as of the end of the 2022–2023 academic year. 101 members from various institution departments answered the study instruments, constituting 43.53% of the faculty at the institution of education. study instruments artificial intelligence awareness the students and teachers developed a 5-point likert scale to assess faculty members’ ai awareness after studying the educational literature and many ai-related measures. a group of experts in educational technology were shown to determine the validity of the measure. the scale’s appropriateness, clarity, grammatical soundness, and any other observations were required of the arbitrators. in the end, there were 12 items on the scale, measuring cognitive awareness of ai and performance awareness of ai. the linguistic formulations of the four items were changed. the faculty members used the 5-point likert scale approach to reply to the items (strongly agree = 5, agree = 4, neutral = 3, dislike = 2, strongly disagree = 1). a high score demonstrated a high degree of knowledge of artificial intelligence, whereas a low score demonstrated a poor level of knowledge. the researchers determined the scale’s stability using cronbach’s alpha coefficient to confirm its psychometric effectiveness. the study found that performance awareness of ai had a cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.940, while cognitive awareness had a coefficient of 0.915. the cronbach’s alpha coefficient was 0.9522 for both dimensions. each item had a positive correlation coefficient with its linked dimension, confirming its endogenous consistency, reliability, and validity. all correlation coefficients were statistically significant at 0.01, demonstrating the scale’s internal consistency and applicability. table 1: the outcomes of each statement's association with the overall score of the dimension to which it belongs dimension no. correlation coefficient sig. cognitive awareness of ai 1 0.861** < 0.001 2 0.886** < 0.001 pa ge 29 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(1) 25-34, 2024 digital transformation scale (dts) the students and teachers created a 5-point scale to assess the level of digital transformation (dts) among college of education faculty members. experts in educational technologies, curricula, and teaching methods evaluated the scale. after modifications, the scale now has 14 items, assessing technical knowledge skills, technical performance competencies, and technical production competencies, based on the arbitrators’ observations and changes made to the scale. the researchers used cronbach’s alpha coefficient to validate the psychometric validity of a scale. the scale’s stability was calculated using 0.862, 0.888, and 0.860 coefficients for technical cognition, technical performance, and technical productivity capabilities, respectively. the cronbach’s alpha coefficient was 0.938 for all dimensions. the correlation coefficient values showed a positive correlation between each statement and the overall score of the dimension, demonstrating the scale’s reliability and validity. all correlation coefficients were statistically significant at 0.01, confirming the scale’s internal consistency. (see table 4). 3 0.933** < 0.001 4 0.894** < 0.001 performance awareness of ai 5 0.818** < 0.001 6 0.907** < 0.001 7 0.826** < 0.001 8 0.783** < 0.001 9 0.872** < 0.001 10 0.886** < 0.001 11 0.787** < 0.001 12 0.837** < 0.001 table 2: the results of each statement’s correlation coefficient with its respective dimension’s overall score dimension correlation coefficient sig. cognitive awareness of ai 0.895** < 0.001 performance awareness of ai 0.974** < 0.001 **p<0.01 table 3: the results of each statement’s correlation coefficient with its respective dimension’s overall score dimension no. correlation coefficient sig. technical knowledge competencies 1 0.815** < 0.001 2 0.783** < 0.001 3 0.878** < 0.001 4 0.904** < 0.001 technical performance competencies 5 0.769** < 0.001 6 0.855** < 0.001 7 0.819** < 0.001 8 0.870** < 0.001 9 0.750** < 0.001 10 0.803** < 0.001 technical productivity competencies 11 0.775** < 0.001 12 0.877** < 0.001 13 0.890** < 0.001 14 0.824** < 0.001 table 4: results of the coefficient of correlation between the scale’s dimensions and overall score dimension correlation coefficient sig. technical knowledge competencies 0.896** < 0.001 technical performance competencies 0.924** < 0.001 technical productivity competencies 0.892** < 0.001 **p<0.01 pa ge 30 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(1) 25-34, 2024 technological scientific scale (tss) the students and teachers created a 5-point likert scale to evaluate the level of total social security (tss) among college of education faculty members. the scale, which included 16 items evaluating predictability of benefit, attitude towards use, and convenience of use, was adjusted based on educational literature and factors related to tss. the scores ranged from 16 to 80, with high scores indicating high tss and low scores indicating low tss. the study found that the ease of use predicts benefits, happiness, and usage attitudes. the cronbach’s alpha coefficients were 0.814, 0.900, and 0.895, with a cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.931 for all dimensions. each item had a positive correlation coefficient with its corresponding dimension, demonstrating the scale’s accuracy and dependability. this outcome is significant at a significance level of 0.01 or below. the correlation coefficient values between each scale dimension and the overall score, which were all statistically significant at 0.01, demonstrated the scale’s internal consistency and applicability. (see table 6). table 5: the results of each statement’s correlation coefficient with its respective dimension’s overall score dimension no. correlation coefficient sig. ease of use 1 0.744** < 0.001 2 0.788** < 0.001 3 0.882** < 0.001 4 0.813** < 0.001 expected benefit 5 0.769** < 0.001 6 0.769** < 0.001 7 0.778** < 0.001 8 0.823** < 0.001 9 0.760** < 0.001 10 0.812** < 0.001 11 0.782** < 0.001 12 0.721** < 0.001 satisfaction and attitude toward the use 13 0.848** < 0.001 14 0.911** < 0.001 15 0.929** < 0.001 16 0.805** < 0.001 table 6: the results of the correlation between the scale’s dimension and overall score dimension correlation coefficient sig. ease of use 0.836** < 0.001 expected benefit 0.937** < 0.001 satisfaction and attitude towards the use 0.798** < 0.001 **p<0.01 result result for research question 1 the first research question asked: what level of knowledge do al ain university professors have on artificial intelligence (ai)? the survey respondents’ average and standard deviation were computed. table 7 presents the outcomes. the study found that faculty members have a medium level of cognitive awareness of ai, with the highest rating for “sufficient knowledge of ai programmes and applications” at 3.32 and the lowest rating for “knowledge of the fundamentals of designing and implementing lessons using ai programmes and applications” at 3.01 and a standard deviation of 1.14. table 7: no. item st ro ng ly a gr ee a gr ee n eu tr al d is ag re e st ro ng ly d is ag re e m ea n st d. d ev ia tio n r an k 1 i know enough about ai software and applications. freq. 10 37 30 23 1 3.32 0.97 1 % 9.9 36.6 29.7 22.8 1 pa ge 31 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(1) 25-34, 2024 table 8 shows that the performance awareness dimension had an overall mean of 2.97 and a standard deviation of 0.94. these findings demonstrated that the professors believed their personal performance awareness of ai to be at a medium level. item 5, “using ai software, i may produce a wide range of files,” was scored as having the highest quality, with a mean score of 3.20 and a standard deviation of 1.10. item 7, “i can use ai programmes to summarise lengthy documents,” came in second with a mean score of 3.07 and a standard deviation of 1.07. item 9: “i can use ai (sound producing software) to convert the course’s written words into audio files,” came in seventh overall with a mean score of 2.87 and a standard deviation of 1.14. item 12, “i can use ai software to convert written texts into instructional films,” was ranked the lowest, with a mean score of 2.65 and a standard deviation of 1.05. table 9 shows that the scale’s overall mean was 3.05, and its standard deviation was 0.89. these findings indicated that the participants’ level of ai awareness was moderate. the first component, cognitive awareness of ai, was rated higher, with a mean score of 3.20 and an sd of 0.95. the performance awareness of the ai factor, which had a mean score of 2.97 and a standard deviation of 0.94, came in last with a score of 2.97. table 8: statistical descriptions of respondents’ performance awareness in relation to ai (n = 101) no. item st ro ng ly a gr ee a gr ee n eu tr al d is ag re e st ro ng ly d is ag re e m ea n st d. d ev ia tio n r an k 5 using ai software, i may produce a wide range of files. freq. 12 32 26 26 5 3.2 1.1 1 % 11.9 31.7 25.7 25.7 5 6 i am able to develop course material using ai tools. freq. 9 31 21 33 7 3.02 1.13 4 % 8.9 30.7 20.8 32.7 6.9 7 i can use ai programmes to summarise lengthy documents. freq. 9 29 28 30 5 3.07 1.07 2 % 8.9 28.7 27.7 29.7 5 8 i can answer questions from kids by using chatbots. freq. 12 29 19 31 10 3.02 1.22 5 % 11.9 28.7 18.8 30.7 9.9 9 i can use ai (sound-producing) software to turn the course's written words into audio files. freq. 8 25 24 34 10 2.87 1.14 7 % 7.9 24.8 23.8 33.7 9.9 10 i am capable of using ai programmes that are based on tension, difficulty, and scientific. competition in the educational process. freq. 6 31 25 26 13 2.91 1.15 6 % 5.9 30.7 24.8 25.7 12.9 11 i can use ai applications to transform printed images or text into editable text files. freq. 7 32 25 31 6 3.03 1.072 3 % 6.9 31.7 24.8 30.7 5.9 12 i can use ai software to convert written texts into instructional films. freq. 4 21 23 42 11 2.65 1.05 8 % 4 20.8 22.8 41.6 10.9 mean* for total. 2.97 0.94 2 i am sufficiently knowledgeable about how faculty members use ai in the classroom. freq. 11 37 27 23 3 3.3 1.03 2 % 10.9 36.6 26.7 22.8 3 3 i am familiar with the fundamentals of planning and executing lessons utilising software and tools that use ai. freq. 9 34 26 22 10 3.01 1.14 3 % 8.9 33.7 25.7 21.8 9.9 4 i am aware of how artificial intelligence technologies have been used to evaluate student work. freq. 11 27 30 27 6 3.1 1.1 4 % 10.9 26.7 29.7 26.7 5.9 mean* for total 3.2 0.95 table 9: the general findings of the study sample's level of knowledge of ai (n = 101) dimensions mean std. deviation rank level of cognitive awareness related to ai 3.20 0.95 1 level of performance awareness related to ai 2.97 0.94 2 overall score 3.05 0.89 pa ge 32 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(1) 25-34, 2024 results for research question 2 the second research question asked: what is the correlation between the level of awareness of artificial intelligence (ai) and digital transformation scale (dts) among faculty members at al ain university? the correlation between the respondents’ aias and dts scores was evaluated using the pearson correlation coefficient. the outcomes are displayed in table 10. has great potential to improve student’s educational experiences with the help of artificial intelligence. ai can assist in producing well-rounded and future-ready instructors by promoting digital transformation skills, enhancing language communication capabilities, and increasing interaction with scientific trends (qiao, m. s., & chu, s. k. w. (2023). however, a well-thought-out strategy that tackles issues and maximises the advantages of ai in education is needed for successful integration (guo, m. (2020). educational institutions must adapt as ai develops and take advantage of its potential for the benefit of students and the education industry as a whole. students can explore many technology tools first-hand by using ai to simulate real-world circumstances (karsenti, t. (2019). for instance, ai-powered virtual laboratories can give education students a chance to practise teaching in a supervised setting, enhancing their ability to integrate technology into future classrooms. for educators, staying current with scientific advances is crucial (hartman, r. j., townsend, m. b., & jackson, m. (2019). by compiling and analysing enormous amounts of scientific material, spotting new trends, and summarising intricate ideas, ai can help in this area. education students can more easily locate pertinent papers and articles with the use of aipowered research tools, allowing them to incorporate the most recent findings into their lesson plans (eysenbach, g. (2023). they hypothesise that the sample’s level of ai awareness may be average due to a dearth of forums and seminars outlining what artificial intelligence is and how to use it in the teaching and learning process, as well as a lack of initiatives, courses and workshops aimed at educating faculty members on ai-related topics. the high expense of the majority of ai applications used in the education industry may also be to blame for the lack of awareness. additionally, there are not many arab educational websites that focus on using ai in the field of education (martins, r. m., & gresse von wangenheim, c. (2022). the study’s findings also revealed a direct relationship between scientific trends, digital technologies, and ai awareness. faculty members have some reservations about the application of ai technology. however, wisskir et al. (2017) noted that young people in developing nations are upbeat about their future careers and confident in their capacity to advance professionally in relation to ai and their technological skills. faculty members must, therefore, comprehend how new technological developments enable them to utilise the benefits of ai in education fully. conclusion in conclusion, with the incorporation of ai, the college of education at al ain university is poised to usher in a new age of profound change in the field of education. a new generation of educators with strong digital skills, cross-cultural communication skills, and knowledge of scientific trends can be fostered at the institution by embracing ai’s capabilities. the college has the table 10: between the respondents’ ratings on the two scales, there is a pearson correlation coefficient dts ai pearson correlation coefficient 0.139 sig. 0.165 no. 101 the value of the correlation coefficient between the faculty members’ aias and dts scores was 0.139, as shown in table 10. since the significance value was 0.165, which is more than 0.05, there is no statistically significant relationship between dt and ai awareness in the study group. result for research question 3 the third question asked: what is the correlation between the levels of awareness of artificial intelligence (ai) technological, and scientific scale (tss) among faculty members at al ain university? table 11 shows a correlation coefficient of 0.568, which is positive and denotes a positive direct association between the faculty members’ aias and tss scores. given that the significance level was less than 0.001, the association is statistically significant. as a result, among the study sample, tss and ai awareness are highly and positively correlated. table 11: pearson correlation coefficient between the respondents’ scores on the two scales tss ai pearson correlation coefficient 0.568** sig. <0.001 no. 101 discussion artificial intelligence (ai) has become a disruptive technology in recent years, with the potential to alter many facets of education significantly. the development of digital transformation skills, improving language communication skills, and keeping students up to date with scientific advances are some of the important areas where ai can have a significant impact (williams, m. d. (2021).). this conversation examines the advantages and disadvantages of incorporating ai into the learning process for college students at al ain university’s college of education. the college of education at al ain university pa ge 33 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(1) 25-34, 2024 chance to take the lead in creating an engaging learning environment that equips students for the opportunities and challenges of the future as ai continues to advance. this necessitates a continual dedication to adaptation and innovation, ensuring that ai is used fully for the benefit of both students and the larger field of education. recommendations the students and teachers suggest hosting seminars to improve faculty attitudes toward ai technology and prepare them for its use in education. training seminars and workshops should educate faculty on ai developments and skills. universities should have the necessary tools and conduct research to educate faculty on ai, dts, and tss. references alamri, h. a., watson, s., & watson, w. 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(2023). secure preschool education using machine learning and metaverse technologies. applied artificial intelligence, 37(1), 2222496. pa ge 1 pa ge 53 american journal of education and technology (ajet) optimizing resource management: examining mooe allocation utilization for annual improvement plan (aip) joel p. longaquit1* volume 3 issue 3, year 2024 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v3i3.3148 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: july 02, 2024 accepted: august 07, 2024 published: august 09, 2024 the study investigated within educational institutions, specifically focusing on the allocation and utilization of maintenance and other operating expenses (mooe) for the annual improvement plan (aip). through a quantitative approach, it explored how mooe funds were allocated and employed to bolster aip initiatives, aiming to enhance student performance and academic endeavors. findings emphasized the consistent alignment of mooe utilization with aip guidelines, reflecting a robust commitment to strategic resource allocation. moreover, the study revealed a notable positive correlation between mooe utilization and budget allocation for school expenses, highlighting the importance of synchronized financial decisions in optimizing resource distribution. school heads exhibited strong confidence in the efficient utilization of mooe funds, emphasizing the pivotal role of strategic allocation practices in advancing school operations and educational goals. future research avenues should explore additional factors influencing mooe utilization and its long-term impact on educational outcomes, offering insights to inform resource allocation strategies and foster continuous improvement within educational institutions. keywords resource management, maintenance and other operating expenses (mooe), annual improvement plan (aip), school budget allocation, educational outcomes 1 la paz district, division of agusan del sur, department of education, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: joellongaquit@deped.gov.ph introduction in promoting and reinforcing school-based management and accountability, the school budget allocation emerges as one of the most vital tools (abellon et al., 2020; deped order no. 008 s., 2019). it emphasizes the collaborative effort between school heads and budget officers in carefully planning and executing the utilization of fund allocations aligned with the annual improvement plan (aip). this entails addressing various dimensions of prioritization, including utility, training, security, travel expenses, communication, repairs and maintenance, and other expenditures (dela cruz et al., 2016). the department of education is strongly committed to supporting schools, school heads, teachers, and students by increasing the availability of educational resources and enhancing resource management to improve teachinglearning processes and services (deped order no. 013 s., 2016; al-samarrai, 2016). anderson (2005) and argon (2015) emphasizes that financial management reforms that transfer responsibility and accountability to school heads and administrative staff for proper management of school funds under mooe. this includes developing school facilities and other necessities to support learning, ensuring a safe, healthy, and conducive environment for students and teachers. the primary objective of allocating maintenance and other operating expenses (mooe) funds is to support programs and projects outlined in the annual improvement plan (aip). these funds cater to various expenses related to the school premises, including utilities, security, training for both teaching and nonteaching staff, travel, supplies, maintenance, repair, and other essential services within the school. this allocation process, as outlined in department of education order no. 13, series of 2016, is deliberately designed to enhance student performance and facilitate academic pursuits, aligning with the developmental and sustainability goals for both teachers and students in the teaching and learning process. according to a study by abellon et al. (2020), schools division offices (sdos) have the authority to preallocate mooe funds to individual schools, particularly those that are not fiscally autonomous. this preemptive allocation enables schools to effectively plan their budgets within the framework of government accounting and auditing regulations. the study emphasizes the importance of adhering to deped order no. 013, s. 2016, which mandates that schools furnish monthly liquidation reports to the sdo for monitoring purposes. these reports must comply with government accounting and auditing standards. several critical gaps and challenges have been identified, including the lack of clarity in prioritization, insufficient accountability mechanisms, limited evaluation of effectiveness, and potential challenges in the implementation of mooe allocations. addressing these issues is crucial to ensure efficient and effective allocation of resources to support the goals outlined in the annual improvement plan (aip) and enhance the teaching and learning processes within educational institutions. thus, the purpose of the study was to investigate the optimization of resource management, specifically pa ge 54 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 53-62, 2024 focusing on the allocation and utilization of maintenance and other operating expenses (mooe) for the annual improvement plan (aip) within educational institutions. the study aimed to assess how mooe funds were allocated and utilized to support programs and projects outlined in the aip, with the goal of enhancing student performance and facilitating academic endeavors. literature review the department of education (deped) places significant responsibility on top management employees, such as school heads and principals, to effectively manage and allocate budgets for enhancement training using maintenance and other operating expenses (mooe) funds (deped order no. 60, s., 2016). this strategic implementation aims to address challenges faced by teachers and ensure their continuous professional development, as highlighted by barasa (2019). it emphasizes the crucial role of principals in ensuring the feasibility and inclusion of all plans and programs outlined in the annual improvement plan (aip) within the mooe budget (deped order no. 60, s., 2016). as emphasized by sakwa (2013), the competency of school heads in financial management is essential for achieving educational goals and objectives. furthermore, the involvement of all stakeholders in planning and utilizing the mooe budget is emphasized to foster transparency and ethical practices, ultimately contributing to the attainment of educational objectives (mercado, 2022). the department of education prioritizes transparency and accountability in financial management, urging school financial managers to strengthen these principles throughout the department (ochada et al., 2018). this involves effective planning, ideal budget preparation, and smart execution of programs and projects, as well as consistent monitoring processes to ensure quality and timeliness of financial reporting. the study conducted by subia (2020) highlights the importance of understanding the budget allocation process and the challenges faced by school heads in utilizing maintenance and other operating expenses (mooe) funding to achieve the goals outlined in the annual improvement plan (aip). this understanding is particularly crucial for non-fiscally autonomous senior high schools in the division of nueva ecija. it posits the significance of effective resource management and the need to optimize the utilization of mooe funds to support educational objectives. the study aimed to provide insights for enhancing resource allocation practices across all educational institutions. the current landscape of budgeting and financial management within educational institutions presents significant challenges, particularly regarding the competence of principals in navigating the complexities of school budgets. maestry (2006) highlights a pervasive lack of proper training among principals, leading to difficulties in implementing and overseeing school budgets effectively. consequently, instances of financial mismanagement, including misappropriation, fraud, and inadequate control of financial records, have become prevalent, prompting investigations by educational authorities. moreover, the advent of school-based management (sbm) policies has brought about notable shifts in the dynamics of school governance. ochada & gempes (2018) observe that sbm initiatives have engendered increased parental involvement and altered the behavior of teachers within school settings. however, the success of such policies hinges on the clarity and understanding of school budget features and functions among stakeholders. concerns extend beyond mere mismanagement to encompass more insidious forms of corruption within the education sector. tulo (2016) emphasizes the detrimental impact of academic fraud on the integrity and reliability of educational certification, particularly in higher education settings. distorting behaviors in procurement processes, such as for school buildings and maintenance, further exacerbate governance challenges within the sector. efforts to address corruption and improve governance in education systems necessitate multifaceted approaches. the study of waters (2016) emphasizes the importance of fostering ethical education to instill values that question corruption. however, systemic reforms, including the establishment of transparent regulatory frameworks and the enhancement of management capacities, are indispensable. olmedo (2016) stresses the need for clear norms and regulations, alongside robust management skills and access to information for stakeholders at all levels. furthermore, capacity-building initiatives must extend beyond administrative staff to include broader stakeholders such as parent-teacher associations and civil society organizations. manasan (2011) advocates for informed participation at the grassroots level to detect and prevent fraud effectively. in addressing the challenges associated with budgeting and financial management in education requires a comprehensive and coordinated effort. from enhancing managerial capacities to fostering ethical education and promoting transparency, combating corruption demands a concerted approach aimed at building a governance framework that ensures accountability, efficiency, and equity within educational institutions. the educational landscape grapples with challenges in budgeting and financial management, with the department of education (deped) assigning significant responsibility to top management employees, notably school heads and principals, in effectively utilizing maintenance and other operating expenses (mooe) funds. this strategic approach aims to address teachers’ challenges, ensuring their continuous professional development and aligning with educational goals and objectives. however, pervasive deficiencies in principals’ financial management pa ge 55 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 53-62, 2024 competencies have led to instances of mismanagement, prompting investigations by educational authorities. despite efforts to promote transparency and accountability in financial management, including stakeholder involvement and consistent monitoring processes, the implementation of school-based management (sbm) policies has revealed gaps in understanding school budget features and functions among stakeholders. addressing these challenges necessitates a comprehensive approach, encompassing ethical education, transparent regulatory frameworks, enhanced management capacities, and stakeholder engagement at all levels. by fostering a governance framework that ensures accountability, efficiency, and equity, educational institutions can better navigate the complexities of budgeting and financial management to support their overarching goals effectively. research questions 1. what is the utilization of maintenance and other operating expenses (mooe) based on the annual improvement plan? 2. what is the budget allocation of mooe pertaining to school expenses, in terms of: 2.1 utility expenses, 2.2 security and maintenance services expenses, 2.3 training expenses, 2.4 travel expenses, 2.5 supply expenses, 2.6 repairs and maintenance, and 2.7 other expenses? 3. is there a significant relationship between the utilization of mooe based on the annual improvement plan and the budget allocation based on school expenses? 4. what are the perceptions of school heads regarding the utilization of mooe allocations? methodology research design this study adopted a purely quantitative approach, as defined by calderon (2006), involving the systematic gathering, analyzing, classifying, and tabulating of data concerning prevailing conditions, practices, processes, trends, and cause-effect relationships. quantitative research aimed to provide factual descriptions of group characteristics by collecting and analyzing numerical data, identifying patterns, and generalizing results to broader populations (bhandari, 2021). quantitative data for this study were collected through surveys distributed to school heads within the target population. the research employed a descriptive-correlational design to investigate the relationship between the utilization of maintenance and other operating expenses (mooe) based on the annual improvement plan and the budget allocation for school expenses. the survey questionnaire utilized a 5-point likert scale to gather responses, generating numerical data that were averaged to describe respondents’ perceptions and attitudes. research respondents the study’s respondents were 23 public school heads in the la paz district within the schools division of agusan del sur. the researcher used a complete enumeration sampling method, including all school heads from both elementary and secondary schools in la paz as respondents in the study. research instrument and gathering procedure the research instrument for this study consisted of three parts. the first part was a survey questionnaire addressing the utilization of mooe based on the annual improvement plan (aip). the second part focused on the budget allocation of mooe for school expenses, encompassing utilities, security, maintenance services, training, travel, supplies, repairs, and other expenses. the third part explored the respondents’ perceptions regarding the utilization of mooe allocations. the survey questionnaire was adapted from a previous study by abellon et al. (2020) and modified to align with the study’s objectives. it underwent validity testing, with cronbach’s alpha used to assess reliability. the researcher formally requested permission from the schools division superintendent (sds) in agusan del sur division to conduct the study and gather data from school heads within the la paz district. letters were also sent to the division research coordinator and research committee. emphasis was placed on the potential benefits of the study to both the districts and the school heads involved, as well as the division. the findings served as the foundation for developing an intervention program aligned with the study’s objectives. respondents in the research project were fully informed of its purpose and goals, with assurances of strict confidentiality regarding their identities. statistical treatment the data collected from the survey were analyzed using ibm spss (statistical package for the social sciences), a statistical software program designed to interpret and process study data. to ensure the reliability of the results, the researcher also employed microsoft excel and social science statistics as additional validation tools. these software programs were utilized to cross-verify outcomes generated by ibm spss, enhancing the credibility of the findings. the analysis utilized a range of statistical tools to facilitate data interpretation. the weighted mean was utilized to assess the level of utilization of maintenance and other operating expenses (mooe) in alignment with the annual improvement plan, as well as the budget allocation of mooe for school expenses, and the perceptions of school heads regarding the utilization of mooe allocations, involving averaging responses provided by school heads to gauge their perspectives. pearson product moment correlation coefficient analysis was employed to determine whether a significant relationship existed between the utilization of mooe pa ge 56 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 53-62, 2024 based on the annual improvement plan and the budget allocation based on school expenses, helping to establish any correlations between these variables and providing insights into their interdependence. ethical considerations according to bryman and bell (2007), principles related to research ethical considerations include ensuring that research participants are not subjected to any harm, respecting their dignity, attaining full consent, protecting their privacy, maintaining confidentiality and anonymity, avoiding deception and exaggeration about the aims and objectives, declaring affiliations, sources of funding, and conflicts of interest, and ensuring honest and transparent communication. the data collection procedure for the current investigation followed these standard principles for ethical considerations in research. the respondents who participated in the study were informed of the main goals and objectives of the study, with assurances that their identities would be secured with the utmost confidentiality. hence, the researcher removed the data collected solely for the purpose of the present study’s investigation. results and discussion the utilization of maintenance and other operating expenses (mooe) based on the annual improvement plan table 1 presented the utilization of maintenance and other operating expenses (mooe) based on the annual improvement plan (aip). the overall mean of 4.48 indicated that these expenses were implemented very frequently, according to the perspectives of the school heads. this high overall mean score suggested that the school heads consistently applied the aip guidelines in their utilization of mooe, reflecting a strong adherence to the plan’s directives. this frequent implementation emphasized the importance placed on the aip in guiding financial decisions and ensuring that mooe funds were used effectively to support school operations and improvements. table 1: utilization of maintenance and other operating expenses (mooe) based on the annual improvement plan (aip) indicators mean verbal interpretation 1. procure school supplies and other consumables for teachers and students deemed necessary in the conduct of classes. 4.87 always implemented 2. pay for reproduction of teacher-made activity sheets or exercises downloaded from the learning resource management and development system (lrmds) 4.00 very frequently implemented 3. fund minor repairs of facilities, building and grounds maintenance, and upkeep of school. 4.87 always implemented 4. fund rental and minor repairs of tools and equipment deemed necessary for the conduct of teaching and learning activities. 4.13 very frequently implemented 5. pay for wages of full-time janitorial, transportation and mobility, and security services. 4.00 very frequently implemented 6. pay for school utilities (electricity and water) and communication (telephone and internet connectivity) expenses. 4.70 always implemented 7. support expenses for school-based training and activities selected or designed to improve learning outcomes, such as but not limited to, learning action cells (lac) and continuous improvement (ci) sessions. 4.22 very frequently implemented 8. support special curricular programs (e.g. advocacy, assessment, capacity building, learning environment, learners’ development, and research). 4.26 very frequently implemented 9. fund activities as identified in the approved school improvement plan (sip) for implementation in the current year and as specifically determined in the annual improvement plan (aip) of the school. 4.87 always implemented 10. finance expenses pertaining to graduation rites, moving up or closing ceremonies and recognition activities. 4.91 always implemented overall mean 4.48 very frequently implemented legend: 1.00-1.49, never; 1.50-2.49, sometimes; 2.50-3.49, often; 3.50-4.49, very frequently; 4.50-5.00, always more so, table 1 presented the utilization of maintenance and other operating expenses (mooe) based on the annual improvement plan (aip). the highest mean of 4.91 was observed for financing expenses pertaining to graduation rites, moving up or closing ceremonies, and recognition activities, indicating these were always implemented. this was closely followed by three indicators, each with a mean of 4.87, showing that procuring school supplies, funding minor repairs of facilities, and funding activities identified in the school improvement plan (sip) pa ge 57 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 53-62, 2024 were always implemented. paying for school utilities had a mean of 4.70, also indicating it was always implemented. the remaining indicators, including supporting special curricular programs (4.26), supporting school-based training (4.22), funding rental and minor repairs of tools (4.13), paying for wages of janitorial and security services (4.00), and paying for reproduction of teacher-made materials (4.00), were all very frequently implemented. the overall mean of 4.48 signifies that, on average, the mooe activities were very frequently implemented. these findings imply a strong adherence to the aip, ensuring essential school operations and improvements are consistently funded, thereby enhancing the educational environment, and supporting both teaching and learning activities effectively. the high frequency of mooe utilization in essential areas aligns with the findings of matulac and moyani (2024), who emphasized the critical role of consistent funding for school operations in enhancing educational quality. their study found that schools with well-managed operational expenses showed significant improvements in both teaching effectiveness and student performance. this supports the current findings, where the strong adherence to aip guidelines and frequent implementation of mooe activities have likely contributed to a better educational environment. by ensuring that basic needs such as supplies, utilities, and minor repairs are consistently met, schools can create a stable and conducive atmosphere for learning. cruickshank and kohtz (2024) further support these findings by highlighting the impact of financial management on school sustainability. their research indicated that schools with a structured approach to budget allocation, particularly in funding essential services and activities, were more successful in achieving long-term educational goals. the current study’s findings, where mooe activities were very frequently implemented, suggest that the schools in question are likely benefiting from similar structured financial management practices. this structured approach not only meets immediate operational needs but also fosters an environment that supports continuous improvement and development, as observed in the consistent support for curricular programs and school-based training. similarly, gomaa (2023) and debuque-gonzales et al. (2023) found that effective utilization of operational funds is crucial for school development. gomaa (2023) noted that schools that prioritize funding for essential services, such as maintenance and educational materials, create a more engaging and productive learning environment. this is in line with the current study’s findings, where high mean scores for procuring supplies and funding minor repairs indicate a focus on maintaining a well-equipped and functional school environment. additionally, debuque-gonzales et al. (2023) emphasized the importance of transparency and adherence to improvement plans, which is reflected in the consistent implementation of mooe activities based on the aip in the current study. this adherence ensures that resources are used effectively, maximizing their impact on educational outcomes. the relevance of these findings is also supported by earlier studies such as those by abellon et al. (2020) and diokno-sicat et al. (2020). abellon et al. (2020) highlighted the significance of proper financial management in achieving educational objectives, noting that schools with robust funding mechanisms for essential services and activities tend to perform better academically. this aligns with the current study’s observation of high-frequency implementation of mooe activities, suggesting that these practices contribute to improved educational performance. diokno-sicat et al. (2020) also emphasized the role of financial resources in supporting school improvements and ensuring the successful implementation of school plans. the current findings, demonstrating consistent and frequent funding of critical school operations and activities, reflect this understanding, indicating that proper utilization of mooe is vital for sustaining school development and achieving educational success. budget allocation of maintenance and other operating expenses (mooe) concerns various school expenses, specifically focusing on utility expenses, security and maintenance services expenses, training expenses, travel expenses, supply expenses, repairs and maintenance, and other expenses table 2 showed the allocation of maintenance and other operating expenses (mooe) for school expenses, including utility, security, training, travel, supply, repairs, and maintenance. the mean of 3.78 indicated frequent allocation and prioritization of these expenses, ensuring critical needs were met. prioritizing training, travel, and supply expenses reflected a commitment to staff development and maintaining a well-equipped educational environment. allocating for repairs and miscellaneous expenses emphasized the importance of maintaining facilities and addressing unforeseen needs for a smooth educational process. this data demonstrated the schools’ strategic approach to managing mooe, focusing on sustaining essential services and fostering continuous improvement. table 2: budget allocation of maintenance and other operating expenses (mooe) parameters weighted mean verbal description interpretation utility expenses 3.76 very frequently very frequently allocated/prioritized security and maintenance services expenses 3.19 often moderately allocated/prioritized pa ge 58 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 53-62, 2024 training expenses 4.14 very frequently very frequently allocated/prioritized travel expenses 3.76 very frequently very frequently allocated/prioritized supply expenses 4.00 very frequently very frequently allocated/prioritized repairs and maintenance 4.13 very frequently very frequently allocated/prioritized other expenses 3.46 often moderately allocated/prioritized overall mean 3.78 very frequently very frequently allocated/prioritized legend: 1.00-1.49, never; 1.50-2.49, sometimes; 2.50-3.49, often; 3.50-4.49, very frequently; 4.50-5.00, always the results showed that training expenses had the highest weighted mean of 4.14, indicating they were very frequently allocated and prioritized. this emphasis on training reflects the schools’ strong commitment to professional development, ensuring that staff are wellequipped with the latest skills and knowledge to enhance educational outcomes. by investing in training, schools aim to continuously improve teaching quality and student performance. repairs and maintenance expenses followed closely with a weighted mean of 4.13, also very frequently allocated and prioritized. this allocation posits the importance of maintaining school facilities in optimal condition, preventing disruptions, and ensuring a safe and conducive learning environment. regular repairs and maintenance help in extending the lifespan of school infrastructure and reduce long-term costs associated with major overhauls. more so, supply expenses had a weighted mean of 4.00, indicating they were very frequently allocated and prioritized. ensuring a steady supply of educational materials and resources is crucial for effective teaching and learning. by prioritizing supply expenses, schools demonstrate their dedication to providing students and teachers with the necessary tools to facilitate daily educational activities and promote an enriched learning experience. nevertheless, the utility and travel expenses both had a weighted mean of 3.76, indicating they were very frequently allocated and prioritized. the high allocation for utility expenses ensures that essential services such as electricity and water are consistently available, supporting the smooth operation of school activities. frequent allocation for travel expenses highlights the importance of facilitating mobility for staff and students, whether for educational trips, training sessions, or other schoolrelated activities, which contributes to a well-rounded educational experience. security and maintenance services expenses had a weighted mean of 3.19, which means they were often allocated but not as frequently prioritized compared to other expenses. while these expenses are essential for ensuring a safe and secure learning environment, their moderate allocation suggests that they may be considered secondary to other critical areas like training and supplies. lastly, other expenses had a weighted mean of 3.46, indicating they were often allocated and prioritized. this category likely includes various miscellaneous costs that support the overall functioning of the school. although these expenses are important, their moderate allocation suggests a focus on more directly impactful areas such as training, supplies, and maintenance. overall, the mean score of 3.78 indicates that the mooe activities were very frequently allocated and prioritized, reflecting a strategic approach to managing school funds. this approach ensures that critical areas receive the necessary resources to maintain and improve the educational environment, thereby supporting the schools’ goals of providing high-quality education and fostering continuous improvement. principe (2024) argued that investing in teacher training is crucial for improving instructional quality and student outcomes. this study supports the current findings by showing that schools prioritize training to ensure teachers are equipped with the latest pedagogical skills and knowledge, thereby enhancing the overall educational experience. the frequent allocation to training demonstrates a commitment to maintaining a high standard of education and adapting to evolving educational needs. similarly, the allocation for repairs and maintenance, with a weighted mean of 4.13, reflects findings by balagosa and arnejo (2023), who highlighted the importance of maintaining school infrastructure for a conducive learning environment. their research found that well-maintained facilities contribute to better student engagement and reduced absenteeism. the current study’s results, showing frequent allocation to repairs and maintenance, underscore the schools’ efforts to create a safe and supportive environment for students. by prioritizing these expenses, schools can prevent major disruptions and ensure the longevity of their infrastructure, ultimately supporting continuous learning and development. mac taner (2018) and saro et al. (2022) also provide relevant insights into the current findings. mac taner (2018) emphasized the necessity of allocating resources for utilities and supplies to support the day-to-day operations of schools. the weighted means of 3.76 for utility expenses and 4.00 for supply expenses in the current study indicate that these areas are frequently prioritized, ensuring that essential services and materials are consistently available. this supports argument that reliable access to utilities and supplies is fundamental for a functional educational environment. saro et al. (2022) discussed the importance of security and maintenance services in schools, noting that a safe and pa ge 59 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 53-62, 2024 secure environment is essential for effective learning. the weighted mean of 3.19 for security and maintenance services expenses suggests moderate allocation, indicating that while these areas are important, they may receive less frequent prioritization compared to other critical expenses like training and supplies. together, these studies demonstrate the comprehensive and strategic approach schools take in managing their resources to ensure an effective and supportive educational environment. significant relationship between the utilization of mooe based on the annual improvement plan (aip) and the budget allocation based on school expenses table 3: relationship between the utilization of mooe based on the annual improvement plan (aip) and the budget allocation based on school expenses? parameter correlation p-value remark utilization of mooe based on the annual improvement plan 0.65 0.01 there is a significant relationshipbudget allocation based on school expenses the findings revealed a notable correlation (r = 0.65) between the utilization of mooe based on the annual improvement plan (aip) and budget allocation for school expenses, indicating a strong positive relationship. this suggested that as the utilization of mooe increased, there was a corresponding rise in the allocation of budgets for school expenses. statistical analysis demonstrated a low p-value of 0.01, surpassing the conventional significance level of 0.05. this signified that the observed correlation was highly unlikely to have arisen by chance alone, leading to the rejection of the null hypothesis. consequently, it was substantiated that there existed a significant relationship between the utilization of mooe and budget allocation for school expenses. these findings emphasized the importance of aligning mooe utilization with budgetary allocations to optimize resource distribution and enhance educational outcomes. this suggested that schools could strategically align their budgetary allocations with improvement plans to optimize resource utilization and enhance educational outcomes. by recognizing and leveraging this relationship, administrators could make informed decisions about resource allocation, ensuring funds were directed towards initiatives that supported the goals outlined in the annual improvement plan. understanding this connection could facilitate more effective budget planning processes, maximizing the impact of resources on student learning and development. the study’s findings aligned with previous research conducted by leodegario and marciano (2024), who explored the relationship between resource allocation and educational outcomes. their study emphasized the importance of aligning budgetary allocations with strategic plans to maximize the impact of resources on student learning. also, found that schools that effectively aligned their budget allocations with improvement plans experienced greater improvements in student achievement and overall school performance. this supported the current study’s findings that decisions regarding resource allocation were closely tied to the implementation of the annual improvement plan, highlighting the significance of strategic resource management in driving educational success. additionally, abalorio (2022) emphasize on budget planning processes in educational institutions provided further support for the current study’s findings. on the other hand, emphasized the need for administrators to make informed decisions about resource allocation to ensure that funds were directed towards initiatives that aligned with organizational goals and priorities. their study highlighted the importance of using data-driven approaches to budget planning, which allowed for the identification of areas where resources could be most effectively utilized to support strategic objectives. this resonated with the current study’s recommendation that administrators leverage the relationship between mooe utilization and budget allocation to inform decisionmaking processes and optimize resource utilization in support of the annual improvement plan. furthermore, sicat et al. (2019) discussed the significance of strategic planning in education and its impact on resource allocation and educational outcomes. their research emphasized the need for schools to develop comprehensive improvement plans that guided resource allocation decisions and ensured alignment with overarching educational goals. sicat et al. (2019) found that schools that effectively integrated strategic planning into their budgeting processes were better positioned to allocate resources in a manner that supported student success and organizational effectiveness. this reinforced the importance of the annual improvement plan as a guiding framework for resource allocation decisions, as identified in the current study’s findings. the perceptions of school heads regarding the utilization of mooe allocations table 4 illustrates the perceptions of school heads regarding the utilization of mooe allocations. the findings revealed an overall mean of 4.55, indicating that school heads strongly agreed with the statements related to the effective use of mooe funds. this high level of agreement suggests that school heads believe the allocations are being utilized efficiently and effectively to meet the schools’ needs. it reflects confidence in the pa ge 60 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 53-62, 2024 current management and allocation practices of mooe funds, highlighting that the resources are likely contributing positively to the schools’ operational and educational goals. this perception indicates the importance of continued strategic allocation and utilization of funds to maintain and enhance educational outcomes. table 4: perceptions of school heads regarding the utilization of mooe allocations indicators mean verbal interpretation 1. mooe allocation meets school operational needs. 4.30 agree 2. transparency and accountability in mooe fund utilization. 4.87 strongly agree 3. effectiveness of mooe funds in supporting teaching and learning. 4.74 strongly agree 4. adequacy of mooe funds for essential expenses. 4.22 agree 5. fairness in mooe fund allocation among departments. 4.52 strongly agree 6. confidence in decision-making for mooe fund allocation. 4.83 strongly agree 7. alignment of mooe allocations with school priorities. 4.74 strongly agree 8. satisfaction with flexibility in mooe fund utilization. 4.48 agree 9. sufficiency of mooe allocations for school initiatives. 4.22 agree 10. impact of mooe fund utilization on teaching and learning outcomes. 4.57 strongly agree overall mean 4.55 strongly agree legend: 1.00-1.49, strongly disagree; 1.50-2.49, disagree; 2.50-3.49, neither agree nor disagree; 3.50-4.49, agree; 4.50-5.00, strongly agree the findings showed that school heads strongly agreed on the transparency and accountability in mooe fund utilization (mean of 4.87), indicating high trust in financial management practices. they also expressed strong confidence in decision-making for mooe allocation (mean of 4.83) and believed that these funds effectively supported teaching and learning (mean of 4.74) while aligning with school priorities (mean of 4.74). the perceived positive impact of mooe fund utilization on teaching and learning outcomes (mean of 4.57) further highlighted the importance of strategic financial management. additionally, the fairness in fund allocation among departments (mean of 4.52) suggested a positive work environment and equitable resource distribution. satisfaction with the flexibility in mooe fund utilization (mean of 4.48) and the belief that allocations met school operational needs (mean of 4.30) implied that the current system allowed for effective addressing of varied needs. however, the agreement on the adequacy of funds for essential expenses and school initiatives (mean of 4.22) suggested occasional shortfalls or unmet needs, indicating room for improvement. these perceptions implied that while mooe funds were generally managed well and supported educational goals, ongoing evaluation and adjustments were necessary to fully meet all operational demands and maximize the impact on student learning and development. the findings from the study that highlighted school heads’ strong agreement on the transparency and accountability in mooe fund utilization align with the research of buban & janer (2024). they emphasized that transparent financial management practices are crucial for building trust among stakeholders in educational institutions. their study found that schools with high transparency in fund utilization experienced better stakeholder engagement and support, which corroborates the current study’s indication of high trust in financial management practices. furthermore, mangarin & o’loughlin (2024) supported the importance of transparency and accountability by demonstrating that these factors are critical in ensuring that resources are allocated efficiently and effectively to meet school operational needs. their findings underscore the relevance of transparency as a cornerstone for efficient resource allocation, aligning with the current study’s results. moreover, the high level of confidence in decisionmaking for mooe allocation reported in the current study is echoed by the research conducted by tañiza (2024). also, found that when school heads are confident in their financial decision-making abilities, it leads to more strategic and impactful use of funds. this confidence is often built through professional development and robust financial management training, which aligns with the study’s findings that school heads believed mooe funds effectively supported teaching and learning. hontanosas & maed (2024) also emphasized the critical role of strategic financial management in enhancing educational outcomes. their research showed that effective budget planning and alignment with educational priorities significantly contribute to improved student performance, reinforcing the current study’s findings on the positive impact of mooe fund utilization on teaching and learning outcomes. lastly, the agreement on the adequacy of mooe funds for essential expenses and school initiatives, despite occasional shortfalls, is supported by the research of jacob & arazo (2024). they highlighted that while funding is generally adequate, there is always a need for continuous evaluation and adjustment to address emerging needs and unforeseen expenses. this aligns with the current study’s pa ge 61 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 53-62, 2024 suggestion that ongoing evaluation and adjustments are necessary to fully meet all operational demands. jacob & arazo (2024) also pointed out the importance of equitable resource distribution among departments to ensure all areas of the school receive the necessary support, which supports the current study’s findings on the perceived fairness in fund allocation among departments. collectively, these previous studies provide a comprehensive understanding of the importance of transparency, strategic financial management, and continuous evaluation in optimizing the utilization of mooe funds to enhance educational outcomes. conclusion in conclusion, the study emphasized the effective utilization of maintenance and other operating expenses (mooe) based on the annual improvement plan (aip), reflecting a strong commitment to strategic resource management. the findings highlight the alignment between mooe utilization and budget allocation for school expenses, emphasizing the significance of optimizing resource distribution to enhance educational outcomes. moreover, the perceptions of school heads affirm the efficient utilization of mooe funds, indicating confidence in current management practices and their positive impact on school operations and educational goals. recommendations based on the findings and conclusions of the study, several recommendations can be made to further enhance the utilization of maintenance and other operating expenses (mooe) and optimize resource management in educational institutions: 1. regularly review and align mooe utilization with the objectives outlined in the annual improvement plan (aip). this ensures that resource allocation remains closely tied to the overarching goals of the institution, facilitating strategic decision-making and effective utilization of funds. 2. implement robust financial management practices to enhance transparency, accountability, and efficiency in mooe utilization. this includes establishing clear guidelines and procedures for budget planning, monitoring, and reporting to ensure that funds are allocated and utilized effectively to meet school needs. 3. provide ongoing training and capacity-building opportunities for school administrators and staff involved in financial management. this empowers them with the necessary skills and knowledge to make informed decisions about mooe utilization, thereby enhancing resource efficiency and effectiveness. 4. foster collaboration and communication among school stakeholders, including administrators, teachers, parents, and community members, to ensure that mooe allocations are aligned with the needs and priorities of all stakeholders. this inclusive approach can help identify areas for improvement and foster a sense of ownership and accountability for resource management. 5. conduct future studies to explore additional factors influencing mooe utilization and its impact on educational outcomes. this could include examining the effectiveness of specific mooe allocation strategies, the role of technology in resource management, and the impact of external factors such as economic conditions or policy changes. additionally, longitudinal studies could provide insights into the long-term effects of mooe utilization on school performance and student achievement, informing future resource allocation decisions. acknowledgment the author extends gratitude to madam josita b. carmen, the schools division superintendent of sdo-agusan del sur, for granting permission to conduct the study. additionally, the author would like to thank sir jeffry m. saro, msc, the research consultant, for valuable advice and input, as well as ma’am jecel d. taray, the division research coordinator of sdo-agusan del sur, for her trust and 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(2016). phenomenological research guidelines. capilano university, 2055 purcell way, north vancouver, british columbia, canada v7j 3h5. tel: 604.986.1911. pa ge 1 pa ge 14 1 american journal of education and technology (ajet) the perception and attitudes of students of st. ambrose college of education towards the study of english literature agbevenu judith sena1, konadu adam1*, agyemfra jonas1 volume 3 issue 2, year 2024 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v3i2.2891 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: may 02, 2024 accepted: june 08, 2024 published: june 11, 2024 the study examined the perception and attitudes of students of st. ambrose college of education towards the study of english literature. data was collected by means of interview from 10 students and 3 tutors from the study area, and analyzed thematically in relation to the research questions of the study. the study revealed that the majority of the students had little knowledge about the english literature course on the basis of not offering the course in their pre-tertiary level of education. hence, it made it difficult for them to understand a particular literary text that was taught. again, the findings of the study from the tutors’ perspective revealed that students lacked a well-laid-down foundation for the course, which resulted in their difficulty in developing new vocabulary and making different meanings to life through literary texts. the study further revealed that students had negative perceptions and attitudes towards the study of english literature due to the following factors; the cultural background of literary books which prevented students from enjoying literature, non-availability of reading materials and resources at the school library, poor environmental background of students, poor internet connections and lack of conducive learning environment. all these factors prevented students from actively attending and participating in class activities, which ultimately had a negative impact in their learning process, and consequently affecting their academic performance. from the results, it was advocated that students may develop a positive attitude towards the study of english literature if most of the literary texts they studied were situated within the african or ghanaian contexts rather than the european (classical or shakespearean contexts), and if the school authorities and other stakeholders would provide preventive measures regarding this situation, it would help in preventing further damages in students’ academic performance. keywords english language, perception, literature, attitudes, learning environment, positive attitude, negative perception, performance 1 st. ambrose college of education, ghana * corresponding author’s e-mail: konaduadam¬@sace.edu.gh introduction the study of english language and literature plays a significant role in ghana’s development. english language is widely used internationally and is commonly called the queen’s language. english language and literature are used extensively in education. if an individual does not effectively use the language, they may become greatly handicapped. the english language can be classified into four categories, namely; speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills, including literature. language theorists suggest that individuals should learn these skills in a specific order, starting with listening, speaking, reading (literature), and then writing. the attitude and actions of teachers towards reading can have a significant impact on their students’ reading habits and abilities, according to a study. the colleges of education aim to inspire their students to become committed readers and promote the culture of reading among themselves. teachers’ lack of professional knowledge of literature can have severe consequences for students, particularly those from minority groups, without a stimulating home literacy environment. literature provides an avenue for students to learn about their own cultural heritage and the cultures of others. poor reading and lack of good reading culture are serious educational hindrances hampering students’ academic performance. english literature is a course offered to trainee teachers to teach and impact the necessary pedagogy in their students. teachers with less experience lack some knowledge in the teaching and learning of literature. a detailed study of the reading-related characteristics of students and teachers, as well as their existing reading habits and expertise, is required to achieve a full and positive impact on students of literature. the study seeks to examine and address the negative perception that students of st. ambrose college of education have towards the study of english literature and measures or factors that will help curb this perception. objectives of the study the objectives of this research are to: 1. examine the perceptions and attitudes of students toward the study of english literature at st. ambrose college of education. 2. identify some factors that hinder students’ interest in the study of english literature. 3. address the perception of students towards the study of english literature. research questions the study is guided by the following questions: 1. what are the perceptions and attitudes of students pa ge 14 2 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 141-150, 2024 of st. ambrose college of education toward the study of english literature? 2. what factors hinder the students’ interest in the study of english literature? 3. how can these perceptions of students toward the study of english literature be addressed? literature review this section reviews literature related to students’ perceptions and attitudes toward studying english literature. this includes the importance of literature in the language and literacy classroom. it also discusses learners’ perceptions and attitudes, attitudes and performance in literature, factors that affect students’ attitudes towards literature, and identifies the research gap. importance of literature in the language and literacy classroom collie and slater (1990) identified four major reasons for using literature in language classrooms, as cited in karakaya and kahraman (2013). they argued that literary works provide authentic materials, enrich cultural knowledge, enhance language proficiency, and encourage personal involvement. these works provide learners with a valuable source of authentic material that connects them to real-life issues, making it easier for them to understand key concepts. karakaya and kahraman (2013) further explained that literary works are not specifically created for language teaching and learning purposes, but rather to showcase the culture of a people. as a result, learners can gain insight into the belief systems, occupations, and settlements of the target language speakers. lazar (1993) suggests that literary works provide more realistic narratives than pseudo-narratives found in course books, enlightening learners on fundamental human issues. literary works also help learners identify uncommon language use, exposing them to various functions of the written language, including aesthetics and persuasion. studying literary works can help students become more sensitive to the overall features of the target language and improve their oral skills. additionally, literary works contain figurative expressions and elaborate language that help learners appreciate and enjoy them. in language classrooms, literature is often used for four main reasons, as identified by collie and slater (1990) and cited by karakaya and kahraman (2013). these reasons include the provision of authentic materials, the enrichment of cultural knowledge, the improvement of language proficiency, and the encouragement of personal involvement. literature provides learners with materials that are connected to real-life situations, which makes it easier for them to grasp key concepts. literary works are not created specifically for language teaching, but for showcasing the culture of a people. therefore, they enable learners to gain insights into the belief systems, occupations, and settlements of the target language speakers. lazar (ibid.) asserts that literary works provide more realistic narratives compared to those found in course books. additionally, literary works help learners identify uncommon language use, exposing them to the various functions of the written language, including aesthetics and persuasion. studying literary works can help students become more sensitive to the overall features of the target language and improve their oral skills. lastly, literary works contain figurative expressions and elaborate language that make them enjoyable to read and appreciate. as observed by lazar, studying literature can help students to become more sensitive to some of the overall features of english language. also, literary works help to improve oral skills of the students. this means that as the learner summarizes a chapter or depicts a character, his or her oral skills improve steadily. furthermore, it helps in deepening the intermediate or advanced language of learners’ understanding of the language. moreover, literary works contain elaborative language and figurative expressions which help learners to appreciate and enjoy these literary works. conclusively, literary works are frequently employed for four main reasons in language classrooms, as stated by collie and slater (1990) and referenced by karakaya and kahraman (2013). these reasons include the provision of genuine materials, the enhancement of cultural understanding, the improvement of language proficiency, and the encouragement of personal engagement. literature provides learners with materials that are linked to real-life situations, making it simpler for them to comprehend key ideas. literary masterpieces are not specifically designed for language teaching, but for showcasing the customs of a community. as a result, they enable learners to gain insight into the beliefs, occupations, and settlements of the target language speakers. according to lazar, literary works provide more realistic stories compared to those found in course books. furthermore, literary works help learners identify unusual language use, exposing them to the various functions of written language, including beauty and persuasion. the study of literary works can assist students in becoming more sensitive to the target language’s general features and improve their speaking abilities. lastly, literary works contain figurative expressions and elaborate language that make them enjoyable to read and appreciate. learners’ attitude or perception attitudes are crucial to learning and achieving goals in any learning context. according to winston et al (2002), attitudes have three components: cognitive, affective, and behavioral. cognitive attitude refers to the beliefs or opinions that we hold. affective attitude is related to our emotions or feelings towards something. behavioural attitude is the intention to act in a certain way towards someone or something. they argue that all three components affect students’ performance. our beliefs and opinions (cognitive component) influence our emotions (affective component), which in turn affect our pa ge 14 3 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 141-150, 2024 actions (behavioral component). therefore, if we have positive beliefs towards something, we are more likely to feel positively about it and behave positively towards it, and vice versa. attitudes play a crucial role in learning and achieving goals across all learning contexts. therefore, it can be deduced from the above that attitudes consist of three parts: cognitive, affective, and behavioral. cognitive attitude refers to the beliefs or opinions we hold, while affective attitude relates to the emotions or feelings we have towards something. behavioral attitude is the intention to act in a certain way towards someone or something. notably, all three aspects contribute to students’ performance. our beliefs and opinions influence our emotions, which in turn affect our actions. therefore, if we hold positive beliefs, we are more likely to feel positively and behave positively, and vice versa. attitudes and performance in literature jefferson (2005) argues that a student’s success is closely tied to their attitude, suggesting that attitudes greatly affect performance. wale-adegbite (1996) builds on this idea, stating that success is 80% attitude and that a student’s grades are a result of their attitude. ariffin (2007) suggests that a student’s learning style can impact their academic achievement and that this style is influenced by environmental factors such as educational support from peers and teachers. although previous studies found a positive relationship between a student’s interest in an academic subject and their performance, classroom environment and existing knowledge on the subject also play a significant role (rhoda, et al, 2011; arham, mesir & mohammad, 2006; zainudin, et al, 2007). popham (2005) emphasizes the importance of students’ attitudes or interests to educators, as affective dispositions are powerful predictors of students’ subsequent behaviours. regardless of the learning environment, attitudes play a significant role in learning and achieving goals. winston et al (2002) explain that attitudes are comprised of three elements: cognitive, affective, and behavioural. cognitive attitudes relate to our beliefs and opinions, while affective attitudes relate to our emotions and feelings towards something. behavioural attitudes refer to our intention to act in a certain way towards someone or something. all three elements contribute to a student’s performance, as our beliefs and opinions influence our emotions, which in turn affect our actions. therefore, positive beliefs can lead to positive feelings and behaviors, and vice versa. according to jefferson (2005), a student’s attitude is closely related to their success, suggesting that attitudes significantly impact performance. wale-adegbite (1996) builds on this idea, stating that success is 80% attitude and that a student’s grades are a consequence of their attitude. ariffin (2007) proposes that a student’s academic achievement can be influenced by their learning style, which is affected by environmental factors such as educational support from peers and teachers. previous studies revealed a positive correlation between a student’s interest in an academic subject and their performance, but classroom environment and existing knowledge on the subject also play a significant role (rhoda et al, 2011; arham, mesir & mohammad, 2006; zainudin et al, 2007). popham (2005) stresses the importance of students’ attitudes or interests to educators, as affective dispositions are powerful predictors of students’ subsequent behaviors. regardless of the learning environment, attitudes play a significant role in learning and achieving goals. winston et al (2002) explain that attitudes consist of three elements: cognitive, affective, and behavioral. cognitive attitudes relate to our beliefs and opinions, while affective attitudes relate to our emotions and feelings towards something. behavioural attitudes refer to our intention to act in a certain way towards someone or something. all three elements contribute to a student’s performance, as our beliefs and opinions influence our emotions, which, in turn, affect our actions. therefore, positive beliefs can lead to positive feelings and behaviors, and vice versa. jefferson believes that the attitude of a student is closely related to their success, implying that attitude significantly affects performance. wale-adegbite (1996) builds on this notion, stating that 80% of success is attributed to attitude and that a student’s grades are a consequence of their attitude. ariffin (2007) argues that a student’s learning style can be influenced by their environment, including educational support from peers and teachers, and that this can impact their academic achievement. previous research has found a positive correlation between a student’s interest in a subject and their performance, but classroom environment and existing knowledge on the subject also play a significant role (rhoda et al, 2011; arham, mesir & mohammad, 2006; zainudin et al, 2007). popham (2005) emphasizes the importance of students’ attitudes or interests to educators, as affective dispositions are powerful predictors of students’ subsequent behaviors. regardless of the learning environment, attitudes play a significant role in learning and achieving goals. winston et al (2002) explain that attitudes consist of three elements: cognitive, affective, and behavioral. cognitive attitudes relate to our beliefs and opinions, while affective attitudes relate to our emotions and feelings towards something. behavioral attitudes refer to our intention to act in a certain way towards someone or something. all three elements contribute to a student’s performance, as our beliefs and opinions influence our emotions, which, in turn, affect our actions. therefore, positive beliefs can lead to positive feelings and behaviors, and vice versa. factors that affect students’ attitude towards literature cultural background the background of students from different cultures can affect their ability to understand and appreciate a literary work. additionally, the unfamiliarity of the culture portrayed in the text may lead students to have a negative attitude towards it, causing them to lose interest in reading it. therefore, educators and curriculum designers must pa ge 14 4 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 141-150, 2024 remove any cultural barriers that prevent students from fully comprehending and enjoying literature. there have been several proposed solutions to address this issue. for example, alptekin (2006) suggests that overcoming cultural barriers in literature can be achieved by adapting some literary elements to the learner’s own culture, while maintaining the linguistic and rhetorical content of the original text. this can make it more relatable and understandable for language and literature students. another effective way to help students with the cultural aspect of literature is by selecting works that reflect their daily lives, meet their expectations, and provide them with meaningful experiences. floris (2004) also recommends including literary texts produced by esl or efl authors, as this can motivate students to read literature that is more familiar to their own culture and experiences. the themes in these texts are often highly relevant to their lives and can encourage a positive attitude towards literature. students’ home background the impact of a student’s home background on their attitude towards literature has been a topic of interest for many researchers. according to several studies, students who grow up in households where reading is a common activity tend to develop a liking for literature in all its forms. for instance, in a survey conducted by davis et al (1992), 175 undergraduate students of french and spanish in three colleges in the us were given a likertscaled questionnaire to gauge their attitudes towards foreign literature. the objective was to identify variables that could influence their attitudes towards literature. the survey revealed that students who derived pleasure from reading in the target language had a positive attitude towards literature in a foreign language. davis et al (1992) further assert that students who spend more time reading in the target language tend to have better attitudes towards literature. the study also found that family background plays a significant role in shaping students’ attitudes towards literary study. those whose parents read more, spent more time being read to, and had access to a greater variety of books at home, showed better attitudes towards literary study. interestingly, students who believed they had more knowledge of the target culture had a more negative attitude compared to those who rated their cultural knowledge lower. however, other variables such as exposure to the target language, exposure to literary study in the students’ first language, and teaching methods did not have significant correlations to students’ attitudes towards foreign literary study. kaur and thiyagarajah (1999) conducted a survey on university students majoring in english language and literature where they found out that reading literary texts was a major problem for those who did not come from homes where reading is a common culture. about 48.6% of the participants who were studying the language for the first time expressed that they were not efficient and confident enough to read literary texts. however, in another study, shukor (2001) found out that even though secondary school students considered their low proficiency level a constraint, it did not negatively influence their attitudes towards literature due to their home background. geographical location the geographical location of schools can have an impact on students’ attitudes towards literature. students who study in urban areas usually have a better command of the english language than those in rural areas. a study conducted by rosli and jayakara (1994) compared the performance of rural and urban students and found that most urban students scored high grades while the majority of rural students obtained average grades due to less exposure to the language and insufficient practice. as a result, lower proficiency levels lead to frustration and lack of motivation, especially among students from remote rural areas who do not see the relevance of english in their daily lives. students’ attitude towards teaching approaches the role of teachers in shaping students’ attitudes towards the study of literature is very important. researchers have explored how teachers’ approaches can help students develop positive attitudes towards the study of literature in english. the study of teaching methodology in literature identifies two categories: teacher-centred and learner-centered. in the past, language teaching in second language classrooms was teacher-centered, but in the early 1980s, there was a shift towards learner-centered approaches. this change began earlier when noam chomsky challenged the behaviourists’ view of language learning in 1957, arguing that language acquisition is not a kind of habit formation but rather an innate ability that all human beings possess. this shift led to a new paradigm in language teaching, from teacher-centered to learner-centered approaches. in the approach that focuses on learners, they are considered as active participants in the process of learning instead of being passive recipients. as a result, learners are accountable for their own learning. as per larsenfreeman (1987), contemporary methodology emphasizes a learner-centric approach to teaching. this means that a teacher only acts as a facilitator in the learning process, while learners need to take responsibility for directing their own learning and are ultimately responsible for the amount of learning achieved. according to taylor (2002), the traditional roles of teachers and students are changing, with a move towards more learner-centered approaches. calvo (2007) notes that this new style of teaching prioritizes the needs and characteristics of individual learners, and it is becoming increasingly popular in second language classrooms. the new teaching methodology focuses on developing learning practices that prioritise the learner over the teacher. this approach is based on understanding how learning takes place and how it can benefit learners. the primary goal of teaching should not be limited to imparting knowledge or providing access to information, pa ge 14 5 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 141-150, 2024 but also to equip learners with the skills needed to apply their knowledge. in the context of literature, the teaching and learning process should aim to develop both linguistic and communicative competence of the learner, which is why it is important to adopt a learner-centered approach to teaching. research gap most students develop some negative perceptions and attitudes towards the study of english literature due to certain weak foundation they came across while studying the course. according to karakaya and kahraman (2013), in order to encourage students to study literature, teachers should encourage them to read literary works in their native language. this will motivate them to read literary works in the target language and take advantage of the benefits literature offers such as improving vocabulary, comprehension, and literary techniques that enhance one’s communicative competence. research also suggests that teachers with less experience lack knowledge in teaching and learning literature, which indicates that recently trained teachers had less exposure and involvement in literature-informed curriculums, particularly in teacher preparation programs (cremin, et al 2008). consequently, students’ perception and attitude towards their reading and learning skills of english literature is quite poor and these have potential consequences for teacher education programmes. to ensure that literature students benefit fully and positively, it is important to understand the reading-related traits, habits, and knowledge of both students and teachers. unfortunately, students at st. ambrose college of education appear to lack many of these traits, which is reflected in their academic performance. as academic tutors at the college, the researchers have observed this and believe that addressing these negative attitudes and perceptions towards english literature is crucial. therefore, a study is needed to examine and tackle these issues. methodology the study employed the qualitative research design, where specifically, descriptive research was utilized. descriptions based on the study was obtained from the respondents within the selected institution. this was done by using interview to get information from the respondents, regarding certain problems that students faced with respect to the study. the target population of the study comprised all tutors of english and all second and third-year students studying english literature at st. ambrose college of education. these students and tutors served as the population to which the researchers intended to use to generalize the findings of the study but since the researchers was not be able to access all these students and tutors to interview, an accessible population was sampled for the study. in this sense, purposive sampling approach was adopted in selecting the students and tutors for the study. the sample size was thirteen (13) respondents out of the total population of english language and literature students as well as tutors from the selected college. the sample size used in this study was selected as follows: table 1: sample size respondents number second year students 5 third year students 5 english tutors 3 total 13 the researchers used the simple-random sampling technique to select students and tutors for the study. there are four-year groups of english language/ literature students at st. ambrose college of education first, second, third and fourth years, with each year group currently having twenty-two (22), fifteen (15), seventeen (17) and twenty (20) students respectively. the researchers however, randomly selected five (5) students each, from the secondand third-year groups and three (3) english tutors from the college, making a total of thirteen (13) respondents. the purposive sampling was used to get the selected students and tutors because these were people who are believed to be relevant and knowledgeable in the subject area, to ensure relevant and credible information concerning the perception and attitudes of students of st. ambrose college of education towards the study of english literature. data collection procedure the researchers in this study opted for unstructured interviews to allow for more flexible questioning. the interview method was chosen as it allowed both the researchers and respondents to openly discuss the topic at hand and saved time by providing complete information that could be adapted to meet the respondents’ intelligence, understanding, or beliefs. the researchers conducted face-to-face interviews with selected tutors and students and documented the interaction using modern digital audio tape. data analysis and presentation the researchers used the qualitative method to analyze the data that was collected. by qualitative approach, it involves the thematic description of the recorded interview about the perception and attitudes of students of st. ambrose college of education towards the study of english literature. the data collected from the interviews was analyzed using content analysis. the researchers first examined the field notes, transcribed the recordings, and carefully reviewed them for common themes and ideas that emerged from the responses of the participants. the participants’ information or speeches were then categorized to facilitate analysis. in some cases, the exact words of the participants were used within the context of the discussion’s theme. pa ge 14 6 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 141-150, 2024 results and discussion the data collected and analyzed was to examine the perception and attitudes of students of st. ambrose college of education towards the study of english literature. using interview as the primary data collection tool, the data were summarized and organized through descriptive analysis. the analysis of the interviews was also reported in prose as well as verbatim, from the respondents to reflect the themes in the study. the discussion is divided into three various sections based on the objectives. they include; examining the perception and attitudes of students towards the study of english literature, some factors that hinder these perception and attitudes among students and how these factors are addressed. background information of respondents perception and attitudes of students toward the study of english literature this section discusses the outcome of the analysis of students’ perception, attitude and knowledge towards english literature at st. ambrose college of education as the first objective sought to investigate. specifically, the analysis is based on how students view the study of english literature and the knowledge they have about it; how literature has impacted their academic performance with respect to reading, understanding and analysis of texts, how literature affects the students’ affective domain and whether literature has had any significance impact or not, in their personality and academic development. in response to the interview on the attitude and knowledge of literature, three (3) third year students, constituting 80% commented that literature is a body of written works and accompanying illustrations produced in order to broaden one’s mental faculty. it also involves critical thinking to enable one understand a specific text. however, due to the fact that they have little knowledge about the course on the basis of not offering the course in their pre-tertiary level of education, they find it difficult to understand a particular text or reading materials being taught. a student commented that; i didn’t offer the course when i was in shs. i came here and had to offer it due to the course combination we had to choose from, so i find it quite difficult to understand certain things taught. i believe it will take some time for me to adjust. it would be a gradual process… the other two (2) or 20% of the students had a different opinion since they had a fair idea because it was part of the courses they studied in school. one of them remarked: literature covers a wide range of works, including acknowledged classics of world literature, picture books and easy-to-read stories written exclusively for literature, and fairy tales, lullabies, fables, folk songs, hence i find it quite interesting and able to relate when our tutor is teaching us a particular literary text. three (3) respondents from the second-year group, representing 80% were of the view that literature entails an in-depth reading of imaginative works that takes time for better comprehension, hence they are always lacking behind. a student noted; the books we need to read entails a lot, sometimes classical books whose language is so archaic, making it difficult to analyze some literary elements that ought to be interpreted. the other two (2) students, representing 20% claim that they love literature because it improves their reading and imaginative skills and as well help them in their critical thinking and developing creativity. one of the students commented by saying; for the fact that i had prior knowledge about it before coming here, has made me develop more interest in it because of how my tutor takes one topic at a time and by taking time to explain things in details. it has helped me to develop my thinking capabilities and making me to be more creative. table 2: gender of respondents (students) gender frequency percentage (%) male 5 50% female 5 50% total 10 100% source: field data (2021). since the researchers used the unstructured form of interview to gather information and purposively sampled the respondents from the total population, the researchers focused on only their gender, disregarding their age and other characteristics. the above table (2) however shows that five (5) of the respondents representing fifty (50%) percent were males while the other five (5) respondents, also representing fifty (50%) percent were females. this reveals that the data gathered for the analysis of the study were equally collected from both sexes. this was to prevent any form of biases and to ensure a judicious analysis of students’ perception and attitudes towards the study of english literature. table 3: gender of respondents (tutors) gender frequency percentage (%) male 3 100% female 0 00% total 3 100% source: field data (2021). table 3 also reveals that three (3) respondents representing hundred (100%) were male tutors while zero (0) respondents representing 0.0% were female tutors meaning, no female tutor was involved in the interview process. the implication of this to the study is that the english language department of the college is dominated by male tutors. these tutors were included in the study in order to solicit their views on how they perceive the attitudes and performance of students towards the study of english literature. pa ge 14 7 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 141-150, 2024 the researcher interviewed the selected tutors on the significance of literature and how their students related to the course. from their responses, they stated that due to majority of students not having a well laid-down foundation of the course, they find it difficult to develop new vocabulary and make different meaning to life and make life more real and meaningful by thinking deep and critically upon reading pictures and words interpreted in literary texts. one of the tutors said; they lack proper foundation, so my students mostly find it difficult to develop their vocabulary. they also struggle to make deeper meaning than just an ordinary meaning from literary texts, therefore they are not able to distinguish between connotation and denotation meaning in literature. the above analysis shows that majority of the students selected for the study have less positive attitude and knowledge towards the study of english literature due to the above-mentioned reasons. factors that hinder students’ perception and attitudes towards english literature and measures put in place to address these factors this section discusses analysis on the factors affecting the perception and attitude of students towards the study of english literature and how these negative perceptions have been addressed. students’ responses on the factors that affect their attitudes towards literature are interpreted by their actual reading frequency of literature. the cultural knowledge of literature was interpreted with the focus on both authors and titles of books. the findings indicated that the cultural background of literature books prevented students from enjoying literature and this included the cultural contents of literary text. culture which is beyond students’ competence hinders their understanding and enjoyment of any literary text and in view of this, students develop negative attitude towards literature if they find any element in the target language/ literature book uncomfortable. from the responses the researchers sought from the respondents that were selected for the study, they were of the view that the cultural background of both the author and the books they learn affect their attitudes towards the study of literature. looking at the african, specifically ghanaian background of the students, most of the texts they study such as drama and poetry are classical books, shakespearean books for that matter, which have complex interpretation of its contents and language, making it difficult for the students to comprehend. both thirdand second-year students as well as tutors had similar experiences and their responses were almost the same. one student remarked; madam, we are in ghana and we are being asked to read shakespearean books like romeo and juliet, and julius caesar. these are classical books and the type of language used is so old-fashioned and complex so i really find it difficult to read and understand, not to talk of analyzing certain literary elements in them. if the curriculum will focus on only books within our african context, i think it will really help us. another student commented; it is okay to learn other peoples’ culture but the manner in which it is portrayed is questionable. we do learn african poems which are very much okay because the language is easily understandable. the foreign and classical books can also be understood and enjoyed if the language was simple and straight forward but that isn’t the case so to be honest, i hardly perform well when we are asked to analyze these classical poems. a response from one of the tutors concerning this issue about cultural background of literary texts and how it affects students’ attitudes towards literature wasn’t much different from what the students said. he stated; if you take a cursory look at the kind of literary books recommended for these students to read, you will realize that they perform much better when the books are culturally set in the african context. however, when they are to read classical books, poems or prose, their performance in this particular area is not in any way encouraging, it’s really worrisome, and we need to constantly motivate them to take their lessons seriously. so, considering their background, students should be made to read literary texts or books set in the african context. from the interview, the respondents made mention of other factors that affected students’ perception, attitudes and performance towards the study of english literature. some of these factors included; non-availability of reading materials and resources at the school library, the poor environmental (rural) background of students and the lack of conducive learning environment. all these factors prevented students from actively attending and participating in class activities, which in return negatively affect the teaching and learning process of these students. one of the students remarked; the books and learning materials recommended to us are not available at the school library, we are not able to get access to them at the bookshops too with the excuse that they are out of stock. most of these books are the classical texts and we can’t find them anywhere to buy which makes learning very difficult for us. if the school authorities make necessary arrangements to stock the library with enough learning materials, it will be of great help to us. another student commented; i was brought up in an environment where you go to the farm immediately you return from school because that was the only way you will get food to eat. our local dialect was the only language spoken at home because you won’t find anyone speaking english, not to talk of reading any material, so i find it difficult to adjust to this new environment of learning and reading. another student further stated; we don’t really have a conducive learning environment; the lecture rooms are very few with poor internet connections. most of us find it difficult to search for pa ge 14 8 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 141-150, 2024 information online when we are given assignments due to these internet problems. when you go to the lecture rooms to learn too, they will be occupied by other students because they are not enough. we really want to learn, but all these problems and factors are preventing us from doing so. the authorities must try and do something about it because it is really affecting our academic performance. from the response coming from one of the tutors with respect to the above-mentioned factors, all these problems they are encountering are affecting how they also teach because they lack the resources needed to make teaching and learning enjoyable to students, hence they advocated for the school authorities and other stakeholders to quickly step in to prevent further damages in students’ academic performance. he commented that; our students are really lacking behind if you compare them to other colleges of education. when you give them any quizzes or assignment, the type of english you will read is very heart-breaking. they really need help; we are trying our best but it is not good enough. our authorities really need to intervene in this situation because our students’ academic performance is dwindling and if care is not taken, we will end up producing poor teachers when they go out there. from the analysis, it is obvious that the relevance previous knowledge of students, the cultural background of authors and literary texts, the non-availability of reading materials and resources at the school library, the poor environmental (rural) background of students and the lack of conducive learning environment are some factors that negatively affect students’ perception and attitudes towards the study of english literature. it was recorded from the interview sections that students’ relevance previous knowledge in the course is a key factor when good results are needed, however when they lack this background, it becomes difficult for them to produce good results. this implies that most of the respondents did not have much idea about literature, hence, their negative attitude towards its teaching and learning. the cultural background of book authors and the literary text itself was a problem for the students. students were more familiar with african texts rather than classical works which affected their performance. to further probe how students’ background affected their attitude towards the study of english literature, the researcher recorded from the interview sections that students with poor background complained that their background sometimes influenced their attitude towards the teaching and learning of literature since they did not have the fundamentals from their previous senior high schools. although some of them had the experience from their previous schools, the negatives outweighed the positives. the availability of teaching and learning materials, literature books, and a proper conducive learning environment, with good internet services have a deeper knowledge in making students to develop interest in the course and as well help them in understanding and teaching of the subject, but here is the situation where they lack these backgrounds and amenities, preventing them to develop any positive attitude towards the study of english literature. if the necessary measures are put in place to rectify these problems, students will eventually develop a positive attitude towards the study of english literature. summary this research was conducted to examine the perception and attitudes of students of st. ambrose college of education towards the study of english literature. the study sought to find out students’ attitude towards english literature focusing on three major objectives; students’ perception about the study of literature, factors that affect or hinders students’ attitudes towards literature, and how these factors were addressed. in the study, ten (10) students and three (3) tutors were sampled. this sample summed up to thirteen (13) participants, making the total population for the study. qualitative design was adopted to descriptively present the findings through the process of using interview. the data collected were analyzed using both prose and verbatim form, from the respondents to reflect the themes in the study. the findings from students concerning their perception and knowledge towards the study of literature showed that majority of them had little knowledge about the course on the basis of not offering the course in their pre-tertiary level of education hence, it made it difficult for them to understand a particular literary text that was being taught. few of them acknowledged the fact that they had prior knowledge about the course before enrolling in the college, and literature helped them to improve their reading and imaginative skills and as well helped them in their critical thinking and creativity development. findings from one of the tutors’ responses concerning how they viewed students’ perception towards the study of literature revealed that students’ lack of a well laiddown foundation of the course, resulted in the difficulty to develop new vocabulary, making different meaning to life and making life more real and meaningful by thinking deep and critically, upon reading picture books and words interpreted in literary texts. the findings of the study further revealed that students have negative perceptions and attitudes towards the study of english due to the following factors; the cultural background of literary books prevented students from enjoying literature and this included the cultural contents of literary text. it was explained that most of the texts they studied such as drama and poetry were classical books, shakespearean books for that matter, which had complex interpretation of its contents and language, making it difficult for the students to comprehend. other factors included; non-availability of reading materials and resources at the school library, the poor environmental (rural) background of students, poor internet connections and the lack of conducive learning environment. all these factors prevented students from actively attending pa ge 14 9 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 141-150, 2024 and participating in class activities, which in the long run negatively affected the teaching and learning process of these students. tutors also shared the same grievances of students since they believed that the above-mentioned factors were causing more harm than good to the students. these also affected how they taught because they lacked the resources needed to make teaching and learning enjoyable to students, hence they advocated for the school authorities and other stakeholders to quickly step in to prevent further damages in students’ academic performance. conclusion the latest research study corroborates earlier findings and offers additional proof that students’ outlook and opinions towards english literature, reading level, and knowledge are negative. the study identified personal and environmental factors contributing to the unfavorable perception of st. ambrose college of education students towards english literature. environmental factors were found to have a more significant impact on the students’ negative attitude towards literature. the analysis further revealed that most of these students originated from a background where comprehending and reading english literature texts were not easily within their reach. the cultural background of both authors and titles of literary texts was also a barrier. both tutors and students lacked the motivation to teach and learn due to the fact that the college lacked the basic amenities needed for extensive tuition. they included; the non-availability of reading materials, text books and other resources at the school library, poor internet connections and the lack of a conducive learning environment. from the results, it was advocated that students may develop a positive attitude towards the study of english literature if most of the literary texts they studied were situated within the african or ghanaian contexts rather than the classical or shakespearean contexts, and if the school authorities and other stake holders will quickly step in to provide preventive measures regarding this situation, it will help in preventing further damages in students’ academic performance. recommendations this study is significant because it attempts to suggest measures that will enable students have a positive perception and attitudes towards the study of english literature, it will also encourage both tutors and students to constantly improve upon their methods of teaching and learning. this will further aid curriculum developers and policy makers to set educational goals and standards by adopting literature books that will promote and motivate the students to have positive attitudes toward the teaching and learning of literature. the main results of the study have considerable consequences for teaching english literature in schools. throughout their senior high school days, only few of the students had a feeling of literature but not all the dimensions. teachers in senior high schools should therefore concentrate on educating students in all facets of literature so that when they opt for it in their tertiary level of education, they wouldn’t encounter so many problems. the researchers that the college chosen for the study had a lack of literature books and learning materials in the library, which resulted in abstract teaching methods since teaching and learning materials were not readily available. the study suggests the need for better teaching and learning materials to make the study of english literature more engaging for students. additionally, the study recommends improving the physical learning environment, which can be achieved through collaboration between the government, stakeholders, the principal, tutors, and communities to build more facilities that can aid effective teaching and learning of english literature. finally, tutors of literature must not only be concerned with teaching literature towards only examinations purposes but for use in their daily lives since literature is the representation of real-life experiences. this will help the students to relate the stories in literature to real life and boost their understanding in the study of english literature. references akey, t. m. (2006). school context, student attitudes and, behavior and academic achievement: an exploratory analysis. mdcr. alptekin, c. (2006). cultural familiarity in inferential and literal comprehension in l2 reading. system, 34(4), 494-508. applegate, a. & applegate m. (2004). the peter effect: reading habits and attitudes of pre-service teachers. the reading teacher. ariffin, k. (2007). the relationship between learning styles and academic achievements in the subject of electromagnetic among first degree students in uthm. psp’s research digest. chaiken, s. (2001). heuristic versus systematic information processing and the use of source versus message cues in persuasion. journal of personality and social psychology, 39. clark, c & poulton, l. (2011). book ownership and its relation to reading enjoyment, attitudes, behaviour and attainment. national literacy trust. london. collie, j., & slater, s. (1990). literature in the language classroom: a resource book of ideas and activities. cambridge: cup. cremin, t., mottram, m., bearne, e. & goodwin, p. (2008). exploring teachers’ knowledge of children’s literature. cambridge journal of education, 38(4). davis, j. n., kline, r. r., gorell, l. c. and hsieh, g. (1992). readers and foreign languages: a survey of undergraduates’ attitudes towards the study of literature. modern language journal, 76(3). eagly, a. h., & chaiken, s. (1993). the psychology of pa ge 15 0 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(2) 141-150, 2024 attitudes. harcourt brace jovanovich college publishers. floris, f. d. (2004). the power of literature in efl classrooms. k@ta, 6. international encyclopedia of the social sciences (2008). selfperception theory. retrieved november 3, 2020, from http://www.encyclopedia.com/ doc/1g2-3045302392.html. karakaya, e., & kahraman, a. (2013). students’ attitudes towards literature use and its effects on vocabulary learning. international journal of applied linguistics & english literature. larsen-freeman, d. (1987). from unity to diversity: twenty years of language-teaching methodology. e. t. forum. lazar, g. (1993). literature and language teaching. cambridge: cambridge university press. lundberg, i. & linnakyla, p. (1993). teaching reading around the world. iea study of reading literacy. norton, d., & norton, s. (2010). through the eyes of a child: an introduction to children’s literature (8th ed.). boston, ma: prentice-hall. oppenheim, a. (1992). questionnaire design, interviewing and attitude measurement, london, pinter. pearce, d. l. (2015). prediction of preservice teachers’ knowledge and reading of children’s literature within a teacher preparation program. texas a&m university-corpus christi. popham, w. j. (2005). students’ attitudes count. educational leadership. educational leadership. rhoda d. b., muhammad imran, y., mohd. mahzan, a., & asif, n. r. (2011). the effect of prior knowledge in understanding chemistry concepts by senior secondary school students. international journal of academic research, 3(2). shukor (2001). task type and task processing conditions as influences on foreign language performance. language teaching research, 1(3). pa ge 1 pa ge 46 american journal of education and technology (ajet) factors influencing the attitude of students towards the study of mathematics among secondary schools in uyo, akwa ibom state nigeria emmanuel byiringiro1* volume 3 issue 1, year 2024 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v3i1.2410 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: january 07, 2024 accepted: february 14, 2024 published: february 17, 2024 students’ attitude towards mathematics has been a factor that is known to influence students’ achievement in mathematics. this paper explored factors influencing the attitude of students towards the study of mathematics in nigeria. this study used a descriptive survey design. a simple random sampling technique was further applied to obtain mathematics teachers, junior and senior staff, and principals targeted in this research, equal to 273 staff. the study sampled 162 respondents. the collected data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation, and regression analysis through the statistical package for social science (spss) version 21. the data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression. the findings indicated that the teaching approach in teaching mathematics was more correlated with students ‘attitudes in uyo, akwa ibom state (r = 0.738; p= 0.000). multiple linear regression analysis showed that the problem-solving method contributed to 57.2% of the variation in the performance, hence playing a vital role in students ‘attitudes towards mathematics subjects in public secondary schools. it was also inferred that the teaching approach increases positive attitudes toward learning mathematics subject. the study recommended that the maximum effort should be given to improve the students‟ attitude toward mathematics by organizing forums such as seminars and workshops where teachers and other education stakeholders can support, motivate, and cultivate positive attitudes among their students. keywords teaching approach method, students attitudes, and mathematics 1 department of education, mount kenya university, kenya * corresponding author’s e-mail: byiremmy@gmail.com introduction student feeling and perception about mathematics is a major factor that affects his or her attainment and realization of full potential. neale (2019) defines attitudes towards mathematics as “alienated measures of like or disliking of mathematics, a tendency to engage in or avoid mathematics activities, he belief that mathematics is useful or useless”. several important components emerge from these definitions: attitude is learned, it influences one to take a slated or implied altitude or to have such an attitude as a result of prior influences that may be either positive and there is response consistency. on the same note, aiken (2016) defines attitude as “a learned predispositions or tendency on the part of an individual to respond positively or negative to some objects, situation, concept or another person. teacher’s attitudes towards mathematics could presuppose an inclination to pass on what they have received as a duty or as a valuable asset of knowledge that could be beneficial in their learners. on the contrary the learner’s altitudes towards mathematics could be valued in relation to natural disposition environmental exposure, scales of value or personal disposition, which needs investigation to establish the missing link in the achievement of mathematics (dennis, 2019). a positive attitude towards mathematics reflects a positive emotional disposition in relation to the subject and, in a similar way, a negative attitude towards mathematics relates to a negative emotional disposition (amadi, 2014). in nigeria, despite the importance of maths and government efforts to improve student performance in this area, results are still not satisfactory. the waec (west african examination council, 2004) management report shows that 1,090,503 candidates sat for the external examination, of which only 10.5 per cent passed. in 2005, only 15.2 per cent of the 1,464,301 candidates who sat the external examination passed in mathematics. in 2007, only 18.5 per cent of 1,484,611 candidates passed in mathematics. the national examinations council, neco (2006) reports that many of the candidates showed a lack of knowledge of the basic principles needed to solve some of the maths problems. educational researchers have spent much time and energy trying to understand the possible reasons for students’ poor attitudes and low performance in mathematics research findings indicate that effective teachers facilitate learning by truly caring about their students’ engagement and creating the right atmosphere that enhances student learning (bolaji, 2010). they have high yet realistic expectations about enhancing students’ capacity to think, reason, communicate, reflect upon and critique their own practice, and they provide students with opportunities to ask why the class is doing certain things and with what effect (flanders and altındağ, 2009). the relationships that develop in the classroom become a resource for developing students’ attitudes and mathematical competencies and identities. these resources are very essential to the learning of mathematics. attitude as a concept is concerned with an individual’s way of thinking, acting and behaving. it has very serious pa ge 47 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(1) 46-50, 2024 implications for the learner, the teacher, the immediate social group with which the individual learner relates, and the entire school system. attitudes are formed as a result of some kind of learning experiences students go through. this is mimicry, which also has a part to play in the teaching and learning situation. in this respect, the learner draws from his teachers’ disposition to form his own attitude, which may likely affect his learning outcomes (eze, 2004). he avers that teachers with positive attitude towards mathematics were inclined to stimulate favourable attitudes in their pupils. this immediately puts the teacher in the spotlight as one whose attitude, expressed in their behavior, has a telling effect on students. teachers’ attitude and beliefs play a very significant role in shaping classroom practices (hanula, 2002). it is against this background that this research sought to examine factors influencing the attitude of students towards the study of mathematics in secondary schools in nigeria. problem statement today, the failure rate in mathematics in both internal and external examinations is very worrying. the failure rate is getting worse from year to year (waec, 2004). a student’s attitude towards an academic subject is a very important factor in his/her learning and performance in that subject. a student’s perception of himself/herself as strong or weak in a particular subject can be an important factor in his/her academic performance. ohuche (1998) showed that there is a positive correlation between mathematics and mathematics achievement. according to ghaith (2003), those who have a positive attitude towards mathematics perform better in this subject. however, this study focuses on the factors affecting students’ attitudes towards mathematics in secondary schools in uyo, akwa ibom state in nigeria. this study sought to achieve the following research hypothesis: ho1: there is no significance between teacher approach in teaching mathematics and student attitude towards the subject in secondary schools in uyo, akwa ibom state methodology this study evaluated factors influencing the attitude of students towards the study of mathematics among secondary schools in nigeria. the researcher used descriptive research survey design in building up this project work the choice of this research design was considered appropriate because of its advantages of identifying attributes of a large population from a group of individuals. the design was suitable for the study as the study sought factors influencing the attitude of students towards the study of mathematics in nigeria population of a study is a group of persons or aggregate items; things the researcher is interested in getting information on the study factors influencing the attitude of students towards the study of mathematics in nigeria. 273 staff of selected secondary schools in uyo, akwa ibom state was selected randomly by the researcher as the population of the study. in addition, the study used the following formula proposed by using yamane (1973) to determine the sample size because that is too large waste scarce resources and could expose more participants than necessary to any related risk. thus, the study used yamane formula to calculate a sample size because it is the most appropriate for this study. using yamane formulae where: n = sample size n = the population size e = the acceptable sampling error (5%) at 95% confidence level thus; n = / (1+273) (0.05)2 n=162.2=162 respondents in this study the researcher used questionnaires, and documentary review. closed –ended questions were used where the answers were divided into categories such discrete, distinct and relatively few in number. it is easier for respondents to answer because they had only to choose categories. in that way a chance for irrelevant answers is limited to the minimum, because appropriate answer categories were provided. the main respondents were being teachers that was given the questionnaire as they were enough time to respond to the questions based on specific objectives. questionnaires were given to mathematics teachers, senior staff, junior staff and principals. the questionnaire used as the research instrument was subjected to face its validation. this research instrument (questionnaire) adopted was adequately checked and validated by the supervisor his contributions and corrections were included into the final draft of the research instrument used. results and discussion findings in this study the research sampled 162 staff of selected secondary schools in uyo, akwa ibom state. the data collected from the respondents were analyzed in tabular form with simple percentage for easy understanding. a total of 162 questionnaires were distributed and 162 questionnaires were returned. descriptive statistics effect of teacher approach in teaching mathematics and student attitude towards the subject in this research the study attempted to determine the factors influencing the attitude of students towards the study of mathematics in nigeria. the respondents were asked to rate the statements by indicating the extent to which they apply to their organization in 5-point likert scale as shown on: 5. strongly agree (sa), 4agree(a), 3. neutral (n), 2. disagree (d) and 1. strongly disagree (sd). besides, the mean and deviation were used for pa ge 48 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(1) 46-50, 2024 interpretation of the findings where mean (m) is the average of group of scores and it is sensitive to extreme score when the population samples are small. moreover, the standard deviation (sd) was also used to measure the variability in those statistics as it shows how much variation is there from the average (mean). table 1: level of agreement on teacher approach in teaching mathematics statements mean std dev the methods and activities used by the teacher reflect attention to learners’ experience 4.5 0.71 teacher attitude towards mathematics is significantly related to high achievement in students 4.2 0.68 teachers’ instructional methods and activities reflect attention to issues of access, equity and diversity for learners 4.2 0.75 the learner draws from the teacher’s disposition to form his own attitude which may affect her learning outcomes 3.9 0.96 attitudes and practices of teaching mathematics are complexly affected by beliefs, emotions 4.1 1.05 teachers’ exhibition of self-confidence when teaching mathematics motivates student achievement in mathematics 3.5 1.22 teachers’ beliefs about mathematics affect their attitude towards the subject and impact on students’ performance 4.1 0.86 source: field research, 2023 as shown in table 1, the results relate to the seven statements assessing the effect of teacher approach in teaching mathematics and student attitude towards the subject in secondary schools in nigeria. the results show that for the first statement, the majority of respondents strongly agreed that the methods and activities used by the teacher reflect attention to learners’ experience, with a mean value of 4.5, and a high positive correlation standard deviation of 0.71. the second statement asked respondents whether teacher attitude towards mathematics is significantly related to high achievement in students. the results showed that the majority of respondents strongly agreed with this statement (m=4.2, sd=0.68). for the third statement, teachers’ instructional methods and activities reflect attention to issues of access, equity and diversity for learners, the majority of respondents agreed with this statement, with a mean of 4.2 and a very positive and high standard deviation correlation of 0.75. the fourth statement asked whether the learner draws from the teacher’s disposition to form his own attitude which may affect her learning outcomes. respondents strongly agreed with this statement, with an average mean of 3.9 and a very strong positive standard correlation of 0.96. the next item was whether attitudes and practices of teaching mathematics are complexly affected by beliefs, emotions. the majority of them strongly agreed that statement with a mean of 4.1 and a very high positive standard deviation of 1.05. the next item respondents were asked whether teachers’ exhibition of self-confidence when teaching mathematics motivates student achievement in mathematics, the respondents agreed that statement (m=3.5, sd=1.22). on the last statement respondents were asked if teachers’ beliefs about mathematics affect their attitude towards the subject and impact on students’ performance, the majority of respondents strongly agreed and agreed that statement with a mean score of 4.1 and positive correlation standard deviation of 0.86. from the results, it implies that the majority of respondents strongly agreed and agreed that all of the above are key elements of factors influencing the attitude of students towards the study of mathematics in among secondary schools in nigeria correlation analysis the findings of the correlations between the independent variables and the dependent variables are summarized and presented in table 3 according to the findings reported in table 2, the pearson correlation analysis showed that teaching approach in teaching mathematics (r=0.738, p=0.000) is positively and significantly related to students ‘attitude towards the subject in selected secondary schools in table 2: correlation between variables teaching approach students’ attitude teaching approach pearson correlation 1 sig. (2-tailed) n 162 students’ attitude pearson correlation .738** 1 sig. (2-tailed) .000 162 162 **. correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). pa ge 49 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(1) 46-50, 2024 uyo, akwa ibom state. the correlation was deemed to be statistically significant since the p-value was less than 5%. the findings therefore showed that there is a positive and statistically significant relationship between teaching approach in teaching mathematics and to students ‘attitude towards the subject in the secondary schools in uyo, akwa ibom state. these findings are similar with freise (2010) reinforce this by contending that teachers should use problem – solving teaching methods that create a challenge to experiment, explore and look for links between concepts. as students look for answers, they are likely to develop functional understanding because they go through the reasoning involved in the development and application of the concepts they learn. students must learn how to use subjectmatter concepts in the solution of relevant problem. multiple regression the study used multiple regression to test the following hypothesis: h01 there is no significance between teacher approach in teaching mathematics and student attitude towards the subject in secondary schools in uyo, akwa ibom state. table 3: model summary model r r square adjusted r square std. error of the estimate 1 758a .575 .562 .39768 a. predictors: (constant),teaching approach the r-squared shows the variation in the dependent variable that can be explained by the independent variables being studied. the r-squared in this study was 0.702, which implies that the independent variable can explicate 57.2% of the dependent variable whereas the remaining 42.8% variation is explained by other factors which are not included in the model. in an attempt to test the significant of the model, the study used anova. from table 7 the p-value is 0000b which is less than 0.05 thus the model is statistically significance in predicting how teaching approach in teaching mathematics affects students ‘attitude. the f critical at 5% level of significance is 66.538, and this shows that the overall model was significant. there exists significant relation between the dependent variable (students ‘attitude) and the independent variable (teaching methods). table 4: analysis of variance (anova) model sum of squares df mean square f sig. 1 regression 182.035 4 45.509 66.538 .000b residual 77.287 113 .684 total 259.322 117 a. dependent variable: students ‘attitude b. predictors: (constant), teaching approach discussion from the findings, the study found that teaching approach in teaching mathematics affects students ‘attitude toward the subject , as the methods and activities used by the teacher reflect attention to learners’ experience, also the teacher attitude towards mathematics is significantly related to high achievement in students, teachers’ instructional methods and activities reflect attention to issues of access, equity and diversity for learners, the learner draws from the teacher’s disposition to form his own attitude which may affect her learning outcomes, attitudes and practices of teaching mathematics are complexly affected by beliefs, emotions and teachers’ exhibition of self-confidence when teaching mathematics motivates student achievement in mathematics and lastly teachers’ beliefs about mathematics affect their attitude towards the subject and impact on students’ performance these findings are relevant with sharma (2014) who stated that the teachers’ teaching method have a major influence on students’ attitudes. teachers can do many things to facilitate the classroom learning to alleviate students’ engagement level and confidence in learning mathematics. according to fraser and kahle (2007), teachers can find ways to encourage student engagement and confidence in learning mathematics. this can be achieved by implementing meaningful activities embedded in real-life contexts. in the same angle christou (2008) stated that teachers’ beliefs about the utility of mathematics are often found to correlate with either a more positive or negative attitude towards the subject. it is believed that a teacher who sees no usefulness of mathematics in the real world and believes that mathematics should be learnt as a set of rules and algorithms will require his students to memories procedures and rules without meaning. this is a negative outlook that will make his students develop a negative attitude towards the subject. also, a teacher who believes that girls are poor in mathematics is likely to impact negatively on girls in his class who will begin to believe that they cannot do mathematics. another aspect of the teacher’s attitude towards mathematics is the teacher’s behavior in relation to mathematics. pa ge 50 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(1) 46-50, 2024 such mathematicsrelated behavior as avoidance of mathematics, pursuit of mathematics and instructional behavior in the classroom all affect student attitude and performance conclusion the results showed that perceived teacher affective approach is significant predictor of attitude toward mathematics. this may affect the performance of students in mathematics and mathematics related subjects in the study. several factors play a vital role in influencing student’s attitude towards mathematics in nigeria among them is teaching approach. this has found that there is a significant relationship between methods of instruction and students‟ attitude towards the subject. the way the teacher presents the lesson, guides them on problem solving in class and involvement of the students in problem solving, improves their mathematics response ability which lead to better performance. this study supports the claims that how teachers/instructors teach may determine whether. this study supports the idea that learning environment-related variables produces an increase in the explanation of the variability of attitudes and performance. those with low mathematics abilities are likely to have a more negative attitude towards the subject. they do not have the inclination to improve their skills in mathematics. although the majority of research indicates that poor attitudes towards mathematics are related to poor presentation of the subject, but it has not always been found to be so, although the present study did seek to establish the cause-effect relationship with students ‘attitudes towards mathematics subject. therefore, based on the findings, hypothesis testing results show that teaching approach in teaching mathematics have an effect on students ‘attitudes towards the subject. the research hypothesis was tested; verified and then it is rejected referring to the statistical (regression analysis) findings and then according to the research, the correlation of 73.8% categorized as positive and very high correlation; this leads to confirm that there is significant relationship between teaching approach and students ‘attitudes in secondary schools in nigeria. recommendations it was recommended that attitudes are deeply related to motivation and social support, teachers can leverage on this information and develop strategies in educational contexts, to improve their support and student engagement in order to improve not only attitudes but also mathematical performance among students throughout their schooling. besides, it is highly recommended that the maximum effort should be given to improve the students‟ attitude towards mathematics by organizing forums such as seminars and workshops where teachers and other education stakeholders can support, motivate and cultivate positive attitudes among their students. references aiken, p. (2016). “learning environments in mathematics classrooms and their associations with students’ attitudes and learning,” in proceedings of the australian association for research in education conference, adelaide, australia. amadi, s. n (2004). obstacles to effective teaching and learning of mathematics in secondary schools. a seminar paper presented to the faculty of education in conjunction with school of post-graduated studies, ebonyi state university (ebsu) abakaliki. bolaji, c. (2000) a study of factor influencing students, attitudes towards mathematics in the junior secondary school: tambani, kano journal of education, 1(4) eze, a. e. (2004). quality of science, technology and mathematics education for useful citizenship in nigeria. journal of schools of science, federal college of education eha-amufu, enugu state flanders m. and altındağ, r. (2009). examining elementary school students‟ attitudes towards mathematics in terms of some variables, procedia, 1(1), 291–295. freise, y. (2010). secondary students’ attitudes toward mathematics. academic exchange quarterly, 8(2), 56–60. fraser, b. and kahle, p.(2007).classroom, home and peer environment influences on student outcomes in science and mathematics: an analysis of systemic reform data. international journal of science education, 29(15), 1891–1909. ghaith, g. (2003). the relationship between forms of instruction, achievement and perceptions of classroom climate. educational research, 45(1), 83–93. hannula, m. s. (2002) attitude towards mathematics: emotions, expectations and values. educational studies in mathematics, 49(1), 25–46. neale, r. (2019). prior achievement, effort, and mathematics attitude as predictors of current achievement, australian educational researcher, 37(2), 41–58, 2010. neco. (2006) results analysis in secondary schools in nigeria, neco ohuche, r. o. (1988). learning and teaching senior secondary school mathematics in anambra state. paper presented at nsukka workshop on mathematics. sharma, p. (2012). secondary students’ attitudes towards mathematics. ife psychologia, 20(1), 121–133, 2012. yamane, t. (1973). statistics: an introductory analysis. 3rd edition, harper and row, new york. zan, r. & martino, p. (2008). attitude toward mathematics: overcoming the positive/negative dichotomy. in beliefs and mathematics, b. sriraman, ed., the montana mathematics enthusiast: monograph series in mathematics education, pp. 197–214, age publishing & the montana council of teachers of mathematics, charlotte, nc, usa. pa ge 1 pa ge 72 american journal of education and technology (ajet) bridging the digital divide: unveiling the usage level of digital educational tools among teachers and students of target region (a case study of gilgitbaltistan, pakistan) cheng-wen lee1, ehsan ullah2* volume 3 issue 4, year 2024 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v3i4.3822 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: september 17, 2024 accepted: october 22, 2024 published: november 23, 2024 the purpose of this assessment is to identify gaps in access and availability of digital tools, as well as to evaluate their effectiveness in improving learning outcomes. a total of 300 students and 100 teachers were randomly selected from different government, private, and ngo higher secondary schools in gb. a questionnaire was created using the likert scale and given to both teachers and students. afterward, a statistical analysis was conducted. an effort was made to determine the variations in teachers’ gender using the t-test, and to analyze the differences in school types for students using one-way anova. revealing the average mean usage of digital educational tools by both teachers and students is (3.163272, 3.163272). the analysis indicates that both teachers and students have moderate usage level of digital educational tools. additionally, both teachers and students lack advancedlevel skills in using digital tools for teaching and learning, furthermore the usage level of educational digital tools in private schools is moderate, while in government schools it is low, and in ngo-based schools, it is again at a moderate level skills in learning. the usage level of digital educational tools in schools has significant implications for academic outcomes, teacher quality, and resource allocation. integrating digital tools effectively can improve learning outcomes, increase accessibility, and personalize instruction. keywords educational tools, gilgit baltistan, higher secondary 1 department of international business, college of business, chung yuan christian university, taoyuan city, taiwan 2 program in business, college of business, chung yuan christian university, taoyuan city, taiwan * corresponding author’s e-mail: hunzai67@yahoo.com introduction the technological innovation has been very rapid during the last few decades. the 19th century was characterized by the industrial revolution, which intensified the human productive power, the 20th century introduced the machine and the birth of computer technology transformed the patterns of human life. now, information is in access of a common man due to computer and internet technologies. ict refers to the technological tools and resources that are used to manage, store, process or share information. it has revolutionized the whole world and the education sector has not been unaffected by its influence. ict has gifted it with unique and modern tools, which has in turn, upgraded the whole education sector. educational institutions must move along with these technology driven changes in order to equip their learners with modern tools to survive in an “information saturated environment”. it has the ability to improve education quality, expand learning opportunities and make education accessible. as the success of an individual has become dependent upon his digital educational tools skills, we can say that the progress of a whole nation has become directly proportional to the usage level of digital educational tools. canevez (2021) believes that, in a very short time, ict has become one of the basic building blocks of modern society. now, many countries regard the ict understanding and utilization as a part of their core education. this research would attempt to highlight the usage level educational digital tools by teachers and students in their learning process. this research is important as this is going to be the first research about the usage level of educational tools in higher secondary schools of gilgit baltistan in order to improve the integration of ict tools in learning process. this research is unique in that it provides statistics on the basis of subject and gender. this research would be helpful for the future researchers of this field. although most of the schools claim to have provided the students with educational digital tools, yet it is unknown how much resource and facilities are utilized in schools and how much do they assist the school management to provide their students with ict based learning. hence, it is important to analyze the utilization level of icts among teachers and students to facilitate innovation in education. this study may help the people of gilgit baltistan by opening a way towards the ict based teaching which would in turn be a move towards a new era of technology. a gap always exists between the rural and urban societies. gilgit baltistan is still, a remote area where the adoption and utilization of ict is not yet common. many researches have already been done to explore the utilization of ict in different places but none of them is applicable to be implemented in gilgit baltistan. research questions what are the teachers and students’ usage levels of educational digital tools in their classroom? are there any variances in teachers’ level of educational digital tools usage on different school type basis? pa ge 73 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 72-77, 2024 are there any variances in students’ level of educational digital tools on the basis of subjects and school type? literature review due to globalization, the need of ict has intensified. 21st century is the era of information and the use of ict has become a must, to adapt with the environment. all the human endeavors have been reformed. as the world has shrunk, the flow of information has become easy due to which the education sector has revolutionized. alabdullah and hassan (2023) states that, “the 21st century jobs will require information processing skills.” so, the significance of ict utilization can’t be denied. this is because ict can help students to develop their skills, boost up their motivation and widen their knowledge and information (lo, 2024). haddad (2002) throws light upon the effectiveness of ict in education. according to him, ict escalates the learner motivation by simplifying the attainment of fundamental skills and by improving teacher training. saud (2023) also asserts that the “use of icts in education yields far better results as compared to conventional methods of teaching-learning.” so, the reliability of ict and its far reaching effects are beyond doubt. to improve the standard of education, interaction should be ensured between the teacher and the student. ict acts as a bridge to connect the various components of education sector hence, providing better chances of learning. according to pozas and letzel (2023), ict provides better opportunities for the academic and nonacademic staff to communicate with one another more efficiently to enhance the learning process. ibrahim et al. (2018) also agree with haddad and give reference to (rana & rana, 2020) in their research to state that the utilization of ict in education improves “the quality of teaching and learning, the research productivity of teachers and students, and the management and effectiveness of institutions”. in developing countries, the utilization of icts is not satisfactory as they have to face various challenges. as they don’t have access to the modern gadgets, they don’t have enough utilization of ict tools due to which their chances of development get even lower. so, a better utilization of ict must be ensured to cope with the modern challenges. the teachers should be well trained to handle the use of icts. to improve the quality of education and “the management and effectiveness of institutions,” ict usage in education needs to be ensured (qaddumi et al., 2021). research conducted by the ministry of education in malaysia says that the use of ict in all institutions is necessary to increase income and, hence, the development of malaysia. so, it can be said that the whole economy of a country is in direct relation with the use of ict. the utilization of ict needs to be extended further to promote the educational advancements to bring developments on huge levels. lawrence and tar (2018) conducted a research in malaysia to find out the extent of utilization of ict in the higher secondary schools. they recorded a lower use of graphical visualizing tools. a huge majority of the teachers agreed that the utilization of ict would improve their learning environment. so, they suggested that, “school administrators should initiate industryteachers partnerships to deliver ict training programs that are appropriate to teachers’ needs.” another research in (dwiono et al., 2018) found that “email was yet to be recognized as a tool for collaboration among students and teachers.” so, the utilization of ict also includes the online resources. lubis et al. (2018) suggests that the teacher educators should try to provide the pre service teachers with the chances to learn how to design “learning environments that integrate technology” to enhance the learning process. likewise, clifford believes that teacher education should focus the attention of teachers on the better utilization of digital technologies for learning, to improve the learning process and “to bring those technologies into classrooms in increasingly meaningful, effective, innovative and just ways”. teachers have to face challenges while using ict as they are used to the conventional methods. the utilization of ict can be successful only when the teachers are motivated to do so. mailizar (2018) tried to measure the teacher’ readiness for use of ict in benin, mali and ghana to find out how much the teachers are involved in the process of using and integrating ict in education. similar researches should be conducted in other regions to highlight the extent of need of ict utilization. unesco (2002) stated that teacher education institutions are facing a challenge of training a new generation of teachers to use the new ict tools effectively. (alt, 2018)stressed upon the “need of trained ict workforce”. they have made a reference towards (mahdum et al., 2019), who has highlighted “a widening digital divide” among people. he believes that the economic and social position of people, their groups and the whole countries can be influenced by the level of effective utilization of icts. norris in 2001 had perceived ict literacy as a factor to divide the people between those who are “educated in informatics” and those who can’t use ict based tools. researches and strategies have been designed to improve the utilization of ict to enhance the education and hence the other sectors like “human resources and training, policy environment, financing and ict investment, curriculum development.” now, there is a need to implement these policies. utilization of ict requires the instructors to be a bit tactical to make effective use of it. learning can be enhanced if teachers generate engaging activities for the learners, using ict resources. innovative use of these resources would help the students in acquiring the required skills. materials and methods the research questionnaire explored the usage level of educational digital tools by asking questions regarding the use of “microsoft word, power point, excel internet and using modern applications, service for collaborative/ pa ge 74 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 72-77, 2024 individual learning” were used in this study. total of 16 items of five sections were used, each section detail is given below. the value of cronbach’s alpha was at least .6 therefore questioners were reliable. table 1: an overview of the questionnaire instrument's sections sections dimensions no of items scale reliability values teachers usage level of educational tools/ packages 14 ((nca) = 1, somewhat confident (swc) =2, not sure (ns) =3, confident(c) =4, very confident (vc) =5 .803 students usage level of educational tools/ packages 14 ((nca) = 1, somewhat confident (swc) =2, not sure (ns) =3, confident(c) =4, very confident (vc) =5 .835 a targeted region was gilgit baltistan pakistan the targeted sample for this research was, the teachers and students in higher secondary schools in gilgit baltistan. we chose specific institutions with ict facilities using purposive sampling. we randomly selected 20 students and 10 core subject teachers from the pre-selected institutions. random stratified sampling techniques were used for the students, and cluster sampling techniques were used for the teacher. a questionnaire was designed for both students and teachers the data collection, exploration, and analysis were performed using spps 16.0. results table 2: usage level of educational digital packages/tools among students items mean standard deviation level write text, text color 4.0918 1.05817 high cut, copy past, font size, font style 4.3469 0.94573 high insert table, insert page number etc 3.949 1.16242 high save ,save as, open, delete and locate existing files in a drive 4.3316 1.01639 high creating a new slide, text, picture, sound etc. 3.6633 1.31222 high insert digital photograph 3.4082 1.34612 moderate slide animation etc. 3.5306 1.36027 high easily find web site by research 2.0153 1.25872 low download any kind of material and software 2.9082 1.31724 moderate search required resources for my assignments 1.9592 1.27234 low send an email, attach documents in email 3.4388 1.38909 moderate video tutorials 2.9031 1.52443 moderate video conferencing app 2.6684 1.34249 moderate educational games 2.8929 1.36767 moderate simulators 2.2755 1.08869 moderate blog chatting ,wikiis, facebook, twitter 3.3112 1.39966 high listening audiovisual cassettes 2.4949 1.3756 moderate open resources for learning 2.75 1.35259 moderate mean of mean/sd 3.16327 0.9876 moderate mean scale: 4.5> high level 3.51-4.50=high 2.51-3.50=moderate 1.51-2.50= low 1.00-1.50=very low an analysis of the data collected regarding the educational digital tools usage level among students reveals that most of the learners are well acquainted with the fundamental uses of digital tools. however, it can also be extracted from the facts that the usage level of video tutoring, video conference app, educational games and simulator is moderate among them. the basic tools, e.g: write text, text color mean and standard deviation: (4.0918,1.05817), cut, copy past, font size, font style mean (4.3469), standard deviation (0.94573) save, save as, open, delete and locate existing files in any drive (3.949), standard deviation (1.16242), creating a new slide, text, picture, sound, etc. mean (4.3316), standard deviation (1.01639) slide animation, etc. means (3.5306) and standard deviation (1.36027), which indicates high-level usage level while advancing tools e.g: send an email, attaching documents in email mean and standard deviation (3.4388, 1.38909), video pa ge 75 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 72-77, 2024 tutorials (2.9031, 1.52443), videoconferencing app (2.6684,1.34249), educational tools (2.892, 1.36767) and simulator, etc. (2.2755, 1.08869) which indicates advance tools have moderate level usage among students the overall result shows that the average mean of usage level is (3.163272) and the standard deviation is (0.9876). table 3: usage level of educational technology packages/tools among teachers in teaching process educational technology tools/packages mean standard deviation level write text, text color 4.3117 1.12694 high cut, copy past, font size, font style 4.5195 0.92637 high save ,save as, open, existing files in any drive 4.5974 0.86237 high a new slide, text, picture, sound 4.1429 1.27439 high insert digital photograph 4.1039 1.32372 high slide animation etc. 4.1818 1.23253 high easily find the website by researching 4.4675 0.94011 high download any kind of material and software 4.5325 0.80434 high send an email, attached documents in email 4.5065 0.92656 high video tutorials 2.1299 1.28094 low video conferencing app 1.8571 1.37376 very low educational games 3.7403 1.39927 moderate grading software 2.4675 0.91168 low blog chatting ,wikiis, facebook, twitter 4 1.29777 high listening audiovisual cassettes 2.2597 0.97876 low open resources for learning 4.2597 1.10504 high mean scale: 4.5> high level 3.51-4.50=high 2.51-3.50=moderate 1.51-2.50= low 1.00-1.50=very low an analysis of the data collected regarding the digital educational tools usage level among teachers reveals that most of the learners are well acquainted with the fundamental uses of digital tools. however, it can also be extracted from the facts that the usage level of video tutoring, video conference app, educational games and simulator is moderate among them. the basic tools e.g: write text, text color mean and standard deviation: (4.3117,1.12694), cut, copy past, font size, font style mean (4.5195), standard deviation (0.92637) save, save as, open, delete and locate existing files in any drive (4.5974), standard deviation (0.86237), creating a new slide, text, picture, sound, etc mean (4.1429), standard deviation (1.32372) slide animation, etc. means (4.1818) and standard deviation (1.23253), which indicates high-level usage level while advancing tools e.g: send an email, attach documents in email mean and standard deviation (3.4388, 1.38909), video tutorials (2.9031, 1.52443), videoconferencing app (2.6684, 1.34249), educational tools (2.892, 1.36767) and simulator, etc (2.2755, 1.08869) which indicates advance tools have moderate level usage among teachers also, the overall result shows that the average mean of usage level is (3.163272) and the standard deviation is (0.9876). table 4: usage level of digital educational packages/tools among students by school type sector n mean std. deviation std. error digital_tools_usage_mean private 125 3.2805 .93913 .12331 government 100 2.8453 .45508 .13721 ngo based 75 3.6590 .35630 .12597 total 300 3.2616 .87269 .09945 table 4 shows the main variances among usage levels of educational digital packages/tools. here, we applied a one-way anova test. the results were displayed against each school. we also attempted to find differences and similarities by using the compare-mean method. the average mean of private schools is 3.28051, which showed much higher results than the private and government sector results shown in the table. so, the ngo-based colleges seemed to be more advanced than the private and government sectors. the average mean of private schools is 3.28051 which indicates the usage level of educational digital tools has moderate usage level in their learning, while the average mean of government schools is 2.845333 which indicates the usage level is low and the average usage level of ngo-based schools is 3.6590 indicates again moderate level usage level in digital technology. pa ge 76 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 72-77, 2024 significance of the test is also determined. if results are less than .05 values then we consider the test significant. the result p value = 0.004 (less than 0.05 and therefore significant). table 5: sum of squares df mean square f sig. digital tools_usage_level between groups 7.662 5 1.532 2.167 .004 within groups 50.219 71 .707 total 57.881 76 table 6: usage level of digital educational packages/tools among teachers by gender gender of teacher n mean std. deviation std. error mean digital_tools_mean male 43 3.1352 1.03725 .15818 female 34 2.4062 .58514 .10035 table 7: average mean value of both male and female levene’s test for equality of variances ttest for equality mean f sig t df sig. (2-tailed) mean difference std. error difference ict_usage_ mean equal variances assumed 4.280 .071 -1.235 75 .221 -.20254 .16402 equal variances not assumed -1.237 74.956 .207 -.20254 .15199 tabe 6 shows the average mean value of both male and female the average mean value of male is 3.1352 which indicate the average level of digital educational usage level among male teachers, while the average mean of female is 2.4062 which indicate low level of digital educational tools usage among students during teaching and learning process. a t-test is significant if the results show the values greater than .05. in our case the p-value is greater than p> .05 thus the test is significant. conclusion ict has become the trend of the 21st century. it spread like a bush on fire and left a special imprint on the education sector by introducing new tools and technologies, which has made its use indispensable. the education sector is trying to improve its utilization of ict to ensure a better educational environment. the utilization of ict in education is still in the early stages of its development in gilgit baltistan. most of the teachers either lack the resources or are unable to find effective ways to use ict inside the classrooms as they are deprived of proper training and skills. so, they are not confident about ict use. the level of the educator’s exposure to ict resources is minimal. ict utilization requires special attention to improve the region’s educational development. in order to fit into the new technology-driven era, the schools of gilgit baltistan, as a matter of necessity, must develop a culture that places a high premium on ict utilization. recommendations the study reveals the extent of utilization of digital educational tools in the higher secondary schools of gilgit baltistan. the higher secondary schools of gilgit baltistan can improve the educational outcomes by adopting the following recommendations about the utilization of digital educational tools in the region: ➢ tutors should help the teachers in handling the ict equipment’s to enhance its utilization in the region to provide them with better opportunities of learning digital educational tools skills. ➢ the use of common digital educational devices should be ensured by the authorities. these devices include computers, projectors, tablets, tablets and other online devices. ➢ a professional certificate of digital educational tools skills should be made compulsory in the educational institutions to promote the utilization of digital educational tools in the region. ➢ authorities should try to fulfill the digital educational tools requirements so that the users should not state financial crisis as a barrier in this regard. ➢ the curriculum should be designed in a way to ensure the maximum use of digital educational tools. policy and planning. ➢ the government should try to make policies for the successful utilization of digital educational tools in the educational institutions. ➢ online resources should also be recognized as important tools of ict and the educational institutions should also be facilitated with the internet facility. also, pa ge 77 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(4) 72-77, 2024 the use of simulators, gaming software and online learning tools should be ensured. references al-abdullah, a., & hassan, l. (2023). factors determining the success and failure of edtech initiatives in rural academic institutions. ai, iot and the fourth industrial revolution review, 13(7), 47-60. alt, d. (2018). science teachers’ conceptions of teaching and learning, ict efficacy, ict professional development, and ict practices enacted in their classrooms. teaching and teacher education, 73, 141-150. canevez, r. (2021). ict and stem education at the colonial border: a postcolonial computing perspective of indigenous cultural integration in ict and stem outreach in british columbia. dwiono, r., rochsantiningsih, d., & suparno, s. (2018). investigating the integration level of information and communication technology (ict) in the english language teaching. international journal of language teaching and education, 2(3), 259-274. ibrahim, a. m., hassan, m. s. h., gujbawu, m., & khoshrouzadeh, j. (2018). influence of ict adoption on tertiary education: investigating ict usage in e-learning contexts among nigerian students. journal of educational practice, 9(16), 21-34. lawrence, j. e., & tar, u. a. (2018). factors that influence teachers’ adoption and integration of ict in teaching/ learning process. educational media international, 55(1), 79-105. lo, n. p.-k. (2024). the confluence of digital literacy and eco-consciousness: harmonizing digital skills with sustainable practices in education. platforms, 2(1), 15-32. lubis, a. h., syed idrus, s. z., & sarji, a. (2018). ict usage amongst lecturers and its impact towards learning process quality. jurnal komunikasi malaysian journal of communication, 34(1), 284-299. mahdum, m., hadriana, h., & safriyanti, m. (2019). exploring teacher perceptions and motivations to ict use in learning activities in indonesia. journal of information technology education: research, 18. mailizar, m. (2018). investigating indonesian teachers’ knowledge and use of ict in mathematics teaching (doctoral dissertation, university of southampton). pozas, m., & letzel, v. (2023). “do you think you have what it takes?”–exploring predictors of pre-service teachers’ prospective ict use. technology, knowledge and learning, 28(2), 823-841. qaddumi, h., bartram, b., & qashmar, a. l. (2021). evaluating the impact of ict on teaching and learning: a study of palestinian students’ and teachers’ perceptions. education and information technologies, 26(2), 1865-1876. rana, k., & rana, k. (2020). ict integration in teaching and learning activities in higher education: a case study of nepal’s teacher education. malaysian online journal of educational technology, 8(1), 36-47. saud, d. s. (2023). teachers’ experiences of using information communication technology in english language education: a phenomenological study (doctoral dissertation, kathmandu university). pa ge 1 pa ge 28 american journal of education and technology (ajet) understanding teacher experiences amidst principal reshuffling: a phenomenological inquiry kirk john ponce tonido1*, tiffanie limapajan arana3, florannie lapara cenabre2, jose marie e. ocdenaria4 volume 3 issue 3, year 2024 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v3i3.3215 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: june 07, 2024 accepted: july 13, 2024 published: july 17, 2024 this phenomenological study explores the experiences of filipino teachers dealing with frequent changes in school principals within the department of education (deped) system. the research aims to understand the impact of these leadership transitions on teachers’ professional experiences and classroom dynamics, the strategies they employ to overcome associated challenges, and the insights they can share with their peers. the study gathered in-depth qualitative data from teachers across various educational levels and subjects using semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions. the findings reveal that frequent principal turnover leads to instability, disrupts academic performance, affects staff morale, and complicates the implementation of long-term initiatives. teachers employ strategies such as maintaining continuity and stability, establishing clear communication channels, and fostering robust support systems to navigate these challenges. the study underscores the importance of adaptability, building strong relationships, effective communication, and ongoing professional development. the results highlight the need for educational policymakers to prioritize stability in leadership and provide support systems that help teachers adapt to changes, ensuring a conducive learning environment for students and a supportive atmosphere for educators. this research contributes to the broader understanding of the ecological impacts of leadership turnover and offers practical recommendations for enhancing teacher well-being and school performance amidst frequent administrative changes. keywords adaptability, leadership transitions, principal reshuffling, professional experiences 1 davao de oro state college, main campus, philippines 2 la filipina national high school, philippines 3 university of the immaculate conception, philippines 4 ateneo de davao university, philippines * corresponding author’s e-mail: kirkjohn.tonido@ddosc.edu.ph introduction global changes are occurring in the field of educational leadership, with a move toward distributed leadership models that empower educators and promote teamwork (leithwood & sachs, 2019). there is a clear emphasis on teacher leadership in nations like england, where the national professional qualification for leadership (npql) framework fosters leadership development at all staff levels (grint, 2020). comparably, programs such as leading learning communities (llcs) in canada promote teacher participation in creating school development strategies (fullan & langworthy, 2014). given that research continuously shows the beneficial effects of effective leadership practices on teacher morale, motivation, and eventually student achievement, this emphasis on distributed leadership is essential (robinson et al., 2020). however, this emphasis on stability and continuity is challenged in contexts like the philippines, where frequent principal reshuffling within the department of education (deped) school assignment system disrupts this crucial dynamic. this reliance on continuity and stability is called into question, though, in situations such as the philippines, where the deped’s system of school assignment frequently experiences principal turnover, upsetting this vital dynamic. teachers always have to adapt to new demands and leadership styles, which causes this disruption. effective leadership promotes stability and a sense of trust among the school community, as leithwood et al. (2019) point out. this stability is upset by frequent principal turnover, which puts more pressure on educators to quickly adjust to new leadership philosophies (hallinger & leithwood, 2019). similar difficulties have been reported by studies conducted in other nations, such as malaysia (hamid et al., 2021) and india (begley et al., 2020). these studies demonstrate how frequent changes in leadership breed uncertainty, impede teamwork, and lower teacher morale. notably, robinson et al. (2020) contend that these disruptions exacerbate already-existing educational disparities by disproportionately affecting instructors in underprivileged schools. studies conducted in the philippines confirm issues noted worldwide. according to duano’s (2019) research, teacher morale and collegiality are significantly impacted by principal turnover in schools. similarly, castillo (2020) draws attention to the difficulties instructors encounter when acclimating to new leadership philosophies, especially in situations where there is a dearth of openness or communication about the process. these studies show that frequent principal reassignments result in a deterioration in professional collaboration and teacher trust. furthermore, imantsing (2019) in thailand investigates the difficulties in putting policies pertaining to principal mobility into practice, emphasizing the necessity for more calculated methods of leadership reorganization pa ge 29 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 28-35, 2024 that put an emphasis on teacher welfare and school improvement. this study seeks to address these challenges by investigating the lived experiences of teachers who have frequently experienced leadership changes as a result of the deped school assignment system. using a phenomenological approach, the research will explore the emotional, social, and professional impacts on teachers navigating various leadership contexts. by filling this gap, the study aims to contribute to the understanding of how leadership turnover affects educators in the philippines and to inform policy measures that promote stability and enhance teacher well-being in educational settings. thus, this research specifically aimed to address the following research questions: research questions 1. how do teachers describe their experiences of having frequent changes in school principals on their professional experiences and classroom dynamics? 2. what are the strategies of teachers in overcoming the challenges of having frequent changes of principals in their school? 3. what insights they can share to other teachers who also experience frequent changes of principals in their school? literature review the impact of principal turnover on teacher morale and professional experiences the literature on educational leadership consistently emphasizes the importance of stability and effective leadership in fostering positive school environments. leithwood and sachs (2019) highlight that distributed leadership models, which promote shared responsibilities and teamwork among educators, contribute to improved teacher morale and student outcomes. similarly, the national professional qualification for leadership (npql) framework in england and leading learning communities (llcs) in canada illustrate the global shift toward empowering educators through leadership development at all staff levels (grint, 2020; fullan & langworthy, 2014). these frameworks emphasize that stability and continuity in leadership are critical for maintaining teacher motivation and achieving educational success. however, the situation in the philippines presents a contrasting scenario. the frequent reshuffling of principals within the department of education (deped) school assignment system disrupts the stability essential for fostering effective teaching and learning environments. hallinger and leithwood (2019) discuss how constant leadership changes can lead to confusion and a lack of trust among teachers, negatively impacting their professional experiences and classroom dynamics. this disruption is not unique to the philippines; similar challenges are reported in malaysia (hamid et al., 2021) and india (begley et al., 2020), where frequent principal turnover impedes teamwork and lowers teacher morale. research conducted in the philippines confirms these global findings. duano (2019) reveals that principal turnover significantly affects teacher morale and collegiality, while castillo (2020) highlights the difficulties teachers face in adapting to new leadership styles, especially when there is a lack of transparency in the transition process. these studies underscore the detrimental effects of frequent principal reassignments on professional collaboration and teacher trust. additionally, imantsing (2019) in thailand emphasizes the need for more calculated approaches to leadership reorganization that prioritize teacher welfare and school improvement. strategies for managing leadership transitions teachers employ various strategies to navigate the challenges posed by frequent leadership changes. maintaining continuity and stability, establishing clear communication channels, and fostering robust support systems are critical for mitigating the negative impacts of principal turnover. leithwood et al. (2019) suggest that effective communication and strong relationships within the school community are essential for adapting to new leadership contexts. teachers in the study highlighted the importance of adaptability and resilience. they prioritize supporting transitions, maintaining positive relationships, and ensuring open communication. these strategies are vital for managing the disruptions caused by frequent principal changes. clear communication through regular meetings, group chats, and personal messages helps in documenting key information and ensuring smooth transitions (hargreaves & o’connor, 2018; day & gu, 2019). insights for other teachers experiencing frequent principal changes the participants of this study emphasize the importance of adaptability, building strong relationships, effective communication, and ongoing professional development. establishing productive working relationships with new principals, prioritizing student learning, and participating in professional development opportunities are crucial for managing the challenges associated with frequent leadership changes. these insights provide practical approaches for other teachers to navigate transitions effectively and maintain a positive impact on their school community (bryk & schneider, 2020; desimone & garet, 2019). implications for educational practice the findings of this study have significant implications for educational practice, particularly in managing frequent principal turnovers in schools. educational policymakers and administrators should prioritize maintaining stability and continuity in leadership. implementing policies that minimize frequent principal turnovers and ensuring smoother transitions when changes are inevitable are crucial for maintaining a conducive learning environment (leithwood, harris, & hopkins, 2020). providing robust support systems for teachers, including professional development opportunities and access to support pa ge 30 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 28-35, 2024 networks, is essential for helping teachers adapt to new leadership styles and maintain their focus on educational goals despite disruptions (day & gu, 2019). clear and consistent communication strategies should be established, utilizing regular meetings and digital platforms to keep all stakeholders informed and engaged during leadership transitions (hargreaves & o’connor, 2018). fostering a collaborative school culture that emphasizes mutual support and respect among colleagues can help maintain morale and improve teacher resilience (bryk & schneider, 2020). by addressing these aspects, school systems can better support teachers, enhance the continuity of educational initiatives, and ultimately improve the overall well-being and performance of the school community. materials and methods research design this study uses a qualitative phenomenological approach to better understand the lived experiences of teachers who frequently experience leadership changes (creswell & poth, 2018). this approach places a high priority on examining participants’ subjective experiences and how they understand and manage their surroundings (creswell & poth, 2018). the main method of data gathering in this case will be semi-structured interviews (merriam & tisdell, 2016). a predetermined list of open-ended questions will serve as a guide for these interviews, but there will also be room for flexibility to delve more into the particular experiences of the teachers (merriam & tisdell, 2016). this research design enhances the understanding of teachers’ experiences with frequent leadership transitions in the philippines. research site and participants the study will be conducted among filipino teachers currently employed in public schools under the supervision of the department of education (deped) system. to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the effects of frequent leadership changes, participants must meet specific inclusion criteria. teachers must have a minimum of two full school cycles (approximately four years) of experience under at least two different principals to ensure they have been exposed to a variety of leadership styles. additionally, participants must be willing to engage in comprehensive audio-recorded interviews. individuals who do not meet these experience or location criteria or those unwilling or unable to participate fully will be excluded from the study. purposeful sampling will be employed to ensure a diverse range of experiences is represented in the study. this approach will include selecting educators from various educational levels, including primary, middle, and high school, as well as from a range of subjects such as language arts, science, and mathematics. the sampling will also consider schools with different leadership environments to capture the broad spectrum of leadership experiences. these environments include schools with consistent leadership, characterized by minimal principal turnover in recent years, and schools with constantly shifting leadership, evidenced by four principal reassignments in the last four years. this method ensures that the study captures a wide array of experiences, providing a robust basis for understanding the impact of leadership changes on teachers. data collection the primary method of data collection will be semistructured interviews. these interviews will be guided by a predetermined list of open-ended questions, allowing for flexibility to explore the specific experiences of each teacher. focus group discussions (fgds) will also be employed to gather in-depth qualitative data from teachers across various educational levels and subjects. both individual interviews and fgds will be audiorecorded with the participants’ consent to ensure accurate capture of their experiences and perspectives. data analysis the principal technique for examining the gathered interview material will be thematic analysis (braun & clarke, 2006). this method entails reading the teachers’ narratives for recurrent themes, patterns, and noteworthy discoveries (braun & clarke, 2006). the research aims to provide insights into the complex interactions between teaching experiences, leadership styles, and the school environment by examining these themes. member verification will be utilized to bolster the validity and reliability of the study outcomes (creswell & poth, 2018). this technique involves sharing important interpretations and emergent themes with the participants to ensure their perspectives are accurately represented (creswell & poth, 2018). through this iterative approach, the research endeavors to furnish a legitimate and dependable portrayal of the experienced realities of educators navigating through diverse leadership environments. trustworthiness of the study to establish the credibility of the research, criteria proposed by lincoln and guba (1985) will be followed for credibility, confirmability, dependability, and transferability. these criteria parallel the quantitative evaluation of reliability and validity. credibility ensured through iterative questioning and member checking to confirm that the findings accurately represent the participants’ experiences. transferability enhanced by providing detailed descriptions of participant selection criteria and methodologies. dependability achieved by maintaining an audit trail, including raw data, field notes, transcripts, and a reflective journal to document the research process. pa ge 31 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 28-35, 2024 confirmability ensured by integrating field notes and raw data from interviews, focusing on research questions rather than preconceived notions. by maintaining these standards, the study aims to provide a comprehensive and accurate representation of the experiences of filipino teachers dealing with frequent changes in school principals. results and discussion this chapter presents the findings of the study. this section examines the detailed narrative of experiences uprooted from the interview questions leading the study. the results are presented in themes and core ideas and in the order of the research questions. further, the presentation of data is supported by transcripts obtained from the indepth interview and focus group discussion. the data are table 1: profile of participants no. code sex position year in service study group 1 idi01 female head teacher-iii 7 idi 2 idi2 female teacher-ii 10 idi 3 idi03 female teacher-ii 10 idi 4 idi04 male teacher-ii 10 idi 5 idi05 female master teacher-ii 17 idi 6 idi06 male master teacher-i 12 idi 7 idi07 female master teacher-i 26 idi 8 idi08 female master teacher-i 17 idi 9 fgd01 male master teacher-iii 3 fgd 10 fgd02 male teacher i 15 fgd 11 fgd03 female teacher i 10 fgd 12 fgd04 male teacher i 17 fgd 13 fgd05 male master teacher-ii 10 fgd 14 fgd06 female master teacher-i 12 fgd 15 fgd07 female head teacher-iii 7 fgd described, analyzed, and explicated in this section. teachers’ experiences of having frequent changes in school principals on their professional experiences and classroom dynamics shown in table 2 are the essential themes and core ideas extracted from the idi and fgd on the teachers experiences of having frequent changes in school principals on their professional experiences and classroom dynamics. the themes are discussed in the preceding pages. table 2: teachers experiences of having frequent changes in school principals on their professional experiences and classroom dynamics essential themes core ideas impact on stability and continuity frequent changes in principals lead to instability, disrupt academic performance, affect staff morale, and hinder community relations. inconsistency in policies and leadership styles causes confusion among teachers and affects teaching effectiveness challenges and disruptions teachers face challenges such as adjustment to new leadership, transfer to different teaching levels, and changes in school policies and projects. this leads to loss of subject mastery and causes chaos and misunderstandings implementation of long-term initiatives frequent changes affect long-term initiatives and educational reforms, causing shifts in direction and focus. new principals bring their unique vision and leadership styles, which can lead to changes in ongoing projects impact on stability and continuity frequent changes in school principals lead to significant instability within the school environment, disrupting both academic performance and the morale of the staff. this instability affects not only the teachers but also the students and the wider school community. the inconsistency in policies and leadership styles causes confusion among teachers, which in turn affects their teaching effectiveness pa ge 32 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 28-35, 2024 and the overall educational environment. affects instructional leadership. some programs will be left behind. (fgd01) it is rare, if not impossible, for principals and students to build positive ties, leading to a lack of consistent leadership direction and affecting attitudes and convictions related to teaching and learning. (idi02) it is rare if not impossible for principals and students to build positive ties. (fgd07) frequent changes in school principal can lead to a lack of consistency leadership direction. (idi08) frequent changes in school principals can disrupt the stability and continuity of the school environment affecting everything from academic performance to staff morale and community relations. (idi02) changes in school principals can disrupt the stability and continuity of the school environment affecting everything from academic performance to staff morale and community relations. (idi05) stability is never achieved since every leader has their own ways to implement. (idi07) frequent changes in school principals have a significant impact on both the performance of teachers and students. (idi02) challenges and disruptions teachers face a myriad of challenges and disruptions due to frequent changes in school leadership. adjusting to new leadership styles and approaches can be difficult, and this often involves changes in teaching assignments and school policies. such disruptions lead to a loss of subject mastery as teachers may need to move to different teaching levels or subjects, creating chaos and misunderstandings within the school environment. instructional style how the principal treats teachers. (fgd01) adjustment approach to the new leader or new leadership. (idi04) their leadership styles and priorities. (idi06) these initiatives may be hampered by frequent changes in leadership since new principals can have different goals or methods for fostering the professional development of teachers. (idi03) projects and program implementations that could have an impact on staff students and teachers could be hampered. (idi08) he ordered a reshuffling of teachers from one grade level to another which caused great chaos and misunderstanding to most of the teachers. (fgd06) the transfer of teachers to different teaching levels affects their teaching because they lose mastery of the subject matter or lesson. (idi03) implementation of long-term initiatives the frequent turnover of school principals has a detrimental effect on the implementation of long-term initiatives and educational reforms. each new principal often brings their own vision and leadership style, leading to shifts in direction and focus for the school. this results in changes to ongoing projects and reforms, as each principal strives to align the school’s initiatives with their personal beliefs and experiences. some programs will be left behind. (fgd05) they enhance teaching and learning in the schools they oversee by affecting attitudes convictions and environments related to teaching and learning. (idi04) they enhance teaching and learning in the schools they oversee by affecting attitudes convictions and environments related to teaching and learning. (idi01) most of the principal are knowledgeable in terms of the implementation of long term initiatives such as sip mooe sbm etc. (idi06) the priorities and objectives that a new principal has for the school may be different from those of their predecessors. (idi02) depending on the incoming principal’s views and leadership style long-term efforts and educational changes may be continued modified or altered within the school. (idi05) revisions always happens and change is a constant thing. (idi07) each new principal inevitably brings their unique vision priorities and leadership style to the school. each new principal inevitably brings their unique vision priorities and leadership style to the school.(idi04) the strategies of teachers in overcoming the challenges of having frequent changes of principals in their school shown in table 3are the essential themes and core ideas extracted from the idi and fgd on the strategies of teachers in overcoming the challenges of having frequent changes of principals in their school. the themes are discussed in the preceding pages. table 3: the strategies of teachers in overcoming the challenges of having frequent changes of principals in their school essential themes core ideas maintaining continuity and stability teachers prioritize continuity by supporting transitions, maintaining positive relationships, and ensuring open communication. they adapt to changes by being flexible and resilient communication strategies establishing clear communication channels, regular meetings, and using group chats or personal messages to keep everyone informed. documentation of key information and ongoing projects helps in smooth transitions pa ge 33 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 28-35, 2024 maintaining continuity and stability teachers employ various strategies to maintain continuity and stability within the school environment amidst frequent changes in principals. they prioritize supporting transitions, maintaining positive relationships, and ensuring open communication. adaptability and resilience are key traits that help them navigate these changes effectively constant support whoever the principal is. (fgd05) be flexible when accepting changes because ideals are always changing. (idi04) be flexible when accepting changes because ideals are always changing. (fgd07) always support the transition to incoming principal. continue building positive relationship among members of the school. (idi05) maintain open and transparent communication with all stakeholders teachers and other school personnel particularly during times of leadership transition. (idi03) preserving the continuity and stability of the educational environment is of the utmost importance to me as a member of this institution. (fgd05) obedience is the key and being responsible to whatever tasks is entrusted to me. (idi07) promoting a positive school culture involves fostering an environment where everyone feels respected valued and supported. (idi02) communication strategies establishing clear communication channels is crucial for managing transitions effectively. regular meetings, group chats, and personal messages are used to keep everyone informed. documentation of key information and ongoing projects also helps in ensuring smooth transitions and maintaining momentum. open communication. mt-iii-bio constant connection via messenger when the teacher fails to appear encouraging the teachers to work hard or engage in job-related activities. continuous recognition of educators’ accomplishments. (idi04) constant connection via messenger when the teacher fails to appear encouraging the teachers to work hard or engage in job-related activities. continuous recognition of educators’ accomplishments. (idi01) always established clear communication channels in disseminating information to teachers. attend meeting regularly. keep yourself updated any information in the group chat. (fgd06) throughout the transition process keep stakeholders informed at regular intervals about any significant decisions or developments the transition timeframe and the search for a new principal. (idi03) as a department head i make time to inform and acquaint the new principal about the ongoing projects and activities in my department. (idi05) every time a change is happening a memorandum is given. teachers involved are called for a meeting. group chats and personal message are also utilize. (fgd05) establishing regular transition meetings with key stakeholders. (fgd04) support systems teachers emphasize the importance of cooperation and support among colleagues, stakeholders, and the school community. providing clear and transparent communication about leadership changes and ensuring all parties are informed and involved is essential in mitigating the negative effects of frequent changes in school principals. monitoring by the division personnel such as the psds and eps and the faculty as a whole. (idi08) staying in close contact with your coworkers and keeping track of their movements. (fgd03) staying in close contact with your coworkers and keeping track of their movements. (idi01) maintain continuity in school policies and routine. if there are issues concern open communication is necessary to address the concern issues. (fgd06) establish mechanisms for routinely tracking progress and evaluating ongoing projects to determine their efficacy. (idi03) constant and open communication among parties involved. (fgd05) show a good example of an obedient personnel cooperate to whatever task to be done help in explaining the change happened especially to students and teachers under my supervision being their master teacher. (idi06) the school administration has organized regular updates and communication channels are established to keep incoming principals informed about the status of initiatives and provide them with the necessary background information to continue the work seamlessly. (idi04) insights teachers can share with other teachers who also experience frequent changes of principals in their school shown in table 4 are the essential themes and core ideas extracted from the idi and fgd on the insights teachers can share with other teachers who also experience frequent changes of principals in their school. the themes are discussed in the preceding pages. support systems encouraging cooperation and support among colleagues, stakeholders, and the school community. providing clear and transparent communication about leadership changes and ensuring all parties are informed and involved pa ge 34 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 28-35, 2024 adaptability and resilience teachers emphasize the importance of embracing adaptability and flexibility. staying focused on their primary role as educators and maintaining a positive impact on their school community is crucial despite the frequent changes in leadership. cooperation is important. teaching-learning process should not be affected whoever the principal is. (fgd01) just do your job responsibly. be an effective teacher always. (idi01) just do your job responsibly. be an effective teacher always. (idi01) always support the principal for the better of the school’s vision and mission. (idi07) embrace adaptability and flexibility: be prepared to adapt to changes in policies procedures and expectations that may accompany new leadership. (idi02) take note of the valuable input provided by the principals who might pass and address any concerns you may have with them. just go with flow as going against it could become exhausting and tiresome. (idi05) principals constantly change by time so let us just continue to be flexible with that fact and continue to be passionate with our work while maintaining harmonious working relationship with our peers. (idi06) stay adaptable and focused on their students. while changes in leadership can be disruptive remember that your primary role as an educator remains unchanged: to support and inspire your students. (idi04) building rapport and relationships establishing productive working relationships with new principals is vital. teachers should prioritize student learning and well-being amidst these changes and strive to understand and respect the leadership styles of new principals. give constant support have open communication for the welfare of the clients the learners. (fgd01) be resilient and open-minded. (fgd03) be resilient and open-minded. (fgd07) support the programs implemented by the new principal. show commitment to work better. (idi07) take the time to listen to the new principal’s priorities vision and goals for the school. (fgd05) i maintain respect and obedience in dealing with my leaders. (idi05) by actively promoting a positive school culture and facilitating effective communication with students and colleagues. (idi02) effective communication open and honest communication is essential during transitions. teachers should effectively communicate their needs, concerns, and insights to new principals to ensure a smooth transition and maintain a productive working environment. be supportive to new changes as long as it is for the good of everybody. (fgd01) do not hesitate to reach out for better outputs and relationship. (idi02) do not hesitate to reach out for better outputs and relationship. (idi01) talk the principal personally to address and solve concern issues. (idi06) early in the transition process take the initiative to let the new principal know about your needs worries and observations. (idi03) observe the correct protocol for communication. communicate needs concerns and insights at the right forum like meetings. (idi05) just be honest with whatever they feel and want to say have an open communication with them. (idi07) do not hesitate to reach out for better outputs and relationship. (idi04) professional development participation in professional development opportunities and support networks is crucial for managing the challenges associated with frequent changes in school leadership. these opportunities provide teachers with the skills and support needed to adapt to new leadership styles and policies effectively. practice professional learning community. (fgd07) yes because i felt being trust of my capabilities and skills. (idi05) table 4: insights teachers can share with other teachers who also experience frequent changes of principals in their school essential themes core ideas adaptability and resilience teachers should embrace adaptability and flexibility, stay focused on their primary role as educators, and maintain a positive impact on their school community despite leadership changes building rapport and relationships establishing productive working relationships with new principals through open communication, respect, and understanding their leadership styles. prioritizing student learning and well-being amidst changes effective communication teachers should communicate their needs, concerns, and insights effectively to new principals. open communication and honesty are crucial during transitions professional development participating in professional development opportunities and support networks helps teachers manage the challenges associated with frequent leadership changes pa ge 35 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 28-35, 2024 by taking part in plcs educators can work together with peers who have gone through similar struggles and experiences with changes in school leadership. (idi02) support among colleagues. (idi04) yes. through focus group discussion with the teachers under my supervision we can openly exchange thoughts and gain brilliant ideas from one another that can help us sustain our work under constant change of school leadership. (fgd06) conducting meetings and fostering open communication are essential strategies for effectively managing the challenges associated with frequent changes in school leadership. (idi2) conclusion this study reveals that frequent principal turnover in the philippine education system leads to significant instability, negatively affecting both academic performance and teacher morale. the inconsistency in leadership styles and policies disrupts continuity and creates confusion, making it difficult for teachers to maintain effective teaching practices. despite these challenges, teachers employ various strategies to cope, such as maintaining open communication, fostering positive relationships, and being adaptable. the findings highlight the importance of stable leadership for the overall well-being of the school community. the study’s limitations include its focus on a specific geographical context and the reliance on qualitative data, which may not be generalizable to other settings. nevertheless, the research underscores the need for educational policymakers to prioritize leadership stability and support systems that help teachers navigate transitions effectively. recommendations include implementing policies that minimize principal turnovers, enhancing communication channels, and providing professional development opportunities to support teachers. by addressing these areas, schools can create a more conducive learning environment for students and a supportive atmosphere for educators, ultimately leading to improved educational outcomes. references braun, v., & clarke, v. 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(2004). gender identity development and issues. child and adolescent psychiatric clinics of north america, 13(3), 551–568. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. chc.2004.02.006 pa ge 1 pa ge 63 american journal of education and technology (ajet) digital transformation in aviation education: a review of ict tools and techniques jonah o. gonzalo1* volume 3 issue 3, year 2024 issn: 2832-9481 (online) doi: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v3i3.2988 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet article information abstract received: july 15, 2024 accepted: august 20, 2024 published: august 23, 2024 aviation education is essential to the aviation industry because it ensures that professionals like pilots, air traffic controllers, maintenance specialists, cabin staff, and other aviation specialists acquire the skills, knowledge, and competences necessary to carry out their roles safely and effectively. in line with this, the increasing significance of technology in aviation education is evidenced by the varied contexts and applications discovered in the chosen studies. this digital revolution in aviation education has fundamentally transformed traditional training paradigms by adding state-of-the-art ict solutions to satisfy the industry’s continuously changing demands and obstacles. hence, this paper conducted a thorough analysis of academic works pertaining to the digital changes achieved in the field of aviation education via the use of ict tools and approaches and the factors influencing the adoption of ict in aviation education. results showed that the the common ict tools and techniques in aviation education encompass a diverse range, including tpack framework, virtual reality, specialized computer tools, big data, iot, cloud computing, web 2.0, modular and interdisciplinary study programs, simulator technology, immersive technologies like vr and ar, communication technology, ebt, and ai. concurrently, the adoption of ict in aviation education is influenced by factors like social influence, effort expectations, enabling circumstances, motivation, perceived usefulness and ease of use, perceived behavioral control, organization culture, individual traits, content quality, cooperation, institutional-level factors, technological aspects, logistical considerations, and instructor attitudes and abilities. keywords aviation education, ict tools and techniques, ict in aviation education, aviation industry 1 philippine state college of aeronautics, philippine * corresponding author’s e-mail: jonahonagonzalo@gmail.com introduction the aviation industry has recognized the need to enhance passenger convenience and security protocols while simultaneously optimizing on-time performance most cost-effectively. information and communication technologies (icts) have a particularly important role to play here because the ambitious agenda of passenger convenience and airport security becomes much more achievable only with the strategic, widespread, intensive, and innovative use of ict in future airport development policies and programs (wong, 2006). ates and durmaz (2022) explained that aviation is one of the top sectors for using cutting-edge technologies. the aerospace industry has succeeded in transitioning from a specialist sector to a global leader in the previous 40 years (arnaldo et al., 2019). however, multiple outbreaks have had an impact on the industry’s global development. one of the most fundamental ways to escape these situations is to have competent human resources and to receive training in modern technology abilities. aviation education is vital to the aviation industry because it guarantees that professionals such as pilots, air traffic controllers, maintenance specialists, cabin staff, and other aviation specialists acquire the skills, knowledge, and competencies needed to perform their roles safely and effectively (jentsch & curtis, 2017). correspondingly, dincer (2023) clarified the growing importance of technology in aviation education, as seen by the diverse settings and uses found in the selected research. by incorporating cutting-edge ict solutions to meet the industry’s constantly shifting expectations and obstacles, this digital revolution in aviation education has completely changed old training paradigms. with the use of cutting-edge simulators, virtual reality (vr), and augmented reality (ar) technology, students practice and hone their abilities in safe, highly realistic surroundings. for fussell and truong (2020), for many years, educators have integrated technology into aviation instruction. since the link trainers of the early 20th century, these devices have become more complex, leading to the creation of full flight simulators, aviation training devices, and other technology that are today utilized in flight training programs. the popularity of computerbased training shows that acceptance has also expanded when game makers changed the design of video games to include educational features. virtual, augmented, and mixed reality (vr, ar, and mr) are some of the more immersive simulation technologies that educators have recently developed for training reasons. while aviation training programs incorporate immersive technology like virtual reality, educators do not always consider the characteristics that motivate students to use these tools. through the provision of practical, experience learning opportunities, these tools improve the transfer and retention of skills. digital resources and e-learning platforms assist ongoing education and pa ge 64 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 63-70, 2024 career advancement by providing flexible, current, and accessible content. because of its flexibility and adaptability, training programs may be made to fit individual needs and learning styles, increasing their efficacy and efficiency. moreover, workforce growth is greatly aided by the incorporation of ict into aviation education, which provides aspiring aviation professionals with the know-how needed to negotiate the complexity of contemporary airline operations successfully. new tools and training methods have been adopted in the aviation industry due to rapid technology improvements (risukhin, 2016). by using advanced ict solutions to improve learning outcomes and operational efficiency, this digital revolution in aviation education has completely changed old training paradigms. ict play a bigger part in aviation education as the industry develops, bringing in new innovations and raising the bar for quality in instruction and training. moreover, by incorporating game-based learning into aviation instruction, educators want to increase student engagement, motivation, and retention while also improving the efficiency and enjoyment of the training process for aviation professionals (ponomarenko et al., 2019). similar to this, kuindersma et al. (2015) suggested that adding game-based training to airline pilots’ highly controlled and standardized simulation-based training could have both practical and educational benefits. future pilots have different learning preferences than other learners, therefore game-based learning is a good fit for teaching non-technical abilities. it also provides a more adaptable and scalable learning environment, which may lower training costs. it is necessary to expand the corpus of knowledge on the subjects covered in this report by academic research and practical work experiences. it is strongly advised that training providers and research communities work together. in this context, digital transformation refers to the use of interactive software, virtual and augmented reality, and immersive simulations that are all intended to replicate real-world aviation situations. a more dynamic and interesting learning environment is created by aviation training programs through the use of game-based elements like challenges, prizes, and interactive missions. in addition to keeping students’ interest, this helps them acquire critical problem-solving and decision-making skills under pressure, both of which are critical for aviation professionals. thus, including game-based learning into digital transformation programs is a step in the right direction toward producing aviation professionals who are more capable, self-assured, and prepared. also, including game-based learning into digital transformation programs is a step in the right direction toward producing aviation workers who are more capable, self-assured, and equipped to handle the changing needs of the sector. as discussed by biggs et al. (2018), training strategies can be easily modified and tailored to fit the demands of certain learners or organizations. this accommodates the special skill levels and job needs found in the aviation sector. this flexibility is a fundamental component of aviation education’s digital transformation, which uses state-of-the-art technologies to provide customized, flexible learning paths. aviation training can use adaptive learning algorithms, real-time data analytics, and modular content delivery through digital platforms. these tools make it possible to continuously evaluate training programs and modify them to meet the unique needs and development of each student. for instance, scenarios and simulations that are specifically tailored to the operating settings and difficulties faced by pilots, air traffic controllers, and maintenance personnel can be provided. in light of the aforementioned discussions, this paper conducted a thorough analysis of academic works pertaining to the digital changes achieved in the field of aviation education via the use of ict tools and approaches and the factors influencing the adoption of ict in aviation education. a methodical search strategy was developed in order to identify relevant research that discussed about the predominant ict tools and techniques utilized in aviation education. the researcher conducted this investigation using a number of internet databases, mostly gathered from google scholar, research gate, and sciencedirect. these databases were chosen because they provide a broad range of research publications from the fields of technology, education, and aviation. methodology the present review article entailed a comprehensive examination of scholarly literature that centered on the digital changes attained in aviation education via the utilization of ict tools and methodologies, along with the variables impacting the integration of ict in this domain. a systematic search approach was created to find pertinent studies that addressed popular ict technologies and methods used in aviation instruction. ten (10) articles about ict tools and techniques utilized in aviation education and five (5) articles about factors influencing the adoption of ict in aviation education were gathered from different internet databases, including sciencedirect, researchgate, and google scholar. these databases were used by the researcher to carry out this study because of their extensive collections of research articles in the fields of technology, education, and aviation. this method made sure that relevant and varied research were included, giving a strong basis for examining the use of ict and its effects in aviation education. results and discussion pa ge 65 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 63-70, 2024 table 1: ict tools and techniques utilized in aviation education title authors ict tools and techniques 1. the evaluation of implementing digital pedagogy to teach english for aviation purwanti, g. n., syafri, f., & rukmini, d. (2022). the evaluation of implementing digital pedagogy to teach english for aviation. english education journal, 12(4), 538-546. technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpack) framework 2. methodology of implementing virtual reality in education for industry 4.0 paszkiewicz, a., salach, m., dymora, p., bolanowski, m., budzik, g., & kubiak, p. (2021). methodology of implementing virtual reality in education for industry 4.0. sustainability, 13(9), 5049. virtual reality 3. a computer tool for training pilots’ listening skills in aviation english moskalenko, o. i., & didenko, o. v. (2018). a computer tool for training pilots’ listening skills in aviation english. інформаційні технології і засоби навчання, (67,№ 5), 187-198. computer tool specifically designed for training pilots' listening skills in aviation english. 4. big five technologies in aeronautical engineering education: scoping review martinez-lopez, r. (2019). big five technologies in aeronautical engineering education: scoping review. international journal of aviation, aeronautics, and aerospace, 6(3), 12. big data used for computeraided design in engineering education. internet of things (iot) initially applied in aerospace engineering fields. cloud computing applied for collaborative work and classroom education. web 2.0 utilized in the teaching of aeronautical engineering. 5. 2030 agenda in aviation education pavel, a. p., zaharia, s. e., & pietreanu, c. v. (2020). 2030 agenda in aviation education. in edulearn20 proceedings (pp. 5582-5591). iated. integration of modular and interdisciplinary study programs and new specialized disciplines, facilitated by digital platforms and innovative methodologies 6. technological and educational challenges towards pandemic-resilient aviation sun, x., wandelt, s., & zhang, a. (2021). technological and educational challenges towards pandemic-resilient aviation. transport policy, 114, 104-115. simulator technology 7. elevating aviation education: a comprehensive examination of technology's role in modern flight training dinçer, n. (2023). elevating aviation education: a comprehensive examination of technology's role in modern flight training. journal of aviation, 7(2), 317-323. immersive technologies like virtual reality (vr) and augmented reality (ar) 8. challenges and barriers of education policy in air transportation: case study of civil aviation technology college changizi, a., & toorani, h. (2021). challenges and barriers of education policy in air transportation: case study of civil aviation technology college. science and technology policy letters, 11(1), 129-139. communication technology 9. competency based education: a framework for a more efficient and safer aviation industry mendonca ph d, f. a., keller ph d, j., & dillman ph d, b. g. (2019). competency based education: a framework for a more efficient and safer aviation industry. evidence-based training (ebt) 10. artificial intelligence in aviation industries: methodologies, education, applications, and opportunities shmelova, t., sterenharz, a., & dolgikh, s. (2020). artificial intelligence in aviation industries: methodologies, education, applications, and opportunities. in handbook of research on artificial intelligence applications in the aviation and aerospace industries (pp. 1-35). igi global. artificial intelligence (ai) pa ge 66 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 63-70, 2024 according to a study done by purwanti et al. (2022) at institut teknologi dirgantara adisutjipto (itda) yogyakarta, the technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpack) framework is the ict tool utilized in aviation education. tpack is a complete approach that combines pedagogical and subject knowledge with technological expertise to seamlessly integrate technology into the classroom. this framework, which is especially designed to teach aviation english, enables teachers to successfully integrate digital resources and approaches into their lessons. tpack helps instructors to create a more effective and interesting learning environment, which is especially important given the difficulty that many pilots and crew members do not speak english as their first language. the study discovered that itda yogyakarta lecturers were able to successfully implement tpack, improving their ability to teach english for aviation purposes and assisting students in overcoming language barriers in order to meet the requirements for graduation. this was done through the use of questionnaires, observation checklists, and interviews. on the other hand, in the study of paszkiewicz et al (2021) used virtual reality (vr) as the ict tool utilized in aviation education. this study presents a new approach to vr integration in education that involves designing, developing, implementing, and assessing courses in a virtual reality setting. because of this methodology’s universality and comprehensiveness, it can be used to a wide range of fields, including aviation. virtual reality (vr) can be used in aviation education to replicate real-world situations that pilots and crew members might face. this allows for an immersive and dynamic learning environment that improves skill acquisition and knowledge retention. the study shows that in addition to lowering expenses and raising safety, vr-based training can greatly increase participants’ abilities and knowledge. in the study of moskalenko et al. (2018), a specific computer program created to improve pilots’ listening comprehension in aviation english is the ict tool utilized in aviation education. this software consists of a variety of computer activities designed to help trainees become more proficient in english—a language that is necessary for safe and efficient radio communication between air traffic controllers and pilots. pilots can practice accurately listening to, interpreting, and responding to information in english by using this application, which simulates realworld flight conditions. with a focus on achieving icao operational level 4 or above, it is designed to get students ready for the international civil aviation organization’s (icao) language proficiency requirements. six tasks covering general aviation english and particular radio communication phraseology are part of the training technique. the study’s findings highlight that the use of this computer tool leads to significant improvements in students’ listening skills, with a noticeable increase in the number of students achieving high and medium skill levels and a decrease in those with low skill levels. this demonstrates the effectiveness of incorporating computer-based language training tools in aviation education. further, the study by martinez-lopez (2019) highlighted big data and cloud computing as the main ict tools for application in aviation education. to improve learning outcomes, these technologies—which were first used in the field of aeronautical engineering—have been brought into educational research. cloud computing helps teachers and students work together more effectively in the classroom by allowing them to share resources, work together on projects, and access instructional materials from anywhere. an engaging and interactive learning environment is facilitated by this technology. conversely, in engineering education, big data is incorporated into computer-aided design (cad). large datasets can be analyzed to enhance design procedures and decisionmaking, giving students practical experience working with data from the actual world. although they are used less frequently in the teaching of aeronautical engineering, web 2.0 tools are also mentioned. in the study of pavel et al. (2020), the integration of new specialist disciplines and modular, interdisciplinary study programs—facilitated by digital platforms and creative methodologies—is the ict tool employed in aviation education. the report specifically draws attention to the creation of an international master’s program called “it applied in aviation,” which centers on the digitalization of air travel. courses on aviation and the environment, strategic management, ethics, intelligent interfaces, smart data processing, and cybersecurity system management in aviation are all included in this curriculum. the sustainable development goals (sdgs) are the focus of these courses, which are being taught using innovative and varied approaches such as online learning environments and course descriptions that highlight the sdgs’ relevance. the relevance and impact of the educational framework are further increased by the worldwide collaboration and stakeholder participation involved in the program’s implementation. as discussed by sun et al. (2021), simulator technology may be one of the most important ict instruments utilized in aviation education. aviation workers can participate in realistic situations and simulations thanks to simulation technology, which offers training and hands-on experience in a variety of aviation operations areas, such as airline management, airport operations, and aircraft handling. aviation workers may strengthen their decision-making abilities, increase their capacity to adapt to unanticipated events like pandemics, and build resilience in order to effectively manage emergencies by employing simulation technologies. furthermore, collaborative learning and decision-making are made possible by simulation technology, which facilitates the sharing of best practices and knowledge among aviation experts. moreover, dinçer (2023) discussed that immersion technology is one of the main ict techniques used in aviation education. for aviation trainees, immersive pa ge 67 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 63-70, 2024 technologies like virtual reality (vr) and augmented reality (ar) provide extremely dynamic and interesting learning experiences. immersion technologies provide a safe and regulated environment for learners to practice skills, procedures, and decision-making by imitating actual scenarios and environments. this helps aviation workers become more proficient, grow as critical thinkers, and become more aware of their surroundings. additionally, immersive technology can support cooperative and remote learning, removing logistical and geographic boundaries and allowing students to work together and learn from any location. consequently, changizi and toorani (2021) asserted that communication technology is one of the ict instruments that has been identified as essential to aviation education. the study emphasizes how difficult it is for different aviation industry subsectors to communicate with one another, underscoring the urgent need for efficient communication techniques and technologies. a variety of ict technologies, including as email, messaging services, video conferencing, and teamwork software, are included in communication technology. educators, students, business executives, legislators, and other aviation stakeholders may all work together more easily and efficiently with the help of these technologies. correspondingly, evidence-based training (ebt) is the information and communication technology (ict) tool that the study highlighted by mendonca et al. (2019). ebt is a paradigm shift in aviation education and training, departing from conventional approaches that prioritize the acquisition of technical skills and information only. rather, ebt places a strong emphasis on the thorough evaluation and confirmation of a pilot’s competencies throughout their training, utilizing data gathered from training, flight operations, and aircraft accidents. ebt programs can identify, create, and assess the abilities necessary for safe and effective operation in a commercial aviation environment by utilizing data-driven insights. in order to meet or exceed safety standards and improve the quality of education and flight training over flight hours, aviation education institutions, such as the purdue school of aviation and transportation technology, can use this approach to redesign their professional flight programs and improve the knowledge, skills, and abilities that aspiring professional pilots acquire. the study of shmelova et al. (2020) emphasized artificial intelligence (ai) as a tool for information and communication technology (ict), with a focus on its applications in the aerospace and aviation sectors. artificial intelligence (ai) is acknowledged as a cuttingedge technology that can improve security and safety protocols by increasing the effectiveness of designing aviation systems during their entire lifecycle. ai is essential to optimizing decision-making processes for operators, including pilots, air traffic controllers, engineers, and other aviation professionals, in the setting of air navigation sociotechnical systems (ansts), where there is a significant danger of catastrophic results. utilizing technologies like big data, data mining, artificial neural networks, and others to improve the quality of decisionmaking, a variety of ai systems, such as expert systems and decision support systems, are used to help operators make educated judgments. table 2: factors influencing the adoption of ict in aviation education title authors factors 1. factors influencing the utilization of learning management system among aviation academy students alshaikhi, m. a. a. l. i. (2019). factors influencing the utilization of learning management system among aviation academy students. social influence, effort expectations, enabling circumstances, and motivation 2. investigating factors affecting utilization of computer application systems in service sector based on technological acceptance model: case study of kenya airways limited otieno, e. o. (2015). investigating factors affecting utilization of computer application systems in service sector based on technological acceptance model: case study of kenya airways limited (doctoral dissertation, university of nairobi). perceived usefulness and ease of use 3. investigating factors influencing the adoption of e-learning: saudi students’ perspective al-harbi, k. r. a. s. (2011). investigating factors influencing the adoption of e-learning: saudi students’ perspective (doctoral dissertation, university of leicester). perceived behavioral control: perceived accessibility, internet selfefficacy, and university support 4. factors analysis that affecting “knowledge sharing” in t-vet instructors at aviation polytechnic of surabaya sonhaji, i., wijayati, d. t., soedjarwo, s., supardam, d., setiyo, s., & muharlisiani, s. t. (2020). factors analysis that affecting “knowledge sharing” in t-vet instructors at aviation polytechnic of surabaya. talent development & excellence, 12(1), 5317-5328. organization factor, which is defined as the company culture, policies, and support for ict integration individual factor such as personal traits and perspectives regarding ict content factor such as the applicability and quality of educational resources provided via ict pa ge 68 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 63-70, 2024 according alshaikhi (2019), a number of factors affect the saudi academy of civil aviation’s (saca) adoption of ict, particularly learning management systems (lms) in aviation education. these elements consist of social influence, effort expectations, enabling circumstances, and motivation. the most important component is shown to be motivation, indicating that both internal and extrinsic student motivations have a major influence on their readiness to adopt lms. the availability of resources and support, for example, are important circumstances that facilitate the implementation of lmss. another important consideration is effort expectancy, or the perception of ease of use of the learning management system. if students find the system easy to use, they are more likely to use it. though to a lesser level, social influence—the degree to which students feel that significant individuals think they ought to utilize the lms—also influences its uptake. it’s interesting to note that lms utilization is not greatly impacted by performance anticipation, or the conviction that using the lms will improve academic performance. the association between these variables and lms utilization is mediated by behavioral intention, emphasizing the significance of students’ intents in the adoption process. according to the study, taking care of these issues could improve the uptake and efficacy of lms in aviation education. in contrast, otieno (2015), by using the technology acceptance model (tam) to examine the use of computer application systems in an airline context, finds numerous aspects impacting the adoption of ict in aviation education. perceived usefulness and ease of use are two of the crucial elements. the degree to which employees perceive computer application systems to be easy to use has a big influence on how likely they are to adopt new technology. employee acceptance and usage of the systems are further influenced by their perceived usefulness, which measures how much employees think utilizing the systems would improve their job performance. these elements influence people’s attitudes about ict use generally, emphasizing the need of helpful and userfriendly systems to encourage technology adoption. al-harbi (2011) explored the variables affecting students’ intentions to use e-learning and provides information relevant to the use of ict in aviation education. the model, which takes its cues from the theory of planned behavior, takes into account the attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control of students as important factors that influence their behavioral intention to use e-learning. the most important aspect affecting students’ intention for both distance learning and additional e-learning is perceived behavioral control. furthermore, while both attitude and subjective norm are important for supplemental e-learning, attitude is more important for remote education. students’ attitudes are significantly influenced by their perceptions of the usability, interaction, flexibility, and simplicity of use of e-learning, while their subjective norm is shaped by the beliefs of their peers, families, and instructors. three significant factors appear to be crucial antecedents of perceived behavioral control: perceived accessibility, internet self-efficacy, and university support. for sonhaji et al. (2020), several factors impacting the adoption of ict in aviation education may be deduced from the research’s findings. information sharing is greatly influenced and positively impacted by the organization factor, which is defined as the company culture, policies, and support for ict integration. also, even if it is not statistically significant, the individual factor still has a favorable impact, indicating that personal traits and perspectives regarding ict may have an indirect effect on adoption. further, knowledge sharing is greatly impacted by the content element, which indicates the applicability and caliber of educational resources provided via ict. lastly, there is a clear beneficial impact on knowledge sharing from the cooperation component, which stands for cooperative efforts and teamwork when using ict for educational reasons. knowledge sharing is also greatly impacted by technology. moreover, bhaskar et al. (2023) explained that numerous factors influence the adoption of ict in aviation education that can be deduced from the research findings on impeding barriers to implementing simulation-based teaching in higher education institutions. institutionallevel factors—which have been ranked as the greatest barrier to integration of ict into educational practices— may involve concerns with institutional resources, policies, and support. likewise, technological factors may include issues with ict infrastructure and tools’ accessibility, efficacy, and availability in aviation education environments. also, logistical issues including teacher cooperation factor such as cooperative efforts and teamwork when using ict inhibiting factors influencing adoption of simulation-based teaching from management teacher's perspective: prioritisation using analytic hierarchy process bhaskar, p., bhaskar, p., anthonisamy, a., dayalan, p., & joshi, a. (2023). inhibiting factors influencing adoption of simulation-based teaching from management teacher's perspective: prioritisation using analytic hierarchy process. international journal of learning and change, 15(5), 529-551. institutional-level factors technological factors logistical issues individual attitudes, beliefs, and abilities of instructors pa ge 69 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajet am. j. educ. technol. 3(3) 63-70, 2024 training needs, technical assistance, and incorporating ict into current teaching methods and curricula could be considered operational-level variables. finally, individual attitudes, beliefs, and abilities of instructors toward the use of ict in aviation education may fall under the category of personal-level variables. these may include reluctance to adapt, ignorance, or lack of training. conclusion it can be concluded that the common ict tools and techniques utilized in aviation education are technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpack) framework; virtual reality; computer tools specifically designed for training pilots’ listening skills in aviation english; big data used for computer-aided design in engineering education; internet of things (iot) initially applied in aerospace engineering fields; cloud computing applied for collaborative work and classroom education; web 2.0 utilized in the teaching of aeronautical engineering; integration of modular and interdisciplinary study programs and new specialized disciplines, facilitated by digital platforms and innovative methodologies; simulator technology; immersive technologies like virtual reality (vr) and augmented reality (ar); communication technology; evidence-based training (ebt); and artificial intelligence (ai). meanwhile, the common factors influencing the adoption of ict in aviation education are social influence, effort expectations, enabling circumstances, and motivation; perceived usefulness and ease of use; perceived behavioral control: perceived accessibility, internet self-efficacy, and university support; organization factor, which is defined as the company culture, policies, and support for ict integration; individual factor such as personal traits and perspectives regarding ict; content factor such as the applicability and quality of educational resources provided via ict; cooperation factor such as cooperative efforts and teamwork when using ict; institutionallevel factor; technological factors; logistical issues; and individual attitudes, beliefs, and abilities of instructors. acknowledgments sincere gratitude is extended to mr. ronwald gonzalo, husband of the researcher, and mr. roald johann gonzalo, son of the researcher, ona family, and her friends, shella and tess, for their support until the completion of this study. references al-harbi, k. r. a. s. (2011). investigating factors influencing the adoption of e-learning: saudi students’ perspective (doctoral dissertation, university of leicester). alshaikhi, m. a. a. l. i. (2019). factors influencing the utilization of learning management system among aviation academy students. arnaldo valdes, r. m., burmaoglu, s., tucci, v., braga da costa campos, l. m., mattera, l., & gomez comendador, v. f. (2019). flight path 2050 and acare goals for maintaining and extending industrial leadership in aviation: a map of the aviation technology space. sustainability, 11(7), 2065. ates, s. s., & durmaz, v. (2022). digital transformation in aviation education: post covid-19. in digitalization and the impacts of covid-19 on the aviation industry (pp. 102–125). igi global. bhaskar, p., bhaskar, p., anthonisamy, a., dayalan, p., & joshi, a. 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